• 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 3)

Out in the mountain range far enough away from Ponyville, Twilight sat on the edge of a cliff, looking out to the Everfree Forest. She could see the ruins of Celestia and Luna's old castle in the distance, the tallest tower that still stood peeking over the thick trees of the uncontrollable forest. Sora and Riku stood on a lower ledge several stories from Twilight's position to practice teleporting normally without her new magic going all over the place.

"Twilight, don't jump!" Sora called out jokingly. "You have so much to live for!" Riku smacked his friend in the back of the head for the stupid comment. "Ow! What's that for?"

"For being an idiot," Riku said.

"Ok." Sora put up his forehooves in defense in case he was about to get smacked again. "I was just kidding."

"We don't have time to kid around. Tirek's going to show up at any moment, and all of us knows you have a better chance of winning against him." Riku let out a frustrated sigh, too busy focused on protecting Twilight and keeping her out of harm's way. Sora knew he could win, but if Tirek was strong enough, he could also lose if he wasn't careful. "...I have a bad feeling that you won't, though...I can feel it in my gut."

"We've faced worse before, either alone or together. What's a magic sucking demon got to compare with the Heartless or Nobodies?" Sora waited for a response, but Riku just blankly stared at him. He began realizing how different their previous enemies were with Tirek's magic stealing powers. He lost his optimism, sighing dejectedly as he sat down. "They never stole magic from us...This is going to be a tough fight."

"If only Discord didn't screw things up," Riku growled. "What was Celestia even thinking?"

"I have no idea," Sora said. "Maybe because Discord was really the better option. He could have easily caught Tirek with his own magic, but now that he's back to being the enemy again, he's going to get sent to Tarterus too."

The two pegasi sat in silence, waiting for the inevitable. They looked up to see Twilight was standing up, her horn glowing as she was ready to practice with her new, stronger alicorn magic. She started with teleportation, appearing in front of Sora and Riku.

"Ha! I did it!" she cheered. "Perfectly controlled teleporta-!"

Twilight's horn was still glowing, disappearing as she wound up teleporting elsewhere. "And she's gone."

"You think she wound up on the other side of Equestria?" Sora asked.

"I just hope she doesn't warp right in front of Tirek and get herself caught," Riku said.

They waited for a moment until they heard her reappear close by, the sound of her growling in frustration leading to a large boulder with a big crack. "Ok, I guess not!" she complained. Sora and Riku flew down and looked inside the crack, finding Twilight wedged inside the center of the rock. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"The magic or the rock?" Sora asked.

Riku smacked his friend in the back of the head. "Sora, seriously!"

"Hey, I'm trying to break the tension here!" he defended. "Speaking of break, let's get her out of there, unless one of her limbs phased into the rock."

"I'm just squished in here," Twilight said. "My legs and wings are fine."

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!!!!" The three ponies gasped in surprise at the booming voice. Sora and Riku looked to where the voice came from, spotting the gargantuan centaur stomping his way to where they were. "YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!!!!"

"Ok, he's a lot bigger than I thought he would be!" Sora stated. He summoned his Keyblade and hovered up into the air. "Riku, get Twilight somewhere safe! I'll try to hold him off!"

"Well, you're the only one of us who can fight with the Elements of Harmony as Keyblades!" Sora shifted into his Harmony Form, the light catching Tirek's attention along with the sound of it shattering. Now in the powerful form, he summoned the Keyblades of Harmony in their rightful places and the Ultima Keyblade in his mouth. As he flew off to confront the centaur, Riku summoned his Keyblade. "Twilight, hold completely still! I'm getting you out of there!"

"Wait, what are you going to-?" Riku leapt off the rock and fell down, slicing his Keyblade through the stone. Twilight yelped the moment he began swinging, heeding his words as she stayed perfectly still. Once he landed, the boulder crumbled to pieces, leaving the shocked alicorn to fall on her rump in the pile of diced rubble. "...Am I going to learn how to do that?"

"Learning later, fleeing now!" He quickly lifted Twilight on his back and began running, keeping low out of Tirek's sight as they headed back toward Ponyville to warn the others.

Before Tirek could investigate the source of that crashing glass sound and light, he flinched as six Keyblades lunged out at him, hovering a few meters away from his face. Sora warped several yards away from him, keeping far enough away from his magic stealing powers.

"Hey, we have a height limit in Equestria: you can't be taller than a minotaur!" the stallion said, though Tirek didn't find his joke humorous.

"So, you must be Sora," Tirek said, getting a better look at the pegasus from his spiky brown mane to the rainbow-colored clothing from the window mural Discord "forgot" to change. "Equestria's young hero with a ridiculous sword shaped like a giant key."

"Yeah, it may look odd, but it's quite handy: opening locks, taking out creatures of darkness called Heartless, smacking villains upside the head. The usual stuff." The six Keyblades aimed at Tirek flew back to Sora, floating around him as he aimed his Ultima Keyblade at the centaur. "Now's the part where I say you're under arrest, you'll resist, and then we fight until someone wins. I'd rather skip the formalities and start fighting."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Tirek brought his arms up, quickly clapping his hands together where Sora hovered. He chuckled, but stopped when he didn't feel anything in his palms. He opened his hands, finding no sign of the stallion. "What!? Where did he go!?"

"Heads up!" Tirek looked up, only to be struck hard in the face from Sora's dive bomb, all seven Keyblades slamming down with him. The centaur roared out angrily, missing the pegasus as he swiped his hands at him. "The bigger you are, the harder you're gonna fall!" Growling, Tirek used the new Keyblade magic he had absorbed, creating a massive sphere of dark matter around Sora. "Oh no..."

The powerful Gravity spell sent the pegasus falling to the ground like a heavy cannonball shot out of a falling cannon. Flapping his wings and pushing his magic up underneath him to slow his descent, Sora kept himself from getting flattened to the ground, but he hit the ground hard enough for it to hurt him. Groaning and fighting against the pain, he opened his eyes, seeing a red fist begin to slam him deeper into the ground. Levitating his Keyblades in front of him, he used all four of his legs, pushing back Tirek's fist while using the weapons as a shield.

"You're incredibly strong for a scrawny pegasus! But you can't last forever!" Tirek exclaimed, pushing his fist down to try to crush Sora, but the teen kept pushing back. "Tell me where Princess Twilight is!"

"Grgh! As if...I'm telling you!" Sora grunted, building up magic in each Keyblade while pushing Tirek's hand away from him. He unleashed a barrage of different spells, burning, freezing, and shocking the behemoth of a centaur. Tirek roared out in pain, moving his hand away to shake off the magical attack. Sora flew off, getting some distance between them, rubbing his sore back. "That was...Gravity. How the heck was he able to do-?" He gasped, looking down in the direction of Ponyville. Riku and Twilight were heading that way to warn them that Tirek found her, but he managed to pull off a powerful Gravity spell, he already swiped the magic from Kairi, Aqua, and Ventus. "Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad."

"That actually hurt a bit," Tirek said, flexing his injured hand as the pain subsided. "This power he has...It doesn't feel like magic, but it's a nuisance." Clenching his fist, his horns lit up, creating the sphere of mana between the sharp, curved appendages on his head. "Let's see how much longer his stamina can last with this."

Sora saw sparks of electricity shooting out from the centaur's horns, and if it was what he expected the spell he was using was, he quickly flew away right as a large pillar of lightning shot down where he hovered. "Whoa!" He continued flying around, avoiding the massive Thunder spells firing down on him, creating loud booms that could be heard for miles as they struck the ground. This reminded Sora of his first encounter with Ursula in Atlantica when she was about as big as Tirek, though instead of being underwater fleeing from random Thunder spells, he was in the air, and one strike could leave him paralyzed and fall to the ground. "Why do I always get attacked by the worst kinds of spells against a villain who's the size of an apartment complex!?"


Riku and Twilight could hear the fight between Sora and Tirek miles away as they reached Ponyville. Luckily, they seemed to have warned everyone as the town's streets were empty, safe inside their homes from Tirek's wrath. They could see some of them looking out their windows in the second floor of their houses, wondering what the noise was outside.

"That's some really powerful lightning," Twilight commented, her ears pressing down against her skull as she winced, feeling another tremor come from Tirek's powerful Thunder spells. "What is happening back there?"

"I'd rather not find out," Riku said. They reached the square, Twilight climbing off his back as they looked around for the others. "Where are the girls, Spike, and Ventus?"

"I don't know. They would have met with us around here after keeping everypony indoors..." Twilight caught a glimpse of something shining reflecting the light of the sun. She looked over to where it came from, not too far from the entrance to Ponyville. Twilight walked over to the object, gasping in shock as she ran closer, finding Kairi's Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, laying on the ground. Not too far away were Aqua's and Ventus's Keyblade as well, the three blades just laying out on the ground. "Oh no...Riku!?"

Hearing his lover calling out to him in a panicked voice, he ran up to her and saw the Keyblades. "What the heck?" Twilight held Kairi's Keyblade while Riku picked up Ventus's and Aqua's. "Their Keyblades...What are they doing lying on the ground?" The powerful lightning strikes several miles away brought their attention, which made the two ponies fear the worst. "Oh no. Tirek already came to Ponyville..."

"D-Did he...Did Tirek kill them?" Twilight fearfully asked. "Did he kill our friends!?"

"No. I don't think so," Riku assured, although he was unsure himself. Gripping the two blades in his hooves, he could still feel the light inside them, though it was faint. "I think they're still alive...but, I think Tirek must have taken their magic. That explains the lightning raining down out there; Tirek is using Kairi, Ventus, and Aqua's Keyblade magic on Sora, and it's far more powerful with all the magic he stole."

"But where are they?" the alicorn asked. "What happened to them?"

"...I don't know..." Riku looked out to the battlefield far from Ponyville. Tirek was going all out, throwing spells from the Keyblade magic he stole and firing spheres of orange mana, some of the spells in the air hitting something before exploding or shattering. "Sora's not going to win on his own...I need to help him."

"Riku, you won't be able to last out there. You don't have the same powers Sora has." Twilight summoned her Keyblade, standing in his way, willing to fight him so she won't lose him. Her body shook, deathly afraid and worried about the others, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I-I know you're strong, but not that strong..."

"Twilight, Sora needs my help," Riku reasoned, keeping himself calm for her sake.

"I know...But I don't want to lose you," she said with a sniffle. "I don't know what happened to our friends. What if I have to fight him!? I can't beat him on my own! I still can't control the magic inside me, and I'm not as experienced at fighting with a Keyblade like you!" Twilight sobbed, lowering her blade a little as she wiped a hoof across her face. Riku stepped closer, gently pressing his hoof against her cheek. "I-I can't...I can't...do anything to help...I-"

She lifted her head up, her eyes widening in surprise as Riku pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. She dropped her Keyblade, clattering to the ground beside Kairi's, Aqua's, and Ventus's, frozen in shock while Riku pulled her closer to him with his other hoof. More tears fell from the alicorn's eyes, slowly closing them as she kissed him back, wrapping her hooves around his neck tightly. She didn't want him to go out there and risk his life for her, losing his magic if he and Sora both failed. There were no more choices left, no more backup plans remaining, and the only hope remaining was on her, bearing four times the alicorn magic she swore to keep safe.

Riku gently pulled his lips away from hers, nuzzling her cheek while he hugged her closely. "I know you're scared...I'm scared, too. I know this is a losing battle, but Equestria depends on you now."

"R-Riku-" Twilight was interrupted by another kiss, this one a little shorter, keeping her quiet.

"I made a promise to your sister-in-law, to Celestia and Luna, that I won't let him hurt you," he said. "And I won't let him. Stay far away from him and hide." Riku moved his hoof, gently placing it over her heart. "No matter what happens, we're all right here. If he does find you, I know you can fight back with what you have inside you, and I don't mean your alicorn magic."

Twilight looked down at her chest, gently touching Riku's with her own. She understood what he meant; they would always be in her heart, no matter where they go or whatever happens to them. Sora had so many friends and they gave him the strength to fight back against all odds. And so does she; never getting to where she was without them. Twilight buried her muzzle against Riku's shoulder, nuzzling his neck sadly.

"I love you, Riku," she said, allowing him to go, despite her fears.

"I love you too, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Riku broke their embrace after another moment, giving her another kiss before he left to help his best friend. He backed away, summoning his Keyblade and tossed it in the air, transforming it into his glider as it flew down to a stop behind him. "Be safe."

The stallion flipped backwards onto his glider, revving the engine as he lifted it up in the air. Once he was high enough over the buildings, Riku sped off at high speeds, intending to ram into Tirek and save his friend from the beating he was getting. Twilight watched, unable to do anything, fearing for what happened to their friends and what will happen to Sora and Riku. She looked down to pick up her Keyblade in her aura, levitating the other three blades as well. She wanted to know what was happening, if they would make it out and beat Tirek by some miracle.

The alicorn teleported up to the highest balcony of the Golden Oak Library, where she left a telescope there to view the stars when the night sky was clear. She looked through the scope, managing to see Tirek in the distance, along with Sora in his Harmony Form, Riku on his way while riding his glider.


Sora panted heavily, his body covered in bruises and scorch marks from the onslaught of magic spells fired upon him along with Tirek's fists, hooves, and boulders he threw at him. He could barely get in close to attack physically, or manipulate the blades to fly in and swing like crazy, and any magic spells were negated by the centaur's, his power stronger than his Harmony Form's magical power. It was a losing battle, and even if he had time to prepare it, using the Elements' power would probably fail as well.

"You're still standing after all of that?" Tirek questioned, highly amused by the teen's determination to keep fighting this hopeless battle. "Just give up. There's no chance you or any of your friends will beat me."

"Not in a million years," Sora said, spinning the seven Keyblades around him until they struck each other above him, swinging them back down to their proper positions. "Where's Discord!? Isn't your lackey going to help you!?"

"Discord's completely worthless to me now that I have his magic as well." The pegasus gasped in shock, surprised to hear Tirek had back stabbed the draconequus that helped him become so powerful. "He was a fool to think I trusted him. I prefer going solo after learning my lesson when my brother betrayed me. As if I would share the throne of Equestria with that insane clown!"

"...Wow...That's...utterly evil," Sora uttered. "After he helped you, you only used him to get this strong...It's like you're a Heartless, but you were never born with a heart."

"Spare me all that righteousness nonsense," Tirek said. "I think it's time to end this, and take your mag-"

Just as Tirek raised his hand to cast another spell, Riku rammed his glider hard into the centaur's chest. The fast vehicle made of metal knocked the wind out of him, sending him falling over as he clutched chest, struggling to breathe. Riku leapt off his glider as soon as it struck Tirek, flying over to Sora and calling back his Keyblade after the demonic centaur fell to the ground.

"Riku!? What are you doing!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Helping you!" Riku answered.

"You're supposed to look after Twilight! I can handle Tirek!" the tan pegasus argued.

"She's fine! And you look like you're on your last legs!" Riku arugued back. "You need help, and you can't do this on your own!"

"I have the Elements of Harmony as Keyblades! You only have your own Keyblade!" Sora groaned, facehoofing in irritation. "And you say I'm the one who's always reckless."

While the two pegasi argued, Tirek rolled back onto his hooves, grunting in pain. He growled, leering at the white stallion, the last of the Keyblade wielders Discord had told him about. Her horns sparked dangerously as he prepared to obliterate them, but paused when he caught something gleaming outside of the battlefield. His gaze shifted to the reflected light, which came from the top of a tree. Discord mentioned Twilight lived in a library, and he did see that exact tree in Ponyville, which just so happened to be a library. The princess was watching them from a distance, finally revealing herself to him out of her reckless curiosity.

"There you are, princess," Tirek said with a dark chuckle. Sora and Riku stopped their arguing when they heard Tirek talk, a massive ball of orange aura growing between the curves of his horns. "Finally, I will get the alicorn magic I had been dying to get for the last millennium, and she finally shows herself."

"What!?" Riku looked over to the town, spotting the reflective lens of the telescope on top of her library. He gasped in horror, having no idea what Twilight was thinking watching them when she should have been running away. Growling, the stallion flew toward Tirek, stopping him from attacking her. "Don't you dare hurt her!"

"Riku, don't!" Sora warned as he chased after him, but it was too late.

The instant Tirek fired the ball of explosive energy toward the Golden Oak Library, he threw his fist into the enraged white pegasus. Riku kept flying, focused only on Tirek and not his fist. Thinking quickly, Sora warped closer to his friend, shoving him out of the way in time, taking the hard hook for his best friend as the punch sent him falling to the ground. He was immediately knocked out after taking so many hits, canceling his Harmony Form, slamming to the ground hard as it left an imprint of his unconscious body around the cracked earth beneath him.

After righting himself back up, Riku's anger ebbed when Sora shoved him out of the way, making a similar sacrifice he did when they fought Xemnas together. Completely distracted, he didn't see Tirek's hand lunge out, grabbing the stallion and squeezing him tightly in his grip, keeping him from escaping. Riku called his Keyblade in his mouth to stab the centaur's hand, only to yell out in agony from the bone-crushing clench of Tirek's hand, making him drop his weapon.

Tirek grabbed the small Keyblade, from his perspective, in his aura, also lifting the unconscious hero of Equestria up to him. He took Sora's Keyblade, back to being his main blade, Kingdom Key, bringing it up to examine along with Riku's.

"These things are pathetic," Tirek said. "Even with seven of these things, Sora wasn't able to stop me, and neither will you, human."

Bringing both pegasi up to his face, Tirek inhaled and sucked the magic out of them. Sora and Riku turned back into humans, their magic drained away and unable to hide their true selves from the inhabitants of Equestria. Even though he was exhausted, Riku still continued squirming, but his efforts stopped when he heard and explosion back in Ponyville and Twilight's scream as his orange energy ball blew the Golden Oak Library and the alicorn with it.

"TWILIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!" Riku cried out, Tirek ignoring the distraught teen as he snapped his fingers, sending Riku and Sora elsewhere with Discord's chaotic magic.

"Luck was all they had, and this time, Equestria's completely run out." Tirek flung the two Keyblades back to Ponyville, sending them flying until they reached the library, knowing Twilight had escaped the blast and showing the princess her two heroes were defeated. "Now, to retrieve my alicorn magic..."


Twilight continued watching through the telescope, but Sora and Riku began arguing with each other after Tirek was knocked back by the latter's glider. "What are you two doing? He has the wind knocked out of him, not down and out..." She looked back at Tirek, now standing back up after the sudden surprise blow from a speeding vehicle. He looked like he was about to blast the two pegasi out of the air, but then he looked in her direction. Tirek smirked, and in Twilight's carelessness and constant worry about Sora and Riku's well-being, she accidentally showed her position through her telescope's lens' reflecting the sun's light. "...Oops..."

The centaur fired a large sphere of energy, heading straight toward her and the Golden Oak Library. The other buildings were safe from the sphere's trajectory, and if it hit, the place she called home in Ponyville would be gone. Twilight quickly teleported inside, grabbing the only other resident inside, her pet owl, Owlowiscious, and ran out the front door, leaving Aqua's, Ventus's and Kairi's Keyblades on the balcony in her panic. She reached the door just in time, letting out a scream as the sphere struck its target. The blast sent her flying, holding Owlowiscious tightly against her chest to protect him as she skid across the ground, flinching as she heard the three Keyblades she left stab into the ground around her.

Unharmed, she looked up, only to gasp and stare in disbelief and horror; the Golden Oak Library nothing more than a burnt out stump. Nothing survived the explosion: the books, furniture, her belongings, everything was gone. Papers from the books that were destroyed with the library scattered about, either burning to ashes as it caught on fire from the explosion or blowing away in the wind. If she didn't move fast enough, she and Owlowiscious would have been killed in the blast.

She let go of the owl, her pet expressing his own grief before flying elsewhere for safety. Twilight stared at what little there was left of her Ponyville home. This library gave her a change in life where she discovered how much friendship meant so much to her. Reclusive and shut in, always focused on her studies, she discovered her friends, slowly realizing just how important it was to have ponies in her life that she cared about and they cared about her. Everything that made her life wilder, dangerous, but all around better, was now nothing but burnt remains. Twilight wanted to cry, scream, lash out and hit something in anger, but she was absolutely stricken with shock to emote anything in her grief.

Her ears perked up when she heard to objects hit the ground behind her. Slowly turning away from the destroyed library, she saw Sora and Riku's Keyblades sticking out of the ground. Tirek had stolen all of their magic, and now she was next. Twilight didn't know what to do anymore; she was by herself now, Equestria's only alicorn princess with magic and, to her knowledge, the only Keyblade wielder left. She called her Keyblade into her hoof, staring at the blade of light, begging for some kind of solution to end all this madness.

No matter what happens, we're all right here.

Twilight slowly lifted a hoof to her chest, Riku's words ringing in her head. Her friends were all in her heart; the memories of hanging out with them, the laughs they shared, the adventures they had, they were still there. She thought back to when they saved Aqua from her darkness, Torrent, fighting the powerful Heartless that had the skill and strength of a master using the power of darkness. The words she said to the dark unicorn repeated in her head.

My heart's strong with my friends by my side. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten where I am now. My friends are my power...

Her friends are her power. Her friendship with Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy gave them the magic they needed to stop the likes of Nightmare Moon and Discord. She lifted her Keyblade up, staring at the chain of gems hanging off the pommel, the same phrase could be said with her links to her friends abilities. Even though she was inexperienced, even if her fighting wasn't perfect, she can draw in the powers of her friends thanks to her Keyblade. Twilight looked down at the five Keyblades that belonged to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Ventus, and Aqua, five strong wielders of light that had been beaten by a magic stealing demon that was supposed to be sealed in Tarterus.

Looking back at her Keyblade, she furrowed her brows, using her magic to pull the five blades out of the ground and over to her. "I can't run anymore," she said to herself. "No more hiding...Tirek, you took away everypony's magic, you take my friends' magic, my coltfriend's magic, and you destroyed the tree I called my home here in Ponyville..." Grabbing the hilt of her Keyblade, the gems on the chain began glowing brightly. She was going to try using all of her links with her friends, every single gem aside from her own shimmering brightly. She felt their power flowing through her, even from the other wielders' blades hovering around her, feeling stronger than taking in all the alicorn magic from Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Behind her, in her mind, she can see her friends standing behind her, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Aqua, and Ventus standing where their Keyblades hovered around the alicorn, their strength her own. She didn't even feel the effects of their links between them give her a split personality; she was herself, her friends giving her the power she needed to finally end this nightmare. "If you want my magic that badly, Tirek...then you'll have to take it from me by force."

Spreading her wings, she shot off the ground faster than she accidentally had earlier today, leaving Ponyville and flying straight for Tirek. Within a matter of seconds, she spotted the centaur, charging the magic within her into her horn. The six Keyblades orbiting around her spun rapidly, aiming at Tirek as the same lavender glow of her aura shined upon the tips of the blades. After storing enough mana, Twilight unleashed a wide, powerful beam of purple and white magic, fired several yards away from where the demon centaur stood.

"What!?" Surprised by the sudden attack, Tirek held up his hands as he created a barrier around himself in the nick of time. Twilight's beam completely enshrouded Tirek, a slight orange glow in the spell's powerful force as it rendered the earth behind asunder. His shields held strong, but he was being pushed back against the rut in the ground she made behind him. After getting forced backwards by a few hundred yards, Twilight ceased her attack, landing on the ruined earth as she leered at Tirek, dropping his shield as he finally meets with the princess face to face. "Such speed and power...There's more than just alicorn magic in you, Princess Twilight." He then noticed the Keyblade she held in her hoof, levitating the other five from the Keyblade wielders whose magic he had stolen. "You have one of those tiny weapons as well."

"I'm through running away, Tirek!" Twilight exclaimed. "What did you do with my friends!? Where are Sora and Riku!?"

"I would rather worry about yourself, princess!" Tirek said. "You should have kept running! Whatever power you have will do nothing to me!"

"We'll just see who's the most powerful!" Twilight tossed her Keyblade in the air, levitating it with the others as she picked the Kingdom Key.

The moment her hoof touched his Keyblade, she placed the weapon's hilt in her mouth and crouched low, just like how Sora's stance was when he was ready to fight. Tirek fired his own beam of magic at Twilight, missing her by mere inches as she quickly reacted, leaping to the side as she rolled dangerously close to the orange beam of mana. Landing on her hooves, she ran toward him, keeping low to the ground as she avoided laser beams, Thunder, Blizzard, and Fire spells, all without getting hit by a single one through numerous reaction timings.

"Hold still!" Tirek shouted, getting frustrated that his attacks were missing. As soon as she reached his front hooves, Twilight leapt up and began running up the side of his leg. "Get off of me!"

Tirek swung his hand down to smack Twilight off, but she continued running up, barrel rolling as she slashed away at his hand, shooting out blades of light from Sora's Keyblade and the ones she carried in her aura. He roared in pain, still feeling Twilight climbing up his body, slashing away at his stomach and chest. She leapt up high until she was floating above him, switching out Sora's Keyblade for Aqua's Keyblade, Master's Defender, mimicking her pose as a protective aura surrounded her body.

Tirek unleashed another beam at Twilight, striking her barrier. The alicorn smirked, unable to feel the power behind his spell as her shield shattered. The aura turned into a wolf's head, letting out a howl as it pushed back against the powerful orange beam. Once the canine's maw reached Tirek's horns, it shattered, causing a shockwave that stunned the centaur. Twilight teleported back down to the ground, aiming Aqua's Keyblade at him, the others floating in front of her as they created a large block of ice. She struck the floating ice block, shattering it into sharp pieces as they flew off and into Tirek's legs, chest, and face.

Unfazed by the ice embedded in his body, he glared at the alicorn, the ice melting off as he lifted her in the air in his aura. Unable to move, Twilight was helpless as she was immediately flung right toward a mountain. Quickly using her magic, she created another barrier around herself, cushioning her impact as the clear lavender aura turned into a flock of butterflies made of light, fluttering away and disappearing in a flash. She heard Tirek yell as he rammed straight into her, crashing them through the mountain and out the other side.

Twilight grunted, teleporting away from Tirek's back, swapping to the next Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. Holding Kairi's Keyblade tightly, the blade began to spark as several magical elements built up in the orange and flowery weapon. While keeping up with the centaur, she dove down and slammed the Keyblade down hard on his back, releasing a flurry of fire, ice, lightning, earth, water, air, and light explosions. Tirek was spiked down by the powerful explosive force, sending him crashing into the ground with a heavy grunt. Twilight didn't let up as she continued diving down, firing constant spells from the Keyblade she held and the others keeping their orbit around her. The explosions continued burying Tirek beneath the earth even more, quickly taking Riku's Keyblade, Way to the Dawn, slamming her hooves into the ground hard, shoving Tirek further down into the planet's core.

Twilight stood up on her hind legs, mimicking the same fighting stance Riku used as she looked down at the ground, Keyblade aimed underneath her. The platform of shifted earth shook, Tirek in no way down and out, firing lasers in a large radius around him. The alicorn yelped as he balance was thrown off, Tirek picking up the large mass of earth he was buried in. He tossed it far with an exerted yell, sending Twilight flying across the fields, the ground she had stood on threatening to crush her as it flipped over. She leapt back, hitting solid ground and speeding off, heading straight into the heavy platform of earth. Holding onto Riku's Keyblade tightly, she swiftly slashed at the deadly and extremely heavy projectile, slicing it to pieces as she continued her flight.

Tirek let out a roar and slammed his harms down onto the ground. Sharp and jagged pillars shot up in front of Twilight to bar her from getting closer, grabbing Ventus's Keyblade, Wayward Wind, increasing her speed as she avoided the spires or sliced through them. Tirek continued firing spells and created more pillars to deter the alicorn, but she kept dodging and slicing away. As she got closer, they both began charging their magic, unleashing powerful beams from their horns toward their opponent. Both magical beams connected, creating a large explosion as their combined power decimated almost every single square inch of the open fields, thankful to have not a single town or city anywhere nearby to get destroyed.

The shockwave of the imploding beams connecting had sent Twilight back to the ground, skidding across the ground while forming a shield in front of her to avoid getting pushed back further. Tirek, however, was once again buried under more rubble, but not as much as before. As soon as the magic ebbed, Twilight flew forward, watching Tirek get back up, barely taking a single scratch from the explosion, or anything she dealt to him. Holding her Keyblade tightly, the two foes stared each other down.

"Well, it seems as though we are at an impasse," Tirek said, brushing off the dirt on his shoulders.

"Yeah. Seems like we are," Twilight agreed, surprised to see her D-Link, or whatever these connective links actually were now that she actually used more than two, and without them activating on their own. It didn't wear her out either, exhausting her and leaving her vulnerable to Tirek's magic stealing powers. She figured the alicorn magic in her not only increased her magic and strength, but also her stamina, though she didn't want to test that theory at the moment. "Neither of us are going to end it as a draw, are we?"

"Speaking my thoughts for me." Tirek soon smirked, knowing one greater weakness the princess had that he doesn't. "How about we settle for a trade?"

He snapped his fingers, his chaotic magic he stole from Discord teleporting her friends and the magic-less draconequus, trapped inside impenetrable bubbles hovering above the centaur. Twilight gasped when she saw Discord was in there, but what shocked her the most were Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Ventus as humans. After stealing their magic, Tirek must have reverted them to their original forms, unable to hide who they really were. She noticed Riku was a complete mess, curled up in the fetal position with his face buried in his hands, probably thinking she didn't make it out of the explosion in time just like when the Elements of Harmony struck her for her ascension.

"No...Tirek, let them go!" Twilight demanded.

Hearing Twilight's voice, Riku lifted his head up, pressing his hands against the bubble as he saw her still standing. "Twilight? You're ok!?"

"If I wanted her dead, I would have done so after taking the alicorn magic inside her," Tirek said. Riku growled and glared at the centaur, the teen ignored as Tirek focused more on Twilight. "If you want your friends back, then you'll need to give me all of the alicorn magic you have in your possession."

"Don't listen to him!" Riku shouted. "Don't give him your magic!"

The others agreed with Riku, their voices overlapping as they told her not to do it. Discord, however, was still miserable. He sadly looked over at Twilight, the alicorn seeing the regret in his eyes. He was tricked by Tirek and lost his magic, given in to the temptation of having more than what he already had, blinded by his own hubris as he ended up underestimating his "partner". Twilight didn't know what to do: should she give up her magic to save her friends, or fight back and risk losing them if Tirek didn't get what he wanted?

"Twilight, don't do it!" Sora said.

"We're not worth it!" Fluttershy added.

"But you are," Discord said. Everyone turned their attention to the depressed draconequus, Aqua, Sora, and Riku leering at him in spite for all the trouble he's caused everyone in Equestria. "I didn't realize it until now...I was too upset to notice what I had, what I had truly desired for so long in the past, wanting revenge or some way to get back at everypony for being ridiculed. Fluttershy, you accepted me as a friend, even when I do things to irritate you or your friends. Especially after what I had done when I escaped from my imprisonment in stone for a thousand years...

"I was free, and I had friends...but I threw it all away." Discord looked down at his hands, feeling just as helpless as he made the Mane Six, taking away their magic for his twisted game. "...I can never get what I want. And when I do, I don't cherish it until it's too late...Now, I have nothing: no magic, no freedom, and no friends." He buried his face in his hands in shame, feeling unworthy to be in their presence while trapped in Tirek's magic bubble. "I am the dumbest creature in the world for betraying you all and believing I was meant something to somepony for what I am and what I can do...I should have just stayed in isolation for the rest of my eternal life, or stayed as a garden ornament in the castle."

"Boo hoo, Discord," Riku said. "Make up all the sob stories you want. None of this would have happened if you had just banished Tirek!"

"ENOUGH!" Tirek shouted, sick of hearing them talk and demanding an answer out of Twilight. "I want an answer! Now!"

Twilight ignored the impatient centaur as she looked at her friends. Equestria would be doomed if she gave Tirek her magic, but her friends' lives are at stake, and she didn't want to lose them again. Discord may have been a traitor, but she could tell he wished he could take it all back and do the right thing. He realized the magic of friendship when he was given a second chance, reforming himself to help Equestria with his chaotic magic, and he truly believed that there would never be another chance after this.

The bubbles her friends were trapped in began to shimmer as a light passed over them: her pony friends' bubbles gleaming a light similar to their coat colors, the Keyblade wielders, Spike, and Discord's pure white. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Ventus were to high up and far away to see Twilight's eyes shimmer like a rainbow for a moment, the alicorn gasping in surprise at the odd feeling. She made her decision, even if there was always a negative outcome no matter which one she made.

She held her Keyblade in her hoof, levitating the other five Keyblades that belonged to her friends and coltfriend to follow her movements. "...I've made a decision." Twilight held her Keyblade, facing the blade down to the ground. She thrust down, sticking it up in the destroyed earth, the other blades mimicking the motion as her aura fell from them. Her chain's light died away, now back to having only her alicorn magic as she looked up at Tirek. "I will give you my magic, in exchange for my friends."

The imprisoned ponies, humans, baby dragon, and draconequus gasped in shock, Tirek grinning victoriously as he held his hand up. "As you wish."

With a snap of his fingers, he dropped the bubbles containing her friends, breaking with a pop as they hit the ground, freeing them all except for Discord. "Tirek, I meant all of my friends! Discord, too!"

"What? Him as well?" Tirek asked, confused with her reasons letting Discord go as well. "After he had betrayed you and Equestria, you still call him a 'friend'?"

"Release him!" Twilight demanded.

"...Fine. If that's what you want." Tirek snapped his fingers, dropping Discord to the ground with the others.

"...Twilight...Y-You shouldn't have," Discord mumbled, feeling he doesn't deserve to be free. He turned his head around to look at the others, some of them just as shocked as he was from Twilight's decision. When he looked at Fluttershy, he immediately lowered his head, too ashamed to look at the first pony to ever call him her friend. "I'm sorry..."

"I know," Fluttershy said, still disappointed with him for all the things he said earlier.

"Now for your end of the bargain." Twilight braced herself, holding her end of the deal.

Tirek began sucking out the alicorn's magic, but unlike the others, Twilight felt a lot of pain as it was drained. She had so much magic inside of her, it felt like the centaur was digging out every last drop of alicorn magic from her very core, slowly and painfully taking it all away. He began growing even more, growing as tall as a titan, letting out a powerful roar in triumph. After taking away the last of her alicorn magic, even her Keyblade magic, Twilight could no longer stand and fell to the ground. Just like her friends and every other pony, her eyes were glazed over and her cutie mark was gone.

Beginning his takeover on Equestria, now that he has all the magic he could possibly need, Tirek ignored the beaten heroes and stomped off, unleashing his might upon the land. As everyone got on their feet or hooves, feeling weak from their lack of magic, Riku ran up to Twilight.

"Twilight!" He kneeled down beside her and held her up in his arms. "Twi, why did you do that?"

"I don't know what Tirek would have done to you if I refused," she said. "I didn't want to think about what would happen if I really lost all of you...It was so hard to decide, but I followed my heart. Either way, I would have made a wrong choice." Twilight weakly nuzzled Riku's chest. "I might have picked a selfish choice, but I felt like it was better."

"...I guess it did sound like a difficult choice. It would have been better if you didn't agree with Tirek's terms." Riku held Twilight tightly, his hands gently gripping her forehooves. "I thought Tirek killed you...Can you please quit getting into dangerous situations that get me this emotionally upset?"

"Would you be mad if I said I managed to fight Tirek on my own and didn't get too beat up, using my D-Links and your Keyblades?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Riku answered, poking her nose playfully, even though he was a little bit upset about that. "Amazed, but a little mad." Twilight pouted, but she grinned, happy to have her friends safe and sound. Riku let go of her and stood up, turning his head to look at Discord. "But him, on the other hand..."

"Riku?" The silver-haired teen approached his Keyblade, grabbing the hilt and pulling it out of the ground.

"Why did you free Discord as well, Twilight?" Riku questioned, growling as he lifted his blade up, facing the weak draconequus in his battle stance. "You should have left him as Tirek's prisoner."

Twilight stood up, stumbling slightly on her hooves, knowing he and everyone else was angry with Discord for working with Tirek. "Riku, don't!" She ran up to him, rearing up on her hind legs, pushing her forehooves against his chest. "Discord's just as much of a victim as we are."

"A victim!? Twilight, he helped Tirek get this powerful!" Riku exclaimed. "It's all his fault this happened!"

"Riku, we get it," Sora said, he, Ventus, Aqua, and Kairi pulling their Keyblades out of the ground. "Discord does deserve to be punished, either banished or trapped in stone again. But right now, we have a rampaging centaur unleashing his power and destroying Equestria." Proving his point, the ground shook as Tirek blasted another laser into the earth, destroying more of the lands as he began slowly making his way to any nearby cities. "We need to stop Tirek, but without our power, we won't last for even a second."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Rainbow asked. "If Sora couldn't beat Tirek, and we can't use the Elements of Harmony since the Tree of Harmony needs them, how do we stop him!?"

As they tried to figure out what to do, Discord slowly approached Twilight. "Twilight-"

"Get away from us, Discord!" Riku shouted, thrusting his Keyblade, warning him to stay away from him and Twilight before he really ran his blade through him.

"Riku, stop!" the alicorn demanded, lowering his arm with her hooves. "Calm down."

"But he-" Twilight punched Riku hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Without any magic, he was a normal human hit by a stronger horse hoof, making him crumple to his knees. "...Ok...Calming down...Shutting up..."

"Sorry," she apologized, not realizing just how vulnerable humans could be aside from her human Equestria friends. Twilight turned around to face Discord. "Yes, Discord?"

"...Why did you ask Tirek to free me?" Discord asked. "I don't deserve it after serving him like a pawn...You should have just left me and saved your real friends instead." Twilight didn't know what to say. She did what she thought was right, and Discord didn't deserve to be kept prisoner. He was blinded by what Tirek had offered him, but in the end, he was tricked and had his magic stolen. The draconequus looked down at the pendant around his neck, lifting the triangular medal and pulling it off his neck. "Tirek gave me this as a sign of his gratitude and loyalty...I actually believed he could trust me, and like an idiot, I went from the Lord of Chaos to the Lord of Fools.

"He lied to me, and I ended up making the biggest mistake of my life. Even worse than going on a chaotic rampage to take over Equestria when everypony only judged me by my appearance." He placed the meaningless pendant around Twilight's neck, worthless to him, but truly meaning something as he gave it to her. "I want to give you that as a sign of our true friendship, or whatever shreds of it are left. But unlike Tirek, I'm telling you the honest truth..."

Twilight looked down at the medal, feeling the sincerity of the gift Discord gave her. He really was honest, not even needing any confirmation from Applejack to tell if he was joking. She then gasped, feeling a strange light very close to her, and it was around her neck. The medal shimmered brightly like a rainbow, which had happened to her friends' gifts before; Twilight finally found her key for the chest. Everyone saw the medal gleam, shocking them all as Discord was the one creature she needed to teach an important lesson. Not in magic, but in friendship.

"...You have got to be kidding me," Riku uttered. "Twilight's key for the chest came from Discord?"

From the look on the draconequus's face, Discord had no idea what they were talking about. "What key?"

"Discord, when you gave us the journal after looking through it, those bookmarked pages you placed where the others were given something by someone after teaching them a lesson about their Element showed us where the keys were," Sora said. "You knew about those objects they were given and withheld everything about them being keys to mess with us...Right?"

"...They actually WERE the keys?" Discord asked, highly shocked. "I only did that because I really was just messing around with you all! I mean, it was a coincidence that those moments were similar and marked them, but I never thought they really were what unlocks the chest!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Aqua mumbled with a facepalm, the others slumping over in annoyance.

Twilight didn't berate Discord like the others, his joke, though clueless, actually helped them figure out what would lie in wait for them inside that chest. She ran up to her Keyblade, pulling it out of the ground with her mouth.

"We have to get to the Tree of Harmony!" she said before running on ahead.

The others followed after her, the humans a bit slower than the quadrupeds, but they trailed behind them as they made their way to the Everfree Forest. Running across the safer path, they reached the dried up ravine before the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, making their way down the hoof made stairs down and into the cave where the Tree of Harmony sat. Twilight stopped in front of the chest, sitting before the empty keyhole where her key was supposed to be placed.

"Hopefully, whatever's inside this thing can help us stop Tirek," Ventus prayed. "If it's empty, then we're screwed."

"Only one way to find out." Twilight took off the pendant and held it up to the chest.

It reacted to the final key, taking it out of the alicorn's hoof as a white aura surrounded the accessory. The medal spun around and transformed into a golden key like the others, the bow shaped just like her cutie mark, the lower point extended out as the pointed tipped blade with half of the six-pointed star made up the teeth. The final key was set in the chest, now finally able to be opened.

The ground shook again, Tirek breaking the land apart with his magic as he destroyed everything in his way. "Ok, there better be something powerful in this tiny box that can help! It feels like Tirek's going to destroy the planet!"

"Come on, girls!" Twilight said. "I think we need to open it together!" The rest of the Mane Six gathered around the chest, standing behind their respective keys. They simultaneously grabbed their keys, waiting for Twilight to signal them. "On three. One, two, three!"

The six mares turned their keys, moving their hooves away as the chest began glowing brightly. The top opened up, releasing a rainbow filled with powerful light none of them had ever felt before spiral up. It struck the Tree of Harmony, right into the star etched on its trunk. The Elements of Harmony began shining brightly in their placed locations, releasing a pillar of light down upon the Mane Six, surrounding them in colorful auras matching their coats.

Twilight gasped, feeling her magic return to her, and something even more. Taking her Keyblade in her hoof, she looked up, finding a keyhole appearing above the now empty chest. Her hoof moved on its own, aiming her blade at the floating keyhole surrounded by a rainbow aura. The gems on her chain began glowing as well, all six shimmering simultaneously as she felt her friends' power and something else. It wasn't her own power, but something else. Something that gave her the ability to connect with her friends, the ones she cares about, who help her when she needs them.

"...Harmony," she mumbled. The tip of her Keyblade began building up light, whether it was by her own will or not, she didn't care, knowing this was what it wanted to do. "...My abilities with the Keyblade...Connected by the magic of friendship..." The light finished building up, everyone present in the cave watching in awe. "My friends...are my power...And my friendship with them is the most powerful magic of all."

Twilight shot a beam of light into the keyhole. It let out a myriad of bright lights, blinding the humans, baby dragon, and draconequus while the power released wrapped the Mane Six into colorful bubbles matching their fur. The silhouettes of their bodies began altering slightly, their manes growing longer as their magic returned, even more stronger than normal.

One by one, their bubbles popped as they took new forms given to them by the Tree of Harmony. Pinkie Pie had streaks of blue, orange, and yellow streaked down the center of her pink mane and tail, stars littered all over her hair, a blue ribbon tied in her hair with a white star in the middle, and balloons marked on her hooves like her cutie mark. Rainbow Dash's mane and tail were longer and swept back, her wings feathers also colored like the rainbow, with red starting inside close to her back to purple on the tips of her feathers, lightning bolts marked on her hooves along with three around her eyes. Applejack's golden hair had red and pink streaks running down, her mane and tail tied in green ribbons, her hat now with an added red apple resting on the side, and her hooves marked with apples. Fluttershy's mane and tail had dark blue, light blue, dark purple, and light lavender streaks, her wings having two shades of blue curved patterns in the middle while the tips were tinged a light pink with pink hearts, her hooves also marked with her cutie mark with butterflies of many colors. Rarity's hair now had light blue, fuchsia, and yellow streaks, white diamonds designed in her mane and tail, her hooves marked with her diamond cutie marks. Twilight's mane and tail had an added yellow streak down the middle with her pink streak, the tips of her wings now purple, then pink until it remained purple halfway down the appendages, and like her friends' hooves, they were patterned with her star cutie mark.

The flashing lights had dimmed a little bit, making it possible for the others to see. "Boy, the Elements of Harmony love to be-" Sora was the first to peek, gasping in awe at the Mane Six's new forms. "-...flashy..."

The others squinted their eyes open, staring at the mares with jaws dropped. "Whoa...That's...a new look."

Twilight held her hoof out, summoning her Keyblade, now completely gold instead of fuchsia. Using their new power, the alicorn teleported them out of the cave to confront Tirek. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Ventus, Spike, and Discord wanted to see what their new form had to offer, quickly running out of the Everfree Forest to catch up with them.

As the Mane Six appeared before the rampaging centaur, Tirek grunted in confusion, feeling the powerful magic and light coming from them. "What!? How is this possible!? I took all of your magic!"

"You may have taken our magic, Tirek, but there's on kind of magic your powers can't steal from us!" Twilight said.

"Don't you dare say it!" Tirek warned. "You have nothing!" He shot a large beam at the Mane Six, but Twilight brought her Keyblade in front of her, deflecting the attack. Tirek could only stare in shock, watching his beam fly up and disappear into the sky. "...No...No! NO! This can't happen! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"

Tirek charged all the magic in his possession, creating a massive sphere of orange energy from his horns. The girls looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders, wondering why their opponents always try too hard when they're facing the power coming from the Element bearers, their power now harnessing the six mystical gems as a gift from the Tree of Harmony.

"I think we should just end this," Rainbow said. "No idea why he thinks he'll win when we now have this awesome new rainbow power!"

"I couldn't agree more," Twilight said, aiming her Keyblade down at the centaur. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash placed their hooves around the hilt of Twilight's golden Keyblade, combining their power to take back the magic Tirek stole, the tip of her blade shimmering with a prismatic light. "Tirek, you're going back to Tarterus where you belong, and we're taking back all of the magic you took!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie cheered. "Time to taste the rainbow of friendship!"

Tirek let out an enraged, fierce roar, firing the gargantuan sphere that was five times taller than his own body. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Ventus, Spike, and Discord managed to exit the Everfree Forest, arriving just in time to watch the magic stealing centaur shoot one of his explosive spheres. Before it hit them, the Mane Six fired a powerful beam of rainbow light from Twilight's Keyblade, stopping the magical sphere in its tracks.

"Holy cow," Sora said. "That's some super power they've got."

"And they're pushing Tirek's attack back!" Kairi was right with her statement, the prismatic beam slowly pushing the orange sphere back, shoving it closer and closer to Tirek.

"No," Tirek said in pure shock. His sphere began to purify, slowly losing its orange coloring as it merged with their magic. "No...No no no no!" Tirek tried firing several spells to push the harmonious light back, but nothing made it curve away from him or stop it. The beam broke through the sphere, shooting straight into Tirek a millisecond after destroying the roadblock, striking the centaur as he screamed out from the burning pain. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Engulfed in the rainbow light, Tirek's body began shrinking, the magic he stole flying up out of his horn into the sky above him. His power faded, reverting back to his weaker, elderly self, collapsing on the cliff he stood on. The Mane Six ceased fire, floating down to meet the beaten centaur, the stolen magic hovering in a massive sphere of colorful light above them. Tirek grunted, struggling to get back up, only to flinch as the alicorn's Keyblade struck the ground in front of his face.

"It's over, Tirek," Twilight said, her friends standing behind her as their manes billowed in the invisible wind. "Even with four times the alicorn magic, Keyblade magic, and even the magic from every unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony in Equestria, you cannot steal away the magic of friendship." Tirek growled, despising the one thing that caused his brother to betray him. "Now, I think it's time you return back to your prison cell in Tarterus, but this time, you won't make another attempt to escape in the future."

Lifting her blade back up, Twilight twirled her weapon around before aiming it behind Tirek. She fired another beam, striking the air behind the centaur, creating a portal to Tarterus. He looked back, unable to try to bargain with the princess as she levitated him up into the air and struck him hard, sending him flying back into the Underworld of Equestria. Tirek screamed as he was flung back in his eternal prison, slamming into the back of an open cell, where it closed shut, Twilight firing another beam of light into the lock, keeping the only exit out of his iron barred cage forever locked as it clanked tightly.

She closed portal, flying up to the magical orb above them with her friends. "Alright, y'all! Let's give everypony their magic back!"

"But how exactly do we do that?" Rarity asked. "There's also Discord's magic, the princesses' alicorn magic, and Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Ventus's Keyblade magic."

"Hmm..." Twilight began thinking of a plan, rubbing her hoof against the sphere, feeling all of the magic's energy pulse inside. "...I don't think it'll be that hard. Let's split up: Pinkie Pie and Applejack will return earth pony magic, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash with pegasus magic, and Rarity and I will bring back unicorn magic. The rest will return back to their owners after this."

Holding her Keyblade, she gently tapped the sphere, gathering the mana they were assigned to return, creating a shockwave of rainbow light from where it floated. The Mane Six split up in their groups, following the waves as magic began returning to the victims Tirek stole from them. The light waves flew past the Keyblade wielders, Spike, and Discord, the harmonious light washing over them, returning their magic back to them. The humans turned back into ponies, back in their guises to hide their true identities.

"We're ponies again!" Ventus cheered. "They actually did it!"

"I guess the Tree of Harmony left them a second way of using the Elements of Harmony's power without taking the gems," Aqua pondered. "A fail-safe created for the bearers of its Elements so they can continue to keep Equestria at peace."

"And it looks like Twilight figured out what her Keyblade's power was," Kairi added. "I guess it's not really a Dimension Link anymore."

"You're right." Aqua brought a hoof to her chin, wondering what this new power unique to Twilight should be called. "...I think we should call her special ability 'Harmony Link'." Aqua held up her Keyblade, feeling a small remnant of Twilight's magic, both alicorn and inner light, in hers and the others' weapons. "A special type of D-Link, borrowing the skills and powers of each pony, or person, she has a bond with, and use multiple links at once. Just like the Elements of Harmony needing all six gems to be used for their power to work."

"Well, I guess that makes her a pretty tough pony to fight with," Sora commented, placing his forehooves behind his head. "Let's just hope she actually controls those links from now on."

Discord looked down at his hands, feeling his chaotic power had returned through the harmonious power of the shockwave that passed through him. He half expected to turn back to stone as harmony was the opposite of chaos, but it didn't. He snapped his fingers, creating a small cotton candy cloud beside him, his magic functioning perfectly. The draconequus let out a sigh, taking a bite of the sweet, chocolate milk stuffed cloud.

"I never thought I would have actually helped Twilight open up that chest," he mumbled to himself. "But...it probably won't be enough to be forgiven..."


Inside a section of Tarterus, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were chained up to shackles, keeping them grounded to the platform they were on. They had no idea how long they had been sitting in the Underworld for, but it already felt like an eternity. They heard a scream come from another area, though they figured it must have been someone being tortured.

The alicorns soon gasped, feeling their alicorn magic return to them, their chains disappearing. "What?" Celestia and Luna's hair began flowing again, all three princesses' cutie marks returning to their flanks. "Our magic..."

"It's back," Luna finished her sister's sentence, the three of them standing up.

"Does that mean Tirek has been beaten?" Cadence asked.

"Maybe...I am a bit curious. Let's find out." Stretching out her wings, Celestia began flapping them flying up into the air as she looked around the dark and dreary land.

Luna and Cadence followed after her, all three taking the scenic route before finding the gateway back to Equestria. After a moment of flying, they spotted an odd looking blue human wearing a black toga, though his hair was on fire and was as blue as his skin. Hearing their flapping, he looked up, groaning in irritation as he stared at Celestia.

"Oh, great," Hades said. "It's bad enough my place gets invaded by Herc the Jerk and that brat Sora and his annoying friends. Now his pet pigeon is flying around, leaving feathers and dropping around here!"

"Uhh, is he pointing at you, Aunt Celestia?" Cadence asked.

"I have no idea who this human is," Celestia said.

"Why can't that strong-armed musclehead keep a leash on his horse?" As the alicorns got closer, Hades was about to yell and burn them, only to realize they weren't like Hercules's best friend, Pegasus. "Oh, wait. You're not his steed...You're a mare...All three of you."

"And you are...?" Luna asked.

"Lord of the Underworld. Hades. Not associated with the Grim Reaper, and I don't carry around a stupid scythe with a crescent blade twice as big as a normal one," he quickly explained. "It's annoying to hear someone say I'm Death himself when I clearly manage the souls in this place."

"...Ok then..." The alicorns looked at each other, already finding the God of the Underworld a nuisance just from his attitude alone. "This...is Tarterus, right?"

"Tarterus?" Hades asked in confusion. "...Ohhh. You mean the pony Underworld. I gotta re-evaluate that section again. Came down here to investigate a scream, and ironically enough, someone stuffed someone away in a cell without my permission." He began walking off, pointing his thumb in a direction. "Portal's out that way, in case you were wondering where to-" Hades paused as he was about to round a corner, staring in shock at one of the cages up ahead. "...Well, well, well. Tirek, you didn't stay free for long."

"Tirek!?" The alicorns ran over to the God, finding the centaur trapped in a cage, reverted to his weak, older self.

"You know this old coot?" Hades asked.

"Yes. My sister and I banished him to Tarterus a thousand years ago for attempting to take control of our kingdom back in Equestria," Celestia answered.

"So that explains his stay here for a long while," Hades murmured. He approached the cage and checked the lock, sealed tightly by a familiar spell made by a certain kind of weapon. "And he's going to be stuck in there for all eternity. Oh well. Tough luck for you, Tirek."

"Shut up, Hades," Tirek grumbled. "I would have succeeded if it weren't for Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight beat him?" Cadence uttered in surprise. "...How?"

"Let us ask them as soon as we leave Tarterus," Luna said with a shudder. "The Underworld is no place I wish to stay in for as long as we have been imprisoned here by that demon."

"Well, Tirek, I did warn you," Celestia said, Luna and Cadence flying off to the portal back to Equestria. "As I predicted, your victory was short-lived, ended by our newest alicorn princess, and my former student. Enjoy your eternal stay in Tarterus where you belong."

The princess giggled as she flew off, hearing Tirek yell out in fury as he watched her leave. Hades brought materialized a clipboard from the smoke flowing around him, writing down the centaur's name on the list.

"So, beaten by a tiny little horse," Hades commented. "You know what would have been embarrassing? Getting beaten by a little twerp with a Keyblade."

Tirek groaned, covering his ears with his hands, blocking out the chattering God of the Underworld out. "I. Hate. Everything..."


After all the magic was returned to the ponies of Equestria, Twilight and her friends flew back to the Tree of Harmony. Though the gift of holding the Elements of Harmony's power without needing the gems were incredible, the mystical tree wasn't done rewarding them. The chest began to glow along with the Tree of Harmony, surprising the ponies as a rainbow shot up from the opened flower where the chest rested. The box rose up, transporting the Mane Six elsewhere as it floated through the air, following the trail of the translucent rainbow.

Sora and the rest of the group saw the rainbow shoot up from the Everfree Forest, spotting the empty chest follow it down to a space somewhere outside of Ponyville. Curious, they followed it to where it would land, and as they arrived, they watched the chest sink into the ground. The earth shook, a crystal spire poking up from the ground, shifting the ground as they all gasped in awe at what was rising up. The chest was like a seed, sprouting up a castle made of crystal, the bottom like that of a tree's trunk, the spire turning out to be a giant crystal star.

"It's a castle," Kairi said.

"The chest grew into a crystal tree castle?" Riku questioned, shrugging his shoulders, ignoring the odd transformation.

The Mane Six reappeared in front of them, their rainbow powers fading away as their bodies were enshrouded by their magical bubble that came and went in a second. They gasped when they saw the castle for the first time, struck with awe at the magnificent palace the Tree of Harmony gave them.

"Sweet Celestia," Rarity uttered. "Please tell me I'm not hallucinating and there's really a castle. In front of us. In Ponyville."

"No, I think we can all see it," Twilight said. "But, whose is it?"

"I believe it is yours, Twilight." Everyone turned around to see Celestia, Luna, and Cadence landing behind them.

"Hey! Their royal Highnesses have their magic back!" Sora announced. "How come you three didn't end up getting trapped in a magic bubble like us?"

"Tirek sent us to Tarterus," Luna said, Discord wincing as he tried to shuffle away while the others blanched in shock.

"And where are you going, Discord?" Celestia asked, making the draconequus flinch.

He chuckled nervously, waving to the alicorns. "H-Hey! Uhh...Nowhere. I just...I think I have some laundry to water back at my place." Discord slowly backed away, in a lot of trouble, and he didn't want to suffer the wrath of three alicorn princesses after helping Tirek. "Good to see you three are back, safe and sound!"

Riku flew behind the draconequus, kicking him back toward the group. "Nice try. You're staying here, Discord. You're not getting off that easy."

"Indeed," Luna agreed.

"Before we can pick a suitable punishment for Discord after he decided to betray us-" Discord wilted, saying goodbye to his freedom when he's turned back to stone again. "-I think we should take a look at Princess Twilight's new castle."

Everyone did seem a bit curious about this new castle. If it was as magnificent on the inside as it was on the outside, they couldn't wait to explore the new palace. Sora and Riku lead the way, climbing up the small flight of steps and opened up the golden double doors. Oddly enough, it looked like the castle already came furnished with a few things for the halls, mainly a red carpet stretching across the floors and gemstones shining from the ceiling to provide light.

"This is amazing," Kairi said. "I can't believe this is actually Twilight's castle."

"Looks like you finally have yourself your kingdom to rule, Twilight," Riku said.

"And your purpose as a princess," Celestia added. "Do you know what your role is, Twilight?"

"I think I do," Twilight said. "As a princess, I believe I have the power to spread the magic of friendship across all of Equestria. This is a role I'm meant to have in this world; a role I choose to have." They soon stopped at a tall doorway, which must lead to the throne room with how important it seemed on the outside. Twilight looked at her friends: the five mares who had helped her saved the world, her number one assistant to assure her and keep her level-headed, and the five Keyblade wielders from another world who risk their lives to save Equestria. "But, I didn't defeat Tirek on my own. It took all of us to stop him and open the chest."

"Then it is unlikely you were meant to take on this task alone." Celestia opened up the doorway, which was indeed the throne room.

Everyone gasped as they saw seven crystal thrones sitting around a golden circle on the floor with a white eight-pointed star in the center. On the thrones were the Mane Six's cutie marks, their assigned seating for their royal duties, the smaller one next to Twilight's being Spike's throne. The girls and Spike ran in the room, sitting down in their new thrones, all of them talking excitedly while the others watched.

"Aww man," Sora complained. "How come we don't have our own thrones? We helped." Sora stepped inside the room, his Keyblade suddenly appearing in his mouth against his will. Confused, they all heard something that sounded like twinkling lights inside the throne. Appearing outside of the circle of thrones, a taller throne of crystal appeared between Applejack's and Rarity's thrones, the Kingdom Key marked on the front of the backrest like the Mane Six's. Sora dropped his Keyblade, his jaw hitting the floor, having no clue how that happened. "...Huuuuuuuuuuuuuh???"

"Sora, what did you do?" Aqua asked.

"I...have no clue..." Sora looked back at the others, quickly grabbing Kairi's hoof and pulling her into the room. As soon as she was inside, her Keyblade appeared on its own in her mouth, where another throne appeared, this time between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's thrones. "Cool! We all get thrones just from walking inside this room! Whoo hoo!"

Sora grabbed his Keyblade and flew up onto his seat, grinning widely. Riku, Aqua, and Ventus stepped into the throne room, their Keyblades appearing on their own as their thrones also appeared just like Sora's and Kairi's. Riku's throne sat between Twilight and Applejack, Ventus's between Rarity and Pinkie Pie, and Aqua's between Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"This is...strange," Aqua said, leaping up to stand on her throne. "How do we have thrones? We're not part of the Elements of Harmony, and the girls defeated Tirek."

"Maybe it had something to do with the keyhole Twilight unlocked earlier," Kairi guessed, teleporting onto her throne as she rested her Keyblade against the back. "She did have our Keyblades when she fought against Tirek before unlocking the chest. We're probably just as important to the Tree of Harmony like they are."

"That is true!" Sora said, leaning back against his seat with his Keyblade resting in his lap. "And we get the bigger thrones...Wait, does that mean we're royalty now? Or are we higher up like we're watchers, overlooking the ones important to the castle in shorter thrones?"

"Well, whatever it is, guess this castle is meant for all of us," Ventus said, deciding to lean against his throne instead of sit in it.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence stepped into the throne room, a little surprised themselves watching the new thrones appearing as soon as the Keyblade wielders had stepped in. "Twilight Sparkle, I think a title of your royalty shall be the princess of friendship," Celestia said. "For what is a princess of friendship without her friends?"

"I think that's a perfect title," Twilight said, suddenly caught in a massive group hug by everyone. She spotted Discord outside, standing in the hall. He still felt like he wasn't part of the group, and if he was going to get on everyone's good side again, he was going to have to make up it up to all of Equestria. "Discord, come in here."

Discord's ears drooped as he walked in the room, head hung low as he tapped his fingers together in nervousness. "Uhh, am I going to be given my punishment now?"

"That depends. Do you regret working alongside Tirek and helping him take over Equestria?" the lavender alicorn asked.

"Yes. Very much," he responded. "I'll do anything to make up for the stupid decisions I made. I'll even be turned back to stone for some time and serve my sentence."

Twilight looked at her friends, going along with whatever she has planned for him. Riku, on the other hand, wanted to agree with turning him into a statue, especially after Tirek had caused nothing but grief for Twilight and almost got her killed. As she looked back at Discord, the draconequus began to sweat, biting his nails as his anxiety grew.

"Well, seeing as you had turned evil, you will have to start your reformation over." Discord's ears perked up, a small tinge of hope as he heard Twilight's decision. "Like before, Fluttershy will have to give you a refresher course on learning to be a good friend. You will also be doing community service for Equestria for several months, but you cannot use your magic to get the job done quicker. It wouldn't be teaching you a lesson if you cheated your way to finishing your job. Is that clear?"

"Yes!" Discord exclaimed, teleporting in between everyone as he pulled them into a grateful hug, his arms extending to really hug everyone. "I swear I'll change! No more evil Discord! No more cruel pranks or jokes!...Well, I can't exactly promise that last bit that well. Chaos and all that. But I won't make the same mistake again!"

"I wonder how long that'll last," Riku grumbled.

Discord finally let go of everyone, swearing to be a truly reformed draconequus as he sealed the deal with a Pinkie Promise. As much as they wanted to check out more of the castle, everyone was pretty sure Ponyville would be wondering what had happened and why there was a castle close to their town that appeared out of nowhere. Twilight made her way to the castle's front doors as music began to play all throughout the town, a celebratory tune suited for stopping a tyrant and giving the newest princess her official title as an alicorn royal. Princess Twilight opened the doors, seeing the whole town stood outside her new castle just as they all expected.

[Twilight Sparkle]
Each one of us has something special
That makes us different, that makes us rare

Twilight let everyone in the castle to see what it looked like, guiding them to the throne room where the rest of her friends waited.

[Sora]
We have a light that shines within us
That we were always meant to share

[Mane Six and Keyblade Wielders]
And when we come together
Combine the light that shines within

[Mane Six]
There is nothing we can't do

[Keyblade Wielders]
There is no battle we can't win

The heroic ponies stood in the center of the circle in the middle of the throne room. The Keyblade wielders held up their Keyblades, pointing them up to the ceiling while the Mane Six began to glow slightly.

[Mane Six and Keyblade Wielders]
When we come together
There'll be a star to guide the way
It's inside us every day

See it now! See it now!

Let the rainbow remind you
That together we will always shine

A rainbow shot up in the center from the Element bearer's new magic, followed by light shot out from the six Keyblades. The light mingled with the rainbow, giving it more of a shine as it shot out and flew around the castle, soaring off to different parts of Equestria as their song was heard throughout the world. The rainbow flew past locations where the ponies or creatures they had helped realize the true nature of one of the Mane Six's Elements.

Starting with Coco Pommel, the earth pony seamstress worked on a clothing line in Manehattan in her new workplace. She stopped working when she saw the rainbow pass by her window, smiling happily as she heard Rarity's voice, learning the importance of generosity far more than she ever did under Suri Polomare's horrible guidance. Next were the Wonderbolts flying through the skies of Equestria, making sure all the ponies across the kingdom had gotten their magic back after they saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash fly in, giving their pegasus magic back after Tirek took it all from them and other pegasi attempting to fight back against the centaur. They saw the rainbow, reminded of Rainbow Dash's important lesson in being loyal to their friends and teammates. Next was Cheese Sandwich, minding his own business walking down the road, awaiting the next town in need of an epic party to throw. He heard the rainbow come from a mile away, grateful to have met Pinkie Pie for helping him shape his destiny by making others happy, blowing the party noise blower he held in his mouth to celebrate the party he was surely going to miss out on, but when he returns to Ponyville, he was going to ask Pinkie all about it.

Let the rainbow remind
That forever this will be our time

The rainbow soon flew through the hidden village of the Breezies, where the small insect-like ponies watched it fly by and phase through the wall where their portal opens and closes to Equestria. Sea Breeze heard Fluttershy's softer voice among the others, always remembering that he will be heard by his fellow Breezies as long as he was patient and encouraged his nervous comrades to brave through the world outside the safety of their home. Next was Silver Shill, having set up a stand, selling the props he used during his time working for Flim and Flam in their con show. The rainbow swirled around his shop for a moment, hearing Applejack's voice from it, never forgetting how much better it felt to earn an honest living selling his wares than lying about what he has to offer and steal from his customers with his faulty or fake products.

The rainbow came back to the castle, flowing inside and swirled around Discord in the throne room before disappearing in a flash of light. He sure learned a huge lesson in friendship, more than when he started his reformation over a year ago. He had wanted nothing more than friends in his youth, and after so many years, he finally found one. Sure, he won't forget about how insane he was for giving friendship up, believing a dangerous villain far worse than himself into getting something greater, only to wind up being betrayed after he betrayed the ones who really did give him a chance. Discord wanted to amend his friendships and be a better draconequus, snapping his fingers to materialize three bouquets of flowers and giving them to Celestia, Luna, and Cadence as an apology for Tirek sending them to Tarterus.

[Twilight Sparkle]
Let the rainbow remind you
That together we will always shine


It was late in the evening, Ponyville celebrating the end of Tirek's rampage and Princess Twilight's new castle, their town considered the capital for the alicorn's palace: the Castle of Friendship. The party lasted well until the moon had risen high above the sky. Eventually, it had to come to an end, this day will always be a memorable part of their home's history.

Twilight had found her royal bedchambers after taking a break from the party, already furnished with a bed and some dressers. She figured the chest was able to create furniture deemed important for the princess that will be living here and future guests, but she didn't question how it was possible since it was made by the Tree of Harmony. She set a few new pictures that were taken of herself, her friends, and the inside of her castle on her new dresser, the first of them taken was a group photo of the eleven ponies and baby dragon in the throne room.

It was a very big change to move from a library to a castle, but she didn't have anywhere else to stay in Ponyville anymore. Twilight let out a sigh, making her way out to her new balcony outside her room. She looked down at the town, staring down at where the Golden Oak Library once stood, nothing but a burnt up stump now. She leaned against the railing, already missing her old home and everything that was destroyed by Tirek.

"There you are." Twilight yelped and turned around, finding Riku walking into her opened bedroom door and out to the balcony with her.

"Don't do that," she scolded at her coltfriend with a glare. "I hate when someone sneaks up on me like that...And what are you doing in my room?"

"How do you know it's your room and not mine? Or any of the others?" Riku asked with a smirk. "Maybe it's actually ours and you want to hog the bed all to yourself."

"I do not hog the bed," she said. "And, clearly, this is my room."

"I don't see your name or cutie mark on the door," the stallion stated. "And you didn't call dibs on it. So this is my room now."

Twilight growled, pulling Riku over to her with her magic, gently butting her head against his. "You really want to fight me over a bedroom?"

"Maybe..." The alicorn sighed, losing her telekinetic grip on him and turned back around. As she rested her forelegs over the railing, Riku sat behind her, wrapping his hooves around her barrel in a gentle hug. "I actually have no idea how to navigate this castle. I think we should map this place out and mark which rooms are what so we all don't get confused." Twilight thought it was a good idea, though she wasn't sure if she might have any energy for exploring the castle. Concerned about his girlfriend's silence, Riku sat beside Twilight, noticing the sad look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing," she said, but he knew something was bothering her.

"Twilight, what is it?" he asked. She turned her head away from him, unable to stop her eyes from welling up tears. Riku looked out at Ponyville, able to see the whole town under the moonlight. It was then that he realized there was something missing; the Golden Oak Library. He let out a small gasp as he finally noticed it, or what was left of it, that tree made into a library her old home. "...Oh man...The library..."

"Mhmm," Twilight mumbled.

She sniffled, her body shuddering in sadness. Riku pulled Twilight closer, gently squeezing her, rubbing her back as she held him tightly. He knew how much that library had meant to her, all the books she read, how her journey as an Element of Harmony began, her safe haven in Ponyville. Now all that was left was the remains of the hollowed stump, barely anything around it having survived the blast aside from Twilight and her pet owl. Her new castle was now her home, but it wouldn't feel the same.

"I'm sorry, Twilight." Twilight began to sob, clutching Riku tightly as she buried her muzzle against his chest. He continued consoling her, holding her closely while gently rubbing her back, planting light kisses on her head. She had gone through a lot of pain and sorrow these past couple days, finally able to let it out now that a calm had settled itself in Equestria once again. "I wish there was some way to fix it...I'm just glad you're ok."

"M-Me too..." Twilight slowly began to calm down, lifting her head up to look at Riku. She smiled at him, despite the sad tears streaming down her face. "You all mean so much to me. I don't know where I'd be without any of you."

Riku smiled back, gently wiping her tears away with his hoof. "Where would all of us be without the ones we care about? As selfish as that bargain was with Tirek, I can't blame you for caring about us more than Equestria. You're like Sora; caring about all his friends, willing to do anything to save them, even at the cost of his own life." He playfully poked her muzzle. "Just don't go being as reckless as him for my sake. I've already had enough heart attacks after nearly losing you to last a lifetime."

Twilight giggled, bringing her muzzle closer to his, giving him a loving nuzzle. "You did bring me along with all the more dangerous threats you faced," she reminded him, making his ears droop in shame. Twilight gave Riku a small peck on the lips, distracting him from giving her a Keyblade by complete mistake, not knowing all the rules of being a Keyblade Master. "I won't get myself into too much danger until I'm fully ready."

"That's not going to last that long, is it?" Riku asked. Twilight shook her head, making him sigh in irritation. "Right. Stupid question."

"Yes. Yes it was." Riku rubbed his head, letting out a small laugh.

"Well, I guess it's getting a bit late. I'm pretty exhausted after everything today. I'll see you in the morning, Twilight." He gave her a kiss goodnight and made his way out of Twilight's room.

Before he even made it to the doors, they were shut closed, her aura surrounding the handles before moving to the stallion. Twilight turned Riku around, guiding him with her magic as she sauntered up to him.

"And who said you could leave my chambers?" Twilight asked, asserting her authority as a princess, giving Riku a sultry grin. "I did not order you to leave. What kind of knight, loyal to me, walks off without obeying his princess's commands?" Riku's cheeks began turning red, feeling a bit nervous with the seductive gaze she was giving him. The alicorn stood in front of her stallion, leaning her neck forward and nuzzled his neck, making him tremble as her horn still glowed, her aura slowly creeping along his back and to his wings. "Do you wish to be punished?"

"T-Twilight?" He let out a squeak as he felt a slight jolt shock a sensitive spot on his wings, shutting himself up as his wings flared out from the stimulation, his face brightening with a heavy blush.

"That's Princess Twilight Sparkle, Keyblade wielder," Twilight scolded. "And I expect an answer to my questions. Do you wish to be punished?"

"N-No, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Riku quickly said, standing at attention, going along with Twilight's playful roleplaying.

Her aura pulled away from his now sensitive wings, crawling up along his head and sending tingles along his neck. "I thought so." She gave him soft kisses against his neck and shoulder, the stallion doing his best to stifle his moans. Twilight moved away, pressing her muzzle against his, planting a soft peck on his snout. "Your princess wants you to stay with her tonight. Understand?"

"...Y-Yes, my princess," Riku responded, earning a soft kiss on the lips.

"Good. Now, on the bed," Twilight ordered. "And discard your 'armor', oh valiant Keyblade warrior."

The pegasus gulped, obeying his princess's command as he approached the bed. Despite his nervousness, he kind of liked being told what to do by Twilight, and if he didn't follow instructions, he was going to be endlessly pleasured by his oversensitive wings. Twilight followed him until he sat down on the royal bed, the mattress as soft as a cloud, or maybe made out of clouds. He didn't bother asking, not wanting to get in trouble, taking off the only clothing he had on as a pony.

As soon as he pulled his vest and shirt off, Twilight pounced him, pressing her lips against his in a deep kiss. He was caught completely off guard, his forehooves still stuck in his shirt as he was pressed down on the bed getting his face sucked by the needy alicorn. Riku managed to free his hooves, moving them down along Twilight's back as he closed his eyes and kissed his beloved back, feeling her quiver and moan in delight. As much as she didn't want to stop making out with him, Twilight broke their kiss, blushing and giggling sheepishly.

"What's the matter, 'princess'?" Riku teased. "Lost your nerve already?"

"N-No," she said nervously. "Was I too rough?"

"Caught me off guard while I was blinded," he said, grabbing his clothes, waving around his vest in front of her. "If you want your definition of rough, then that would mean me getting punched in the shoulder, arm, chest, or stomach, where you're a lot stronger than you think you are sometimes." Riku slid up more onto the bed so his back legs weren't dangling off the edge, resting his head on the soft pillows while Twilight continued laying on top of him. "By the way, that punch you gave me while I was human earlier from Tirek's magic stealing, that hurt...A lot."

"Sorry," Twilight apologized. "Humans don't have tougher muscles and bones than a pony."

"At least it wasn't a buck. That would send me straight to the hospital." The alicorn grimaced at the thought, quickly taking her mind off everything else before having the moment ruined. She levitated Riku's clothes over to the dresser, but when she looked down at him, he gave her a worried look. "Are you sure we should give Discord another chance?"

"Riku," Twilight chided.

"Yes, I know. Don't hit me again. He promises he won't revert back to being a villain." Riku let out a frustrated sigh, staring up at the ceiling. "I know you might trust him again, but I probably won't. He's caused so much trouble for all of us, and because of him, Tirek almost won..." He sighed again, looking back at Twilight, gently cupping his hoof against her cheek. "I'll go along with whatever you think is a suitable punishment for Discord...but after what he did, after almost losing you...I'm not going to trust someone who can warp someone's minds around and make them his puppet."

"I know he won't turn back to the old Discord, Riku," Twilight said, grabbing his hoof in her own. "Even though he gave me my key to open the chest, even if that makes us friends, he still has to make up that trust he destroyed when he made his decision to join with Tirek. I know he'll still bother us, but he won't betray us again. Not after he was betrayed by someone he thought he could trust after helping him."

"...Alright...Whatever you say..." Riku let out an exasperated grunt, rubbing his head with his other hoof. "I just ruined our moment with that stupid question, didn't I?"

Twilight shook her head, gently bumping her snout against his and resuming their kiss. Her hooves wrapped around his neck, only focusing on her and Riku, alone in her room, no longer having Spike share one with her as he finally had a bedroom of his own and shoving aside the past few days out of her head. Riku returned the kiss, feeling their tails slowly intertwine with each other.


Late in the evening, Ponyville was dead silent as everypony in town and in the castle were sound asleep. One pony, however, walked through the quiet streets, The Unknown hidden under his cloak as he made his way to the castle in the distance. It was a surprise to him when he saw a bright rainbow fly over his cottage, his curiosity leading him to wonder what that powerful light that came from it was doing. He spotted the crystal tree castle several miles away from the forest he hid in, right where the rainbow light was flying toward. There wasn't anything like it in the small town from what he had heard in the past, but if the rumors around the nearby town he walks in for groceries were true, than the crazy, magic-stealing monster roaming around Equestria was finally beaten.

He had no idea what had happened, but he had passed by the battlefield where a deadly war seemed to have taken place in this peaceful world. Even if he did help, the idea of some creature able to steal magic wasn't one he wanted to go up against if it could steal his unique magic. But now that it was defeated, the castle outside of Ponyville easily peaked his curiosity. The Unknown stood outside of the entrance to the castle, pressing his hoof against the golden doorways as it was unlocked.

Sneaking through the halls, his eyes trailed along the decor of the castle, not staying long to sightsee. He needed to find Aqua, and judging by the light he sensed, she had to be in here somewhere. Wandering around the palace, he found a hall of rooms, which were where the guest rooms were located. Before opening any doors, he held out a hoof, a flash of light appearing as a Keyblade appeared. The lighting in the halls were very dim at this time, but the look of the weapon was long and looked heavy to hold with just one arm. He turned himself invisible using Vanish, dismissing his weapon before he was spotted by any guards, if there were any.

Quietly opening the doors, he peeked into each room, either finding an empty room or one of the Mane Six or Keyblade wielders inside. Eventually, he managed to find the room Aqua was in, finding her fast asleep on the bed. The Unknown slid through the doorway when it was wide enough for his larger frame to slip through. Closing the door behind him, he tip-toed over to the side of the bed, pulling out a letter underneath his cloak, the only thing visible from his enchanted spell. He laid it out on the small table beside the bed, hoping Aqua will see it when she wakes up.

Without a word, he began to head back to the door. He froze when he heard Aqua mumble in her sleep, shifting around on the bed for a moment before she finally stopped. The Unknown turned his head, finding her lying on her side facing the door. The invisible stallion relaxed, keeping himself from sighing in relief out loud until he was out of the castle.

"Terra?" Aqua mumbled, making him freeze again, keeping himself quiet.

"Pleasedon'twakeuppleasedon'twakeuppleasedon'twakeup," The Unknown quietly chanted.

"Mrph...Stop teasing me." She tossed and turned, grunting in her sleep as she shifted the covers off of herself. "It's not a skirt, you dummy..."

He looked back, watching her sleep talk, thankful she didn't wake up. The Unknown quickly left the room before she really did wake up in her tossing and turning, quietly closing the door before he made his way back to the front doors of the crystal tree castle. As soon as he was outside, he ran back in the direction of his cabin home, staying clear of the buildings. Using his dash to make it back sooner, he made it back to his cottage, his Vanish spell worn off when he was about halfway there.

Entering his home and shutting the door behind him, The Unknown let out a sigh, only to snicker a second later. "I didn't think she was someone who talked in her sleep." The stallion walked through his house until he reached his bedroom. The dark room was lightly illuminated by the moonlight shining through the glade in the forest, taking off his cloak and hanging it before laying down in his bed. "Just another few hours...You'll get your answers, Aqua." He then pulled something out of the clothing he wore under his cloak, holding up a star-shaped charm above him. "And...you'll see the real Terra again...At least, I hope you do."

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