What Lies Beneath
Terra walked through the halls of the School of Friendship, lessons already underway as he passed by the different classrooms each mare of the Mane Six taught. Only a few more months left until it's summer vacation for all schools in the world. Despite some mishaps in the past, everyone was learning at quite a steady pace, succeeding far better than what Chancellor Neighsay had expected when he believed other creatures didn't deserve to learn about friendship. The older stallion's ideology that the neighboring kingdoms using friendship as a weapon against them was so short-sighted, he was still unaware of the repercussions by being racist and causing said war he had been concerned about. He did hear about Flim and Flam's Friendship University being shut down by extorting and embezzling ponies in Las Pegasus with free tuition, but having to pay for the lessons they taught, and using those funds for additions to their hotel. No one's heard from any of Neighsay's complaints or backhanded attempts to prove them wrong after news spread of the incident.
"The Tree of Harmony remains one of the most powerful sources of magic known to ponydom." Terra stopped as he passed by Twilight's classroom, overhearing her lesson to her students in class today. The door was slightly ajar, spotting The Young Six in the front row, Cozy Glow behind Silverstream and Sandbar with neatly stacked papers filled with notes from Twilight's lesson, and several other pony students attending. The alicorn stood before her blackboard with a drawn out image of the Tree of Harmony, the placements of the Elements of Harmony, and a colored mugshot of each of the Mane Six connected to their respective Element on the tree's branches. "And though it has been at the 'root' of magic and friendship from the moment it was planted, its ways are mysterious. Almost as if it has a mind of its own."
Terra rolled his eyes at the tree-related pun Twilight made. "Mind?" Smolder questioned. "Its a tree."
"A tree that grew a castle," Twilight specified, giving an example to the tree's sentience and an explanation for Twilight's castle's creation.
"Uhh, was that before or after Discord made chocolate rain?" Silverstream asked, scratching her head as she looked through her scrambled notes in confusion.
"After," Cozy Glow answered. "When Tirek took all the magic from every single pony in Equestria, including the alicorn princesses, Princess Twilight and her friends unlocked the box the Tree of Harmony gifted them once the last key was found, then they gained new Harmony powers, defeated Tirek, and the box then turned into the crystal castle in Ponyville."
"That's exactly right, Cozy Glow," Twilight praised. "You're progressing very well with your lessons much faster than anypony your age."
While Cozy Glow beamed with pride, Gallus grumbled as he started getting a headache. "I'm never gonna learn pony history..."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. "Ok, lessons are over for today," Twilight said. "Tomorrow, you can show me what you learned on the test - 'Friendship's Effect on the Course of Equestrian History'." Most of the students groaned in exasperation at the thought of being tested tomorrow. Cozy, however, was overjoyed and eager to pass with flying colors. The students began filing out to prepare for tomorrow, passing by Terra as he watched them walk by. "Remember: study groups are both fun AND effective!"
Cozy was the last to leave after gathering her papers. "Hello, Mr. Terra!" she greeted before flying off to continue her studies.
"Try not to stay up too late studying," he called out to the filly. He chuckled, shaking his head at the enthusiasm the orphaned filly had to share. "How does Sora not suffer from a heart attack from her optimistic attitude?"
He went out to the courtyard, where he saw the Young Six gathered around and sorting out their school supplies. "So, who wants to study together?" Sandbar asked.
"With other students?" Gallus questioned. "This is Equestria! If you want the real scoop, there's only one place to go." The griffon flew over to a nearby tree in the courtyard, lifting his hands up while mockingly praising it. "Hello, oh magical Equestrian tree! Can you tell me everything I need to know about friendship?"
He paused in the silence, as if he was expecting an answer. Sandbar looked a bit annoyed while the others were amused by Gallus's antics. They wound up laughing despite the terrible joke, making their way to the school's library to get to studying. Terra passed them and approached the tree Gallus "spoke" to. He glanced back at the six friends, then back to the tree, glancing over toward a sewer grate nearby, which emanated a mysterious light while also revealing to Terra the faint image of Master Eraqus as a unicorn.
"He wouldn't be laughing if he knew She had heard that insulting remark," Eraqus said.
Shocked, Terra stared at his mentor. He wasn't in a meditative state if he had somehow wound up within his own heart, the mosaic of himself with his Keyblade the only source of illumination in the vast darkness. His eyes and ears weren't deceiving him, as hard as it was to believe, but the glowing light around Eraqus made it feel like a dream or he was hallucinating.
"...It can't be..." Uncertain if his mind was playing tricks on him, Terra crawled closer to his master. Reaching his hand out, he expected his hand to phase through the senior wielder, only to be startled when he touched Eraqus's shoulder. Though ethereal in form, he was able to be physically touched. "...Is it...really you?"
Eraqus gave him a small nod, grasping his hand to further prove he was real to him. "It is. For better or worse."
Terra was speechless. He stared at his mentor a moment longer before he lunged forward, hugging him tightly. He finally believed it was real, even as he felt Eraqus hug him back, which only made him hug the older man tighter, tears beginning to well in his eyes.
"...I can't believe it..." Terra pulled himself away from Eraqus, wiping the growing tears before they could fully form. "...You've been in my heart? This whole time?"
"Yes," Eraqus said with a small, sad nod. "And I have witnessed your hardships as you had regained your body from..." Sighing, the master shook his head. Just recalling what his former best friend had done to him and the three students he saw as his own children made him scowl. But what he didn't do, or what he had tried to do to stop Xehanort's plans from coming to fruition, only made him feel underserving as his role as a Keyblade Master; as a father. "...None of this should have happened to any of you...It was all my burden to bear, and in the end, I turned my back on you while mine was stabbed by the man I used to call friend."
"No. What I did was wrong," Terra said. "I kept searching for Xehanort, to learn how to control the power of darkness, and didn't realize how stupid I was for thinking I could-"
"No!" Eraqus shouted, startling Terra. The stern gaze quickly softened as the ethereal man stood up. "...No...I steered you away from the right path due to my own self-righteous mentality of protecting the light. While I believe that to still be the right path..." He looked down at his hand, staring at the bright flow radiating from his body. "The same can be said about too much light corrupting one's ideals. I pushed you away, led Ventus to taking his own heart to save the worlds, and Aqua's sacrifice for you under Xehanort's power left her stranded in the Realm of Darkness for years...If it were possible, I would take all your pain and sorrow tenfold so you would never go through the tragedies that befell you."
Eraqus clenched his fist, wishing he was still alive and reverse the trauma he's left with his pupils, especially Aqua's. Terra stood up as Eraqus relaxed his hand, still feeling uncertain if his master should take the full blame for his own choices. It was still surreal for him to even know that his master had perished in front of him years ago, and the last of his light he thought faded away forever found refuge in his own heart after all this time. He had these odd feelings that didn't feel like his own, but they only appeared for a brief moment. Though he could tell Eraqus was guilty for what he did to Terra, more of it weighed heavily on his attempted murder toward Ventus, and leaving Aqua responsible for everything as a newly appointed master, which led her spiraling in her own guilt and sadness and almost changed her for the worst if it weren't for Sora and the gang.
There was a small glimmer of hope if Eraqus's heart was in his. "...You could...come back to life," Terra said, getting Eraqus's attention. "If there's a chance we could find out what your Nobody looks like, we could-"
"I do not believe it is possible," Eraqus interjected, disheartening Terra. "While I had faded, a Heartless should have been created, along with a Nobody...However, there was no Heartless in place where I fell, was there?" Terra tried to make a counter argument, but Eraqus's question was rhetorical. He knew the answer already, which upset Terra. He had hoped to bring his master back and reunite him with Ventus and Aqua. Eraqus grasped Terra's shoulders, forcing him to look up at him. "I do appreciate what you wish to do, so we all could repent for our crimes. But, sadly...my time appears to have come at an end among the Realm of Light."
"...I see..." Terra mumbled.
"I am proud of all you three have managed to achieve upon your returns," Eraqus added. "You're now a Keyblade Master, and you're helping teach a new generation of wielders to protect the realm from darkness. The future of all the worlds is in far better hands with you all working together." Feeling pride well in his chest, Terra smiled. Eraqus nodded as he smiled back, fully entrusting Terra as a wielder, and as a son. The two hugged each other again before separating, feeling like the two have reconciled after nearly two decades and the tense conflicts leading to all their fates. "Speaking of the next generation, it seems the young ones you're training have been quickly improving."
"There have been some...complications due to their difference in species, but there's a lot of potential in them," Terra said.
"More than you can imagine," Eraqus said. Terra was curious by what he meant, but he was bound to see what else the rest of the Young Six could do. "I believe you know of the Tree of Harmony deep within the Everfree Forest."
"Of course. It's keeping the forest from being overgrown, and it's currently keeping the Elements of Harmony to recover from Discord's former ploy to cause chaos," Terra said.
"Well, there is a whole lot more to this majestic tree than you may have ever expected," Eraqus said. "You were there, but...I temporarily took control of your body while a mysterious light had called out directly to me in one night." Terra was taken aback that he had found his body being controlled by someone else, but at least he wasn't used like a puppet to harm his friends. "That light came from the Tree of Harmony. It is truly alive and sentient, and we had a little talk that night."
"Huh!? The tree...talks!?" Terra exclaimed. "What did it say!?"
"Calm down, Terra," Eraqus said. "The others must not know of the tree's sentience, and what she had discussed with me about." Terra was anxious to know what else about the Tree of Harmony they didn't know about. And to not tell the others by his own master was odd. It had been important in keeping Equestria at peace from the darkness in the world, to prevent chaos from transforming the world into an upside-down nightmare. Despite being told to keep it a secret, Terra did wonder if the Organization could find the tree and do something to it if they overheard one of them talking about it. He had composed himself, subtly promising Eraqus he would keep what they discussed to himself. "Since the Tree of Harmony created the Elements of Harmony, it has limited power without the Elements to protect itself. The wilderness of the Everfree is one of those examples, along with the draconequus's vines he sowed in the same millennia."
"Right. And its power waned, leading those vines to finally grow and begin invading Ponyville," Terra added. "The Elements have returned to the tree, so it should regain its strength with them."
"But for how long?" Eraqus asked. Terra didn't have an answer. After one thousand years, it was nearly drained of its light and magic, which could mean it would take that same amount of time for it to regain its lost power. "Much like how the bearers of the Elements are chosen, the Tree of Harmony was willing to give them up to those who wished to use them to keep harmony in balance. Being rooted to the ground, it could not spread its power too far from itself, and the Elements were created to be used from a farther distance than it could reach. Hence, it gifted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna those magical gems to stop Discord a thousand years ago.
"But, when Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon, the balance of harmony between them had shattered, and Celestia had used those Elements on her sister, by herself, to banish her and hope they would save her heart from the darkness that infested her heart. She may have still held the Elements for a thousand years, leaving the Tree of Harmony to continue expending its power to protecting the world, but she could no longer wield them because of the fallout with her younger sister." Terra saw what his master was getting it. Though he had never witnessed the Elements of Harmony with his own eyes, he's seen enough through the Mane Six's and Sora's memories as they were used. The Elements weren't weapons used to destroy; they were meant to keep the peace and balance of harmony in the world. They turned Discord to stone, twice, and Luna was banished and preserved within the moon for a thousand years to keep her heart from being swallowed by darkness until the right ponies could truly purify her. Sora may have acquired the Keyblades of Harmony, but they were used as weapons to help destroy the darkness that threatens the land since the Tree of Harmony managed to keep the world safe from darkness for a thousand years. "Now the Elements belong to a new generation who can use them to preserve harmony in the world."
"But the Elements are back with the tree," Terra mentioned. "Twilight and her friends may have been given a fraction of power when they opened the box it gifted them, but they've only used that power once against Tirek."
"There may have been no need for their power, even when the returned Pillars of Harmony thought to use them against the Pony of Shadows." Terra grimaced at Star Swirl's judicial views on their past mistakes before he finally realized how he made things worse doing so. At least he had changed his thoughts on others and look past the bad and focus on the good and their redemptions for those actions. "However, even if the current bearers are still around, there will be a time where the next generation will soon take their place. Which is why I brought up your pupils in the first place."
"What about them?" Terra asked quizzically.
Eraqus grinned, crossing his arms as he waited a moment more to see if Terra could figure it out before speaking. "You all could tell they had the potential to be Keyblade wielders. She believes they are the next bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
Terra made his way to the library through the halls of the school, Eraqus following behind him despite being a physical projection only he was able to see and hear. Their talk the other night still stuck in Terra's mind, and how the Young Six were not only their next generation of wielders, but they were also the next generation of keeping harmony in Equestria. Sandbar was a bit understandable since he was an earth pony, but the Elements of Harmony were created and grown by the six heroic ponies of the past before the princesses ever came to power as rulers of the kingdom. It wasn't that farfetched having other creatures besides humans be Key Bearers after Twilight obtained one. And if it was true, then the Young Six as the new Element bearers could prove to Neighsay that friendship was really meant to be shared with all creatures, not just ponies, and it wouldn't be used as a weapon against Equestria.
"Uncertain you believe me or what the Tree of Harmony had told me?" Eraqus asked.
"It was hard to believe, but so far, this all just can't be an odd coincidence with them being here and chosen wielders," Terra uttered, being mindful not to speak aloud as he passed by other students. "There's still the chancellor of Equestria's educational system."
"Ah, yes. The unicorn who would risk throwing the world in an all out war by insulting the leaders or delegates of the neighboring kingdoms," Eraqus muttered. "Not exactly smart to do that and lead his own nation to repeat history of their own kingdom's founding, but with other creatures who can do more than what ponies could."
They arrived at the library, where they could see several students browsing through the shelves of books or returning borrowed books. Over in one section of the library, the Young Six were gathered at a table, though Yona seemed to have dozed off and was snoring while Silverstream was looking through some books on a higher row of shelves. Sandbar and Ocellus were helping tutor Gallus and Smolder to prepare them for the friendship quiz tomorrow. Terra walked inside, pretending not to listen in as he approached the bookshelves closest to the group's table, peering between the bookcases to see Ocellus holding a picture of the Tree of Harmony.
"The Elements of Harmony grew the Tree?" Smolder answered, getting a disgruntled groan from the pony and changeling.
"No! The Pillars grew the Tree," Ocellus corrected.
"The Tree grew the Elements, and then the box with six locks," Sandbar added.
"But our professors found the six keys and unlocked the box," Ocellus finished.
"Couldn't our masters have unlocked the boxes with their Keyblades?" Smolder questioned.
"Yeah. They can open any lock, so they could have opened it up instead," Gallus said.
"They couldn't; the keys to the box were gifts from the ponies who gave them to our professors from the respected Element they bear and the lesson they learned from that very Element," Ocellus corrected again.
Confused, Gallus tossed his notes with a grunt. "This is so frustratingly confusing. I'm so going to fail..."
"You guys! Check this out!" Silverstream cheered, flying down and holding out the book she was looking for.
As she opened it, it wasn't anything involving friendship; it was about indoor plumbing. "Silverstream, that's a plumbing diagram on how to fix a sink."
Despite the correction, Silverstream seemed really giddy about it and nodded to confirm she knew what it was about. "What does that have to do with Equestrian history?" Sandbar questioned.
"Nothing. I just can't believe that's how sinks work!" the hippogriff said.
Eraqus wondered why Silverstream was that interested in plumbing, or anything that seemed to catch her eye, but it made sense considering the hippogriffs had formerly hid under the ocean for many years and had no need for that while surrounded by water. "She's...an odd one, but she has a good heart."
"Think she might be the next Element of Laughter?" Terra uttered.
Eraqus shrugged as they continued spying on the Young Six. Smolder had made a harmless remark with Yona falling asleep during the study group by using her manner of speaking, prompting a laugh from the circle of friends. Gallus then pulled a bit of a prank on the yak by lightly tapping his claws against her snout like something was crawling on her face. Yona had immediately woken up and panicked, trying to swat off the invisible spider that wasn't there. As embarrassed as Yona was for her frightening outburst, the others, and even her, laughed off the harmless prank. However, their laughter was interrupted when they all heard Cozy Glow giggling, hovering near the top of the bookshelf behind the group.
"Oh, hey, Cozy," Sandbar greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"I volunteered to help Professor Sparkle organize these books," the filly said, pointing to the small stack below her that she was putting away. "So, you guys experts on Equestrian history yet?"
"I think I'd be better off studying the plumbing book," Gallus commented grumpily. "This stuff is way too impossible compared to Keyblade training."
Ocellus grinned, then transformed into Twilight. "Oh, come on, Gallus!" she said with Twilight's voice, hopping up onto the table while acting like the studious alicorn perfectly. "With good friends and solid study habits, anything is possible!"
Gallus snorted in laughter at the impersonation, but Terra knew they weren't really poking fun at Twilight, even if Twilight likes to overly exaggerate her little speeches from time to time. "How about you just tell us what's on tomorrow's test, professor?" Smolder asked.
Ocellus shapeshifted into Applejack while their other friends all seemed to agree at the idea. "Now, hold on a sec," "Applejack" said. "Ah can't give y'all a sneak peak. That there wouldn't be honest."
The Young Six laughed at Ocellus's impersonation, both for what Applejack would have likely said and how perfectly spot on the changeling can be in disguise. Terra grinned, knowing these six students would surely pass any test together from how closely bonded they were. Cozy Glow, however, seemed to feel a bit uncertain as she hovered down onto the table after Ocellus hops off and dispelled her disguise.
"Golly, it's so inspiring how relaxed you all are about studying friendship, considering your disadvantage." What the filly said stopped the six teens' laughter and baffled Terra and Eraqus.
"What cute pony mean?" Yona questioned.
"Just consider where you all came from," Cozy said. "If Sandbar hadn't sacrificed so much of his time to get you up to speed, who knows how behind you'd be?"
Shocked, the Young Six stared at Cozy Glow, growing confused and slightly concerned by what she was claiming among them. "What is this child doing? Where did this kind of mentality come from?" Eraqus questioned, reading Terra's thoughts as he silently watched Cozy Glow and what sounded like some accidental racism toward the five non-Equestrian teens.
Cozy Glow fluttered over to each of the Young Six, starting with Ocellus. "I mean, growing up as a love-starved changeling?" she asked, leaving Ocellus to feel incredibly self-conscious about her past as she moved on to Silverstream. "Or hiding underwater from an evil king all those years? Trusting anycreature must be so hard for you." Silverstream was baffled, not believing she was having that much of a hard time trusting other creatures. But, when Sora, Spike, and the Mane Six visited Seaquestria to find a way to stop the Storm King, her aunt didn't trust them as they were outsiders to their kingdom, and Twilight's attempt to steal their magic pearl only justified their fears in trusting other species. "And griffons never want to be around anycreature, even other griffons," Cozy said as she addressed Gallus, the griffon grimacing at the harsh reminder, even as he felt like he had changed his perspective in life after his adventure in the Corona Kingdom. The filly flew over to Smolder, who dreaded to hear what she was going to say about what she thought about dragons. "And dragons are so fierce compared to us. There must be days you can't wait to get away from all us cute ponies." Smolder knew it was coming, but it still hurt to hear after being called out as a monster by Young Xehanort in the Toy Box world. "'Everypony know yaks think yaks are best!'" Cozy said to Yona, imitating her way of speaking like Smolder had, but it wasn't as endearing or brushed off playfully like Smolder had done earlier. "Making friends with any other creature must seem like a step down."
Yona's muzzle drooped, offended and upset that Cozy really thought she was that lowly befriending the non-yaks who she grew close to. "Hmm...If she was praising them, her brief descriptions as to why are doing the exact opposite..."
"It's just so impressive how you keep trying to understand friendship, even though it isn't in your nature," Cozy added, trying to make light of the unintentionally harsh things reminding the non-Equestrian teens about themselves. Sadly, they didn't seem to cheer up at that, looking highly conflicted and all the fun they had earlier was sapped away. "Oh! I'll let you borrow my notes! It's what friends do. I'll be right back!"
Cozy flew off, humming innocently and ignored what she had just said to the Young Six. Terra watched the filly leave, ignoring the disheartened six friends as they quietly went back to studying for their test. He soon left without them noticing, wondering why Cozy Glow said such horrible things. Once he was far from the school and no one was around, Terra let out a frustrated sigh.
"What was wrong with her?" he questioned. "She's such a sweet little girl. I don't know if she even meant to lower their spirits on purpose like that, but that's a very, very low blow."
"Well, children at that age all have that kind of innocent curiosity and don't really know what they say if it had another meaning behind it," Eraqus said. "But I do agree with you. That was completely out of line. A young filly orphaned at such a young age and practically living with you all in the castle, she would never have a hateful bone in her body."
"I don't know if I should even tell Sora what we just heard," Terra added. "He's gotten really attached to her, and she looks up to him. I doubt he would believe me if I heard her curse in public while he wasn't around her." As much as he wanted to ask Cozy Glow why she disregarded the Young Six's feelings, she did want to really help them out like she's done for everyone else in the castle. She might not have realized what she said, and she would apologize in a heartbeat if she was told how much it hurt them for reminding them they weren't ponies and making friends would be difficult for them because they were different species. Terra would give her a little talk later, but now the Young Six were now in a rut and the seeds of doubt from Cozy's speech were sown and would spread at any moment. "What can we do about the teens? If they're meant to be the next generation of Elements, we can't let them split up and let their differing species be a wedge in their relationship."
Eraqus tapped a hoof to his chin as he closed his eyes in thought. "Hmmm..." Opening his eyes, he glanced over toward the direction of the Everfree Forest, slowly formulating an idea. "...I wonder..."
"What is it, Master Eraqus?" Terra asked.
"I think I have an idea," the ethereal unicorn said. "Take me to the Tree of Harmony."
"Uhh...ok. Why?" Terra asked, curious.
"You'll see, if She will allow it." Unsure what his master meant, Terra trusted Eraqus as he made his way toward the overgrown forest and the cave which the Tree of Harmony resides.
The next couple hours in the library were filled with utter silence among the Young Six. They were studying on their own, not a word coming out of them. The fun that Twilight believed would be had in study groups was thrown out the window as Cozy's words deeply sunk into their heads. The rest of the students who were there to check out a book or study for their own classes were already gone, leaving the six young wielders the only ones left on campus.
The silence was broken by Silverstream's claws tapping repeatedly on the table, clicking on the hard surface while she was focused on reading. Gallus's concentration was broken as he kept glancing at his crush's tapping. Though, with how Cozy reminded him how griffons barely trust their own kind let alone any other creature, he wondered if he even had a chance with her. He couldn't focus with the incessant tapping, growling irritably as he slammed his book, getting everyone's attention.
"Could you stop that clicking!? I can't focus!" he exclaimed.
Silverstream was astonished at his outburst. "Dude, it's not that distracting," Sandbar scolded.
"We have a test tomorrow," Gallus reminded the teenage stallion with a glare. "I don't know every detail about every adventure our professors' have been on unlike you."
"That's why we're studying together," Ocellus reminded the peeved griffon.
"Right. To help us 'disadvantaged' creatures," Smolder grumbled.
Tensions were already flaring, and at any moment, someone was going to end up causing another fight between the group if someone said or did something wrong. Gallus and Smolder were mad, Ocellus and Silverstream were incredibly timid, and Sandbar and Yona have no idea what to do to calm everyone down. Suddenly, they heard a metallic clang come from inside the library. They looked to where the sound came from, wondering if something or someone was still deeper into the library. Fearing it may be a Heartless, the cautiously approached the back, Silverstream leading the group as they rounded the corner of shelves. In the middle of the floor, there was an opened golden grate that wasn't there before, along with a weirdly colored root in two light shades of blue sticking up from one of the holes in the grate.
"Uhh, I only glanced at that plumbing book, but I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be in a library," Silverstream commented.
Without taking any caution, Smolder approached the grate, opening it up more to climb down inside. "Smolder, what are you doing?" Ocellus questioned nervously.
"Dragon. Strange magical cave. What do you think I'm doing?" Smolder jabbed back, ignoring the concern on the changeling's face as she jumped inside.
Despite what could be lurking down in the mysterious opening, the others followed after Smolder. Ocellus went in next, followed by Yona, who wound up getting stuck due to her bigger size. Silverstream and Gallus helped push the yak down, diving down inside, Sandbar cautiously taking the rear as he went down as well. The root that stuck out was far bigger than they thought, creating a natural ramp that lead to the opening down into what seemed like a massive underground cavern. The Young Six looked around, seeing several winding coils of the very same roots along the ceiling and walls, but they shimmered like they were made of crystal.
"Did we know this was down here?" Silverstream asked.
"I don't think anypony knows this is down here," Sandbar said after staring at the untouched crystals jutting out from the walls.
Suddenly, they heard hoofsteps coming from deeper in the cave. Uncertain who it was, or whoever was able to live down here, the Young Six gathered together as they faced the direction of the incoming echoes.
"Greetings, young ones." Stepping into the light of the glowing crystals, the Young Six were surprised to see a unicorn stallion approach them. They couldn't tell if his body was sparkling or the crystals gave off a strange light that made others near it sparkle, but they could see his golden fur and his black mane in a short topknot, one bang hanging over his face, which bore a couple scars, one on his left cheek and the other his right eye. He also had a small mustache and a soul patch similar to his mane and tail, though from their point of view, they couldn't see what his cutie mark was. He was definitely older than them, though a bit younger than any senior ponies the group know of. "A pleasure to meet you all."
"Uhh, who are you?" Gallus asked.
"My name is Square Equinox," the older stallion greeted with a low bow of his head.
"That's a weird name," Smolder grumbled, earning a harsh jab in the side by Sandbar.
"Where are we, Mr. Equinox?" Silverstream asked.
"Well, right where you need to be, of course," Square said.
"Uh, Yona confused," Yona mumbled.
Looking concerned, Square eyed the Young Six. "You six look to be very close friends, but something's been troubling you."
"We were studying friendship's effects on history, but then..." Ocellus trailed off as she glanced down sadly.
"Since friendship isn't in our nature, what's the point?" Gallus questioned, finishing Ocellus's details with a lack of care.
Square hummed in thought, then shook his head while clicking his tongue in disappointment. "That is a shame. You believe friendship is not within your nature?" he asked. "...Nor is it in your roles beyond what this world can fathom?"
Startled, the Young Six look at Square Equinox as they processed what he asked them. "Wait, what did you just say?" Sandbar asked.
"If neither of you truly believe you can ever be friends, then you should not be wielders of the Keyblade as well." Appearing in a flash of light before Square's face, the Young Six gasped when they saw him hold a Keyblade in his silver aura.
The Keyblade he wielded was a light gray, almost metallic shaft with a ball-pointed end, the teeth nearly resembling Sora's Kingdom Key, but the center was hollowed out and attached to the ends with thin metal. The guard was a deep blue with numerous screw holes and two metallic cylinders on the sides that appeared to look like hydraulic mechanisms. And the keychain at the end was a hollowed out five-pointed gold star.
"H-He has a Keyblade!?" Silverstream squawked.
"Is he from the Organization!?" Gallus growled as he and Smolder summoned their Keyblades.
"He's an old geezer and we outnumber him! Let's get him!" Smolder roared, she and Gallus charging after the stallion.
"W-Wait, guys, we don't know if he's even-!" Ocellus called out, but the two teens didn't listen.
Square widened his stance, glaring intensely at the griffon and dragon as they approached him. They both swung their Keyblades at different angles, knowing he can't block one without getting hit by the other. They underestimated him, however, their blades barely grazing him as he suddenly teleported between them. Grabbing both Gallus and Smolder's necks, he spun and flung them back to Silverstream, Yona, Ocellus, and Sandbar. Unable to recover from the startling speed the stallion moved at, Gallus and Smolder fell in front of their friends in a collapsed heap. Getting back in his stance, Square breathed out a deep breath, holding his Keyblade in front of him.
"Haven't you learned not to underestimate your superiors?" he questioned. "Or studying your opponent before blinding charging headfirst to your demises?"
As Gallus and Smolder untangled themselves, Yona, Sandbar, Silverstream, and Ocellus summoned their Keyblades, more in self-defense than anything. "W-We didn't intend to attack you," Sandbar tried to reason. "We didn't know there was somepony else who was a Keyblade wielder."
"That's surprising, considering no other pony from this world has a Keyblade besides Princess Twilight and Sandbar," Gallus grunted.
"Or perhaps from another world," Square stated. Just as Gallus and Smolder got up and were prepared to rush the stallion again, he swung his Keyblade and shot it forward. A string of golden chains launched out from the end, quickly striking out and wrapping around the group. They couldn't escape, not even by air, the chains pulling taut and trapping the Young Six inside. They struggled to break free, but the older stallion's hold was far stronger than their combined wriggling. "It is shameful to know that a young generation of wielders like you feel you cannot get along just because you are different from each other. As a former master, I cannot allow a bunch of children like you with such responsibility to defend the Realm of Light."
"B-But not all of us even got to see another new world yet!" Silverstream exclaimed.
"We shouldn't have gone down here!" Ocellus cried out, terrified. "We should have just kept studying for our test!"
Square's brow quirked, growing curious as he dismissed his chains, dropping the Young Six to the ground in a heap. "...A test...Yes. That sounds like a brilliant idea." The teens scrambled to their feet, growing wary of what the stallion intended to do with them. Unable to beat him, they dismissed their Keyblades. "I will test your resolve. You all have until sunrise before the way out is blocked by these roots." Giving a swift tap to the ground with his Keyblade, Square commanded the roots to begin slowly covering up the entrance to the underground caverns. "Pass your tests, and you may go free. Fail, and you remain stuck here. Forever."
Without a chance for them to protest, Square brought his Keyblade to his side, then swung it toward them, unleashing more chains that shined brightly and blinded the Young Six. They closed their eyes as the chains pulled in to constrict them, only for them to disappear within them, transporting them through different sections of the catacombs. Lowering his blade, Square smirked, his horn lighting up as he teleported off to oversee how the Young Six would pass their tests.
Silverstream rubbed her eyes, not expecting to be blindingly flashed by glowing chains of light. When she could see again, she found no sign of her friends or Square Equinox. She was in what appeared to be another part of the cave, looking around curiously until she saw something up ahead. There was an underground waterfall, the thin stream revealing what appeared to be a mountain peak looking very similarly to her home, Mt. Aris. Flying through the water, she shook off the water as she looked around at the foliage in the bright light illuminating the cave.
"I'm back home?" Silverstream questioned. "Why did he send me here?...Wait, was he supposed to be a secret instructor meant to be kept secret by Master Aqua and I'm suspended? That doesn't make sense if he said he was giving me a test." She flew around some more, wondering if her family or the other hippogriffs were around what she assumed was her home. "Where is everygriff?"
A sudden growling sound echoed in the cave, startling Silverstream as she paused in midflight. Looking around for where the sounds came from, she gasped when she saw silhouettes of the Storm King's army begin to walk out from around the corners. Everywhere she looked, more kept appearing, seeing yellow glowing eyes through their darkened forms as they began to surround her. She then heard a sinister cackle, and what appeared in the middle of all those soldiers was the dark form of the Storm King, but his eyes were yellow instead of blue.
Scared, Silverstream dove into the water, transforming herself into a seapony and hid behind a nearby rock, out of sight from what she believed was the Heartless of the Storm King and his troops. She peeked around the boulder, too afraid of the monster who drove her kingdom to hide underwater to think about fighting back.
"T-T-The Storm King!? H-He's back!?" she whimpered, ducking her head under the water before he spotted her.
Gallus groaned as he regained his vision, glancing around in confusion. With no sign of his friends or the stallion who easily outmatched him and Smolder, he found himself in some part of the cave with strange lights shining around him at different angles. They weren't reflections of light, and some of the sources he could locate came from solid rock, not crystal or any cracks within them shining any natural source of light. There weren't any exits that he could see, making him wonder just where Square sent him.
"Where the heck did that old fart send me anyway? If a little light show's supposed to be a test, he's gonna wish he fought me one-on-one." Gallus hovered around to look for a way out when he ran into one of the beams of light. It suddenly turned purple, disappearing, but then the whole cavern around him started to close in around him. He screamed in surprise, accidentally touching another light, which turned purple and faded as well, shrinking the room further. Gallus's claustrophobia began to kick in, keeping low and avoiding all of the beams of lights around him. "Oh no. Not again."
He started hyperventilating, sweat dripping down his face as he looked around the shrinking cavern anxiously, wishing he didn't insult the stronger, wiser wielder before he got transported into this death trap.
As soon as Yona could see, she wished she could only see bright lights blinding her again. Transported somewhere within the caves, there were large strands of spider webs all around the cavern walls, some reaching as high as the ceiling while others stayed very low to the ground. She's never told the others, but her little spook earlier when she was sawing logs back in the library probably told them if they figured it out; Yona was terrified of spiders. And she seemed to have gotten warped into a massive spider nest. Carefully avoiding the webs, she slowly searched for a way out, hoping not to see a single spider crawling around their home.
"N-Nothing for yaks to be afraid of," she said to herself. "Just empty cave. Nothing in here can hurt-" Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of skittering legs coming toward her. Not just one set, but hundreds of thousands. And they were behind her. Swiftly turning around, her face paled at the sight of thousands of red eyes from an infestation of creepy, possibly poisonous little spiders eyeing her, and slowly approaching her. "...Yona?"
"Next time I see that unicorn, I'm gonna give him a good dose of freezerburn," Smolder grumbled as she wandered through the maze of caverns she wound up in. "How did he even know we were Keyblade wielders anyway? And where did he come from?"
Unsure where to go, she paused when she heard sounds coming up from the path she took. It was hard to tell with the echo, but it sounded like some strange creatures, along with the sound of a little girl chatting with said creatures. Curiosity getting the better of her, she continued down the corridor, immediately regretting what she walked into. She walked into a room that was unfitting for a mysterious underground cavern that was never discovered: plush, royal furniture, wardrobes filled with princess clothes, a vanity with makeup and several mirrors, a crystal chandelier, and a wide table with a luxurious tea set, little teacakes and cookies on decorative ceramic plates, all of them sitting atop a bright pink tablecloth to protect the crystal surface from scuffs or messes. Seated around the table were a bunch of the odd Moogle creatures similar to the one shopkeeper that made his little store in the castle, but they were much more fluffy and wore little tiaras and cute dresses.
Among the Moogles was a unicorn filly who seemed a bit younger than Cozy Glow. She had yellow fur and blue hair, her horn barely sticking out through her mane on her forehead, green eyes, and wore a pink and yellow princess dress, the pink sleeves on her forelegs a bit too long for her tiny limbs. Along with a slightly bigger princess's tiara on her head, she also had a big yellow bow on top of her head, and she had a pair of fake wings attached to the back of the outfit she wore. Smolder had no idea there was someone else that resided down here, let alone a filly and more Moogles.
Her presence didn't go unnoticed as a Moogle spotted her, alerting the other tea party patrons as they all stared at her. "Oh! Hello!" the unicorn filly greeted cheerfully with a wave. "Want to join our tea party!? We're looking for a dragon princess to join us!"
The other Moogles chirped in agreement, but Smolder was not comfortable with the idea despite having pretended to act like a princess before and occasionally tried on makeup privately from her other friends. "...No. On so many levels, no," she said, then turned around and flew through the cave to find another way out. She weaved around corners, getting lost, but definitely not heading back toward the cutesy tea party room. However, she managed to miraculously find her way back to the room, winding up on the opposite side from where she first entered. "What the-?"
"Hi, again!" the filly greeted.
"...H-How did I get back here!? I went the other way!" Smolder exclaimed in confusion.
"I don't know, but you gotta join our tea party!" the filly said. "My name is Eiko, and this is Mogette, Mogera, Mogarite, Moganna, and Mogita!"
The Moogles all waved as they greeted the dragon with their signature "Kupo!" noises. Growling, Smolder flew back, wanting to get far away from the party and interacting with the adorable filly and her even more adorable Moogle friends. Eiko shrugged, grabbing the teapot in her magic aura and began to pour her guests some tea, knowing she'll wind up coming back again.
Ocellus had no idea where she and her friends got separated. The area she found herself in looked eerily similar to how the old hive's cavernous passages looked, even with some glowing efflorescent crystals in the shape of cocoons. She didn't want to give Square any trouble and just go back to safely studying back in the library, but then Gallus and Smolder had to make their situation worse by attacking a skilled Keyblade wielder. As she turned around to see if she could find a way out, she was startled to see two other changelings had approached her, but they were in the old, evil forms they once took.
"W-Why do you look like that?" Ocellus asked nervously.
"What do you mean?" one of the changelings asked. "We all look the same."
"Not me," Ocellus said, her newer form enough proof to show the mysterious changelings she wasn't like them.
The changelings looked at each other, then back to Ocellus. "Of course not you...Your Majesty," the second one said, both changelings bowing their heads to her. Startled, Ocellus stared at the changelings in confusion as dread began to well in her chest. "We'll go drain the love from those pathetic ponies in Ponyville just as you ordered."
"W-What? But...I'm not-" Ocellus started to back away, unaware of her limbs suddenly having grown longer as she stumbled backward. Confused, she looked down at her forelegs, gasping in absolute fear; they were black and had holes in them. Out of nowhere, her body had transformed back to her evil form, causing her to panic. What was more frightening was that she somehow seemed taller, ignoring the changelings who had mysteriously vanished as she hyperventilated. Bumping into a pillar, she turned around, staring at a crystal reflection, but what she saw looking back at her brought her intense fear and misery. She wasn't looking at herself as the same, evil drone like before she reformed; the reflection showed Queen Chrysalis bearing the same shocked and terrified expression she had. "...N-No. No..." Tears quickly welled up and fell down her cheeks, her worst nightmare coming true as she began to cry. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Ocellus tried to transform into something, ANYTHING but a perfect double of the former queen of her hive. Her body flashed green, but her body refused to change. It was happening all over again, and she couldn't figure out how to fix it. If any of her friends saw her, she would be devastated, which only upset the changeling more and more. As she sobbed while trying in vain to change back, to even turn back into a drone, Square watched Ocellus in the distance, regretting pitting her in a scenario that was emotionally scarring for the timid changeling.
"This is not right. Her biggest fear is by becoming the queen, not reverting back to her old form?" he mumbled to himself. Though he felt sorry for the trauma Ocellus was suffering through, he could not intervene. This was their test, but he feared this was one where someone as sensitive as Ocellus would never be able to conquer. Despite hearing the changeling's sobs as she curled in a ball and gave up, he believed she was able to pass. "...Not matter how frightening, you are not alone when facing your fears."
He teleported away to check on the rest of the young apprentices to see how they were faring, regretfully leaving Ocellus in such a state.
Sandbar grunted, rubbing his eyes after he was blinded by the bright light. Glancing around the caves, he panicked as he looked for his friends.
"Gallus? Smolder!?" he called out, but no answer. "Guys!?" Sandbar began searching the catacombs, hoping his friends were ok. While he wondered just what Square Equinox did to them and what their test was, Heartless suddenly rose up from the ground around the teen. They were only mere Shadows, but their presence underneath the school alarmed Sandbar as he summoned his Keyblade. "How are there Heartless here!?"
The Shadows lunged at him, but he was able to take them out with ease. Blocking their sharp claws and diving away from their arm thrusts, he smacked them aside and blasted them with Fire spells. Just as he was about to take out the last few stragglers, out of nowhere, Sora and Riku slashed through them in tan and white blurs.
"Sandbar, there you are!" Sora said.
"Master Sora and Master Riku?" Sandbar stared at the experienced wielders, wondering how they knew where he was. "How did you find me?"
"No time to explain, Sandbar," Riku said. "Xehanort's already made his move on Equestria. Luckily, the old man's finally gone senile and he's trying to take over the world by himself."
"And we need you to help us take him down once and for all!" Sora added with his signature grin.
Elated to hear two of his masters requesting his aid, he felt it was too good to be true. "But...I'm still in training. Am I really ready for this?" he asked. "And what about the others?"
"They're hunting down the rest of the Organization, but Aqua thought it was better if she sent the two of us to handle Xehanort," Riku explained. "Plus, having three tough Keyblade wielders stop that megalomaniac should be enough."
"...Oh man. This is...awesome!" Sandbar cheered. Sora and Riku began to run on ahead, but as Sandbar was about to follow them, he looked back, concerned about his friends' safety. "Wait, what about the others?"
Sora and Riku paused, glancing at Sandbar, to each other, then back to him. "Who?" Sora asked.
"Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, Ocellus, and Yona?" Sandbar listed, confused by the lack of care toward Sora's question. "We all went down here because we heard a noise, and we got separated by some-"
"Sandbar, there's no time to find them," Riku interjected. "We need YOU, not them."
"We're wasting time! Let's go!" Sora exclaimed.
Sandbar hesitated, highly uncertain of his two masters urgently requesting him and not the others. He didn't want to let them down, so he went along with them, Heartless appearing in their path down the corridor. With their Keyblades ready, the trio charged forward to hunt and take down Xehanort once and for all.
Gallus tried to breathe, trying to ignore the room closing in on him by accidentally swiping any part of his body against the beams of light shining around him. He didn't want to touch another one after he noticed one of them turning purple before it disappeared. He took deep breaths to compose himself, but his breathing picked up dust and made him sneeze. One of his wings accidentally flapped as he sneezed and struck another beam, another purple one, and the walls closed in tighter and tighter.
"Oh come on. You've gotta be kidding me," Gallus whimpered, feeling smaller and smaller as he was about to suffer another panic attack. "Every light I touch, it gets smaller." Gulping, he tried to focus, keeping his eyes shut and pretending he wasn't in a cavern that was threatening to squish him into a griffon pancake. "Ok. That old geezer said he was testing us...This is a test." Looking at the lights, he wondered if there were any of them that were helpful to him. "Is this...some kind of puzzle? Find the right lights to touch?
"How am I supposed to figure that out if they all look the same until I touch them?" Squinting his eyes open, they began shifting anxiously, uncertain which ones were safe or harmful. His body shook and his hands trembled, quickly shutting his eyes again as he tried to calm himself before he flailed and made his predicament worse. "I-I gotta...distract myself. Maybe whistle or...or sing a song?" It was a crazy idea, but it was one he was willing to do. Reminded of Rapunzel's wonderful singing voice, the enchantment for her magical hair's healing powers came to mind. Taking another deep breath, not too much to kick up any dust and sneeze again, he exhaled and began to sing. "Flower, gleam and glow~. Let your power shine~." While his eyes were closed as he sang, some of the light beams began to shimmer and turn a shade of gold. "Make the clock reverse~. Bring back what once-" He opened his eyes, pausing slightly when he noticed the normal lights that had changed to bright gold, like the light of the sun. They faded back to normal as he stopped singing, baffling him. "...was mine?"
Curious, he reached his hand out cautiously at one of the nearby lights that had turned gold for a brief moment. Touching it, the light turned gold and faded away, making the cave shift slightly, but open up more as he spotted an opening above him. Figuring out the solution, he continued to sing the enchantment to see where the other correct lights were. He moved around and touched the right ones, but while getting the right ones, his body accidentally brushed against the wrong ones. At least the opening in the cave didn't close in like the rest of the walls, though it was hard to concentrate with his phobia rearing up on him as he repeatedly sang the song, but he persevered. He was going to pass this test, reunite with his friends, then get the heck out of this cavern.
"H-Heal what has been hurt~. Change the fate's...design~," Gallus huffed, trying to slow his racing heart as he sang to try to compose himself. There were only two lights left, and the room was getting smaller and smaller. The last correct light to touch was right in front of him with the other one angled lower by his feet. "Save what has been lost~. Bring back what once was mine.~" Stretching out his hand, he touched the golden light, widening the opening enough for him to just squeeze through. "What once was mine!"
Scrambling up to the hole, he squirmed his way through, his tail flicking and swiping at the last light. He made it out just as the room closed up behind him, tumbling down the slight hill to the ground as he panted heavily, a triumphant smile on his beak. Even though he was still in the cave, there was so much more open space to relieve him of his fears, laughing exhaustingly as he pumped his fist in the air. Once his body stopped shaking and he could stand, Gallus began his trek through the catacombs, hoping he'll either find the exit or one of his friends nearby.
Eiko and her Moogle friends munched on their tea party snacks, nonchalantly waiting for their dragon princess to arrive. The group silently counted down from three in their heads, and pointed simultaneously to one of the few entrances to their little tea party room. On cue, Smolder dove through, panting heavily, having gone constantly in circles for who knows how long and winding up back in the room.
"Hello, again, again," Eiko said, taking a sip of her tea. "Ready to join us now?"
Growling in frustration, Smolder stood up and stomped over to the unicorn filly. "Did you do something to this place that keeps making me come back here?"
"I don't know," Eiko said with a shrug. "But maybe there's a reason why you like to come back here."
"There isn't! And I'm not going to join this silly tea party!" Smolder exclaimed.
Instead of being offended, Eiko lowered her cup and faced the irate dragon. "Are you sure you find it 'silly'?" she asked curiously. "I don't know a lot about dragons, but if they saw a place like this, they wouldn't have marveled at the beautiful decor, or eyed one of my Moogle friends." One of the Moogles floated up to the dragon, holding out a small plate with some teacakes on it out to her. Smolder stepped away from it, even though she was curious to feel its floofy fur. "Why do you not like this stuff?"
"I don't need to tell you anything, kid," Smolder grumbled.
"Why not?" Eiko asked. "Are you...afraid to look pretty in front of somepony?" Smolder flinched, staring intensely at the filly, but she was losing the glaring contest as she looked away from her. "Ah. So you are afraid."
"N-No...Y-You're being ridiculous," Smolder said.
"There's nothing to be scared of trying something new, even if you think it's silly because you're a dragon," Eiko assured the dragoness. "Have you told anypony you like to look all pretty and beautiful?"
Smolder hesitated, looking around the room as the Moogles all stared at her, waiting for her response along with Eiko. "...I...told someone," she admitted. "H-He was a...bit of a dork anyway, but...I don't know how others would think if I really...looked pretty in front of them."
"So no one's ever seen you all prettied up, huh?" Eiko asked. "Well, you won't know what others will think if you don't try. So, what do you say? Want to join our princess tea party?"
Smolder gulped nervously. She looked around the room, from the table set, the wardrobe, the makeup, the Moogles and filly all waiting with bated breath to hear her answer. She barely knew the unicorn or these Moogles, so she doubted she'll ever see them again if she manages to make it out of here. Ever since she discovered how different it felt to not be an aggressive dragon and pretend to be a delicate, nice princess, she had to hide wanting to look beautiful in private from her peers to avoid being mocked. Remembering Square's words before she was whisked away from the others, he was testing her, and she figured out exactly what it was she was being tested on; facing her fears.
Still a bit reluctant, Smolder clenched her fists, but immediately relaxed them as she breathed in deeply and exhaled. "...I'd be...happy to join your princess tea party," she said in a nicer tone and small, somewhat nervous grin.
Eiko and the Moogles all gasped with glee. "Girls, you all know what this means," Eiko said, then teleported above the table as her horn sparked bright, colorful fireworks. "PRINCESS MAKEOVER!!!"
"KUPO-PO!" the Moogles cheered as they joined Eiko, floating around her while bouncing in the air excitedly.
Smolder suddenly felt nervous, but Eiko warped behind her and shoved her over to the wardrobe, the Moogles helping push the dragon around the table. With a flash of her horn, Eiko dragged out many colorful dresses from the wardrobe, holding them up to Smolder as she and her friends judged which one would best suit the dragon. While going through the numerous dresses, Smolder's eyes laid on a familiar blue dress she had tried on back in the Toy Box world. Eiko noticed her staring at the dress, her eyes lighting up as Smolder's silent choice was a perfect match for her figure.
They got the dress on Smolder with ease, even with her horns becoming a hassle, the soft, silky texture resting comfortable against her scales. She didn't have time to admire the dress as she was pulled over to the vanity, the Moogles flying around with different kinds of makeup in their little hands. With their cute little cries, three of them surrounded Smolder's head, each one applying eyeliner, blush, and lipstick with perfect precision. The other two focused on her claws, one of them holding her hand still while the other applied nail polish on each of her nails, then moved onto the next hand after the first set was done. It was odd having this done to her, but she didn't want to scare the fluffy, intelligent, and adorable creatures. They flew away and admired their handiwork, all of them nodding their heads and turning her to face the mirror. To her surprise, she had the same purple lipstick and eyeliner like she tried for the first time, her cheeks had a light pink tint to them from the powdered blush, and when she looked at her fingernails, they were the same color purple she had applied her first time as well.
"And now, the finishing touch!" Eiko proclaimed. Opening up the wardrobe, Eiko grabbed a tiara with her magic aura, and settled it on Smolder's head. The tiara was similar to the one she tried on before, silver in color with a pink heart-shaped gem in the center, and it was made from real materials. Now she looked like a real princess, and she didn't feel ashamed dressing up in front of Eiko and the Moogles. "You. Look. Gorgeous!"
"Heheheh...I...really do, don't I?" Smolder asked, giving a little twirl as she looked at her reflection.
"Now our princess tea party can really begin!" The Moogles all chirped in agreement, flying back to their seats as Eiko ran back over to hers. Smolder found herself a seat and sat down, offered a fresh cup of tea from Eiko. "Cream or sugar for your tea, Your Highness?"
"Hmm...One lump will suffice," Smolder said in a posh accent.
Eiko grinned, grabbing a sugar cube from the little bowl in her magic aura and gently plopping it in the dragon's cup. Smolder took a spoon from her silverware set and stirred her cup, then took a little sip. As the group gossiped and enjoyed their little gathering, Smolder had no idea what the Moogles were saying, but Eiko was able to translate for her. She wondered if some Moogles had no ability to speak like the one at the holographic shop in the castle, but their "Kupo" noises made them even more adorable. She even got to feel the soft fluff on one of their fur and their red pom pom after asking, resisting the urge to cuddle it and accidentally smear each other's makeup.
In the distance from one of the corridors that kept leading Smolder to this room, Eiko glanced in that direction, spotting Square Equinox watching them. The filly gave him a subtle wink while the dragoness wasn't looking, then focused back on their conversation while Square nodded and teleported away.
Yona screamed, running away from the swarm of spiders skittering after her. More and more kept crawling from every possible exit, keeping her trapped in the spiderweb-infested caverns. Panicking, she jumped up onto a small, flat rock, giving herself some height from the ground to avoid having any of them climb up her hooves. She forgot that spiders were able to climb on walls and ceilings, some of them sneaking over her and lowering themselves down with their webbing.
One of them landed on her nose, her eyes growing wide as she got a very close look at the black and gray-striped spiders, glowing red eyes, and sharp pincers. Shrieking, she flailed her hooves all over her face, sprinting away from the spiders crawling around her semi-safe pedestal and tried to escape. Unfortunately, she was surrounded as more spiders blocked off her route. Yona hyperventilated, searching around frantically while the spiders circled her. Unable to escape, Yona fell to the ground, covering her face as she trembled and whimpered.
"Yona need help! Where Yona's friends when Yona need them!?" she cried out. When she opened her eyes, the spiders got incredibly close to her, making her scream loudly as she jumped in fright. As she shut her eyes and curled into a trembling ball of brown fur upon landing, the spiders suddenly skittered back, avoiding getting struck by the yak. When they didn't swarm her, Yona peeked through her hooves, confused by their sudden wariness. One of the spiders approached her, non-threateningly, clacking its pincers as if it was speaking to her while extending one of its eight legs out in a friendly gesture. Yona was a little surprised that the spiders weren't really dangerous, and they wanted to befriend her. "...Y-Yona no mean to scream. Yona love making friends.
"Spiders friends?" The little spider chittered and nodded its little head in response. Still a bit nervous, Yona lowered her front hooves out to the little spider, letting it climb into her hooves. They weren't as scary as she thought, feeling a bit silly as she got to know the huge mass of spiders were harmless and were interested in the yak. The spider talked again, Yona somehow able to understand it as she held it closer to her ear to hear him better. "What little spider say?"
"Come on. Where's the exit?" Gallus looked around, flying through passages to find where they entered this endless maze of a cavern. Luckily, where he ended up wasn't all that far from the entrance, spotting the same crystal roots making a ramp up to the hole leading back into the library. Unfortunately, the roots began to grow and cover the entrance a little bit. "Ah, crud. How long was I trapped in there?"
"Gallus!" Running down one of the passageways, Gallus was glad to hear Smolder had made it back in time. When he looked at her, his face scrunched up when he saw her wearing a dress, makeup, and a tiara. He didn't know if she realized what she was wearing, but it was incredibly awkward seeing a dragon looking like a princess, especially one like Smolder. "What? Something happen to you?"
"...Uhhh...I should be asking you that," Gallus said, pointing a claw at Smolder's outfit.
Confuse, she looked down at herself, wincing in shock. Smolder had gotten so comfortable dressing up and playing tea party with Eiko and the Moogles that she forgot she still had it all on before she had to leave. Taking off the dress, she wiped off the liner, blush, and lipstick with her forearm, glowering intensely at Gallus.
"You never saw any of that," she growled, pointing a claw at the griffon. "Got it?"
Gallus was tempted to make fun of her when he noticed her claws were still painted purple. "...Is that nail polish?"
Startled, Smolder noticed her purple-painted claws, then scowled at Gallus. "Yeah. So what? I like purple! Got a problem with me adding a bit more color to my claws!?"
"No. Just...What exactly did you do?" Gallus asked curiously.
"You do not want to know, and you never will know," Smolder said.
Gallus rolled his eyes in response. They heard the roots moving as they looked up, more of the entrance beginning to get sealed up. They didn't know if the others managed to escape or if they were still somewhere underground. From their natures, Gallus and Smolder would have just escaped and leave the others behind, look after themselves and no one else. But, whether or not the others may have gotten out, if their tests were nerve-wracking and terrified them, they could still be trapped trying to figure out how to solve their tests on their own. Both griffon and dragon looked at each other, looking beyond who they were as species and reminded themselves that what they are doesn't define who they are. Their nature may get in the way from time to time, but they've grown to look past it and embrace friendship with their companions and teachers.
"You think the guys may have gotten out?" Gallus pondered.
"Not sure, but if they did, we both would have just left them behind like other dragons and griffons," Smolder said.
"Well, good thing we're not like other dragons or griffons." Smolder smirked and nodded in agreement. "Let's split up, find the rest of our friends, and get out of this crazy cave."
"Sounds like a plan," Smolder agreed.
Both friends gave each other a fist bump before they split off down a corridor to help Sandbar, Silverstream, Ocellus, and Yona.
Sora and Riku slashed through the endless waves of Heartless that keep barring their path to Xehanort. Sandbar kept the rear, finishing off any stragglers they were knocked down by the experienced pegasi. Something really bugged Sandbar as he followed his masters aside from how they put off rescuing the other Young Six. There were tougher Heartless he'd yet to face himself like Darkballs, Nightmares, Wizards, Defenders, and many more, but while Sora and Riku took them out without missing a single one, they purposefully missed the easy Shadows that were among the group, and Sandbar was left to take care of them. They've also been running down this corridor for what felt like hours, and Sandbar was getting a bit exhausted. He turned back, feeling more concerned about the well-being of his friends than trying to reach Xehanort in this endless hall of Heartless.
As they found a small break in the oncoming assault, Sandbar took a moment to breathe while Sora and Riku stayed on alert for more. "Wait. I really should find my friends," he said.
Annoyed, Riku rolled his eyes while Sora leered at the earth pony teen. "Look, Sandbar, we get how you went out of your way to help the others with their friendship and Equestrian history lessons."
"But if you want to join us and do something that'll make a difference to every world in the universe, we need to know where your loyalty lies," Sora added.
"If you want to impress us, you don't need to worry about them," Riku said. "They can handle themselves just fine."
Sandbar was taken aback by their heartless lack of concern for the other students. There was something very wrong between Sora and Riku, but the fact that he had looked up to Sora upon learning of his heroic exploits, he really wanted to impress him and the other wielders. Plus, Sora wasn't the kind of person to leave anyone behind, no matter who or what they were. Even if Xehanort was here and they needed to stop him, Sora wouldn't have put so much focus on him if one of his closest friends or family were in peril. Despite his own judgements, Sandbar sighed and continued following Sora and Riku, not wanting to let his idol down.
"Yona!? Sandbar!?" Smolder called out. They were running out of time, the dragon rushing through corridors to find any sign of her four friends. She was able to call out to them again when she heard crying from a familiar timid voice. "Ocellus? Ocellus, is that you!?"
Running over to where she heard the changeling's sobbing, entering the section of the catacombs with the cocoon-shaped crystals glowing an ominous green. Ocellus seemed to have heard her coming, stifling her sobs as she tried to stay hidden from her.
"G-Go away," she whimpered behind a pillar.
"Ocellus, we're still stuck down in these caves," Smolder said. "The roots are closing in. We gotta get out of here."
"J-Just leave me alone," Ocellus muttered.
Smolder moved around the pillar, worried if the changeling got hurt, only to see Queen Chrysalis hiding behind it, huddled into a ball with her hooves buried in her face. "Chrysalis!?" Smolder summoned her Keyblade, startling Ocellus when she heard her former queen's name and is staring at the fiery teeth of Dragon's Fury. "What did you do to Ocellus!?"
"No, Smolder, it's me!" Ocellus exclaimed.
Hearing the timid changeling's voice come out of the bigger, more threatening queen made Smolder balk in shock. She had heard Chrysalis was pretty dangerous, but with how she was cowering before her, hooves held up as a sign of surrender, this wasn't something Chrysalis would do and proved that it was Ocellus under this disguise.
"...Ocellus?" Smolder asked. Ocellus whimpered and gave her a nod. Dismissing her Keyblade, slightly relieved but incredibly confused, the dragoness scratched her head in befuddlement. "Why do you look like Chrysalis?"
"I-I don't know," Ocellus muttered.
"So then change back," Smolder suggested. "You're a changeling."
"...I can't..." Sniffling, Ocellus tried to transform back to normal, but as the aura washed over her, she was still "disguised" as Chrysalis. "I-I tried...It's like before. I..."
The changeling buried her face in her hooves and sobbed. Smolder and the others had been given a rundown of what happened to Ocellus, and the Unversed blob monster forcing her to transform into her evil form and act on her old instincts to strike fear in a little human girl. It was obvious that she hated who she used to be and was afraid of changing back to their old ways, and turning into Chrysalis was much, much worse.
"Come on, Ocellus. You're better than that," Smolder said. "You're not some love-stealing monster anymore. You and the hive changed."
"You don't understand," Ocellus mumbled.
Getting frustrated, Smolder resisted the urge to groan and try to help. "What do you mean? You're telling me you have no choice but to stay like this? Pretend to look like your leader and be an enemy to every creature in the world?"
"...I was chosen...to be Queen Chrysalis's heir..." Smolder's annoyance turned to shock, jaw hanging open. Ocellus sniffled, standing up as she wiped the endless stream of tears running down her cheeks. "I was one of few females who were picked to be her newest queen should anything happen to her...Me being picked was slim because I wasn't as confident or brave or strong as the others, but it still scares me if I was picked."
"...Seriously?" Smolder asked. "But Chrysalis isn't your leader anymore. That wimpy one who started the change for your hive did. Uhh...Thermos?"
"Thorax," Ocellus corrected, turning her head away from the dragon. "It doesn't even matter. I don't know if she planned to use me as her replacement, or if she knew some kind of spell that would force me to change. I only had to worry about looking hideous and harmful toward others back then...The other heiresses who would be perfect for Chrysalis loved to rub it in, and one of them who was the right one changed in appearance, looking less like a drone and more like herself." She looked down at her hooves, hating those disturbing holes in the dark-black chitin in her limbs. Turning away from Smolder, Ocellus sobbed as the terrifying moments at Monster's Inc. came back to her, being chased by Vanitas and turned back into a drone, scaring Boo and unable to fight due to her fear. "I might have overcome my own past, but I can never escape what I have been and what I could have been if things changed...It's impossible for me to really change."
Smolder frowned, feeling sorry for Ocellus. Imagining her as the next tyrannical changeling queen seemed impossible to fathom, but to know that those fears of being evil again stemmed from something that deeply rooted from birth: to be picked out of a select few to take on the role of the hive's queen for the next generation after Chrysalis. Aqua and Sora haven't mentioned this to either of them, so it must have been something Ocellus kept to herself; to not only keep everyone she knows from learning the real truth behind her fears of changing back to her old self, but to spare her friends from discovering this fact and resent her. Ocellus thinks that she really can't change because of what her nature is at birth.
Speechless, Smolder crossed her arms and tapped her claws against her forearms. Looking down, she realized her nails were still painted purple. She didn't bother wiping them off after Gallus saw her in a full princess dress, but she had a way to help snap Ocellus out of her fears. She wasn't going to like it, but it was better than seeing Ocellus stuck like this and trapped down in the caves forever.
Sighing, she braced herself. "...I like cute, silly stuff," Smolder mumbled.
"H-Huh?" Ocellus uttered, turning her head slightly to look at her.
"Mrf! I like cute, silly stuff!" Smolder repeated much louder this time. "Before school started, I never really thought about stuff like that because dragons don't do cute things. But I got curious and wanted to try it, except I was afraid of being made fun of for trying to look cute or feminine when I'm seen as the rough and tough troublemaking dragon like my kind." Ocellus stared at her, not seeming convinced until Smolder showed her painted nails. "You remember those spa and makeup kit things Professor Rarity gave us a few months back? I didn't like them at first, but while I was off exploring a new world, I...saw some princess dresses in one of the empty shops and tried them on. And you know what? I liked looking like a princess. I liked looking pretty. I liked putting on lipstick and eyeliner, and painting my claws. And I never showed or told anyone until I met a dorky dinosaur toy who thought it was adorable playing dressup when I told him that.
"And I had just finished enjoying a real tea party with this little unicorn filly and a few adorable little Moogles with really soft fur who were all dressed up like princesses, too. It was fun, I LOVED it, and if anyone thinks that it's silly, I've still got the muscle to show anyone who messes with me that I can fight back while enjoying pretending to be a princess WITH proper manners and etiquette!" For once, Smolder wasn't embarrassed to admit what she liked, and to one of her friends. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she felt much more confident in herself. Though she was proud, the silence was interrupted by Ocellus snickering, followed by laughter. Smolder grumbled, having intended to lift Ocellus's spirits up by proving how she's changed and not let her nature deny what she enjoyed, but she didn't expect someone like Ocellus to laugh at her. The changeling eventually calmed down, but she couldn't help holding back her grin as she covered her muzzle with her hoof to stifle her giggles. "Yeah, yeah. Hard to believe, but if a dragon like me can admit she enjoys tea parties and princess stuff, that's proof that we can change.
"You've changed for the better as well," Smolder added. "You're the nicest changeling I've met, and you're smart. If you did become a queen, I don't think you'd follow Chrysalis's horseshoes; you'd be just like Thorax and make things better if you put your hoof down." Ocellus's grin faltered as she mulled over the surprisingly inspirational speech Smolder gave her about herself. That part of her still lingered within her, but she wouldn't be here today if she didn't befriend the creatures whom she was best friends with, nor meet the best teachers and masters who accepted her for who she is today. "I was gonna invite you to a top-secret tea party with me, but if you want to stay down here and not be Ocellus-"
"W-Wait! I want to come!" Ocellus insisted.
A light blue aura swept over the changeling, turning her back to normal. Ocellus was surprised that her transformation happened on its own without her power. Despite being herself again, she wondered how her body had shapeshifted without her changeling magic doing so if the same thing had happened when she mustered the courage to save Boo from Vanitas.
"Good to have the old, good Ocellus back," Smolder said. "But don't mention any of what I said to the others, will ya? I may have told you, but if Silverstream heard that, she would not shut up about it and make it more embarrassing for me to admit."
"Ok," Ocellus said, giggling slightly. Smolder led Ocellus back where she came from, hoping to meet up with the others if Gallus found them. "So, these Moogles you had this tea party with. Is their fur really soft?"
"Oh yeah. And, I held one of them and cuddled it," Smolder said. "They weren't like the shopkeeper. They kept saying 'Kupo Kupo'. No idea what they really said, but it was kinda cute."
Ocellus was interested seeing Smolder talking about cute stuff so nonchalantly, and she couldn't wait for the secret tea party with her whenever it comes.
Silverstream refused to leave her hiding spot behind the rock in the water. Anytime she moved, she heard the Storm King's haunting laugh and the grunts of his soldiers surrounding her. She couldn't dive deeper underwater with how shallow it was, wishing it was to hide further away from the monstrous tyrant and his army.
"Guys!?" Gallus called out. Silverstream gasped, looking up to see the griffon flying over the small stream toward her and the Heartless Storm King and troops. Leaping out from the water, she grabbed Gallus, dragging him into the water and hid them behind the rock. Gallus sputtered, caught off guard by the surprise grab. "S-Silv!?"
"Shh! Quiet!" Silverstream hissed. "The Storm King will hear us."
"Huh? The Storm King?" Gallus questioned. "He's nothing but a pile of pebbles. We're still under the school. It's all just a crazy test made up by that weird unicorn who lives down here." Unaware of the trembling, terrified hippogriff beside him, he peeked around the boulder. He was a little spooked by the silhouettes of the primate-like soldiers and the king and their yellow eyes searching around for something like a creepy predator. "Ok, that's actually horrifying."
"I can't find any hippogriffs or seaponies, and I don't want to get caught if I try to swim around to hide anywhere else," Silverstream whimpered. Gallus looked at her, finally seeing just how traumatized she was. "What if they got captured!?" He was wondering why she doesn't just use her Keyblade and blast them with magic, but if he tried to think about using his own during his test, he would have made his claustrophobia much worse. The only way he was going to help her face this fear was by taking them out himself. Gallus called forth Griffon's Pride, flying up out of the water to face them. "Gallus, get back down here!"
Aiming his Keyblade at the Storm King, he was about to cast a spell to blast them with Fire magic, but the silhouettes began to change. He noticed they didn't have a physical form, turning into shadows created by piles of rocks or boulders near the edge of the water, and their yellow eyes began to fade away until they disappeared. Confused, he stared at the shadows on the walls, nothing but a trick of the eye manifested by Silverstream's fears.
"It's not real," Gallus assured as he dismissed his Keyblade.
"Yes, it is!" Silverstream exclaimed. "He's back, and I'm never gonna see another sunset or fly through a cloud bank or study plumbing! He's gonna take away everything I love! I'm gonna be trapped down here forever!"
Gallus now began to realize just how frightened Silverstream really was. Anytime she got spooked or startled, she got back to her overly excited and bubbly self and go on some random tangent about something she discovered. He had heard of what the Storm King had done in Equestria, partly glad he didn't bother taking over Griffonstone with how dilapidated it was, but he never knew what it was like to live in fear from a tyrant who threatened to take over his home. Silverstream had lived underwater for so long, her kingdom dreading the day the Storm King discovered where they were hidden and haul everyone away from her, that freedom to express herself in the air and around others was gone by a small illusion.
He didn't want to see her upset. He also regretted scolding her for the tapping back in the library after Cozy Glow mentioned how each of their races couldn't understand friendship as well as ponies did. Without Silverstream's upbeat and optimistic attitude, it would have been dull among their group of friends. She needed someone to support her and understand her fears, and maybe he did share something personal with her. Landing on the rock, he let out a breath as he prepared himself to tell Silverstream his biggest fear.
"I'm afraid of being trapped, too," he said. "I'm...claustrophobic."
Silverstream gazed at Gallus, surprised by the griffon's admittance. "...Y-You are?"
"Yeah," Gallus said, feeling a little embarrassed to say it, but like Aqua, he was willing to tell Silverstream. "I had a really big scare back in Griffonstone when I thought I could stupidly climb down into the Abysmal Abyss and find the Idol of Boreas. The wind blew me into a small crevice, and I got stuck in there until Grandpa Gruff rescued me." The memories resurfaced as Gallus began to breathe heavily. He grabbed his arm, the slow signs of him hyperventilating concerning Silverstream more than the shadows turning back into the Storm King and his soldiers. Distracting his thoughts, he hummed the healing enchantment to settle his nerves, which calmed him down slightly as it reminded him of how Rapunzel and Aqua held and comforted him as he was panicking. Once he was breathing normally and the memories faded, he focused back on helping Silverstream with her fear. "My test had me nearly crushed inside a shrinking cave, but I figured out how to get out and faced my fear, even if I still can't get over it. And this right here is your test to face your fear, Silv. He's not really back. If you let that fear take over, you'll never be free to do whatever you want to do in your life."
"B-But...what if he really is real?" Silverstream asked timidly.
"Then face him, tell him what you really think of him, and then blast him and his army away," Gallus said. "You're definitely stronger than him. Show him what it feels like to mess with a hippogriff who can unleash powerful magic he desperately wanted to take for himself."
Silverstream shivered at the last thought, Gallus unaware that that was the Storm King's intention to find her kingdom and their magic pearl. Regardless, she knew he was right, and with him by her side, she could do this. In a flash of white and pink light from her shard of the magic pearl, Silverstream turned back into a hippogriff and flew up. Now in view of the shadows, the fake Storm King stared at her, his gaze making her tremble and rethink her actions. She looked at Gallus, who gave her an encouraging thumbs up, then back to the Storm King, summoning her Keyblade and held it tightly in her claws.
"H-Hey, uh, Storm King!" The shadow let out a grunt, making her feathers stand on end, but she kept hovering and continued to eye the shadow tyrant down. "You're nothing but a...big, old bully with a silly name and a goofy crown!"
"Ok, not a bad start," Gallus commented.
"You...thought you could scare us into doing whatever you wanted!" Silverstream continued, yelling a bit louder as her grip on her Keyblade tightened more. "But we learned that together, we're stronger than you! I'M stronger than you! And your dumb, powerless army! And now that we're rid of you, we're gonna soar through the sky and go on adventures and NEVER GIVE YOU A SECOND THOUGHT EVER AGAIN!"
With a loud, shrieking yell, Silverstream swung her Keyblade down and launched a random spell in her confident rage. The Fire spell she released became a massive fireball leveling on being a Firaga spell. Gallus winced at the size, quickly diving underwater as the spell erupted in a fiery explosion at the shadows and the rocks built to create the shadows of the Storm King and his small army. Gallus resurfaced once the cave stopped shaking, watching the smoke from the blast disappear, leaving nothing but piles of pebbles where the little statues once stood, and no shadows to haunt the panting hippogriff.
"Hah! You did it, Silv!" Gallus cheered as he hovered back in the air.
"I...I did," Silverstream said. "I did! I beat him!" Gallus was glad to see Silverstream back to her old self. He grunted when the hippogriff tackled him, landing the two on the ground away from the stream as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Gallus! What would I do without you!?"
Out of nowhere, Silverstream planted a kiss on Gallus's cheek. He froze as his face turned bright red, no longer concerned about the death hug crushing his lungs and ribs. It was meant as a friendly gesture, but to have his crush actually kiss him almost made him zone out in a lovestruck daze. Getting out of these caves was a top priority than admitting his feelings for Silverstream, especially when they still need to find the rest of their friends as well. Clearing his throat, he gently pushed the hippogriff off of him and sat up, hoping she didn't notice the blush on his face.
"Uhh, save the hugging until we get out of here," he sheepishly said.
"Oh! Right! We're on a time limit!" Silverstream exclaimed as the two flew off through the caves. "How long have we been down here? I lost track of time from being scared and worried."
"I...have no clue," Gallus admitted.
As the two griffs flew side-by-side down a corridor, Square watched them from a distance, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. "Young love. Even if one of them doesn't even realize it yet."
Back by the entrance, the roots were close to sealing the entrance, barely enough for Yona to attempt to squeeze through. Smolder and Ocellus made it first and saw the roots, worrying they won't be able to make it if they can't find Yona. Gallus and Silverstream arrived a minute later, now only needing to find Sandbar and Yona before they were sealed down here forever.
"Oh no! We're not gonna make it in time!" Silverstream exclaimed.
"This place feels like a huge maze," Smolder grumbled. "Where are we gonna find Yona or Sandbar?"
Ocellus's ears perked up as she heard something down one of the corridors. "Uhh, what's that pittering sound?"
"Yona find you guys!" Hearing Yona along with the sounds of thousands of little steps, the other four were relieved to know she got out.
As she got closer, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, and Ocellus yelped and hovered off the ground when they saw their yak friend being led and surrounded by hundreds of creepy spiders. Yona wasn't afraid of them, which told them they weren't dangerous, but their appearance made them wary.
"Hey, Yona," Silverstream greeted. "Who's your...spider army?"
"Yona always scared of spiders. But then Yona meet Spindle." Yona held up the little spider she first befriended of the group to her friends, who gave them a little wave. "Yona realize no reason to be afraid. Spiders and yak friends! So Yona ask new friends to help finding old friends!"
"You think your new friends can help us find Sandbar?" Gallus asked, pointing his thumb to the entrance to show Yona how close they were cutting their escape.
Spindle chittered, jumping out of Yona's hoof and led the way with the rest of the spiders. "This is the strangest thing that has happened all night," Smolder commented as the five creatures followed the arachnids down a path where they knew Sandbar would be.
Another wave of Heartless destroyed, and more Shadows for Sandbar to slice down. He nearly collapsed, panting heavily as he grew more and more exhausted. Despite how many times he's heard Sora and Riku claim they must be getting closer with stronger Heartless barring their way, Sandbar felt like they should have reached the other end of the continent at this rate. It's like they were going around in circles, and he still couldn't help but worry about his friends. Even if the other wielders did find them, they should still be at the very least concerned with their safety. Especially Sora when he was responsible for watching Gallus, Smolder, and Ocellus on their first trips to another world for the experience. Sora was the most empathetic person he's ever known, not one to hold a grudge on anyone who's done something bad if he knows what they went through.
"Don't fall behind, Sandbar! He's gotta be up ahead!" Sora said.
Having had enough, Sandbar stood his ground and stomped his hoof. "Ok, I've had enough of this!" he exclaimed, getting both pegasi's attention. "We're been running and fighting for hours, and I'm not taking another step further until I know my friends are alright!"
Both pegasi leered at Sandbar, silently questioning his loyalty. "You seriously care about your friends more than the fate of your world?" Riku asked.
"Or every other world out there?" Sora added. "You looked up to me and wanted to be just like me, right?"
"I do, but this is NOT the kind of things you would say about your friends, Sora!" Sandbar crouched in his stance. "I may look up to you as a hero, but you would never turn your back on anyone. In fact, I don't think you're really my masters."
Sora and Riku glanced at each other, then looked at Sandbar as they stood in their own battle stances toward the young wielder. "We're not, eh? You think you have what it takes to fight us to prove we're imposters?" Riku asked.
"...No...But I know what really makes you stronger: friends. True friends," Sandbar proclaimed. Behind him, Gallus, Smolder, Yona, Silverstream, and Ocellus found him after the spiders pointed them the rest of the way. They stopped as they were shocked to see Sora and Riku with him, but from their stances, they looked like they were about to fight Sandbar. "My professors believe in the magic of friendship, and you, Sora, have strength from the friends you hold in your heart. And if you don't care about my friends, then you're clearly not the real Sora."
"So you're just going to abandon your duty as a Key Bearer over them?" Sora questioned. "They're not ponies."
"You're not ponies either!" Sandbar exclaimed. "I don't care what my friends are! They're the best friends I've ever made, and all I could ever ask! If I have to give them up to make you proud of me, then you're not the kind of hero I thought you were! And if you really are the real Sora and Riku and you're disappointed with my choice, I don't care. I'm disappointed in YOU."
The others were shocked. Sandbar was willing to fight their masters, especially Sora out of all of them, to protect them. He definitely stood no chance, but they were touched to learn Sandbar cares about them no matter who they are or what their natures were supposed to be. They embraced the change to make themselves better, and he was able to look past them and their differences as they all learn to grow and strengthen their bonds as friends.
Sandbar waited for Sora or Riku to make a move, an intense minute of staring them down defiantly. The two pegasi looked at each other again, smirked, then relaxed their stances. They soon disappeared in a flash of light, proving they were just illusions made to test him. Sandbar was glad they were fakes, though he wasn't sure if the Heartless were as he felt so fatigued from the running and fighting he had done for what felt like hours.
"Dude, you just told two of our masters you're disappointed in them." Sandbar looked behind him, glad to see his friends were alright and probably saw the whole argument.
"I thought something was wrong when Sora didn't care about you guys," Sandbar said. "But I was excited helping them stop Xehanort, I didn't want to let them down."
"Sandbar thought evil human really here?" Yona asked.
"It was hard to believe, but after a while, I got suspicious," Sandbar admitted. "I couldn't stop worrying about you guys, and if fighting Xehanort was going to get between me and rescuing my friends, I choose you guys."
"Yeah, yeah, that's sweet and all," Smolder interjected, ruining Sandbar's heartfelt moment. "But can we please get out of here before we're stuck down here forever!?"
"Er, right. That's more important," the stallion uttered.
Reunited and together, the Young Six hurried back to the entrance. They raced up the root slope, gasping in shock as the roots around the entrance was almost sealed. There was no chance for Yona to even fit, and if the others tried, they wouldn't be able to put a limb through. They feared they were too late until a bright flash of light behind them. At the bottom of the slope stood Square Equinox, seeming very pleased to see all six of them having succeeded in their tests.
"Congratulations, children," he said. "You've all passed your tests."
"But the way's blocked off!" Gallus said.
"Now we're stuck down here," Silverstream mumbled.
"Not necessarily," Square assured.
"So then moves these dumb roots out of the way!" Smolder exclaimed.
"I'm not responsible for the roots," he said, confusing the Young Six. "And I wasn't responsible for the tests each of you were presented with."
"Huh? You...weren't?" Sandbar questioned.
"But...you transported us in different parts of the cave," Ocellus said.
"Wait a second," Smolder uttered. "There was a Sora and Riku Sandbar was following, but they weren't real. I ran into a room with a unicorn filly and a bunch of Moogles...which means they weren't real either."
Square nodded his head. "Illusions," he said. "All of the tests you've faced were illusions, but they were not crafted by me."
"Then...who did?" Yona asked.
"Take a look around," the older stallion said. The Young Six looked around the cavern, from the crystal roots blocking the entrance, their slope leading down to the ground, curled along the ceiling and walls. "Do these roots seem natural to exist underneath a school?"
"They're...made of crystal...just like..." Ocellus gasped, suddenly figuring it out. "The Tree of Harmony did all this?"
Shocked, the others stared at Ocellus while Square nodded again. "Correct. The Tree of Harmony created these tests for you."
"So that means...you are the Tree of Harmony!?" Silverstream guessed with a loud gasp.
The older stallion chuckled and shook his head. "No, no. I am not the Tree. I was more of the overseer for Her. She was sure Her presence would have given away if she pretended to be someone you knew. Like Princess Twilight Sparkle, perhaps?"
"...Huh. That would have given it away," Silverstream pondered. "Especially the glowing, sparkly body thing."
"So, does that mean you're not real, too?" Sandbar asked curiously.
Square frowned, unsure how to answer such a question. "...Well, yes and no," he said. "It's...hard to explain."
"Then maybe you can explain why you, or the Tree, put us in situations with our biggest fears!?" Gallus exclaimed angrily. "I may not be an expert on pony history, but I'm sure the Tree of Harmony wouldn't just trap creatures down here and scare the hay out of them! I thought I was going to be crushed in a shrinking cave!"
"You were never in any danger, regardless of which situation you were all put under," Square explained. "Emotional, psychological, but never physical. The Tree of Harmony has more power than even your mentors know about Her, but She does not use her power to harm. And She didn't pick those fears; they were chosen by your own fears as the roots sensed them." He pressed his hoof against one of the roots, creating an image of the Young Six's fears, of which they can only see their own fears. Knowing some of them were not ready to admit their biggest fears like Smolder and Ocellus, he respected their personal thoughts, though he was aware one other among them knows about what they faced and their feelings toward them. "But despite facing what frightens you most, you faced your fears, but you never faced them alone.
"Even when scared, you were more concerned about your friends' well-being rather than your own, even if two of you had managed to brave your fears alone." Gallus and Smolder looked at each other. They were the first ones who managed to pass, but even though they could have left at any time, they stayed to find their other friends and help them. Square removed his hoof from the root as he continued. "You were strong where your friends were weak, and you help improve each other's weaknesses so you can be strong together. Admitting one's fears to another is a much more impressive sign of strength than keeping it to yourself while wearing a metaphorical mask to hide it and keep it bottled inside. You let each other in and showed you were there for each other, no matter what happens. I believe that is enough to prove that friendship IS within your natures."
It was strange for them to have learned a friendship lesson by the Tree of Harmony and a stallion who was willing to be Her voice like a prophet, but he was right. They may be different and grew up with different social norms, but they really can learn and make friends. The roots around the entrance moved away, allowing the Young Six to freely leave. One by one, they climbed out of the grate and back in the library, letting Yona go first due to her size barely squeezing through. Sandbar was the last to leave, but he looked back at Square Equinox as he watched them go.
"...Uhh, Master Equinox?" he asked.
"Yes?" Square responded.
"...Never mind," Sandbar uttered. "You just look...kinda familiar to someone Master Aqua knew."
The young stallion turned and climbed out, leaving the glittering unicorn stallion to look down and sigh to himself. With his work done, Square's body shimmered in a bright light, his form turning into a small spark of light that seeped into the roots and followed it back to the Tree of Harmony. Through the extended roots, the light found its way back to where the Tree resided. Leaning against the Tree's trunk, Terra was lost in a meditative stance, breathing, but subtly unconscious. The light seeped back into the stallion, his body shining briefly as he inhaled deeply and opened his eyes. While rubbing his head, Eraqus reappeared in front of Terra in his corporeal light form.
"'Square Equinox'?" Terra questioned.
"It sounded fitting as a persona," Eraqus reasoned.
"At least they're not fighting with each other again." Terra stood up, wobbling slightly after having a strange out-of-body experience like that. He was surprised that his master's and the Tree's plan had worked, though what some of the teens had went through were not what he had expected. Considering Ocellus having a much deeper and darker past then they thought, he unfortunately had to keep this startling news to himself. He walked out of the cave and noticed the sun was beginning to rise. "I didn't think it would last all night. They're gonna be exhausted for school today."
"I'm sure Twilight will understand why they missed their little quiz," Eraqus assured. "They've been tested enough for one day."
Back in the library, the Young Six were glad to be out of the caves. Around the corner, Cozy Glow poked her head around a bookshelf, surprised and relieved to have found them.
"You're alright!" she said. "I came back with my notes and saw that grate was opened and didn't know what to think!"
"We're better than alright!" Silverstream said. "We just got tested by the Tree of Harmony! And we passed!"
"Huh? The Tree of Harmony?" Cozy Glow asked. "Here?"
"Yeah! Well, actually, below the school," Silverstream explained. "We found this weird grate, went down there, and met this older stallion who spoke for the Tree of Harmony! And he was a Keyblade Master too, which I don't know if he intended to take away our Keyblades if we failed because we thought friendship wasn't in our nature, but they just gave us a test to prove how we-!"
Smolder covered Silverstream's beak with her hand, her nails still painted purple. "Long story, short, friendship IS in our nature," she summarized. "The old stallion said so."
"There's another master?" Cozy Glow questioned.
"I don't think our masters have ever heard of him," Sandbar said. "His name was Square Equinox. I think he's a wandering master or something."
"Maybe we should tell someone there's a giant magical hole in the library," Ocellus suggested. Behind them, they heard the grate gently clang over the hole, the Young Six looking back to watch the roots having moved it back into place before it disappeared down into the caverns. "...Or not."
"I think we should tell our masters and professors about this anyway," Sandbar suggested. "They will not believe what we-"
"NO!" Cozy Glow shrieked. Her outburst startled and confused the Young Six from how desperate she sounded. "I mean...It was my fault," she said apologetically. "You were getting along so well, and I felt left out. I was jealous. And it upset you so much, the Tree of Harmony had to test you." The pegasus filly let out a horrified gasp and began to tear up. "Oh no! I'm gonna get expelled for sure! Please don't tell anypony about this! Especially the professors! Or Sora! Please, please, please-!"
Smolder pressed her hand against Cozy's snout, ceasing her blubbering while she let out a tired yawn. "Alright, we get it. You're sorry," she said, barely able to keep her eyes open. "I'm too tired to do anything anyway."
The sleep deprivation was also apparent on the other teens, trying to stay awake while trying not to yawn or pass out and fall asleep. "We can't go to sleep yet," Sandbar tiredly said. "We'll miss the test."
"Oh, right," Gallus said with a yawn. "Forgot about that stupid test."
"We're gonna fail," Ocellus added.
One by one, each of the Young Six were succumbing to their bodies' need to sleep as they laid where they stood. Yona was already out like a light with her snoring, Smolder draping herself on the yak's abdomen like a fuzzy bed, and Gallus, Silverstream, and Ocellus laying down where they stood. Sandbar struggled to stay awake, but Cozy could see that it was a losing battle if they had been tested by the Tree of Harmony all night.
"What if I tell Professor Sparkle I needed help organizing these books, and you were all kind enough to pitch in?" Cozy Glow suggested. "I'll get you an extension!"
"Thanks, Cozy," Sandbar said, laying down next to his friends with a yawn as his eyes drooped closed. "That's nice of you."
"I'm just so sorry I caused all this," Cozy apologized. "You're such good friends. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
"Mmm...No problem," Silverstream mumbled. "Friendship is..."
Cozy grinned, stepping around the Young Six and let them sleep. "You all get some rest. Don't give any of this another thought." The filly approached the grate, looking down in the hole as she spotted a faint glow coming from down inside that came from the roots of the Tree of Harmony down below. "Just let Cozy take care of everything..."
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Really lmao eraqus you need to work on names lol
That was really good. Can't wait for the next chapter. Although, I really hate Cozy Glow. She's too much of a wimp for a full on fight.
great chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter i think the episode was base on riku point of view in KH chain of memories
Pun aside, I really felt like this was something from star wars (yes I realized it the moment I said it) but this chapter reminds me so much from a clone wars episode where we.see younglings getting n their crystals and learning out to conquer their flaws
I know it already happened in canon buuuuuuuuuut:
[Harry Potter]: "Don't even think about it."
Please Start the the Arendelle Adventure Soon! I don't know how much longer I can wait! The adventures In the other worlds that the young 6 have with Sora are always soooooo exciting!
Seems like Cozy Glow is up to no good. I am surprised that the Tree of Harmony never got to talk to them. Like I get master Eraqus was the better choice, but Astral Twilight would have been nice for the young 6 to see the tree of harmony is sentient.
I'm on my knees lmao. I know Eraqus's name is an anagram for Square but man. Square Equinox? I'm giggling on how similar it is to Square Enix. Good chapter as always, made me smile
As much as I'm looking forward to the next few chapters, knowing what's gonna happen makes me worried for Sora's emotional state with how close he's gotten to Cozy Glow.
As for this chapter, I really loved that little extra bit you added with Gallus and Silverstream, and hope we'll get to explore it a little bit more.
Sora is going to have trust issues when he learns that Cozy Glow is really evil. Even when I watched show I knew something about her seemed off and the way she was acting so innoncent around everything around her and always trying to look so cute felt really forced.
11642815
Vanille's from Final Fantasy 13. I wanted to put in other Final Fantasy characters in this story as cameos aside from the ones that were already cameoed in the game series. And as much as a lot of FF fans dislike 13 for many reasons, I have my gripes with some of that game and the weirdly unwarranted trilogy, but I do like some aspects of the trilogy regardless of the love/hate relationship with the main characters' personalities/development, story, enemies, music, battle mechanics, etc.
Pinkie actually has a few similar quirks to Vanille, so her disguise to fool Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie in Destiny Islands seemed perfect to cosplaying her cameo.