My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by Codex92

My Little Pony Movie (Part 2)

Half a mile away from the base of the mountain city of Canterlot, the Mane Six and Spike had managed to gather on shore, surviving the fall from such a height, but they were still shaken up from that and what had just happened. Applejack looked around for her hat, finding it floating along the river after losing it from falling over the edge of the waterfall. She grabbed it, wrung it out, then placed it back on her head where it belongs.

"Is everypony alright?" Applejack asked.

"I think it's safe to assume that we clearly aren't," Rarity said. "We were invaded by another kingdom and attacked!"

"We just got our cupcakes handed to us by the worst party crashers ever!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We gotta go back up there and fight!" Rainbow said, everyone but Twilight, who was currently lost in thought as she looked down a the river, giving the pegasus a shocked glare.

"Rainbow Dash, did you not see all those Nobodies working with those goons!?" Spike exclaimed. "What do you think WE can do against those things!? They're like...rubber!"

"Not to mention that awful stallion, Xigbar!" Rarity reminded Rainbow Dash. "He can teleport as much as Twilight or Starlight could, and he...he has those...strange looking crossbows!"

"And he managed to turn Riku, Aqua, and Ven into stone," Fluttershy added. She then gasped in horror as she looked up at Canterlot, the whole city covered in storm clouds. "...W-What if the others were captured, too? A-And...And Sora?"

"There's no way he'll get caught!" Rainbow reassured, though even she seemed to lose confidence after such a horrible defense against the teleporting sniper.

"KAIRIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!" The mares' ears perked up, hearing Sora's voice toward the waterfall in the distance, followed by a loud splash.

"...Was...Was that...?" Everyone waited in silence, watching the river closely as it calmly flowed downstream. Slowly appearing around a corner of land the river flowed in, they found Sora floating on his back. "Sora!" Applejack called out, quickly jumping into the water and swam toward the unconscious stallion.

She pulled him over to the others, dragging him up on shore with the others' help, thankful to see he escaped and was still alive. "Oh no. Is he ok?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"Did he drown!?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Quick, who knows CPR!?"

"Pinkie, his chest is rising and falling," Rarity pointed out. "He's breathing."

"I'm fine as well." Jiminy hopped out of Sora's jacket pocket, surprising the mares and baby dragon, almost forgetting he was around. Jiminy leapt onto the ground, wringing out his coat and shook himself dry. "What a disaster this turned out to be."

"Jiminy, what happened?" Twilight asked.

Before the cricket could explain, they heard Sora groan. "Hey, Sora's comin' to," Applejack said. Sora grunted, squinting his eyes open, coughing a little after swallowing a bit of water. "Easy, sugarcube. Just take some deep breaths," she advised.

Sora sat up with a grunt, shaking the cobwebs out of his head after getting knocked for a loop from the fall. "W-Where...?" He saw the girls and Spike standing around him. Remembering what just happened, his pupils shrunk, quickly getting on his hooves. "Kairi!" The girls tried to stop him, but he jumped up, tried to flap his wings, only to fall back down on his stomach with a wheeze. He stood back up, tried to unfurl his wings, but it was like they were glued shut. His heart sank when he looked up at the capital city surrounded by storm clouds, collapsing on his haunches as fresh tears rolled down his face. "...No...Kairi..."

"Sora?" Applejack gently called out.

He continued ignoring them, reaching a hoof to his communicator, desperate to know if Terra and Lea were still fighting. "Terra? Terra, please respond," he uttered.

A long moment of silence, but Sora didn't attempt to contact him again. It was obvious that they didn't make it; none of his friends were left standing, and were turned into living statues. The guilt of failing to do anything to help them exploded in Sora's heart, his body shuddering as his tears continued to fall. He grabbed his head and screamed at the top of his lungs in anguish, then collapsed on his stomach and wept. The others knew from his reaction that their attempts were all for naught; Equestria fell, and Canterlot was now under the liberation of the Storm King's army and Xigbar.

"What happened up there?" Spike asked.

"Kairi sacrificed herself so she could let Sora escape," Jiminy answered, making the group utter a surprised gasp. "Nobodies were aiming those orbs at him, but she shoved him out of the way and took the hit for him. I don't know how his pegasus instincts didn't kick in and fly over the water. We got carried down the stream and fell off the edge of the waterfall."

"She must have used her magic to keep his wings bound," Twilight guessed. "It looks like it's temporary...so he wouldn't try to go back to save her when it was already too late."

"And it's a lot worse when everypony in Canterlot has also been captured," Fluttershy added. "I really hope the Nobodies don't hurt them."

Pinkie and Applejack tried to help console Sora, helping him sit back up on his haunches. The group waited in silence for a long while until Sora had calmed down, but the stallion felt lost in his mind, and his heart. He glanced up at Canterlot on occasion, fearing what Xigbar was going to do to his friends. Especially Kairi. If Xehanort planned to use the Princesses of Heart again, they would have to capture the other princesses as well. Even if he tried to fly back up there, Xigbar would expect him to come back for her, setting up an ambush and immediately trapping him in stone to deliver to Xehanort on a silver platter.

"What do I do?" Sora mumbled to himself. "Kairi, how am I supposed to free you and the others like that?"

After contemplating what to do next, Twilight looked out to the south. "...The Queen," she uttered.

"Yeah, the Queen!" Pinkie agreed, her excitement turning to befuddlement. "Umm...what queen?"

"Celestia told Luna to find the Queen of the...'Hippos'," Twilight explained. "If she knows her and was going to seek her help...maybe they can help us fight back against Tempest and her soldiers."

Everyone glanced at Twilight, even Sora as he felt skeptical about Celestia's idea for outside help. "...Hippos?" he questioned. He stood up and approached the alicorn. "Twilight, this world may have a lot of creatures I never thought could be sentient, but a Queen of the Hippos?"

"It's a long shot, but we really need help," Twilight tried to reason. "Do you have any other options?"

"What about King Mickey?" Jiminy suggested. "Or even Master Yen Sid?"

"No," Sora denied. "They'll end up getting captured just like the others. They may be powerful, but they'll still be outmatched when it's Nobodies and Xigbar helping Tempest and the Storm King."

"What about Kaito?" Applejack asked. "Your pa's Nobody was able to fight off some of the older Organization XIII, and Xigbar was there. Y'all have the same way of fightin', and he's got his own Nobodies who seem far tougher then them other ones."

"He got lucky when he escaped The World That Never Was! It won't help him if Xigbar slips him up and catches him, too!" Sora argued. "If I can't stop them, what makes you all think anyone else can without getting turned into a living statue!?" They were surprised by Sora's pessimism in requesting anymore help, even from the three they mentioned who were more than capable of taking back Canterlot and running off the invaders. The mares all figured he was still shaken up by watching Kairi sacrifice herself to save him, always so focused on keeping her and everyone else safe, and feeling so helpless now has him riled up and guilty for running away when they all needed him. "They'll just get caught, too. Even if we find this Hippo Queen, what can she do to stop Xigbar, or even the Nobodies!? And how can we cure the others if Keyblade magic can't?" He turned away, bitter and more depressed, walking toward the river and sat near the edge. "...I don't think there's anything we can do now...I failed to do anything. Equestria's overrun...It's hopeless..."

Jiminy hopped over to Sora and bounded up onto his shoulder. "Sora, what is wrong with you?" he asked. "This isn't the boy I traveled with for so long. You can't let this get to you."

"I had a darkness I couldn't control, and it came out and hurt everyone several times, I saw futures where I died after certain events, where Equestria fell to ruin along with other worlds and all my friends suffered, especially Kairi, and I DON'T want to see her like that EVER, and I felt useless when some of the new Organization XIII members overpowered me," Sora summarized to the small cricket. "I wanted to fight, but Terra told me to flee with the girls and protect Twilight and Kairi. I FAILED to keep Kairi safe, so I'm mad at myself for screwing up, watching her body slowly turn to stone as she tells ME to run away, and everyone who came to the festival's going to be prisoners of the Storm King and her commanding officer, who just so happens to be a pony! I could have done more, but I couldn't because I acted like a coward!"

"We had no choice but to retreat, Sora," Jiminy tried to reason. "You know Xehanort's after you, and even if the others were fine, it would still be devastating for all of us if you were gone and forced to work for him. They all care about you just as much as you do the same for them, maybe a whole lot more, but in the end, you always find a way to help everybody and bring back peace."

Sora said nothing, his head lowering down with his eyes shut tight, shutting Jiminy out. The cricket was a bit disappointed, silently shaking his head, though he couldn't say he didn't feel pity for him.

"...So, you're just going to give up already?" Twilight asked. Sora's ears stood up and swiveled behind him, the alicorn slowly approaching him as his eyes opened back up. "Come on, Sora. We all thought you're stronger than this." Biting his lower lip, that taunting phrase used by his best friend to goad him, even if it was being used by Twilight, it still gets to him. He turned his head to look at his friends, expecting them to be mad at him for thinking this way, but they showed mostly concern, understanding how he feels. All seven of them were considered heroes of Equestria on multiple occasions, the mares the Elements of Harmony, even Spike as he helped retrieve the Crystal Heart for the Crystal Empire despite his role playing a small, yet highly integral part when stopping Sombra. "Wouldn't Riku say that to you right now? Even when you're feeling lower than low?"

Sora's ears drooped in shame, turning away again with a sigh. "...I don't want to give up," he said. "I just...I don't know what to do to save everyone."

"Me either, but I think we could take all the help we need," Twilight said. She sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder with her wing. "I'm just as upset watching Cadence and Riku turn to stone. I'm just as frustrated in myself for letting that happen, and losing to Tempest...She's far more experienced in fighting than I am. We'll find the Queen of the Hippos south beyond the Badlands, and if they really can help us, like Celestia believes, I'm willing to take that chance."

"And you two aren't going alone!" Rainbow said, flapping over to the two wielders with a confident smirk. "We're all in this together!"

"What?" Sora uttered, quickly shaking his head. "No. The rest of you need to-"

"Now don't ya start tryin' to tell us we need to go back home where it's safer," Applejack interrupted. "Sora, ya dragged us along on this wild ride since we first met ya, and even if it is dangerous, there ain't no gettin' off this wagon for any of us."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "Although, I wish I packed any essentials, but heroism can't always keep you prepared for an invasion or creatures of darkness popping in at any time."

"And even if we're in trouble, we believe that you and Twilight can keep us safe," Fluttershy added with a smile.

"If we stick together, we can save everypony in no time," Spike said.

There was no use dissuading the mares or baby dragon. They were all willing to go through on this long journey, even if Twilight had the same thoughts as Sora with how dangerous of a trek this would be. Their gliders wouldn't be able to carry everyone, and in order to stay inconspicuous if Tempest and Xigbar were searching for them now, they couldn't bring a Gummi ship if they stopped at Ponyville first. There was also the concern for everyone being held prisoner, whether they were petrified or locked in a cell, and time was of the essence.

Sora just sighed, seeing he was only going to get "nos" if he kept trying to tell them to leave the rescue to him and Twilight. "You guys know how dangerous this is gonna be, right?" he asked them. "Even if you know it will be, who knows what we'll run into?"

"Heartless, thugs, more Nobodies, Unversed, the whole shebang," Rainbow said. "I think we're used to this kind of stuff by now...But, if we had Keyblades of our own, we could easily defend ourselves? Huh?" Her hinting didn't persuade Sora, given a stern glare from the stallion. "Well, it really would help us years ago when I almost got killed by Heartless the first time."

Sora grumbled and shook his head. "I get it," he said. Sora stood up, facing his friends, prepared to go along with their only hope of saving their friends, and all of Equestria if the Storm King decides to take over the rest of the kingdom. "...Alright, then. Let's go and find the Queen of the Hippos. Not sure what she's gonna even do, but I don't have any other ideas."

He turned to the south and was about to walk in that direction, only to run into Pinkie's hoof, smushing his face while standing defiantly in front of him with a serious glare. "Oh no you don't, Mr. Grumpy Gus." Sora peeled his muzzle away from Pinkie's hoof, somewhat put off not hearing her give any encouragement to him like the others. "You're not coming along with us if you're gonna be all frowny and moody."

"Huh?" Sora questioned with a quirked brow.

"Pinkie, what are you-?" Twilight asked, only to get shushed and patted on the head by the eccentric party pony.

"Let Auntie Pinkie Pie handle this, Twilight," Pinkie said. Twilight tried to interject, but she went right back to Sora and poked his muzzle. "If we're going on this journey, we're all gonna be moving with happiness and positivity under our belts! We WILL save Equestria, defeat the bad guys, and rescue all of our friends, both soft, squishy, and cuddly and frozen in fear as statues! But you, Sora, cannot come with us if you don't turn that frowny upside-downy! It's all about smiles and hope all the way through!"

"Pinkie, how do you think I can smile after-?" Sora tried to say, only to have a pink hoof shoved in his mouth.

"No excuses! You'll be with Kairi again, and, like you say, your friends will always be in your hearts," Pinkie said. She removed her hoof from the startled stallion's mouth, then dragged all her friends to stand before him. She even picked up Jiminy, who was still perched on Sora's shoulder, and placed him on top of Twilight's head. "Now, show us a smile!"

"Hmm...Why does this feel like a case of deja vu?" Jiminy asked to himself.

Knowing there was no way to argue himself out of what Pinkie had to say, Sora didn't know if he even could smile. He could easily fly past the girls and do this alone, but his wings were still bound, despite Twilight mentioning the spell Kairi cast on him was just temporary. He didn't know how long "temporary" meant, whether in minutes, or hours, or, if the pertifying orbs blocked the aftereffects of the spell, until Kairi was cured. He needed his friends, and he was going to need all the help he could get. If Pinkie was refusing to let him budge without giving her a smile, then he had no choice but to comply.

Sighing to himself, Sora hung his head for a moment, then quickly shot it back up, giving the girls, Spike, and Jiminy a widely forced smile, letting out a strained groan as he held it for a while with his eyes looking up at the sky. He held that face for a good minute, looking back at the others to see awkward stares. His smile faltered from the lacking reaction, only to finally get one when Pinkie sputtered and burst out laughing. As she fell over, Rainbow and Applejack were the next to follow Pinkie at the ridiculous face Sora made, snickers turning to guffaws, which led to a chain reaction with the rest of the group.

"W-What kind of a face was that!?" Rainbow laughed, holding her sides in her uproarious laughter.

Sora gave them all a blank stare, swearing he tried his hardest to meet Pinkie's demands, even if he HAD to force it. It reminded him of what Donald told him when he first met his two friends in Traverse Town; he could only go with them if he wasn't mopey and upset to find Riku and Kairi and travel the worlds on their Gummi ship. That made him feel better and more confident back then, and it's worked its magic again now as Sora wore a small, but genuine smile.

Once the laughter died down, Pinkie bounced up to Sora and gave him a hug. "There's the smile I was looking for," she said.

"Thanks, Pinkie," Sora said. "I think I needed something silly to distract me for a little. But I believe you." He let go Pinkie and faced his friends. "I never give up on my friends. And I won't if none of you give up on me."

"That's the Sora we all know and love," Applejack said as she and the others gathered around Sora, trapping him in a group hug.

When they released each other, they began heading on their way toward the Badlands in search of the Queen of the Hippos. Sora lingered behind, watching the girls walk on ahead before looking behind him, staring up at the mountain city veiled by storm clouds. Reconsidering his own thoughts, Sora reached a hoof to his communicator.

"...Kaito, are you there?" he asked.

"Sora? It's been quite a while," Kaito answered. "What's going on? Your mother's still waiting on that date for yours and Kairi's wedding."

"Well...There's something that's happened," he said, then explained everything to Kaito that happened within the last hour.

Sora was met with silence, unsure what his father's Nobody was thinking several light years away. "...Xigbar this time, huh?" he heard Kaito mumble. "Sora, I told you if you or your friends got into any trouble, you let me know so I can help."

"I know, but it all happened so fast, and I thought we could handle it," Sora explained. "We didn't know about those orbs..."

"Right. Can't always expect the expected," Kaito said. "So, what are you going to do?"

"We're going to try to find the Queen of the Hippos for help." Sora received silence, figuring the Nobody was just as dumbfounded and wondered about this Equestrian mammal's expertise if she was sentient. "...It's...weird when you think about it."

"Well, Nobodies can have brains and hearts, so anything can surprise me at this rate," Kaito said. "Did you want me to accompany you and the others? In case they catch up to you?"

"...Can you keep an eye on Canterlot for us?" Sora asked nervously. "I don't want you to get caught as well. Just...oversee what Tempest's soldiers are doing to everyone and what they're going to do next?"

"In other words, recon?" Sora grimaced a little, sensing another scolding from the Nobody honing his original self's parental instincts. "...Alright. I'll do it. But I swear, you get too in over your head, it's not me who's gonna chew you out this time."

Sora went pale, knowing who exactly Kaito was talking about. "R-Right. I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll be there in a few. Good luck finding this...Hippo Queen." Sora hummed, then turned to hurry after his friends. "Sora? Try not to worry yourself too much. I'm sure your friends and Kairi will be fine. You can save them after finding the help you're searching for, so don't give up hope, ok?"

"...I won't. Twilight and the others helped remind me of that," Sora said. "We'll try to come back soon."

"Ok. I'll see you later when you return," Kaito said before ending their call.

Sora took another glance back at Canterlot one last time, hoping everyone was unharmed in their petrified states. "...Don't worry, Kairi. I'll figure out a way to save you all. Just give me a little time, ok?"

---

Tempest stood on the castle balcony, watching her soldiers capture every single pony in the city, guiding them in chains and tossing them in cages, either grouping them together or separated from friends and family. They took down the festival decorations, which made her sneer in disgust. One of the soldiers cut a few balloons away from where they were tied as Tempest watched them float up into the dark storm clouds.

"All this power. Wasted on parties," Tempest uttered, turning to head back inside, where Xigbar and his Nobodies were moving around the petrified statues of the princesses and Keyblade wielders. "There are far better uses for their magic than that."

"Alright, just a little to the left," Xigbar ordered a Berserker, who obeyed and shifted Ventus's statue in the ordered direction. "There we go. Perfect. Now I don't have to look at that twerp's mug again." He turned to face Tempest, who was busy examining Kairi, curious about the saddened, but calm expression on the Princess of Light's face before she turned to stone. "Invasion worked out pretty well. Except we seem to be missing two pieces of art."

"Xigbar, you neglected to mention there being five alicorns," Tempest growled. "I thought that Princess Twilight Sparkle was the newest princess. Who is this?"

"Ah. You know, that's actually a bit of a shock for me and the rest of my group after some recon, too," Xigbar said. "Would you be surprised if I told you she isn't from Equestria?"

"...Her name and her outfit does feel out of place," Tempest admitted.

"Kairi IS a princess, but she's far more special than the ones you're after," Xigbar explained. "She's known as a Princess of Light; one of seven special ladies throughout the cosmos who has hearts of pure light. No darkness whatsoever, but they have incredible powers that no normal person or creature can match with the power of light. When all seven princesses are gathered, they're able to unlock a greater power called Kingdom Hearts."

"Is she important along with this Sora wielder you're after?" Tempest asked.

"Yes, but my boss isn't interested in the Princess of Light this time," Xigbar said. "Had an incident with his Heartless, who thought he was unlocking Kingdom Hearts when it was actually the Door to Darkness." Tempest just gave Xigbar a blank stare, barely interested in any exposition he had to spout out. "Hey, if you want the short story, it ain't gonna be short at all."

"It doesn't matter. I have my four princesses. As long as I have them, and you have your own target, I'm satisfied with the results." Xigbar just shrugged in response. A moment later, after Xigbar's Nobodies moved the four alicorns into position in the royal throne room, two guards walked in, one carrying a cauldron while the other held a potion that was glowing rapidly and let out a strange tune. Tempest knew what was in that glowing blue potion, getting frustrated when the primates just stood there, waiting for a command. "Well? Answer it!"

The guard with the potion uncorked the bottle and poured its contents into the cauldron. Once it was all dumped out, the liquid turned into a blue flame, causing the soldiers to back away to avoid getting burned. The fire created a visual image in the roaring flames, where Tempest and Xigbar could see the Storm King's chest up close, but not his face.

"Where am I supposed to be looking?" the Storm King uttered to himself, looking around dumbly to find the right position to be looking in. "I never understand how this spell works. Tempest!"

"Over here, Your Excellency," Tempest said.

"Where?" he asked, still blindly trying to figure out the enchanted potion's communicative portal.

"Over here," Tempest repeated again. While trying to guide the Storm King, Xigbar grimaced, letting out a groan as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Even he was clueless how this type of spell worked, but he could easily figure it out within a few seconds, not minutes. "No. No, right. Look right."

"My right?" The Storm King could finally see them, slightly annoyed before regaining his composure. "Ok, here's the deal. I'm in the middle of a big re-brand here. 'The Storm King' is tracking well as 'intensely intimidating', but you know what? I need to back it up. You know what I need to back it up with? A STORM!" The Storm King's outburst caused the flames to spread out around the cauldron, making the two goons who entered back away in fear. "That would be great! You promised me magic that would control the elements, and right now, I'm holding a what?" He pulled out the very staff Xigbar saw Tempest had carried with her when they first met: the Staff of Sacanas. "A branch? A twig? Bleh!"

"That would be the Staff of Sacanas, Your Excellency, and it will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land," Tempest explained. The Storm King wasn't paying much attention while observing the staff, though Xigbar's eye widened. He quickly glanced over at Kairi, their "fourth" alicorn princess that's under their capture, and if the staff was meant to take the magic from the alicorns of this land, in this WORLD, then they were going to have to capture Twilight regardless. "You'll soon have the power of a hundred armies."

"So that would be a yes on your locking down the four...pegacornicuseses, or whatever you call them?" the Storm King asked.

Xigbar silently ordered his Nobodies to quickly cover Kairi if she was in the Storm King's view, stepping in front of Tempest before she could say they had all four of the Equestrian princesses. "Actually, Storm King, we have the guards searching around for the last petrified princess," he quickly said. "One of my own men accidentally flung her off the mountain and she fell into the forest below. Give us about three days, and we'll even put a pretty bow on her as an early birthday present for you."

"What?" Tempest uttered, but before she could try to explain, she saw a Sniper in the corner aiming its sights at her, away from the Storm King's point of view.

The Storm King gave Xigbar a skeptical leer for a moment. "...Those...rubber things aren't very bright, are they?" he asked.

"Sorry, Your Highness. They can be quite a handful to order around," Xigbar explained with a laugh.

"Fine, then. I'll give you three days to find the other princess," the Storm King said, then glanced at Tempest. "Remember, Tempest. Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this twig work, and you'll get your reward. Fail me, and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken."

Xigbar's grin faded, stepping back to look at Tempest. He was curious about her broken horn, but when he tried asking, she refused to answer. It made him wonder if the Storm King broke off her horn when she went against one of his orders one day, along with that scar. Tempest wanted to explain that they have their four princesses, but the Sniper's bow pointed to her forehead and Xigbar's stern glare and subtle shake of his head, she grimaced and looked the Storm King in the eyes.

"...It won't be a problem," she said after much silence.

"Great!" Despite the ominous warning he gave Tempest, he was back to being upbeat and dorky, which made Xigbar judge his credibility as a conquering ruler with his hyperactive, childish personality. The spell began to lose power, the Storm King's image warping and wobbling. "I'm ready to power up, crash and bash, and be the biggest baddest-!"

The flames died out, leaving nothing in the cauldron. Grubber was standing behind it, overhearing some of the Storm King's conversation.

"...Seems like there was some bad spell service," the hedgehog said sheepishly. "You want me to call him back?"

"Not now," Tempest said, then turned to glare at Xigbar. "Why did you tell him that!?"

"Hey, I just saved you from getting the butt-chewing of your life," Xigbar said. "My question is: Why didn't you tell me exactly how that staff worked?"

"We have four princesses for the staff to absorb their magic!" Tempest argued.

"No, you have three EQUESTRIAN princesses," Xigbar corrected. Tempest growled and let her horn spark, prompting Xigbar to call his arrowguns in self defense. "Look, I'm not gonna fight with you over semantics, but this is gonna get very serious if the Storm King arrives, and the staff won't work if it doesn't take Kairi's magic. You just told him that it channels the magic of the four rulers of THIS land, heavy emphasis on 'this land', or 'world'."

"Meaning what?" Tempest growled.

"Meaning that it might not work with Kairi as your fourth princess, and you actually need the last one," Xigbar explained. Tempest flinched, relaxing her stance, but kept leering at the assassin. Xigbar dismissed his weapons, along with his Nobodies, not wanting to escalate anything further toward the bitter unicorn mare. "Kairi's a princess from another world, and us outsiders with quite a bit of power and magic can change to fit in with those living in these worlds. To a degree. From what my comrades gathered, including Nobodies spying on them in the past, Kairi was originally a unicorn before sprouting wings not that long ago." He teleported over to the stoned Princess of Light, gently tapping the ring that was also encased in stone on Kairi's horn. "Whatever power this ring has, she's much more in control with her powers of light, and at some point, it ascended her to be an alicorn in this world.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Tempest, but whether it works or not, I'd rather be sure it works out perfectly." Tempest huffed, seeing Xigbar's point despite having to lie to the Storm King. She looked up at her broken horn, taking no chances getting back what she lost and be a normal unicorn again. "I'm not a heartless guy, but hey, better to see the best results rather than a flop, right?" he asked, then casually made his way over to Tempest while Grubber approached them. "We've got three days to relax if the little mole here's gonna give us some good news on Princess Twilight and Sora's capture."

"Umm...Actually, funny story," Grubber timidly said. Xigbar's smirk faded away, both unicorns glancing down at the nervous hedgehog. "It kinda seems like...they might have, you know, got away...a little bit."

Xigbar and Tempest remained dead silent, the former rubbing one of his ears in disbelief while the latter was getting more visibly angry by the second. "Uh, sorry, but...mind saying that? Again?" Xigbar questioned threateningly.

"T-They...fell over the falls...and got away," Grubber repeated. "I know you're both disappointed...but I got one for you." He then pulled out a piece of cake from behind him, showing it to the two ponies. "'Spongecake'."

Tempest immediately zapped Grubber in frustration with her horn, making the hedgehog yelp in pain, scorching him and his snack. "Grubber, I need the other princess!" she exclaimed.

"And why wasn't Sora caught as well!?" Xigbar asked. "Your goons brought Kairi! How the hell did he get away!?" A Sniper warped beside Xigbar, the very same one who witnessed the scene at the bridge. Though it didn't speak, Xigbar understood it, his eye growing wide, being informed of this now instead of earlier when Tempest's troops carried the Princess of Light in the throne room. "...So, she saved him and sent him plummeting over the waterfall, eh?...And you didn't bother to find out where they landed?" The Sniper shook its head, making Xigbar groan heavily. Stomping his hoof, he dismissed the Sniper. "Great. So, it seems like we have three days to find and capture Twilight AND Sora."

Grubber stuffed his spongecake into his mouth, swallowing the pasty whole despite it being charred by Tempest. "W-Well, m-maybe they didn't get too far," Grubber said, terrified of what Xigbar would do to that lazy Sniper. "I want the Storm King to help Tempest get her horn back, too. It looks like a crackly chipped tooth on the top of her head." His comments made Tempest sneer, stopping her as she had her back toward Grubber and Xigbar while getting more frustrated being reminded of her broken horn. "And you know you don't look good in hats."

Tempest quickly turned around, her horn sparking threateningly as she leered at the annoying hedgehog. "Those two are not gonna keep me from getting my horn back! Prepare my ship!" she ordered loudly. Grubber shrieked and ran on ahead to inform the crew to get her airship ready for departure. Tempest took a few deep breaths, recomposing herself back to the calm, incredibly serious commander in charge. "How far can that princess go?"

"Out of this world, actually," Xigbar answered. Tempest cast a sideways glance at him, releasing more threatening sparks to zap him if he said anything else like a mule getting the last word in. "Don't worry, you won't have to worry about them leaving this world. I know Sora very well. He'll come back these guys, especially his little girlfriend. They're not leaving this world until they kick us out."

"Let's hope you're right. Because if not, I won't hesitate to take you out myself, even with these...Nobodies of yours coming after me," Tempest warned.

She made her way out of the castle to her airship, with Xigbar following after her with a smirk. Once they reached the airship, the crew were ready to set off in search of Twilight and Sora. While Xigbar leaned against the railing and watched the scenery pass by, he thought he saw something odd far below in his peripheral vision. Quickly glancing at the oddity, which was around a short bridge over a small river far from the entrance to the liberated city of Canterlot, he didn't see anything pop out. Humming curiously, he shrugged it off, probably imagining things, returning his focus on searching for Sora.

Little did he notice that what he saw was a portal of darkness appeared near that bridge, and Kaito walked out of it, then quickly hid under the bridge, avoiding the airship flying overhead. As soon as it passed far enough, Kaito peeked around the corner to make sure none of the crew could see him before darting off toward the city to get a higher vantage point to overlook the city and what's been done to the citizens.

---

The Badlands south of the kingdom of Equestria was a vast desert, spanning miles upon miles of hot sand, steep sand dunes, and not a single cloud as the sun beat down on the arid wasteland. Sora, the Mane Six, and Spike trudged through the burning sands, reaching the Badlands after traveling south for a couple hours, though they regretted not stopping to get any supplies for the long journey. Everyone was sweating profusely, severely dehydrated, and there didn't seem to be an oasis around for miles. They were exhausted, but they couldn't stop moving, wanting to find a way out of the sweltering desert heat and get far enough away from the Storm King's army if they were out searching for them.

Sora swallowed dryly, wiping his brow with his hoof as he took the lead, searching for any sign of civilization. "Ugh...This place is hotter than Agrabah's desert," he uttered. He tried to stretch his wings, but Kairi's spell was still keeping them placed at his sides. Either she used too much magic before turning to stone, or she really was the only one who could break it for him to fly again. "I don't think a hippo could even live in a desert like this. There doesn't seem to be any water for miles."

"Don't mention water," Rarity grumbled. "I'm absolutely parched." She whined in disgust, her curly mane losing its curls thanks to her sweat and hanging down in a frazzled mess. "I feel so disgusting."

"Maybe...we should have...packed something," Fluttershy panted. She looked around, hoping to find a scorpion, a vulture, a tarantula, any desert-dwelling creature to ask for directions to the nearest oasis. "This place...feels so empty..."

Pinkie was already about to crack, giggling randomly with a crazed look in her eyes. "Gotta...save...Equestria," she said with another crazy bout of laughter. "Gotta...stay...positive!" Looking down, her manic curiosity made her pick up a vulture skull lying on their path, holding it up to her head. "Ooh! Maybe this guy knows where to go!?" Sora looked back at Pinkie, balking in shock from the skull she held, followed by a bug that crawled out from it and onto Pinkie, running across her wide, insanely opened eyeballs before disappearing down her leg and into the sand. "What's that, friend? We're lost?"

"Pinkie?" Sora asked, starting to get freaked out seeing Pinkie lose her mind, almost close to when she went crazy from feeling dejected when they threw her a surprise party for her birthday. Pinkie coughed dryly, dropping the skull as it disintegrated, then giggled creepily before collapsing. As her face hit the sand, her hair and tail sputtered like a deflating balloon. Sighing, Sora walked over to the delirious and dehydrated mare and tried lifting her back on her hooves. "Come on, Pinkie. Don't lose your marbles just yet. We gotta keep moving."

"Sora, can't you and Twilight use some magic to help cool us down?" Spike asked desperately.

"Unless you want to turn into an icicle or get shoved a few feet from a painful water pressure, I don't think it's a good idea," Sora said. "We need to save our magic in case they catch up with us. Or if anything worse lives in this desert."

"Ugh. Darn it," Spike uttered weakly, falling to his knees. "I feel like...we're going in circles. Nothing for miles but sand." Spike coughed and wheezed as he continued to rightfully complain about their situation. "And this rock-" Another cough after picking up a nearby rock, then lifted his backside, which had a cactus sticking from him awkwardly. "-and this cactus-" Spike took in a deep breath, then waved his arms in front of what appeared to be a trail of footprints and wheel tracks in the sand. "-and this road..." The dragon collapsed, letting out another gasping wheeze. "This rooooaaaad..."

Sora sighed in annoyance. "Spike, don't lose it-" He paused, dropping Pinkie back in the sand. "...Wait...A road?"

Twilight realized what Spike said as well, looking down at the trail in shock. "It is a road...And, if there's a road, then that means..."

She followed the trail, climbing up a sand dune, then gasped when she saw, in the distance, a large city not too far from where they were. In the sand nearby, there were several remains of what appeared to be boats, possibly airships that had crashed in the desert, most of the wood from them stripped away by the civilians that lived in the nearby city. When Sora got a good look at it, he was surprised by the look of the industrial-looking city, smoke pouring out from factories around the mountainous area, hundreds of different buildings merging with each other, and there were several ports scattered around for airships to dock at. While it looked like a blessing for the ponies and baby dragon, even perking Pinkie back to normal, Sora thought it looked shady and dangerous.

"It's a city!" Pinkie cheered. "We've got this, guys!"

"You know what they say: where there's a city, there's a spa!" Rarity squealed, elated to get herself cleaned and freshened up after traversing the desert for so long.

"Who says that?" Rainbow asked skeptically.

"In case ya forgot, Rarity, we're on a mission to save Equestria," Applejack reminded the fashionista.

While the girls continued onward, Sora spotted a nearby sign that held the name of the city: Kludgetown. He had a hunch this wasn't going to be like any normal city. From the dirt and grime from the outside, along with the scattered remains of old airships, this place felt more like a filthy port town than a lively city. But his dry throat and heat exhausted body demanded something cool and refreshing to drink, hoping the locals in the area had something clean to quench his and his friends' thirst.

---

Through the numerous alleys in Kludgetown, a pair of green cat eyes lit up the tight, heavily shaded corridors as they slinked casually through the shadows. Stepping out onto the busy road was an anthropomorphic cat in a tattered red trench coat, brown fur with darker shades on his face, ears, paws, and tail and a lighter shade on his chest fur, and dark purple hair. He passed through the busy streets of an odd assortment of creatures native to the area who were also bipedal: pigs, lizards, tortoises, fish, rodents, etc. The feline's long tail swished as his eyes roamed curiously over the stalls he passed, then, picking the vendor who looked away for a second too long, his tail snatched a piece of fruit, quickly hiding it under his coat. Chuckling slyly to himself, he reached into his coat, taking out the fruit he'd "bought", gave it a sniff, then bit into it.

"Mmm mmm mmm. Best kind of produce is the freshest," he uttered to himself. "Well, as fresh as it'll get, anyway."

After quickly finishing his snack, the cat made his way down to the busier streets, blending in with the crowd despite himself standing out as the only cat in the city, making his way to a stand that sold a small variety of drinks. There was another customer who seemed passed out, resting his head on the wooden counter, an old newspaper from Equestria laying beside the unconscious drunk. The cat took a glance at the headline, dating back a few years as it showed the Elements of Harmony and Sora at an award ceremony after defeating Discord.

While distracted by the article, reading it out of curiosity, the very ponies he was reading about approached the center of the bustling town. The Mane Six and Spike wondered who they should look for to help them while Sora approached a nearby vendor selling different beverages, dying of thirst.

"Excuse me," he called out. The owner of the stall, who was gruff, disgusting boar, turned with an irritated grumble. "Got anything good for my friends and I? We're incredibly thirsty."

"It's gonna cost ya, kid." Sora nodded, pulling out some bits he kept on emergency in his pouch. The boar stared at the gold coins the stallion placed on the counter, giving him a stern glare while leering at the currency. "...The heck is this, kid?"

"Bits," Sora said, slightly confused. "It's...money?"

With a huff, the boar pushed the bits back toward the Keyblade wielder in annoyance. "We don't accept your pony money in Kludgetown," he said. "Don't care how much ya got; it's worthless here."

"...Ok then..." Sora put his Equestrian currency away, then decided to try using Munny. "How about this?"

The boar looked at the yellow diamond blocks, then went right back to glaring at Sora. "What is this?"

"It's...Munny?" Sora said, even though he had a feeling the otherworldly, yet universal currency would have worked in this city.

Growling, the boar slammed his fist onto the counter angrily, sending the Munny scattering about, some falling off the edge. "You tryin' to pull a scam on me, kid!? I ain't gonna take those baby building blocks for pay! I need real money, or just leave and quit tryin' to fool me!"

"But that's all I have!" Sora exclaimed, no one nearby even remotely startled when the Munny floated back to Sora as he reached for them. "What kind of money do you need for a drink?"

"Storm bucks!" he yelled. Sora flinched when the boar grabbed the currency he mentioned and slammed it on the table, only to grimace when the paper bill had a picture of the Storm King's face on it. "Now, fork over the cash or mind your own business!"

Sora backed away, not even bothering to ask for a complimentary cup of water. He'd probably get chewed out for asking for free water, pay a ridiculous amount for one small cup, or it'd just taste foul and contaminated with something in this disgusting town. He regrouped with his friends while they continued looking around. The feline at the other side of the square turned around as he heard Twilight helping a tortoise load up some heavily barrels in a cart for him. As the tortoise threw a fit having magic being used on his goods, scolding the alicorn for helping him and scaring them away, the cat's eyes widened for a moment as the ponies he was just reading about were all here.

He hummed in thought, grinning curiously with a paw to his chin. "Interesting," he uttered to himself. He eyed Sora, reading up on him and his incredible swordsmanship skills, even though his weapon of choice was odd. "Gotta find a way to split him up from the group..."

"Hey! Who stole from my stand!?" The cat glanced down the road he came from earlier, smirking a little when he saw the vendor he stole from not that long ago.

Getting an idea, he calmly maneuvered around the crowd, sneaking up behind Sora while he was distracted by the irate tortoise, and planted some evidence hidden under his coat and in the stallion's pockets. Making his way back around, he walked up to the vendor.

"Hey, there you are," he greeted.

"Capper. To what do I owe the displeasure?" the vendor questioned skeptically.

"Oh, I just overheard someone robbed you, and I believe I found the suspect." Capper pointed to Sora, the stallion following behind the mares while giving the tortoise a dirty look for yelling at them when Twilight was only trying to be helpful. "He's also stolen some other goods, but he's quite the speedy pegasus. Luckily, my eyes caught him right in the act."

The vendor believed Capper, then went off to gather the other vendors on his street. He watched the new travelers from a distance, waiting to execute his next phase.

"Stick together, everypony," Twilight advised. "Be careful who you talk to."

"No kidding," Sora agreed. "Everyone in this city's not keen on having people with no storm bucks. And if the Storm King owns this place, best not to-"

"Can I have your attention please!?" Pinkie announced loudly, making Twilight groan and Sora facehoof.

"-bring attention to ourselves," Sora grumbled.

"Can anypony take us to the Queen of the Hippos!?" Pinkie asked the square, loudly getting everyone's attention.

One of them approached the pink earth pony, a pudgy fish monster. "You want something? You gotta give something!"

Pinkie leapt toward the fish monster, awkwardly catching the mare. "Well, how about a big warm hug from a grateful pony friend?" she asked. He dropped Pinkie, but that didn't deter her as she bothered the other locals while offering them random objects she somehow had on her. "How about this comb that I've never used?" she asked a random lizard, who smacked the comb away as she moved on to another tortoise with a picture of Maud Pie. "A picture of my sister Maud?" With no dice, she approached a pig who was a traveling vendor. "This breath mint?...Seriously, buddy. Help me help you."

The pig belched, making Pinkie gag from his foul breath that could have seriously been helped with that mint. Twilight dragged Pinkie back over to them, already getting the city's attention with her bartering.

"Pinkie, don't just take off like that!" Twilight scolded.

"Hey, how much for the giant gecko?" one lizard asked as he pointed at Spike.

"Who are you calling a gecko!?" Spike exclaimed bitterly, but was held back by his surrogate sister as she protected him.

"Spike isn't for sale," she explained.

"Oh! I want that purple hair!" a female fish monster squealed as she pointed at Rarity. "I'll give ya two storm bucks for it!"

"Excuse me!?" Rarity shrieked. "My hair costs a lot more than that! And it's matted, sweaty, and not even properly washed to my personal style!"

Soon, all the locals tried to bid on the ponies, trying to buy them and outbid each other for who they wanted. Sora was about to break it up, only to yelp when someone dragged him away by his tail, surrounded by several upset vendors.

"...Can I help you guys?" Sora questioned, snatching his tail back from the variety of angry bipedal creatures.

"Yeah; our merchandise," one of them growled. "Just because you and your friends waltz in this town, you think it's ok to just zip around and steal our goods?"

"What? We literally just got here a few minutes ago," Sora said. "And why would I steal? I actually pay for my stuff."

"Then if you're innocent, empty out your pockets and pay for them," another said.

Sora huffed, shaking his head while muttering to himself as he dug into his pockets. Instead of expecting empty pockets, Sora was startled to feel a few things on him he knew he didn't have. The first thing he pulled out was a stem from some sort of fruit, which was quickly swiped by the fruit vendor before getting a growl from him. Next was a small action figure of the Storm King, then a pretty fancy mug, and last but not least, a small pendant with a picture of what looked like a baby porcupine.

"Hey, that's mine!" the porcupine vendor exclaimed, taking back the pendant from the shocked stallion's hoof. "You'd steal something THIS precious from me!? A picture of my own daughter!?"

"W-Wait, hold on! I didn't-!" Sora was grabbed by his shirt collar by a lizard, hoisted up in the air. "I don't know how all that stuff got on me! I would never-!"

"Can it, pony!" the lizard hissed. "You're in a whole mess of trouble!"

"...Well, you'd be surprised by how much trouble I get myself into by just walking into a new place." Sora quickly lifted his hind legs, kicking the lizard hard in the face, forcing him to let go of the pegasus. As soon as he landed, Sora bolted away from the angry vendors. "Jiminy, stay with the others! I'll find you guys after I lose these jerks!"

"Ok! Be careful!" Jiminy hopped off of Sora, quickly bounding back to the Mane Six and Spike while avoiding the vendors feet as they chased the Keyblade wielder through the alleyways.

As the cricket hopped back over to the mares, perching himself on Twilight's back, Capper watched Sora disappear, then moved in to help the lost ponies and dragon without their "bodyguard". "Whoa, back up, everyone! Back it up!" he warned the crowding buyers. "Y'all in some serious danger! Now you didn't touch any of them, did you?" His warnings began to concern the locals as he emphasized the mares and baby dragon. "Just look at their colors! You think that's natural?" Capper approached the group and raised a paw to only tell them, but was still loud enough for the visitors to hear. "They're infected with 'pastelis coloritis'."

The assortment of creatures all gasped in shock, never hearing of such a disease. "Now listen here, fellah, there ain't-" Applejack tried to say, but Capper quickly interrupted her with his furry tail covering her muzzle as he walked past her.

"Don't worry, don't worry," Capper assured the creatures, nonchalantly leaning against one of them. His tail snaked around, dragging some juice from a purple fruit that fell over nearby. "As long as you're not covered in purple splotches, you'll be fine." Subtly flicking his tail at the fish monster Pinkie went to first, he splashed the juice on his side, creating the very same purple splotches he just mentioned. He let out a feigned gasp of shock and pointed to the unfortunate victim. "Uh oh. It's already happening."

Everyone panicked, the fish monster especially when he looked down at himself. "W-What do I do!?"

"Enjoy your last moments," Capper said. "And don't touch anyone. Because parts WILL fall off."

Capper pointed down at the fish monster, right between his legs. Everyone screamed, the fish monster whimpering and covering his lower region in fear before he and everyone within earshot of Capper ran away. The square was empty, leaving only the Equestrian travelers with the cat who spared them from the heckling crowd.

"Whoa. That was awesome!" Rainbow said.

"And quite charming," Rarity added, fluttering her lashes to Capper while he took the compliment in stride with a suave grin.

"I'm more charming than him," Spike grumbled jealously, glowering at the cat.

Twilight looked around the crowd, finding no sign of Sora. "What happened to Sora?"

"He's running away from some of the creatures' when they accused him of stealing their wares," Jiminy said as he hopped onto Twilight's muzzle. "They think he's a thief, and somehow, he had their stolen goods on him. We only just got here."

"Sora wouldn't steal," Twilight uttered.

Capper was a little surprised to see Jiminy, but shrugged, letting the small, talking cricket be. "Oh, this city just loves accusing others of stealing; street vendors especially," he said. "They'll probably forget about him and just go back to selling their stuff. But, hey, where are my manners?" Capper gave the ponies and dragon a bow. "Capper's the name. Charming's my game," he said, giving Rarity a wink and a wriggle of his whiskers, really laying on his charms. It won the fashionista over as she giggled, frustrating Spike as he snorted smoke. "I couldn't help but overhear you looking for some...Hippos?"

"Yes we are!" Pinkie cheered.

Twilight grabbed the bouncing earth pony, gathering her friends in a group huddle, spreading a wing to keep Capper from eavesdropping. "Guys, I don't know if we should trust him. And we need to find Sora."

"He did say he would meet back up with us after losing those sellers," Jiminy said. "And I get a really bad vibe from this fellow. He reminds me of a shifty fox and his feline assistant who tried to lure Pinocchio away from going to his first day of school."

"But we don't know where to go," Fluttershy said.

"And we could really use a friend out here," Pinkie added.

Capper's ears twitched, able to hear the whispering group loud and clear. "You know what? Little Cotton Candy Hair is right," he said as he butted in, moving the alicorn's wing aside. "And, if I do say so myself..."

[Capper]
This town is not a nice place
For little fillies all alone
There are lots of twists and corners
That could lead to the unknown

Let me guide your way
And I'll be sure to help you through
You could really use a friend out here
And luckily for you...

I'm the friend that you need
When you're lost and don't know what to do

Capper guided the Equestrians through the town, taking them down through alleyways as he sang. They went through buildings as shortcuts, his connections with certain creatures allowing him and his friends by while avoiding strolling along the busier streets for too long.

I'm your pal, your amigo
Useful and resourceful, too

And my help, you'll concede
Is a plus guaranteed

As they walked by a different fruit vendor, Capper distracted them with his tail, getting them to look away, then swiped a couple fruits with his long, furry appendage. They headed into another alleyway, avoiding the stall before the vendor realized they were missing some produce. Capper gave a pair of locals in the same "field" as him the fruits, offering the last one to Applejack.

You can call and I'll come running
Just follow my lead
'Cause I'm the friend you need!

[Kludgetowner]
He's a friend

"Quite a friend!" the other creature added in tune with the music in the air.

[Kludgetowners]
He's a friend indeed!

Though Twilight and Jiminy were skeptical in trusting Capper, it didn't stop the other mares from putting their trust in him, continued being guided by him while keeping them out of harm's way while on their tour. Even Spike, but he kept his eye on him to make sure he didn't put too many moves on his crush.

[Capper]
You need a bud to spot the danger
A pal to stop the creep
A chum and not a stranger to assist

You need a bro who is cunning
That can help you take the leap
A friend who knows what's lying in the mist

Don't fear these darkened alleys
They're scary, yes, I know
Why, you could use a friend
To protect you wherever you go

And such a dazzling beauty
Covered in dirt and muck

Spike nearly took a bite of Capper's tail when he called Rarity a dazzling beauty, but Twilight held him back to avoid ticking off their suspicious guide. Jiminy hung onto Twilight's mane, trying to keep a lookout for Sora as they seemed to split up further away from him through the city.

But now your fate is changing
Now you are in luck

'Cause I'm the friend that you need
When you're lost and don't know what to do
I'm your pal, your amigo
Lookin' out for friends like you

Their final stop seemed to take them to an old windmill. Like the rest of Kludgetown, it also seemed a bit decrepit, the large blades still slowly spinning in the light desert winds.

And my help, you'll concede
Is a plus guaranteed
Just call and I'll come running
We'll say it's agreed...

Capper invited the mares and baby dragon through the gates, noticing a short and stout mole standing nearby. After letting his friends through, he waited until they were by the wheel connected to the windmill that was used as a makeshift lift to get inside the abandoned mill before approaching the loitering mole.

"Here," he said, slipping a few storm bucks in the mole's stuffy turtleneck sweater. "Tell Verko, 'My place, twenty minutes.' I've got something that will 'magically' erase all my debt."

The mole gave Capper a suspicious glare, then slightly nodded before walking off to give Verko his message. Capper quickly hid his sly smirk and rejoined his new "friends".

'Cause I'm the friend you need!

[Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy]
He's a friend

"Quite a friend!" Rarity said with a swoon, getting Spike even more jealous.

[All ponies except Twilight Sparkle]
He's a friend indeed!

The group stepped off the wheel as it reached its highest point, climbing in through one of the windows to enter the mill. Capper guided his guests up the stairs leading to the top, pushing the hatch up show them his living space.

"Welcome, my little ponies, to my little manor," Capper said, climbing into his home with the ponies and baby dragon poking their heads up from the hatch. Where they expected a run down attic, they were quite surprised by the exact opposite: many different assortments of expensive silverware and vases, some furniture that were still in good condition, a gramophone sitting on a side table beside a couch, a couple bookshelves with tomes of different subjects, and much more that intrigued the ponies and baby dragon. "Apologies for the state of my litter box. I wasn't expecting guests."

"Ooh. It's a sort of roco-hobo-Bohemian hodgepodge," Rarity commented as she and her friends made themselves at home while looking at Capper's belongings.

"So many fun breakables!" Pinkie exclaimed.

While the others looked around, Twilight went for the books on the library, and Jiminy hopped over to the window. "Oh boy. Sora, I hope you can figure out where we are soon," Jiminy uttered to himself nervously. "Assuming he doesn't get lost in this dangerous city..."

---

"Get back here, thief!" Sora sprinted through Kludgetown, expertly weaving around and jumping over the creatures in his way while he was being chased by a group of angry salespeople.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Sora exclaimed, giving everyone his apologies as he passed them, though it was mostly for the not-as-agile vendors clumsily bumping into the other Kludgetowners while chasing him. After getting far enough away, Sora rounded a corner down the street, then quickly hid in the shadows of a nearby alley, moving the hood of his jacket over his head to help conceal him. He watched the vendors run past, then waited a moment until the coast was clear. Sighing, and licking his dry lips, Sora leaned against the wall, exhausted from walking through the hot desert and dying of thirst. "I'm so thirsty. I doubt I'll try to get a drink around here if I'm considered a wanted criminal around here. But who put that stuff on me?"

Sticking to the alleyways, Sora made his way back to where he last left everyone. Despite being dehydrated, he wasn't going to resort to stealing to quench his thirst. Up ahead where he recalled getting split up, he heard a commotion going on. Peeking around the corner, he quickly ducked back in the shadows; the Storm King's soldiers were here, along with Tempest and Xigbar. There was also that chubby hedgehog who announced the commander's presence, but Sora wasn't concerned with him. The guards harassed and interrogated the Kludgetowners, even going so far as breaking any merchants' stalls and merchandise while searching for them while Tempest and Xigbar slowly walked down the street.

"You really think the ponies got this far?" Grubber asked Tempest.

Glancing around, Tempest caught a whiff of something that smelled like cotton candy, spotting a strand of pink hair that came from a very pink pony. "Oh, they're here," she said. "Attention! A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is-"

"Or something real bad's gonna happen!" Grubber finished.

"...Uhh, we're also purple ponies, just so you know," Xigbar reminded Tempest. "Maybe be a little more specific. Like, a princess? Who's with a stallion with spiky hair?"

The trio were soon approached by the fish monster Capper tricked, glaring at them with hatred. "You think we're gonna fall for this again?" he questioned as he loomed over the smaller ponies and hedgehog, Grubber yelping and hiding behind Xigbar. "I don't know what kind of scam you're workin' with Capper and the rest of your friends, but-"

"'Friends'?" Tempest questioned slowly, showing distasteful intrigue being considered friends to Princess Twilight and her companions.

"Capper?" Sora uttered. "Did he lure them somewhere?"

"Poison or no poison, you're gonna pay!" the fish monster growled.

Xigbar stepped between the two, letting out an amused chuckle. "Ok, listen here, buddy. We got places to be, and targets to catch. Either you tell us where they are, or prepare to get your butt kicked." The Kludgetowner roared and tried to grab Xigbar. The stallion teleported away and was met with a hard kick to the side by Tempest. Sora watched Tempest fight, and was shocked to see her speed toward the stunned fish monster, slide kicked his legs and tripped him in the air, then grabbed his tail with her mouth, jumped up high, bringing the defenseless creature with her, then flipped around and slammed him hard into the ground. She was definitely far more skilled in combat than he thought, even with Twilight explaining how good she was. While the fish monster groaned in agony, Xigbar walked over to the beaten local with a grin. "Didn't say it would come from me, though."

Tempest was the one looming over him now, her horn sparking aggressively with a threatening smile. "Now, about this...'Capper'..."

"W-W-What about him?" the creature asked, terrified, only to look in Xigbar's direction and shriek as he was met with one of his arrowguns pointed directly at his face.

"If you claimed he's friends with the ponies we're after, you know where this Capper guy lives, right?" Xigbar questioned. "And answer carefully; my trigger finger's getting mighty itchy."

"Ah! Ok, ok! Please don't shoot me with...whatever weapon that is!" the fish monster shrieked. "C-Capper lives in an old windmill on the other side of town! H-He probably brought those ponies there to his place!"

"Good boy." Using his magic, Xigbar snatched away Grubber's caramel apple he'd been snacking on since they got here, ignoring the hedgehog's complaints as he stuffed the sticky treat in the scared creature's mouth. "Have a treat. It might be your last," he threatened.

Hearing where Capper lived, Sora quickly dashed through the alleys, avoiding their line of sight as he raced them to the windmill. "I don't know who this Capper is, but I really hope he's on our side."

---

Back at Capper's home, he got to learn more about the Mane Six as they regaled many of their adventures to him, mostly just to stall them until Verko arrived. Twilight, however, was more focused on figuring out where to find the Queen of the Hippos. Luckily, Capper had a geographical book detailing the rest of the world outside of Equestria and what knowledge Twilight could recall at the top of her head. She heard her friends laughing with Capper while he relaxed on his mattress.

"Stop playin' me! A sonic rainboom?" he questioned. "That's not a real thing! Is it a real thing?"

"I'll show ya!" Rainbow offered, only for Capper to panic and stop the pegasus before she dashed out to give him a demonstration.

"Naw-naw-naw, I don't need you sonic 'rainbooming' up my place, thank you very much." Relieved to stop Rainbow Dash, he was about to look outside, only to be stopped by Rarity, her magic aura surrounding his coat's sleeves, forcing them to be held out toward her. "Whoa, hey, hold up now."

Capper watched curiously as Rarity levitated some sewing supplies the cat had in his home, then surprised him by fixing up some of the tears on his clothing. "Here you go," Rarity said. Capper didn't even see the stitch lines from her expert craftsmanship. She even pulled at the chest of the trench coat, adding in a couple gold buttons to make his outfit much more fitting his character. "I do apologize. If we were back home, I could've done something truly fabulous."

Capper looked down at the additions to his old coat, giving the unicorn a skeptical look. "...Ok, what's the catch?" he asked.

"Nothing. After all that you've done for us, consider it a 'thank you'," Rarity said.

Her answer startled Capper, which was followed by guilt as he looked away from the fashionista. "Oh...Uh, don't thank me...Really," he uttered.

Jiminy, who was still looking out at the city, let out a worried sigh, then hopped over to Twilight at the small table with the book she was reading. "This city's so big with how tall it is. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," he said. "Sora's fur, hair, and his clothes could easily blend him in this bleak place." He glanced at what Twilight was looking at, the alicorn beaming as she seemed to have found what they have been searching for. On the illustration was a tall mountain range in the middle of the ocean, and at the top was a lush forest and a glorious kingdom. The creatures that resided there from the artwork weren't hippos; they were hippogriffs, pony/eagle hybrids, which made far more sense for whom Celestia was mentioning to seek for help. "Hmm. Hippogriffs?"

"Yes, and I think I figured out just who exactly's going to help us save Equestria," Twilight said. "Guys! We've been searching for the wrong queen!" The mares and Spike gathered around Twilight, where she showed them the real aid to their kingdom's rescue. "We don't need the Queen of the Hippos! We need the Queen of the Hippogriffs!"

"Ahhh. That makes a whole lot more sense," Applejack said.

Suddenly, a loud thud from the window startled everyone, Capper letting out a surprised yowl when they saw Sora collapsed on the floor. "I...found you guys," he panted, tongue sticking out and suffering from dehydration.

"Sora!" the Mane Six and Spike simultaneously cheered.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack helped the stallion sit up, Rarity levitating a glass of water for him, who quickly drank it all in one gulp with a heavy sigh of relief. "What happened to you?" Spike asked. "Did you finally tell those merchants you're not a thief?"

"No. They didn't believe me, and somehow, I HAD the stolen goods on me," Sora said. "I was framed! And I even had a pendant with a picture of a parent's child in it! Who'd be that heartless to steal something that priceless to them!?" Capper gulped nervously, avoiding any suspicion, though failing when he met eyes with the Keyblade wielder. "And you! Why'd you take my friends to your place!?"

"He was helping us get through the dangers of the city so we could be safe here!" Pinkie answered for Capper, the cat laughing nervously in response.

"...Uh huh. Right," Sora muttered.

"Sora, we've got some good news," Twilight said. "We're actually supposed to be looking for the Queen of the Hippogriffs. Princess Celestia must have gotten cut off when she told Luna."

"...Makes a whole lot more sense," he said. "Great. We figured out who it is. Now let's get out of here."

"Heh. Well, there's a bit of a problem with your little quest," Capper said. "See, no one knows...where they are..."

"It says here they live on the top of Mount Aris," Twilight pointed out from the statements written in the geography book.

"You mean the mountain right outside the window?" Pinkie pointed out the very window Jiminy looked out at and Sora climbed into, where everyone can see, far beyond the vast desert and the ocean in the distance, was a tall mountain in the middle of the ocean.

"...Objects in windows may be less mountainous than they appear," Capper sheepishly said with a small laugh.

Sora was suspicious of the cat's behavior, but he had more important matters to deal with than the shifty-looking feline. "Ok. Now we know where to go. Let's go."

Twilight nodded in agreement, copying the map from the book, then folded it up. "W-Wait!" Capper exclaimed, quickly blocking the front door to his abode, barring the ponies and baby dragon from leaving. "You can't...make it all the way their by yourselves! You need an airship! Besides, y'all walked through a desert for hours. Wouldn't it be better for you to rest up a bit more?"

"We're not staying," Sora growled. "Now back away, or else you're gonna get it far worse than from me." Capper didn't budge, grinning nervously. Sora chomped on Capper's tail, forcefully flinging the cat out of the way. "We don't have time for any of your shenanigans! We gotta get out of this city before we run into-!"

Sora opened the door, meeting face to face with a naked mole rat in a business suit, top hat, and a pair of goggles hiding his eyes. "Here's Verko!" the rat greeted with a creepy laugh.

"AHHHH! Naked mole rat!" Sora shrieked and leapt away.

Verko let himself inside, inspecting the mares and stallion. "These ponies better shoot rainbow lasers out of their eyes if they're gonna settle your debt!" he said to Capper. Verko glanced back at Sora, grabbing his face and examining him closely. "Ah. And a male one, too. Maybe even more if he can make interesting foals with the mares."

"...I'm sorry, what in the world did you just say???" Sora questioned.

"Good thing I brought the big cage," Verko said. Outside, everyone could see out the opened door the same mole Capper informed, sitting in front of a wagon with a built in cage that was pulled by some strange creatures. "Let's load 'em up!"

"W-What!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Y-You were going to sell us!?" Rarity gasped in horror, her and the other mares glaring at their so-called friend for helping guide them through Kludgetown.

"I knew something was suspicious about you!" Jiminy said, pointing his small parasol toward the stammering feline.

"W-Wait, I-I didn't-" He was quickly silenced when he heard a flashing sound, and when he looked at Sora, his fur stood on end when he stared at the end of his Keyblade pointing at his face.

"You were going to sell me and my friends?" Sora questioned angrily. "To Rufus the Rat!?"

"The name's Verko, pony," Verko growled, barely perturbed when Sora aimed his blade at the naked mole rat.

"Who cares!? We're not pets, and we're not being sold to you!" Sora exclaimed, then looked back at Capper. "And you, cat, was this what you were planning to do!? Sell my friends to clear out some kind of debt you couldn't pay off!?"

"H-Hey, I didn't think you would get away from those merchants with all their stuff!" Capper said, only to gasp and cover his mouth.

His slip up made Sora balk, then growl, quickly slamming Capper hard into the wall. "You planted that stuff on me!?" he shouted angrily. "You think this is all some kind of game!? You're nothing but a lowlife thief who cares about no one but himself, and you don't care about who you hurt in the process!"

"I-It was my intentions at f-first, but-" Capper tried to explain, but Sora wasn't in the mood for excuses.

"We're in a very serious predicament, and we don't need you getting us behind bars for others' entertainment or be their playthings!" Sora exclaimed. "I'm leaving! With my friends! And you and your boss over there aren't going to do a damn thing to stop us!"

Suddenly, a red energy arrow flew into the windmill, striking Sora and sending him staggering away from Capper. "Knock knock." Everyone quickly turned to the entrance, seeing Xigbar with his arrowguns aimed at Sora with a cocky smirk. The ponies and baby dragon gasped, Sora ignoring the conniving Capper and focused on the purple unicorn stallion blocking their way out. "That was a warning shot, kid. Next time, these rounds are gonna hurt."

Tempest walked around with a grin as well, followed by her guards and Grubber. "Silly little ponies," Tempest chuckled. "Should have left while you could."

"...This was also the reason why I wanted us to leave," Sora grumbled, quickly getting in front of his friends to protect them.

"Big mistake trusting strangers," Tempest chided as she stepped inside.

Verko suddenly took interest in her, getting in her path and blocking both pursuers from getting closer to their targets. "Oh, my goodness!" he said, then cupped Tempest's cheeks and squished them. She scowled angrily at the naked mole rat after recovering from being touched by a creepy rodent who intended to take the Mane Six away. "Look at you! With your scary broken horn and scowly eyes."

While the two unicorns were distracted, Sora silently ushered everyone else toward the window to escape while he kept an eye on them. "Hey, rodent, I wouldn't do that to her," Xigbar warned, but Verko ignored him.

"What kind of tricks do you know, my little pony-wony?" Tempest growled, aiming her horn in Verko's face, then unleashed a powerful magic jolt. Verko was painfully zapped, his body scorched black as he let go of the irritated mare. "...Not bad..."

Verko passed out and fell down, but Tempest barely reacted in time when Sora aimed his Keyblade toward her and Xigbar. "Aeroga!" he shouted, releasing a powerful guest of wind at them.

The powerful magical gale struck them, sending them flying out of the windmill, and continued pushing through to shove the soldiers away as well. Tempest and Xigbar slammed into Verko's wagon, the mole luckily breaking away before he got crushed as the entire thing smashed to pieces, the creature pulling it let out a bellow in fright as it ran away.

"M-My...wagon," Verko weakly uttered.

"We're not paying for it, buddy," Sora said, then looked back at Twilight, being the last to climb out. "Get away from here! I'll hold them off!"

"What if you get caught!?" Twilight exclaimed.

Sora shifted his Kingdom Keyblade with the Keyblade of Laughter. "I can manage, Twilight! Just go!"

Sora ran out of the windmill, leaving Capper paralyzed in fear after witnessing his magic. From the rubble, Xigbar released a shockwave of magic, sending the broken pieces of the wagon scattering everywhere. Sora slashed each bit of debris that came his way, his focus on the two strongest leaders distracting him from the soldiers as they filed in to chase after Twilight and the others. Twilight summoned Harmony, smacking away the guards while her friends clung onto one of the blades of the windmill. She leapt out and flew up to join the others, but one of them grabbed a blade as it began to pass the window, halting its movement while keeping Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike on the opposite end at the top from moving.

"They're gonna catch us!" Fluttershy shrieked.

"Then we'll push back!" Rainbow said, flying up to the blade her friends hung onto and began pushing it. "Come on, Twilight!"

Getting her hint, Twilight flew underneath Rainbow and helped push hard. Together, they managed to overpower the soldier, increasing their speed and sent the whole windmill rapidly spinning in the opposite direction of its original, gentle flow. It smacked the soldier hard, knocking him out cold while screams coming from the ponies and baby dragon holding on tightly could be heard throughout half the town. The speed and reverse direction was too much for the supports holding the windmill in place, snapping off and sending it and its riders flying and bouncing down across the city. Twilight forced herself to look back while disoriented from the constant flipping.

"Don't worry about Sora!" Jiminy said, gripping onto Twilight's mane tightly in one hand while the other held onto his top hat. "As long as they don't have those orbs, he can handle Xigbar and Tempest on his own! He'll meet us at the docks so we can commandeer an airship to reach Mount Aris!"

"I hope so," Twilight uttered, then yelped when the windmill finally slammed into a building, sending its occupants flying onto some scaffolding. The ponies landed, staggering slightly out of dizziness before finally getting their bearings and ran as the scaffolding began to crumble and collapse from the giant runaway blades. They leapt through the window of a building at the end, safely making it out and kept on running for the docks to escape Tempest's guards. "Sora, please hurry and find us!"

---

Xigbar teleported around the city, firing a barrage of energy arrows down on Sora while avoiding his deflected shots. While smacking back Xigbar's projectiles, he quickly ducked a swift roundhouse kick from Tempest, leaping back and blocking her quick hooves as she lunged toward him with her close quarters combat skills. Even as Sora retaliated to strike back, he was surprised to see that the armored shoes she wore was able to block his blunt sword-like weapon. She may move fast, but he was faster and had more dexterity than she did.

Flipping away while avoiding a powerful buck from Tempest, Sora flung his Keyblade up, catching it in his tail while standing on his forehooves. He caught the mare off guard as she was smacked hard by his blade while firmly wrapped by his tail. He then flung it at her, forcing her to leap to the side, but Sora made a charge for her as he landed back on all fours, summoning his Keyblade back in his mouth, striking her again to send her sailing several yards away from him. She was grateful for her armor's durability against a powerful weapon not unlike any in her world, her horn sparking to show her irritation toward Sora's more superb skills.

Xigbar warped beside her, reloading his weapons with a twirl. "I never expected a Keyblade wielder to be this good," Tempest growled.

"They fight Heartless for a living," Xigbar said. "Far more unpredictable than anything that has a brain. Never underestimate any of them, especially this kid. Why do you think I tried to get rid of all his friends first before coming after him?"

Sora crouched down, ready for another attack. His ears perked up when he heard the mares and Spike screaming, followed by a cracking of wood splintering off. He quickly looked behind him, watching the windmill snapping off and his friends' screams getting further away as the blades rolled and tumbled through the town. Tempest growled as the princess was getting away, but Sora quickly cast Blizzaga, forcing her to leap away and focus on him rather than chase after Twilight.

"You want them!? You'll have to get through me!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hahah! Looks like someone's wearing his big boy pants!" Xigbar taunted. "Finally sticking around instead of running away!?"

"I was told to run." Sora aimed his Keyblade at Xigbar and Tempest, ready to see what the Keyblade of Laughter can change into. He hoped they would buy his bluff, knowing the girls and Spike were in far more danger with the Storm King's soldiers chasing them while distracting their commander and a Nobody from the Organization. "Not this time."

Sora's clothing shifted into a bright pink color with blue and yellow balloons rising and popping in bursts of confetti. Tempest eyed Sora's suddenly changing outfit in confusion, only to be shocked when the Keyblade of Laughter suddenly began to inflate and bloat up like a balloon. Sora was also a little surprised, his grip on the weapon lost as it eventually sputtered out of his hoof, orbiting around him and letting out smoke as it split into two and shrank down in size. Xigbar watched curiously, learning about Sora's Formchanges from those in the Organization that were unfortunate in getting their butts handed to them. Sora thrust his hooves out, grasping the split Keyblade halves, which had now turning into blue and yellow bubble guns, the barrel sights shaped like a cupcake. Sora spun his guns with flair before setting them down at his sides, letting go, and to both unicorns' shock, set in some sort of invisible holster as they floated perfectly beside him.

"...What...He can...change how they look?" Tempest questioned.

"Yeah. This is new, though," Xigbar said. His shock faded, getting his cocky smirk back as he watched Sora slowly approach them with a serious expression. "Ah, a showdown, eh? I'll play along, kid." He levitated his arrowguns at his sides with his magic, mimicking Sora's slow, intimidating walk. Some of the Kludgetowners who overheard the commotion had quickly fled when the three ponies began fighting, a select few sticking around to watch, despite how dangerously skilled they were. "Think you can take on an expert sharpshooter like me?"

"Oh, I know I can take you on, homber," Sora said.

"It's pronounced 'hombre', kid," Xigbar corrected.

"I know what I said," Sora said, squinting seriously at the dark purple stallion.

Tempest shook her head at the goofy silliness coming from Sora, which felt a bit odd after seeing just how serious of a fighter he was first hoof. As the two stallions closed the gap, standing several yards away from each other, they stared each other down, waiting for that invisible clock to countdown to draw their weapons. Silence filled the air as the stupidly brave audience of the city's creatures waited with bated breath, even Tempest as she waited for either of them to move. After an intense minute, Xigbar quickly grasped his arrowguns, aimed at Sora, and fired a blue energy arrow at him within milliseconds. Sora reacted much faster, diving away from Xigbar's aim as his forehooves grasped his bubble guns. Taking aim himself, his Formchanged weapon fired off several rounds of colorful bubbles with just as much speed as Xigbar's shot.

Xigbar's eye widened, not expecting such quick reflexes, grunting in pain as the bubbles popped and hurt him, especially his hooves as he clutched them while his guns flipped around midair beside him. Sora rolled across the ground, then began to run on his hind legs and continued firing at Xigbar. The unicorn stallion quickly teleported away, but as he returned, the bubble projectiles began homing in on him, prompting him to fire back and pop them to avoid getting struck again. Tempest snapped out of her shock after seeing him move so fast in the blink of an eye, charging toward him while her horn sparked and released a bolt of lightning on him. She struck him, but her smirk quickly faded when the shocked pegasus suddenly burst into confetti and bubbles.

"W-What!? What happened to-!?" Tempest turned around, meeting the dual barrels of Sora's bubble guns before he unleashed a barrage of rapid fired, spread shot bubbles on the mare.

Tempest grunted in pain and annoyance as the popping bubbles felt like a small firecracker blowing up right on her skin while staggering backwards from the onslaught. Xigbar warped to the top of the windmill, shifting his guns into a rifle, then took aim while Sora was busy shooting bubbles at the stunned Tempest. Just as Xigbar was about to pull the trigger, Sora's ear twitch, then glanced up at his perch, staring directly through his line of sight before quickly zipping off, leaving the bubble guns to flip erratically when the pegasus let go as he dashed away to being completely invisible before following him and disappearing as well.

"The hell?" Xigbar uttered. He quickly looked around the area, trying to figure out where Sora disappeared to, moving at such a speed that baffled him. "Where are you, kid?" Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, smacking it away while he was focused on searching for his prey. "Hey, back off! I'm trying to find-!...Wait a minute. I'm the only one up here."

Xigbar dared to turn his head to see who somehow reached his sniping perch without climbing up or flying in his line of sight. "Surprise!" Sora shouted, bucking the stallion hard in the face, somehow managing to nick his horn with one of his hooves, sending him flying off the windmill and fall to the ground.

Sora spiral flipped off the edge after him, bubble guns in his hooves, and fired while spinning. Several bubbles flew down, passing Xigbar before turning around and flying back up toward him. While Xigbar tried to teleport away, wincing slightly when his horn sputtered, he wheezed when Sora caught up to him, dive kicking him hard in the gut as he was struck in the back by Sora's bubbles as they fell. Forced to use his own spacial rending abilities, Xigbar warped away, clutching his stomach as he struggled to breathe. Landing as light as a feather, Sora heard Tempest charge toward him again, leaping back from her hooves while firing aimlessly as he flipped, rolled, even breakdancing away to goad her into trying to hit him.

"Will you just hold still!?" Tempest exclaimed, leaping up and dive kicking down on him.

She managed to land a hit, but again, Sora disappeared in a flash of bubbles and confetti. While frustrated, she turned around, finding the stallion with his back turned to her, twirling his guns before sticking them back in their invisible holsters. Once they were down, Tempest was suddenly bombarded by bubbles Sora intentionally fired and missed her with, every part of her covered in bubbles before they blew up and sent her flying back toward Xigbar.

Sora wasn't done with them just yet. Grasping his guns while the two pursuers recovered from his random counterattack, he placed the barrels to his mouth and blew into them, making them inflate like balloons. Tempest and Xigbar looked up in time, gawking at the now thin and bloated guns. With his back turned toward them once again, Sora began twisting and tying them up, rubber squeaky sounds grating their ears like he was actually making a balloon animal out of his own weapons. When it finally ended, Sora glanced over his shoulder with a sadistic grin toward the two unicorns.

"Say hello...to my little friend!" Turning around, he hefted over his shoulder what he crafted: a large rocket launcher of blue and yellow, looking almost rubber, yet more solid like metal, the large barrel of the dangerous artillery weapon in the shape of a cupcake.

Tempest and Xigbar stared with wide eyes, glanced at each other, then back at Sora's bigger weapon. "...Kinda wished we brought some of them orbs," Xigbar uttered to himself.

"Agreed," Tempest said.

"Time to blow this party sky high!" Sora aimed the heavy barrel at the two unicorns, firing a rocket in the shape of a cupcake straight toward them.

Tempest and Xigbar scattered, avoiding the explosion by the skin of their teeth as the blast sent splatters of cake batter in a ten yard radius. "What kind of power does he even have!?" Tempest questioned Xigbar, running away from another rocket heading her way.

"I have no idea anymore!" Xigbar shouted, trying to take pot shots at Sora from behind cover.

Xigbar managed to distract Sora, firing more exploding cupcakes at him while he warped around, keeping his eyes off Tempest. Finding the perfect opportunity, Tempest dashed forward, leapt up high, and dive kicked him once more. Sora's tail began twitching erratically, understanding this telltale sign if Pinkie had this happen to her before. Quickly, he stopped firing at Xigbar, holding up his launcher to block Tempest's hoof just as she was about to strike him. Shocked and completely off guard, Tempest was suddenly sent into a rapid spiral, Sora swinging his launcher to send her into an uncontrollable midair tumble, then slamming it down on her to the ground with a strength and speed no normal pegasus could do with something that big.

Pulling his weapon off Tempest, leaving her a groaning mess with her body imprinted in the cobblestone street, Sora chuckled and took in a deep breath through his nostrils. "I love the smell of vanilla in the afternoon." While his back was turned, Xigbar warped behind Sora, cocking his arrowguns as he pointed them directly in the back of Sora's head. "...Well, that's embarrassing."

"I've got you now, Sora," Xigbar said. "Drop that rocket launcher."

"Oh, but it's not you that's got me," Sora said, though his voice sounded like it came from behind the one-eyed unicorn sniper. Xigbar heard the rocket launcher reload, turning back in shock to see Sora standing behind him, rocket aimed point blank at him. "It's me that's got you."

Startled, Xigbar looked back at the other "Sora", shakily prodding the back of the stallion's head, only to puncture a life size balloon of him and cause it deflate, the launcher part of the decoy as it sputtered down in a floppy heap before disappearing in a burst of confetti by Xigbar's hooves. "...H-How in the hell-???"

"Yeah. You might know a lot about me. But, when it comes to Pinkie...you really should expect the unexpected," Sora mocked. Xigbar grunted in annoyance, slamming a hoof down and summoned several Snipers, surrounding them both as they aimed at Sora. Sora just shook his head, then aimed his launcher down at the ground. "Like this."

Quickly leaping up, Sora sent himself skyrocketing high as he launched an explosive cupcake, the blast sending him flying while the explosion caught Xigbar and the Snipers, knocking them away while covered in cake batter. Aiming back down, Sora unleashed this Formchange's ultimate attack. The barrel of the launcher began to bulge, a much more massive cupcake being formed as it expanded the mouth of the barrel for it to be fired out from. Pulling the trigger, the large cupcake launched out with such incredible force, sending Sora even further up in the air, giving him the opportunity to dash away, falling back to the ground and catch up to the others to escape.

Xigbar growled, shaking off the batter sticking to his clothes and face. When he looked up, his ears drooped while he frowned in shock at the sight of the huge cupcake projectile falling toward them. He tried to teleport away, but somehow, the batter must have had some magical nullifying effects, preventing him from fleeing, even when he tried to move his hind legs out of the very sticky batter. Tempest grunted as she stood back up, looking around for Sora, but Xigbar tilted her head up, showing her their demise as it got closer. They braced for an explosive end, only for the cupcake to freeze several feet above them, then explode with confetti, covering the two unicorns and Nobodies in colorful bits of paper.

"...Was that it?" Xigbar questioned. "...Was that seriously the big finish? Vexen, Demyx, and Larxene said he had devastating ends to these forms of his, and...THAT showers us in confetti?"

"Wait," Tempest uttered, perking her ears up as she began hearing something strange. "...Do you hear...hissing?"

Xigbar silently listened as well, hearing the exact same sound as Tempest. "Yeah...Where's it-?" Suddenly, the confetti covering them began to glow, the hissing growling louder as a small high-pitched whine was heard after. Xigbar's face dropped. "...Son of a bi-"

He was cut off by a massive string of explosions, the confetti blowing up while also somehow scattering hundreds of gallons of cake batter within fifty yards from the blast point. The Nobodies were quickly killed in the explosion as the sounds of hilarious laughter echoed around them like a practical joke was played on them. Grubber had hid during the fight, peeking his head around a stall to find Xigbar and Tempest covered from head to hoof in batter, some of the buildings coated in it as well as it dripped down to the ground in the massive puddle inside the blast radius. Even Capper took a peek outside his home, gulping nervously after witnessing one of Sora's powerful forms.

"Whoa...He's...really strong," Grubber uttered. He approached the stunned unicorns, their eyes blinking while paralyzed in shock. The hedgehog took a glob of the batter, sticking some in his mouth, then let out a hum in delight while licking his lips. "Vanilla."

Tempest let out a growl, wiping her face with her hoof, swinging it off and smacked Grubber in the face with some, who eagerly licked his face clean. "No wonder your boss is interested in him," she uttered. "He's far better than his other friends."

"And you got to see him in action," Xigbar grumbled. "But the kid's all luck. It'll run out soon..."

---

The Mane Six panted as they ran through the streets to find the closest airship docking station, Jiminy holding onto Twilight's mane and Spike clutching his arms around Applejack's neck tightly. They stumbled when they felt an explosion almost halfway across the city, but they didn't stop to wonder what it was and kept running. They finally reached a dock, an airship already beginning to set off south across the sea of desert sand. Rainbow flew ahead, grabbing the end of the rope that was still tied to the ship as it left the boardwalk, pulling it back tightly to create a very thin tightrope for the non-flyers to get across and board to safety. Rarity and Applejack went first, the latter trying to nudge the former to move a little faster, knowing there wouldn't be much rope left for Rainbow to hold for the others.

"Come on, now. Just don't look down," Applejack tried to advise while rushing Rarity.

Twilight looked back, fearing something bad happened to Sora. "Come on, Sora. The ship's getting farther away!"

Applejack and Rarity finally made it, Fluttershy flying beside them to make sure they didn't lose their balance, followed by Spike as he almost lost his footing a couple times. Leaping from the rooftops, Sora managed to find them, leaping down and ran toward them, to Twilight's relief.

"Hurry! Get on!" Sora called out. "I'm coming!"

Pinkie cheered as she went next, jumping on the rope instead of carefully traversing it like the others. Her leap caused Rainbow to get pulled along with a startled yelp, and her failure to grab onto the now swinging rope caused Pinkie to fall to the ground.

"Pinkie!" Twilight cried out, flying after her while Rainbow tried to recover to bring the rope back for Sora, knowing he was unable to fly at the moment.

Sora sprinted across the deck as fast as he could, hearing Pinkie scream before getting cut off with a grunt. Twilight managed to save her from falling to her death by mere inches, carrying her friend all the way back up to the stern of the airship. Rainbow tried to help, but the airship had already gone too far out, the rope tugged out of her mouth as she attempted to bring it close enough for Sora to grab on.

"Oh crud!" Rainbow exclaimed.

She tried to get him to stop, but Sora made a hard leap off the edge of the dock. He made it several yards before his distance began to slow down, going into a free fall as he focused on the swinging rope hanging from the ship. The rope came swinging back toward him, and he dove for it, latching onto the end with his teeth, using his momentum to swing himself high enough to leap at the peak of his swing. He landed on the stern next to Twilight and Pinkie, his heart racing from the close calls he made in the last several minutes, Rainbow flying back over to join them.

"Best. Escape plan. EVER!!!!" Pinkie cheered.

Exasperated, Twilight leered at Pinkie. "What!?"

Before she could scold Pinkie for doing something that insane and almost leaving Sora behind, Applejack lassoed Twilight, Pinkie, and Sora with a rope, tugging them behind stacks of cargo. Spike quickly shushed them as two members of the crew looked around after hearing Pinkie.

"Did you hear something?" a male voice asked, getting a strange squawk in response to the first one's question. "Eh, probably just the rats. If we find 'em, we'll eat 'em."

Rarity whimpered, more disturbed by running into rats on the airship than getting eaten by this group of sailors. Sora peeked around the crates to see who they would have to deal with to commandeer this ship, but the two crewmen left the area. He sighed in relief, feeling incredibly worn out after using the Keyblade of Laughter, either due to his earlier dehydration or the over abundance of energy he felt while in that Formchange.

"That was a close one," Twilight uttered. "Sora, what happened? Did you get rid of them?"

"Let's just say they're left in a sticky situation," Sora said with a small chuckle before leaning against the cargo and passing out.

The ponies and baby dragon left the stallion to rest, knowing he'll need all his energy for the airship's crew if they caught them stowing away. Twilight pulled out the map she copied, hoping they'll reach Mount Aris soon and save Equestria and their friends.

---

Tempest and Xigbar returned to the airship after cleaning themselves up from the messy cake batter from Sora's powerful, but also incredibly strange Formchange power. Tempest ordered the soldiers to find Capper after learning he had harbored them to sell to the disturbing naked mole rat, Verko. While waiting for them to return, Grubber had managed to snatch up a large bowl and scoop it filled to the brim with the puddle of batter in the aftermath of the explosive surprise, grabbing handfuls and stuffing his face like the pudgy hedgehog he was.

"Enjoying your snack?" Xigbar asked.

"It's so good," Grubba moaned. "Want some?" Giving the hedgehog a blank stare, he held out his hoof, taking the offer. When Grubber gave it to Xigbar, the stallion tossed it over the dock, summoned an arrowgun, and fire an arrow at the bowl, shattering it to pieces and sending the batter over the side. "Hey!"

"Forgot to mention I got a body shot worth of the stuff," Xigbar said. "You don't need anymore. Probably don't even know where it's been."

The soldiers finally returned, tossing Capper down to the ground before the two unicorns. Capper looked up at the two ponies nervously as he stood back up.

"Where are they going?" Tempest questioned.

"Uhh...who's going where?" Capper asked sheepishly, earning a hard shove from one of the soldiers behind him. Recovering from his stagger, the feline huffed in annoyance and brushed the dust off his coat. "Ok, no need for more violence than what I saw. They were headed..." Capper trailed off, looking down at the gold buttons Rarity sewn into his tattered clothing as he lifted an arm to point out where the ponies were headed. He felt awful lying to them and tried to sell them off to the rodent who he owned an incredible debt to his livelihood wouldn't be able to pay off. And by living a life stealing just to get by and unable to trust others with a favor unless he returned one in an equivalent exchange, he was going to betray one mare who did something nice for him out of the generosity of her heart; the only person in his life who did ANYTHING nice for him. Even without risking getting his tail hacked by Sora and his Keyblade, or Keyblades after seeing him summon a different one, Capper decided he was going to repay Rarity for fixing up his old and torn duds, snapping out of his guilt as he grinned. "...They headed east! To, uhh...Black Skull Island."

"Black Skull Island?" Xigbar wondered aloud. "Weird place for them to go to next after they wore the desert while on the run."

"That's what they were talkin' about when I had them in my home," Capper assured, retaining his calm and sly con artist persona as he began to back away. "Glad I could be of help to His Majesty, the Storm King. I'll just be on my way."

He turned around to make his leave, but when he blinked, he yowled in shock, staring at an arrowgun pointing at him through a spacial void. "Turn around, cat," Xigbar ordered. Swallowing nervously, Capper slowly turned around, Xigbar's foreleg sticking through a similar void in front of him with a cocky smirk. "Since you're that confident, we're taking you with us to make sure you're telling the truth."

"Yes, and when I get my princess, we'll consider letting you go," Tempest added. "Your fate is still...up in the air."

Xigbar snickered at Tempest's clever response, though Grubber seemed a bit too enthusiastic with her pun. "Oh, you're gonna go on a skiff! Which is a boat! Specifically, a air-boat!"

Xigbar's grin turned into an annoyed frown as Grubber continued explaining the joke. He knocked the hedgehog upside the head, shutting him up before pulling his hoof out and dismissed his arrowgun.

"Should have let you keep that bowl of batter so you'd keep your annoying mouth shut," Xigbar grumbled, following Tempest back on the ship while the soldiers escorted Capper up the ramp. As they began to take off, Xigbar approached Capper when the guards left him alone. "Hope you're not leading us astray, kitty cat. If we're heading away from them..." After a few seconds of silence, Xigbar quickly shot up both hooves, making Capper yelp and flinch as he mimicked shooting his arroguns at him to give him a fright. He laughed in amusement, relishing the terrified expression on Capper's face. "You'll be in far more trouble than debt collectors pounding on your door."

Xigbar walked away, letting out a small whistle to summon two Snipers at Capper's sides as his prison guards. The feline whimpered, hoping the trouble he's gotten himself in will be worth it for Twilight, Sora, and their friends.

Comments

[zachary12]

nice work

[JesusG0987]

Okay. That was an awesome chapter. And I’m guessing there’s two or three more to go since there were this many scene. And I was right, Tempest still needs Twilight. And man that was some battle, Sora even made Tempest afraid. And man he got serious when his friends turn to stone. And at least Jiminy survived the liberation of Canterlot. But looks like there are more surprises along the way. I can’t wait for the next chapter!

[Kreotre]

Awesome work keep it up 😎👍

[Torielfan2019]

Looking forward to the next update!^^

[shining paladin]

amazing chapter so far keep it up of all the formchanges i like pinkie pie the best cant wait for the next chapter

[MagicLover2128]

Okay, that was a good chapter, I enjoyed it a lot especially the Element of Laughter Keyblade’s formchange.

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

"Let Auntie Pinkie Pie handle this, Twilight," Pinkie said. Twilight tried to interject, but she went right back to Sora and poked his muzzle. "If we're going on this journey, we're all gonna be moving with happiness and positivity under our belts! We WILL save Equestria, defeat the bad guys, and rescue all of our friends, both soft, squishy, and cuddly and frozen in fear as statues! But you, Sora, cannot come with us if you don't turn that frowny upside-downy! It's all about smiles and hope all the way through!"

OMG It's a reference to the 1st Game, I LOVE IT!!!!!

[Paulli]

"Ah, a showdown, eh? I'll play along, kid." He levitated his arrowguns at his sides with his magic, mimicking Sora's slow, intimidating walk. Some of the Kludgetowners who overheard the commotion had quickly fled when the three ponies began fighting, a select few sticking around to watch, despite how dangerously skilled they were. "Think you can take on an expert sharpshooter like me?"

"Oh, I know I can take you on, homber," Sora said.

"It's pronounced 'hombre', kid," Xigbar corrected.

"I know what I said," Sora said, squinting seriously at the dark purple stallion.

Xigbar: Ho. You're approaching me? Rather than flee you'd come closer?

Sora: I can't beat the s**t out of you without getting closer.

Xigbar: Then come as close as you want.

"Say hello...to my little friend!"

You wanna play rough?! OK!

Quickly leaping up, Sora sent himself skyrocketing high as he launched an explosive cupcake, the blast sending him flying while the explosion caught Xigbar and the Snipers, knocking them away while covered in cake batter. Aiming back down, Sora unleashed this Formchange's ultimate attack. The barrel of the launcher began to bulge, a much more massive cupcake being formed as it expanded the mouth of the barrel for it to be fired out from. Pulling the trigger, the large cupcake launched out with such incredible force, sending Sora even further up in the air, giving him the opportunity to dash away, falling back to the ground and catch up to the others to escape.

I know what you were doing there, Sora. You used the final, desperate most ultimate move to achieve success.
media.tenor.com/images/c0c3d886fd755c24ebf5f8a815acece9/tenor.gif
Paddle the hell away!

[Brony989]

I can't wait for the next chapter to come 😁

[Master of Ice]

Poor xigbar he got destroyed by pinkie power

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Nicely done!

[Sora Hikari]

I never saw the movie myself but this will do just fine.

[MLPFanForever]

Awesome!

[CJWar25]

Will Sora gain a new form while fighting the storm king

[CJWar25]

Do u believe that xigbar betray them when the storm king appears

[Brony989]

10176304
I'm sure hope so

[Animation Crusader]

Really loving the movie arc so far. The added presence of the Organization made the Storm King's threat more real.

Kairi sacrificing herself to save Sora was both sweet and also really sad. Though I'm a bit confused, since the Storm King has four princesses now, does that mean he can power up his scepter right away?

The part with the windmill escape is one of my favorite parts of the movie. It's such a dynamic scene that hasn't been seen in the show before, so it was really fun reading it here. Can't wait for them to encounter the sky pirates and the hippogriffs.

[Brony989]

I can't wait to see sky pirates and Hippogriffs at the next chapter

[TheFVguy]

Well, here we go again. And I'm super late, damn.

---

Sighing to himself, Sora hung his head for a moment, then quickly shot it back up, giving the girls, Spike, and Jiminy a widely forced smile, letting out a strained groan as he held it for a while with his eyes looking up at the sky. He held that face for a good minute, looking back at the others to see awkward stares. His smile faltered from the lacking reaction, only to finally get one when Pinkie sputtered and burst out laughing. As she fell over, Rainbow and Applejack were the next to follow Pinkie at the ridiculous face Sora made, snickers turning to guffaws, which led to a chain reaction with the rest of the group.

This is a nice reference to the famous KH, and it's also a nice way to segway into the situation that we are basically starting from square one. Sora and the mane six are the main protagonists, without any of the KH characters. I'm going to guess that what Sora's arc is going to be in this movie; it's trying to realize that he doesn't have to solve this entire problem on his own.
His fiancée, his close and friends, and basically the entire kingdom of Equestria he was sworn to protect has been conquered. That must be a heavyweight of responsibility to Sora, and while we see him nearly given up, we do see him struggle if he can even do this. This would be a great opportunity for Sora to learn that he doesn't have to do everything on his own. He's super powerful, can take down almost anybody on his own, as we see throughout the countless battles, but he always finishes them off on his own. Sure, he does have some help from his friends, but he always delivers the finishing blow. Wouldn't be interesting if Sora goes through this struggle, the fact he failed and he believes that he has to do this alone.
What I so, desperately hope to NOT see, is Sora's speaking his famous "You suck" speech to Twilight for the moment in the movie where she says she's better off without them. That would be so repetitive, something he says countless times to the other characters, it just gets so annoying.
What would be so interesting is seeing Sora side with Twilight, in fact, what if Sora helps her in trying to steal the pearl, while Jiminy also acts as Sora's conscious throughout the story? Wouldn't be so fascinating to see Sora be the one to say that "He's better off without them" to the Mane six minutes before Twilight could, because they're interfering with the plan to rescue his friends. Seeing Twilight and Sora argue with the rest of their friends, and Sora saying that, shocking everyone, even Twilight, would be great for his character, because, we rarely ever see him be the cause of his conflicts in the story. A character with genuine flaws is so much more interesting than ones that don't go through anything in this story. I know that Twilight is one that should go through an arc in the original movie, but Sora is our main protag here, so maybe it should be him instead of Twilight, it would be much more impactful!
We always see him feel guilty because of something, but we don't get to see him face the actual consequences of his actions.
Now, maybe I'm just rambling and Sora might have already learn such a lesson before, but this fic is so long, so sorry for forgetting. I know the idea of working together sounds like something Sora should already know, but given the context of the situation, it wouldn't feel out of character if he does go through this. His friends are his power, but if he can't protect them on his own, what's the point? Sora needs to learn that he doesn't have to go through this alone and that his friends aren't only his power, he can be their power as well. He doesn't have to struggle on his own, he has people around him who care about him that can help.
I hope with the final clash of the Storm King, Sora will not take him down single-handily, he will have help from all his friends. Heck, I hope Tempest is still the one who delivers the final blow to his demise and Sora.
This would be a great opportunity for Sora's development, I can't wait what you have in store. There's so much great potential here.

---

"No, you have three EQUESTRIAN princesses," Xigbar corrected. Tempest growled and let her horn spark, prompting Xigbar to call his arrowguns in self defense. "Look, I'm not gonna fight with you over semantics, but this is gonna get very serious if the Storm King arrives, and the staff won't work if it doesn't take Kairi's magic. You just told him that it channels the magic of the four rulers of THIS land, heavy emphasis on 'this land', or 'world'."

Xigbar stepped between the two, letting out an amused chuckle. "Ok, listen here, buddy. We got places to be, and targets to catch. Either you tell us where they are, or prepare to get your butt kicked." The Kludgetowner roared and tried to grab Xigbar. The stallion teleported away and was met with a hard kick to the side by Tempest. Sora watched Tempest fight, and was shocked to see her speed toward the stunned fish monster, slide kicked his legs and tripped him in the air, then grabbed his tail with her mouth, jumped up high, bringing the defenseless creature with her, then flipped around and slammed him hard into the ground. "Didn't say it would come from me, though."

Tempest and Xigbar stared with wide eyes, glanced at each other, then back at Sora's bigger weapon. "...Kinda wished we brought some of them orbs," Xigbar uttered to himself.

"Agreed," Tempest said.

I love the interactions between these two. You made their dynamic so much fun, it's surprising. They both work so well as villains together, and it's also great seeing Xigbar admire Tempest's strength and her unfearful attitude towards him.
I believe the two will possibly form a powerful bond in the future. Possibly even friends. This could also go well with Sora arc, seeing the villains work well together, while Sora doesn't with the mane six, it would be a great parallel!
This could be potential for Tempest's character, maybe the two would form a friendship, without knowing. Or more accurately, Tempest feels that she forms a friendship with Xigbar, but refuses to accept it until the end. Of course, knowing Xigbar's character, he never accepts a friendship with her, since his goals are his priority, like his master before him. This potential friendship could lead to Tempest want to truly befriend him or possibly redeem, and maybe give more insight to Xigbar's character.
I have no idea what you have planned for him and the future of KH. MLP is over, but KH is still going, and there are still many unanswered questions. I don't know what's going to be for Xigbar's character, but Tempest being a part of it would really be interesting. I would be kind of disappointed if their interaction was quick and done like that. There's great potential here for more, especially with how much they might interact in this movie.

---

And so, that's pretty much everything, some keynotes:
# A callout to the concept of "the different laws of the world," when Xigbar pointed out the Staff of Sarcanas not working with Kairi, quite an interesting choice, although, given that concept isn't canon in this AU, considering Tirek was capable of absorbing Keyblade magi, might mean that Kairi's magic will most likely be stolen, though we have to wait and see.
# There seems a great emphasis on Rarity and Capper's interaction, even some that weren't in the movie. Could this hint at a future romance? In canon, we don't even know if she ended up with anybody, so she's pretty much an open book. This could also just be anything, not expecting a lot, for all we know, it's just Rarity doing a nice thing a Capper owing her one. Though I wouldn't be surprised if this is the direction you might go for, it would be curious to see.
# We finally got to see the keyblade of laughter, and holy shit, it didn't disappoint. The Idea of it being a bazooka is so fitting, and also that final blow with the multiple caterings being bombs, glorious. I think this might be my second favorite, alongside the one of Kindness.
# My boy Kaito is back! I wonder how will fit in this story, maybe venturing to Seaequestria with the rest of the gang, or helping to try to break the other ponies free? Will have to wait and see, curious what you up for him

Anyway, that's all, shine on my dude.

[RainbowAnime]

I am glad to see the movie! But i like to see the most is the chapter about the School of Friendships!
But i am excited to see the Hippogriff, especially there one of the 6 young.

I have a question: Do you use comic characters?

[HarryBuilder]

10189448
Well I have a feeling the Keyblade Academy will become a thing.

[Codex92]

10189448
I really don't use the comics for any sort of canon to the animation, so I won't really include other characters from the comics. But, since the MLP movie had prequel comics, I'm actually going to include the events and characters that were involved in there since it sets up a lot of the allies backstories the Mane 6 meet on their way to Mount Aris. I did read through all four of them, and even if my descriptions for them are brief or summarized, I won't go into too much detail while looking them up since the site I read them on for free has some certain ads that might or might not be all that dangerous for my laptop.

[Dramamaster829]

10191510
Oh yeah, I know about the comics. They provided some additional backstory on some of the characters. Like how Capper used to have a best friend from their home kingdom who abandoned him to Klugetown or how the Pirates were made as the Storm King's delivery birds after a botched pirate raid on his possessions.

There was even talk of how The Storm King effectively plundered an entire kingdom without actually taking over it as he doesn't believe in that kind of dominion or even how Tempest was found wandering by herself in the desert until The Storm King himself found her.

No guarantee most of those details will be included, although to be fair I do feel they could've helped improved the initial film. BUT... I'm sure what you have in mind for the remainder of the movie will be enjoyable.

Just wait till you get to the 'later' seasons..

[talontitanbane]

"W-What!? What happened to-!?" Tempest turned around, meeting the dual barrels of Sora's bubble guns before he unleashed a barrage of rapid fired, spread shot bubbles on the mare.

Sora: Surprise mother fucker!

Tempest:

[talontitanbane]

"The hell?" Xigbar uttered. He quickly looked around the area, trying to figure out where Sora disappeared to, moving at such a speed that baffled him. "Where are you, kid?" Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, smacking it away while he was focused on searching for his prey. "Hey, back off! I'm trying to find-!...Wait a minute. I'm the only one up here."

Sora: whatcha looking for?

Xigbar: some snot nosed kid. ... Hey wait a minute!