My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by Codex92

To Where and Back Again (Part 2)

Ventus struggled to keep his breathing to a low volume, his gaze never leaving Vanitas's as he hid behind the door with Starlight and Trixie. So many questions ran through his head: How was he back? Why is he working alongside Chrysalis in his goals to capture Sora like the rest of Xehanort's new Organization? And why didn't Vanitas do anything to him while he was disguised, or even when it was late in the evening? Flashbacks of his tormenting came back to him, and even though Ventus was no longer discouraged by his darkness's insults and constant bullying, he still feared for his life, along with the others'.

"That's better," Chrysalis said, her image still inside the portal the changelings created to contact her. "Now, report."

"Do you even need one?" Vanitas questioned with a smirk. "Everything's going exactly as planned. We replaced those ponies and the little band of Keyblade wielders I told you about, and no one in the town is suspicious of us."

"And we're in complete control of the castle, too," one of the changelings added. "This table has some pretty strange magic, too."

"It's just a dumb map, nothing more," Vanitas said. "Just be grateful I helped you idiots trick Sora and the other wielders. That Kairi was easily swayed by my charms." He chuckled darkly, then, to the three ponies outside the throne room's shock, he held up Kairi's engagement ring he hid in his pocket. The pure white gemstone was tainted black, rightfully so as it was in the clutches of a being created out of the darkness of Ventus's heart. "Just a little convincing for some nookie, and with a zap...light's out. I don't think she'll be needing this since her future husband to be is going to be working for my master soon."

"You have no idea how hard it was for me to stomach seducing him," the changeling who was disguised as Kairi said, clearly male by his voice and build as he stuck his tongue out in disgust. "I'm glad I knocked him out before he started getting...'physical'."

"Oh quit your bellyaching," another said, the one who was disguised as Twilight said. "At least we got him out of the way. When under the queen's power at the royal wedding, he had to be the first to go."

"If you two would stop complaining, I just got word from the group invading Canterlot," Chrysalis interrupted. "They successfully captured the princesses, and have replaced them as well." Ventus and Starlight winced, both of them knowing the changelings were beginning to kidnap Celestia and Luna, and so far, Chrysalis's plan is working perfectly. "We had thought too small last time. One ponynapped princess wasn't enough, and with all the most beloved ponies of Equestria taken care of, along with their strongest warriors, nopony can stop us now!"

Chrysalis began to cackle, her changelings joining her as their triumph was at hoof. Vanitas just smirk, but not for his temporary allies' success. He had his own goals, and Ventus could tell that his darkness took a lesson from Xehanort's book; playing out his associates like pawns, then get rid of them when they serve their purpose. Chrysalis taking over Equestria was the last thing she'll expect before the world would be engulfed in darkness, eventually getting backstabbed by someone not from this world promising to help, then kill her and her army in the end.

The communication portal faded away, leaving the changelings and Vanitas to themselves. "Now, we only have one more little runt to take care of," Vanitas said, gathering the changelings' attention while placing Kairi's ring back in his coat pockets. "Ventus is the last wielder we need to catch, but you let me take care of him. You can gather the rest of the ponies in this town and capture them if you'd like."

"Isn't he just as much a threat as Sora?" one of the changelings asked.

Vanitas said nothing, his face hidden behind his bangs as he lowered his head, then started to chuckle. "...Threat? That wimp?" His laughter grew darker, then suddenly stopped as he swiftly looked at the questioning bug pony with a deadly leer, lunging toward him and grasped his throat in his hoof. The others gasped as they watched their strangled brother struggled to break free from Vanitas's grip, but they saw how tough he was with just his bare hooves and couldn't do anything to help without getting hurt themselves. "Don't you dare say that blubbering, pathetic excuse of a 'warrior' is even considered a threat! I was told that I LOST to him, even when I had the strongest weapon none of you delicate, disturbing moths can even possibly grasp!

"Out of the two of us, I am his better half! I had the power of the X-blade once, but he somehow beats me, kills the two of us, and he's still standing even after he knew the risk of killing me! If you start pushing my buttons, telling me Ventus is stronger than I am, then I don't care if your queen reprimands me for splattering your blood all over these walls! He is NOT! STRONGER! THAN ME!!!!!" Vanitas glared into the choking changeling's eyes, seething with rage. At least Ventus figured out which Vanitas this was: a past version of his darkness who was still alive and brought into the present like Ansem and Xemnas, but before their climactic duel while he wielded the incomplete version of the X-blade. Vanitas took in a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh and dropped the changeling, who gasped huge lungfuls of air and coughed, almost suffocating from the Keyblade wielder's grip around his neck. "...I don't know how he won, but that time...he was lucky. This time, I'm going to prove who's the better half."

"W-What the hay is he talking about?" Trixie asked nervously, feeling unsure if she should worry about themselves or the changeling who almost got choked to death by the yellow-eyed one. "Is he your twin?" Ventus didn't respond, wanting to remain quiet to avoid getting caught. Trixie wanted answers, already scared out of her mind and demanding answers from the teen. "Ventus! Who is he!?"

Trixie nudged Ventus, startling him as he was nudged forward enough toward the door. The throne room sensed his presence, surprising the enemy as Ventus's throne appeared in a flash of light, nearly knocking over the changelings standing near it.

"Ahh! What the hay just happened!?" one of the changelings questioned as they began to panic from the mysterious-appearing throne.

Vanitas spotted the Wayward Wind Keyblade on the backrest, letting out a growl as he turned to face the doors, where Ventus quickly backed away and closed the door, his throne disappearing as he left. "Seems like we got ourselves a spy." Summoning his Keyblade, Vanitas leapt over the Cutie Map and rammed through the doors, nearly snapping them off their hinges. He looked around the dark hall, finding no trace of the spies, no longer caring if he was in disguise or not. "Damn it...I won't have him ruin this for me." Turning around to look back in the throne room, he growled as the changelings still stood where they were. "What are you idiots waiting for!? Search the damn castle and find him!"

The changelings immediately obeyed, shifting into their disguises and began their search. Vanitas slowly walked forward on two legs, holding his Keyblade in his battle stance while keeping an eye out for any sign of his other self. Unbeknownst to them all, Ventus, Starlight, and Trixie had only moved a few feet away from the door, their forms invisible thanks to Ventus's quick thinking using Vanish on all three of them. Silently looking to Starlight and Trixie, Ventus brought a hoof to his lips, warning them to stay quiet before he crept up to Vanitas. He wasn't going to let Vanitas keep Kairi's ring, knowing how special it was for Sora to get Kairi that special ring to unify their relationship. Holding his breath, he reached his hoof out while following Vanitas, making sure not to accidentally brush against him as he aimed for the pocket he placed the ring in.

He was almost there, but Trixie let out a whimper. Vanitas's ears perked up at the terrified sound, Ventus freezing as the dark side of him turned to where the sound came from.

"...Ventus doesn't sound like that," Vanitas uttered to himself. "...More spies?" His lips curled into a smirk, eager to sink his blade into someone else if they were with Ventus. He slowly approached Trixie and Starlight, the latter pressing her hoof in the former's mouth to keep her from making anymore noise. Ventus began to panic, quietly following Vanitas as he desperately needed to take the ring back and figure out how to lure him away from the unicorns. Thankfully, help came to them when a crashing sound by the entrance of the castle echoed in the foyer. Vanitas quickly turned and aimed his blade at the crash, only to find Twilight's pet owl, Owlowiscious, sitting on a pedestal with a knocked over vase. The owl hooted, distracting Vanitas enough for Ventus to reach in his foe's pocket as he turned, then quickly pocketed Kairi's engagement ring before it could brighten up in the hooves of a light-hearted pony. "Stupid owl.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Owlowiscious hooted, flapping his wings and flew around without a care in the world. Vanitas grumbled, ignoring the nocturnal bird as he looked back at where he heard the noise. "...Probably that damn bird's hoot echoed in this empty castle and made me think it came from behind me. He must be in his room, hiding like a coward."

Vanitas finally walked away from where the trio stood, searching elsewhere after pondering whether or not to kill Owlowiscious for not only making him believe there were others watching, but also startling him by knocking a vase over. As soon as he rounded the corner and was far enough away, Owlowiscious flew over to Ventus and perched himself on his head perfectly after seeing the ring disappear in the pegasus's pocket, letting out a hoot that signaled it was clear. Ventus dispelled Vanish, revealing themselves as Starlight used her own magic to teleport them out of the castle before Trixie's hyperventilating alerted Vanitas back to them.

Back outside near Trixie's wagon, Ventus and Starlight breathed a sigh of relief while Trixie still had her panic attack. "That was way too close," Ventus said. He grabbed Owlowiscious, petting the owl for his bravery. "Thanks, Owlowiscious. We'll get Twilight and the others back."

Owlowiscious hooted in response, then flew off to a safer place away from the changelings. "I-I can't deal with this!" Trixie said, still hyperventilating in fear, grabbing Ventus's shirt as her eyes begged for him to protect her. "I'm just a performer! This is...princess level stuff! And the changelings have the princesses and Sora and whoever else could fight them!" She began to shake the teen in exasperation and desperation. "Why didn't you do anything!? I thought you had a key-sword blade thing! You could have taken that changeling's life, but you only went for that stupid ring!"

Ventus smacked Trixie in the face, snapping her out of her panicked tirade as he grasped her shoulders. "Trixie, relax, and keep your big mouth shut before you alert Vanitas and the changelings to us," he growled.

"Ven, how do you know him?" Starlight questioned. "That changeling, Vanitas...he said you were his...other half. What did he mean by that?"

"Trixie would also like to know," Trixie said, leering at Ventus for the face slap and a possible accusation at Vanitas's statement back in the throne room. "Are you a changeling as well?"

"First, Trixie, I'm not a changeling," he said to the magician. Ventus sighed heavily, pulling out Kairi's ring, watching the tarnished gem slowly return back to its beautiful, translucent form. "...As for why I know Vanitas...well...He's...me."

"...What?" Trixie questioned. "...He looks more like Sora than you. How could that guy be you?"

"It's a long, very complicated story," Ventus simply explained. "Not even I really know why...But he truly is a part of me; the darkness in my heart." Both mares stared at him, still not understanding how that was possible. Starlight had a feeling when she let the darkness of her anger take hold, but she didn't know how someone's darkness could be their own entity while able to survive in a body of their own. "...I already told you it was long and complicated. Do you really want to know?"

"Can you make it short and complicated, because Trixie doesn't want to stick around here for very long," Trixie said. "Trixie very nearly wet herself when your evil twin looked like he saw right through us and was about to kill us."

"...Fine. I guess I have to explain anyway knowing he's back again," Ventus said. He placed Kairi's ring back in his pocket, hopefully keeping it safe until they could rescue their friends as he began to tell his story. "It might be hard to believe, but I'm actually a lot older than I look. Aqua, Terra, and I had gone on a long, taxing journey back then trying to stop creatures called the Unversed. They're like Heartless, but they're created from the negative emotions of ones heart instead of their darkness...The source of that negativity that gives birth to them was actually Vanitas; he can create them at will, however many he wants, and without wasting any energy doing so."

"Heartless, Nobodies, Dream Eaters, and now Unversed," Starlight uttered in disbelief, rubbing her temple while shaking her head as she absorbed everything Ventus said. "Just how many more of these dangerous creatures exist?"

"Before I met Aqua and Terra, I was once Xehanort's apprentice...but it wasn't by my own will, I think," Ventus continued. "I don't know why I trained under him at first. All I can remember was that he was forcing me to tap into the power of darkness, possibly to use me as his vessel. I refused, which made him grow frustrated and took matters in his own hands. Using his Keyblade and his dark power, he pulled the darkness out of my heart, creating Vanitas and giving him his own personality, but in doing so, it left me in a catatonic state and gave me amnesia." Starlight grimaced, now fully understanding how serious Ventus's memory wipes were, which only made her regret doing that to him months ago. "Despite losing my memories, I made better ones with Aqua and Terra. I did get them back, though not everything as the more important ones involving Xehanort returned, while everything else before that...nothing..."

"And...you and Vanitas?" Trixie asked.

"Vanitas is my darkness. He was me in many ways, but he was also his own person; calling himself my better half," Ventus said. "He's constantly terrorized Terra and Aqua, as well as me, fought us, taunted us, and tried to force me into fighting him for real in order to forge something called the X-blade."

"But you and the others have Keyblades," Starlight pointed out. "Is that how they're created? By forcing two halves of one person to fight each other?"

"The X in this Keyblade is like the ancient letter for 'chi', some calling it pronouncing it as 'kye'," Ventus explained. "The X-blade is said to be THE strongest Keyblade ever to exist, and the only way to forge it is with a battle between powers of light and darkness; myself and Vanitas. As we fought in the Keyblade Graveyard, where we all made our final stand, our final battle took place inside my heart, and he had the X-blade in his hands." The experience fighting Vanitas the last time sent a shiver down Ventus's spine. Even though it was only half complete, the X-blade was incredibly powerful, but he was amazed he came out on top in the end after activating a D-Link with him, using his own abilities to end the both of them and ruin Xehanort's plan. "I won, though, but beating him inside my heart caused it to physically break in two. I fell into a coma and the light in my heart flew off to wander aimlessly."

"A heartless coma?" Trixie questioned skeptically. "...I still don't know how you fight inside an organ that's meant to pump blood in your body."

"Again; complicated to explain," Ventus reiterated.

"But...h-how are you still alive to this very day?" Starlight asked, more engrossed with Ventus's past than Trixie at this point.

"As my light floated listlessly, I felt someone else's light, and I moved toward it. That light was Sora's, and he opened his heart to me, letting me in so I could recover...Sora saved me, just like he does for everyone else, and that was when he was only about five years old." Starlight was amazed that Sora was a hero even when he was little. He could have killed her back when she was hell bent on getting revenge, but he rescued her from straying further down that dark path and losing herself to her darkness. Ventus pulled out his Wayfinder, feeling a link merged with Sora, having shared a bond with him even before the enchantment from Aqua's magic granted him one. "I owe him for saving my life, and my last attempt during his and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam in the dream realms failed when my armor protecting him got corrupted by the Nightmares...I have to save him and the others again, even if it means facing Vanitas again."

"Ok, I know this is a heroic speech and all," Trixie said. "But how about you tell us how we can take on an army of changelings, your dark persona pulled out of your heart or something, and save the others when the princesses are captured too!?"

"Well, Chrysalis said Celestia and Luna were captured," Starlight noted. "But Princess Cadence might be safe. Our best bet is to get to the Crystal Empire before they do. That way we can-"

"There's no help coming from the Crystal Empire," a voice said in the foliage nearby.

Ventus held his Keyblade at the ready, defending Trixie and Starlight as he faced where the voice came from. Revealing himself through the bushes was a familiar friendly changeling, Thorax. Starlight and Ventus relaxed at the friendly face, but Trixie let out a loud gasp at the changeling's appearance. She began to scream, but Ventus quickly pointed his weapon at the magician, casting Silence on her to mute her screams as she randomly flailed about.

"Thorax? Is that really you?" Starlight asked.

"Yes," he said.

As Thorax got closer, Ventus and Starlight noticed something different about the changeling; instead of the transparent, delicate insect wings the other changelings had, Thorax's had a crystalline sheen to them, almost like he was in a phase of metamorphosis. "Your wings look...different," Starlight pointed out.

Thorax looked back at his wings, stretching them a little as if he had known they had changed for a while. "I guess they do," he said.

As glad as Starlight was to see him again, she and Ventus didn't know if it really was Thorax, if it was possible for changelings to turn into other changelings. "How do we know you're really Thorax?" Ventus asked, pointing his Keyblade at the changeling.

"Starlight was there when Spike defended me to the ponies in the Crystal Empire, along with Sora and Riku," Thorax said. "Princess Twilight said-" Thorax transformed into Twilight, mimicking her voice as he quoted what she said that only Starlight would surely know to prove he was telling the truth. "-'As the Princess of Friendship, I should set an example for all of Equestria. But today, it was Spike who taught me-'"

"Ok, ok, you're the real Thorax," Starlight interrupted. "We don't need the whole speech."

Thorax turned back to normal, but before he was able to truly greet them, he noticed Trixie still silently screaming in terror, rolling around on the ground while continuing to flail about in a panic. "Uhh, is she ok?"

Starlight and Ventus looked back at Trixie, the pair letting out a sigh at the mare's method of being helplessly afraid for her life in an unamusing, yet comical fashion. "I'll dispel the Silence I cast on her if we can get her to stop freaking out," Ventus said.

They both approached Trixie, Starlight levitating the flailing unicorn up in the air while Ventus lightly smacked her out of her muted screaming fit. "Trixie, this is Thorax," Starlight introduced after they finally got her attention. "He is a reformed changeling. He's on our side. Understand?"

Trixie tried to say yes, only to realize no sound came from her mouth. She then tried to shout, barely able to utter a squeak thanks to the dangerous, but also useful status ailment Ventus cast on her.

"You're Silenced, Trixie," Ventus explained before she screamed hard enough to damage her vocal chords. "I knew you were going to lose it, so I cast a spell on you to keep you quiet, but it also sealed away your magic temporarily." Shocked, Trixie lit up her horn, only for her aura to fizzle out under the effects of Silence blocking her magic. She then leered at Ventus, but when she looked back at Thorax, she winced and began to panic again. "If you promise not to scream, I'll cure you so you can talk again. But if you scream again and get us caught, it's back to staying mute for a while again. Got it?" Trixie nodded her head, dreading the thought of getting captured and never being able to announce her spectacular feats. "Esuna."

With a twirl of his blade, Trixie was surrounded in a brief flash of light, thankfully not bright enough to be seen from where they were hiding. "...D-Did it work?" Trixie asked, able to talk again as she sighed in relief.

She didn't relax long when Thorax approached her, holding his hoof out to her. "Hi, it's a pleasure to-"

"If Starlight and Ventus says you're on our side, I believe them," Trixie interrupted, scrambling up to the side of her wagon, still uneasy being around the friendly changeling. "But maybe just stay over there for now, ok?"

Starlight and Ventus shook their heads, but at least Trixie wasn't going to flip out and reveal their location to the changelings and Vanitas inside the castle. They looked back at Thorax, getting back to his earlier response upon his appearance.

"Thorax, what did you mean when you said there was no help from the Crystal Empire?" Ventus asked. "...Don't tell me they kidnapped Cadence as well..."

"They took Cadence, Shining Armor, AND Flurry Heart!" Thorax exclaimed, shocking the Keyblade wielder and heliotrope unicorn. "Sunburst sent me to find Sora and Princess Twilight's help. I-I know Sora doesn't really trust me all that well yet, but I know he wouldn't say no to helping them."

"Well, there's some bad news," Starlight said. "Twilight and the others were kidnapped too...Even Sora."

"Oh no. I'm too late," Thorax moaned miserably. "...What are we gonna do?"

"Yeah, Starlight, what are we gonna do?" Trixie asked, already putting Starlight under a lot of pressure as they looked to her for answers.

"I-I don't know!" Starlight exclaimed. "V-Ven, can't you come up with something!?"

"The only way we can stop them is if we stormed the Changeling Kingdom now while Vanitas is still here in Ponyville," Ventus proposed. While formulating a plan, he had an incredible idea as he grinned and nonchalantly walked over to Trixie's wagon. "What we need is someone with powerful magic, even more powerful than my own and Chrysalis's combined. Too bad we don't have that kind of firepower with us that comes from an amalgamation of animal parts, and bend reality. At. Will."

"You know, you could just call out my name instead of leaving me out of the picture when you all need my help, which is every dangerous situation." Thorax, Starlight, and Trixie looked up above the latter's wagon, Discord suddenly making his presence known as he lounged on the roof of Trixie's mobile home.

"What? No!" Ventus said sarcastically. "I was talking about a manticore!"

"Oh, please, don't act so coy, Ven," Discord said. "Despite me breaking everything, it would be simple just to turn one of your enemies into a poodle, but that would be a bit too boring for this story, wouldn't it?" Ignoring the smirk on the pegasus's face, Discord looked down at the other two unicorns and changeling roped into this bigger invasion plan of Chrysalis's. "Well, isn't this quite the combination of secondary characters? Even though Ventus is actually a main character, he's treated like a background character in this series."

Ventus scowled at the draconequus at that remark. "Wait, how do we know you're the real Discord?" Starlight asked.

With a snap of his fingers, Discord changed the scenery around them to his own chaotic Wonderland: dancing flowers, soapy roads that caused Trixie to slip and fall, checkerboard lands, floating pieces of land, even turning Trixie's caravan into a purple pumpkin. "Yup, that's Discord alright," Ventus said.

"Do you need anymore convincing, or shall I continue?" Discord asked, subtly begging to do more.

"No, we're convinced," Ventus quickly said. "But we're in serious trouble here, Discord. Chrysalis is back and she's kidnapped all the most powerful ponies in Equestria, including the other wielders: the princesses, Shining, Cadence, Flurry Heart, Sora, Twilight, Riku, Fluttershy-"

Upon mentioning Fluttershy, Discord lost his cocky smirk from teasing the others, his eyes growing wide in shock. In a flash of light, everything bit of chaos he unleashed quickly turned back to normal, startling the others, and almost scaring the daylights out of Ventus when the draconequus lunged his claw out at him, clamping his muzzle shut. He slowly lowered his neck down, giving the Keyblade wielder a serious, almost deadly glare, telling him Fluttershy was captured by the changelings sparking a primitive, dangerously overprotective side that made him more threatening than how he usually behaved.

"They took Fluttershy?" Discord questioned, his voice lowered to almost a growl. Ventus gulped nervously, almost glad to never have seen THIS Discord during the last few times he was a villain. He slowly nodded his head, which only made his eyes glow menacingly in the darkness of night while his gaze intensified. "WHERE...???"

"In the Changeling Kingdom, if you were listening in on us," Starlight said. "With you, I'm sure we can-"

Discord didn't need anymore convincing, using his other hand to snap his fingers, teleporting them away to rescue everyone, but mostly Fluttershy for the draconequus. Inside the castle, however, peering out of the window, Vanitas looked down at where the small group of unlikely heroes had disappeared from, unfortunately spotting the random chaos Discord created as he passed by while looking for Ventus. He overheard them talking about the Changeling Kingdom, planning to storm the hive by themselves. His muzzle grew a sadistic grin, chuckling with amusement.

"Oh, Ventus, you just made my day easier, you idiot," he said to himself, making his way through the castle of find one of the changelings and alert them of his other self's idea of an invasion. "I'll kill two birds with one stone...Or, should I say, kill the entire flock with one stone."

---

Outside the edge of a nearby forest as the break of dawn greeted the world, Discord's teleportation lead the group here, now wearing a blue scarf and giving the others packs for the supposed journey ahead of them. He was baffled when his magic teleported them in a forest instead of where Fluttershy was being held.

"Hmmm...How odd," Discord muttered to himself. "I was trying to take us to Fluttershy, but there IS no Fluttershy..."

While searching the ground, his eyes snaking along the ground looking for any sign of his best friend, Ventus rubbed his muzzle, thankful not to receive any puncture marks from Discord's talon nails after forcefully shutting him up. "Ok, good thing I'm not a changeling right now," Ventus uttered to himself. Looking out by the cliffside, he gasped and walked over to the edge. "...Guys? I think I found Chrysalis's 'castle'."

Discord, Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax looked out on the horizon, the former three staring in disturbed awe at the jagged-looking mountain out in the middle of the dry wasteland. It definitely looked like a castle made out of the earth itself, black and foreboding, the central spire in the similar shape of Chrysalis's horn. The only sign of wildlife in the area that was considered the Changeling Kingdom was the cliff they stood on.

"Oh, I hoped I wouldn't have to see this place again," Thorax groaned. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, that's the strangest thing," Discord said. "We're here, and that's there, but I clearly meant for us to be there, and not here."

"I-I can explain why-" Thorax tried to say, but Discord scoffed, interrupting the reformed changeling.

"No matter. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again until you have no bones left in your body," the draconequus quoted, even if the second half wasn't necessarily needed.

"Wait!" Starlight shouted, using her magic to keep Discord from snapping his fingers and try teleporting them closer. "Shouldn't we come up with a plan?"

"Ventus already made the plan," Discord said, blowing away Starlight's magic aura like dust. "We storm in, go crazy, and rescue Fluttershy."

"And the others, right?" Ventus reminded.

"Yes, yes, that's what I meant," Discord brushed off, more focused on saving Fluttershy than the rest. "Besides, we're only wasting time here. We have me. I can do anything. What else could we possibly need?"

"A draconequus with magic AND half a brain might help," Trixie muttered, already getting annoyed by Discord's gloating.

"Why are you here again?" Discord asked Trixie. "I mean, it's not like you're going to stop the changelings by pulling a rabbit out of a hat." He emphasized his point by swiping Trixie's hat, flipping it upside down and pulled out a double of Trixie's head by the copy's horn. "At least MY magic can do something."

Both Trixie's leered at Discord at the spiteful comment toward her profession, but Discord shoved the Trixie in the hat back down inside, teleporting it back on the real mare's head. "Well, the thing about magic here is that-" Thorax tried to say again, only for Discord to interrupt him once again as he snapped his fingers, creating a flying pig with some battle armor, wearing similar armor himself with a lance in his claws.

"Like this," Discord stated cockily. "For Fluttershy!" Kicking the swine's sides, the flying pig squealed and flew forward as he let out a battle cry. The moment he reached the edge, to everyone's shock, Discord's magically crafted mount and armor suddenly faded away into nothingness. Discord managed to grab the edge as he yelped, climbing back up as he leered out at the land. "Ok, let's try this again."

Snapping his fingers, he summoned another flying pig and ordered it to fly out toward the changeling hive. Just like before, it disappeared, shocking the draconequus.

"I've been trying to tell you," Thorax said. "Nothing other than changeling magic works here."

"...Excuse me, bug boy?" Discord questioned, slowly turning to glare at the reformed changeling. "Are you telling me my chaos doesn't work in your old home? Impossible! My magic should be great enough to break through anything! Reality, the 4th wall, time and space!"

"Chrysalis's throne is carved from an ancient dark stone that soaks up outside magic the same way changelings soak up love," Thorax explained. "It's how she keeps the hive safe."

"Any outside magic that isn't changeling magic?" Ventus asked. Thorax nodded his head, making Ventus curious about this enchanted domain's power. Approaching the edge, he reached his hoof out and tried to summon his Keyblade, but as he breached the perimeter of the ancient magic-sucking stone's power, the magic around his hoof began to fade and reveal his hand. Gasping in shock, he wasn't able to hide it from Thorax or Trixie as they saw his five digit limb. He quickly pulled it back, turning back into a hoof. "...That includes...my own magic..."

"W-What was that?" Trixie asked. "Was there...magic around Ventus?"

"Yes, he's not from this world," Discord stated bluntly. "I mean, honestly, it's obvious from how he's dressed. Have you ever seen anypony who wears clothes like that anywhere else in Equestria? And his Keyblade is clearly a sign that there's no such weapon like that at all in this world, so, all this time, you knew an alien from another world...He's also known as a human if you are curious."

"...What's a human?" Thorax questioned.

Ventus grunted irritably at Discord's brief exposition over who he truly was, even if he was right with how obvious he was dressed and wield a weapon he can call without the abilities of a unicorn. "Thank you for letting them know, Discord," he said to the draconequus sarcastically. Ventus sighed, reaching his hoof out again, now turning back into his hand as he tried to summon his Keyblade. He waited for it to appear in his outstretched hand, but it wouldn't appear. "Great. It looks like I can't even call back my Keyblade if I lose it while around the Changeling Kingdom."

"And without our magic...I have no idea what we're going to do," Starlight uttered worriedly. "Anypony have an idea?" No one responded, Ventus pulling back his arm again, turning it back into a hoof as he looked out at the hive in the distance. "...Anypony?"

"We sneak into the hive and destroy the throne," Ventus said, calling his Keyblade while still a pony. "If we do this, Thorax, we should get our magic back, right?"

"Mhmm," Thorax said with a nod.

"Well, that's a terrible plan," Discord commented. "How are we even supposed to get to the hive?"

Ventus gave the draconequus a blank stare. "...We walk?" he answered.

Discord grimaced, judging just how far of a walk it would be after spending many years teleporting to and fro and floating in midair with his own magic. "I haven't walked that far in a millennia!"

"Then stop complaining." Ventus took the lead, leaping out into the Changeling Kingdom, keeping a firm hold of his Keyblade in his hoof. His pony form faded away and revealed his human form to Trixie and Thorax, landing down on the arid land on two legs instead of four. This was the first time seeing Ventus as a human, still surprised to see so many similarities between him and Sora that could have almost passed them both off as brothers. As the rest of the group climbed down to join Ventus, the teen tried to activate his Keyblade armor, but just like the rest of his magic, it was sucked away just like everything else. "Damn. I doubt I would keep wearing my armor for long even if I was back on that cliff edge."

When they joined him, Trixie and Thorax had to look up to see Ventus's face as they stood as tall as his waist. Discord was the only one who towered him, standing only a few feet taller with his serpentine body.

"So...is this what Sora and the others look like?" Trixie asked curiously, pawing her hoof against Ventus's shorts and shoes, then took his free hand and examined it. "What IS a human? A giant, hairless ape?"

"We in the primate species, but we're a lot smarter than normal monkeys," Ventus explained. He flinched when the magician suddenly began to tug at his shorts, smacking her hooves away as his cheeks turned pink. "H-Hey, don't try taking off my clothes! Humans need to wear them to...refrain from indecent exposure!"

"...Oh...Is that why, as a pony, you always wore the upper part of your outfit?" Trixie asked.

"My shirt and jacket are the only clothes that seem to stick around when I turn into a pegasus by my own magic," Ventus said. "And if I'm not wearing them...I think I might end up..." Ventus cleared his throat, avoiding continuing that sentence as his blush grew into a bright red. "L-Let's get going before the changelings catch us at the edge of their borders."

As the party began making their way to the mountainous castle that was the changeling hive, Ventus answered whatever questions Trixie and Thorax had to learn about who he is and how different humans were compared to ponies. Even though Ventus and Thorax had only met each other today, Ventus saw a bit of himself in the timid changeling. Thorax isn't much of a fighter, but he was willing to do anything to help his friends, even if it seemed impossible. When Ventus asked the changeling about his life before leaving the hive, it was obvious he wasn't as violent as his brethren, though he seemed reluctant to tell him something when he mentioned getting picked on by his peers for his pacifistic behavior. He didn't press further if it was hard to explain, but Ventus felt like he and Thorax were bonding pretty well, unaware of a small shimmer of light that came from his pocket where his Wayfinder rested.

It was only a few more minutes of walking when Discord began to whine in annoyance. "I don't know how any of you manage to not be able to disappear and reappear whenever you want!"

"Well, I, for one, definitely miss you being able to disappear!" Trixie exclaimed irritably.

"Give Discord a break, Trixie!" Starlight scolded. "None of us knew we weren't going to be able to use magic."

"I did," Thorax said.

They stopped halfway across the wasteland, Ventus turning to face the two mares, changeling and draconequus. "Before we go any further, we'll have to come up with a plan in case we all get separated. If the changelings split us up, they could turn into one of us and trick us into getting caught in an ambush. Sora had an idea when Thorax was around the Crystal Empire and the city was in a panic, and to make sure it's really us we're with if we split up and regroup, we'll need a secret code only we know."

"Oh! I see!" Discord said over-enthusiastically, clearly being sarcastic at the insane idea while they were already insane enough sneaking into a heavily guarded hive. "How about if I say 'we are' and you say 'doomed'?" Ventus sighed, wishing Discord would take this seriously, especially when he can't even use any of his chaotic magic to save himself. "Or you say 'rescue' and I say-"

As Discord paced around, poking fun at the plan, he tripped over a rock, yelping and fell to the ground with a grunt. "How about if we say 'klutzy' and you say 'draconequus'?" Trixie suggested, though mostly to pick on Discord for his earlier comment with her performance magic.

"'Klutzy draconequus'," Starlight repeated. "Works for me."

"I'll definitely remember it," Thorax said in agreement on their secret code, to Discord's irritation.

"Alright, it's unanimous," Ventus said.

Discord growled, tailing behind the group with a pout. "Is this payback for all the teasing I've done to everypony in the past?" he asked himself. He waited silently, only to remember he can't reason with himself using a double of him. "Oh. Right...I already miss my magic..."

It didn't take long for the mishmash of heroes to reach the base of the "castle", hiding from the changeling guards in front of the main entrance and scouts flying around up above. Thorax guided them, knowing the hive better than they did, leading them to an open cavern near where they snuck around. Once inside undetected, Ventus, Starlight, Trixie, and Discord stared in shock at how expansive and convoluted the hive system was, small glowing green sacks hanging from the ceiling or attached to walls as the source of illumination while several caves lined up all around just the one room they were in.

"Ok, I'm kinda glad Thorax came with us," Trixie said. "I don't think we'd be able to find our way without you."

"You definitely wouldn't," Thorax said.

Behind them, they heard their entrance suddenly close up on them, surprising the non-changelings at the mysterious disappearance of the cavern. "Umm...what happened to the way out?" Trixie asked nervously.

"It's a changeling hive. It shifts and changes like we do, and we're the only ones who can navigate it," Thorax explained. Looking around, they could see the other passages opening and closing, which meant they could have ended up running around in circles while searching for the throne room. "It's total chaos to non-changelings."

Thorax continued to take the lead, flying through a nearby passage, where the others quickly followed. Discord barely managed to get his tail through as it closed up behind him, looking back to watch it shrink and become nothing but a solid wall.

"Well, it's decent chaos," he said. "I wouldn't call it 'total'." Discord hurried after the others, staying close to each other while Thorax guided them to where Chrysalis's throne room was. Ventus kept an eye on their surroundings, twirling his Keyblade in his hand anxiously, expecting a run-in with at least one changeling guard. "Are we sure that I'll get my magic back when we destroy this throne thingy?"

"If Thorax is right, then yes," Starlight said.

"Well, that's reassuring," Discord sarcastically muttered.

"And how are we supposed to destroy the throne when we find it?" Trixie asked.

"I...don't know," Starlight answered, unsure what they would need to destroy the magical throne.

"That's reassuring," Trixie also muttered sarcastically.

"If my Keyblade can break through it, then we'll be fine," Ventus said. "Now keep quiet and stay alert."

Discord ignored Ventus's advice, rummaging through Trixie's bags as he pulled out an assortment of magical props. "I don't suppose you brought any throne-destroying tools along with these sideshow props."

"Asks the Lord of Chaos who can't go for a walk without whining nonstop!" Trixie said irritably.

"Yes, but when the throne is destroyed, I'll be able to rip the very fabric of reality to save our friends," Discord gloated. "While YOU'LL still be a self-absorbed, below-average illusionist!"

"Self-absorbed!?" Trixie shrieked, making Ventus, Starlight, and Thorax wince, their arguing sure to get them captured. "Why you-!?"

"Cut. It. OUT!" Starlight exclaimed, getting between the two bickering allies before their attempt to sneak into the throne room failed before it even began. "I am barely keeping it together, and it would be WONDERFUL if you two could actually try to help instead of bickering like foals!"

"But Discord's the one who started-!" Ventus growled, marching up to Trixie and Discord, holding his weapon under his arm while he clasped his hands around both the azure unicorn and draconequus's muzzles.

"We don't care who started it, but both of you keep your mouths shut!" Ventus hissed, glaring at the bickerers. "Discord, focus and quit messing with Trixie. Now is not the time for you to be teasing us when you are completely powerless. And Trixie, stop adding fuel to the fire. We need to work together, not bring each other down while we are in enemy territory. Do you both understand?" Discord and Trixie looked at each other, then back to Ventus with a defeated look, silently nodding their heads in response. Ventus let go of their muzzles, sighing heavily as he ran his hand through his spiky hair. "Out of all of us, Thorax and I are the only ones who are useful; my physical abilities still intact and able to defend us from an attack, while Thorax has extensive knowledge of the hive. He should lead us to the throne while avoiding guards, making this easy when the word 'stealth' should be heavily applied to you two loudmouths."

"Umm, guys?" Thorax called out from a nearby passage. "I think we're lost."

Quickly running into the room before the way was closed, all they saw was more cavernous hallways, more opening and closing passages, and no way of telling if they've been in the previous room or not. "Sheesh. This place is like a never-ending maze," Ventus commented. "I doubt a map of this place is gonna help if it can shift as well."

"Well, this is just great," Trixie pouted. "We might as well just sit here and wait for the changelings to soak up all of our love or whatever gross thing it is they do." She then looked at Thorax, suddenly feeling nervous about his presence now if he was the one to suck all their love out before the rest of his hive did. "...How often do you all get hungry?"

"Actually, I haven't been hungry since I met Spike," Thorax said. "And changelings are ALWAYS hungry. We can never get enough love."

"But, you're not hungry at all now?" Starlight asked curiously.

"No. Once I made a few friends, I guess I sort of forgot about the whole feeding thing," Thorax said with a light laugh, never putting much thought into the reason why he had never felt like he was starving.

Ventus kneeled closer to Thorax, examining his transformed wings curiously after mentioning his lack of feeling hungry. "Was it around the same time your wings changed?" he asked.

"I guess so," the changeling said.

"This is so weird," Ventus uttered to himself, looking to Thorax to ask if he can touch his wings. The changeling nodded, extending a wing to the Keyblade wielder's hand as he ran his fingers over the thin appendage. He expected the insect-like wing to be frail and delicate, but it was pretty strong compared to how it looked, whether it was because of Thorax's small metamorphosis or changeling anatomy was different than everyone expected. "Changelings feed off love...but if they express love and make friends...they don't have to feed..."

Thorax began wiggling, twitching in place as his muzzle scrunched up, almost as if he was about to laugh. "Y-Your hand things are k-kinda ticklish," he said.

"Oh. Sorry." Ventus pulled his hand away and stood back up, deep in thought as he twirled his Keyblade around in his other hand. "Just what ARE changelings?"

"Love-sucking parasites like the others who are gonna find us," Trixie answered Ventus's rhetorical question. "No offense, Thorax."

"None taken," the reformed changeling said morosely.

"You know, as much as I'd love to sit around chitchatting about feeding, not feeding, and experiencing the wonders of digits on something hooves cannot comprehend, we have something important to do," Discord reminded, tired of sitting around being bored and itching to get into some action. "I HAVE A FLUTTERSHY TO SAVE!!!!"

Discord's loud exclamation echoed all over the hive, bouncing off the walls and most likely spreading throughout every square inch of the construct, alerting the changelings to their presence. Ventus rushed at Discord, clasping both of his hands around the draconequus's face tightly.

"What part of 'keep quiet' don't you understand!?" Ventus hissed. "You're going to get us all captured!"

Discord flicked Ventus's forehead, making him flinch and release his muzzle. "You keep saying that, but we haven't seen an actual changeling since we snuck in."

They soon heard a buzzing sound, which began to get louder from one of the passages as it sounded like a large group of changeling coming toward them. "Nice going, Discord," Ventus growled. "How about you announce to the whole world where we are!? The point of being stealthy is to not make loud noises, and you doing this on purpose isn't helpful when you can't use your magic in here!"

"What are we gonna do!?" Trixie asked. "We have no magic, and I doubt Ventus can hold them off as he is!"

"Hey, I can fight perfectly fine as a human WITHOUT magic!" Ventus exclaimed in offense.

As they tried to come up with a plan, Starlight found one as she looked at Trixie. "Trixie, do you have any of your smoke bombs?"

"Are you kidding?" Trixie asked. "When am I ever without them?"

"Good, because I think it's time to pull off a little prestidigitation to throw them off." Starlight looked at Thorax, who had been hyperventilating as a patrol was searching for them, fearing what he would suffer for his abandonment of the hive.

As the patrol got closer, and Thorax managed to control his panic attack, Starlight went over the plan with him and Trixie. Starlight, Discord, and Ventus quickly hid behind cover right as the group of changelings got closer. As soon as they arrived, they spotted Trixie, the unicorn bearing a confident, smug grin as she stared down her foes.

"Looking for somepony?" she asked, the patrol hissing in response and charged toward her. The magician grabbed a smoke bomb from her saddlebags, then tossed it down at her hooves. Through the veil of smoke, the changelings flew through it, but found no sign of the intruding unicorn. "Is that the best you've got!?"

Miraculously, Trixie had reappeared elsewhere in the room, giving the patrol the runaround as she kept dropping smoke bombs, disappearing in the blinding smoke and reappearing over and over again. The plan seemed to be working as the changelings flew wherever they found her, but always missed their mark and either flew into nothing or the wall behind where she stood. In the distance, Ventus, Discord, and Starlight watched the heliotrope unicorn's plan working successfully, Trixie now disappearing completely and the patrol flying off into another section of the hive to search for her.

"Eh, not exactly great and powerful, but effective," Discord commented.

"I'll take it," Trixie said, suddenly appearing behind them.

While Ventus was ready with his Keyblade, there was another Trixie walking over to them. "Klutzy..."

"Draconequus," both Trixies said, the one who approached them shifting form, revealing himself to be Thorax.

"Can we please use a different code word?" Discord asked in annoyance.

"That was a great plan," Thorax said. "It was...actually kinda fun tricking the others like that."

"But we still have no idea where we're going," Trixie reminded everyone.

"Actually, we might," Starlight said. "Two of the changelings didn't go with the rest."

"Oh! With an intruder in the hive, they went to protect the queen!" Thorax said. "Good thinking, Starlight!"

Starlight giggled nervously, only pointing out a possible theory that seemed remotely common with most insect colonies, or even a central kingdom. They soon hurried after the two guards, making sure to stay alert and keep quiet to avoid what was almost a disaster after Discord's alert to their presence. At least this time, he learned not to do that again and kept his lips sealed, though not physically since he was limited without his magic. Climbing up a long, spiral staircase forged from the tall mountain rock within their hive, they found themselves at the entrance to where Chrysalis's throne room was located. Unfortunately, thanks to Discord, several changeling guards in purple armor stood on watch as the duo of changelings in the patrol flew over them to warn their queen.

"Well, now what?" Trixie asked.

"We...go in," Starlight said.

"Even if I wanted to, there's no way past the guards," Thorax said pessimistically, shaking like a leaf as his fears of being caught and brought to Chrysalis were back in full swing. "We'll be spotted for sure."

"We need a distraction," Ventus suggested.

"I'm all out of smoke bombs," Trixie said, finding no more of her special smoke bombs left in her bags.

"Normally, I'm the most distracting thing I can think of," Discord mentioned aloud. "But without magic..."

Ventus, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax looked at the draconequus, finding the perfect distraction they needed. "Well, you shouldn't underestimate yourself," Ventus assured. He dug through Trixie's bags, remembering she had a microphone stashed when Discord was rummaging her belongings. He pulled it out, then tossed it to the draconequus. "Let's see if your stand-up works on changelings than it did for everyone back at the Gala."

Discord caught the mic, though he leered at the Keyblade wielder for his jab at his poor comedic act when he tried to impress Fluttershy when she brought Tree Hugger that evening. But, seeing how useless he was in the hive without his chaos and a hindrance earlier with his low patience, he climbed up the steps and approached the guards as they closed the main doors. He got their attention, tapping the mic a few times, which let out a slight echoed thud as it appeared to work as a speaker as well.

"Hello, changelings and changelettes!" Discord greeted. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are that I'm here! When I heard that I'd be playing for a bunch of changelings, I was beside myself! Then I realized, it was one of you."

"Ugh. That was the worst joke I ever heard," Trixie uttered, even Thorax didn't find it funny.

The guards hissed, not taking the joke lightly as their main concern was the intruder in their kingdom. "Uhh, but seriously, this isn't the toughest crowd I've ever been in front of," Discord said with a nervous laugh. "But it's definitely the easiest to bug!" The changelings looked at each other, wondering what the draconequus was trying to pull with his stand-up comedy. Ventus, Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax cringed at the lame pun, finding his chaotic creations more comical than his attempts at telling jokes. "Get it? 'To bug'? Is this thing even on?" While tapping on the microphone again, the changelings went back to hissing. "Well, if you think that you can do better, be my guest!"

Discord threw the mic at one of the changelings, clonking him on the head, which only riled them up further. He yelped and ran for it, the guards all chasing after him, giving the others enough time to sneak around to the doorway. Ventus pushed with his shoulder, opening it up enough for him, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax to squeeze through. As he was about to close the door, they watched Discord getting chased back and forth around the doorway entrance, alternating running on two legs and all fours.

"That is absolutely ridiculous how that worked," Trixie commented.

"That's Discord for you," Ventus said. "Hopefully, he'll catch up with us if he can slip away. Now, let's keep going before more show up."

As the group moved closer to the throne, Discord panted as he ran down a corridor, quickly diving behind a stalagmite big enough for someone his size to hide behind. The changelings flew past his hiding spot, to his relief as he poked his head out, chuckling as he gave them the slip.

"It certainly is a pleasure to have such dedicated fans," Discord said to himself. "I'll have to come back with some new material after I rescue Fluttershy."

He began to stride off with a smug swagger to regroup with the others, even if he has to use that secret code he despised because of his clumsiness. "Please, help!"

Discord's ears shot up, hearing Fluttershy's voice back where the guards had flown toward to chase him. "Fluttershy?" Running over to the sound of the timid pegasus's whimpers and sniffles, he spotted Fluttershy sitting near a boulder that's caught her tail stuck underneath it, unable to move it away to escape. "Fluttershy!"

"Discord!" Fluttershy said happily, glad to see him coming to her rescue. "I'm stuck!"

"Well, you certainly are. And I should probably help you get free. But..." Discord was about to push the boulder off of Fluttershy's tail, only to back away and chuckle in amusement, wagging his finger at the mare.

"But what?" Fluttershy asked in confusion.

"But you are obviously NOT Fluttershy!" Discord exclaimed, disappointing the pegasus. "I mean, I'm separated from the group and just so happen to come across the pony I care most about? Please. I can smell this setup coming from a mile away!"

"No. You're right," "Fluttershy" said, laying on the waterworks as she teared up to try to break the draconequus. "There's no way you should trust me. Just go find the others. I understand!"

Discord rolled his eyes as the impostor began crying. "Oh, come on! You can't fool me that easily!" Suddenly, he could hear more crying and whimpering coming from behind him, which sounded a lot like Fluttershy. Every single one of them. He turned around, gasping in shock as he saw dozens upon dozens of Fluttershys, some hanging helplessly on the stalactites or walls, or even on the ground sobbing and begging to be saved, most of them not in any danger or trapped under something. "W-Wha...?"

"We're probably all changelings," the first Fluttershy impostor said, grinning smugly at the draconequus's disturbed horror. "You shouldn't rescue ANY of us. Unless, you think, maybe one of us might be the REAL Fluttershy. Oh, that would certainly be a nasty changeling trick, wouldn't it?"

Discord was completely dumbfounded, befuddled, and greatly conflicted as, everywhere he looked, there were Fluttershys all over. All of them had to be fakes, but all of them claiming they were the real Fluttershy while crying and whimpering like her confused him. He was surrounded, and if he tried to escape, they would all swarm him, knowing he was powerless and by himself.

"...Oh, come on," Discord muttered helplessly. "This...This isn't fair..."

As he looked at the Fluttershys crying out for his help, Discord didn't watch the trapped pegasus mare carefully enough. The fake kicked the boulder back, then stood up on her hind legs with her left foreleg held out while the right was pulled back slightly, her eyes turning yellow in a brief flash. Discord saw a flash of light in his peripheral vision, but wasn't able to look back in time as he was suddenly zapped by a powerful spell, screaming in agony before he fell unconscious. The Fluttershy clones began to laugh and swarmed the draconequus, carrying him past the Fluttershy who attack him, wielding the Keyblade that belonged to Vanitas.

"One down," she said with a manic grin that didn't fit the animal-loving pegasus as she flew after the other changelings. In a flash of green flames, the mare was actually Vanitas himself, chuckling darkly as he licked his lips, getting a small taste of the succulent love energy Discord had leaked out while conflicted over their little trap, which was surprisingly delicious and addictive. "Only a few more to catch, and one to kill..."

---

Ventus, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax had been waiting for longer than they should have for Discord, but they should have expected him to be back sooner. "Damn it, Discord, are you still being chased?" Ventus muttered to himself.

"We can't wait for him anymore," Thorax said. "Between seeing him and Trixie, the castle will be crawling with guards soon."

"But we'll need his help after we destroy the throne," Starlight said. "Ventus and I can't take on a whole army of changelings by ourselves."

"He might already be captured," Trixie theorized, that possibility more likely if he's been gone for this long.

"Hello?" Startled, the rescue team looked at the doorway where they heard Discord's voice. He sounded less condescending and his tone was a bit higher, which was odd as they saw the draconequus appear while searching for them. "Fellow rescuers?"

"Discord, we can't stay here," Thorax warned. "We gotta find the throne."

"Ooh! I heard some of the changelings who were chasing me say that they know where it is!" Discord said enthusiastically.

The others didn't seem convinced, and just to make sure this was the real Discord, Ventus approached him. "Klutzy...?"

"Hmm?...Oh, yeah. I-I can be klutzy," Discord said with a lighthearted chuckle. It wasn't the real Discord, responding to the first part of the code without calling out the second. "Now, follow me." Ventus held himself back, following after "Discord" while the others lagged behind him, whispering among themselves knowing full well this wasn't Discord. They kept walking until they reached a crossroads, where the impostor was leading them down the left path. "This way! We're almost there!"

"I know this trick," Thorax whispered. "If he says to go left, we should definitely go right. He's leading us to a swarm ready to ambush us."

While "Discord" continued onward and the party stopped at the crossroads, Trixie let out a sigh and stepped forward. "Ok, I'll handle this. You three get ready to run and head for the tunnel."

"Wait, what!?" Starlight exclaimed. "Trixie, you can't! I-I won't know what to do! We already lost Discord; I can't lose you too! Without magic, I-"

"Starlight," Trixie interrupted. "You got us this far with just my illusions and Discord's annoying personality. You don't need magic to figure out what to do next." Starlight didn't seem so sure, not truly the one taking charge when Ventus had been helping lead as well, seeing he had more confidence in himself then she does. "I know you're afraid to be in charge, but you are really good at it. Listen to your best friend." Feeling assured by her best friend's words, if they were the last she'd ever hear, Starlight and Trixie hugged, silently wishing her luck. Trixie followed "Discord" after the two friends parted, ready to sacrifice herself so the stronger members of their rescue party could reach the throne room. "Hey, Discord! Want to see a new trick I've been working on?" Trixie grabbed Discord's paw, placed a small white sheet over their limbs. After waving her hoof, she moved the sheet away, their limbs were now connected by a rope of colorful pieces of cloth used for her magic acts. "I call it the 'Changeling Catcher'!"

Realizing they've been found out, "Discord" growled and reverted into a changeling, hissing at the mare for the dirty trick. Just as Trixie was about to signal them to run off, Ventus gasped when he saw glowing red eyes in the shadows around her and the changeling. Popping out and surrounding Trixie and the changeling were a massive horde of Flood Unversed.

"Oh no! RUN!" Ventus shouted, dashing off toward the other path with Thorax and Starlight hurrying after him.

Trixie gasped as she saw the Flood getting closer, nearly dragged along by the changeling she was tied to. She pulled on the connected pieces of cloth, trying to hold him back long enough for them to get as far away as possible. Unfortunately, the cloth snapped and the changeling escaped, leaving her trapped with the mysterious monsters that looked far more menacing than the Heartless.

"...Uhh...ta-da?" she nervously announced.

The Flood Unversed leapt onto Trixie, her scream of terror echoing through the hive, reaching the fleeing trio down the other path. "W-What in Equestria were those things!?" Thorax asked.

"It was a swarm of Flood!" Ventus answered. "If there are Unversed around...That means..." Ventus began to panic as Vanitas's timing couldn't be any worse. "Vanitas is here! He found out we're in the hive!"

"What about Trixie!?" Starlight asked. "Please, PLEASE tell me they're not going to kill her!"

"I-I don't know, Starlight!" Ventus said with uncertainty. "If Vanitas is after me, the Unversed are only going to knock her out and take her where the others are being held!...At least, I hope so..." They ran through the corridors, but they soon began to hear changeling wings buzzing behind them. The whole army now knows they're getting close, and Chrysalis has probably sent every single changeling in the hive to go after them. They had no time to stop and catch their breaths, even though Thorax and Starlight didn't have as much stamina as Ventus had. They came to a crossroads, where multiple paths were set in their way, but only one of them lead to the throne. "Damn it, we don't have a choice. We need to split up!"

"B-But what about those Unversed things!?" Thorax exclaimed. "They might come after us!"

"They come from Vanitas, and if he's here, he'll send the rest of them after me so he can wear me down!" Ventus assured. The buzzing began to grow louder, the horde of changelings already catching up to them. "If any one of us gets to that throne, destroy it as soon as possible!"

The trio split up, heading down separate paths: Thorax ducking into a nearby cavern, Starlight picking one while being chased by the changelings, and Ventus down another with a horde of Unversed following him. With Thorax by himself, he wondered what he could do if he was going the right way and reached the throne room. And whoever Vanitas was, if he was after Ventus, he needed to make sure nothing happened to his new friend. But how was the real question.

---

Running down the path, Ventus panted as he reached the end of the winding tunnel. Peeking out from around the corner, the room he was in definitely looked like a throne room fit for a royal: an expansive room with columns made from the mountain itself, bigger glowing pods for lighting, and at the end of the room was the black stone throne, the source of the magic stealing in the region. It might not have looked comfortable to sit in, but it definitely suited a changeling queen like Chrysalis with the back of the seat carved with spiked edges, along with several gaping holes similar to those on a changeling's limbs.

The teen was about to step toward it, only for something slimy to fall and hit his face. Grunting in disgust, he wiped his hand across his face to remove the sticky secretion. As he looked up, his jaw dropped when he saw where the source of that slime came from, which happened to be several cocoons hanging on the ceiling like a chandelier. What was inside them shocked him the most; encased inside the slimy goop they floated in were all his friends, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, even Trixie and Discord, surprisingly brought back here quickly after they were captured. All the Mane Six sans Twilight and Spike, Celestia, Luna, Trixie, and Discord were in separate cocoons, but Twilight and Riku were held together in a bigger cocoon, along with Terra and Aqua and Sora and Kairi, all the Keyblade wielders having lost their pony forms due to the throne's magic. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart were together in one cocoon, probably more powerful love coming from a loving couple and their baby, who willingly shared love unconditionally for being so young, though the one with Sora and Kairi was glowing much brighter than the others.

Ventus was about to charge forward, only to freeze when he heard the evil laugh of the queen herself echo in the room. "One little hero all by himself." Looking up, Chrysalis made her entrance, crawling between the cocoons like a disembodied spider, his skin crawling as her joints cracked with her head upside down as she stared down at the Keyblade wielder. "Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?"

Suddenly, an entire mass of Chrysalis's changeling army flooded in through the many entrances, surrounding Ventus. He tried to escape, but one of them spat out a green substance at his shoes, trapping his feet to the ground like superglue. Struggling to break free, he heard a dark chuckle come from behind a pillar, Vanitas revealing himself as he approached the trapped teen.

"Isn't this quite a lovely surprise," Vanitas said. "I didn't think the lack of magic would sap away your magical disguise. Isn't that supposed to be the first rule of being a Keyblade wielder: never reveal who you are to the world you're invading? But, then again, rules are meant to be broken."

"Indeed they are," Chrysalis agreed, snapping her neck back upright that made Ventus cringe as she leapt off and hovered over to Sora and Kairi's cocoon. "As intriguing as you and your friends are as something else, I had a feeling there was more to Sora, Riku, and Kairi than just average ponies with unique abilities. Who would have thought there were other worlds out there, with other kinds of creatures who we could possibly feed off of?" Chrysalis cackled, licking the cocoon as she consumed the love given off from Sora as it sucked away his love along with Kairi's. "And his is exquisite."

"You won't get away with this!" Ventus shouted.

"But we already have," Chrysalis gloated. "Even though you and Princess Twilight's little pupil were gone, it wasn't necessary to have drones take your forms to replace you. You're completely helpless."

"You should have brought more backup, like that dumb mouse, Mickey," Vanitas said with a wicked grin. He flew over to Ventus, summoning his Keyblade and held it up to his neck. "You could never win your battles alone, only by an amount of sheer, dumb luck."

Despite being held hostage and glued to the ground, Ventus smirked back. "Starlight and Thorax are still out there. They'll save me."

"Don't you dare mention that traitor's name!" Chrysalis barked, swooping down and landing in front of the Keyblade wielder. "He was a fool to leave and even more a fool to return! When I find him, he'll learn just what happens to those who betray the hive!"

"My Unversed have probably hunted him down as we speak, queenie," Vanitas said, still irking the changeling queen at the humiliating nickname he keeps calling her by. "Everything's gone according to plan, and eventually, I'll have Sora to myself once he's been completely drained." He turned back to Ventus, his smirk disappearing when he saw the teen's eyes glancing at Chrysalis more fearfully than he expected. Ignoring the look of panic, he brought the Keyblade wielder's attention back to him with a tap on his shoulder with his blade. "Don't think I didn't notice I was missing that ring I swiped off of the Princess of Light. Smart trick using that owl to distract me while you were invisible. You only delayed the inevitable by protecting those ponies.

"And as much as I'd love to have a true battle with you to prove who's the superior one between us, I'd rather not wait to see another bit of random interference, or more dumb luck on your part." Vanitas reared his hoof back, aiming at Ventus's heart and end him, getting his sweet revenge for his past life's failure to succeed when he had the incomplete X-blade. Before he thrust his Keyblade, he noticed a sudden glint of light reflect from Ventus's eyes, making him pause in confusion. "What the...?" Using his other hoof, he patted Ventus down, feeling around for where he stashed Kairi's engagement ring. Feeling nothing anywhere on him, the dark Keyblade wielder's yellow eyes slowly glanced up at Ventus, furrowing into a glare. "...You're not Ventus..."

Vanitas swiftly punched his free hoof into Ventus's abdomen, knocking the wind out of the teen. The blow caused the teen to suddenly be surrounded in a flash of green light, which happened to have been Thorax disguised as Ventus as he nearly collapsed while gasping in pain, his forelegs caught in the sticky slime where he stood in his transformed state. The other changelings gasped in surprised, completely unaware of the trickery, Chrysalis being just as shocked seeing the traitor in their presence.

"Seems I didn't have to look far," Chrysalis said to herself.

Vanitas growled angrily, turning to the changeling queen and aimed his blade at her. "You tried to trick me!? You conniving, twisted, shape-shifting succubus! You were gonna pull a fast one on me!"

"What are you babbling about, you idiot!?" Chrysalis questioned. "What trick!?"

"Making me think I actually killed Ventus, but have one of your drones pretend to be him after spying on him enough, then catch me off guard and trap me like the rest!" Vanitas accused. "All because I knocked out your best soldier, invaded your home and asserted my dominance, all to trick me into getting captured just like the others I helped you catch! One thing you never, EVER want to do with me is betray ME!"

"I had no part in Thorax's scheme! I didn't even know it was him until you revealed him for me!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "Why would I trick somepony with far more power than I am, knowing full well how skilled your kind are outside of Equestria!?"

"You're quite the actress, so I've been told, so I wouldn't be surprised if you had your changelings secretly gang up on me while I was distracted, all so you can-!" Vanitas's tirade was soon interrupted as something dashed toward them from one of the tunnels, ramming into him while getting struck in the face.

Vanitas tumbled across the ground, skidding to a halt as he landed back on his hooves, growling angrily as he looked at his attacker. Standing between Thorax, Chrysalis, and the entire hive, Ventus stood in an after-slash pose, leering intensely at his other half.

"Looking for me, Vanitas?" Ventus asked, spinning his Keyblade in his hand before standing back up in his battle stance. "Well, here I am."

Despite getting sucker punched, Vanitas smirked as he began to laugh, standing back up while staring at Ventus with an amused smirk. "Resorting to dirty tactics, eh?" He rubbed his cheek, still feeling the sting of the teen's Keyblade smacking him hard. "You should have faced me in the castle while you were spying on me. You're at a major disadvantage, or have you not realized it when you stepped into the changelings' domain?"

"I beat you when you had the X-blade in our heart, and I was at a disadvantage then," Ventus reasoned. "I call this a challenge."

Vanitas only laughed harder, finding it all too easy now with that statement. "Alright, if that's what you want to call it...Queenie, I suggest you and your subjects back off if you don't want to die. Things are gonna get messy." Chrysalis grumbled, but heeded her ally's warning as she and the other changelings backed away, giving the two Keyblade wielders room for their duel. As simple as it would be to just double-team Ventus right here and now, the vendetta Vanitas had against him mattered more than simply overpowering the magic-less wielder, she didn't want to get in his way, or get caught in Vanitas's incredibly powerful arsenal of abilities he hasn't shown off yet. "Let's make this at least a little fair. As fair as I can possibly make it." Standing in his battle-ready stance, green flames surrounded the Keyblade-wielding changeling, transforming into his original human form as he was unveiled by the flickering embers. "Doesn't this bring back a wave of nostalgia?"

"Are you done talking?" Ventus growled, twirling his Keyblade aggressively before gripping it in his back-handed style. "Let's finally end this."

"Yes. Let's," Vanitas agreed.

The two wielders dashed toward each other, swinging their weapons at each other, resulting in them clashing in a flurry of sparks. Vanitas was a little surprised to know how much stronger Ventus was than what he expected, but that wasn't going to stop him when he had the upper hand, still keeping his magic as his dark heart prevented him from losing it by the throne's power like he really was born a changeling. Ventus managed to push Vanitas back, then charged forward to slash him, only to strike an afterimage as he disappeared. Vanitas appeared behind him in the air, swinging his Keyblade and sent dark sparks of electricity at Ventus, but Ventus rolled away, knowing what to expect from his darker self in the past.

Vanitas then dove down, fading into the ground through a dark void, which went straight for Ventus. Ventus quickly dove out of the way as Vanitas shot himself up, spreading dark fireballs out from his breach before diving back in and repeating his attack. Ventus continued dodging, avoiding the lingering flames as he charged into his evil half's final breach, where he fired more volleys of dark fire around him like a geyser. Getting underneath him, Ventus jumped into Vanitas, their blade swinging wildly as the metal clanging from their connected blows rang in the large room.

While the changelings watched in frightened awe, their heads turning as the two wielders' leapt all over the place, Starlight poked her head out from one of the tunnels, finally finding the throne room. She gasped when she saw Ventus battle Vanitas, no doubt the other human was the changeling from before in Ponyville who pretended to be Sora. Taking advantage of their distraction, she carefully snuck around, avoiding Chrysalis's gaze as she stood nearby, making her way to the black throne in the back. She stifled a yelp when a fireball made of darkness was shot from Vanitas, almost hitting her, prompting her to get to the throne faster and destroy it. The only major problem is what she could use to break it with how sturdy it was just from the small base holding up the heavier seat appeared.

Ventus was starting to get exhausted, mostly avoiding Vanitas to keep from getting heavily injured, especially his magic spells. He suddenly heard a strange clicking sound, almost like something was locked onto him, only to realize it was a different tonal pitch of his own lock-ons when he, Terra, and Aqua used their Shotlock abilities. Vanitas was focusing his Shotlock, then unleashed it once he was fully charged. Three crystals appeared in front of him, unleashing a wide beam of dark energy straight toward Ventus. Ventus dove out of the way and ran for his life as Vanitas slowly aimed it at him, running in the changelings' direction as they all yelped and either ducked or flew up to avoid getting blasted.

"Watch where you're aiming!" Chrysalis yelled.

"I said to give us space!" Vanitas exclaimed, wishing he could blast all the changelings right now, but he needed to get rid of Ventus first.

"I'm starting to regret agreeing to have him help me," the queen grumbled to herself. Her ears perked up to the sound of stone bashing against stone, turning her head to the throne, finding Starlight trying to break it with a rock in both her hooves. When the unicorn looked over to make sure she was still hidden, she paused in her throne destroying as she looked at Chrysalis, grinning nervously as she was caught. "Twilight's pupil...Very clever."

Chrysalis fired a beam at Starlight, the unicorn yelping and dove into a hole in the base of the stone under Chrysalis's throne. "Starlight!" Ventus called out, racing toward her while the changeling queen went after Starlight, surprisingly too big to fit through the smaller holes as she searched for the unicorn.

Just as Ventus was about to smack Chrysalis away, Vanitas warped in front of him, swiftly kneeing him in the stomach hard and knocking the wind out of him. "Nuh-uh-uh. You said we were going to settle this," Vanitas teased, then punched Ventus in the face, sending him stumbling back into their battlefield. "Don't start what you can't finish, 'brother'."

"Ngh!...We're...not...brothers," Ventus growled, coughing slightly as he regained control of his breathing.

"You're right; half-brothers it is," Vanitas corrected himself, warping back in front of him, catching Ventus off guard with a flurry of blows, teleporting around the dazed teen after each hit.

As they continued fighting, Starlight panted as she hid from Chrysalis's sight, avoiding her hooves or magic blasts, though they were meant to stun as she didn't want to destroy her special throne keeping them powerless. "Clearly, Thorax has revealed to you the secret of my throne. I can't have powerful ponies using their abilities against me." Chrysalis smirked, regardless of the information they had. "Even with your embarrassing little rescue attempt, everything has gone according to plan."

"What plan?" Starlight asked. "Why did you do all this!?"

"So I could feed of course!" Chrysalis exclaimed, poking her head in one of the holes, forcing Starlight to get duck deeper down under the rock. "By replacing the most beloved figures in Equestria, my drones will be able to store all the love meant for them and return it here to me." As she gloated, she hovered onto the seat of her throne, watching Ventus getting pummeled by Vanitas as he could no longer keep up. One last slash of his blade against Ventus's torso knocked him down for good, the teen's grip on his Keyblade lost as it clattered and slid toward Thorax. Ventus landed on his back, but as he struggled to sit up, Vanitas slammed his foot down hard on his chest, knocking his head back against the hard stone ground and pinned him down. "Everypony will do as I command and my subjects will feed on their love for generations!"

Starlight managed to sneak out from underneath the throne's base while Chrysalis cackled and her army hissed as a way of cheering along with their queen. Peeking around the corner, she saw Thorax still trapped where he stood and Ventus held down by Vanitas. She looked at Thorax's wings, getting a crazy idea to help them win, and maybe both sides didn't have to suffer.

"What if you don't have to?" Starlight asked.

"Ridiculous!" Chrysalis exclaimed, teleporting where Starlight was hiding. The unicorn tried to flee, but Chrysalis chomped down on her tail, flinging her across the room and into her changeling guards. The queen approached her as the guards held her down. "The hunger of changelings can never be satisfied!"

"Exactly!" Starlight said. "Thorax left the hive and made a friend. He shared love, and now he doesn't need to feed. You don't have to live your lives starving all the time!"

"You know NOTHING of the changelings or what it takes to be their queen!" Chrysalis hissed, dragging Starlight toward her with her magic, then flung her against the nearby wall. "I decide what's best for my subjects, not some mewling grub!"

"I know what it's like to lead by fear and intimidation," Starlight grunted, standing up while ignoring the pain from being thrown. "And I know what it's like to want everypony to do what you say. But I was wrong. A real leader doesn't force her subjects to deny who they are! She celebrates what makes them unique and listens when one of them finds a better way!"

The changelings soon became conflicted, wondering if what Starlight said was true. Many of them hated going hungry, and Chrysalis was always so cruel to take all the love they absorbed, taking it all for herself most of the time and sate her endless hunger more than their own. She grinned when she seemed to be getting through to them, but out of nowhere, Vanitas teleported in front of her, grasping the mare's throat, and lifted her up to his height while pressing her against the wall.

"You clearly have no idea what you're talking about," Vanitas said, smirking in amusement as he watched the unicorn try to pry his hand off her neck while gasping for breath. "You have no room to negotiate when you're dealing with people like us. We control others by making them afraid for their lives if they decide to question our orders. In life, there are winners and losers, and losers perish when they try to reason with their opponents!"

Vanitas threw Starlight hard, sending her tumbling along the ground, slamming into Ventus as he struggled to get up. Thorax whimpered, unable to watch his friends getting hurt. He looked down, spotting Ventus's Keyblade nearby, then looked up as he watched Vanitas menacingly stride toward the teen and unicorn. Using his magic, Thorax picked up the Wayward Wind and throw it like a dagger, hitting Vanitas in the back as he let out a yell. Growling, he turned to glare at the defiant changeling, distracting him long enough for Ventus to get up, pick up his Keyblade, and strike Vanitas from behind. The dark Keyblade wielder stumbled in surprise, but the next hit, he left an apparition and teleported behind Starlight, picking her up and holding his Keyblade toward her chest as Ventus turned around.

"Let her go, Vanitas!" Ventus shouted.

"You three are becoming a real pain in my side!" Vanitas exclaimed. "Make one single movement, she's turning into a Heartless!" Ventus grunted, despising the dirty tactic his darkness succumbed to just so he could win. The changelings surrounded the teen, holding him in place as he silently gave up, knocking his Keyblade away from everyone. Vanitas chuckled, moving his weapon away from Starlight, tossing her to a few more changelings as they held her down, too. "That's what makes you weak; you care about your friends too much."

"No, you just fight dirty," Ventus growled.

"That's why I don't care," Vanitas responded, punching Ventus's gut as he walked past him, then stood by Chrysalis as she leered at Thorax. "I think it's time to break off the weak link in your chain, queenie."

"Indeed," Chrysalis agreed, ignoring the nickname as her focus was on punishing the traitorous changeling. "The only thing Thorax has found is what happens to those who turns their back on the hive."

Lighting her crooked horn with a powerful spell, Chrysalis shot it at Thorax, lifting him up in her green aura, breaking off the sticky slime keeping his forehooves glued to the ground, and held him aloft for the others to see. "NOOOO!!!!" Starlight cried out, struggling to break free from the guards' hold on her.

"I will show all of my subjects what a REAL leader is after I drain every last ounce of love out of this traitor!" Chrysalis announced, then opened her maw wide, her spell then began sucking out a pink aura straight from Thorax's chest and down her gullet.

Thorax winced and groaned in agony, unable to escape from the queen's powerful hold. "Ngh! I-It's like...she's sucking...the life out of me!" Throax grunted, slowly losing all his strength as he tried to hold onto the love stored within him. "I-I...can't...hold it...! It's...too much...!"

"It's inevitable," Vanitas chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the reformed changeling writhe in pain. "Accept your fate."

"Thorax, don't hold it back!" Ventus called out. "Let it all out!"

"He's right!" Starlight agreed. "Sharing love is what made you different to begin with! You should share yours with Chrysalis!"

"Give her all of it!" Starlight and Ventus both exclaimed.

Left with no other choice in his predicament, Thorax unleashed all the love from within him, spreading out his limbs as he let out a yell. A powerful shockwave sent Chrysalis's spell back at her, sending her flying back into her throne hard, managing to crack it from the impact. Vanitas stepped back in shock, watching Chrysalis get flung back, confused by the backlash, but as he turned around to face Thorax, he growled and shielded his eyes from the bright light engulfing him, the love he unleashed spiraling around the changeling like a ethereal cocoon. The changelings holding Ventus and Starlight back let go as the magical cocoon blinded everyone.

"What the hell is happening!?" Vanitas questioned, backing away as the light seemed make him react negatively.

Ventus approached the ethereal cocoon, reaching his hand out to touch it. It flashed brightly before disappearing, freeing Thorax as everyone gawked in awe, having gone through a metamorphosis after giving all the love within his heart. His body was no longer black, now bright and colorful with varying shades of green, an area around his neck and upper chest splotched with orange with three pale blue gem-like protrusions at the base of his neck, there were no holes in his legs, and his wings and tail were longer and shimmered in a translucent purple. He now stood as tall as Ventus after floating back to the ground, not including the orange deer-like antlers above his longer ears. And when he opened his eyes, they were a dark purple instead of the similar blue like the rest of the changelings.

"Thorax?" Ventus uttered.

Thorax looked at himself, just as shocked as everyone else at his new transformation. "Wow," he said, a bit off-putting that his voice still sounded the same in such a regal-looking body, but Ventus and Starlight didn't care, glad to see he was still ok after Chrysalis tried to suck away all his love energy.

"Wow is right," Ventus agreed. "It's like...you were a caterpillar turning into a butterfly...only a lot more magical and kinda strange seeing you this tall."

"...What the hell is this!?" Vanitas exclaimed. Ventus quickly turned around, almost forgetting about Vanitas, even after he got whooped by him. "You can't be serious! 'Give her all of your love!' And...he looks like a rainbow barfed all over him! How did that even send queenie back there flying!?"

"You just don't see how powerful love and friendship can be in this world, Vanitas," Ventus said. "This change Thorax went through is proof that those with no heart, or so everyone believes because of how he looked before, truly have one if given a chance. The changelings are like Heartless; seeking love to feed and survive, to grow stronger. But unlike Heartless, when they truly understand the magic of friendship and willingly share their own love, they don't have to starve and can change for the better."

"Lousy sentiments that mean nothing," Vanitas growled. "Even if he has changed, what good does that do for you!? He's still pathetic, and you have no power in this hive! I still have the upper hand!"

Thorax winced, but Ventus still stood to defend his friend. In his pocket, he felt a light radiating from it, looking down and pulling out what was causing the glow. He pulled out his Wayfinder, which was glowing brightly, the magic it had inside somehow not being sucked away by the throne, even if it was slightly cracked and remained standing. He looked back at Thorax, then back down at his Wayfinder, his lips curling into a confident grin as he clutched the new star charm Aqua crafted for him and the others.

"You're wrong, Vanitas," Ventus said. "This isn't over yet. You may think you've won, but darkness always falls to the light, no matter how bleak things get and how small that light is." Vanitas rolled his eyes, already bored with the pointless speech his other half was making. "I managed to survive thanks to Sora. His heart opened up to my light, and I've been with him through everything. Now, it's time for me to finally repay him and save him back, starting by destroying you once and for all and busting that throne to pieces!"

"You. Have. No. MAGIC!" Vanitas shouted. "Just admit you've lost! I'm sick of hearing your nonsense!"

"Do you want to know how you lost before, Vanitas?" Ventus asked. Vanitas growled, but the look in his eyes told the Keyblade wielder he was curious. Ventus laughed, showing Vanitas his Wayfinder. "In our heart, during the final showdown, I was beating you, even when you wielded the X-blade. In a desperation attempt, you and I tried to finish each other...and I countered your attacks back. How? We formed a D-Link with each other!"

"W-What?" Vanitas asked in shock. "A-A D-Link...? I would never form a bond with you!"

"You had no choice; it happened regardless. We are one in the same," Ventus explained, reminding Vanitas as he cringed in irritation. "I formed many bonds with friends I made in other worlds, and even though I only met Thorax today after hearing about him in the Crystal Empire from Sora, Riku, Twilight, and Starlight, I think we became very fast friends just on the walk over to the hive." His Wayfinder began to glow, activating his D-Link as an invisible wind rushed around Ventus. "I might not have magic as a pegasus, or even a human...but if I bonded with a changeling, then I should have it back, even if it's temporary!"

"WHAT!?" Vanitas screamed.

The light from Ventus's Wayfinder spiraled around him, wrapping him in a cocoon similar to what happened to Thorax. As soon as it opened, a bright flash blinded everyone as Ventus transformed thanks to his D-Link with Thorax. When the audience of changelings, Starlight, and Vanitas could see again, Starlight and Thorax stared in awe while Vanitas was completely dumbfounded. Before them where Ventus stood was now a pure white changeling, just like Thorax's metamorphosis, though just a bit shorter than the reformed changeling's height. There were antlers on his head as well as a horn, the antlers a shade of bright yellow as they curved around his head like a halo. His wings were see-through and shimmered brilliantly, a single flap of his wings sending sparkles of light in their wake, along with his tail as they matched his insect wings. The only thing about Ventus that hadn't changed were his clothes, his hair, and his eyes when he opened them, though they now glowed brightly as he stared down the stunned Vanitas.

"It's time to end this," Ventus said. "And this time, you will NEVER come back again..."

Comments

[Codex92]

9267929
...Ohhhhhhh...Uhh...continuity error... Well, it was over two years ago, I completely forgot about the details in that past chapter...I think for the story's sake, I'll have to edit that out in the prior chapter where they first arrive in the Mirage Arena...And it's the middle of the night that I'm gonna have change things... Wah, lack of sleeping...

[Prince Nightfire Grace]

I was wondering how thing would turn up in this chapter. Glad to see that I was kept in surprise with each interaction. I’m excited to read the next one. Write on.

[Vakama95096]

MIND BLOWN!

[ra36]

please add other changeling hive in your story

[MagicLover2128]

Man, Ventus’s D-Link with Thorax is awesome.

[Noctis Prism]

Huh, hot damn that’s a clever way to use D-links.

[BenictheHedgehog]

ok, I love the chapter, but some of the Links to some musics were cut off probably from the same user. I think you might need new links to the musics you were going for some of them Codex.

Also when I was playing The Touch song from Transformers, it somehow felt like it was fitting the moment when Thorax changed and when Ven activated his D-Link with him. so looking forward to reading the other chapters to get caught up though.

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

"My magic should be great enough to break through anything! Reality, the 4th wall, time and space!"

I feel like that's the moment where someone should say, "Wait, what was that last part?".

[talontitanbane]

"But Discord's the one who started-!" Ventus growled, marching up to Trixie and Discord, holding his weapon under his arm while he clasped his hands around both the azure unicorn and draconequus's muzzles.

I don't care who started it I'm ending it! Now both of you shut up or so help me I will turn this infiltration mission around and take us straight back to the castle!