My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by Codex92

The Perfect Pear

"Sora!" Apple Bloom called out as she ran out to the field to search for him. She tried the castle, but when she asked Kairi after ramming into her, she mentioned him training outside Ponyville with Donald and Goofy. The young Apple sibling wanted Sora to join him after he promised he'd have dinner with his honorary family tonight. "Ah know they need a big area to do trainin', but this far out is kinda-"

Hearing a crack of thunder farther ahead, Apple Bloom winced at the sound, even though the sky was clear today. Figuring it was magic thunder, she ran up the hill, witnessing the sparring match going on from a safe distance. Donald and Goofy teamed up against Sora, the former keeping Sora on his toes with magic spells from a distance while the latter charged the Keyblade wielder with his shield techniques. Apple Bloom couldn't understand what Donald was casting with his squawking voice until the spells were unleashed, tossing Ethers on himself to replenish his mana to continue his barrage of magic. Sora had much more of a reaction time than both of his friends, especially when Thunder spells rained down on him faster than even Apple Bloom could see.

"Hyah!" Goofy shouted as he swung his shield, Sora quickly blocking it while dancing around the bolts of lightning.

Sora shoved Goofy back, the diamond dog backflipping away, using his shield as a board to maneuver around and charged back toward him. Sora leapt over Goofy, bouncing off his head, making the guard captain fumble and trip off his shield. The stallion charged toward the small griffon, sidestepping Aero spells that tried to launch him up in the air.

"Fire!" Sora leapt over a magical vortex of air, aiming his spell at Donald.

"Water!" Donald called out, swinging his wand and creating a sphere of water as a short-winded barrier to protect him, dissolving Sora's Fire spell while also shooting a torrent of it toward him.

Sora quickly blocked the incoming stream, saving himself from the magic spell while getting soaked. Behind him, Goofy gave his shield a toss, sending it spinning at him. His ears twitched, barely turning to see it coming, backflipping over the incoming weapon. Donald let out a squawk as it flew toward him now, quickly ducking to avoid it, but Goofy called it back to his hand in a flash of light.

"Sorry, Donald!" Goofy apologized. "I guess I should have expected Sora to dodge my shield like that."

"I'm just too good to get hit by you two," Sora gloated with a wide grin.

"Try not getting injured when the Organization comes after you," Donald chided, making the stallion wilt and sigh miserably. "We know some of their abilities, and some we don't. So don't get too in over your head like a certain pegasus who has her head literally in the clouds."

"Are y'all kiddin'!?" Apple Bloom ran up to them, overhearing Donald chastising Sora and his skills in combat as she confronted the magician, just short a mere couple inches in height. "Sora's the greatest Keyblade wielder ever! He can run circles around you and everypony in that Organization XIII!"

"Oh, yeah?" Donald questioned, the filly nodding with a harsh glare. "Well, did he do well when we heard how badly he was banged up against Marluxia?"

Apple Bloom's defiance wilted, glancing at Sora while trying to find another moment of triumph she witnessed to defend him. "T-There was...Discord when he was evil," she said. "Sora beat him."

"But didn't Sora tell us he got pretty badly hurt because of his super crazy chaos magic?" Goofy mentioned, Donald nodding his head, continuing sneering at the filly to prove her wrong.

"...Ok...W-What about that Pete fellah?" Apple Bloom asked. "He scared him off after he kidnapped his ma."

"And fell into a trap, where he transformed into his Anti-Form and almost seriously harmed everyone," Donald added. "Sora may have skills, but despite his efforts, he's not indestructible. He's being hunted, and if anyone from Organization XIII arrives, he won't last without us there to save him."

"But he's able to-" Donald stomped his forelegs on the ground with a squawk, startling Apple Bloom.

"Before he even met us, Sora was helpless on his own!" Donald exclaimed. "So don't try to find any excuses because you idolize him!"

"Donald, cut it out!" Sora scolded, grasping the small griffon's lion tail and held him upside down. "I can take care of myself just fine, and I know I'll be in over my head if the Organization comes to attack me. Don't yell at Apple Bloom because she believes I'm a perfect hero in her eyes." He dropped Donald, landing head first with a thud as he rolled on his back with a groan. "I know I'm far from ready; I always am. The first time Apple Bloom was surrounded by Heartless when I first came here, she sees me as her hero, and an older brother she never had. So, as my little sister, I'm not gonna let a squawking, know-it-all mage give up on me because of my faults I KNOW I need to improve on."

"But she-" Before Donald could defend himself, Sora snatched away his wand, giving him several hard clonks on the head with his own weapon, making him see stars.

"You're not perfect, either!" Sora exclaimed, tossing Donald's wand aside. "You get just as hot-headed as I do, and instead of being helpful, you're always so pessimistic and follow stupid rules when you yourself fall for your own selfish desires and think you know everything when you don't! And don't try justifying our friendship back then, because when Riku took away my Keyblade, you followed him and left me all alone near that castle in Radiant Garden! You didn't even like me when we first teamed up, and all you cared about was 'the key' I had, you and Goofy leaving me by myself with a wooden sword to defend myself with!"

"Uh oh," Goofy mumbled with a shake of his head. "Here we go again..."

Sora huffed, picking up Apple Bloom and placing her on his back. "I'm done training. Let's go, Apple Bloom," he said before flying off back to town.

Even though Donald had gotten his senses knocked in, he was able to hear Sora out, quickly shaking his head to snap out of his daze and rubbed the lump starting to grow. "What's the big idea? He needs to get serious about this or else he's gonna be our enemy."

"You know, Donald, you're always being too harsh on Sora, whether or not you two are just messing around," Goofy scolded. "Don't even deny that all you were concerned about was his Keyblade while we were following the king's orders back then to find it. You weren't even worried about him when we got separated in that jungle world, when he was too inexperienced and we had that leopard hunting us."

"Well, that was before-" Donald tried to reason, but Goofy interrupted him.

"And back then, he was just a teenager; a kid," the diamond dog continued. "Things may be different now, but back then, he was still pretty young and was concerned about Riku and Kairi. And now, you just yelled at a little filly for trying to defend him and all he's done to save this world from the evils in Equestria along with Heartless. He may not be ready to you, but to others like the kids in this world, they all believe in him, and squandering his confidence won't help him when the time comes for all of us to take on Xehanort and Organization XIII." Donald stammered, unable to find an excuse, lowering his head in shame with a sigh. Goofy started headed back to Ponyville, passing Donald with disappointment. "You really need to work on that temper of yours, Donald, and focus on how well Sora's done up to this point, not what he needs to constantly improve on from the past."

Donald sat in silence, feeling like such a jerk as he was reminded of his selfishness back then. He truly does consider Sora his friend, but there were points where his immaturity and cockiness shouldn't get him in over his head, let alone anger rulers of a nation by being disrespectful. But, then again, he had only been focused on finding Sora's Keyblade since they set off to Traverse Town, and he felt awful leaving Sora behind after Riku called the Kingdom Key away from Sora's hands, claiming to be its true wielder. And to top off how much of a mule he was, he yelled at a filly who was a couple years younger than Sora on their first adventure together, all because he wanted to be right and show her that her hero, and older honorary brother, wasn't indestructible and unbeatable. Sighing, he stood up, walked over to his tossed wand, and glumly dragged it along ground as he slumped his way back to town.

---

Sora bucked some apple trees in the orchard angrily, hopefully doing some chores to vent off his frustration, while Apple Bloom glumly sat under a tree, letting Donald's harsh words cloud her head. "Apple Bloom, don't listen to Donald," he tried to assure, kicking one last tree hard, sending all its apples down in the buckets at the base. "He's just being a quackhead, pardon my French."

"Ah know, but...he is right," Apple Bloom said. "That Marluxia stallion...You weren't able to..."

Sora stopped gathering the apples that missed the buckets. That day scared the hell out of him, and though he had bested Marluxia once before from memories he doesn't recall, he was a whole other story after seeing what he could do. All the foals witnessed that the warrior with the key-shaped sword who had bested the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra was utterly powerless to the Nobody who acted like the Grim Reaper. So many times in his life, he was faced with near-death experiences or struck with fear seeing someone he cared about in trouble, feeling hopelessness and believed he was too weak to stop them, and that Christmas was his lowest second to seeing the outcome of Kairi's life in the changeling timeline.

Ignoring the apples, he approached Apple Bloom, sitting beside her and held her tightly to his side. "I know...I had no idea what to expect against Marluxia," he said. "...I let you all down."

"Ya know, there was somethin' scarier than almost losin' you to him," Apple Bloom mumbled, nuzzling against Sora's chest as she held him tightly. "Remember when ya saved me from Heartless the first time?"

"Yeah," Sora said.

"...After ya saved me...and the guards came to arrest you..." She sniffled, tears welling in her eyes as she looked up at Sora. "Ah thought Ah would never see you again."

Taken aback, Sora was surprised knowing that Apple Bloom was more scared of losing him to the royal guard than Organization XIII. "Really? Why?"

"Because you can fight back without holding yourself back," she said. "Ah know ya wouldn't hurt somepony tryin' to protect others, which made it worse when Ah saw how strong ya really were when ya saved me. Ah know you're stronger than them evil ponies, and you can beat them and come back to us."

"...Even...if they do catch me and force me to be their last vessel...you think I can fight back against Xehanort's control?" Apple Bloom nodded, surprising Sora. Her faith in him still held strong, even after Donald forced her to facing the reality of his past situations. He smiled, holding Apple Bloom tighter as she buried her muzzle against his chest. "I promised you girls I wasn't going anywhere, and I intend to keep it."

"Forever?" Apple Bloom asked.

"And ever," Sora added. "Thanks for believing in me, little sis." He rubbed her head as she wiped her tears, the surrogate siblings relaxing in silence as the filly calmed down. "So, what did you want to tell me before you were harshly lectured by Donald?"

"Oh, right. Ya remember what ya promised me the other day, right?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, yeah: having dinner with the family," Sora said. "I remember. Did you think I'd forget and need to be reminded with a hammer to my forehead?"

"No," she said. "Ah wanted ya to come with me to the market so Ah can get some stuff for dinner. We're havin' breakfast for dinner tonight, and Ah'm guessin' we're havin' pancakes!"

"Shouldn't you be sick of pancakes after your nightmare?" Sora asked with a smirk, earning a few light pounds of Apple Bloom's forehooves against his chest.

"Ah got over that!" she exclaimed.

"Ok, ok, I believe you!" Sora said with a laugh. "I'll come with you. I'll put these apples away, then we'll head into town."

"Great! Ah'll get my bags!" Apple Bloom leapt off Sora and headed to the farmhouse.

She accidentally bumped into one of the buckets of apples, knocking it over and sending them rolling to the ground. "Apple Bloom!" The filly was already long gone as she ran through the orchard. Sora let out a groan, picking up the bucket and scooping up the spilled produce. "I think she might have done it on purpose to stall me, knowing how fast I am." Right as he reached out for an apple, a fruit bat swooped down and snatched it, it's body shaped like a strawberry. "Hey! Get back here with that apple!"

He chased after the bat, wondering where it came from after the Apples finally got rid of the fruit-shaped mammals out of the west orchard. At least it wasn't a vampire fruit bat, since those were the worst of them that infested the farm. While chasing after it, he didn't notice the apples in trees had changed to pears, running through a completely different orchard while in pursuit of taking back the stolen apple. Sora didn't pay attention to where he was going, his front hooves tripping over a log, slamming his face in the dirt as he fell. Letting out a groan, he rubbed his snout as he sat up. Looking up in the trees, he found the bat with his apple, along with several smaller bats like it, which must have been his or her babies as they nibbled on the red apple.

"Aw. Curse you, cute babies. You win this round," Sora said to himself, letting the bat go as it fed their young. "Probably needed to eat something besides green apples." As he stood up and brushed himself off, he confused himself by what he mentioned. "...Wait a minute. The apples in the orchard are red...not green." Gazing up at a nearby tree, his suspicion was right when he saw the upper narrow and wide-based fruits than the red delicious apples on the farm. "Pears?"

Hovering over the trees, he saw the barn for Sweet Apple Acres far in the distance, farther than he thought as a split between the apple and pear orchards could be seen not too far from where he found the fruit bat's home. He had no idea there was even a pear orchard next door, nor did the Apple family mention a neighboring orchard farm. Landing back down, he looked at the log he tripped over, obviously belonging to the pear orchard as it rested not too far from its stump. It made him curious as to why only one of these trees were chopped down while the rest remained standing, but it was odd seeing the cut made with one clean slice, not like someone using an ax several times to chop it down.

Unsure if someone might know who or what managed to do this, seeing how rotted the old pear tree was from time and nature, Sora made his way back to Sweet Apple Acres territory, not wanting to trespass on someone else's land. Reaching the field that split the two orchards to their respective properties, to his left, his jaw dropped at the sight of an odd sight in the center. There was an apple and pear tree that grew over a rock as big as he was, but the trunks from both trees impossibly spiraled around each other, then curved out to form a heart between their branches and leaves. Aside from the amazing sight, both the trees branches bore apples AND pears, looking as if the trees were embracing each other, the other fruit they grew looking just as healthy as their counterpart's.

"Whoa," Sora uttered. "How long has THIS been here?" As he got closer to the trunks of the connected trees, he noticed that the apple tree was on the pear orchard's side and vice versa for the pear tree. "And...how was this tree made possible?...I think Twilight would have a field day trying to figure this out."

"Sora! Where are ya!?" Apple Bloom called out. "Ah thought y'all would be ready faster than me!"

"Oh, she did NOT copy Riku's taunting," Sora growled, chuckling lightly with a shake of his head. "I'm coming, Apple Bloom! I had to pick up the apples YOU spilled!"

He flew off to gather the remaining apples, leaving the intertwined trees' mystery alone for now to join Apple Bloom with her shopping. Once the buckets were placed in the barn, he joined his little sister, giving her a hard noogie for the slow comment she made earlier. They both wandered around the kiosks and stores, figuring out what to get to add to their pancakes. Some ponies nearly ran them over as they joined several others at a stand, peaking their curiosity as they wondered what the fuss was about.

"Excuse us!" Apple Bloom said, trying to squeeze through. "Hero of Equestria and his little sister coming through!"

"Apple Bloom, shush," Sora chided. He politely squeezed his way between the crowd, Apple Bloom sneaking between his legs to get in line before him. The vendor at the stand was an old earth pony stallion, his coat a light amber while his hair was graying out from his old age, a small highlight of light brown still lingering on his head. He had a pear for a cutie mark, and he also were a green bandanna around his neck. After serving a customer, he glanced at Sora and Apple Bloom, his grin replaced with a look of horror when he looked at the Keyblade wielder. "Hello, sir. What have you got to sell?"

"...Uhhh," the stallion uttered, stammering slightly while trying to find the words to speak. "...Have we...met?"

"Not really," Sora said. "You must be a traveling salespony."

"Ah'm Apple Bloom!" the filly greeted. "And this is Sora!"

The mention of his name nearly gave the stallion a heart attack, concerning Sora with his odd behavior before he composed himself. "I'm...Grand Pear," he said nervously.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Grand Pear!" Apple Bloom said.

"You mean welcome back to Ponyville!" a stallion beside Sora and Apple Bloom corrected. "Grand Pear was originally from here before he opened his famous pear jam store in Vanhoover."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Sora said. "But, what brings you around Ponyville, Grand Pear?"

"I-I umm...I needed a change of pace," Grand Pear answered, having to think for a moment before responding.

He spread some of his pear jam on some bread, giving one to Apple Bloom and Sora to sample. Both ponies looked at each other, then took a bite, surprising them.

"Mmm! This is delicious!" Apple Bloom said, scarfing down her before-dinner snack.

"I didn't even know you could make pears into a tasty jam," Sora said as he downed his sample in one bite. "How much for a jar?"

Grand Pear grabbed a jar, handing it to Sora. "Nah, don't worry about it," the elder stallion said with a wave.

"Really?" Sora asked, a bit surprised by the friendly gesture. "This some sort of thing where your first customers who never tried your jam and likes it gets a free jar?"

His question confused Grand Pear, the look of fear still present, though he seemed more wary. "You mean...you don't...?" Sora tilted his head as the older stallion mumbled something. Grand Pear shook his head, then looked down at Apple Bloom, giving her a gentle smile. "Think of it as...a generous offer for two very special ponies."

"Wow! Thanks, Mr. Grand Pear, sir!" Apple Bloom said, accepting the free pear jam and placed it in her saddlebags. "It was nice meetin' ya!"

"A-Apple Bloom!" Sora called out, but the filly squeezed past the crowd and hurried back home, all done shopping after finding her perfect topping. He sighed, looking back at Grand Pear with a grin. "Kids. They drive you crazy, huh?"

Sora leapt up over the crowd and flew after Apple Bloom, leaving Grand Pear with his other customers. The elder stallion's smile faded with a sad sigh, continuing his sales with a forced smile to the others, only to frown as he turned around to check his stock.

---

"I swear, I need to put a muzzle on you sometimes," Sora playfully scolded, carrying Apple Bloom on her back.

"We got some free jam from a nice stallion. How lucky can ya get, Sora?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Not exactly good for business if you give away your best products, you know?" he lectured, hearing the filly blow a raspberry at him.

The sun was beginning to set as they made it back to the farmhouse, where they could smell the flapjacks cooking from outside. As soon as they stepped in the front door, Winona ran up to Sora and jumped at his forelegs excitedly, where he gave the collie lots of pets to calm her down. In the kitchen, Big Mac was at the stove with a skillet, finishing up another cooked pancake, giving it a toss over his shoulder, quickly caught on a plate held by Applejack. She noticed her other two siblings come in, happy to have Sora join their family again like old times.

"Y'all are back just in time," Applejack said. "Breakfast for dinner."

"Nice," Sora said.

"And Sora and Ah the perfect topper for flapjacks at the market," Apple Bloom said, then took out the jar of pear jam Grand Pear willingly gave them.

When Applejack saw the gooey spread, she let out a horrified gasp, nearly dropping a full stack of pancakes to the ground. "PEAR JAM!?"

"Yeah, it's actually quite-" Sora didn't finish his statement as Applejack swiped the jar out of Apple Bloom's mouth, then grabbed Sora's shirt collar, pulling him down to Apple Bloom's height as she leered at them angrily.

"What in tarnation were the two of ya thinkin'!?" she hissed, confusing the filly and pegasus. Applejack's ears twitched, hearing Granny Smith coming out of her room. She looked out in the hall to the stairway, seeing her shadow, causing both her, and Big Mac, to panic. "Quick, bro, hide it!"

She tossed the jar to Big Mac, catching it in his mouth as he danced around nervously, trying to find a place to hide the jam. He snapped a floorboard in the kitchen with a stomp, both of the older Apple siblings digging at the dirt beneath the floor to make a hole. Apple Bloom and Sora looked at each other, baffled by their panicked behavior.

"...Did I miss something as an honorary Apple?" Sora asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"What's the big deal?" Apple Bloom questioned while her siblings continued frantically digging. "It's just pear jam."

Applejack stopped digging, confronting her sister on her statement. "The big deal is that there is a long-standing feud between the Apples and the Pears!"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed, dropping the jam in the hole.

"Ok, this is the first I've heard of this," Sora said. "And earlier today, I just now noticed there was a pear orchard far to the west side of Sweet Apple Acres. Why exactly was there a feud?"

"Why!?" Applejack exclaimed, but instead of harshly explaining why, she tried to figure out why herself. "Uhh...Actually, I'm not sure...You have any idea, Big Mac?"

"Uhh...Nope," the red stallion said with a shake of his head.

Sora and Apple Bloom sighed and slumped their shoulders simultaneously. "You two seriously don't know why?" Sora asked. "I thought you two were at least told something."

"Maybe we can ask Granny?" Apple Bloom suggested.

"Ask me what?" Granny Smith startled all of them, none of them hearing her creaking down the stairs.

Big Mac quickly shoved the dirt he and Applejack dug out over the hole, the farm mare placing the broken board on top of the pile in an attempt to hide it from the elder matriarch of the Apple family. "Uh, what goes better with apple fritter flapjacks: caramel syrup or praline!?"

Applejack held out a bottle of caramel syrup and a jar of praline to Granny Smith, blowing a raspberry as she smacked away the syrup like the debate was out of the question. "Praline, obviously!" she said. Granny sniffed as she smelled the pancakes, walking over the "hidden" mound and past Sora and Apple Bloom. "Howdy do, Sora! Joinin' us for dinner tonight?"

"...Uhhhh, yeah," Sora said, slightly amused with Granny's obliviousness to the hidden pear jam. "Can't wait to eat."

"Good. I'ma go wash up for supper. Be right back!" Granny headed outside to the outhouse, which might have been her way of saying she needed to take care of business to Sora.

Big Mac and Applejack sighed, dodging a bullet, though Sora and Apple Bloom chalked up their luck to Granny's case of senility at the moment. "We can't ask Granny," Applejack said. "Anytime Big Mac and Ah asked her about the feud or the Pears, she'd get so upset she couldn't talk. Best not to bring it up."

"Well, that doesn't help," Sora uttered.

"But Sora and Ah met Grand Pear at the market, and he was really nice even though Ah'm an Apple," Apple Bloom said.

"He did act a little weird when he looked at me, though," Sora added. "Like...he was afraid of me. Even asking if we met each other like he knew me."

"Ya kinda are famous in Equestria with your kind of heroics," Applejack said.

"Maybe it was your hair," Big Mac teased with a chuckle.

"Oh, ha ha. Big Mac's got some jokes," Sora said sarcastically.

"I wonder what happened that started the feud," Apple Bloom said aloud, her curiosity growing between what happened to the two farming families.

"Me, too," Applejack agreed. "But if we can't ask Granny, I don't know who-" She suddenly got an idea, knowing someone else who has extensive knowledge on the Apple family's history. "We can ask Goldie Delicious! If anypony knows about the feud, it's the family historian!"

"Ah'm in!" Apple Bloom cheered. "What do ya say, Big Mac? Siblin' road trip first thing tomorrow?"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said.

The Apple siblings looked at Sora, who barely voiced his agreement to discovering what happened with the Apple and Pear families. "Ya wanna come with us, Sora?" Applejack asked. "You're family, too."

"I want to know, too, but I don't think I'm going anywhere without Donald or Goofy joining me," Sora said, the huffed as he sat down at the table. "And I'm not talking with Donald until he apologizes for what he said to Apple Bloom."

"What did he say?" Applejack asked, feeling just as miffed as Sora when she saw Apple Bloom frown.

"Don't worry. I gave him a few words of my own," Sora assured. "Along with giving him a couple whacks on the head with his wand."

"He insulted Sora and brought up the bad things that happened while he saved everypony," Apple Bloom summarized.

"How tough are both Donald and Goofy?" Applejack asked out of curiosity.

"Probably like steel. When Goofy got hit with a flying rock while saving King Mickey from it, it struck his head hard, and we all thought he died," Sora said. "If you wanna kick Donald, I think he'll be able to survive if you punt him to Canterlot."

Applejack considered the offer to teach Donald a lesson for messing with her sister later, focusing on enjoying dinner with the family once Granny Smith came back and their early morning trip to Goldie Delicious's. After eating dinner, Apple Bloom slightly disappointed that they wouldn't try any pear jam with their pancakes, Sora relaxed on the sofa while the rest of the family headed to bed, Winona laying her head in his lap while he gently pet her. Over by the side table, he noticed the family photo album was left out. He looked through some pictures of past family reunions, mostly at the ones where Applejack's parents were in before they were no longer around.

The farther back he looked at the Apple family's reunions, a thought came to him. He didn't know much about Buttercup and Bright Mac, and the feud between the Apples and the Pears had been going on when they were younger. And since he knows a specific time-traveling spell he's used a few times, he could kill two birds with one stone: find out why both families constantly fought with each other and finally meet Applejack's parents. But there was also the risk of changing the past, and if he succeeded in keeping time flowing normally, he might get in a bit of trouble for using this spell.

"Well, I've gotten into worse trouble," he uttered to himself. Sora shrugged, throwing caution to the wind as he decided on following through with his insane idea. Closing the photo album, he placed it back where it was, waking up Winona as she sat up curiously. "You won't tell anyone I'm going to go on a little time traveling adventure, right?" he asked the collie, who tilted her head in confusion. Taking it as a yes, Sora rubbed Winona's head. "Good girl. I'll hopefully see you in a while."

He got up and quietly left the house, mentally planning his own private trip to the past and get to meet Bright Mac and Buttercup for the first time.

---

Bright and early the next morning, Sora left a note for Kairi in their room, letting her and the others know he was off doing some training on his own. He might regret lying to everyone, but at least Organization XIII wouldn't exist in the past, so he's technically safe from any of their attempts to take him in. Sora made his way out to the Everfree Forest so no one would see him transport himself through time.

"Ok, judging by when Big Mac was born, I should probably go a couple years farther just in case," Sora said to himself. With his Keyblade grasped tightly in his hoof, he took a deep breath, praying his estimated guess wouldn't send him too far back as he spun his blade, the tip flashing as he stopped it vertically. "Reverse!"

The spell's ethereal clock appeared and slid down him, transporting him through time. Years flowed backward in a blur until it stopped several seconds later. As Sora reappeared in the forest in a flash of light, startling any creatures nearby, he wasn't sure how far he's gone, the Everfree barely changed even now despite its more natural style of growth that Equestrians fear. Dismissing his Keyblade, he left the forest, and where he expected to find Fluttershy's cottage near the trail's entrance, it wasn't there. Farther out in Ponyville, there was no sign of the Castle of Friendship in the distance, and in the middle of town, he could see the familiar branches of the Golden Oak Library.

Walking down the path, acting like a new visitor, he could see quite a few differences in Ponyville aside from what he knew. Some of the homes were a bit smaller, not many built unlike the present, and there were some ponies he recognized as seniors or adults, but as adults and kids respectively in their time. It was quite an interesting sight seeing a town before how it was today with progress building it to bigger communities. Sora headed to the market, browsing some of the vendors' wares, until he started hearing bickering coming from across the road.

"Ya think your pears are that juicy when ya don't seem to get your trees enough water!" Sora's ears perked, recognizing that southern drawl from the Apple family's grand matriarch in her younger years. "They also shrivel up with them fancy blankets ya put on every single one of them, and if ya forget, they don't get enough sunlight!"

"Oh, and you take care of your trees far better than me!?" This time, it came from a stallion, also familiar even though Sora had just recently met the other day. "When you harvest your crops, you and your family kick the trunks, forcefully shaking your apples out of their branches! Better fruit grows with tender loving care, not physical abuse!"

As the two ponies argued, Sora turned to the verbal fight, not surprised to see who it was. Set up mere inches from each other where an apple and pear stand, both of them run by a younger Granny Smith and Grand Pear. Sora had seen several pictures of Granny Smith as a middle-aged mare, just with less wrinkles. Grand Pear's hair wasn't all grayed out, only a streak of it showing signs of graying while the rest were of two different shades of brown, and he still had his muscular build for his own farmwork before age took that away from him in the present. Ponies witnessing the two farmers fighter either stared at them awkwardly, whether or not they just wanted to buy their products before getting caught up in their never-ending fight.

"...Ok, doesn't look like I'll get anything out of these two while they're five feet from each other," Sora muttered to himself. "Maybe I should ask some of the older locals how this all-"

"Watch out!!!" someone shouted. Sora turned his head toward the direction of the warning pony, seeing several logs rolling dangerously toward the market. Running after them and failing to catch up was a grayish-black earth pony stallion with dark silver hair, his lower muzzle bearing a five-o-clock shadow and had a blue bandanna around his neck. "Gangway, everypony!!"

Ponies screamed and scrambled out of the rolling logs' path, heading straight for Grand Pear's and Granny Smith's stands. Too busy bickering with each other, they didn't even notice the danger coming toward them. Sora took action, racing past the logs and stood before the two stands. Both farmers finally took notice when Sora skid to a halt in front of them, gasping in shock and braced for the inevitable impact. Sora crouched, then as the logs got closer, he quickly tossed them high in the air, ponies gasping as they looked up, now concerned with them landing on someone. In a blur as Sora leapt up, he summoned his Keyblade and flew around, quickly slicing through the logs, then dismissed his Keyblade before anyone else found out as he landed back on the ground. While using his momentum with each slash, he pushed each sliced piece to land directly in front of him, building up to a perfectly cut pile.

Everyone watching was stunned, eventually recovering as they applauded Sora's heroics, making the pegasus grin sheepishly. The stallion who was chasing after the logs ran over to the pile, completely speechless after seeing such a spectacle, and how precise and accurate the Keyblade wielder's cuts were. Grand Pear and Granny Smith forgot about their feud, nearly suffering heart attacks from the near-death experiences they almost had.

"That was a close one, huh?" Sora asked.

"I'll say," Grand Pear said.

Granny Smith looked at the other stallion, giving him a harsh glare. "Consarn it, Burnt Oak! Ah thought ya learned your lesson about rollin' logs through town to your workshop to chop up firewood!" she scolded.

"S-Sorry, Granny Smith," the stallion, Burnt Oak, apologized. Sora noticed his cutie mark was a burnt oak branch, which he could have guessed, but he could have sworn he's seen someone like him in town on occasion in the present. "The rope holding them down after chopping some snapped when I got to town and rolled off. I'm actually glad no one got hurt." He then looked at Sora, astounded by his earlier feat. "And you, sir...I don't know how you did that, but you not only did you stop my logs, you chopped them perfectly! You saved me a bit of work today."

"Nah, it's no problem," Sora said. "I help others for a living."

"And for saving me, I'll give you a month's supply of pears, young colt," Grand Pear offered, which irked Granny Smith as she leered at him.

"How about three months worth of apples for savin' a lady like myself?" Granny quickly offered, trying to one-up the pear farmer. "Grand Pear could learn a thing or two about chivalry from you."

"Excuse me!? 'Lady'!?" Grand Pear scoffed. "As if you call yourself a frail maiden, you old hag!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" Granny Smith screeched, resulting in yet another spout of arguing.

Sora and Burnt Oak stared at the two, the former unable to believe the Grand Pear he met in his time was just as stubborn as Granny Smith, and outright rude with all the names the two were calling each other. "Yeah. This is kinda...the norm between these two," Burnt Oak said to Sora. "Still hard to get used to, even though I know the Apples more personally."

"Uh huh," Sora mumbled, then looked at the log pile. "Need some help carrying these?"

"Sure," Burnt Oak said gratefully. Leaving Grand Pear and Granny Smith to their spat, both stallions each carried half of the log pile, Sora following Burnt Oak through town. "So, you heard my name. What's yours, stranger?"

Sora contemplated if he should make up an alias for himself like his father gave him on his last trek in the past, but seeing how far he was, he didn't think it would be consequential to tell him. "I'm Sora. I just got here not too long ago."

"And at the best time, too," Burnt Oak added with a chuckle. They didn't go far to drop off the sliced wood, stopping at a tent that had bundles of wood tied up, more stocked up in the back, and a large stump used as a chopping block with an ax embedded in it. "I'll get my cart a bit later. It's not going anywhere."

"So, are you some kind of firewood salespony, Burnt Oak?" Sora asked curiously.

"Yeah, but not many ponies want to buy much firewood during the warmer seasons," the stallion said. "Better sales in cold winters, although there's some families who like cooking outdoors on perfect days like today."

"Well, I definitely love a good barbecue myself," Sora admitted, feeling his stomach growl as he began craving some Apple family-style barbecue. "So, do those two constantly fight with each other?"

"Sadly, yes," Burnt Oak nodded. "No idea how it all started. I know it was before either me or Bright Mac were born."

"Bright Mac?" Sora asked, sounding slightly curious, but on the inside, he was a bit surprised this stallion knew Applejack's father.

"He's a friend of mine," Burnt Oak said. "I helped out the Apples during their harvests from time to time, and he's Granny's son. She knows me very well since I get the two of us into quite a bit of mischief."

Seeing there might not be any answers to how the Apples and Pears feud started, Sora could at least get to know what Bright Mac and Buttercup were like. "Do you know where your friend's at?"

"He's either at the orchard working..." Burnt Oak paused and looked around, wearing a sly smirk as he leaned closer to Sora. "Or...he's busy hanging out with his marefriend at this very moment," he said with a snicker.

"Oh," Sora uttered, though he was a bit confused by the slightly hushed tone in Burnt Oak's last statement. "Is their relationship supposed to be a secret?"

"From their families, at least," Burnt Oak said. "If their parents found out, all of Ponyville will never hear the end of it. I think I have a picture of the three of us." He went further in his tent, coming back after searching around a bit. He held out a photo to Sora, showing him, Bright Mac, and Buttercup together in what appeared to be Sugarcube Corner, Burnt Oak and Bright Mac having some sort of milkshake slurping contest while Buttercup laughed at their brain frozen expressions. Both of the long-lost Apple parents exactly how they looked in the pictures in the Apple's photo album: Bright Mac with his bright yellow coat and red hair with the stetson hat Applejack inherited, and Buttercup's peach-colored fur and curly orange hair, both mane and tail tied at the end with light blue hairbands in the same way Applejack ties hers. "This stallion's Bright Mac, and there's his marefriend, Pear Butter."

While admiring the picture, Sora's ear twitched at the name of the mare in the photo, confused. "...Pear Butter?" he asked.

"Yeah. Although, Bright Mac always calls her Buttercup," Burnt Oak said. "He said he gave her that nickname when they first met as foals. They were near a patch of buttercups by the fence bordering their families' orchards and told her about how they make your chin glow, but it doesn't work on him because his fur is yellow. Fell head over hooves for her at that point, and they were secret best friends for a while before moving their relationship up a few notches."

Sora was listening to the story, but his mind shattered when Applejack's mother's name he thought was right was actually her nickname. "...S-So...He calls her...Buttercup...but her real name...?"

"Yup. Pear Butter," Burnt Oak reiterated. "And I assume you've taken a guess, but yes; Pear Butter is Grand Pear's daughter, which is why I mentioned their parents would never let Ponyville hear the end of it if they found out they were dating their neighbor's/mortal enemy's kid." That shattered every semblance of sanity Sora was able to contain. His jaw dropped in shock, astounded, speechless, baffled, his mind racing in confusion at this revelation. Grand Pear was technically Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom's grandfather, and the Apple siblings are also half Pear. Burnt Oak noticed the look of horror in the stunned pegasus's face. "Uhh...You alright, Sora?"

"...Excuse me," Sora quickly squeaked before zooming up in the sky, diving into a cloud above them. He started screaming wildly, which was thankfully muffled thanks to the fluffy mass of condensation, but Burnt Oak looked up as he heard him going nuts in his shock. The earth pony looked around nervously, unsure what to do for the next few minutes before Sora came back down, slamming to the ground while panting heavily, pupils shrunk to pinpricks, still reeling from the strange news. "...Sorry. I needed to...clear my...head."

"...Ummm...ok?" Burnt Oak uttered. He let Sora breathe as the pegasus tried to regain his composure, not knowing how well the Apple siblings would react to this kind of news. Or maybe Goldie Delicious may have told them if they made it to her home back in his time. "You sure you're alright?"

"Y-Yeah, don't mind me," Sora said, calmed down slightly, but still incredibly surprised. "...So...Pear Butter...and Bright Mac...are going out with each other?...And their families constantly fight with each other?"

"It was strange to me at first, but he's had a thing for her since they were little," Burnt Oak said with a nod, then chuckled as a thought occurred to him. "There was this one day that was kinda funny, but we almost got in a whole lot of trouble with Grand Pear."

Before Sora let Burnt Oak continue, he was curious to see what exactly happened. "Wait, before you tell me, how about you show me instead?" The firewood seller tilted his head in confusion, watching Sora pull out an enchanted ornament from the chandelier in the throne room. "Hold onto this and think back on that memory. It's enchanted, and it can show us everything that happened from your past, even if it's forgotten."

"Uhh...ok, I guess." Burnt Oak took the ornament and thought back to the memory he was about to tell Sora. To his surprise, it managed to work as they saw Sweet Apple Acres with himself and Bright Mac as younger teens, both stallions hitched with plows as they ran across the acres of land. "Wow. That's pretty neat."

"So, what almost got you in trouble?" Sora asked, reminding Burnt Oak with his tale.

"Oh. Bright Mac and I were having a little competition to see who could plow the most fields. He would have won if he didn't get too...distracted," he said, giving Sora a knowing smirk.

Sora continued watching, seeing Bright Mac speed far ahead of younger Burnt Oak. He was winning, but the yellow stallion glanced to his left for a second, before looking back with a dopey grin on his face. On the other side of the fence boarding both the rivaling orchards' lands, a young Pear Butter was pulling out weeds in their new batch of pear trees. Sora snorted, getting the hint at what Bright Mac was "distracted" by, which didn't help when the mare had her back turned toward the fence. Bright Mac being distracted by Pear Butter's presence caused him to swerve, veering right toward the fence, crashing through and ramming into the Pears's nearby water silo. The silo's supports gave into the incredibly strong Apple farmer's crash, sending water spilling out all over the Pears's fields, even drenching Pear Butter as she yelped in surprise.

With the fields flooded, she looked back at the tipped over water silo, not noticing Bright Mac staring dumbfounded at the accident he caused. Burnt Oak gasped when he noticed Grand Pear in the distance, the stallion seeing the mess as he ran down the hill to see what happened. Grabbing his dazed friend, Burnt Oak pulled Bright Mac away, hiding them behind some thick bushes on the Apple's side.

"Pear Butter, what did you do!?" Grand Pear questioned, surprising Sora by how harshly he scolded his own daughter.

"I-I'm not sure," the young mare answered, slightly confused and unable to give a reasonable answer to her strict father.

Seeing she was going to be punished for something he did, Bright Mac stepped out of the bushes to confront the patriarch of the Pear family. Burnt Oak tried to warn his friend to come back, but not even he wanted to be around Grand Pear if he was this mad, staying hidden while Bright Mac faced his death sentence.

"She didn't do it, sir!" Bright Mac called out, stepping onto his rival family's land.

Grand Pear looked at her enemy's son, getting in front of his daughter as he stared at him skeptically. "Excuse me?"

"The water silo," Bright Mac pointed out, taking off his hat and placing it over his chest as he confessed. "It was mah fault."

Pear Butter giggled, admiring his bravery by being honest with her father. Grand Pear saw that look in her eyes, turning back to leer at Bright Mac with an angry snort.

"You owe me a new silo, boy!" Bright Mac flinched at Grand Pear's tone, but he nodded, seeing it was fair for his fault. Grand Pear turned to his daughter, dragging her away from the Apple. "No daughter of mine is gonna make goo-goo eyes at an Apple!"

Pear Butter followed, but she looked back and smiled at Bright Mac, silently thanking him for saving her from getting grounded if Grand Pear thought it was her fault. Bright Mac put his hat back on, staring like a love-struck dummy as he lazily waved to her. The image faded after Burnt Oak walked up to his friend, waving his hoof in front of his face, barely even noticing his friend as Bright Mac watched his love leave.

"Wow...Grand Pear was really quick to judge his own daughter for that water silo," Sora said aloud, though he definitely saw where Applejack got her honesty from.

"Both Grand Pear AND Granny Smith are pretty scary when they're being strict," Burnt Oak said, giving Sora back the ornament. "Since that day, Bright Mac spent his breaks working on their new silo. I didn't see him for weeks, but it gave him plenty of time to learn more about Pear Butter than their secret meetings."

"And what about Pear Butter?" Sora asked. "What's she like?"

Burnt Oak scratched his chin, trying to figure out how to describe someone like her. "Uhh...I don't really hang out with her often," he said. "I mean, she is a real peach of a Pear, but I'm more close friends with Bright Mac and his family. I bet if Grand Pear saw me with her, he'd thought we were dating and he'd buck my flank so hard I wouldn't sit right for a year." Sora grimaced, understanding if Grand Pear was overprotective, though it didn't seem like he was that kind of father with a daughter he cherishes. "But, if you wanna know more about Pear Butter, you can ask her friend, Chiffon Swirl."

"Chiffon Swirl, huh? Where's she at right now?" Sora asked.

"She's down at the local bakery: Sugarcube Corner," Burnt Oak said, surprising Sora yet again, learning the bakery was a lot older than he thought. "It's shaped like a giant gingerbread house. Can't miss it. Just don't try to eat it; it's not made out of real gingerbread."

"Why? Did you try eating it?" Sora questioned curiously, wearing a smirk with his hooves crossed.

Burnt Oak stared at Sora with wide eyes, shifting them left to right nervously. "...No," he said hesitantly, his response making Sora snicker.

"Alright. I'll see if I can find her," Sora said. "And I'm kinda hungry. I could use a muffin. Thanks for the info, Burnt Oak."

"No problem, Sora," Burnt Oak said. He watched Sora gallop off, finding his personality interesting despite him wanting to learn more about his friend and Pear Butter more than the Apple and Pear feud. "What a strange pegasus..."

---

Knowing where exactly Sugarcube Corner was located, Sora found the famous bakery, or not as famous just yet in this time. He walked inside, his senses struck with delicious baked goods, making his stomach rumble. He was the only one inside the building right now, and whoever was working was probably in the kitchen.

"Hello? Someone here?" Sora called out.

"Oh! Just a second!" a young female voice said from the kitchen, which once again sounded familiar to the Keyblade wielder. A moment later, the mare in question came out to greet him, shocking Sora when it was none other than Cup Cake as a teenager: same blue coat and raspberry swirl mane, only she had pigtails in a spiral twist. He snapped out of his shock, figuring he would end up running into someone familiar who was a local to Ponyville. "Sorry, I was in the middle of making a cake for somepony. How can I help you?"

"Well, for one, I'd like to order a couple muffins," Sora said, placing a few bits down on the counter. "I'm starving and didn't eat anything before coming here."

"No problem!" Cup Cake said, grabbing the ones Sora pointed out and handing them to him while she put the bits in the register. "And, was there another reason?"

"I was looking for someone by the name of Chiffon Swirl," Sora said. He took a bite of one of his muffins, humming in delight, even if Pinkie wasn't around in this time to make the best ones. "I was told she works here."

"Well, you're talking to her," she said, bashfully scraping her hoof against the floor.

Sora nearly choked on his crumbly breakfast, startling the young mare as he began coughing. He swallowed what he didn't hack out, then looked at Cup Cake, or Chiffon Swirl as her real name seemed to be, although he didn't react as badly as he had with Buttercup actually being Pear Butter and Applejack and her siblings were half-Pear.

"Y-YOU'RE Chiffon Swirl!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Y-Yes? Is...that a problem?" Chiffon asked nervously.

"...N-No, sorry," Sora apologized, giving a sheepish giggle, putting down his muffin before he took another bite and choked on it again with anymore shocking revelations about the other ponies he thought he knew. "It's just that...I figured Chiffon Swirl would was some one was...a bit older?" Chiffon blinked a couple times, clueless as to what Sora was talking about. He sighed, feeling stupid as he snatched his bitten muffin and munched it whole, swallowing it before extending his hoof out to her. "Let me start over. Hi, I'm Sora."

"Uhh, hello, Sora," Chiffon greeted, timidly taking his hoof, exchanging a light shake.

"To make a long story short, I learned about the Apple and Pear feud, met someone who knew Granny Smith's son, Bright Mac, and he mentioned I would learn more about Grand Pear's daughter, Pear Butter, from Chiffon Swirl, who just so happens to be you," Sora said, inhaling deeply after that long-winded explanation before stuffing another muffin in his mouth.

Chiffon snorted in laughter. "Well, cinnamon sugar on toast, Sora. You're a weird one," she said.

"So I'm told," Sora said with his cheeks full, making the young mare laugh again with his stuffed face.

"Well, I don't know why anypony like you would be interested in Pear Butter, but I'd be glad to tell you about her, and anything about the Apple and Pear family squabble I know," Chiffon said. "She's a really good friend of mine. She even helped me discover my talent in baking."

Sora stopped munching, swallowing his second muffin slowly so he didn't choke again. "...She did?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah! I didn't know what I was supposed to do as I got older, but Pear Butter brought me some candied pears, eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla, and told me to just be creative!" Chiffon Swirl said, excitedly showing off her trio of cupcakes on her flank. "Next thing I knew, I was baking a pear upside-down cake, and my cutie mark appeared! It was almost like she knew what I was supposed to do before I discovered it myself!"

Sora's jaw hung open in awe, Pear Butter's helping her friend discover her talent sounding just like what Apple Bloom does with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo: helping others find their talents and rediscover what their cutie mark truly means. "...Wow. She's...a really good friend, huh?"

"The best, and she's helped me with all sorts of other recipes I wanted to try: taste-testing, decorating, and prepping all sorts of new ingredients," Chiffon said. "Pear Butter's done so much for me, and I wanted to pay her back for all her help with a cake."

"And that cake you mentioned earlier was for her?" Sora asked.

"Mhmm," Chiffon said with a nod. "I just finished decorating it and was about to head out to give it to her."

"Mind if I tag along?" Sora asked.

"Sure." Chiffon Swirl headed back to the kitchen to grab her cake, leaving Sora to finish his last muffin while contemplating what he's learned about the long-lost Apple parents. Bright Mac was honest and hardworking, like Applejack is, and Pear Butter was helpful and could see what someone's talent is before they did, like Apple Bloom. And with Chiffon bringing a cake to Pear Butter, Burnt Oak mentioning Bright Mac was hanging out with his marefriend, he had the chance to meet both of them in person. "Ok, let's go!"

With a beautiful pear cake on the young Cup Cake's back, the duo left and headed toward the Pears's farm, Chiffon leaving an "Out to Lunch" sign in case there were any other customers without her presence there. As they walked down the road, they heard a pony panting heavily, running desperately as he seemed to be late for something.

"AHH!" the stallion said, who happened to be a younger Carrot Cake. He skid to a halt, unable to swerve away, accidentally ramming into Chiffon, sending them tumbling and her cake up in the air. As the two earth ponies crashed, Sora quickly caught the cake on his back, saving it from splatting to the ground. "Oh, goodness. S-Sorry, Chiffon!"

"N-Nice running into you, too, Carrot," Chiffon grunted. The two ponies tried to untangle themselves, Carrot's lankier legs fumbling as he and Chiffon fell over each other a couple more times before they awkwardly got back on their hooves. "Why were you in a rush?"

"I didn't know I was scheduled to work at Sugarcube Corner with you today and slept in!" Carrot said in a panic, only to gulp nervously and blush heavily. "N-Not that I don't mind working with you, you see? I-I-I just didn't...want to be late and spend more time with you-Uhh, I mean, get fired!" Sora chuckled and shook his head, amused by Carrot's "subtlety". "...Uhh, why are you out?"

"I was...making a delivery," Chiffon said, not technically lying as she pointed at the cake Sora thankfully saved. "And I know you're not going to be fired for being late just one day."

"R-Right, I...I knew that," Carrot chuckled nervously. "...I-I'd...better get to the bakery before the boss finds out."

Carrot backpedaled away, accidentally bumping into Sora and falling over on his chest, the Keyblade wielder barely flinching. The young baker scrambled back up and hurried off to Sugarcube Corner after an awkward wave. Chiffon giggled at Carrot's dorkiness, watching him leave as Sora gently placed the cake back on her back with his wings.

"So...who was that?" Sora asked, playing dumb as if he didn't know who either of the future couple were.

"Oh, that's just Carrot Cake. He works with me at the bakery," Chiffon said, her cheeks turning a hint of pink. "And I know it's obvious he has a crush on me."

"Hard to tell if it literally tackled you to the ground," Sora teased, making the young mare's blush deepen. "You know, you two should get together. I have a feeling you two would make a great couple."

"R-Really!?" Chiffon squeaked, only to clear her throat as she shrugged off the thought. "N-No, I-I don't know about that."

"Are you kidding? He can't hide how much he likes you even if you were blind," Sora said. "Trust me, you two would be perfect for each other. Just ask him out and make the first move if he's too scared to."

"H-How do you know it'll work?" Chiffon asked, considering the idea to say something to Carrot Cake first.

"I was just as much a nervous wreck as he is right now, but my girlfriend, now my fiancee after I proposed her her a while back, she made the first move, and I poured my heart out to her," Sora said. "As weird as it sounds, sometimes a guy doesn't always have to be the one to say it first."

She kept that in mind as they continued on their way. Once at the Pears's orchard was in sight, they wandered through the trees to find Pear Butter.

"Oh, I wonder where she's at," Chiffon muttered. "Both the Apples and Pears have so many acres, I'm surprised they don't get lost in-" As she and Sora pushed through a few bushes, Chiffon gasped and quickly hid in the foliage, dragging the stallion with him. Peeking her head out, she stared curiously, finding her with someone else. "Oh, my."

"What is it? Grand Pear?" Sora asked.

Peeking through the leaves, he saw Pear Butter with Bright Mac, just as he expected. The couple were having a private picnic together in an open field between the Apple and Pear orchards, which looked a bit familiar to Sora, though it was hard to tell with the huge stretch of land both farms occupy. Bright Mac and Pear Butter laughed, enjoying each other's company and munching on a mix of apple and pear snacks. Bright Mac then picked up a bouquet of buttercups to give to her, some pollen getting in his nose as his muzzle scrunched up. He sneezed, accidentally spreading his bouquet all over Pear Butter, most of it getting into her hair while one landed on her nose. The stallion winced apologetically as the mare blew the buttercup off her nose, but instead of getting mad at him, she laughed it off, Bright Mac joining her from the mishap.

Sora admitted that Pear Butter looked nicer with those buttercups in her hair, seeing why Bright Mac liked to call her Buttercup. They were such a happy couple; friends from the start despite their warring families, and they grew into lovers as they got to know each other through the passing years. Sora's imagination wandered like it had when he thought about Kairi, seeing himself with her in the two ponies' places, their relationship blossoming from friendship at a young age to love as they got older. It was sad to know they would no longer be around, Sora wishing he met them as a middle-aged couple, probably still just as happy in this time with three wonderful children and a farm life that would continue going for generations.

As Bright Mac and Pear Butter were about to kiss, Chiffon was about to back away to give them some privacy. She stepped on a twig behind her, the snapping sound alerting the couple and snapping Sora out of his daydream. Bright Mac quickly stood up to defend his lover from what might possibly be a dangerous animal, but Chiffon popped her head up and waved to them sheepishly.

"Oh, Chiffon," Pear Butter said with a sigh, thinking it was a beast or, at worst, either of their parents. "It's just you."

Chiffon Swirl walked out of the bushes, Sora following beside her, shocking the couple when they saw him joining Pear Butter's friend. "Sorry. I just brought you a little something to say thank you," Chiffon said, mentioning the cake on her back. "But I see you're 'busy'."

Bright Mac and Buttercup blushed shyly, the former rubbing his neck bashfully while the latter giggled. They turned their attention to Sora, wondering what he was doing here, seeing neither of them knew him.

"And...who are you?" Bright Mac asked.

"Sora," the stallion greeted sheepishly. "Hope we weren't...interrupting anything too private. I heard both your parents fighting as soon as I got into town, and after helping Burnt Oak with some runaway logs, he told me some things about you two, and then Chiffon added some more to the story."

Bright Mac tilted his head curiously, though Chiffon whispered something to Pear Butter, both mares giggling, probably something she secretly said to her friend. "What happened with Burnt Oak again? And what runaway logs? Don't tell me he tried rolling them through town again."

"No, they fell out of his cart when the rope he had to tie them down snapped," Sora explained. "They nearly ran into both your parents and their stands earlier."

Both Bright Mac and Pear Butter gasped at the nearly disastrous news. "Oh, goodness," Pear Butter said. "I can't imagine pa in the hospital. You're a lifesaver, Sora."

"As long as you two don't pressure me into taking several months supply of your crops for my heroic deeds," Sora said. "I don't need to be paid for helping anyone when they need it."

Pear Butter approached Sora, eyeing his clothing and his cutie mark. "A key for a cutie mark," she mumbled, then looked at his eyes, silently studying them. Sora took a small step back, feeling almost as awkward as the time he was in the Pride Lands, and that baboon, Rafiki, studied him to see if he was worthy of ruling the world in Simba's place. "Strange...your cutie mark's a key, but it doesn't seem to be like any normal key...and you don't seem to be like any normal hero, either."

"Uhh...Just...a wanderer looking for a thrill is all," Sora nervously said, almost forgetting how Pear Butter was able to perceive Chiffon Swirl's talents before she did, and she could very likely tell Sora wasn't who he was really saying.

Pear Butter hummed in thought for a while, then nodded her head. "Sounds about right," she said, though that didn't assuage Sora's fear of her figuring out who he really is. "But promise me you two won't say anything about me and Bright Mac?"

"I didn't see anything," Sora promised with a wink while Chiffon made the motion of zipping her lips.

They heard bushes rustling from the apple orchard, Granny Smith coming out with a pair of small baskets on her back, picking up loose apples. When she leaned down to pick some up, she noticed the group standing there, startled and frozen in fear. The moment her eyes laid on Pear Butter, she immediately leered at her, then marched up to her son.

"What in tarnation are ya doin', Bright Mac!?" she exclaimed. "We do not fraternize with PEARS!"

Granny Smith literally spat out her rival's name, then bit Bright Mac's ear, dragging him away from Pear Butter, Sora, and Chiffon Swirl. The farm stallion looked back and winked at his marefriend, who waved at him as they were split up once again.

"You and Bright Mac?" Chiffon asked, astounded. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But your families hate each other."

"I can't help it," Pear Butter said. "We just sorta...happened."

Pear Butter trailed off, smiling with a love-struck grin as she stared off from where Bright Mac was dragged away while holding her cheek. Sora could she see was long gone in dream land, Chiffon's hoof waving barely even noticed to try to snap her out of it. They really were meant for each other, but Granny Smith and Grand Pear want to keep them apart because of the feud between their families. Even if the matriarch and patriarch of their respective families convince them to break up if they knew how much they loved each other, Bright Mac and Pear Butter won't budge an inch and still stay loyal to each other.

---

Hours passed, Sora resting on a cloud over Ponyville as he looked back at what he learned. He left Chiffon Swirl and Pear Butter to themselves, the latter still stuck in her lovey-dovey daze, mindlessly wandering around town to see any other changes he never knew about. It was a lot to take in, and he wondered what Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom are doing at this very moment. Did they discover their origins and learned about their parents like he was? Or were they stuck in a rut after the last attempt visiting Goldie Delicious for some help discovering if Pinkie and her family had some relation to the Apples? He didn't realize how much time had passed, the sun already setting, nor where his cloud listlessly floated off to.

When he stood up and looked down, he found himself back at the orchards, Bright Mac and Pear Butter together again on a hill watching the sunset in the distance, resuming their interrupted picnic. Sora should have left them alone, but he wanted to see more of the two, having no chance to see them again later when he decides to return.

"Happy one hundred and thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty-six hour anniversary, darlin'," Bright Mac said as he placed a buttercup behind Pear Butter's right ear.

Sora's jaw dropped, trying to figure out how old the two are now and when they officially started dating in his head. "What?" Pear Butter asked with a giggle. "That's way longer than we've been together."

"Ah know, but it's the anniversary of the first time Ah called you 'Buttercup'," Bright Mac corrected, gently cupping Pear Butter's cheek. Sora bit into his cloud, the heartfelt sentiment tugging at his own heart, seeing something THAT dedicated in remembering how many hours it's been over something as silly as a nickname. Pear Butter blushed in response, just as impressed by his devotion to her. "It's ok if ya didn't get me anythin'."

Bright Mac playfully pouted and hid his eyes under the rim of his hat. It didn't help that he smirked after that, actually hoping for something in return. Pear Butter rolled her eyes, reaching over to grab a guitar.

"Actually, I did," she said.

"A guitar? For me?" Bright Mac took the instrument, strumming a few chords. "But Ah don't know how to play."

"Quiet, you," Pear Butter chided, taking back the guitar.

She began to play a soft melody, seeing where Applejack learned how to play the guitar, her special gift for Bright Mac a little song for them.

[Pear Butter]
We're far apart in every way
But you're the best part of my day
And sure as I breathe the air
I know we are the perfect pair

On a prickly path that goes on for miles
But it's worth it just to see you smile

And I cannot be pulled apart
From the hold you have on my heart
And even if the world tells us it's wrong
You're in my head like a catchy song

Sora immediately began to shed tears, getting emotional from such a romantic song. It was happy, but also sad as they had to endure all the spiteful things their families say about the other, even going so far as to be together in secret, or stay in contact while split apart. He struggled not to openly sob and give away his position, but it made him all the more upset knowing he won't see them again, and as much as he wanted to bring them back for the Apples' sake, he wasn't going to risk altering something that big to change the future. And he was already taking a risk being here now.

"Wow," Bright Mac uttered, blushing at the touching song his marefriend made for him. "It's just...wow."

"You like it?" Pear Butter asked skeptically, continuing to play her melody. "Be honest now."

"It's the best gift ya could've given me!" Bright Mac rested on his stomach with his head in his hooves, grinning widely as he continued listening, while Sora nodded in agreement, grabbing a kerchief from his pouch and silently blew his nose.

The seasons change and leaves may fall
But I'll be with you through them all
And rain or shine, you'll always be mine

On a prickly path that goes on for miles
You're the only one who makes it all worthwhile

And you should not blame me, too
If I can't help fallin' in love with you...

Pear Butter stopped, bringing a hoof to her muzzle after realizing what she just sang. Even Bright Mac and Sora were surprised, the earth pony down below elated while the pegasus above was crying waterfalls, slamming his head in the cloud to muffle his happy sobbing.

"Hey, no fair," Bright Mac complained, sidling up to Pear Butter. "Ah was gonna tell you the same thing."

"You're just mad I beat you to it," Pear Butter teased, gently shoving the stallion back.

After putting her guitar down, Bright Mac placed his hat on top of her head. Sora poked his head up after adding more water to his cloud, looking down in time to see Pear Butter wearing the stetson, looking almost exactly like Applejack.

"Ah'm tellin' ya, Ah was gonna pull you up, cover your eyes-" Bright Mac helped Pear Butter on her hooves, then lowered the rim of his hat over her eyes. "-lead you over here..." He then lead her down the hill, Sora following after them while carrying his cloud. They arrived in the same field they had their picnic earlier, but the rock they were with before had something etched in it, something Sora knew wasn't there before. Bright Mac lifted his hat off Pear Butter's head to let her see it. "And say 'Surprise!'" She gasped, seeing their cutie marks inside of a heart. Not as touchy-feely as a song, but it was a romantic gesture, nonetheless. "And then you'd say, 'Oh, Bright Mac, Ah love it!' And then I'd say I love you...Too bad it didn't work out, though."

"Eeyup," Pear Butter giggled with a light blush, nuzzling Bright Mac, along with showing Sora where Big Mac got his signature "Eeyup" from. "Too bad."

Sora sniffled, his heart unable to take anymore if they keep trying to playfully one-up each other. Right as the couple moved in for a kiss, something in the bushes caught Sora's eye from his vantage point. His ears twitched at the sound of Heartless appearing, and lo and behold, a small swarm of them rushed out and headed straight toward the couple, and two new ones he's never seen before. There were odd, sphere-headed Heartless with a hard hat while controlling a cross between a shovel and drill that acted like a pogo stick, and humanoid archers with black tunics, yellow toe-curled boots, white scarves, cartoonish white gloves, and red caps with long, drooping ears.

"Heartless!? How are there any here!?" Sora exclaimed. Hearing Pear Butter and Bright Mac yell in surprise, Sora ignored their sudden presence, diving down from his perch with his Keyblade drawn. The archers aimed their bows and fired at the couple, who huddled together, unable to escape the barrage of arrows. "Aeroga!"

Sora cast the spell in time, protecting Bright Mac and Pear Butter with a powerful gust of wind, deflecting the arrows away from them. Feeling window billow around them from the magical barrier, both ponies looked at it in confusion before Sora landed in front of them.

"Sora!?" Bright Mac exclaimed. "What's happening!?"

"What are these monsters!?" Pear Butter asked.

"You two stay in there! I'll handle them!" Sora faced the archer and drill Heartless, who were joined by an alternate variant of the Air Soldiers as they appeared through dark voids, wearing suits of armor and had feathered wings instead of fleshy ones.

Bright Mac and Pear Butter huddled close as they stayed inside the barrier of wind, heeding Sora's warning as the stallion charged forward, slicing through the drill Heartless while avoiding arrows. Some of the new Air Soldiers nabbed the archer Heartless, lifting them up by their hats to get a shot at Sora from the air, all the Heartless focusing on the Keyblade wielder. The air-lifted archers rained arrows down on the pegasus, which were quickly sliced away with several lightning-fast swings of his Keyblade. The couple watched in awe as Sora slashed through Heartless and fired magic spells from his strange blade, which Pear Butter noticed matched his cutie mark exactly.

The two flinched when arrows tried to hit them, the magical wind deflecting them away as they saw some of them try to approach them. Sora rammed into the Air Soldiers, cutting them down to drop the Heartless archers, stunning them as they faceplanted to the ground, then turned toward the surrounded ponies, dashing off at breakneck speeds. Sora rammed into one of the bouncing drill Heartless, destroying each Heartless with a swing of his blade, where both Pear Butter and Bright Mac saw hearts flying out from the defeated Emblem Heartless. While he was busy with the smaller foes on the ground, an Air Soldier swooped down, aiming his foot at the distracted Keyblade wielder.

"Behind you!" Pear Butter cried out.

Without even looking, Sora stepped to the side, the Heartless missing by mere inches as it kicked the barrier, protecting the couple while it staggered and got flung back a bit by the strong magical wind current. Sora quickly grabbed the Air Soldier's helmed head, slamming it back into the Aeroga shield, making it flinch repeatedly as if it was getting grinded up by a sharp roller before it poofed from existence, releasing the heart inside of it into the sky. Aiming his Keyblade behind him, Sora fired a Blizzaga spell, hitting the last of the archers in an explosion of ice, destroying the last of them.

After checking around in case there were any stragglers he missed, Sora relaxed, dismissing his weapon and approached Bright Mac and Pear Butter, the Aero barrier fading around them. "You two alright?"

The couple had mixed feelings about the situation they wound up in. They were both grateful to have Sora save them from these mysterious creatures, but they had so many questions involving what they were, what Sora used to destroy them, and how he was able to use magic when he was a pegasus. Sora was ready to face all the questions they had brewing in their heads, and any outbursts of panic they needed to let out.

"...Was he usin' a giant key as a weapon?" Bright Mac asked Pear Butter, shocking Sora from how calm the stallion sounded, even though his Keyblade being questioned wasn't a surprise.

"I thought it looked a bit too strange to be a regular key," Pear Butter added. "Looked like more of a sword, and you're able to use it like one."

"Ain't he a bit too skinny to be the warrior type, Buttercup?" Bright Mac whispered, earning a light nudge from Pear Butter.

"I think what Bright Mac wanted to say was thank you for saving us, Sora," Pear Butter said.

"Well, there was that, but...how did ya know we were in trouble?" Bright Mac questioned.

"......Uhhhhhh..." Sora winced, concerned with how well they'll take him spying on them on what should have been a private moment. "...Don't take this the wrong way, but...heheh...I was...watching you two...from that cloud." He pointed up to his cloud he had been lounging on for the last few hours. "I didn't intend to at first, though! I was just laying down, minding my own business, and didn't notice how far it moved from town and ironically stopped over where you two were on that hill!"

"And...how much did you see?" Pear Butter asked curiously.

"Before playing your song to Bright Mac," Sora said. "...That was beautiful, by the way."

"It was meant for Bright Mac, not you," Pear Butter playfully scolded with a giggle.

"Y-Yeah, I know that," Sora uttered sheepishly. "But, what I saw and heard today, you two really are the perfect pair. And both your parents don't see that. All they care about is fighting each other, neither of them showing any concern for how much you two love each other."

"They don't even know how long we've been together," Bright Mac said.

"And if they knew...they'll do everything they can to tear us apart," Pear Butter added sadly, the Apple stallion draping his hoof around her withers to comfort her.

"You two are old enough to make your own decisions," Sora said. "You're free to do whatever you want: move elsewhere, see whoever you want, and figure out what's right for your lives. Granny Smith and Grand Pear don't need to dictate your lives all the time, especially over someone you really care about." Bright Mac and Pear Butter gave Sora a nervous grimace. It was tough for anyone to say no to their parents, and with both Grand Pear and Granny Smith enforcing very strict rules in their households, it was more like an impossible task than something they're willing to try and hope will succeed. Sora sighed, thinking he pushed it too far, but he didn't want to see the two of them split up. Not after what he saw. "...Well, think about it. They can't keep you apart forever."

"We will," Bright Mac said. The three stood in silence, though Sora looked around, keeping an eye out for anymore Heartless that could appear around them again. "So, how were ya able to use magic? Ah know pegasi can mess with the weather, but that looks like somethin' a unicorn can do...and more."

"...I...can't explain exactly," Sora answered, dreading this question, and he wasn't going to screw it up unlike his other several times when in a new world. "But, whatever you saw earlier, you can't tell anyone else about those monsters, or my magic."

"Why not?" the stallion questioned.

"So no one in town panics," Sora said. "I shouldn't even be here, and I'm worried I'll screw something up." Bright Mac and Pear Butter looked at each other, the mare wondering just how strange of a past their savior had that needed his skills and those strange monsters to be kept a secret. "I don't even know if it's safe yet around here. There could be more Heartless around, hiding in the shadows."

"'Heartless'?" Pear Butter asked. "Is that what they were called?"

Sora winced, letting out a huff as he mentally smacked himself. "...Yes, but don't tell anyone, ok?" Sora begged. Both ponies nodded, promising him not to mention their friends and families about the mysterious monster attack. "You two head back to your homes. I'll make sure no more Heartless are lingering around." Nodding again, Bright Mac and Pear Butter exchanged one last hug before splitting up and head for their homes. Sora flew up to his cloud, watching them just in case, and when they were safe at their homes, he growled, smacking his head against the fluffy surface. "Great job, Sora. Tell them about the Heartless. Why don't you tell all the worlds through a megaphone you don't belong in their worlds and use a Keyblade to kill off the darkness infesting their worlds, causing a panic riot and bring evildoers to try and gain the power of darkness!?"

After berating himself, he rolled onto his back and stared at the sky, looking back at how irresponsible he was back then when it came to helping people or creatures from another world. He couldn't help himself, wanting to bring justice to those who are hurting others and rescue the worlds threatened by darkness. It was the right thing to do, even if it meant revealing to those blinded by their own problems to the even bigger threat outside their worlds. Maybe Donald was right about him not taking everything seriously, even when he tries to. He was still mad at his friend for yelling at Apple Bloom for bringing up his losses against certain foes, but he questioned his own strength, still wondering just how big of a role he played in this battle against Xehanort. He looked up at the night sky, the moon showing the image of the Mare in the Moon: Nightmare Moon. Silently assuring Luna in this time she'll be free in the next couple decades, Sora drifted off into a restless sleep, hoping tomorrow would be better for himself and Bright Mac and Pear Butter.

---

The next morning, Sora squinted his eyes open when the rooster's crow woke him, the early morning sunrise beginning to bath the orchards in light. His cloud had carried him over to the Pears' orchard in the middle of the night. He made sure Grand Pear didn't see him if he thought he was intruding. Sora was about to fly off when he saw Pear Butter run out of her house, hearing her sobbing as she headed for the middle of the field between the family orchards. He followed after her, where Bright Mac seemed to be waiting for her at the boulder he etched with their cutie marks, concerned about her distress as she held him, burying her face in his chest.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sora asked.

"...My family's moving to Vanhoover!" Pear Butter exclaimed, making Sora and Bright Mac gasp in horror.

"What!? How are you moving!?" Sora questioned, only to pause when he remembered the first time he ever met Grand Pear: he moved to Vanhoover some time ago, even though he lived in Ponyville before the move.

"Pa said it was for the best for us, but it's more like it's best for him and our family business," Pear Butter said, choking back another sob as she held Bright Mac tighter. "A-And...to get away from the Apples..."

If Sora wasn't upset with Grand Pear now, he was furious, wondering how such a calm, carefree old stallion was once such a heartless and selfish one to not even care about how his own daughter thinks. "So THAT's why he moved? Ungrateful son of a-"

"So that's it?" Bright Mac asked, still in shock.

"What do you want me to do, Bright Mac? My family's moving tomorrow," Pear Butter said. "I love you, but...I have to stay with my family." She began tearing up again, giving her love one last painful goodbye before running back home. "I'm sorry!"

"Buttercup, wait!" Bright Mac called out. Both stallions watched Pear Butter leave, Bright Mac feeling downhearted as he turned to stare at his gift for her yesterday. He placed his hoof on the smooth surface of the boulder, but despite the unfortunate news, he was not going to let the love of his life leave him forever. "Sora, Ah think Ah have an idea to keep us together. Can ya help me?"

"Yeah, anything," Sora said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Ah'm gonna marry Buttercup." Sora was a little surprised at the idea, but it was a crazy enough idea to work. If they really saw how much they cared for each other, Grand Pear and Granny Smith might let go of their feud. "Ah'm gonna get the mayor so she can make it official. She's good friends with mah family on account of the Apples founding Ponyville. Ya think y'all can handle decoratin' and gettin' Burnt Oak and Chiffon Swirl as witnesses?"

"Yeah, I can get it done," Sora said with a determined nod. "And best save a reservation for me, too. I'm not going to miss this."

"Of course Ah won't leave ya out," Bright Mac said. "We do owe ya for savin' us yesterday from the you-know-whats."

Following Bright Mac's plan, the two split up as they headed to town. Sora found Burnt Oak and Chiffon Swirl at their workplaces, letting them know about the situation between Bright Mac and Pear Butter. Chiffon was the most shocked, her best friend leaving so soon, but she was excited to take part in the small, private wedding. Even Burnt Oak wanted to see his friend happy with the mare of his dreams, both ponies agreeing to help Sora decorate. It took the whole day, but the setting was perfect: buckets of apples and pears lining the makeshift aisles for the walkway, which lead to an arch wreathed with buttercups with an apple and pear on the tops of the posts, both on their respected sides while a heart sat at the top to signify the couple's union, white silk banners hanging on the trees with apples and pears alternating on the tied ribbons, lanterns hanging from the tree branches to add some light, and a small reception area with a simple three-layer cake and a small assortment of goodies considering how brief the ceremony was going to be.

While they were decorating, Bright Mac managed to convince the mayor to do him a favor and arrived at the scene. Sora balked when it was none other than Mayor Mare herself, no more than a few years older than he was. What shocked Sora more was her hair, which was a bright and pink in two different shades, unlike the gray hair she had later in the future. And THIS was her natural hair color. That was another odd discovery he'll chalk up on things he didn't know, even when the CMC tried their luck on the school paper by spreading a rumor about the mayor dying her hair to hide it.

The sun was beginning to set as Bright Mac convinced Pear Butter to come out here, surprising her when she saw who was here and what all this was about. "Ah don't want to be apart from ya. Ever," he said to Pear Butter. "Ah'm not sure what we'll do, but Ah'm sure of us. So sure that Ah'd marry you today."

Bright Mac knelt down, holding his hoof out to Pear Butter as he proposed to her. "I would, too!" she answered joyously without hesitation, grabbing his hoof in return.

"I think that's my cue," Mayor Mare said at the alter, holding up a book that had guidelines for different ceremonies.

The wedding started right away, Chiffon standing on the Pears' side while Sora and Burnt Oak stood on the Apples' side. Bright Mac and Pear Butter walked down the "aisle" to Mayor Mare, turning to face each other as they reached the arch. The mayor went through the usual spiel of a short and quick wedding, but instead of wedding bands since there wasn't much time for any, the couple instead exchanged their vows using an apple and pear seed. They both planted their respected seeds on their lover's family's sides, then grasped each other's hooves once they were buried to seal them.

"I know pronounce you-" Mayor Mare was about to finalize Bright Mac and Pear Butter's union, but, of course, something has to ruin such a beautiful moment.

"What is goin' on out here!?" Granny Smith questioned, wandering over to the ceremony. "What's with all these here candles!?"

She looked at the ponies on their property, letting out a shocked gasp at what she saw. "Uh oh. Busted," Burnt Oak muttered.

"Pear Butter! Where are ya!?" Then came Grand Pear from his orchard, Chiffon Swirl sidestepping away nervously. "You're supposed to be packing!" He spotted them, his shock turning to anger. "What are you two doing?"

Both Granny Smith and Grand Pear approached their children, ready to have a scrap with each other before taking their child away from the other. Bright Mac and Pear Butter looked at their parents nervously, knowing they were going to be chewed out and be split apart forever. The yellow stallion glanced at Sora, who ushered them to stand up against them and show them their love shouldn't be taken away over the matriarch and patriarch's problems. Taking that stand, Bright Mac huddled close to Pear Butter with a defiant gaze.

"Ma, Grand Pear, Buttercup and Ah are in love!" he proclaimed, helping give Pear Butter the strength she needed to stand up to her father.

"WHAT!?" both parents exclaimed in shock.

"And we'll be married as soon as Mayor Mare says..." Snapping out of her own surprised daze, Mayor Mare continued to see this ceremony through when she saw the young couple in town after sneaking from their parents for a few small dates.

"I know pronounce you husband and wife!" she quickly said, officially making them a married couple.

"Doesn't that feel nice?" Pear Butter asked Bright Mac, then surprised him by leaning in to kiss him, their marriage officially complete.

His shock waning, Bright Mac kissed his wife back, but the bliss was short lived when Granny Smith split the two from each other. "What are you talkin' about, married!? You two can't be married!" she screeched, pushing her son away from his beloved.

"Finally, something we can agree on!" Grand Pear said, feeling sick from an agreement with his mortal enemy, but he was just as mad as Granny Smith, about ready to drag his daughter back home.

"Well, no matter how much you two want to deny it or tear them apart, their marriage has been officiated," Sora said, shocking the two parents. "Mayor Mare is, obviously, the mayor, and she presided over this wedding, and including me, there are two other witnesses to back it up." Chiffon and Burnt Oak looked around nervously, wishing they were elsewhere as they heard Sora talking back to them. "Like it or not, you two are in-laws, and you can't split your kids up when you don't even realize just how much they care for one another."

He approached Bright Mac and Pear Butter, pulling them together and had them hold each others' hooves. Granny Smith and Grand Pear were fuming, believing this new stallion had set them up to get into a far worse fight than their verbal bickering. Grand Pear made the first move, dragging his daughter back as he glared at Sora.

"Kid, you saved my life, and you want to set up MY daughter with an APPLE!?" he questioned. "Are you out of your mind!?"

"No, you are, Grand Pear!" Sora argued. "Your daughter's been hanging around with Bright Mac since they were kids, and they've been doing this in secret because they knew you and Granny Smith would go absolutely nuts seeing your precious babies messing around with your rival's kid! They knew you wouldn't approve, and because of your idea of moving to Vanhoover, the thought of being apart was upsetting Pear Butter, and you're too blinded by your feud with the Apples to even notice!"

Grand Pear huffed, ignoring Sora as she turned to Pear Butter. "Enough of this nonsense. We are moving tonight. And you have to stick with your family!"

The stallion marched off, but Pear Butter didn't move. "But...the Apples are my family now, too," she said, causing Grand Pear to almost stumble over in shock.

Everyone stared at Pear Butter in shock, Mayor Mare, Burnt Oak, and Chiffon Swirl backing away from Grand Pear's eventual parental berating. Granny Smith was confused by the statement his enemy's daughter said, watching her son stand by his wife's side to support her. Grand Pear turned his head, disbelief and anger etched in his face as he turned around.

"You can't be serious," he growled, stomping back toward the newlyweds to confront his daughter. "Are you choosing to be an APPLE over being a Pear!?"

Shocked by her father asking her who she wanted to stay with, Pear Butter teared up, begging him not to give her a choice and learn to get over the feud. "...Are you making me choose?"

Her question startled Grand Pear, but his expression remained hardened. "Yes. I am."

The others gaped in shock at the stallion's response. Grand Pear was forcing Pear Butter to make a choice: stay with him and be miserable without the love of her life, or stay with Bright Mac and leave her family behind. The decision was devastating, wishing it didn't have to come to this and both sides could try to live on peaceful terms. Sora shook his head in disbelief as Pear Butter shed tears, knowing what choice she made as it made her heart break.

"...Then yeah. I guess I am," she said, trying her hardest not to break down as she defied her father.

Her response hurt Grand Pear hard, but the stubborn stallion was more disappointed in his own daughter than himself. Bright Mac held Pear Butter, promising her he would never leave her side, even with the painful decision she had to make.

"...Fine, then," Grand Pear said through gritted teeth.

With a frustrated grunt, Grand Pear turned and ran off through his orchard, making Pear Butter cry as he didn't need to say anything else to let her know she was no longer part of his family. Granny Smith couldn't believe her rival basically disowned his daughter, feeling sorry for the poor mare. While she went over to apologize and welcome her new daughter-in-law to their family, Sora flew off and chased after Grand Pear, furious at the heartless father for leaving Pear Butter like that. Through the branches of the pear trees, he saw the stallion had slowed down, still fuming and trying not to break down himself. Sora dove down to the ground with a hard landing, startling Grand Pear.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sora growled. "You've got a lot of nerve making Pear Butter do something like that."

"Get out of my way," Grand Pear grumbled, but as he tried to walk around, Sora continued blocking his path. "I said get out of my-!"

Grand Pear tried pushing his way past Sora, only to be grabbed and forcefully shoved against one of his trees, pinned back by the stronger pegasus. "What kind of a father are you!?" Sora shouted. "All you care about is yourself! You don't even care about your own daughter or her own feelings! It's your way or no one's way, right!? You're father of the year material there!"

"You don't know anything about me," Grand Pear said, trying to shove Sora off him, only to get pinned harder against the tree, forgetting how powerful the skinny pegasus was compared to his own physique.

"Oh, I think I know about you more than you do!" Sora said. "You're a selfish old man who's so focused on fighting with a rival farm, trying to be more successful than them while barely paying attention to your own daughter! You forced her to do things your way, and you forced her to make a choice I wouldn't be able to make with my own family! And the moment she decides to stay with someone who will make her far more happier than you could ever make her, you dump her off and don't want anything else to do with her!" Sora shoved Grand Pear to the ground, but he didn't give the older stallion a chance to get up as he summoned his Keyblade, pointing it right at his chest. Grand Pear was shocked to see the key-shaped blade appear in Sora's hoof out of thin air, starting to panic when he aimed it right at his heart. "Heartless, selfish, and stubborn...Too blinded by your own hatred against the Apples to see how happy Pear Butter was with Bright Mac, and they kept it a secret because they were afraid of both yours and Granny's reactions...You shouldn't have had kids if you can't love one unconditionally."

Grand Pear swallowed the lump in his throat, terrified of Sora, but still denied that this mess was his fault in the first place. "...Pear Butter made her choice," he uttered. "...She's an Apple now...She betrayed her family."

That made Sora snap, his jaw clenched as his grip on his Keyblade tightened. Letting out a yell, Sora swung his blade, making Grand Pear flinch. Feeling nothing, Grand Pear looked down at himself, seeing no cuts or severed limbs. He looked up at Sora, who turned away from him as still as a statue. Hearing a creak, Grand Pear looked to his left, watching one of his pear trees tilting over, shocked by how sharp the odd weapon was as one of his trees was chopped with one clean cut. It fell over, Grand Pear too stunned to move as he watched it hit the ground with a heavy thud, missing him by several feet. He shakily looked back at Sora, who slowly lowered his blade, staring at the ground.

"...She didn't betray 'your' family," Sora muttered. "You betrayed her." Grand Pear stammered, his heart racing as he kept his mouth shut, not willing to provoke Sora anymore. "I see you won't change your mind about the Apples...Just go live your miserable life in Vanhoover with your career, with no one to take care of you when you turn into a frail old man."

Without needing anymore "encouragement", Grand Pear shakily got up on his hooves, backing away in terror and nearly trip over his fallen tree before turning tail and running back to his home in fear. Sora turned around when Grand Pear's hoofsteps disappeared, leering at him through the trees. When he looked down at the pear tree he sliced in his anger, his rage dissipated and turned into shock. This tree and its nearby stump matched the same one he saw in the present: one clean hack near the base, the tree resting in the same spot where he tripped earlier chasing the fruit bat. He dropped his Keyblade, which faded away as it hit the ground, then slowly turned back around where he saw the intertwined apple and pear tree, the setting for the wedding and Bright Mac's drawing on that boulder matching the same location where the specially grown trees sprouted.

"...Oh my god..." The realization dawned on him, stumbling over to a nearby pear tree, sitting down as he bumped into it. "I cut that tree down...I was...supposed to be here...Just like with what happened to dad..."

This was only the third time he's used the Reverse/Forward time traveling spell, and so far, all of the moments he traveled back in time, he didn't seem to change anything and alter the future. The first was a test when Twilight went crazy over seeing her future self try to warn her not to always panic and expect something to go wrong. This time and the last was over his curiosity over what happened with his father, Kaito, and the feud between the Apples and Pears while learning about Bright Mac and Pear Butter, the former with questions that plagued him for years, the latter with barely any knowledge on the couple. In all those time traveling misadventures, he was there all along, playing an integral part in those moments that never changed the future in the slightest. And if Sora wasn't there to meet and help Applejack's parents, she and her siblings would never be born, and who knows what else could have thrown the future out of whack. That also explained how Grand Pear seemed to recognize him in the present, but did Granny Smith know him before crashing to Equestria, or even Burnt Oak and Cup Cake?

Once Sora recomposed himself after discovering such a shocking ordeal, he slowly made his way back to the wedding. He saw that Granny Smith had gotten over the feud and accepted Pear Butter into her family, but Pear Butter was still upset after what her father made her do. She won't even be there to see her father again in the future, and Grand Pear might not know what happened to his daughter and son-in-law.

"Hey, Sora, there ya are," Bright Mac called out. "Heard somethin' fall over there when ya went after Grand Pear. Ya didn't do anythin' to him, did ya?"

"No. Just...tried convincing him to change and give up fighting with your family," Sora said. "He's too stubborn to realize what he just lost."

"Ah really can't believe Grand Pear would do somethin' like that to Buttercup." Bright Mac glanced at his beloved, still a bit shaken, but Granny was there with her, apologizing for all the things she had said about the Pears since their fight was mostly between her and Grand Pear. "Ah'm sure he'll have his regrets and come back one day with an apology. Even after that, Buttercup wants to update him on anythin' new that'll help him see the light."

"Mhmm," Sora mumbled. Seeing there was no need for him to be around anymore, he sighed, hesitant to leave after just getting to know Bright Mac and Pear Butter. "...Bright Mac, I need to get going."

"Goin' where?" the stallion asked. "Ya just got here the other day."

"I know, but...I can't stay," Sora said. "I've already caused enough trouble, and I know I'm going to get chewed out by everyone when they find out where I've been."

"Trouble? Shoot, Sora, ya did Buttercup and Ah a huge favor, and ya saved our lives and our parents'," Bright Mac said. "Why not stick around for the reception?"

"Believe me, I want to, but...It's complicated to explain," Sora said. "You two never stray apart, and I wish you both the best of luck in your marriage."

Sora turned and began to make his trek to the Everfree Forest to time travel back to the present. "Will we see each other again?" Bright Mac asked, making Sora freeze in his tracks.

He cringed, part of him wanting to go back to the moment in time where Bright Mac and Pear Butter died and save them, but he knew better than to get too involved and change the past. It pained him to refuse doing that, but if he wanted to keep existing or save Equestria from being destroyed by something, he mustn't abuse the spell like Starlight had with Star Swirl's variation.

"...I travel a lot," Sora said. "I don't usually visit the same place twice often...It could be a long while before I come back to Ponyville."

"Oh...Is it because of the...you-know-whats?" Bright Mac asked. Sora nodded, even though he knew Heartless wouldn't appear more frequently until he arrives several years later. "Right. Ah guess that makes sense. Well, if ya do come back sometime, Ah'll tell ya how everythin' goes with me and Buttercup."

"...Sounds great," Sora said, hoping Bright Mac didn't catch on to his saddened tone, knowing he wasn't going to hear anything else from him or his wife.

Sora continued on, not willing to stay longer and risk changing something he wasn't supposed to take part in anymore. Once he arrived at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, he cast the Forward spell, bringing him back to the present. Heading back into town, he made his way to Grand Pear's small shop, wanting some answers from the elder stallion's return after so long. Sora found him closing up his stand for the evening, having had another successful day of sales by the look of it. After draping the curtains, he turned around, startled by Sora's appearance.

"Oh. Goodness, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Grand Pear casually said. "If you've come by for some more of my pear jam, you'll have to come by tomorrow."

"I'm not interested in your jam," Sora said. He approached the elder stallion, the stoic look on the Keyblade wielder's face making Grand Pear worry as he backed away slightly. "You knew exactly who I was all those years ago, didn't you?"

Grand Pear's ears drooped, giving Sora all he needed when he looked away from him in guilt. "...So, you remembered."

"More like I was just there not too long ago." Sora summoned his Keyblade, making Grand Pear jump in shock at the blade that nearly killed him years ago. "Time travel is really hard to explain, and changing the past is as fragile as stepping on a bridge made out of glass. Plus, I was meant to be there to help your daughter and Granny's son stay together."

"...That explains why you still look so young," Grand Pear murmured.

Sora dismissed his Keyblade and got closer to Grand Pear. "You didn't come back here for a change of pace," he stated. The older stallion looked away in response with a frown. "Then why?"

"...To finally be with my grandfoals," Grand Pear said. He ducked inside his closed stand, coming back out with a stack of envelopes. Each of them were opened and ordered by their sent date, the stallion pulling out the most recent letter of the stack along with a photograph. "My daughter sent me letters every month after I moved to Vanhoover. But, because of my stubbornness, I didn't read them...It hurts having your own foal give up on their family." Grand Pear winced, looking up at Sora with his judgmental stare. "I mean...give up on me...as a reasonable pony." He looked back down at the letter and picture, holding them out to Sora with tears welling in his eyes. "They came by for years, I never opened a single one, and one day, they just stopped. I thought she gave up on me after a few years of waiting for another to arrive...I gave in and read the last letter she sent me."

Sora took the envelope's contents, glancing through Pear Butter's writing, which had given great news of her third foal, Apple Bloom. The picture showed the mare holding a newborn Apple Bloom in her hooves, a young Big Mac and Applejack sitting beside her as Grand Pear was given a look at all three of his grandchildren with his daughter. They probably left Bright Mac with the camera if Pear Butter thought her father wouldn't accept seeing an Apple in the shot, yet his grandfoals were named after apples.

"You read every letter after that?" Sora asked, giving the contents back to the older stallion.

"I did...I'm an awful father," Grand Pear said, blaming himself after so many years of denial. "And I'm a terrible grandfather...I missed out on so much of their lives because of a stupid feud I never let go of."

"And me scaring the hell out of you didn't change you at all," Sora added.

Grand Pear shook his head, probably more terrified of running into him than coming back to apologize to his daughter. "Tell me, Sora. Are...Are Pear Butter and...my son-in-law...doing well?"

The pegasus's eyes widened in surprise. Grand Pear didn't know about what happened to Pear Butter or Bright Mac. Granny Smith was vague on the details of what happened to them, but if it was traumatizing to Applejack, Sora had no idea how Grand Pear would react to the unfortunate news. He at least deserved to know their fate, regardless whether he did or didn't deserve to be back in Pear Butter's life.

"...They're not around anymore," Sora said. He could see Grand Pear's face turning pale, struck with disbelief as his eyes begged him not to joke around with him. "I don't really know what happened, but all I was told was that it was an accident...Granny Smith knows, so, if you really want to know...you can ask her."

Grand Pear stared at Sora in shocked silence, tears streaming down his face as he was struck with overwhelming guilt. Sora knew how hard it was losing one parent, Applejack probably worse when she lost both of hers, but for a parent to lose their child before they passed on, it had to be the worst feeling in the world knowing something they brought life to was taken away before their own time was up. Grand Pear silently wept, filled with regrets that he would never be able to make right with his daughter and son-in-law. As much as Sora disliked Grand Pear for what he did, that was the stubborn middle-aged stallion who caused so much grief, not the heartbroken old stallion before him who finally came around to apologize, but at the worst time to do so.

"Pear Butter...I'm so sorry," Grand Pear uttered sadly. "I...I'm a terrible father...You were right after all these years, Sora..."

"Sora!" Sora's ears twitched, turning around until he felt something run into his foreleg and hugged him. Apple Bloom clutched onto his leg, Applejack and Big Mac following after her at a much calmer pace. "We were tryin' to look all over for ya after getting to Goldie Delicious's! You'll never guess what we found out!"

"Your mom was a Pear, and Grand Pear is your long-lost grandfather." Applejack and Big Mac were startled by Sora's highly accurate response, but Apple Bloom looked up at him curiously.

"How'd ya know that?" the filly asked.

Sora glanced at Applejack, knowing she was going to find out he would lie if he told them, then glanced at Grand Pear. "...Grand Pear...told me a few stories," he said, and as he expected, Applejack wasn't buying it, even with a straight face. He gently pat Apple Bloom's head, then nudged her over to the elder Pear. "He came back to finally meet his grandchildren after all these years and make up for so much lost time."

When Grand Pear looked down at his youngest grandfilly, more guilt welled in his heart as he got emotional again, approaching Apple Bloom with more tears to shed. "I'm...so sorry," he apologized. "I-I was just so angry, and...I never-"

To his surprise, Apple Bloom hugged him. "It's in the past, Grand Pear," she said, not needing anymore apologies when she could see he was no longer the grumpy stallion he was in the past. Sora watched Applejack and Big Mac walk past him, joining Apple Bloom as the siblings hugged the grandfather they never knew until today. Even though he was sorry, Grand Pear was grateful to have his new family members forgive him for he immature behavior back then. "Oh! Can Ah call ya Grand Pear-Pear?"

"You sure can," Grand Pear said with a chuckle, nuzzling the adorable filly, letting her call him whatever she wanted.

Applejack looked at Sora once she and her siblings finally separated themselves in group hugging Grand Pear. "Sora, how did ya really know about Grand Pear? Or our ma?" she questioned. "Ya didn't join us to Goldie Delicious's to find out we're half Pear, or went around Ponyville to talk with some ponies who knew our parents personally. And after findin' out about how they got married, Apple Bloom went to Kairi to tell her where ya went, but she said y'all were off trainin'..."

Sora remained stoic, but he could see the gears turning in Applejack's head. "...I think you got that from your mother," Sora said. "She was quick to almost figure out who I was...when I met her."

"But there's no possible way ya could have-" Applejack paused, letting out a gasp in shock when she figured it out. Sora silently nodded his head, slightly ashamed. "...Oh, ya did NOT go back in time with that spell. Ya know what Aqua said last time when ya went to find out what happened to your pa."

"He did what?" Big Mac questioned, Apple Bloom left astounded as well.

"I know I wasn't supposed to, but I didn't think anyone would know who I was since I never really came here to your world until a few years ago," Sora reasoned. "As hard as it is to believe, I was supposed to be there to help your parents, both to stay together before the Pears moved and when Heartless attacked them in the past."

The Apple siblings' jaws dropped when they learned Heartless had appeared before, and almost killed their parents. "Heartless?" Grand Pear asked.

"Creatures who take others' hearts that come from a realm not in this world," Sora briefly explained.

"And...my daughter was...attacked by them?" the elder stallion asked, not sure whether the dread of losing Pear Butter in an accident later was worse than almost losing her before deciding to move to Vanhoover.

"I even met Burnt Oak and Chiffon Swirl. Or, I should say Cup Cake, since she changed her name," Sora added.

"They told us about our parents," Apple Bloom uttered. "They even mentioned...a pegasus with spiky hair who saved Grand Pear-Pear and Granny Smith from runaway logs, and had a silly personality..." The filly's face fell, staring at her surrogate older brother in shock. "Oh mah sweet Celestia, they were talkin' about you, Sora!"

"Mhmm...I just came back to the present not that long ago," he said. Applejack let out a growl, disappointed in Sora for lying to them. "Don't give me that look, Applejack. I'm going to get chewed out by Aqua, so spare me the usual lecture. I don't know why, but for some reason, the times I decide to travel back in time, I was meant to be there. If I didn't do anything, neither you, Big Mac, or Apple Bloom would exist today."

Applejack huffed, understanding his point, even though he could have risked messing up the future. "Fine. And for lyin' to everypony, you're doin' all our chores for the next month and buckin' all the trees needin' harvestin' by yourself."

"While you catch up with Grand Pear in the meantime?" Sora asked with a small smirk. Applejack scrunched her face nervously, her eyes darting around, her obvious signs of trying to come up with a lie. "Got a bit too much honesty from your dad, huh?"

"S-Shut up," Applejack chided.

Sora laughed, earning a punch in the shoulder. Apple Bloom and Big Mac joined Sora's laughter as he teased their sister, even as they all grouped together for a sibling hug. Grand Pear saw why Sora had gotten so defensive back then and approved Bright Mac and Pear Butter's wedding: he was an honorary Apple, and he cares deeply about those he makes a connection with. Even with him, someone who he just saw did the worst thing a father could do to their daughter, he told him the unknown truth about Pear Butter's fate and allowed him to be with his grandchildren. He was a strong warrior, but with a kind heart and willing to forgive his enemies after learning more about them.

They soon began to make their way to Sweet Apple Acres, the Apple siblings needing to tell Granny Smith what they learned about their parents and have her confront Grand Pear, the elder stallion a bit hesitant to meet his enemy once again. Granny Smith was at the chicken coop feeding the chickens their dinner, spotting her grandfoals coming home with Sora tagging along.

"Now where'd y'all get to?" Granny Smith questioned. "Ah ain't seen hide nor hair of ya's all day."

"We've been all over," Applejack said. "Learnin' about our parents."

Granny Smith gulped nervously, dreading the hidden truth they didn't know was found out. "Y-Ya have?"

"And our grandfather," Applejack added.

The others stepped aside, revealing Grand Pear to Granny Smith, who was surprised to see him again, which followed with a distasteful leer. "So...you're back, huh?"

"Sure am," Grand Pear said, but he no longer had a grudge against Granny Smith as he wilted sadly. "I never should have left..."

"Findin' you and learnin' all about ma and pa, Ah feel like Ah found a piece of me Ah didn't know was missin'," Apple Bloom said.

"Hearin' their story makes us feel closer to them somehow," Applejack added, Big Mac nodding in agreement.

Granny began to tear up, feeling awful hiding so much from her own grandchildren for so long when they deserved to know the whole truth. "Ah'm sorry. Ah should have told ya all about 'em sooner."

"And I should have been here," Grand Pear added, shedding more tears today than he had in his life from his selfish mistakes. "I can't believe I let a silly feud keep me from my family."

"Nothing's keepin' ya from us now," Applejack reassured. "Let's not miss anythin' else."

"Applejack's right. Welcome back, prickly old pear," Granny said, playfully mocking Grand Pear with a small laugh.

Grand Pear chuckled as well as both elders shook hooves, finally ending their never-ending feud. "Thanks, you old crabapple." It may have been a bit too late to settle the family feud, but Sora was glad that Grand Pear finally let go of his stubbornness and let bygones be bygones. Grand Pear's smile faded, that feeling of dread coming back as a sliver of hope about his daughter still being around lingered. "...Is it true? About...what happened to...?"

He didn't need to say more as Granny Smith figured what he would ask, giving him a sympathetic frown. "Mhmm...They're both...gone."

Grand Pear sighed, the small bit of denial in his heart crushed as she confirmed what Sora told him. "...I guess I didn't deserve to hear any word about what happened to them all these years."

"If Ah sent ya a letter about them, would ya have even bothered to read it?" Granny Smith questioned. "Like any of your own daughter's letters she sent ya, and didn't make any response?"

Grand Pear wilted, feeling like maybe he would have been better off without knowing what happened after acting like a selfish brat trapped in an aging stallion's body. "I just wish I had a chance to say I'm sorry to her," Grand Pear said. "She never gave up on convincing me to come back and be a family...and I did nothing but sulk and focus on my work in Vanhoover..."

"You know, as long as you still have memories of those who are lost, it doesn't mean they're never truly gone forever," Sora said. "There's something Bright Mac and Pear Butter left behind for you all as a way to remember them by."

"They did?" Apple Bloom asked. "What is it?"

"Follow me." Sora guided the Apples and Grand Pear out to the western orchard, peaking their curiosity with what he knew that they didn't.

After a bit of a walk through the orchard, Sora pushed through the foliage, leading the ponies to the very same field where Bright Mac and Pear Butter got married, along with the seeds they planted to create the intertwined apple and pear trees. The family all gasped in awe, never seeing anything like this before.

"Whoa," Applejack uttered.

"That's amazing," Apple Bloom said.

"It's beautiful," Granny Smith added, she and Grand Pear tearing up again as they stared at their foals' specially grown trees.

"It's...impossible," Grand Pear uttered.

"No. It was," Sora said, approaching the tree, wishing Bright Mac's etching on the stone both trees spiraled up from was visible, but the trees themselves made the stallion's gift for Pear Butter far more noticeable for everyone to see. "They both planted an apple and pear seed on each other's side during their wedding as a way of exchanging their vows. The love they gave to each other must have been enough to make the seeds grow into this...It shows that their love is unbreakable; their hearts intertwined into one." He looked back at Grand Pear, placing a hoof over his heart. "I know, because I felt that way with Kairi, someone I care about deeply. And, someday, we'll have our own wedding. Provided we figure out all the kinks with our planning," he added with a sheepish chuckle.

"And ya will invite Grand Pear-Pear too, right?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, I have to," Sora said. "He is your family, after all. Through thick and...even thicker."

"If anything's gonna make it through, it's apples AND pears," Applejack said as the whole family got together for a group hug, admiring the tree left behind by Bright Mac and Pear Butter.

---

As evening turned to night, the Apples invited Grand Pear for dinner, with Sora joining them since he was a big part of both families' lives. Granny didn't want to upset Grand Pear with what had happened to their children on a night of forgiveness, but she promised to tell him when they were alone and the stallion was ready to hear. After eating, Grand Pear headed back home, promising to stop by and visit his grandfoals and learn more about them. With the rest of the Apple siblings heading to bed early for their chores tomorrow, Sora sat on the couch with Winona resting beside him, and Granny in her rocker, doing a bit of knitting before getting some shuteye.

"Granny Smith?" Sora said, getting the elder Apple's attention. "Did you know who I was since the day I 'first got here'?"

"...Say what?" Granny asked, her response a bit hesitant.

"And I thought Applejack was a horrible liar," Sora teased. "Grand Pear recognized me after a couple decades, and I just recently figured out who he is, who your kids were, and what happened between both the Apples and Pears. You've got a good memory, even if you act senile at times."

Granny Smith blinked, letting out a small laugh before placing her knitting supplies down. "...Ah did remember ya, which surprised me when ya mysteriously wound up on our farm. But how-?"

"Time travel," Sora simply answered. "It's complicated, but I was meant to be there in that moment."

"That explains why it looked like ya found the Fountain of Youth," Granny said with a light chuckle. "Ah didn't know what to think when Applejack brought ya in after that crash landin' ya took..."

---

Granny Smith was snoozing away, having retired early that night as her old bones couldn't keep up with her work, or even her grandfoals. She woke up with a start after hearing a loud boom, the whole house shaking from a short-lived earthquake after the heavy impact of whatever fell from the sky. She heard Apple Bloom cheer something, Applejack calling out to her before hearing hoofsteps racing after the filly. Getting out of her bed with a grumble, she walked out of the room, accidentally smacking Big Mac in the face with it.

"What in tarnation is all the racket!?" Granny shouted. "Them kids blowin' up fireworks in our fields again!? Ah warned them whippersnappers-" She noticed her grandson rubbing his face with a groan after getting smacked. "Big Mac, what's goin' on out there!?"

"Uhh-" The red stallion didn't get a word in when the elder Apple began making her way downstairs to handle the trespassers.

When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Big Mac tailing after her to try to get her back in bed, Applejack and Apple Bloom came inside, the former carrying an unconscious Sora while the latter looked miffed. "Granny, Applejack stole mah wish!" Apple Bloom whined.

"Little filly, what are ya doin' out of bed!?" Granny scolded.

"But-!" Apple Bloom tried to protest, only to get scooted by her grandmother back upstairs.

"Ah don't wanna hear anymore 'buts' out of ya unless yours is back in your room and in bed, little 'un," she scolded, the filly marching up the stairs with a huff. "Now, what was she goin' on about, and who was blowin' up stuff on our property?"

"Nopony was blowin' anythin' up, Granny," Applejack insisted. "A fallin' star came down and hit out fields, but Ah'm glad none of the trees where it landed got destroyed by it." She turned, showing her brother and grandma the unconscious pegasus on her back. "And Ah found this pony in the crater from the fallin' star's landin'. He don't look too hurt, but he's knocked out cold."

Granny moved closer to get a better look, her squinted eyes turning into shock as she recognized this stallion, from his spiky hair down to his cutie mark. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things after being woken up from her beauty sleep, but she wasn't one to let someone who hurt themselves be left outside.

"Take him up to the guest room," Granny said. "Might not look it, but he's probably gonna be feelin' sore in the mornin'."

Applejack nodded, both her grandfoals heading back upstairs, Applejack laying Sora down in the guest room while Big Mac made sure Apple Bloom was in bed. Applejack came down a moment later with Sora's clothes to get them washed tomorrow, which Granny thought was odd as she recalled him wearing different ones way back when. She shrugged and headed back to her room, getting some more rest until dawn rises to get breakfast started for her family, and their guest. By the time the sun was up, morning chores were done and lunch the elder mare was getting lunch ready. She heard Sora was up, being guided by Apple Bloom while Winona sounded excited meeting him. Once she heard Applejack and Big Mac come inside, lunch was ready.

"Soup's on, everypony!" she called out. When she walked into the living room to gather everyone, she got a better look at Sora now that he was finally up. There was no mistaking that face with those eyes: this stallion was the very same one who helped her and Grand Pear from those runaway logs, and got their children to stay together with Bright Mac's idea to marry Pear Butter. Trying not to seem suspicious while lost in her thoughts, she squinted her eyes and approached the pegasus. "Big Mac, what in Equestria happened to ya?"

"Uhh-" Sora tried to say something, only for Granny Smith to grab his cheeks and stretch them wide, hearing her grandfoals snickering as he was being "examined" by her.

"Macy, look at ya! How did ya get so skinny!?" If Granny Smith was able to change her career choice, she definitely would have gone with acting. She'd been hiding the truth about the Apple siblings' mother and her true origins, plus her acting senile was a bonus in her age. She was a little concerned that Sora didn't recognize her, or maybe he had amnesia and completely forgot about what happened. "For goodness sake, colt, did ya forget to eat again!? Ya need more muscle in them bones if you're gonna work in them fields!"

"Granny, that ain't Big Mac," Apple Bloom said, then pointed at her big brother. "He's over there."

"Huh?" Letting go of Sora's face, Granny continued playing dumb as she looked over at Big Mac waving to her, trying to keep a straight face as they watched the pegasus get humiliated by her. "Well, whoever ya are, y'alls need some food in ya. You're all skin and bones!" She latched onto his tail with her maw, feeling Sora stiffen in shock when she felt her edentulous mouth grab him as she pulled him to the kitchen. "Let's get some food in ya, sonny."

Despite his lack of memories, Granny Smith could still see the same personality in this stallion like the one she knew in the past. She was glad to accept him as an honorary Apple after that day, and was proud to see him as a surrogate grandson with all he's done to help her family's farm in the years to come.

---

"Ah figured ya had amnesia, but it didn't make much sense when you weren't as old as Bright Mac when ya came back," Granny said. "Still, y'all were a might help for us on the farm, and ya helped me gain a daughter-in-law and three grandfoals. Bet'cha mah son would be surprised to meet ya again."

"I don't doubt it," Sora said. "It was quite an experience getting to meet them. And I'm glad I helped played a part in keeping them from being apart." He stood up, patting Winona before approaching Granny Smith. "I'm also glad to be a part of this family."

"We all are," Granny said. Sora hugged the older mare, who hugged him back. "Don't be a stranger if you're ever gone for too long."

"I promise." Sora released Granny, leaving his home away from home and made his way back to the castle.

Sora knew he was going to be reprimanded by Aqua when he explains why he spent the whole day "training". He'll face the music tomorrow, and hopefully just get stuck doing actual training under someone's watchful eye. Rounding a corner in the castle's many hallways, he bumped into Donald, the last person he wanted to run into after what he did the other day.

"Oh. Sora, there you are," Donald said, chuckling sheepishly. "I've been looking all over for you."

"I was busy," Sora grumbled. "I'm tired and want to go to bed. Whatever else you want to say, save it."

Sora tried walking around Donald, but the short griffon quickly stepped in his way. "Wait! I want to apologize!" Donald quickly said. Sora let out a frustrated huff, turning around to hear him out. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"You should be apologizing to Apple Bloom more than me," Sora said.

"I know. I'll apologize tomorrow. I wasn't able to find her all day," Donald said. "But, everything I said and did to you, since we first met...I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Sora asked, caught off guard from mentioning their roughest start in their friendship. "Since we met?"

"I was so focused on finding the king and following his orders that I didn't take into account your own feelings half the time," Donald continued. "You lost your world, you were trying to find your friends, and faced so many bad guys and Heartless. And through all of that, you were basically a teenager. A kid. You had more problems than Goofy and I had, and even though I was so harsh on you, I kept forgetting that you were just a lost kid trying to find your way back home when it was gone."

"...Donald," Sora muttered, shocked to see his friend so badly wound up about what happened a couple days ago after their sparring session.

"I know you're strong, Sora, and you can face anything," Donald pressed on. "You're more mature than you were before, but it can be a little bit worrying when you shrug it off and revert back to a cocky teenager who thinks they can take on the world. I always expect you to take your role as a Keyblade wielder seriously now after you were kidnapped several times. And do you want to know why I was so harsh on you the other day? It's because I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Sora asked.

"...I was scared I was going to lose one of my best friends," Donald admitted, tears welling in his eyes. "I was mad at Goofy when he got knocked out by that boulder after saving the king from getting hit, because I knew he could take a hit like that. But if we lose you, Sora...I don't know what we'd do. I know we butt heads for fun, but I don't want to take it too far and upset you to the point where we aren't friends anymore..."

Sora knew Donald was a bit hot-headed, but he knew the mage wouldn't take it too far and ruin their friendship over an argument like that. Sora grinned, holding his hoof out to the griffon.

"...All for one?" he asked, accepting Donald's apology, to the griffon mage's relief as he met his hoof with his fist.

"And one for all," Donald said, finishing their group motto.

They then hugged it out, letting bygones be bygones. Suddenly, they heard a click and a small flash, Sora and Donald quickly turning to the mysterious sound. Goofy chuckled, the sound coming from the Gummiphone, taking a picture with it and catching the two in the moment.

"Now that there's a keeper," Goofy laughed, turning the phone around to show them the picture. "Wait 'til I tell the girls that the two lovebirds made up, and with proof. A-hyuck!"

Donald squawked in surprise while Sora yelped, the duo quickly scrambling out of each other's arms while glaring at Goofy. "You better not!" Sora warned.

Goofy zipped off to show everyone in the castle, laughing all the way as Sora and Donald chased after him. "Goofy, get back here!" Donald squawked.

"Aww, come on, fellers! You look adorable!" Goofy teased, happy to have them make up even as he was being chased, then finally got tackled and wrestled to the floor, the Gummiphone snapping a picture as it fell out of his hands, catching the trio in the current scuffle they were in at an awkward angle.

Comments

[Vakama95096]

I cried while reading this chapter. It was so beautiful.

[RainbowAnime]

What sweet chapter!

[castroedgar316]

Okay, one would need to be completely heartless (not the enemy) to not fell at least a bit heartwarmed after reading this chapter.

[Megaskullmon]

Oh I love this chapter.

[MagicLover2128]

Lovely chapter and had quite few bits she that made me laugh a bit.

[castroedgar316]

9816559
The link doesn't work

[Sky Lemonade]

I’ve been waiting for this episode since season 7 started and I have to say you did a fantastic job. I had a feeling Sora would be Time Traveling to meet the Apple Parents after Sora and Applejack mention them in the Daybreaker episode it was nice Sora got to meet them before their accident. Honestly I was half expecting the Present day Grand Pear to be a nobody with how bitter and dark he was in the past with even Sora calling him Heartless, would of been a bit of a poetic tragedy that Grand Pear only realizes what exactly he lost after losing everything.

[zachary12]

nice work

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter man i will love to see riku go gogo eyes when twilight turn into a seapony

[TheFVguy]

I haven't read it yet, but I guess Sora is gonna give a Grand Pear a "reasons you suck speech." Alright let's go.

[SharpNote the FABULOUS]

Awww! This is so cute

[RainbowAnime]

I am excited about to see thoses chapters like :
- Shadow Play! Their meeting with 6 pillars
- My Little Pony Movie! Battle against Storm King
- School Daze! The birth "School of Friendship!

[Ponyhearts]

Oh I can't wait for the next episode fame and misfortune I wonder how the keyblade weilders will react to that situation?

[TheFVguy]

The love they gave to each other must have been enough to make the seeds grow into this...It shows that their love is unbreakable; their hearts intertwined into one." He looked back at Grand Pear, placing a hoof over his heart. "I know, because I felt that way with Kairi, someone I care about deeply.

Sora, what the fuck. Why you always gotta make everything about you?! XD

[TheFVguy]

"...I was scared I was going to lose one of my best friends," Donald admitted, tears welling in his eyes. "I was mad at Goofy when he got knocked out by that boulder after saving the king from getting hit, because I knew he could take a hit like that. But if we lose you, Sora...I don't know what we'd do. I know we butt heads for fun, but I don't want to take it too far and upset you to the point where we aren't friends anymore..."

Yes, this is the shit I like to read. Serious character development for fucking Donald Duck. Hell yeah.

[Paulli]

Sora crouched, then as the logs got closer, he quickly tossed them high in the air, ponies gasping as they looked up, now concerned them them

Never commented for a long long time. So here's an error, if you call it an error anyway. I hope you fix it. You're welcome.

And by the way, what an awesome presentation of this episode.

[Paulli]

9818263
Hey. I know you.

[Noctis Prism]

I still want an answer for what ACTUALLY happened to their parents!

[TheFVguy]

You know season 7 has plenty of episodes where this story can be expanded upon, I don't know, I'm expecting maybe Fame and Misfortune to be next, maybe it's going to include the criticism of KH as well? Although, that would be a major plot hole since they most likely wouldn't put information about them in there. Who knows.

Mainly I do want these episodes to get touched upon before the season finale, I'm sure you have the whole season planned, but this is just me throwing ideas:

-To Change A Changeling: Let's face it, the prejudice that Sora feels towards Changelings wasn't really resolved. I'm honestly surprised you made Sora a racist in this story, lol. So I hope it gets resolved in this one and I REALLY hope there's no "You suck speech" to Pharynx because the whole point of that episode was that both him and Thorax had good points and neither of them we're entirely wrong, so it really wouldn't make sense. I prefer if he gave Sora "You Suck speech" for being a racist.

-Once Upon A Zepplin: This mainly for comedy, although something could come out of this, I'm not sure, I mean you transformed the plot of A Flurry of Emotions which was really well done surprisingly, like damn man, that's one of my favorite chapters of this season. With this one, Riku definitely would be involved, it'll be fun seeing him interact with Twilight's family and Iron Will. Also, that creepy fan would be super fun to see interact with Riku, yeah I think it would just be a fun episode to touch on.

-Uncommon Bond: I think this will be THE episode where Starlight and Sunburst finally tie the knot, that's basically it. One thing that could be interesting is, well, throughout the series, the main cast constantly mention how Starlight traveled through time and messed things up. I don't know, that really bothers me. It's like, you do something terrible, you are aware of how awful it is and trying to make amends, but the people around constantly mentioned it despite showing the effort you are trying to change, I mean that's pretty shitty of them. I hope we get a scene where Starlight is just done with how they mention the event, something like "OK! I get it! What I did was awful! I don't need to be reminded 24-7 how awful I was! I'm trying my best to make amends, to be a better pony! Yeah, I know, I have no right to scream at you, but for fuck's sake, let me fucking live! For once, I have friends, I have a life I never knew I could have, and I still believe I don't deserve this! Why would I have doubts like that? Because you all have to keep reminding of my past! Do you think I don't have feelings or something? I'm so sorry, hate me of you want from now on, but for Celestia's sake shut the fuck up!" Like that, only without the swearing.

[ra36]

Where are pear butter and bright mac

[MLPFanForever]

Hiya! Sorry for being late to the party. Anyway, freakin' awesome chapter, man! Keep up the great work! I wonder what's next (episode) for Sora and the gang in the next chapter.

[Ponyhearts]

9833328
The next episode series lined is fame and misfortune where they sing the song flawless.

[MLPFanForever]

9833663
Oh, I see. Thanks for that.

[ILikeFanfiction1234]

great chapter

[TheFVguy]

9833663
Or the author may skip it. It depends, not every episode of a season gets made into a chapter.

[John steffens II]

Yea wait for it more episodes are coming

[John steffens II]

What I can't wait for is twilights and rikus wedding

[Ponyhearts]

Will the next chapter be up soon

[Ponyhearts]

I heard in season 9 pinkie somehow gets a hold of discords magic I wonder how the keyblade weilders will react to that scenario?

[TheFVguy]

9876061
A part of me hopes Codex doesn't full-on write Season 9 into this story, cause let's face it, Discord's motivation to do any of this is really stupid. Not saying they should properly introduce Grogar into the story, but it's clear that Discord goes through a heavy arc in this story more than the show, so honestly, him doing all of this kind of goes against his character, even with the best intentions. Also, we would most likely have the KH characters giving him speeches on why he sucks, which has basically become a gag for this fic at this point. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but if it does, at least change his motivation a bit, maybe have a character like Terra help him, since it kind of fits his character, helping out villains even with he best intentions. But again who knows.

[DGJabberwocky]

Honestly, I always felt that KH Donald Duck was a massive jerk. There's constructive criticism and keeping Sora down to earth, but what Donald does is simply belittle Sora and make him feel worthless

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

9899670
It WAS originally developed in Japan. There's content between characters like that in almost every form of entertainment, both in Video Games, Manga, AND Anime. It's one of their ideas as a running gag, even if it DOES get old sometimes.

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

I would have cried on the outside if it were added that Bright Mac and Buttercup(aka Pear Butter) left Sora a letter, a little Back to the Future style reference.

[RainbowAnime]

Is Ms. Cake, Burnt Oak and other ponies will remember Sora in future chapter?

[LucarioFan2066]

Sora ignored their sudden presence, diving down from his perch with his Keyblade drawn.

And absolutely no-one did a Rainbow Dash at this? How was Celestia not alerted about this "odd key sword magical pegasus fella" years before that chat with Yen Sid?