• Published 10th May 2016
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My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria - Codex92



After failing his mark of mastery exam to be a Keyblade Master, Sora must continue his training on his own. Unfortunately, he crashes into the world of Equestria, and his friends don't know he's stranded in this far off world.

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Twilight's Kingdom (Part 1)

A few days after the Dream Festival, Twilight was given a message from Celestia to greet dignitaries from a neighboring kingdom at the Crystal Empire, and everyone was invited to come by. Even after being there for the Equestria Games about a week ago, it was still a great city to explore. Aqua, sadly, didn't want to come. It wasn't because she didn't want to, she was still a little anxious leaving the boutique and claimed she wasn't feeling well, keeping The Unknown's letter a secret from everyone else. At least she agreed to watching Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo while they were away, provided they don't try to blow up the town with any of their shenanigans. Ventus stayed as well to help, knowing those three fillies can be a handful when they get to thinking of ways to get their cutie marks.

On the train ride over, Twilight looked down at her Keyblade, contemplating the role given to her by Celestia. She's gotten a little better at fighting with her Keyblade, her D-Links just as helpful in combat when she really does need them, but her role as a defender of light and vanquisher of darkness wasn't the one thing troubling her. She and her friends were able to do just that with the Elements of Harmony, though now that they were back where they belonged in the Tree of Harmony, she was the only one out of them who could really fight back against the Heartless. Twilight was more concerned with her role as a princess of Equestria.

"Hey, Twilight." Riku sat beside her after talking with the others for a while. He noticed the sad look on her face as she stared down at her Keyblade. "Why the long face?"

"...Was that supposed to be a joke?" she asked, looking up at him.

"...Oh." It took Riku a moment to realize the awkward question he asked. "No, no, I meant why are you so down? Not because you're a pony and your faces are...long cause of your muzzle and uhh...the face thing...joke..." It grew more awkward with silence as he tried to explain the joke, which could have also been insulting to them out of context. "I'm shutting up now."

"Well...I don't know why you guys all wanted to come with me to this royal meeting," Twilight said. "There's not much I'm going to be doing there except smile and wave when the dignitaries arrive."

"...That's it?" Riku asked. "You mean, you're not going to take part in the meeting?"

"Yup. I'm just going to be there, smile and wave, and I don't know what else." Twilight sighed, tapping her hoof against the blade of her weapon. "I feel like my role as a princess of Equestria doesn't equate to that of the others...What exactly have I done as a princess ever since I ascended?" Riku was about to say something, but the alicorn interrupted him. "Not including my coronation because that was where I was crowned a princess, and the Summer Sun Celebration last year didn't count either. All I did for that was fly through the air and make a flashy entrance for the longest day of the year."

He closed his mouth, unable to think of anything she had done as a princess. "...Well, maybe Celestia has something planned for you today that she wanted to tell you personally. Like a surprise."

"I don't know..." Riku wrapped a wing around his conflicted girlfriend, pulling her into a comforting hug.

"Destinies can lead to a lot of questions that don't leave a lot of answers," he said. "I mean, just take a look at me. A Keyblade Master, a protector of light, where someone from another world gave me the power that would come to me in time. Unfortunately, I fell down the wrong path by my anger and jealousy, letting darkness in my heart...Even when I was tested by Master Yen Sid, I felt like I would fail, despite all I've done two years prior to my Mark of Mastery exam, both good and bad. But, I ended up passing, even though I shouldn't have as I still, to this day, feel like I should have failed.

"We don't know what our futures will hold, but what we do now determines the outcome of our destinies." Riku gently laid his hoof over Twilight's, giving her a peck on the cheek. "You're already getting better as a Keyblade wielder, but I know you'll also be a great leader as a princess in this world."

"I can only hope that time comes sooner rather than twenty years later," Twilight grumbled, though she took Riku's words to heart.

The train finally arrived at the Crystal Empire as passengers stepped off the platform, whether as tourists checking the city out or business ponies examining their wares and make deals with the locals. The group made their way to the castle to prepare for the arriving dignitaries that would be here soon. While Twilight stood out on the balcony, the others were inside the castle and Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were outside to greet the dignitaries and make their way inside for their meeting.

The crystal ponies began alerting their presence with fanfare, Flash Sentry down below announcing their presence. "The Duke and Duchess of Maretonia!"

The Duke and Duchess made their way down the road with their entourage, meeting with the three alicorn princesses as they bowed in respect to each other. Twilight did her part, smiling and waving after lowering the banner of Maretonia's flag, though they didn't pay her much attention. As soon as they went inside, the lavender alicorn sighed.

"That was it?" Spike questioned. "Princess Celestia had you come all this way just to do that?" The others leered at Spike, the baby dragon realizing he ended up hurting Twilight's feelings. "Uhh, I mean, wow! Really regal and important!"

Riku smacked the back of Spike's head for disregarding Twilight's feelings toward her role as an alicorn princess. "Real smooth, Spike."


Later that evening, Twilight paced anxiously out in the halls, Sora, Riku, and Kairi staying with her to make sure she doesn't have a nervous breakdown. The princesses spoke with the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia in a private room, their words muffled as they discussed any important deals, agreements, anything they had planned on going over in secrecy.

"Twilight, calm down," Sora said. "I don't know if it's possible to wear a groove into crystal, but you might end up doing that if you keep pacing."

"They've been talking all day," Twilight muttered. "I don't know what else they'll be planning on doing."

Soon, the doors to the room opened, the Duke and Duchess stepping out as the meeting ended. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Twilight bowed to them as they approached.

"Your highness, thank you for understanding our desire to keep the number of those privy to these confidential discussions to a minimum," the Duke said.

"Of course," Twilight said as the couple of Maretonia passed them. As soon as they left the hall, they stood up as Celestia, Luna, and Cadence stepped out of the room. Twilight eagerly approached her fellow princesses, awaiting any new orders. "Is there anything else I can do to assist with their visit?"

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Celestia apologized. "Their visit is already over." Disappointed, Twilight's ears drooped sadly. "What's wrong, Twilight?"

"I guess...I don't understand why I'm here," Twilight said. "Couldn't have one of the guards unfurled the banner instead?"

"Having all four of us here in the Crystal Empire to greet them lets dignitaries know that their visit is considered very important," Celestia explained.

"And, it gives me the opportunity to see my favorite sister-in-law again," Cadence said as she hugged Twilight.

"I am happy to see all of you." Even though she was being honest, the others knew she still had something else on her mind to say.

"But...?" Cadence asked.

"But, what is my purpose as a princess?" Twilight questioned. "I mean, Princess Luna raises the moon,-" Luna nodded her head. "-Princess Celestia raises the sun,-" Celestia nodded as well, though she saw where her ex-student was going with her explanation. "-Cadence, you protect the Crystal Empire, and all I ever seem to do is...smile and wave."

"But you have a Keyblade like us," Sora said. "You can be...the princess of light?"

"Sora, that goes to the Princesses of Heart, and I'm one of them," Kairi said. "That kind of princess needs a heart of pure light, and Twilight...well, you know..."

"Oh. Right..." Twilight walked past them as a sad tune played around them.

Twilight made her way to the balcony where she performed her "role" as a princess for the day. She leaned over the railing, looking out at the Crystal Empire as she sung her woes aloud about her ascension.

[Twilight]
It isn't that I'm ungrateful
For all the things that I've earned,
For all the journeys I have taken,
All the lessons that I have learned

But I wonder where I'm going now,
What my role is meant to be
I don't know how to travel
To a future that I can't see

The three alicorns and three Keyblade wielders stood out on the balcony with Twilight as they heard her out. Celestia and Luna can understand how Twilight felt, questioning what they were meant to do in life as princesses themselves, though the outcome of their rule wound up breaking them apart from the populace choosing one over the other. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were chosen by the Keyblade, their lives changing from normal kids to powerful warriors, and Kairi had been destined to be a Princess of Heart ever since she was born. But like Kairi, Twilight had two destinies, but she only understood her duties as a Keyblade wielder and barely did anything to prove she would be a great princess of her own world when she's barely done anything.

I have my wings, I wear this crown
I'm a princess, this is true
But it's still unclear to me
Just what I am meant to do

I wanna have a purpose
Wanna do all that I can
I wanna make a contribution
I want to be a part of the plan

Celestia approached Twilight, gently laying a hoof over her shoulder as the music began to shift from saddening to hopeful.

[Celestia]
Your destiny's uncertain
And that's sometimes hard to take
But it will become much clearer
With every new choice you make

Luna and Cadence walked up to her as well to reassure Twilight along with Celestia.

[Luna]
Patience is never easy
I understand wanting more
I know how hard it is to wait
To spread out your wings and soar

[Cadence]
But you stand here for a reason
You're gifted and you are strong
That crown is upon your head because
You belong

[Celestia, Luna, and Cadence]
Know that your time is coming soon
As the sun rises, so does the moon
As love finds a place in every heart
You are a princess; you'll play your part

Sora, Riku, and Kairi stayed back and watched, neither of them ever hearing Celestia or Luna sing, Sora the only one of the three who never heard Cadence sing. It was a surprise for them to see a magical illusion of the sun and moon rising above the alicorns along with a Crystal Heart in between them, turning into sprinkles of light that fell around them.

[Luna]
We understand you wanting more
A chance to shine, a chance to soar

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence flew up and hovered over Twilight in a triangular formation, the lavender mare looking up at them as they circled her.

[Cadence]
Soon will come the day it turns around

[Celestia, Luna, and Cadence]
Know that your time is coming soon
As the sun rises, so does the moon
As love finds a place in every heart
You are a princess; you'll play your part

The princesses landed, repeating their magical light show with their magical elements they control and turning them into sparkles of light again. Twilight looked down, feeling unsure if she will play her part, but Celestia tilted her head up to look at her.

[Celestia]
You are a princess; you'll play your part

She pulled her former student into a hug, which Twilight gave back. "Your time will come, Twilight."

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence headed back inside, leaving Twilight, Sora, Riku, and Kairi to themselves as they headed off to bed. Riku approached Twilight, gently nudging her flank with his.

"See? It's just like what I told you on the train," he reminded. "You'll find out when your destiny as a princess comes to you in time."

"Maybe you're all right," Twilight said, nuzzling her stallion. "I guess I'm just a little bit impatient. And a little worried."

"You've got your friends to be there for you, and me." Riku gave the alicorn a soft kiss on the lips, wrapping his legs around her barrel. "Want to do something to get your mind off those negative thoughts of yours?"

"Hmm..." Twilight's stomach began to rumble, not having eaten anything all day while she waited for something else to do for the dignitaries from Maretonia. "...Heheh. I guess some dinner would help clear my head a little. I think I know a good restaurant around the empire I want to try."

"Then it's a date." Riku and Twilight flew off and made their way into the city for their dinner date.

"I'm getting a little hungry, too," Kairi said. "Wanna tail them and get some food?" Sora didn't respond, staring at the hallway in the castle where the princesses disappeared to their rooms. "Sora? You ok?"

"...I didn't think they sang that good," he finally said. He turned back to Kairi, completely awestruck. "No wonder every pony in this world sees them as goddesses. They have the pipes of angels...and it was amazing! I'm dying to know what else they can sing if we can drag them off to a karaoke club!"

Kairi sighed, lightly bopping Sora on the head as she climbed onto his back. "Just catch up to Riku and Twilight so we can have a double date and eat. I'm starving."

"Guess I'm the only one who can appreciate heavenly singing from alicorn princesses that control the sun, moon, and love," Sora said as he took off.

"Oh, so does my singing compare to theirs?" Kairi asked. "I am a princess, too, you know."

"Nope. Theirs is far better than any famous singer in any world." The unicorn growled and wanted to smack Sora upside the head again, but he did have a point.

"Well...that song was really amazing," she admitted. "Let's just hope Twilight will find her place as an alicorn princess. As much as she is a Keyblade wielder like us, she has a bigger role in Equestria as one of six special heroines destined to wield the Elements of Harmony."


Somewhere out in rural town in another part of Equestria, a lone unicorn stallion wandered through the empty streets with a bucket of oranges. A light fog covered the town, very little light coming from the buildings inside to guide him on his way. He jumped as a can was kicked aside from one of the alleyways. Exiting the passageway was a mysterious figure garbed in a gray cloak, concealing his entire body.

"Oh, sorry about that," the startled stallion said with a sigh of relief. "You came out of nowhere."

"'Is he friend or is he foe?', the pony wonders," the figure said. The unicorn stared at the mysterious equine at his statement with a confused gaze. "I can assure you...I am no friend. I am Lord Tirek." He revealed an arm and part of his face; his skin red, his arms bearing metal bracers, a white beard, and a nose ring. The old creature clenched his fist, worrying the stallion as he wasn't entirely equine at all. "And I will take what should have been mine many years ago."

"W-What?" Before the unicorn could flee, the mysterious being opened his maw wide, inhaling deeply like a demonic beast as the stallion's blue aura holding his oranges was suddenly flowing out of him and in the demon's mouth.

He grunted in pain, feeling every ounce of magic in him fade, almost like the life was being drained out of him. After it was completely gone, the stallion fell to the ground in his weakened state, his cutie mark disappearing as he gazed up at the fiend with glossed over eyes. A yellow aura appeared around the being as it grew about an inch, laughing sinisterly as his yellow eyes shone underneath the veil of his hood.


Celestia was startled awake from the awful nightmare she had, unable to help but watch as one of her subjects' magic was sucked away by the horrible demon. As she panted heavily, never feeling so scared in her life aside from losing her sister, Luna burst into the room she was sleeping in during their stay in the Crystal Empire.

"Sister, are you alright?" Luna asked.

"I just had the most terrifying dream," Celestia said.

"That was no dream," the young sibling said. "I had the exact same one. It was a vision. Of him."

"Then we don't have much time." The princess of the sun climbed out of bed and approached the window. "We need to tell Twilight and Cadence. We may even need to warn Sora and his friends as well. The stronger he becomes...the more we're all in danger..."


As the sun began to rise, Celestia asked Cadence to send guards to retrieve Twilight, Sora, Riku, and Kairi to the throne room. The rest of the group that came with them had to head back to Ponyville, promising to come back after whatever important meeting they needed to attend. Sora let out a yawn as he, Riku, Kairi, Twilight, and Cadence waited for Celestia and Luna to enter, the alicorn sisters needing to grab something before starting the private meeting.

"So, Cadence, do you have any idea what's gotten under Celestia and Luna's skin?" Sora asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know," Cadence said. "She told me to bring you four here, but whatever it is, both of my aunts are acting really strange, almost as if they were afraid of something."

"Is it Heartless?" Riku asked. "Or more Nobodies they may have sighted?"

"No. It is far worse than those creatures of darkness and nothingness," Celestia said as she and Luna returned, holding a book in her golden aura. "Something of an even greater threat than the likes of Discord, Sombra, or even Nightmare Moon has broken free; his name is Tirek."

She opened the book, opening the pages to an illustration of a wasteland, showing the silhouette of what appeared to be a centaur with two curved horns on its head in the background, and a gargoyle with brown fur, wearing a gold triangular-shaped pendant around its neck. "A centaur and a gargoyle? How come we haven't seen any of them around Equestria?"

"They live across the seas, but we do not share any ties after what had happened over a millennia ago," Celestia said as she began telling the tale within the story. "'Tirek and his brother Scorpan came here from a distant land, intent on stealing Equestrian magic.'" She turned the page, showing the gargoyle, Scorpan, among the ponies, but it was more peaceful as he seemed happy, having no ill will toward them. There was even another picture on the next page where Scorpan befriended Star Swirl the Bearded, wearing the same kind of outfit Twilight wore on Sora and Kairi's first Nightmare Night in Equestria. "'But Scorpan soon came to appreciate the ways of Equestria, even befriending a young unicorn wizard.'"

Luna took over narrating on the next page, where Scorpan tried to plead with the centaur, Tirek, though the closeup of Tirek and his yellow eyes seemed to show no sign of peaceful unity his brother had. "'Scorpan urged his brother to abandon their plans. When Tirek refused, Scorpan alerted us to Tirek's intentions.'"

"'Scorpan returned to his own land, and Tirek was sent to Tarterus for his crimes," Celestia continued as more pages were flipped. Scorpan warned Celestia and Luna, returned home, and Tirek was banished into the underworld where he would rot for his attempt to take the ponies' magic. "But, it appears he has found some way to escape and is out in Equestria as we speak."

"We believe his escape must have occurred when Cerberus had left his post to the gates of Tarterus," Luna said.

"Wait, Kairi and I brought that mangy three-headed mutt back to the Underworld a couple years ago," Sora said. "Tarterus is connected to another world, Olympus, and oddly enough, that's the very same place Hades keeps prisoners sent there from Equestria. The Underworld must be connected to every single world if there are souls sent there when they die, or demons too powerful to keep them contained."

"But if he escaped that long ago, why is he stealing magic now?" Twilight asked.

"He has been sealed in Tarterus for over a thousand years, his powers drained and leaving him vulnerable," Celestia explained. "Right now, he has probably regained enough strength to use his dark powers."

Sora sighed in annoyance. "Great. That's another bad guy wanting to seek revenge after being banished to something for a thousand years. You make worse enemies than I do, Celestia." The white alicorn princess grimaced, lowering her head slightly as her gaze shifted to Luna for a moment. Realizing he brought up a bad memory of Nightmare Moon with his statement, he winced, mentally punching himself and reminding himself to hit himself hard in the face later for upsetting both Celestia and Luna. "Uhh, sorry. I...didn't mean it like that..."

"And everyone else thinks I'm insensitive," Riku muttered to himself.

"We know you did not mean to say it like that," Celestia said, accepting Sora's apology. "At least this time, Tirek was like Discord back then; an enemy."

"But unlike Discord, where we were able to persuade him to change his ways, Tirek will not," Luna added. "Discord unleashed his magic, but that's less dangerous than having every single ounce of magic drained out of everypony, including alicorn magic."

"Then let's beat him up and send him back to Tarterus!" Sora raised his hoof up above him, summoning his Keyblade. "He won't be able to take on six Keyblade wielders at once!"

"I do not think that is wise, Sora," Celestia said.

"Huh? Why not?" Sora asked in confusion.

"He might not be a threat at the moment, but if he manages to absorb enough magic from several ponies, not even I could defeat him on my own." The teen scratched his head, not getting the severity of Tirek's power. "And as ponies while in this world, your magic could be sucked dry if he catches you. Tirek might also take away the magic from your Keyblades, which will make him grow stronger."

"...You sure he's able to do that?" Sora asked, looking to Riku, Kairi, and Twilight.

"I think so," Twilight said. "Before I turned into an alicorn and got my Keyblade, I was able to mimic the spells you, Kairi, and Donald showed me with my own magic alone. It was weaker, but it was effective...So, it's possible Tirek could steal Keyblade magic along with the pony magic you have in Equestria. And with how strong it is, it would make him far more powerful."

"Then that means we're useless if he's stolen enough Equestrian magic to overpower us," Riku summarized. "If he steals all of it, Sora's Harmony Form might not even be enough if those six Keyblades only hold a fraction of the Elements of Harmony."

"There is one way to stop Tirek." Everyone brought their attention to Celestia. Whatever idea she had that would stop Tirek without risking any casualties didn't seem good with the frown on her face. "With the Elements of Harmony back in the Tree of Harmony and Tirek able to steal any form of magic if you get too close to him, there is only one other option we have. He is our only hope of stopping him; Discord."

"WHAT!?" Sora, Riku, Kairi, Twilight, and Cadence exclaimed simultaneously.


"...As in 'Discord', Discord?" Applejack asked after Twilight, Sora, Riku, and Kairi came back to Ponyville and explained what their meeting was about to their friends, including Ventus and Aqua.

"Princess Celestia is trusting that chaotic snake to deal with a magic sucking centaur over us!?" Ventus exclaimed.

"As much as I want to agree with you on Discord's powers, Ven, I think Celestia might have a point," Aqua said. "His chaotic magic was annoying when I tracked him down to get Sora back to his normal size, and if he's able to get through us and our power, then he has a better chance of capturing Tirek then we do."

"Yeah. We're putting the fate of the world in the claw and paw of a chaotic deity who hasn't even been fully reformed," Sora grumbled. "I'd rather trust Xehanort to deal with Tirek, and he's public enemy number one throughout the whole universe!"

"But Discord can be helpful," Fluttershy reasoned.

Sora gave Fluttershy a dirty look, making the pegasus blanch. "Do you not recall how he SHRUNK me to the size of a Breezie a while back!? As far as I know, he's not even close to being reformed if he still loves to pick on the rest of us except for you, Fluttershy!"

"Oh...But, at least he turned you back to normal." The teen grumbled, turned back to normal after Aqua beat the living stuffing out of Discord.

"We can only hope he shows he's changed," Twilight said. "He can sense magical imbalances, so the next time Tirek steals magic, he'll find him."

"So, what are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Nothing...Unless any of you want me to smile and wave," Twilight dejectedly said with a sigh. "Maybe I'll try to figure out how to find those keys for the chest in one of the books in the Castle of the Two Sisters."

"Guess that's something for us to do while we wait," Riku suggested, draping a wing over Twilight's back. "I doubt we'll find anything, and we can't exactly go out looking for them when Tirek's attacking, but maybe we can finally figure out what's in that chest."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "The Equestria Games are finally over. We did promise to find the keys, wherever they might be."

"Then let's get going!" Spike exclaimed.

Twilight did feel a little better as they made their way to the Everfree Forest. Even though she doesn't feel all that important as a princess just yet, she still had her friends to lift her spirits. While walking along the safe path, Aqua made sure to put herself and the more experienced Keyblade wielders in formation around the Mane Six and Spike, just in case any wild animals or Heartless came from around any corner to attack them. Luckily, there was no danger throughout the walk, but it didn't hurt to be careful. They soon reached the bridge leading across the chasm below where the Tree of Harmony rested.

"I wish we kept the Elements of Harmony," Rainbow complained slightly. "We could have kicked Tirek's plot quicker and keep other ponies from losing their magic."

"But we had to give them up so the Tree of Harmony could live," Rarity reminded the pegasus.

"And even without them, our friendship is as strong as ever." Everyone agreed with Fluttershy, their bond more than just random chance by a group of magical gems destined to be theirs to use against the forces of evil and darkness.

"Let's just hope a certain 'friend' doesn't make us regret giving them up," Applejack said, though that certain "friend" appeared behind them.

"Is someone talking about me?" Discord said, surprising everyone as the mares turned to face him, Sora groaning in annoyance.

"Here he comes to wreck the day!" Sora sang as he turned to leer at the draconequus. "How'd you even know we were talking about you specifically?"

"I do have ears, you know." The Keyblade wielder noticed Discord was missing an ear. He felt something tap his shoulder, turning to find his missing ear sitting on his shoulder. "They can wind up anywhere if I don't pay attention to them." Growling, Sora grabbed the appendage and smashed it under his hoof. Discord yelled out in pain, rubbing the side of his head where his "missing" ear used to be. "Hey, I can still feel that!"

"Good." Sora then lifted the ear up to his mouth. "THAT WAS FOR TRICKING ME AND SHRINKING ME TO THE SIZE OF AN INSECT, DISCORD!"

Discord yelled even louder as Sora shouted into his disconnected ear, clutching his head in pain before swiping it away from him. The others laughed at the draconequus's misfortune, regretting secretly teleporting his ear onto Sora's back the moment they came back to Ponyville.

"What are you even doing here?" Aqua questioned, tapping her hoof, waiting for any signs of the mismatched creature of chaos to trick anyone.

Discord reattached his ear back in placed, his head still ringing from Sora's revenge shouting. "I was doing a little bit of reading before going off on my mission." With a snap of his fingers, he teleported the Mane Six's journal, filled with all of their adventures and lessons they learned from them. There were different colored bookmarks scattered on different pages in the journal, the five marks colored like Applejack's, Pinkie's, Rarity's, Rainbow's, and Fluttershy's coats. "You all know I'm tasked with taking care of a certain escapee."

"We just told everyone about Tirek and your responsibility to stop him, Discord," Twilight said.

"And I was just as shocked to hear Celestia say that I carry this important role and not Sora!" Discord said in mock surprise, teleporting behind the pegasus and mussing his spiky hair. He somehow managed to straighten it all down against his head, not a single strand sticking up. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if she actually made ME an alicorn princess after this!"

Discord snapped his fingers, giving himself a pair of fake purple wings, a fake purple horn on his forehead, wearing a purple crown fit for a king as he posed. Confetti rained down on everyone as applause rang out around them. Discord waved to the imaginary crowd, making the gold Twilight cane appear in his hand as he paraded in front of the annoyed group sans Fluttershy. Sora shook his head, getting rid of the confetti and fixing his hair back to normal.

"I think that's only going to happen in your dreams," Riku blandly said.

"Oh, I don't dream," Discord said, shoving the scepter into the white pegasus's mouth. "You and Sora should know a bit about dreams. You can freely travel around, invade other ponies' privacy, see secrets you wished you could never unsee."

Riku spat out the cane, swiping his hoof at Discord, only for the draconequus to teleport away from him, still holding onto the journal. "It was mostly the dreams of worlds that were still sleeping when the worlds returned from darkness."

"Worlds dream? That's quite interesting." Discord flipped through the pages of the journal, closing it shut as he looked down at the empty ravine. "What's more interesting is that Twilight hasn't opened up that little chest down there." The draconequus teleported everyone in front of the Tree of Harmony, examining the magical chest while everyone else recovered from the sudden teleportation. "I was kind of wondering if what lies inside this little box might prove Princess Twilight's worth as a royal alicorn princess. I'm just bringing this up because Twilight was feeling a little down about being given a title in name and no duty to uphold."

"Hey! How did you know how she was feeling!?" Pinkie questioned angrily.

"Oh, was eavesdropping not the right way to know how my friends feel? Woe is me. Will I ever learn the intricate nuances of being a good friend?" Discord tried to act sorrowful for "accidentally" eavesdropping on their conversation, but no one bought the fake crocodile tears, which could have probably come from a crocodile. He dropped the act, clearing his throat as he climbed onto a scooter that appeared behind him the moment he moved. "Well, I must be off to catch me a villain and prove I have truly reformed!"

He honked the horn on the vehicle before disappearing in a flash. "Good riddance." Sora's prayers went unanswered as Discord reappeared before them, hovering upside down with the journal still in his hands. "Will you just go already!?"

"Hey, I forgot one little thing!" the draconequus defended, placing the book on the irritated pegasus's head on one of its corners. "I think you should re-read that little journal. Lots of neat adventures that took place this past year, and I marked down some really interesting passages you have got to look at!" Discord slithered over to Fluttershy as Sora took the journal off his head, looking through the pages of their wild adventures. "We're still on for tea, right, Fluttershy?"

"I wouldn't miss it," the yellow pegasus said, which excited the draconequus greatly.

"Wonderful! I'll even bring the cucumber sandwiches!" Discord walked off, opening up a doorway to who knows where and walked through, finally leaving them alone as he closed the interdimensional passage.

The group grew utterly silent, Sora closing the journal as they stared at where he made his leave. "...Should I say it, or does someone else want to?"

"Ooh! I think it's my turn!" Pinkie said, clearing her throat before saying what Sora was going to say. "We're doomed!"

"We sure are," Ventus agreed. "I liked him better when he wasn't on our side."

Some of the girls agreed with the younger teen, mainly Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Now free from Discord's random nonsense that was less tolerable than Pinkie's, Twilight took the journal from Sora. She didn't know if Discord was messing with them or gave his honest opinion, but she wondered if what was in that chest was really what he imagined it would hold. However, she had no clue if their journal had anything to do with the chest. They didn't find any keys, only strange sources of light Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Ventus could sense that she couldn't, which then gave her the ability to fight like how her friends would if they had a Keyblade. What still bothered her was why this was happening, how she wasn't able to feel the light like they could, and what her own link toward herself was able to be found.

She shook the thought aside, needing to find those keys for the chest. "Let's start looking around the castle's library. I want to know what's in this chest."


Later that evening, Tirek had begun to attack again as he caught another unexpecting stallion unicorn in the dead of night. He only attacked unicorns at the moment, building up his power as their magic was easy to tap into thanks to their horns being a central point to control their magic. The stallion's eyes were glazed over, his body weak, and his cutie mark taken, just like his last victim, growing stronger and stronger.

Leaving the drained unicorn, he found another unicorn minding his own business, not even concerned by standing in front of a dark alleyway. Tirek snuck up on him, ready to take another pony's source of magic to strengthen him more. Just as he was about to suck the pony dry, his head turned around at the last moment, Discord's face appearing on the equine body he took.

"Tirek, I presume?" Discord asked with a smirk, shocking Tirek slightly.

"Discord? You are...free?" The draconequus transformed into a bird standing on a perch, his mismatched body parts colors staying as he turned into a parrot.

"As a bird," he gloated.

"Well, I commend you for your escape," Tirek said, a little impressed as he only heard news that he had been turned to stone a long while ago.

"Sadly, the feeling isn't mutual." Chains appeared around Tirek's wrists at the snap of Discord's fingers, confusing the elderly-looking centaur.

Tirek grumbled in annoyance, now enslaved by the more powerful chaotic deity. "I should have expected you wanted Equestria to yourself."

"Oh, no," Discord said with a chuckle. "I'm placing you under arrest under Sun Butt's orders and locking you back up for my friends." Tirek was shocked to hear the Lord of Chaos was now a servant under one of the princesses who trapped him in Tarterus. The draconequus leaned over to Tirek, holding a paw up to block his mouth from unsuspecting ponies, though no one else was out but them. "But between us, I'm mostly doing this for Fluttershy."

"What are you saying?" Tirek asked, confused and irritated at Discord's reasoning for cuffing him. "You mean to tell me you're friends with these ponies?"

"Why, yes. Yes I am." The centaur grumbled, unable to believe someone as powerful as Discord managed to be swayed into being friends with the ponies in Equestria, just like his younger brother, Scorpan.

"Have you finally lost the intellect you have over the insanity of your power?" Tirek questioned. "Clearly you must see that 'friendship'-" Tirek said with disgust at the term. "-is another name for imprisonment. You must have abandoned your true nature just to stay on their good graces."

"What!?" Discord scoffed, tossing away a harp he held, a halo hovering over his head. "I've done nothing of the sort!"

The draconequus swatted the halo away, flying away like a bird to nothingness. "Please, Discord. I've seen this before. He was always weak minded, but you, however, are smarter than my brother, who fell for that same trap many years ago." Tirek saw the conflict racing through Discord's eyes, slightly believing his words. Discord may be smart, but he wasn't a genius. "I know you don't want this, Discord. You have so much power over these ponies, yet you're playing as their errand boy, hearing nothing but lies about friendship when I can help you gain what you really want after being turned to stone; freedom." He caught Discord's eyes growing wide, ignoring a dresser appearing behind him that held an oddly shaped lamp of the draconequus in a pink lampshade tutu and a picture of him and Fluttershy. Tirek mentally grinned in victory, getting his attention. "Help me grow stronger, Discord, and reclaim your greatness. After I drain all the magic from these ponies, I would love to see this world turned upside down.

"Join me and we can rule this world as partners, or stay as you are, serving under these lowly equines as they hold you by a leash, threatened to be turned into a living statue if you unleash your power." Tirek held out his hand at his offer with a sly smirk.

Discord stared at the centaur, recognizing the exact same gesture from Sora's memories when the two first met a couple years back. Riku did the same thing to Sora when their home was being destroyed by darkness, which wound up being a bad omen as darkness threatened to swallow the both of them. Discord looked at the picture of him and Fluttershy together, the first ever friend he ever made in his entire life, truly gaining her friendship despite his attempts to get under her skin. That memory was both heartwarming and sad, both from hearing her calling him her friend and the realization that he can't do anything he wanted if something were to upset that friend, risking losing her entirely and being all alone again.

Discord was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ever since he was freed and during his reformation, he longed to spread chaos across Equestria again, but then he would lose the only friend who actually cares about him. But at the same time, he didn't want to lose Fluttershy and the friendship they had together, all at the cost of not using his chaotic magic the way he wants to use it. He looked back and forth between the photo and Tirek, a decision that was impossible for him to make. Either way, he was going to lose something, and he will regret whichever one he decides on over the other. He took a deep breath and swallowed down his anxiety, finally choosing what he was going to do.

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