Chapter 21: Lost at Midnight
Chapter 21: Lost at Midnight
According to Equestria Lore, the Ruins that were hidden at the base of Foal Mountain, just north of the Everfree Forest, was the battlefield where the Pillars of Old Equestria faced against the Pony of Shadows. Some say the ruins were not pony-like, and were the remains of ancient kingdoms before Ponykind even existed. Regardless, it's where the ultimate confrontation was going to take place, and the girls knew that a big fight was ahead of them. They were just wishing that Twilight wasn't who they were fighting.
"Ok, the ruins of Ponhenge must be down this way." Applejack said, pointing straight towards the pathway, with a couple of old structures with writings on them nearby.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy asked. "I wonder where the relics came from."
"According from the locals, this ruins have been here for almost more than two thousand years." Rarity said. "Most likely dating back way before the founding of Equestria."
"Come to think of it, Granny Smith used to tell me stories that the ruins of Ponhenge used to belong to an old non-pony civilization long, long ago." Applejack said.
"You think they could've been dragons?" Spike asked. "Or the Yaks? Or the Griffins?"
"I don't think so, Spike." Applejack said. "The folks who made the ruins aren't even native to Equestria and the lands outside it."
"Maybe whoever built the ruins must've been from the outside worlds." Pinkie Pie said. "Ooh, ooh, do you think they come here once in a while when nopony's around and threw parties like I do?"
"Who cares?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Let's go save Twilight!" Pinkie Pie looked around, as if she was looking for someone.
"Hey, where did Sora go?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Uh oh, don't tell me he bailed us." Spike said.
"Oh wait, here he comes." Pinkie Pie said, looking and pointing back. The five ponies and Spike looked down and saw Sora catching up with them.
"Girls!" Sora waved as he finally caught up to them.
"There you are!" Rainbow Dash said. "What took you so long?!"
"Sorry, had to do something first." Sora said, though Fluttershy and Applejack noticed that Donald and Goofy weren't behind.
"Where's Donald and Goofy?" Fluttershy asked.
"They're heading off to the Crystal Empire." Sora said.
"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "They bailed?! That's just great."
"No, I told them to head straight there." Sora said. "I told them that we'll meet up with them when we stop the ritual and save Twilight." Applejack couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She noticed something about Sora's face... She noticed that while they were brushed off, there was a bit of tear stains on his cheek. She also noticed that his necklace was gone.
"Where's your necklace?" She asked. "And why do you look like you were crying?" Sora then realized what she was talking about. He quickly rubbed his face with the back of his hand to clear the tear-stains off before anyone else noticed.
"Oh... well, um..." Sora said, but he stumbled on his words, not knowing what to say. The farm pony approached him with a bit of suspicion, and with a bit of worry.
"Sora, what's going on?" Applejack asked. "Is there somethin' you wanna tell us?"
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.
"C'mon, sugarhog." Applejack said. "You're talking to Applejack. The most honest and most dependable of all ponies." She leaned upwards until her nose met his.
"Now, what's going on?" she asked. The boy looked at her nervously, and at the girls and Spike. He only sighed, knowing that he shouldn't lie to them, because Applejack can know when somepony, or someone in his case, is lying.
"Girls, Spike." Sora said. "We got a really big fight ahead of us. This isn't like fixing a friendship problem. We're gonna have to fight Twilight if she's not willing to talk and listen. There's a big chance that we won't come out of this alive."
"So?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"So?!" Sora asked. "I mean there's a chance that one of us could get hurt. Or probably killed."
"And that's what's bothering you?" Applejack asked.
"Yes... and it's not just this that's bothering me." Sora said, knowing that he had to say more. "During my own adventures, I've seen things... horrible things happening to those around me... things that I'm startled to talk about, and those same things can happen if you go in there, and they'll happen to all of you if we're not careful. So, if you guys want to back out of this, that's fine."
"Back out?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "No way in Tartarus are we doing that!"
"Lookie here, sugarhog." Applejack said. "We know that this isn't as easy as it sounds. But we've been through a lot ourselves. We've fought against Nightmare Moon, Discord, and we faced against bug monsters that sucked the lives out of other ponies. This may be a bigger fight than all of them, but we'll do anything to save our home, but more importantly, save our friend Twilight."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said. "We're not gonna leave our friend hanging."
"That's right." Fluttershy said. "We'll go through the ends of the earth to save her."
"We'll die for our friend if we have to." Rarity said.
"And we'll throw a big party when all of this is over!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Even if we die?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, duh!" Pinkie Pie said. "It'll be a party to die for!" Hearing that made the ponies tilt their heads. But regardless, they all gave a nod, including Spike.
"Don't worry, sugarhog." Applejack said to Sora. "We'll face this together." The boy looked at the girls and Spike, amazed that they're willing to give up everything for their friend. He gave a nod.
"Ok." Sora said. "But let me handle Twilight. You guys try and stop the ritual, ok?"
"Got it!" The girls said together.
"Let's have a go at it!" Applejack said as the girls turned around back towards the path that leads to the ruins, ready to save their friend. They galloped onwards, while Spike and Sora watched.
"So... we're gonna have to fight Twilight, aren't we." Spike said.
"Yeah." Sora said. The baby dragon looked at the ground, and took a deep breath. Twilight meant more to him than anything in this world, way more than gems and Rarity. Twilight raised him, taught him everything he knew, and treated him like he was her son. He knew that he had to make this right.
"Well then, let's go." Spike said as he ran forward with the girls, while Sora watched. He looked at the ground, knowing what was coming. He looked back to where he came from, knowing that he left Donald and Goofy behind. But it was to save them. To protect them. After all, Riku and the King need help as well, so they'll be getting it. He looked forward.
"May my heart be my guiding key." Sora said, and then he took off towards the ruins.
PONHENGE
It was very dark and cloudy at the old ruins of Ponhenge, where six tall stone structures surrounded a small stone circle in the middle. Five of the stones laid five of the talismans; Rockhoof's shovel, Mistmane's flower, Flash Magnus's shield, Mage Meadowbrook's mask, and Somnambula's blindfold. Twilight Sparkle, with Starswirl's Journal in her hooves, showing an evil smile with her glowing cyan slit eyes, was making her way to the stone structure in the center of the circle, as the clouds above began to circle, blocking the sun in the sky, with thundering happening within them. The time was nearly here, as the ritual to bring back the Pony of Shadows was ready to begin. In the back behind the trees and bushes, the girls, Spike, and Sora were watching from afar, seeing what Twilight was doing.
"This is it." Applejack said.
"So, now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You all wait here." Sora said. "I'll go on ahead and fight. While I do so, you girls try and stop the ritual."
"Ok." The girls said.
"Sora." Spike said.
"Yes, Spike?" The boy answered.
"Please, save her." Spike said.
"I will, Spike." Sora said, with the baby dragon giving a hopeful nod. Sora then emerged from his hiding spot and moved forward, just as Twilight was placing Starswirl's Journal into the center structure.
"At last, the pieces are set." Twilight spoke. "The talismans of the Pillars of Old Equestria are in their proper places. Within a few moments, the seal will be broken, the Pony of Shadows will be awakened, and all who abandoned me will know my pain and anguish, and the night will last forever... in Darkness." She then gave a wicked laugh, and laugh that would make anypony terrified if they heard it.
"Twilight!" The unicorn turned her head, seeing the one person she hoped to never see again. Sora made his way up the steps, stepping forward into the ring, passing the pillars next to him.
"Oh, it's you." Twilight spoke. The boy closed his eyes, and then opened them. He then made his way into the circle.
"I'd take it that you're here to watch the world end?" Twilight asked.
"No." Sora said. "I wanted to see you again, but not this way."
"I find that hard to believe." Twilight said, unaware of the girls making their way to the side, to watch what was about to unfold. Spike watched from behind Rarity. Seeing Twilight all dark and evil, it was too much for him to bare.
"Twilight..." Spike whispered sadly.
"Twilight, please don't do this." Sora said. "Deep down, you know that this is wrong. Please, I beg of you. Don't do something that'll you regret."
"I have no regret." Twilight said without any emotion. "The time is nearly here, and the Pony of Shadows will awaken, and all those left me will be destroyed by it's power!"
"Is releasing an entity that could destroy everything worth getting back at those who hurt you?" Sora asked.
"Why not?" Twilight asked. "They left me behind, and abandoned me in my time of need. So, why not inflict on them ten times more than what they inflicted on me?" But soon her frown faded and a smile was formed.
"But... I may show you mercy, Sora." Twilight said. "...If you're willing to surrender." She extended her hoof outwards to him, wanting him to join her.
"What?" Sora asked.
"Join me, Sora." Twilight said. "Join me in ridding this world of it's liars and betrayers. Let us punish these deceivers and backstabbers. Together, this world will be ours to control." The boy only lowered his head, already having his answer. This is not what he wants. Joining the side of darkness? No way. He knew it wasn't right, even if it meant he had to fight his friend.
"Twilight... you know I can't do that." Sora said. "This goes against everything that I believe in. And I can't let you do this, even if I have to stop you myself." The lavender unicorn only showed a scornful frown.
"Then you leave my no choice." Twilight said. "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." The boy only stood his ground. This was his last chance to get her to come to her senses.
"Please... I don't want to hurt you." Sora said. "I won't do that to your friends, your brother, or Princess Celestia."
"Hurt me?" Twilight asked, and then she gave a dark smile. "You don't get it, do you... I... am more powerful than ANYONE!" With that final shout, her horn lit up, and the necklace around her began to light up with a purple and cyan color, and soon, she began to float up in the air, and she was then surrounded by a magical dark spiral, which began to shine a dark light upon the battlefield. Flashing before him, and the ones watching from the sidelines. Seeing with their eyes, the girls watched in horror and shock, even Spike began to whimper at the sight of what Twilight was transforming into.
Elsewhere, Princess Celestia gasped as she sensed a great surge of darkness from Foal Mountain. Turning her head towards the source, she saw a purple and cyan flash flickering. It was darkness, a horrible darkness.
Princess Luna dropped her tea cup as she gasped, much to the crusaders' surprise. She knelt down and felt a sudden tension all over her body.
"Princess Luna?" Apple Bloom asked. "Is everything alright?" The Lunar Princess turned her head and watched from the balcony, seeing the purple and cyan spark at the base of Fall Mountain.
"A terrible darkness..." Luna said. "I haven't felt this presence since... since... Nightmare Moon!"
"GAH!" Princess Cadance shouted from her own position as she fell to her hooves, much to Shining Armor's surprise and worry.
"Cadance!" Shining said as he galloped to her, but he too gasped as he knelt to the floor, sensing a terrible speck of darkness far, far away. And it wasn't the unicorn king they were concerned about. They knew where the darkness came from and from the look of their horrified faces, they knew who it was.
"Twilight!" They both said.
Outside near the crystal gates, Riku quickly felt a shiver down his spine, and no doubt King Mickey felt it as well. The dark energy that was down south of the Frozen North to the mountains sparked greatly.
"Oh no..." Riku said.
"Darkness!" Mickey said. "From the bearer of the Element of Magic!"
Back to the ruins of Ponhenge, Sora stood his ground as he felt the wave of darkness pushed against him, and the spark continued to flash before him. As the light cleared up, Sora unshielded his eyes, both widening with shock, seeing the worse thing he could ever think of.
"You gotta be kidding me..." He spoke. Before him in the air, was a dark purple color pony. Her mane was flowing and sizzling like a massive fireball, mixed with black, purple, and magenta. Her eyes had turned to a brilliant mulberry, with the sclera glowing with a light grayish cyan. She wore a purple vest with a wicked dark design, and a collar that had a corrupted version of her cutie mark. Her tail was black, just black, and her horn was now long, glowing with a cyan color. And on her back were black violet wings, almost resembling a demonic hawk. No longer was she Twilight Sparkle. She was now the successor of Nightmare Moon: Midnight Sparkle!
"Yes... Yes!" Twilight laughed evilly. "I never knew true magic before... But I Do NOW!" Her wings spread open, sending a gust of wind upon the boy. But he stood his ground. He glanced up at the mare, now corrupted in darkness. A tear was seen in his eyes, but he closed them and opened them, his face no longer showing fear, but determination.
"I guess... I have no choice then." Sora said. Then, his newly restored Keyblade appeared in his tightly gripped hand. He then took his stance, ready to fight. Within seconds, he then charged forward. Midnight only smiled, as she charged up her horn and fired away right at him. Suddenly, Sora dodged to the side, surprising the unicorn. She fired again, only for the boy to leap to the left and onto the stone statue, then leapt up to swing down. Midnight, however, summoned a magical sword, blocking the attack and throwing him aside. She then fired again, but the boy spun his keyblade.
"RELFEGA!" He shouted, summoning a white barrier around him, shielding him from the attack, and bouncing the beam back, hitting Midnight Sparkle and sending her crashing into one of the stone structures. She dropped to her hooves, but didn't fall to the ground. With a snort, she charged forward, her wings flapped as she flew into the sky and flew down to strike with her horn. But Sora leaped back.
"TRIPLE PLASMA!" He shouted, shooting out three spheres of electricity, but the mare dodged each shot as they blasted to the ground, making three explosions of static shock. Midnight only spun as she continued to fire each shot, but Sora shot them back with his keyblade like baseballs. She did managed to shove right into him and pin him to the ground.
"Yield!" She shouted.
"Never!" Sora shouted, summoning the Missing Ache keyblade and kicking her off and up into the air with his legs and feet. Getting back up, he initiated another attack.
"TORNADO STRIKE!" He called out, summoning a swirling gust of wind around him, trapping Midnight and causing her to spin around. The boy then jumped up with the wind and performed a spinning attack with his two keyblades, whacking the mare across the battle field. She skid across the floor and got even more angry.
"You'll pay for that!" She shouted as she fired another beam, this time hitting Sora and hurtling him into one of the pillars. As he dropped to the floor, he felt a bit of pain. But he wasn't going to give up. No way. He got up. As the Missing Ache vanished, the Dusk Till Dawn began to glow.
"Here we go!" Sora shouted as he pulled his keyblade back, which then began to glow, transforming itself into a Counter Shield! With a shout he charged forward, swinging his new weapon as Midnight did the same. She was thrown offguard by the boy throwing his shield, and then finishing by summoning a circle of lightning around him that expanded outward, stunning Midnight for a few seconds. But she quickly got to her senses and her horn began to glow.
"Take this!" Midnight shouted as she flew straight forward and fired a beam, and Sora rose his shield up in defence. As the beam made contact, the shield began to glow, and absorbed the attack.
"Back Off!" Sora shouted as he pulled back and pushed forward, initiating his Wrathful Flurry attack, with the shield throwing out huge multiple punches, hitting Midnight several times before finishing with a gigantic punch to the face, sending Midnight crashing into another one of the stone statues.
"Is that all you got?!" Midnight growled.
"Nope!" Sora said, his keyblade shield now transforming into a massive Hyper Hammer. "I was just getting started!" He then charged forward and swung, but the Midnight Pony dodged and fired, striking Sora's arm, but the boy didn't flinch, and swung again, hitting and hurling Midnight up into the air. She shifted herself and began to rain beams of darkness upon him. But then, Sora threw his hammer into the air, where it began to break apart and reassemble into his Double Arrowguns.
"Here you go!" He shouted as he aimed and fired magical bullets rapidly, allowing him to stop Midnight's beams from hitting him with the arrows, cancelling them out. Then, he combined his two guns together, creating the Magic Launcher. He then aimed high, after a quick charge, He fired a massive sphere at Midnight, which exploded upon contact, sending a wave of smoke around the area. Sora only coughed and covered his mouth as the dust was around him, with his keyblade transforming back to its original form. He looked forward, and saw Midnight on her hooves.
"Twilight... please, stop this!" He called out. The dark unicorn shook her head.
"No...!" She hissed, and with her magic she summoned dark vines and they wrapped around Sora's wrists and legs, holding him up.
"There's no escape..." She said as she walked up to him.
"You're wrong!" Sora said, and his keyblade began to glow, and once again, it transformed into a set of gloves with claws. He then spun, and ripped the vines around him with his Agile Claws, before making a good landing.
"Why are you not giving up?!" Midnight asked.
"Because... I want to save you." Sora said.
"You can't save me..." She said. "No pony can."
"You're wrong!" Sora said as his claws transformed into his Highwind Spear. "I'm not giving up on you!" He then charged forward and attacked, with Midnight countering. As the two continued their fight, the girls in the background were watching... all of them with their mouths dropped to their shoulders.
"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash said. "That is so... awesome..."
"Why couldn't he do that when we first met him?" Pinkie Pie asked with a little pout.
"C'mon girls." Applejack said. "Twilight's distracted. Let's get the artifacts!" All of them agreed, and they quick went in to grab the talismans from the stone pillars. Applejack picked up Rockhoof's shovel, while Rainbow Dash grabbed Flash Magnus's shield. Rarity took Mistmane's everlasting flower, Pinkie Pie grabbed Somnabula's blindfold, and Fluttershy retrieved Mage Meadowbrook's mask. Spike ran over to grab Starswirl's journal, and he lifted it with his claws.
"Got it!" Spike said. "Now let's get out of here!" Suddenly, the journal began to glow a magenta dark aura, and Spike felt himself lifted up in the air. The aura then grabbed the rest of the Mane Five, holding them up in the air.
"Hey, what gives?!" Rainbow Dash asked. Sora, who was blocking Midnight's attack, turned and saw what was happening with the girls.
"Oh no!" Sora said. Midnight only laughed, as she pushed Sora aside. She then turned around and saw the girls being held up in the air.
"Did you honestly think that it would be so easy?" She asked. "I had a feeling that you all would try to take the talismans, so I placed a little trap spell on Starswirl's Journal in case anyone tried to take it." The girls were dumbfounded that Twilight managed to be a step ahead of them, and they were all worried now. The corrupted unicorn made her way towards Spike, who looked at her in fear.
"Now... give me the book, dragon." She spoke, extending her hoof out. Spike looked at Midnight. To be honest, he didn't see Twilight. He saw a monster. He took a deep breath.
"No." Spike said with a bit of defiance.
"What?" Midnight asked.
"I know you're still in there Twilight." Spike said. "You don't need to do this! I don't want you to do this! I'm not giving you this book, even if your try to hurt me!" Midnight only scuffed with disgust.
"Then get ready to burn, you little brat." She spoke as her horn lit up and lifted Spike in the air, ready to end him.
"NO!"
Suddenly, Midnight flung back, grabbing her own head, much to Spike's surprise.
"What are you doing?!" Midnight asked, her voice suddenly getting distorted.
"Don't hurt him!" She said again, in her normal voice. "We agreed not to harm Spike. He's all I have left!" Hearing that made Spike's quills twitch.
"Twilight?" Spike asked. That was Twilight under there somewhere. Suddenly, she looked back at the baby dragon and gently placed him down on the ground, and took the Journal from him. He was greatly surprised. She didn't try to kill him.
"But the rest... we'll do away with!" Midnight said, turning her attention towards the girls, and prepared to charge up her horn to attack, making the girls gasp with horror.
"STOP!" Sora shouted as he jumped in with his Highwind Spear, crossing with Midnight's horn, making her shoot at one of the stone structures instead. She growled and fired back at him, hurtling him across the floor. Spike managed to hide behind the stone structure that was in front of him, and watched as Sora got back up. The boy then spun his spear, which then sprouted out a red cloth, transforming into the Storm Flag. He began to spin, or twirl the flag aggressively, shooting out powerful spheres of water right at Midnight, causing her to back away.
"WATERZA!" He shouted as he twirled the flag one more time, but summoned a massive wave of water around him, splashing Midnight with great force across the ground, making her tumble back and forth. She then got back up and summoned more magic tentacle-like vines and sent them to attack. But Sora spun around, with his flag now transforming into blue crystal bracelets with blades, and white skating blades on his shoes, becoming Blizzard Blades. He spun around, slicing the blades away with his Frozen Crescent attack.
"It's Not Over Yet!" He called out as he skated across the battlefield, while Midnight continued to send out her vines to grab and strike. But Sora sliced through each one, and fired out spinning ice blades across the floor. But Midnight jumped up and dodged them.
"Watch where you're throwing those!" She shouted as she shot another magic beam, hitting the floor in front of Sora, making him jump and lost his footing. He rolled across the floor, but he managed to stop himself just in time to dodge Midnight's dark wave attack.
"Here goes nothing!" He shouted as he stumped his foot on the ground, and the ice blade began to spread and form a circle around him. He then jumped and skated into the air, his trail forming a massive frozen crystal, almost twenty feet tall!
"Time to let it go!" Sora said and then he stomped on the top, making it fall forwards right onto Midnight. It smashed into pieces as it made impact, while Sora leaped off and back on the ground while the crystal crashed upon Midnight. The girls and Spike gasped in shock. The spikey-haired boy lifted his head up, seeing dust from the ice crystals on the ground.
"Twilight?!" Sora asked Suddenly, the ice crystals began to rise up above the ground, all of them levitated by Midnight Sparkle, who slowly rose back up to her hooves. Anger was on her face, while the ice crystals sharped up like knives. Sora's eyes widened with horror.
"Uh oh." Sora said.
"DIE!" Midnight shouted as she fired the ice knifes straight at him. Sora's keyblade then transformed into Nano Arms, a broadsword-like nano blade with twin blades sticking out from the sides, made of nano. He raised it forward, and it transformed into a Nano Barrier around him, blocking the knifes as they hit the shield. But Sora felt a lot of force from the knives as they continued to hit. And then...
-BOOM-
Sora gave a shout as the Nano Shield gave out and burst, causing him to be blown backwards across the battle. The girls gasped with horror.
"Sora!" They called out as the boy lifted himself up.
"That hurt." He said. He glanced up, only to see Midnight Sparkle giving him a wicked smile, laughing as the storm clouds above her began to form, circling around, and the markings on the ground below her began to glow brightly.
"The hour has come!" She called out. "Within a few minutes, the Pony of Shadows will be awakened!" As thunder and lightning began to boom from the clouds. Sora came to his senses, got up from the ground..
"Twilight, stop!" Sora shouted. "You don't have to do this!"
"It's too late!" Midnight asked. "Just a few more minutes and the seal will be unlocked!"
"But doing so will plunge Equestria into darkness!" Sora shouted.
"So what?!" Midnight asked. "Everypony must pay for abandoning me, and the Pony of Shadows will show them pain and suffering."
"This isn't the way!" Sora shouted. "I know you feel powerful right now, like you can have everything you want! A friend of mine has been where you were, and he almost lost everything, overwhelmed by the darkness that you're using now!"
"Oh, you're wrong." Midnight said. "Unlike you, I can have everything I want!"
"No, you can't!" Sora said. "Even with all that magic and power, you'll be all alone! Please... stop this now!" Midnight looked away for a minute, but only shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Sora." Midnight said. "But I'm already alone..."
"That's not true!" Sora called out. "You're not alone! I'm here! Your friends are here!" He pointed towards the girls, but Midnight only looked away.
"They're not my friends." She said. "They abandoned me, choosing some stupid wedding over me!"
"But they didn't!" Sora called out. "They went looking for you!" Hearing that made Midnight raise an eyebrow with sudden surprise. Did he just say that they went looking for her?
"Wh...What are you talking about?!" Midnight asked.
"After the Changeling Queen sent you into the caverns, the girls went looking for you." Sora said. "They searched all over, and then they overheard the fake bride talking how she got rid of you, and planned to take over Equestria. They went to stop her in your honor, but the Chancellor was in on her scheme, and he erased their memories of the whole thing!" Midnight looked at him surprised, and quite shocked. The girls went looking for her? No, she thought. He's lying.
"I Don't Believe You!" she shouted.
"Here, let me show you!" Sora said, pulling out the Memory Stone in his pocket, and raised it into the air. It glowed a mighty spark as it flashed up to the sky, and Sora's head started to glow, showing magical streams of magic that were taking the form of video tape footage. He then shot it forward, shooting a beam of magic right at Midnight. It hit her. She then struggled as she felt her head spinning. She opened her eyes, showing a flash.
Inside her head, she saw what Sora had witnessed. She saw the fake bride, sending her into the caverns, witnessing Shining rushing into the room trying to save her, only for his memory to be wiped by the Changeling Queen, falling under her control. She then saw the girls, agreeing not to go to the wedding and search for her. When they couldn't find her, Rainbow Dash overheard the fake bride planning to take over Equestria, and learning that she did away with Twilight. The girls tried to stop her, but Chancellor Neighsay, he erased their memories, and made them go straight to the wedding.
Twilight gasped as she finished watching the whole thing. Pretty soon, her glowing cyan eyes were replaced with her usual purple eyes. Then the aura around the girls disappeared, causing them to drop on the floor on their hooves, though Pinkie Pie landed on her head.
"Wh... What?" Twilight spoke, the streams of dark magic began to fade as she floated to the ground on her hooves, trying to figure out what she just saw. She was what really happened while she was down in the caverns. Her friends were looking for her, not even caring about the wedding.
"The girls..." Twilight said. "They went searching for me?"
"Of course they did." Sora said, approaching her slowly. "They went looking for you. They didn't care about the wedding. They tried to find you, and they did what you would've done to stop that monster from taking over Equestria." Twilight looked at the boy, her horn no longer glowing cyan.
"But... the Changeling Queen." Twilight said. "She showed me..."
"She showed you what happened after their memories were erased." Sora said. "The Chancellor made them believe they overslept, and they both made them forget about you. They both conspired together, and they deceived you." She glanced to her right, seeing the girls and the baby dragon, all of them watching with worried looks. The unicorn then turned her head to see the spikey-haired boy right in front of her.
"Sora..." Twilight said.
"We don't need to fight anymore." Sora said. "You don't have to do this. This is what Nightmare Moon wants. She's just using you for your power. And when she's done, she'll destroy you too. You know it's true." The lavender unicorn looked at him, but then looked at the ground. She was now starting to realize it. What was she doing? Turning her back on Equestria and everything she learned and knew, over a stupid grudge? But seeing what she had done... she doesn't deserve to be forgiven... not now.
"It's too late." Twilight said.
"No, it's not." He said. "It's never too late."
"I nearly destroyed Equestria..." Twilight said. "I... I'm scared. I don't want to be alone anymore..."
"You're not alone, Twilight." Sora said. "I'm here. We all are. Please, Twilight. Come home. We miss you." He extended his hand out to her, offering his forgiveness. At first, she was a bit hesitant. But it now started to make sense. Her friends did care about her. They did go looking for her. And Sora... He came all this way to save her. He was still willing to give her a chance. A tear escaped from her eyes, and extended her hoof out, and then...
"NOOOOO!!!!"
Suddenly, a black mist erupted from the amulet around Twilight neck and grabbed her hoof before Sora can grab on. Both of them gasped, glancing at the shadowy spirit that had appeared behind Twilight. It began to grab her by the neck with it's black tentacles and pulled her away, making her scream.
"Twilight!!" Sora shouted as he called out to her.
"TWILIGHT!" The girls and Spike called out in horror, but Twilight was now surrounded by a black magic circle, which then burst up a musk of darkness, sinking deep into Twilight, making her shout in pain.
"SORA! GIRLS! SPIKE! SAVE ME!" She cried as the dark cloud swallowed her up, pushing Sora far away from her. The girls cringed as the blast hit them, pushing them away as well. The boy glanced forward, seeing no longer Twilight, but the glowing cyan eyes of Midnight Sparkle.
"No..." Sora spoke, his face showing shock and fear.
"Sorry boy, but you've interfered with my plans for the last time!" Midnight shouted as she charged up her horn with dark magic. She then fired straight at him. The boy raised his keyblade, which transformed into a Nano Shield to protect himself, just as the beam was about to collide.
-FLASH-
-BOOOOM!-
The sudden explosion blasted as the beam made contact. Everyone watched in fear, worried that Twilight... or Midnight might have actually pierced through Sora's shield. The dark unicorn made a grin, until she saw a blue glow shining through the dust, showing... another magical barrier?
"WHAT?!" Midnight asked. Sora opened his eyes, and he was greatly astonished to see someone, holding a keyblade! The keyblade was thin, predominantly a dull, metallic blue color. There is a teardrop-shaped gap at the base and near the tip of the blade's shaft. The head is roughly a half diamond-shaped. The teeth are formed by four spikes lining the outer edge of the keyblade's head. The handle is smooth and black. The guard is angular, white and doesn't fully connect to the keyblade. The keychain links and token were made up of water droplets.
Holding the Rainfell keyblade was a woman with blue hair and blue eyes and around her was a silver glowing barrier, almost similar to Riku's Dark Barrier.
"Aqua!" Sora called out. She turned her head to the boy with a smile.
"Sora, good to see you again." She said. The boy stood there dumbfounded, surprised that she's here.
"Wait... how did-" He asked.
"We met your friends in Radiant Garden." Aqua said. "They gave us a ride." Sora knew who she was talking about. Leon and the others!
"Oh yeah!" Sora said, but he quickly looked around, seeing they weren't nearby. "Wait, where are they?"
"They went to go help Riku and Mickey." Aqua said. "The others aren't too far behind."
"Others?" Sora asked.
"What is this?!" Midnight called out, getting both of their attention. "Two keyblade wielders? Now this just got more interesting..." Sora then noticed something in Twilight's voice. While it was her own, there was a lot of distortion poking through. Aqua then pointed her keyblade towards her.
"The game's over, Twilight Sparkle." Aqua said. "Or should I say... Nightmare Moon." Sora's eyes widened up, hearing that name. The name of the Dark form of Princess Luna!
"What..." Sora said, looking back at Midnight, show then showed a wicked smile.
"Well, well, you finally understand." She said, her voice now more distorted.
"Wait... what's going on?" Sora asked.
"It's Nightmare Moon." Aqua said. "She's the one who was manipulating Twilight, using the darkness in her heart. Now she has taken full control of her." Sora realized what she was talking about. Twilight was manipulated into turning to darkness, and now her body was stolen by Nightmare Moon.
"Just like how Ansem possessed Riku." Sora said.
"And how Xehanort possessed me." Another voice said. The boy turned his head, and saw a taller man with brown hair, and a blonde boy that looked like Roxas, making their way towards the field. Both of them had keyblades in their hands.
Terra's keyblade, the Earthshaker, had a dark brown color with brass edges. The teeth were made of two pick-like points, with two hammer-like protrusions on the opposite side. The guard was an off-blue color, and seemed to be crafted from two Omega insignias. The pommel was a dark blue cone, with the keychain being a reddish rock fragment with brass armor-like plating.
Ventus's keyblade, the Wayward Wind, was peculiar as it's usually wielded in reverse. The black handle is offset from the keyblade as opposed to being aligned with it, with the guard equally misaligned. The guard is a dull gold color and joins with the shaft of the keyblade to fully enclose the handle, with the shaft being grey, thin, with a very slight curve outward. Two short bars connect the main blade to the teeth, which was comprised by five curved bars in the shape of a wing. The keychain is a green gem with two silver flurries of wind spiraling around it.
"Terra! Ven!" Sora said with a smile, as Ventus helped Sora back on his feet.
"Sorry we were a little late." Ventus said.
"No biggie." Sora said.
"More Keyblade Wielders?" Midnight asked. "Now this will be much more fun!"
"Enough, Nightmare Moon!" Aqua said, getting into battle position. "Release Twilight from your control, and stop this madness! You unleash the Pony of Shadows, it will destroy everything in it's path!" Midnight only smirked.
"Sorry, but that's not happening, dear." Midnight said. "It's only a matter of time before the ritual is complete and the Pony of Shadows will be released." Aqua only shook her head.
"Then, in the name of all that is good, we shall expel the darkness from your heart!" Aqua said, pointing her keyblade forward. Terra and Ventus join her side by side, readying their keyblades.
"Guys." Sora said.
"Sora, you stop the ritual." Terra said.
"We'll stall as long as we can." Ventus said.
"But-" Sora said, but then he felt two pairs of hands, one on his shoulder, and one in his hand. He turned around and saw Donald and Goofy.
"Let them do this, Sora." Donald said.
"Donald?! Goofy?!" Sora asked with surprise. "But... How-?"
"Well, you're not the only keyblade wielder here." Goofy said, pointing to Terra, Ventus and Aqua.
"But... I told you guys to go to the Crystal Empire!" Sora shouted.
"And we promised that we'd stay by your side!" Donald shouted.
"We know you just want to protect us, but you don't have to face things without at least some support." Goofy said. Sora was about to speak, but he realized that Goofy was right. He only lowered his head.
"I'm sorry..." He said. "I just wanted to keep you out of danger."
"It's ok." Donald said. "But if you're gonna jump into something dangerous, than so will we!"
"Let Master Aqua and the others handle this." Goofy said. "We gotta stop the ritual!" The boy looked back at the Wayfinder Trio, who have been through a lot over the past decade. But they're together now, so they have a chance. He knew they had to do this. He gave a nod.
"Ok." Sora said. He, Donald, and Goofy ran off to the side, while Aqua, Terra, and Ventus prepared to fight. Midnight only smiled.
"Well then, let's us dance..." She hissed, her eyes beginning to glow as she spread her wings out. She charged towards the three, igniting her horn.
"AWAY!" Aqua shouted as she swung her keyblade upwards, summoning as sudden magical wave of water, causing it to splash all over Midnight and trapping her in the water!
"FREEZE RAID!" Ventus shouted as he threw his keyblade, cloaking it in ice, and it froze the water and Midnight herself upon inpact.
"GEO IMPACT!" Terra shouted as he jumped forward and slammed his keyblade into the ground, causing a trail of boulders to rush in and burst from the earth from under Midnight, causing her to fly into the air. She opened her eyes and quickly spun around.
"BURN!" She shouted, shooting out a barrage of beams towards the trio.
"Incoming!" Aqua shouted. "STOPGA!" Raising her keyblade, a time clock emerged from the wave, stopping time for just a few moments.
"Let's Go!" Ventus shouted as the three rushed forward from the targeted spot, just as the clock rang out, and the barrage of beams missed.
"Give me a lift!" Aqua called out.
"Got it!" Terra said as he grabbed Aqua's arm, and with a mighty spin, he threw her into the air towards Midnight. The keyblade master managed to whack Midnight in the face with her keyblade, bouncing up into the air, and came down swirling with magic.
"MAGIC PULSE!" She shouted, with orbs of magic surrounding herself. She came in and struck, hitting Midnight right in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. As she got up, she was suddenly dizzy and woozy. The magic from that attack made the corrupted unicorn all confused. So confused, she didn't see Ventus rushing up to her.
"AIR FLAIR!" He called out as he rushed in and slashed her with a flurry of attacks, then he finished with several spin attacks, sending her across the floor.
"Why You Little!" Midnight shouted as she ignited her horn, and suddenly, Ventus was grabbed with her magic and he was tossed into Terra, knocking them both onto the ground.
"Ow." Terra said.
"Sorry!" Ventus spoke. Midnight then charged up her horn and pointed it into the air.
"METEOR!" She screeched. Suddenly, a giant meteor that took up a few feat appeared and began to rain down upon the two. Aqua quickly stepped in between them, and summoned her barrier just as the meteor hit.
-BOOM-
The impact from the meteor triggered an explosion, causing a wave to be sent out. As Sora, Donald and Goofy shielded themselves, the rest of the girls and Spike only watched, though Pinkie Pie was blown across the floor and into a tree stump. The party pony tried her best to get out, but no prevail.
"Girls!" Pinkie Pie muffled. "Help me out!"
"I gotcha!" Rainbow Dash said as she pulled the party pony out, resulting the two to tumble backwards, with Pinkie Pie on top of the rainbow maned Pegasus with spinning eyes.
"Preeettyyy..." Pinkie Pie said as she felt down. Back in the battlefield, Ventus and Terra lifted their heads up to see the smoke clearing. They saw Aqua face down on the ground. It seems the Meteor attack managed to break her barrier and cause her to collapse from exhaustion.
"Aqua!" Terra called out as he rushed towards her. He knelt down and shook her shoulder, but the girl was unconcious. The man looked up at the corrupted unicorn, seeing darkness surrounding her. Just looking at her brought back memories, painful memories. When Xehanort urged Terra to unleash the darkness within him, allowing him to control him. Seeing Twilight in this state was just like before. Getting back up, he stepped forward.
"Twilight... I know you're in there somewhere." He said. "I've been through this before, having submitted to darkness and allowing a horrible being take over me. Don't make the same mistake I've made. Please." Midnight only smirked.
"Twilight is no more." Midnight said. "My soul has smothered her down, and she will extinguish."
"Wrong." Terra said, gripping his keyblade. "She is stronger than you think. Sora still believes in her, and so will we."
"Then you're a fool." Midnight said. "The Darkness is all that's left of her."
"Maybe..." Terra said, looking down at his keyblade. "But there is also light inside... light that comes from those we hold in our hearts. Let me show you." He held the keyblade in both hands, and closed his eyes, remembering the words his master had told him before.
Darkness can convert to light. Light comes from the worlds around us, and the ones we hold dear. Think of them, and your connections with them will lend your strength.
At that moment, Terra began to glow with a strong yellow light, as Ventus watched with a smile. Aqua lifted her head up, shaking her head to get the dizziness out. She looked forward and saw Terra glowing. He then opened his eyes.
"ARS SOLUM!" He called out, and he made a quick dash towards Midnight. Quickly and swiftly, Terra swung his keyblade in a very fast combo, clashing with Midnight's magical staff. The two zipped across the battlefield, clashing into one another multiple times, until Terra managed to swing Midnight's staff out of her magic, which he swung once, swung twice, and then slammed his keyblade down, sending a shockwave that blew Midnight into the air.
"Your turn Ven!" Terra said as he lowered himself.
"Here we go!" Ventus called out as he jumped on Terra, who pushed him into the air, with the former doing a tornado-like spin with his keyblade facing up.
"STRATOSPHERE!" He called out and he performed a downward strike, followed by four additional strikes before flying high into the air and dived down, unleashing a burst of wind that sent Midnight into one of the stone structures. Midnight only growled but she smiled.
"Impressive... perhaps there is light in all of you..." She spoke. "Then let me show you the power of darkness!" The corrupted unicorn began to glow brightly, and then suddenly, a huge hawk-like creature emerged from behind her, revealing two massive claws. The sight was frightening, but not enough to scare the Wayfinder Trio. Midnight and the Claws moved in to strike.
"Any suggestions?" Ventus asked.
"Yes..." Aqua said. "We face her... Together!"
"Together!" Terra and Ventus called out as they jumped to one side and the other, as Aqua tossed her keyblade into the air, and it began to charge up with electrical energy. She then joined her hands together, both of them glowing red and light blue. One Fire, one Ice. She then pointed her red one to Terra, who slammed into the ground and his Keyblade transformed into Earth Gauntlets, both of them were enchanted with flames, powered up by Aqua's magic. She then shot her other hand towards Ventus, who transformed his keyblade into a Keyblade Glider, taking the shape of a winged waveboard. It was glowing with ice particles, powered by Aqua's magic. He jumped on and flew into the air.
"Here we go!" Aqua shouted.
"ELEMENTAL BARRAGE!" All three of them called out.
"FLAME BURST!" Terra shouted as he charged up and crushed one claw with his flaming rock fists.
"ICE SLIDER!" Ventus called out as he flew in and spun his glider, taking out the second claw. With both claws gone, Aqua jumped into the air and grabbed her keyblade, shooting it straight at Midnight.
"THUNDER GAUNTLET!" She shouted, and the keyblade then burst out a sphere of lightning, shooting out a salvo of electric bullets that hit the corrupted unicorn and sent her flying to the ground. As she crashed to the floor, she felt dizzy, just as Sora, Donald, and Goofy headed straight towards one of the stone structures, the one that had Starswirl's Journal in it.
"So, now what?" Donald asked.
"If we take the talismans, we might be able to stop the ritual!" Sora said.
"Quick, grab the journal!" Goofy said.
"Got it!" Sora said. He leaned forward and grabbed it.
-JOLT-
The Journal gave a mighty flash, and Sora suddenly gave a shout as his hand clenched the glowing book, and he froze instantly, as if something was holding him in place. Seeing this, Goofy attempted to snap Sora out of it, but when he touched his shoulder, he too began to shout and freeze instantly. Donald grabbed on to, but he froze instantly with a shout.
"What's happening?!" Donald asked, and then the book glowed brighter and brighter, and everything went white.
Sora opened his eyes, and saw that the battlefield was empty. No one and no pony in sight. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Behind him, Donald and Goofy were looking around, and saw the others were gone too.
"Where is everyone?" Sora asked.
"What's going on?" Donald asked.
"Are we seeing a vision too?" Goofy asked.
"Stygian, cease this madness!" A voice called out. The boy turned his head, and saw to his surprise, a certain grey unicorn with a white beard, mane and tail, and a blue cloak and hat with stars and crescent moons on it. It was Starswirl the Bearded! There was another pony he was staring face to face. The other pony was a unicorn, coated in medium grey. His eyes were brilliant azure, and his made was moderate cerulean with arctic blue stripes. A brown hoodless short cloak was around his neck. That pony must be Stygian, the one that Goofy talked about back at Canterlot. That must be the friend of Starswirl who transformed into the Pony of Shadows. Was this where his transformation had begun?
"I can't!" Stygian said. "If Equestria sees me as the bad guy, then I'll be the bad guy."
"You have allowed the darkness to consume you!" Stygian said. "You're bringing Equestria to it's doom by doing so!"
"Maybe I will." Stygian said. "But if you hadn't turned your back against me, none of this would've happened!"
"You stole the sacred artifacts that belonged to us!" Starswirl shouted. "You stole our weapons! And for what?!"
"I never stole the weapons!" Stygian said.
"The proof is right there!" Starswirl shouted, pointing to the weapons that Stygian had behind him. Behind the unicorn was the talismans of the Pillars of Old Equestria. Rockhoof's shovel, Mistmane's flower, Somnambula's blindfold, Mage Meadowbrook's mask, and Flash Magnus's shield. The only one he didn't have was Starswil's journal, which the old bearded sorceror had in his magical grip.
"Those artifacts belong to the Pillars!" Starswirl said. "And you had no right to steal them!"
"I told you before, I did not steal them!" Stygian shouted. "They're not even real, you old fool!" The old bearded pony raised an eyebrow hearing that. They're not even real?
"What are you talking about?" Starswirl asked. Stygian then raised Rockhoof's shovel in the air.
"Observe..." Stygian said, and without hesitating, he slammed the shovel onto the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces.
"NOO!" Starswirl shouted, seeing the pieces of Rockhoof's shovel scatter across the floor. But suddenly, the metal and wood began to transform, into tiny pieces of crystals. They were just pure crystal.
"Wh... what?" Starswirl asked. "Wh... what is this?"
"They're all fake." Stygian said. "I never stole the artifacts! I only made copies of them so I could join and help you!" The old bearded sorceror glanced at the crystals, and then saw the other artifacts behind Stygian, all of them breaking apart and turning into pieces of crystals. They were all fake, just like he said.
"You... you never stole the artifacts?" Stygian asked.
"Of course not!" Stygian shouted. "I never stole them, and you accused me and pointed everyone's hooves at me. Me! Your best friend! The one pony who stood by your side and eventually left alone in the dark!" Starswirl looked down at the ground, finally realizing his own mistake. Stygian wasn't jealous from the beginning. He only made copies. And when Stygian tried to explain, he turned him away and labeled him a villain.
"Stygian... I'm... I'm sorry-" Starswirl said.
"Sorry doesn't cut you, you damned old fool!" Stygian shouted. "I just wanted to help you! I just wanted your respect! But no. You accused me of stealing from you. You called me a villain. Well guess what Starswirl... If anypony was the villain, it's you!" Suddenly, a black mist evaporated from his body, as Starswirl gasped at the sight.
"No..." Starswirl said.
"You turned everypony against me!" Stygian said, his voice becoming distorted with a demonic voice. "You turned all of Equestria against me! You were my friend, and you tossed me away and only wanted to be great! You chose your own pride over your own friend! Well guess what, Starswirl… You have no one to blame but yourself!" His body suddenly floated up into the air, surrounded by a swirling dark force which seeped into his body. He then let out a monstrous scream, sending out a powerful gust of wind as he flashed in a mighty smoke-black blast, while Starswirl only watched with horror. As the mist cleared up, there stood a mighty black demonic alicorn, with a smoke-like mane and tail, with jet black wings and white glowing eyes. It was now certain he was no longer Stygian. He was now the Pony of Shadows.
"Now I will destroy this pitiful land and reduce it to nothing!" He shouted with a hiss. In that moment, he let out a monstrous roar. Starswirl only stood there, horrified and shocked, unaware of five other ponies rushing in to join them, one of them being Flash Magnus. The Pegasus looked up at the monster and readied his shield.
"You were right, Starswirl!" Flash Magnus said. "Stygian was a villain all along!" Starswirl, however, stared up at the demonic pony, the pony he called friend, now a monster... all because of himself.
"No, Flash..." Starswirl said. "He was never the villain... I made him the villain." He closed his eye, allowing a single tear to drop out of his eye. And he was right. Starswirl had no one to blame but himself. He turned away Stygian, accused him of stealing the artifacts, and he labelled him a villain. The Pony of Shadows began to charge towards the six ponies, as Starswirl only cringed away and ignited his horn. Then everything went white.
The white disappeared without a second to spare, and the trio found themselves back in the present. Whatever they saw, it was a glimpse of the past, where Starswirl and the other Pillars faced against Stygian, the Pony of Shadows... only to realize that he was never a bad guy, but they made him one.
"Wow..." Sora said. "I think we just saw a glimpse of the past. Right when Stygian transformed into the Pony of Shadows."
"So he never betrayed the other pillars." Donald said. "He only created copies of their weapons."
"And Starswirl accused him and labelled him a bad guy, just like how all the ponies labelled Discord a bad guy for just doing his job as the Chaos bringer." Goofy said.
"Yeah..." Sora said, looking down at the journal he was holding. "Maybe... Maybe the bad guys weren't bad to begin with. Everyone else just treated them like bad guys."
"Nobody learns that lesson." Donald said.
"Uh-huh." Goofy said.
"Uh... HELLO?!" a voice called out. The trio turned to see Ventus, Aqua, and Terra, holding their keyblades in defense as Midnight Sparkle was using her magic to attack.
"Can you guys hurry this up!" Ventus shouted.
"We can't give up yet!" Aqua said, struggling.
"Just a little longer!" Terra said. But it wasn't enough, as Midnight's magic sent the Wayfinder trio across the battlefield, landing next to the girls, and Spike.
"Ooohhh!" The girls said in unison. Midnight let out a growl and turned her head, see Donald, Goofy, and Sora, who was holding Starswirl's journal.
"Uh oh..." Sora said, realizing he was holding the journal. Midnight let out a gasp.
"Give me the book!" Midnight shouted. Sora looked back at the book, and began to think. All six of the talismans are needed to complete the ritual. But she can't complete it if one of the talismans are not present, right? There was one option he could do. With a deep breath, he tossed the book into the air, and aimed his keyblade.
"Sorry, Princess." Sora said. "FIRAZA!" His keyblade conjured up a glowing sphere, and shot a massive fireball right at the book. Midnight gasped, and so did everyone. The fireball hit.
-BOOOOM!-
The book exploded as the fireball made direct contact, causing all the pages to be blown and float down onto the field, and the book itself burnt to a crisp. Everyone couldn't believe what Sora had done. He just destroyed the Journal of Starswirl the Bearded! Well, at least without it, the ritual could not be completed now.
"NOOOO!!!" Midnight shouted as she scuffled towards the pages, trying to pick them up and stack them together, even tried to get the scorched book cover and spine, only for it to burn up to ash. It was no use. The journal was without a doubt destroyed.
"Garsh…" Goofy said, seeing the remaining pages drop to the floor, and the stone structures stopped glowing and the clouds above them stopped thundering and began to slowly break apart, showing that the ritual had failed. The corrupted unicorn looked around frantically, until she shot a glare towards the boy.
"What have you done?!" Midnight shouted.
"What I had to do." Sora said. "Now you can't finish the ritual."
"NO!" Midnight shouted. "You ruined everything!" She then unleashed her magic once more. Suddenly, Sora felt his neck tightening up by dark cyan aura, choking his airway. He couldn't breathe! He was then lifted up into the air by Midnight's magic, who slowly started to approach him.
"This will be your end!" She called out. "I shall choke the living life out of you!"
"NO!" Donald shouted as he jumped on the pony's back and began to pull her by the neck, throwing her off, and making her lose her magical grip, letting Sora go and allowing him to breathe. The royal wizard held on tightly as he could while Midnight tried to get him off. Goofy rushed over and helped Sora back on his feet.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said. "We have to free Twilight!"
"But how?" Goofy asked.
"Guys!" Donald shouted, getting their attention. "Help me out here!" He continued to hold on to Midnight, who tried to throw him off. The boy then noticed the amulet around her neck. He then remembered his vision back at the Castle of the Royal Sisters! The Amulet that was speaking to Twilight, it was Nightmare Moon all along! Maybe if they remove and destroy the amulet, then maybe they can save Twilight!
"The Amulet!" Sora said, summoning his keyblade. "Donald, Get The Amulet! Nightmare Moon's controlling Twilight with that amulet!"
"Huh?" The duck asked, but then saw the amulet around Midnight's neck. "Oh!" He then reached over and tugged on the chains that held it. With another yank, he managed to pull the Amulet of Sin DeLore off of Midnight.
"I Got It!" He called out.
"Get Off Me Your Feathered Bird!" Midnight screeched, using her magic to lift Donald off of her and throw him across the floor. But then she looked down at her neck and noticed the amulet was gone.
"The Amulet!" She shouted, and then looked forward. She saw Donald give the amulet to Sora. "STOP! NO!"
"Get out of my friend!" Sora shouted as he threw the amulet onto the ground, making it crack. He then raised his keyblade into the air and swung down hard, hitting the amulet and shattering to pieces! And then... It sent out a massive wave that sent Sora, Donald, and Goofy across the battle field, while Midnight was blown into another stone structure... again. The girls and Spike were pushed a little bit, but they fell to the ground, while Terra, Aqua, and Ventus also fell to the ground again from being pushed by the wave.
The wave quickly vanished, leaving only a bit of dust. Aqua lifted her head up and saw that she was on top of Terra. He also came to, and they both looked right at each other. Realizing that they were in awkward position, they blushed.
"Uh... hi." Terra said.
"Hi." Aqua said, both of them a bit nervous. Ventus lifted himself up.
"I think that went well." He said, shaking his head to get the dizziness out. Applejack gave a groan as she got back up, lifting her hat from over her face.
"That hurt." She said, while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, who began to brush her mane to get the dust out, got back up.
"Ow..." Spike said as he got back up on his feet, rubbing his head with his claw. Yep, he was ok. Sora, Donald, and Goofy regained consciousness too.
"Did we win?" Donald asked.
"I think so." Goofy answered as he and the duck got up, and Sora did the same. He glanced forward and gasped. There just on the other side of the battlefield. Twilight Sparkle was laying on the ground, face down.
"Twilight!" Sora called out as he rushed forward.
"Twilight!" The girls called out as they all rushed to their friend, who was giving out moans of pain. Rainbow Dash was the first to get to her. She nudged her with her hoof.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Das said, with worry all over her face. "Twilight, are you alright?" The rest of the mane six managed to get closer, and they all helped the lavender unicorn up, but her head was hung low.
"G...Girls..." Twilight spoke with a weak voice.
"It's ok, Twi!" Applejack said. "We're here now!"
"Girls.... run..." Twilight said, in pain.
"No, we're not leaving you!" Fluttershy said.
"She's... she's too strong!" Twilight said, suddenly, she began to grunt in pain, her hooves grabbed ahold of her head, making her shake back and forth. The girls stepped back, as darkness began to evaporate from their friend's body.
"Twilight, Fight the Darkness!" Rarity said.
"C'mon, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said. "You can do it!"
"I... I can't...!" Twilight said, her fur beginning to change dark again, and her mane began to lift from her neck. From the short distance, Sora knew what was happening. The darkness was trying to take over again!
"Twilight!" Sora called out. "We're Here! Fight It!" Twilight gave out chokes of pain as she squinted her eyes. She then opened them, her sclera turning cyan and her eyes turning purple-red.
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" She shouted, as a burst of dark energy blasted the rest of the girls away, and almost sent Sora across the floor, but he stood his ground.
"Twilight!" Sora called out. "Twilight, It's Us! Your Friends!" The dark lavender unicorn lifted her head up, showing a wicked smiled.
"Insolent Little Fool..." She said, her voice distorted opening her eyes of cyan sclera and purple red irises. "Did you really think that would stop me?" Sora's eyes widened with horror. Twilight was still under the control of Nightmare Moon!
"But... we destroyed the amulet!" He said.
"Fools!" Midnight shouted. "My possession over your friend is complete! No longer do I need that amulet. Now... I shall be forever known as... MIDNIGHT SPARKLE!" She then charged up her horn and summoned large dark vines from around her. She then started to grab Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and then Pinkie Pie off the ground and dangled them into the air with the vines.
"Let us go!" Rainbow Dash called out.
"Twilight, it's us!" Fluttershy cried out, her eyes shedding tears.
"I told you, I am not your weak little friend!" Midnight shouted. "I am now the Mare of Midnight! And now, bearers of the Elements of Harmony... I shall DESTROY YOU!" At the command of her horn, the vines went to work, swinging the mares back and forth, crashing Applejack into one of the stone structures, while slamming Rainbow Dash into the ground. Rarity was being smashed into the nearby trees, while Fluttershy was being pulled by all fours, making her scream in agony. Pinkie Pie was being whacked multiples times on the ground as well. But the tentacles were giving off painful electric shocks, causing the girls to cry out in pain. Sora was unable to watch this anymore.
"Twilight!" Sora shouted. "Stop this!" Aqua and her friends were witnessing what was happening, and they weren't liking it either.
"C'mon!" She said, summoning her keyblade, while Terra and Ventus summoned their own. They charged forward to help save the girls, only to be whacked away by the tentacle holding Pinkie Pie, sending them across the floor. Donald quacked in shock, only for him and Goofy to be swatted away by another tentacle. Spike, who was trying his best to dodge the tentacles, cried out.
"Sora, Do Something!" He called out. The spike-haired boy didn't know what to do. He didn't want to see the girls being tortured to the extreme. They didn't deserve this! He does!
"Stop!" Sora shouted. "Leave them alone! I'm the one you want! Strike me down instead!" The dark unicorn glanced at the boy, and then gave a smile. That's right. He's to blame for preventing her from being her eternal night across Equestria. With her magic, the tentacle vines disappeared, therefore releasing the girls. She then sent out a wave to cast them away from the field. Then, with her magic, she summoned a mystical dome around the battlefield, preventing the girls, the Wayfinder Trio, Donald and Goofy, who all were getting back up, from entering.
"Very well then..." Midnight said. "You die first." Swiftly, she used her magic to fire at the boy, blasting him against the wall.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy cried out. The boy slid from the wall to the floor.
"Sora!" Terra called out, but was unable to get through the barrier.
"Oh No!" Ventus called out.
"Sora!" Aqua said. The boy slowly got back up, and summoned his keyblade, ready to fight. But what was the point? No matter how much he tried, Midnight would just swat him back. Nightmare Moon has taken full possession of Twilight, and fighting wasn't helping.
Then it came to him. Fighting was all that he did, but it wasn't working. Maybe he didn't need to fight. He remembered what the Tree of Harmony told him, the same thing Fluttershy did with Discord. We have to reason, rather than fight, and let them know that they are loved.. He took a deep breathe, and then he glanced back at Donald and Goofy.
"Guys... you handle the rest!" He called out to them, making them look at him in confusion. The boy then turned to Aqua and the others.
"Aqua... Terra... Ventus…" He said. "Tell the King... Tell Riku… and tell Kairi… I'm sorry." He then glanced back at Midnight, and lifted his keyblade, as if he was ready to swing it to strike. But instead, to everyone's surprise, he jabbed his own keyblade into the ground below him, and made his way towards the corrupted unicorn. They all gasped.
"I won't fight you." He said.
"What?" Midnight asked.
"You're my friend..." He said, moving slowly toward her. "No matter what you've become, I know you're still good!" Midnight tilted her head, but then shook it.
"Big Mistake!" she said, and then she summoned her dark vines, and wrapped around Sora, lifting him up in the air. Her horn glowed, and began to send dark electricity upon him. The boy began to scream in pain as the attack began to take hold, sending pain across his entire body, and it hurt so much.
"SORA!" The girls called out.
"No!" Ventus cried out as he summoned his keyblade to break through the dome, while Terra and Aqua did the same. But it was no use. As the electrical attack stopped, Sora tried to lifted his head up.
"Twilight!" Sora called out, though he struggled. "I know you're still in there! It's Me! Sora!"
"ENOUGH!" She screeched, using her magic, making the tentacles release, and then she slammed him hard into the ground. She then grab the boy, and then pulling him over onto the ground faced up right in front of her.
"I am not your friend...!" She spoke, as she swung her hoof right into his face, punching him hard. "Friendship means nothing to me!" She then began to punch him again, then punch him again, and again, and again, and again, until blood began to come out of his nose, and bruises covered his face.
"That's... not true..." Sora said. "You're my friend... you'll always be... my friend..." Giving a grunt, she then began to fling him around like a doll, slamming him into the columns around them.
"Sora!" Goofy and Donald cried out as the two, and the girls tried to get through the barrier, but to no prevail. However, they were unaware of Spike, who hid behind one of the stone structures in the battlefield, watching until the boy was slammed into the structure.
"Sora!" Ventus shouted as he tried to get through the barrier, striking with his keyblade to hopefully shatter it, but couldn't. Pretty soon, Sora was slammed to the ground by Midnight's magic. The poor boy then struggled to get up, only to use his knees and hands to support. He didn't have much strength left in him. He felt ready to collapse.
No, he thought. He wasn't going to give up. Not until Twilight was back. But how?
"We just need to sing a happy song."
The words from the Tree of Harmony rang into his head. Sing a happy song. That always helps someone when they're down and sad. It was his only shot now.
"Farewell... boy!" Midnight shouted as she ignited her horn and conjured up four realistic weapons up into the air, ready to impale the boy.
"SORA!" Everyone cried out as the girls and Spike watched in horror. The unicorn hurled them straight.
"We may be divided... but of you all, I beg..." Sora sang weakly.
-HALT!-
The swords quickly halted in place, just as they were about to stab him. Midnight Sparkle froze, hearing those words.
"Huh?" She asked.
"To remember we're all hoofed... at the end of each leg." Sora continued. The unicorn raised an eyebrow, recognizing the words that came from the boy's mouth.
"Wh... what are you singing?" Midnight asked.
"Arguing's not the way
Hey, come out and play...
It's a shiny, new day
So, what do you say..." Sora continued.
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
"Is he singing?" Donald asked.
"I think so..." Goofy said.
You gotta share
You gotta care...
"And there'll always be... a way through..." Despite barely having any strength left, the boy kept singing, slowly making his way toward the unicorn, who backed away a bit as she heard him sing. But she knew those words... she knew the song he was singing.
"Stop.... stop..." Midnight spoke, but the boy kept singing. The girls looked at each other, and Pinkie Pie smiled.
"I know this song!" Pinkie Pie said, who then quickly changed into her Can-Can Dress. "Quick Girls, SING!"
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
You gotta share
You gotta care
And there'll always be a way through!
While the girls were a bit confused, they began to sing with the party pony. Anything to get Twilight back. Donald and Goofy shrugged, but they began singing too. They continued singing, as Midnight tried to cover her ears, but nothing was keeping the singing out.
"Shut it..." Midnight shouted. "STOP IT!" But they kept singing.
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
You gotta share
You gotta care
"I SAID SHUT UP-!" She shouted as she raised his blades again, but she froze as the boy took her hoof, making her stare as he lifted his head, staring right into her eyes.
"And there'll always be... a way... through..." He spoke. The girl stared, but her eyes widened slowly. The words and song was playing over and over in her head. The memory of her and the boy dancing together with her friends, when they were all happy.
She cringed her eyes and opened them again, the dark purple pupils and crystal blue glowing screla gone, replaced with her usual purple eyes.
"Sora?" she asked. The boy formed a weak smile.
"Twilight!" The voices of the girls got her attention. Glancing up, she saw the girls, all of them showing faces of worry and concern.
"Girls?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight!" the familiar voice of the little purple drake did the trick, and a warm hug was brought to her front leg. Looking down, she saw Spike, hugging her tightly, and looking up at her with worry and sympathy.
"Spike?" Twilight asked. She then looked forward, to see Sora once again.
"We're here... we're all here..." He said. The girl stared at him for a split second. But then she pulled away, her head flinging back and forth. She grabbed her head with her hooves, as if someone was inside. There was someone inside. The nightmare possessing her was trying to keep control, but Twilight was fighting back.
"What... How?!" A distorted voice came out of Twilight's mouth, her eyes showing the grayish cyan and mulberry slanted eyes. She then shook her head, her eyes shifting to her regular eyes.
"Get out of my head!" Twilight spoke with her own voice. She kept flailing and swinging her own head, trying to break free.
"C'mon Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out.
"We're here for you sugarcube!" Applejack called out.
"We won't leave you again darling!" Rarity also.
"Please come back Twilight!" Fluttershy too.
"We Love You Twilight!" Pinkie Pie screamd.
"Please Twilight!" Spike said as he moved forward towards the unicorn. "I know you're in there. Please Twilight, come back to us! Mom! Mom, Please!" The unicorn struggled to fight, she tried.
"NOO!!" The distorted voice shouted, showing cyan screla with dragon slit pupils, grabbing Spike, and Sora with her magic. "This is my body! I Am Midnight Sparkle! The Bringer of Darkness!" And then, with her horn glowing bright, she flew Sora, who could barely stand up, high, high, high into the air. She raised her head up, ready to drop him.
"SORA!" Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus called out.
"TWILIGHT, NO!" Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike called out. But it was too late, Midnight Sparkle swung her head down, hurling Sora toward the ground.
"I'm with you... to the very end..." Sora weakly spoke as a tear dropped from his eye as he hurled down to the...
SORA!
-SWOOSH-
Suddenly, a black purplish creature flew right from behind Midnight and flew up, catching Sora before he slammed into the ground, just in the nick of time. The spirit flew up, revealing to be some sort of pony-like hawk, with wings similar to Midnight's. The dark unicorn gasped.
"Wh... WHAT?!" Midnight asked, her voice even more distorted. Everyone, and everypony's reaction shifted from fear, to shocked.
"HUH?" Donald and Goofy asked. Sora weakly opened his eyes, realizing that he didn't hit the ground. He looked up, seeing the thing that was holding him and. The creature glanced down at the boy. The boy felt something... something pure and powerful coming from the creature... it was a spark... a powerful spark.
"T...Twilight?" He asked. The entity gently placed the boy back on the ground.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Midnight shouted, getting the being's attention. "How are you even-" The being then flew in and grabbed Midnight by the neck, and used it's claws and grab ahold of her, staring right at her.
"Wha... what's going on?" Ventus asked.
"It's Twilight..." Terra said, knowing what was going on. "She's fighting back... just like I did." Midnight Sparkle could not break free, as the being just held her there.
"What... WHAT ARE YOU?!" She screetched, her eyes becoming more tainted dark. The being opened it's jaw.
"My... name... is... Twilight... Sparkle..." It said, it's eyes now showing a white screla, with purple magenta eyes! Then before Midnight, she saw Twilight Sparkle right before her.
"I am Twilight Sparkle..." She said. "And I will not... let you hurt my FRIENDS!!!!" Her eyes then began to glow, along with her horn. Sora's eyes widened, knowing what was happening.
"Twilight!" He called out, getting back up with all the strength he had left. "Move her to me!" The entity looked back and nodded. It then turned around, holding Midnight Sparkle in place. Now having a perfect target, the boy summoned the Missing Ache keyblade and aimed it at her. The blade conjured up all the energy it had and shot out a great ray of light directly at Midnight, who was screaming and struggling.
"NO!" She shouted, her voice now more demonic. "What are you doing?! This Is My Body Now!" Aqua's eyes widened, but she gave a nod and summoned her keyblade, as did Ventus and Terra.
"Guys, Hurry!" She said, pointing her keyblade forward, shooting a beam of light at Midnight.
"Ven, Now!" Terra shouted as he pointed his keyblade in the same direction.
"Come On!" Ventus shouted as he did the same, both keyblades shooting and grabbing Midnight Sparkle. The dark unicorn could not move. She kept trying to escape, continued to scream, but she couldn't break free. Applejack and the girls gave a nod. This was their chance to save her!
"Together!" She shouted.
"Together!" The other girls called out as they held hooves. Their bodies began to glow, each of them representing their elements.
"WHAT?!" Midnight shouted. "How is this possible?! You can't use the Elements without-!!!!" She then noticed a spark coming from the hawk pony spirit, a magenta color, taking the shape of a six pointed star. Seeing this made Midnight gasped in horror.
"The elements are within all of us!" Applejack said.
"And we're using them to push you out!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Besides, Twilight's body doesn't suit you!" Rarity said.
"It belongs to her!" Fluttershy shouted.
"Get out of our friend, Meanie!" Pinkie Pie shouted. Then, with all their magic, they shot a beam of five colors at Midnight, who began to scream in agony.
"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!" She shouted, but then her eyes went completely blank, as a dark, and cyan colored spirit-like mass exited Twilight's body. The creature before her then let out a loud screech, breaking apart, as a glowing magenta sphere, surrounded by little images of Twilight's cutie mark, popped right out. It was Twilight's own heart, and it zoomed back into the body before her. Midnight gave one last scream, until her body gave off a strong powerful wave of light. As it did, her looks were changing. Her entire dark purple fur magically shifting back to it's usual lavender color, while her flowing black violet mane reverted back to it's regular blue with purple and magenta streaks. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was back to normal. It was Twilight! Twilight was back! The draik on the other side of the arena gave a tearful smile.
"Twilight!" Spike cried out with a smile, rushing toward the lavender unicorn.
"Spike!" Twilight called out as she embraced the baby dragon, nuzzling him affectionately.
"Twilight, you're ok!" Spike said.
"Oh Spike..." Twilight said as she cuddling her little dragon... her son.
"She's back!" Applejack called out.
"Twilight's Back!" Pinkie Pie called out as she began to cheer, as did the rest of the mane six. Sora gave a weak smile, his body almost drooping. She was back. Twilight was back.
"She... she's back..." He said, a tear escaped his eye. "She's back..." Suddenly, he felt so tired, and his vision quickly turned blurry, as if there was no life left in him. His body felt ragged from the pain he was inflicted with, and he had no more strength. It was like... It was like... He was dying. His body dropped to his knees, and his keyblade fell out of his hands.
"Kairi…. I'm sorry..." He eyes then closed, and he collapsed face first to the ground to the ground, unconcious... and not breathing. Luckily, Donald and Goofy were the first to notice.
"SORA!" Donald and Goofy cried out. Hearing them shout out his name, Twilight gasped. Sora! She turned her head, and saw the boy on the ground.
"Sora!" She called out, pulling from Spike's hug, and galloping toward the boy, who was still unconcious. Seeing this, Aqua gasped.
"Sora!" She called out as she hurried towards him, with Terra and Ventus following. Twilight was the first to get to him.
"Sora!" Twilight said as she got close enough. "Sora, wake up! Sora!" Using her head, she nudged him over on his back, allowing him to face up. But he didn't move. Lowering her head onto his chest, she gasped again. There was no heartbeat! He wasn't breathing!
"Oh no... Sora!" Twilight said, as the rest of the mane six, Donald and Goofy rushed in, just as the shield around them began to disintegrate.
"CURAGA!" Donald called out, raising his staff up. A quartet of flowered bells began to float above Sora, sprinkling healing light upon him... But alas, he did not wake up.
"Sora...!" Twilight spoke. "Sora, wake up! Please, wake up!" She then nudged him with her head. He still didn't wake up. She then placed her hooves on his chest and began CPR.
"One, two, three, four, five!" Twilight shouted, pressing her hooves onto his chest gently, trying to start his heart up again. After that, she leaned in, but no heartbeat. She tried again.
"One, two, three, four, five!" Twilight shouted, repeating once more, but still, Sora could not wake up. Twilight tried again.
"Sora!" Twilight said as she continued. "Sora, please, wake up! Please! Don't leave me!" After a few more attempts, the boy still didn't respond, nor did he move. He could not wake up. And he wasn't sleeping. ...He was dead. The lavender unicorn began to tear up.
"No.... No.... please..." She spoke. She lowered her head.
"No... Sora..." Aqua said, unable to keep her own tears back. She clung to Terra, crying into his shoulder. He stood there, his arms around her, giving her comfort, while Ventus only stared on.
"Sora... come back... please." Ventus said, his eyes beginning to tear up. Donald and Goofy then began to cringe, and lower their heads too, as did Spike and the other ponies, believing that the boy was gone. Twilight lifted her head, refusing to let him go.
"No... I won't lose him...." She spoke. She then raised her horn up and charged it with magic, and her eyes began to glow. She then placed her hoofs onto his chest, and she began to glow as well. Her horn began to sparkle with sparks and magical aura. Within seconds, Sora began to glow as well, as Twilight attempted to revive him. Unbeknownst to her, a hand rested upon her back, showing that it was Ephemer. Behind him, was Skuld and Brain. Soon, many others spirits appeared behind them... keyblade wielders from long ago. All of them combining their strength to help the unicorn heal the boy. A radiant light began to shine upon them, using everything to bring him back. After half a minute, the spirits disappeared, the aura ceased, and Twilight nearly collapsed from using all of her strength.
"S....Sora...." Twilight spoke.
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Sora:
They’re gonna be alright in the next chapter, because we all know Riku, Mickey, Shining and Cadence won’t be dealing with Sombra, Pete, Maleficent and the Equestria villains alone now that Twilight’s back
I got to say man that battle was totally wicked man especially the parts where if your not with me the your my enemy (star wars reference), I'm with you to the very end ( captain america the winter soldier reference) Because I'm with you till the end of the line steve rogers says, and the part where you made her go through the same traction as terra did with his heartless against terra-xehornat. Looking forward to the aftermath of the battle in the next chapter Khxero great work man.
I Ship It.
Also really Sora dying, next thing you know Yozora appears and save the whole of Equestria.
Also when Terra appeared, I put on RAGE AWAKEND when he started to fight, would have been fun if he put on his armour and demolished Nightmare with the combos he did as The LINGERING WILL.
Also will Ven see his old friend in the next chapter and by all means give us a Cloud v Sephiroth moment (something that like the fights between those two)
Shut up I'm not crying......you have no proof.
Wow, that was deep, like really deep. It's also a massive shock. I hope Sora will be okay. Twilight's back and my heart feels happy, but now it aches over what happened. But like I said, I hope Sora is okay and Twilight will be a princess in the end.
Alright, Twilight's finally back to normal, now to pray that Sora will be okay...
This was an awesome fight
You might wanna fix that.