Chapter 14: Bright Side of Life
Chapter 14: Bright Side of Life
It was nearly night at Radiant Garden. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had just left the castle, knowing that Mare Do Well already has five of the talismans already. While their conversation with Sora through the mirror was pretty short, they knew what must be done. They knew Sora and Riku needed more help. So, they're heading to Equestria now.
"Wow, I can't believe we're going to Equestria." Ventus said.
"Yeah, but it's not a vacation, though." Terra said.
"I know, I know." Ventus said. As they were about to leave, however...
"GAAAH!" Aqua screamed suddenly as she fell to the ground in pain, making the other two turn around, seeing her shaking a little bit.
"Aqua!" They both called out ran up to her.
"Aqua, are you ok?" Terra asked as he knelt down to help her up. Holding on to him, she managed to get up.
"Yes... I'm ok." Aqua said. "But... I sensed a terrible darkness. The Element of Magic... it's slowly being consumed by darkness." Ventus and Terra gasped.
"So does that mean?" Ventus asked.
"Princess Celestia's student has been turned." Terra said.
"And Sora..." Aqua continued. "He's in a lot of pain. He needs us." Ventus and Terra looked at each other, giving a nod.
"Then we better hurry." Terra said.
"Right." Ventus said.
"VEN!" The sudden shout made Ventus turn his head.
"Huh?" He asked. Suddenly, a blue blur was quickly moving across the ground and lashed out towards Ventus. He gave a shout as the mysterious creature jumped on him and knocked him to the ground.
"Ven!" Terra and Aqua called out as the boy fell on his back.
"Ow." He said as he lifted his head up, catching a good look at what was on top of him. Looking straight at him was a strange creature. There were only two words t describe it; cute and fluffy. The creature was coated with blue fur with darker patches on the back of his head and on his back as well. A domed nose rests in the center of his face, between large black, tear-shaped eyes. Sharp teeth resided in this extraterrestrial's mouth, along with a long pink tongue. He had clawed hands and stubby legs that have shorter claws themselves. And a short tail juts out from his rear.
"Ven!" It said. The boy's eyes widened. He has seen this creature before! He ran into this little guy on a huge ship, where it helped him take down that huge Metamorphosis Unversed. And in return, he helped the little guy escape. The last time he saw him was when his ship went so fast, hurling Ventus towards Neverland!
"Hey, it's you!" He said.
"Ven!" The creature said as he nuzzled his head against Ventus's head. Aqua and Terra also looked surprise.
"Wait... is that-" Terra said.
"Experiment 626!" Aqua said. Yes, they too have met Experiment 626 before. They were on the ship before Ventus got there, where Terra helped his creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba set him free, while Aqua was tasked by the Grand Councilwoman to capture the little guy, only to save him from Captain Gantu, who wanted to destroy him instead. Experiment 626 turned his head to look at the two.
"Terra! Aqua!" He said with a smile.
"Hey, it's good to see you again." Aqua said as she bent down and petted the creature.
"Haven't seen you in a long time." Terra said.
"Excuse me!" Another voice called. The three keyblade wielders turned their heads towards the source of the voice and saw that it was a girl. The girl they were looking at was around twenty-four. She had long brown hair styled into a braid down her back, with curls on either side of her face. Her bangs frame her face, and she had green emerald eyes. Her red ribbon was bright and tied behind her hair, and she wore a carmine pink and white top held up by a string that wraps around her neck. Underneath the top was a pink dress with a horizontal white stripe near the bottom. Another dress was underneath which was white and longer than the first. She also wore black boots, and attached her was a sheath that held a quarterstaff behind her.
"Sorry, he kinda ran off on me." She said.
"Aerith!" Experiment 626 said as he then ran up to the girl and hopped gently on her shoulder, giving her a nuzzle as well.
"He's a little excited today." The woman, Aerith said.
"I don't blame him." Ventus said as he got up. "We actually know him."
"He's a friend of ours." Aqua said.
"Really?" Aerith asked. "How did you meet him?"
"It's a long story." Terra said. Aerith then glanced at the three closely. She looked at Ventus first, then Terra, then Aqua. She noticed that their clothing was different, especially the pieces of armor all three of them possessed.
"You three aren't from here either." She said. "Are you friends of Sora?" The three almost gasped in a bit of surprise. This woman knows Sora?
"Yes, we are." Aqua said.
"He saved us." Terra said.
"Wait, how do you know Sora?" Ventus asked.
"Oh, sorry, where are my manners." The girl said. "My name is Aerith, Aerith Gainsborough."
ACT III: Dark Hour
"WHAT?!" The girls asked. They were in the presence of Chancellor Neighsay, who was informed about Twilight's turn to the darkness, and has issued an order.
"That is right." Neighsay spoke. "We hereby place you all under arrest for bringing destruction upon Canterlot."
"How are we responsible?" Rainbow Dash asked. "If this is about the vault thing, Princess Luna gave us clearance, remember?"
"You're not under arrest for that." Neighsay said. "You're all under arrest for knowing there was a threat happening in Canterlot and did nothing."
"How is that being even our fault?" Applejack argued. "Sure we knew there was something bad going on but-"
"So, that means you admit it." Neighsay said.
"That's not what we're saying!" Applejack said as she got up to the Chancellor's nose.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Neighsay spoke as he pushed Applejack away. "You filthy Earth Pony!" Applejack gasped as she heard those words.
"What did ye call me?" She asked with a snort, ready to pound him away.
"Applejack, please!" Rarity said as she pulled the farmpony away, not wanting her to get into more trouble. "Chancellor, this is a big misunderstanding. It's not us you should be arresting. We didn't cause all this."
"Very well, then there's one pony we can hold accountable for..." Neighsay said. "Twilight Sparkle."
"WHAT?!" The girls asked.
"That's Not What I Meant!" Rarity said.
"Besides, most of the ponies are praising her right now!" Pinkie Pie said.
"But she did attack the castle, and the Princesses." Neighsay said. "So we'll be ordering for her to be arrested instead."
"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You're not gonna arrest her! She didn't do anything wrong!"
"She is the only culprit to the crime, and she did steal something very vaulable that did belong to one of Equestria's most legendary ponies, and as I said, she attacked the princesses." Neighsay said. "So she must be punished."
"Ok." The regal voice got their attention. They turned to see Princess Celestia.
"What?!" They all asked. Even Princess Luna, who was standing next to her sister, was quite shocked as well.
"Twilight Sparkle shall be found and... and tried for her crimes." Celestia said, her head lowered to the ground. The Chancellor gave a confident smile.
"Excellent." He said. "We'll start the paper work and prepare for her trial." He and some of his associates made their leave as they trotted back to the castle.
"But Princess Celestia, she isn't at fault here." Fluttershy said.
"We're the reason she's doing all this." Rarity said. "In fact, charge us instead. We'll take the punishment."
"I'm sorry my little ponies." Celestia said. "But the Chancellor is right. Twilight has broken the law. She must be captured." The girls didn't know what else to say, but Rainbow Dash, her blood started to boil, until she couldn't keep it in any longer.
"Are you BUCKING Kidding Me?!" Rainbow Dash asked in anger as she flew up to the Princess's face, much to her friends' shock and surprise. "You're just gonna punish Twilight for our mistake?!"
"Miss Rainbow Dash, calm yourself." Celestia said.
"You know what, she was right all along." Rainbow Dash said with anger. "You don't care about her at all! You were just using her to fight your own battles, sending her out to fix your mess like she's your attack dog!" The girls gasped as they heard Rainbow Dash speak those words.
"Don't You Dare Say How I Feel About Twilight!" Celestia, surprisingly, shouted, in a massive voice. This kind of voice was dubbed the Royal Canterlot Voice, which Luna herself usually does most of the time. This voice from Celestia, however, surprised everyone, even Rainbow Dash. Never once in their lives have they heard that voice coming from her, and it was much louder than Luna's...
"Twilight Means More To Me Than The Sun Itself!" Celestia shouted. "I Would Never Use Her For Such Horrible Advantages!"
"Well then you should've stayed and comfort her instead of following that fake bride and telling her that she had a lot to think about!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"I Did Not Know That The Changeling Queen Was Manipulating Us!" Celestia said.
"Well maybe you should've kept fighting instead of just laying there on the ground!" Rainbow Dash shouted back. "If you were a real princess, you should've taken care of threats like this yourself, not depend on others to stop them for you! You control the sun for Harmony's sake! You could've stopped the changelings yourself! But no, you just let Twilight fix it so you don't have to! You know what, I'm starting to think that you let the Changeling Queen beat you! Well guess what Princess, I agree with Twilight on one thing! You're no better than those bucking Changelings!"
-BOOM!-
A powerful blast sent Rainbow Dash to the ground, much to the shock of the girls. She was just hit by Princess Celestia!
"Rainbow!" Applejack called out as she galloped to her friend. The rainbow maned pegasus lifted herself up, feeling pain surge down her body for a bit. The two turned to see Princess Celestia, her face was showing lots of stress and anger.
"How dare you..." Celestia spoke as her horn lit up. "How dare you speak of me in such HARSH TONE!" Suddenly, Celestia's mane was lighting up a bit, while her magenta eyes started showing a firey yellow glow, where her pupils were demonic slant. The sudden change nearly frightened the mane five. But suddenly, Celestia stopped herself with a gasp. She blinked her eyes, reverting back to their magenta coloring. She looked down at the shocked ponies. Looking up at her own horn, glowing with magic, she stopped it. She realized what she was going to do. She was going to attack the group of ponies before her. She then turned to see Princess Luna, and some of the royal guards, all of them frightened. The Sun Princess then turned to her left, seeing some of her subjects, all of them showing the same reaction.
"Sister..." Luna said, as Celestia lowered her head.
"I'm sorry... I need to be alone..." Celestia spoke, and surprisingly, she flew up to her chambers, while her sister looked on.
"Tia..." Luna spoke with worry. Behind her, some of the guards were still a bit terrified, as were Windwhirl and Earthius.
"I think I wet myself a bit." Windwhirl said.
"Probably should've kept that to yourself." Earthius said. The girls were a bit surprised too. They've never seen Princess Celestia this angry before. Perhaps it was stress finally catching up to her. Regardless, Rainbow Dash got herself up and just walked away with a snort.
"Rainbow?" Pinkie Pie asked, but Rainbow Dash didn't answer as she continued to walk away.
"I'll talk to her." Applejack said, patting Pinkie Pie's shoulder. She then galloped toward the rainbow maned pegasus.
"Rainbow, that was a little harsh, don't you think?" Applejack asked.
"I'm... I'm sorry, alright." Rainbow Dash said as she just paced herself. "But I wasn't the one who shot a beam of magic."
"Well, I admit, the Princess probably shouldn't have done that, but you're also at fault too." Applejack said.
"Applejack, I'm not in the mood right now." Rainbow Dash said.
"Rainbow, now's not the time to hold a grudge." Applejack said. "We gotta focus on rescuing Twilight." Rainbow Dash stopped herself and hung her head down.
"What's the point." Rainbow Dash said. "We're probably gonna make it worse." Applejack raised an eyebrow in shock. Rainbow Dash is giving up?
"You're giving up?" Applejack asked. A snort came from the pegasus' nose and mouth.
"Yeah, I'm giving up!" She lashed out. "That's what I'm doing, I'm giving up!"
"Rainbow, we can't give up now!" Applejack said. "We can't give up on Twilight!"
"It doesn't matter, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash said. "We can't save Twilight, we only succeeded in pushing her away! And the worse part is that Equestria is going pay the price for our mistake!"
"But we can still fix it!" Applejack said. "We fixed everything before!"
"But not this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We can't fix something that is broken! Our friendship with Twilight is broken!"
"Whatever is broken can be fixed, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said.
"But not this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Don't you get it, Applejack? We failed! We failed, alright!"
"No, we didn't!" Applejack shouted. "Giving up right now is where you fail! You give up, you fail, and if we give up, then we all fail. But we're not giving up already! We didn't fail yet!"
"But we already did!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We failed Twilight... I failed her..." The rainbow maned pegasus lowered her head again, trying so hard to fight back her tears. "I failed Twilight... I failed her... I should've been more nicer to her... I should've been there for her...! But no, I had to treat her like crap and make fun of her for being a egghead! Dang it, I'm doing it again!" Rainbow Dash began to shake her head in frustration, as if she was trying to hold back tears. The farmpony approached the rainbow maned Pegasus and placed her hoof on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Rainbow." Applejack said. "We'll figure somethin' out. Let's go find Sora, he'll know what to-"
"No..." The sudden response took the group by surprise.
"Wh...What?" Applejack asked.
"We can't." Rainbow Dash said as she lifted herself off the ground. "I told you already. We can't fix this." She then began to walk away from the group, dropping a single tear from her eye.
"It's over." Rainbow Dash said. "We lost." The girls were more surprised now. Rainbow Dash was giving up? She was giving up?
"But... what about our friendship?" Pinkie Pie asked, her eyes still watery. The rainbow maned Pegasus turned her head towards them, and then away.
"Friendship is dead..." She spoke, and then took off flying, leaving her friends shocked and saddened as the Pegasus flew away from the town, leaving. Fluttershy then started to lower her head down and began to softly cry. She then started to bolt away from the group, much to the surprise of everyone else.
"Flutters, where are you going?" Applejack asked. Was Fluttershy giving up too? The butter-colored Pegasus turned her head, showing her tears.
"I'm sorry, girls." She said. "But I just don't have the will to keep going!" She then bolted away, leaving the three ponies behind, while Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie only watched with saddened eyes. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie started to tear up, and then burst into tears.
"Me neither!" Pinkie Pie said. "No Way!" She then pulled out her Party Cannon and jumped right in it, and it was aimed right out of Canterlot over the mountain.
"Pinkie Pie!" Applejack called out, but it was too late. The cannon fired, shooting Pinkie Pie out of Canterlot. Luckily, she had a couple of balloons with her, so she would be able to fly and float out of the city back home. The two ponies only stood there, with Rarity only shaking her head, showing sadness. She too started to leave.
"Rares…" Applejack said.
"Please don't, Applejack." Rarity said. "I'm going home." She then slowly trotted away, leaving Applejack all alone. The earth pony only lowered her head down and stared at the ground. Suddenly, for the first time, she began to cry, choking on her voice and letting the tears drop down from her cheeks. It had now become certain, that Friendship was truly broken.
...or was it?
Spike was watching the whole thing. He looked around, seeing that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were nowhere in sight. He had to find them fast! He made his way across town, trying to find them.
Back outside the castle, Donald and Goofy were just sitting on the stairs to the front door. So much has happened today. A lot has happened today. It seems that things were much more complicated than they originally believed.
"Garsh, things got pretty bad so quick." Goofy said.
"I know." Donald said. "First the magic begins failing, then we run around Equestria to find Twilight and those talismans, only to learn that she has become evil, and now, The Pony of Shadows is going to return!"
"And let's not forget the Crystal Empire thing too." Goofy said.
"Don't remind me." Donald said as he shook his head.
"I can only imagine how Sora is feeling right now." Goofy said. But then, he realized something. Sora! Sora wasn't with them.
"Wait, Where's Sora?!" Goofy asked. Realizing himself, Donald quickly began to panic.
"Oh no, now we lost Sora!" Donald spoke. Before they could lose it even more, an idea came up in Goofy's head.
"Oh, I know how to find him!" Goofy said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Gummi-Phone. The duck recognized it quickly.
"Wait, isn't that Sora's phone?" Donald asked.
"Actually, it's mine." Goofy said. "Chip and Dale made one for me incase we'd get split up from Sora."
"WHAT?!" Donald asked, feeling left out. "How come I don't get one?!"
"Because, they were afraid you might get in trouble with it." Goofy said. "You know, with money and all that." The duck quacked in surprise. Yes, phones are also used to play games where you bet money, and lose it if you lose. And everyone knows how greedy Donald can be. He sighed in disappointment. Goofy then typed in Sora's number, and it began ringing. Then suddenly, there was a faint sound around them. It was the boy's ringtone. That means he must be nearby.
"You hear that?" Donald asked.
"Yep, but I don't see him." Goofy said looking around. But then suddenly, they both turned their attention toward a crate, a crate that was big enough to fit someone inside. They both got closer to it, and the sound got even louder. Sora was inside the crate? Why?
"Sora?" Goofy asked. "Are you in there?"
"I'm not coming out." The voice in the box said. It was Sora already.
"Sora, you can't stay in there forever, you know." Donald said.
"Uhhh... yes I can." The boy responded. The duck gave a sigh and with his staff, he hit the lock open, and tilted it over, forcing the boy to slide on out. But he didn't look happy. Depression was all over his face.
"Sora?" Donald asked.
"I said I didn't want to come out." Sora said. Either way, he slowly got himself up.
"Sora, are you sure you're ok?" Donald asked.
"I'm fine." Sora said as he began to walk away.
"You don't sound fine to us." Goofy said.
"I said I'm fine!" Sora said, his voice sounding annoyed. "End of discussion!" Hearing that only made Donald irritated himsef.
"Sora, what's wrong with you?!" Donald asked. Then... unbeknownst the two, Sora's face started twitching, as if something snapped inside him.
"What's wrong... What's Wrong?!" Sora asked, giving a glare at the two. "Oh, I don't know where to begin, where do I begin." The boy's tone was starting to become hysterical. "Well, I guess I could begin to where I'm waking up almost screaming from some bad nightmares from our fight back at the keyblade graveyard, but that's not important. What happens is that I come back here hoping to save Twilight and Equestria from impending doom, caused by what the girls, Princess Celestia, and Captain Armor did by abandoning her. We travelled all over Equestria to find her and convince her to come back. But now, we come back here and find out that she's corrupted by the darkness or whatever has tainted her, and to top it off, she broke my keyblade!" The boy picked up what was left of his broken keyblade. Donald and Goofy gasped at the sight, but it was hard to tell that they were shocked by Sora's broken keyblade, or how Twilight was able to break it.
"Um... we know..." Donald said, holding up the other broken half of the keyblade.
"Garsh..." Goofy said.
"Yeah, gosh." Sora said, sounding more frantic. "She broke my keyblade, but of course I can't blame her because I played a part of her spiral down the evil road. And now, all hope is lost Because Some Evil Spirit IS GOING TO RAIN HELL ON ALL OF US!!!" The boy began shouting, unable to control his temper. "That Is What's Wrong! HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?!" The two stood there, a bit frightened. They never saw Sora like this in like... ever.
"Um... probably a bad time to say that you forgot to mention that we almost got arrested." Goofy said, with Donald face palming his own face. The boy only sloped down and turned away. In a fit of rage, he threw the hilt of the keyblade to the ground, dropping to his knees.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his fist into the ground. All that anger, all that uncontrolled emotion, was then replaced with quiet sobs. For the first time in his life, he felt so... vulnerable.
"This is my fault... this is all my fault." Sora said. The two behind him sounded surprised.
"Sora, don't think that." Goofy said. "This isn't your fault."
"But it is." Sora said. "I knew there was something wrong from the very start, but I didn't do anything about it. I should've went with my gut, but... I just thought it was part of another nightmare." Donald and Goofy tilted their heads in confusion. The boy lowered his head in shame.
"I lied when I said that I was ok." He spoke. "I'm not ok. Everything's not ok. Everything that I've been through, losing you guys and my friends back there. You may not remember, but I do... Back at the Graveyard, we blundered into a massive failure. All of you were taken out, one by one, and then sucked away from me by that massive storm." Goofy and Donald quickly realized what he was talking about. The battle before they went to the Keyblade Graveyard to stop Master Xehanort, where it all ended in a massive failure. Sora only watched helplessly as all of his friends and allies get taken from him. Luckily, Sora was able to go back in time with Namine and Chirithy's help to redo it and succeed. They may not remember that part, but the image of losing his friends, was still engraved into his mind. That must've been what Discord was telling them.
"I still dream about it... and I can't get it out of my head." He said. "I'm suppose to be strong, but I can't... It's just too much... And now... now I lost Twilight, like I lost you guys. I failed. I failed her. So much for friendship is magic...." He cringed his eyes, letting the tears drop out onto the ground. The royal wizard and captain of the knights approached him, and Donald placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Hey... don't feel bad." He said as he and Goofy helped him on his knees, which surprised him.
"Garsh, if that was bothering you so much, then how come you didn't tell us?" Goofy asked.
"I just... I didn't want to burden you guys." Sora said. "You and everyone were acting like nothing happened. I didn't want you to worry-"
"Fiddlesticks, Sora!" Donald said, getting his attention. "You can always tell us what's bothering you. You don't need to hide your pain from us."
"Huh?" Sora asked.
"We all feel lots of feels from time to time." Goofy continued. "The past always comes and haunts us once and a while. But you should never be afraid to share your suffering with us."
"You guys are willing to share my problems?" Sora asked. "You're willing to... share my pain?"
"Of course we do." Donald said. "Because that's what friends do. We stick by you through thick and thin."
"And if it's too much, you can always turn to us for help." Goofy said. "It's always ok to cry with your friends." The boy looked straight forward, realizing that his friends were right. He couldn't help but shed a couple more tears. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around the two, and cried.
"I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry...." He said, choking on his tears. The wizard and captain continued their embrace, comforting their friend.
"It's ok, let it all out." Donald said.
"We're here for you buddy." Goofy said, as the boy continued the cry, feeling the warmth of his two best friends.
"You two are the greatest friends I could ever have..." He said, holding them close. He couldn't help but notice, finally letting all of that out, he felt a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. Lifted from him by the love of his two friends. For the first time in such a long time, he felt solace. A lot of solace. Soon the hug was broken, and the boy rose back to his feet.
"Feel better?" Donald asked.
"Yeah... I feel a lot better now..." Sora said, wiping the tears from his face with his arm. "It felt good letting all that out."
"Now wipe those tears, buddy." Goofy said, patting the boy's shoulder. "And let's go save Twilight."
"But... how?" Sora asked. "She's fallen to darkness... and I don't know what to do..."
"Now Sora..." A voice came from the boy's hood, revealing to be Jiminy Cricket hopping out onto the ground, and looked straight up at the boy.
"Sora, we get that you feel like you failed Twilight, but that's not true." Jiminy said. "We can still save her."
"You really believe that?" Sora asked.
"Of course we do." Jiminy said. "She just needs to be reminded of all the good times you and her friends had together. Your friendship with her isn't broken. It's just cleaved."
"Cleaved?" Sora asked.
"You can cleave something apart, or you can cleave something back together." Jiminy said. "A mystic friend in a book once taught me that. You can cleave something back together if it's been cleaved apart."
"That's right!" Donald said. "And we'll help you. We always find a way."
"Yeah, we got this." Goofy said. "And besides, you know what they say."
"What do they say?" Sora asked. As the song began to slowly start up, Goofy stood up and told him... in song.
Somethings in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble
Give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And...
Always look on the bright side of life
(whistles)
Always look on the right side of life
Donald attempts to whistle along with Goofy, but is unable to due to his beak, making him groan with irritation. The sight of the duck being irritated was enough for Sora to laugh.
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle
That's the thing
And...
Unaware, the spirits of several people that Sora, Donald, and Goofy met throughout their adventures, appeared behind the group, singing along with Goofy, consisting of Hercules, Genie, Peter Pan, Captain Sparrow, Jack Skellington, Beast, Flynn Rider, and Hiro.
Always look on the bright side of life
(whistles)
Always look on the right side of life
(whistles)
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it
It's your last chance, anyhow
Then, a sound a thunder came from the sky, with a couple of droplets of rain coming down. Luckily, Goofy pulled up an umbrella, opening it up. It was big enough to cover three people. He held it over himself, Donald, and Sora, who was now feeling better as the song continued, shielding them from the rain, as the boy in the middle began singing.
Always look on the bright side of life
(whistles)
Always look on the right side of life
(whistles)
Life is always tough
But it ain't so rough
Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go!
Just remember that the last laugh is on you!
Always look on the bright side of life
(whistles)
Always look on the right side of life
(whistles)
Pretty soon, Goofy and Donald began to tap dance, with Sora following suit, while the characters from their previous adventures began to dance in coordination with them. During the whole time, Sora's smile was returning back to it's full strength, and his mood was much more happier.
Always look on the bright side of life
Everyone continues to tap dance.
Always look on the right side of life
Suddenly, the group tap dances at a much faster pace, until they get back into the original tempo
Always look on the bright side of life
(whistles)
Always look on the right side of liiiiife
Pretty soon, the other characters from their adventures fade to black, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy left to sing.
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Before they could continue, they saw an elderly pony passing by, holding a shrubbery, which is a small bushy plant with branches underneath it.
"Excuse me miss." Goofy said, getting her attention. "Is that a shrubbery?"
"Oh yes, I'm throwing it out." The pony said. "The cat won't leave it alone."
"Don't worry, we'll take it off your hands." Sora said.
"Oh, thank you dearies!" The pony said.
"Hey Donald, give her some money." Sora said. The duck quacked in confusion.
"Awww, alright." He said as he gave some bits to the elderly pony, who gave a nod, and then departed, while Sora and Goofy placed the shrubbery into the ground, surrounding it with fresh dirt and soil, and Donald used his staff to use his Water spell to sprinkle water upon it. Then the clouds disappeared above them, revealing a sunny day. The three continued dancing and singing!
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the briiiiiiiiiiight side of life!
"The bright side of life!" Donald called out.
Side of life!
"Ooooh, Boy!" Donald said.
Side of Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!!
The song finally ended and the three finished singing, tumbling backwards to the ground. The three couldn't help but laugh at their silly predicament. This time, Sora's smile was right back on his face. He felt so much better now, and chirpier too!
"Now do you feel better?" Donald asked.
"Yeah... I feel much better now." Sora said, looking at his two friends. "Donald... Goofy... Thank you."
"Sora!" A voice called out to the trio. Turning around and getting back up, they saw Spike rushing up to them.
"Oh, hey Spike." Sora said. "What's up?"
"They're gone." Spike said, making the three look at him with confusion.
"Whose gone?" Sora asked.
"The girls." Spike said. "They're gone." The three looked at him surprised.
"What do you mean gone?" Donald asked.
"They just left." Spike said. "Everything was just too much for them. They just gave up." He lowered his head, showing sadness. The boy stood there too, surprised. The girls have given up? They too have lost hope? He lowered his head, while Donald and Goofy looked at each other with concern too. It seems that hope was truly lost.
"No." Sora said, getting their attention.
"Sora?" Donald and Goofy asked. The boy lifted his head up high, showing a face of determination.
"I'm not giving up." Sora said, looking up at the sky. "Twilight needs me. She needs all of us. I'm not giving up on her. No way, no how." He then turned to Donald and Goofy, showing a strong smile.
"Donald, Goofy, are you guys with me?" He asked. The two also gave smiles, happy to see Sora was not giving up just yet.
"You betcha!" They both said.
"But what do we do?" Spike asked. "We're all that's left. What do we do?" Sora then started thinking, and then he remembered. They've been focusing on searching for Twilight, they almost forgot about the magic of the outside world that still needs fixing.
"Well... our magic isn't currently working right." Sora said. "So I think we should fix the magic first. If we restore the magic, then we might be able to save Twilight."
"But how?" Donald asked. "The magic is connected to the Elements, and with their friendship broken, the Elements are disconnected. So the magic can't work until their friendship is fixed." Sora began to think again. But then something came to his mind... an idea, and a realization.
"Actually... what if there's another way?" Sora asked.
"Huh?" Donald and Goofy asked.
"Well, think about it." Sora said. "That weird Draco.... uh.... what's that guy's name again?"
"Discord." Spike said.
"Right." Sora said. "Discord turned the girls against each other last time, right?"
"Yeah, except for Twilight." Spike said. "She just lost hope in everything."
"And... well, he was able to turn the elements against each other, right?" Sora asked.
"Uh-huh." Spike said.
"Then if the elements were disconnected, then why did the magic still work at that short time?" Sora asked. The group then started to think. Sora was making a good point. While the girls were the opposites of their elements, the magic was still working. How was it possible?
"Hmmm..." Goofy said. "You might be on to something there."
"Goofy?" Donald asked.
"Well, if the elements were disconnected at that time, and the magic was still working, then that means someone... or something else was keeping the magic running." Goofy said.
"Exactly!" Sora said. "Maybe there's a backup source here on this world that was keeping the magic working. And that backup source isn't working. But what could it be?" The group started to thinking. What was it that kept the magic working back then?
(BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP)
The sudden ringing caught the group by surprise, and it was coming from Sora's pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out his Gummi-Phone! If it was ringing, then that could me one thing.
"The King!" Donald and Goofy said. Sora gave a smile and pushed the answer button.
"Hello, Riku?" Sora asked. The screen came up, showing Ienzo.
"Hello, Sora." Ienzo said. The three looked at the phone and gave a defeated sigh. Spike leaned his head over to see the screen.
"Who's that?" Spike asked.
"Ienzo." Sora said.
"Um... did I call at a bad time?" Ienzo asked.
"Oh, no." Sora said. "It's good to see you again Ienzo. What's up?"
"Funny you should ask." Ienzo said. "Your keyblade wielding friends arrived here not too long ago, and they've informed us on what's been going on."
"We became aware of the magic in our universe acting out of sorts." Even said, popping onto the screen, bringing a bit of surprise to the trio.
"Oh... new friend?" Sora asked.
"Oh, forgive me." Even said. "We haven't met before... well, technically we did, but you don't remember. I am Even. I was originally part of Organization XIII when I was a nobody." Sora tilted his head, but then he remembered about Roxas speaking about Ienzo and others who helped create the replica needed so he could exist.
"Oh!" Sora said. "You're the guy who made a body for Roxas! Thank you so much for that."
"It was nothing really." Even said.
"Anyway, your friends have told us about the situation, so we decided to help." Ienzo said.
"Really?" Sora asked a bit surprised.
"Thanks, that's very generous of you guys." Goofy said.
"What exactly have you both find?" Donald asked.
"We've done our own little investigating." Even said. "Apparently there has been some strange surge of magic drainage just southeast of your location." He then pulled up a map of the Equestria landscape, where it showed Canterlot at the top, and a large forest just near a familiar town.
"Our readings have shown that the abnormal surge may be the reason why the magic isn't working right." Ienzo said. "And it's happening deep in the forest just outside of a small town nearby." Looking from under Sora's arm, Spike's eyes widened as he saw the forest landscape near the small town, one that he knew very well.
"Wait, I know that town." Spike said. "That's Ponyville!"
"You're right!" Sora said.
"Which means the forest right near the town is... the Everfree Forest!" Spike said, pointing at the forest on the screen.
"The Everfree Forest?" Sora asked, lifting his head up. He remembers the Everfree Forest, the huge forest just next door to the town of Ponyville. It is also the only place where the environment and weather act on their own, including the animals. And Pinkie Pie mentioned an evil enchantress living in there too. He had been in there before the first time he came here with the girls when they were heading to the Castle of the Royal Sisters to collect the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon. It's where Applejack saved Twilight from the fall, Fluttershy tamed the manticore, Pinkie Pie used her laughs to scare away the frightening trees, Rarity gave her tail up to fix Steven's mustache, and Rainbow Dash fixed the bridge and saved Twilight from falling into the pit.
"The forest where everything acts on it's own." Goofy said.
"Just like all the other worlds." Donald said. Sora started to think. If the magical anomaly is occurring there, then perhaps the forests holds a much deeper secret. Perhaps the forest is where this power source for the magic happens to be.
"Then we better go to the Everfree Forest and check it out." Sora said.
"Sora, the forest is too dangerous." Donald said. "It could be teeming with fierce creatures."
"Not to mention that your keyblade is broken." Goofy said. Sora looked down and summoned his keyblade, still seeing that the blade was snapped off from the hilt. Donald had a point there. His keyblade is now useless. He let out a sigh, but his face showed no daunting expression.
"Maybe." Sora said. "But if we do nothing now, this world will be doomed, and we'll never be able to save Twilight. There is no way we're letting that happen. And besides, I don't need the keyblade. I got you guys. Together, we're unbeatable." Donald and Goofy looked at the boy, and then at each other. Seeing him not hindered by worry and shining his smile made them both smile too. He did have a point. If they don't do anything, this world is doomed. Plus, they have managed to push through everything together, even without the keyblade. As long as they have each other, they can do anything.
"You're right." Goofy said.
"But just so you know, we're not your bodyguards." Donald said.
"I know that." Sora said. "But you know I can't do this without you guys."
"Well then, we got a forest to explore." Goofy said.
"Uh-Huh!" Donald said.
"Excuse me." Even's voice said. "You do realize the phone is still on, correct?" Sora looked down at his phone, seeing Ienzo and Even still on the screen. He just noticed that he was on the phone still.
"Oh, sorry about that." Sora said.
"It's quite alright." Ienzo said. "You boys go check out the forest. We'll do whatever we can to help too."
"And be careful as well." Even said. "The forest holds many dangers and many mysteries."
"Will do." Sora said. "Thanks again." Pretty soon, he hung up the phone, then turned back to Donald and Goofy.
"You guys ready?" He asked.
"Yep!" Goofy said.
"You betcha!" Donald said.
"I'm coming along too!" Spike said. "I may have let down Twilight, but I'm not letting down you guys." Hearing that made the boy smile.
"Thanks, Spike." Sora said. And with that, the quartet were off to the train station, to make their way back to Ponyville, and to the Everfree Forest.
"So... you three are friends of Sora too, huh?"
Those were the first words that came out of the mouth of Cid Highwind, the forty-four year-old man with blonde hair and blue eyes with some facial stubble. On top of his head were a pair of pilot goggles. His attire consisted of a light blue T-shirt with dark green cargo pants. A brown bomber jacket is tied around his waist and a dog tag around his neck. A toothpick was in his mouth.
Cid is a gifted pilot, and an engineer, making ships made out of Gummi-Blocks. He's a bit skeptical to the mythology and mystical creatures. He is foul-mouthed, where he would curse from time to time. Despite being a bit crude, he is kindhearted, and over the years he has softened up to a good degree.
Aerith had just brought Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to meet Cid and the others at Merlin's House, who were all part of the Hollow Bastion... or Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. The committee is a movement dedicating to restoring the town to it's former glory, while also eradicating threats such as the heartless. There two other people in the room.
There was an man around twenty-seven, with brown hair like Terra's, but with a lighter shade, and his bangs sweep to the left side of his face. He wore black gloves, zipper-lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace and a white undershirt. He wore a short black jacket with a white fur collar. Three brown belts were around his left forearm and three buckles on his right thigh. His black pants also sported a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg, held up by three belts around his hips. Two brown, one black. His eyes were blue and he bore a distinctive scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose.
This was Squall Leonhart... though he prefers the name Leon. He is leader of the Restoration Committee, and quite known for wielding a Gunblade, which was a sword, and a gun at the same time. He's a bit withdrawn and a quiet loner, but he's been more cheerful now, especially since the town was doing much better now.
Next to him was Yuffie, the eighteen year-old girl with violet eyes and short black hair. She wore a black headband with white lining. An unzipped, dark grey combat vest with a black strap dangling from the right pocket overtop a navy blue tank top with white floral designs. A white wristband is on her right wrist and a grey fingerless glove on her left arm. Her shorts were slightly darker with another black strap dangling from the left side. She also wore black, over-the-knee socks with white stripes at the top underneath dark tan sneaker boots that are knee-high in length.
Yuffie is the cheerful hyperactive one of the committee, though she tires out easily due to her high energy and quick movement. But she is hard-working and determined, a bit mischievous, but friendly too! She also has a 4-Point Shuriken. She is a ninja after all.
"Yes, we are." Aqua said. "And you all are friends of his as well."
"We sure are!" Yuffie said. "And from the looks of your clothing, you guys are keyblade wielders too, huh?"
"Lucky guess." Ventus said.
"I knew it." Leon said.
"Knew what?" Terra asked.
"You guys probably didn't notice, but I actually caught a glimpse at you guys a long time ago." Leon said. "You three were running around town fighting that big monster near the castle." The three were a bit surprised. That was when they were fighting that Trinity Armor Unversed more than a decade ago.
"You remember that?" Aqua asked.
"I do." Leon said. "And surprisingly, you guys look like you haven't aged one bit since then."
"Were you three sleeping in cold storage too?" Cid asked.
"It's complicated." Ventus said.
"It doesn't matter." Aerith said. "It's nice to meet friends of our friend too."
"Speaking of which!" Yuffie said as she ran up towards the group. "What's Sora been up to lately? His friend was here a couple days ago. It's been a while since we last saw him. Is he on another mission or something?"
"Something like that." Terra said. "Though I think it'd be better for him to tell you himself." Before anymore conversations could happen, a sudden puff of smoke appeared at the end of the room. Emerging from the smoke was an elderly man with pale skin and thing arms and legs. His nose was a bit large and his black eyes were rather small and close-set. He wore spectacles with circular lenses. He also has short white hair on the side and back of his head, with bushy eyebrows, a walrus mustache, and a long, floor-length beard. His attire was a sky blue cloak that stops just above his ankles with large, hanging sleeves. There were also slippers on his feet, and he wore a tall, floppy, conical hat, both were the same color as his cloak. There's only one person with a blue cloak and hat, white beard and spectacles. Merlin the Wizard!
"My, my, do we have guests?" He asked, straightening up his glasses. He then saw the three keyblade wielders and nearly gasped.
"Aww, it's you three." He said. "I knew I recognize those pieces of armor from somewhere."
"Merlin the Wizard!" Aqua said. "Good to see you again."
"It's great to see you all as well. I see you all have improved the last time I saw you all." Merlin said, before turning to Terra. "Oh, I just wanted to say thank you again for returning the book I dropped. Sora has been keeping it occupied while you three were away." Terra was a bit surprised. That's right. The book Merlin dropped more than a decade ago when Terra arrived in Radiant Garden on his first visit, and the latter returned it to him.
"Oh, it was no problem." Terra said, as Ventus looked back at Terra. When Ventus first came here, Merlin mentioned to him about a book.
"Oh, so that's why he mentioned that book." Ventus said.
"Excuse me!" Yuffie said, interrupting the conversation. "Sorry to cut this short, but can you tell us how you know Sora, and why were you guys visiting the Castle?" The three glanced at each other and gave a nod.
"It's a long story." Aqua said. And so on and so forth, the three keyblade wielders explained everything to the group, of how they knew Sora, and what was going on, including their reason of visiting Ansem the Wise and his apprentices.
"So... this Equestria place." Cid said. "That's the reason why the magic acting all bucked up? Make sense since the old loon's magic isn't working right either." Hearing that Merlin gasp.
"Hey, I'm not the one who nearly got a whole town under attack by your little defense mechanism." Merlin said sternly.
"Well, You're the one who blew up my computer!" Cid said aggressively. Clearly, Cid and Merlin have a little rivalry, mostly because Cid prefers technology, and Merlin prefers magic.
"HEY!" Aerith's calm voice got louder, getting the two to stop their argument. "I told you two to get along. Don't make me sic Stitch on you." Experiment 626 gave a nod and gave a mischievous laugh towards the two, making Merlin and Cid sigh and nod nervously, knowing he'll cause trouble if they don't get along.
"Stitch?" Aqua, Terra, and Ventus asked.
"That's his name." Aerith said, with Experiment 626, or Stitch in the matter, gave a cheerful smile.
"Cool name." Ventus said with a thumbs up.
"Anyway, so this Equestria world is why the magic in the universe is... well, what Cid said?" Yuffie asked.
"Apparently." Ventus said. "It's not looking too good, given how Aqua almost collapsed outside."
"This is definitely bad." Merlin said. "Equestria isn't like any of the worlds that you all have traveled too. That world is a very special one, which acts as a beacon and surge for all the magic in the world. If it falls, than the universe could be in grave danger."
"And if Sora is having more trouble, then he's gonna need our help." Aqua said.
"Then let's cut to the chase." Leon said as he approached the group. "Terra, Ventus, Aqua. If you guys are gonna help Sora, then we're tagging along."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Terra asked.
"Oh don't worry." Leon said. "We know who we're dealing with."
"That's a compliment, right?" Ventus asked.
"In a Leon sort of way, yes." Aerith said. The three looked at each other. Normally they shouldn't bring people from other worlds to other worlds, to protect the world order. But these four seem to have knowledge of the outside worlds themselves, and the Heartless seemed to have already messed it up during their absence. Plus, with the magic not working right, and the Element of Magic is going dark, they're definitely gonna need all the help they can get, especially Sora.
"Well, given that Equestria is not doing too good, I suppose bringing a little extra help won't hurt." Aqua said.
"I believe it's a good idea too." Merlin said. "It may also turn the tide to our favor. Just as long as you take your little friend with you. I don't feel really comfortable having him in my house." He was referring to Experiment 626, who looked at the Wizard with a bit of a glare, but he smiled as Aerith stroked his head.
"Don't worry." Aerith said. "Stitch will be on his best behavior while he's with us."
"Ok, I guess we're all going then." Ventus said.
"Then it's settled." Cid said, showing some excitement. "This is also a good chance to try out my new ship, courtesy of Ansem the Wise, of course."
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Who is Jiminy cricket referring to?
So are the main five part in the story over? I mean, is it all of the sora Donald and Goofy now?
What the heck, Celestia?! You’re going to let Neighsay arrest Twilight just like that?!
If you do care about her and she means the world to you, why are you letting Neighsay attest her instead of finding her and trying to save her from the darkness that’s making her embrace it?!
I hate you already! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I hope that mysterious figure does something to you!
Holy crap basket that was an emotional ride
Holy crap basket that was an emotional ride
Welp, like Trace once said:
Don't worry, cavalry is here!
Approaching Smash Bros. Level of crossover.
9983465
You said it
Well, since the remaining five are throwing in the towel, what happens now?
I can't believe it, because the girls give up, but what happened the Princess candence, it's not going to do something to save twilight
When's the next chapter?
9983225
I'll give you a hint. Watch Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
N is Neighsay isn’t he?
9984265
Huh?
9983451
Is that truly the case? or not?
9984718
Sorry, just got a bit upset and angry of what Celestia was doing now
Any idea when the next chapter comes?
Do you except ideas?
I hope you'll get back to this story soon. I'm looking forward to the next update!^^
When is the next chapter?
10037047
Sometime soon. My goal is to get the next chapter up before the Re:Mind DLC releases on Thursday next week.
I can’t wait for the next update
9984265
is Glossaryc