Chapter 1: The Swordspony

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The Everfree Forest is a place of wonder, mystery... and danger. It contains many dangerous creatures, plants, and has an overall unnerving atmosphere. Many have ventured into this strange forest, coming out either scarred for life or... not at all. Naturally, many choose to stay away from the Everfree Forest for these very reasons.

However there is one equine who has willfully chosen to create her residence from within the forest. A zebra to be exact.

The zebra went about her business that day, the shy shafts of light from between the trees stroking the black stripes on her white coat. The uncomfortable heat made it hell for her mane: the mohawk it had been styled into was beginning to droop from the sweat.She was gathering various plants, herbs and the like.

Her name was Zecora. Her occupation was that of a potion maker, and while she was willing to give visitors free potions, many of her consumers paid her in appreciation of her various helpful concoctions. At the moment she was searching for a special ingredient for a new brew that she got an idea for. So far the universe didn't seem to want her to find it, as an hour had passed ever since she got the idea to look for the object of her desire.

"Where oh where is the flower I seek? It is not near the trees. It’s not near the creek," Zecora spoke as she frantically searched every bush, tree, and every inch of the ground for the important flower. She searched high, low, and middle for the plant and wasn't having any luck. She sighed and was about to give up her search when she heard loud howling along with a yelp from a few yards away from her.

"Is that a cry of hunger that I hear? It seems danger has suddenly come near." she shouted as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing to see what direction the yell was coming from. As Zecora focused, the sound become more clear and focused. The voice was coming from the west! Zecora immediately galloped to the sounds of the beasts.
While most creatures would have to merely trot slowly and safely through the forest, Zecora, a resident of the area, was a master of the layout and dangers of the Everfree. She knew the woods like the back of her hoof. Navigating through the dangerous area was merely foal's play at best.

As she galloped, she gulped. Judging from the sounds, there were at least ten timberwolves along with some poor victim who they intended to make their next meal. As she came to the source of the sound, a wide open part of the forest with no trees to block someone's path or vision, she managed to hide behind some bushes in order to observe the situation and come up with a plan. However, she saw a scene that certainly surprised her. The timberwolves seemed to be the ones in peril rather than the equine who they thought would be their next meal.

The scene Zecora witnessed was difficult to describe. It was a green mare--no, a stallion. He wore clothes of a design unfamiliar to her, as if he were a pony from a distant and alien land. His movements were graceful and ghostlike, his blonde mane shimmering like a golden fireball as he moved from timberwolf to timberwolf, swinging at them with an object that, curiously, resembled a giant, black key*.

Zecora then turned her head to see an extremely violent sight. There were approximately fifty timberwolf corpses, all of them either on fire, beheaded, bisected, or torn to tiny pieces. The fact that timberwolves didn't have any blood did nothing to make it any better. Zecora felt a mix of shock, amazement, and relief in her heart.

, "What kind of place could produce a warrior this bold? And where on earth is a giant key-blade sold?"The female gave a sigh of relief upon seeing that the lone stallion was in no danger. The green swordspony gave an audacious stomp towards the pack of wolves and pointed his sword at them. His blue orbs gave a fierce glare towards the animals. The wooden animals immediately charged towards him in rage. However, they weren't exactly going for him, and leaped over his head, running towards a bush.

The same bush Zecora was in.

"I didn't like having to do that but-huh?" the green stallion suddenly reacted in shock when a zebra suddenly jumped out of the bush and nearly evaded getting bitten by one of the wolves. The emerald equine realized that the beasts must have gotten her scent and had chosen to exchange him for something less dangerous. He immediately spread his wings and galloped towards the stranger. Worse, the timberwolves seemed to be much quicker on foot. However, the emerald equine had a trick up his sleeve...

"Fire!" cried out the pony, as if it were a command. The black blade he held suddenly shot a ball of flame from its tip, fired off like a bullet at the timberwolves.

One of the creatures was about to bite Zecora when its body suddenly got hit with the force of a bullet train. The blow was strong enough to push the beast through a tree, creating a hole in it. The wolf’s companions, once focused on making Zecora their meal, now looked on in shock as they watched one of their own slowly die in a slow, painful way.
The wolf that was hit with the fireball yelped as he realized that its body was suddenly engulfed in powerful flames. Zecora had a numinous look in her eyes as the wolf screamed in pain from the furious fire. The beast howled a howl like no other, as its bark/skin was burning and slowly becoming ash. Eventually, after about three minutes, the howl of the unfortunate timberwolf came to an end, as its body had completely turned to ash, putting the wooden creature out of its misery.

Zecora reacted with shock as three thoughts entered her mind.
How was this pony able to use magic if he possessed no horn?

Where did he get that keyblade?

What was he doing in Everfree forest? These questions would have to wait until later, as the timberwolves that were remaining let out a continuous series of loud howls, Zecora and the swordspony winced as the timberwolves' howling were joined by other packs nearby. They both realized one thing: it was time to leave.

"Hey," the mystery pony said, "I know now isn't a good time for introductions, so do you live nearby?" He inquired of Zecora, which the female zebra responded to with a confused look and a scratch on her head.

"In a hut about a quarter of a mile to the west my friend, but I am afraid we are now at a dead end," replied Zecora, After all, if there was some chance of escaping, she would take it, no matter how small the chances were. Her pony friend suddenly rushed in, wings spread out.

"Hop on!" he yelled whilst charging at the female, expecting her to get on his back so he could fly her to safety. "I know it seems odd, but get on my back! I'll fly us to your place!" Zecora thought this was insane and wanted to voice her opinions on this plan, but she reconsidered. An insane plan was still a plan. Besides, what did she have to lose?

"Very well young one," Zecora said before making a noticeable gulp, "I guess if we want to escape, it must be done." Without a thought, Zecora jumped onto his back and he soared above the timberwolves just as they entered the clearing.
"I'm sorry, but we aren't on the menu," he quipped as he flew towards the west, his speed being incredible, but just slow enough so that Zecora could hang on to his body. The timberwolves, being desperate, jumped, trying to catch the two equines. The green pony, in an act of childishness, stuck out his tongue, which caused the zebra on his back to roll her eyes and mutter something under her breath.

Surprisingly, in spite of his small and skinny frame, he managed to carry her on his back with little difficulty. The experience of flying was new and exciting to Zecora. She liked flying on his back and resisted the urge to just release her hooves from his neck to feel the cold breeze on her hooves. Knowing that this experience would only last for a short time, she decided to have a conversation, seeing that they were safe from the timberwolves.

"Stallion with the blond mane, tell me, what is your name?" Zecora asked her green hero. The stallion kept focus as he talked to her.
"My name's Ventus, but just call me Ven." The pony now known as Ven answered. "Tell me, what are you doing in the forest?" He inquired of her, without turning his head in her general direction. Zecora scoffed at his question. She should ask him the same thing.

"I should ask you the same. Going into the Everfree is extremely insane," Zecora countered, condemning him for his hypocrisy, making him visibly blush for a half-second. "To answer your question blond brawler, I live near here and came to your rescue after I heard your holler," The zebra informed him. "Also, as for my name, it is Zecora." After Zecora told Ventus her name, they reached the hut, which was a tree with strange, exotic decorations on them. Ventus, upon seeing the hut, knew it belonged to Zecora from the information she gave him, landed, and admired the decorations of it, being somewhat mesmerized. A question from Zecora snapped him out of his state though.

"By the way Ventus, as your fight tells, I would like to ask how are you able to perform spells?" She asked, curious of his miraculous ability. Zecora had seen many seemingly impossible things, but the idea of a non-unicorn being able to perform magic was just unheard of. After she asked his question she immediately started to open her door. However, what she saw was going to leave her question unanswered, for it would be more important than her curiosity.

In Zecora's home were many exotic items such as scary-looking masks, potions, charms, and other strange objects. In the middle was a large pot, which Zecora used to make potions. The house and its accessories were very ancient looking, almost as if it were a home owned by someone from an ancient civilization. There were no electrical appliances anywhere, which some would think is a bit primitive. In fact, the only modern thing that she had was a medium-large desk in the corner of the room. To Zecora this was normal, but to Ventus it was something new, with the masks, while being somewhat scary, looked mesmerizing. The potions sparked his curiosity, making him wonder what they did. But there were two things wrong with the setting that unsettled Zecora.

One, someone had robbed her of her potions. Two, someone had the nerve to draw a strange symbol in red on her floor.
The symbol itself looked like a circular, slightly diagonal mouth, with the teeth showing. The lips were completely red, while the teeth were only outlines. An observation of the symbol seemed to indicate that it had dried, meaning it would be hell to get out. To Ventus it looked like some kind of cult symbol. To Zecora it was a stain some foolish burglar had made on her nice, clean floor. Judging from the zebra's face, Ventus could tell one obvious thing: she was angry.
"Not only are my potions gone, but on my floor someone has drawn! I don't know if I will catch him or her this day, but I do know that someday he or she is going to pay!" All of that hard work, all of those ingredients, and all of those new mixtures which she could boast of making to her friends in her homeland. All of them were wasted!

"You know Zecora, the thief left behind that creepy cult symbol. Don't you think that could be a clue?" Ventus told the angry zebra, while pointing to the, "creepy cult symbol."

"I'm afraid your logic has a gap. This symbol is quite clearly a trap," Zecora countered, annoyed. She walked and slammed her head on the nearby desk and muttered something under her breath which was muffled by the fact that her mouth was covered by the desktop. Ventus nervously shifted his weight from one side to the other, thinking of something better he could say.

"I don't know what else we'll do, so I'm afraid we have no other choice," Ventus pointed out in a comforting tone. He trotted over and caress her head for good measure. Zecora immediately jumped in response to his friendly action, mistaking it as a perverse gesture, and slapped him in the face while blushing. “Ouch!” Ventus cried. "Zebras hit pretty hard."

"Two things: One: Your idea has caused my heart to feel less hurt. Two: Don't touch me like that again...pervert," Zecora said "By the way my young pony, why is it that you wish to help me? Do you think I don't ever find myself in the company of a male? That you can just have me, and get under my tail?"

"T-that's not it!" Ventus argued, fighting a blush. "I'm just helping you out as a friend,"

"Calling me a friend is a bit strong, we haven't known each other for long," she said with a vexed voice. "Though I accept your help young one, since I want justice to be done,"

At her word, Ventus unfurled his wings. Zecora suddenly found herself hoisted by a green glow onto Ventus's back. Before she could protest, they were off again, into the sky.

He went extremely high at great speeds, shaking some of the leaves of the trees. In only a few seconds, the dark, fearful, forest was replaced by blue, clear, wonderful, cloud-filled skies.

Being so high in the air made Zecora feel a sense of excitement, fear, and nausea. It felt better than before. The cold air, the detailed sights, and the sense of adventure made her want to try this again sometime. It felt intoxicating. Thankfully, she didn't let her hooves stray from around Ventus's neck.

Ventus, seeing a small town below him, asked, "Hey, is there a police station down there? I think we should report this to the authorities."

Zecora snapped out of her amazement to see what he was talking about and smiled.
"Yes, down there is a familiar town, I am quite sure there is a police station around," she said. Ventus, upon gaining her confirmation, flew down to Ponyville at high speeds, making Zecora hang on tighter.

The two didn't know it yet, but that symbol they saw in Zecora's house would have more importance than just a clue in a thievery.

Chapter 2: The Thief

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After landing in Ponyville, Zecora removed herself from Ventus's back. Her stomach started to feel funny and her face immediately turned green. She decided to run away towards a nearby bush. She put her head into the bush and began vomiting. After releasing her meal, Zecora walked over to Ventus with a slight wobble in her step along with a dizzy expression.

"...You OK?" Ventus asked. Zecora nodded her head in response. "So, where's...the...sta...tion?" He asked, hesitating due to the impressive sight before him.

Ponyville was a simple town, with buildings, ponies, cars*, and other things you would expect to see in a town. However, none of these impressed Ventus. What impressed him, was a large, metallic tower at the very edge of the town.

The tower in question was red with light blue lights. It looked like it reached space. In fact, some say that it reached the heavens. It was a perfectly erect vertical tower with red windows through which Ventus could see other ponies going down, like an elevator. At the very bottom of the tower was a door larger than a small van. Ventus wondered what the tower could be for.

Seeing that Ventus was distracted by the tower, Zecora decided to slap him. "Ouch! Why did you do that?" he asked while rubbing his cheek.

"I saw that your eyes were distracted, so I acted," she answered with an annoyed look on her face.

"W-well how could I just look away from that tall tower?" he said, defending himself. "I mean, what kind of city has a huge structure like that!?" he yelled. Zecora sighed.

"Judging from your shocked reaction, it seems you do not know about that contraption," Zecora stated. She then began to trot towards the north. "However, your sightseeing will have to cease, for we must go to the police."

Ventus followed her. "What is that thing anyway? I saw some ponies inside descending like it was an elevator." Zecora rolled her eyes at his stubbornness, and decided to tell her story on the way.

"It will take a while to explain to find the answer you seek, so pay attention as I speak," she informed Ventus, who nodded in conformation. "The tower which attracts the eyes on your face, is a structure designed to reach into space."

"S-space!?" he cried out shockingly. "Why would they need to build something like that?" He asked with great curiosity. Zecora chuckled.

"With a reaction like yours, so very queer, I must assume you're not from here," she realized. Ventus's eyes widened in shock.

"W-well, how do you know I don't come from another country?" Ventus asked in a somewhat panicked voice, which basically confirmed Zecora's assumption. "I don't want her to find that out. After all, she's already seen my Keyblade," he thought with a a small gulp.

"Because everyone on this planet, whether they are a filly, colt, stallion, or mare, knows that in this world, those space towers like that are not at all rare," she responded with a smug look. "Since you are not from this planet, I see, tell me, what exactly were you doing in the forest that is the Everfree?" She asked with suspicion.

"Come on Ventus, think of I lie. I know this isn't like me, but I can't let her know about THAT," he thought. "I-I-I'm a researcher. I was in there to write information about the animals," he said in a tone that made it obvious that he was lying, but Zecora decided to play along.

"If what you say is not a myth, then why did you not bring a notebook and pencil to write with?" Zecora questioned him curiously. Her eyes had a suspicious look in them, eager to know his secret.

"Those monsters ate it. Besides, why should you be questioning my motivations?" The green pony tried to desperately change the subject and stall until they got to the police station. Fortunately, the heavens smiled upon him as the building they were walking to was reached, indicated by the large, sign with "PONYVILLE POLICE STATION" written in large blue letters.

It was an overall medium sized building. The material seemed to be some sort of some grayish-white metal that looked very rare and expensive. Zecora immediately ran inside with Ventus right behind her.

Inside the station lobby were typical things a person would see in a police station, such as chairs, security cameras, lists of wanted criminals amongst other things. As to be expected, there were multiple desks that each had a police officer behind them, waiting to have someone report a crime. Currently, there were three ponies who were doing just that.

"Well, this is an absolutely unfortunate day," said a light purple unicorn mare with a cutie mark of stars. Her purple mane(with a pink stripe) looked slightly messy due to stress. "Even though that symbol that the criminal left behind points to one individual, it's pretty much useless!" She spoke with a loud voice that made the other five equines wince. Another pony decided to cool her down.

"Now Twilight," spoke a tall, orange earth mare with a blond mane that was tied up in a ponytail and covered by a light-brown Stetson. Her cutie mark was three apples. She spoke with a southern accent**. "You shouldn't get so upset. After all, it could be worse. The thieving scoundrel at least left behind some evidence," she reasoned with the mare identified as Twilight. The purple mare just snorted in anger.

"Yes, but what about DNA evidence, Applejack?" She countered with a sad tone. She then began crying. "Without any DNA, we won't even be able to identify the pony who did it. Besides, the only reason you're so calm is because you can grow more apples. I can't grow more books," Twilight finished. Applejack gasped in offense.

"Yeah, but the thief still stole from my farm, and that's a crime!" Applejack told her purple friend, trying to reason with her. Seeing this another pony spoke up.

"U-um ladies, don't forget, they stole from me too," spoke a dark blue unicorn stallion with white hair and a cutie mark of a diaper pin. He sounded somewhat nervous, and was shaking in terror. "They stole a large amounts of silver ore from my shop! I've lost a bunch of profits!" He complained.

"Can it be true? Three others have been robbed, too?" Zecora spoke out with Twilight, Applejack, and Pokey trotting towards her.

"Zecora? Let me guess, some of your possessions got stolen, the thief left behind some weird cult symbol, and you've come to the police station to complain. Am I right?" Twilight guessed while rolling her eyes. Zecora nodded in confirmation. "And the same must have happened to you Mr...?" she spoke to Ventus.

"Ventus. Call me Ven. And no, I didn't get robbed. I just flew Zecora here after her potions were stolen so she can report what happened to the police," he explained to the other three ponies. "I just happened to be around when she got robbed and decided to help out," Ventus finished. However, Applejack realized something.

"Zecora lives in the Everfree Forest. What were you doing in there?" The orange mare asked Ventus, speaking with a somewhat concerned tone towards him.

"I'm a researcher. I was studying the animals," he lied to her. The others could tell he was lying because of the speed of his explanation. They didn't address that, because they didn't have evidence.

"Well Mr. Researcher, you know what they say: Curiosity killed the cat," Pokey admonished him for being so reckless. "I mean, anyone with one percent of a brain knows that the Everfree Forest is a minefield: Going in there is just asking for trouble."

Zecora then chuckled and said, "Yes, but in spite of his tiny size, he was able to send a large group of timberwolves to their demise," she told them. After learning this, Pokey's jaw dropped, Applejack's eyes widened, and Twilight gained an impressive look on her face.

"If what you're trying to tell me is true, then remind me to never piss him off," Pokey complimented Ventus on his achievement, looking at him with a somewhat fearful look. Twilight immediately trotted over to Ventus's side, pushing Zecora out of the way and started observing him.

"W-w-what are you doing!?" Ventus asked while blushing due to the mare making somewhat personal physical contact with him. Twilight immediately stopped her search, looking unimpressed.

"I highly doubt you could kill fifty timberwolves," she insulted Ventus, making him somewhat angry. "But, as they say: big things come in small packages," she complimented him. Ventus was sick of having his small body pointed out.

"ANYWAY, it's obvious that some thief is going around leaving his or her mark around town," Ventus said. "Did the police give you any useful information, Ms-Purple-Mare-Who-Just-Violated-Me?"

Twilight's face looked annoyed. "One, my name is Twilight Sparkle," she introduced herself while trying to calm down. "Two, they did not give me anything useful. Whoever this thief is must be some kind of teasing genius, mocking us with that useless symbol," she spoke with her temper rising, as indicated by the tick mark on her forehead, her eyes glowing a white color, and her horn glowing purple.

"Twilight, don't you think you should send a letter to Queen Celestia***?" Pokey suggested while hiding behind Applejack. The orange mare rolled her eyes as she slid Pokey over to Twilight, making him rush and hide behind Ventus. Pokey's suggestion made Twilight calm, but confused.

Twilight sweat-dropped. "Why would the Queen care about a common thief in the first place?" she asked in disbelief. "I mean, if it was something like a terrorist, that would be understandable. But this is a simple thief. This is a minor issue at best," she said with a sigh. "Let's just face it, we have no leads," Twilight said before sighing and walking out of the door. However, she stopped in her tracks when she heard a hooting noise.

The hooting noise obviously came from an ordinary owl. He crashed into Twilight violently, knocking her back, and sending her rolling across the floor. Ventus looked as if he was about to attack until he heard Twilight giggling. The owl was pecking at her affectionately.

"Owlowisious, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked the owl. The owl held out its leg. In it was a rolled up letter. "What's this?" Twilight wondered as she opened it and began reading its contents. As she scanned the letter, her face started looking gradually angrier. After reading it, she suddenly let out a loud cry of "This is just fucking great!" as she threw the letter on the ground.

"Miss Twilight, what is wrong, that you use language that is so strong?" Zecora asked Twilight, who looked towards her with a glare that made Zecora stiff.

Twilight, too angry to explain herself in words, used a levitation spell to give Applejack the letter. The orange pony placed it on the floor and decided to read it, while everyone except for Twilight looked at it with her.

At the top of the letter was a familiar spiral mouth symbol that Ventus and Zecora knew all too well. Applejack and Pokey also seemed to be familiar with the symbol judging by the curious looks on their faces. Though unlike the one in Zecora's house, the lips were only outlines.

"Dear Ms. Twilight Sparkle,
I have kidnapped your pet dragon.
If you want him back, meet me in the middle of the Everfree Forest. ALONE!
If you bring any friends with you, I'll kill him!

From: Anonymous
PS: Just to give you more incentive, I also admit that I stole your books,"
Applejack finished reading. "I wonder why he wants to meet you alone Twi-" she began, gasped, and looked towards were Twilight used to be. It was obvious to everyone what she had done.

"I'm going after her!" Ventus said as he spread his wings, ran out the door and was about to soar, until Applejack stopped him by tackling him. "Miss, please let me go! I have to help Miss Twilight!" The green pony protested and fought Applejack, who just barely restrained him.

"He said he would kill Spike if someone came with Twilight!" Applejack countered as she struggled to hold Ventus down. The restrained pony decided to take drastic measures, and summoned his Keyblade. Applejack was shocked by the sword appearing out of nowhere, long enough for Ventus to give her a slight smack in the stomach with it.

While Applejack was rubbing her stomach, Ventus immediately flapped his wings and starting flying. He yelled,"I have a plan! Just trust me!"

Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground at failing to restrain Ventus. Zecora put her hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Do not despair, but grin, for I can tell that this conflict is one Ventus will easily win," Zecora assured Applejack as Pokey came out and nodded at the zebra's words.

"That's right, Applejack. After all, Zecora did say that he killed a bunch of timberwolves," Pokey reminded Applejack, who just rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry Pokey Pierce, but I find that hard to believe," Applejack retorted. She then snorted and said, "A pony killing a group of timberwolves? That sounds about as real as the boogeystallion."

Zecora shook her head. "What I said is no lie. It is as real as the sky," she said defensively.

Applejack had enough of Zecora's "lie" and smirked. "Okay. If you're not lying, then tell me exactly how he killed them," she challenged Zecora, who responded with a smirk of her own.

"Although the story I tell you may be hard to receive, if you see it for yourself, you will believe," Zecora explained. She then explained to Pokey and Applejack about Ventus's battle against the timberwolves.

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In the Everfree Forest, Twilight Sparkle was running, desperate to search for her kidnapped friend. Her purple mane flowed in the wind as she desperately tried to reach her destination. In spite of her pounding heart and the heavy amounts of exertion on her body, she didn't stop to catch her breath. Her emotions were a mix of anger, fear, and confusion. Her confusion led to questions.

Why did the person want to meet her?

Why did he or she kidnap Spike?

Who was this mysterious kidnapping thief?

Why did he or she admit that he was the thief?

These questions would have to wait for later, as Twilight had a dragon to rescue. Thankfully, she had not ran into any beasts of the forest, which made it all the more easier for her to make it to the center. Eventually, after a few minutes of rushing, she made it to the center of the forest, and sighed in relief at what she saw.

What she saw was a small, purple, wingless dragon with green spikes. His legs were currently trapped in chains that were tied to a tree, which he was trying to bite off, with no hope of getting free any time soon. Surprisingly, there was nopony to be found! Twilight smiled, and walked over to Spike, who gasped in response.

"Twilight no it's a trap!" He warned her, but it was too late. Suddenly, out of nowhere, chains began emerging out of the tree branches, rushing at the unicorn. Twilight gasped, and tried to use her magic in response, but a chain wrapped around her horn, somehow preventing it. Without the help of magic, Twilight was easily subdued, the chains wrapping around all four of her hooves. Twilight then feel as the chains were being pulled, as her hooves were suddenly felt were being stretched, the chains being spread apart enough so as to make her suspend above the ground.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you showed up," said a mysterious, adolescent voice. Twilight and Spike heard footsteps in the grass, and saw a pair of glowing red eyes. The owner of the eyes then emerged, showing that he was some kind of strange-looking wolf. A wolf with blue fur covered in copious amounts of blood, and eyes that looked as red as blood. However, the most notable feature was his long tongue which swished with great speed. It looked as if it could engulf an entire pony in one bite. Twilight decided to ask the obvious question.

"Who are you and what do you want? Why did you do this?" Twilight asked with a fearful tone as she attempted to use her magic. The wolf then walked over to her and stared at her, which made the chains wrap around Twilight harder, making her wince in pain and stop attempting to escape.

"I take it you are Twilight Sparkle. AKA, the Element of Magic. AKA, Celestia's student. Am I correct?" The wolf asked, with Twilight nodding in response. Spike then saw his chance, as the wolf's backside was facing him, and shot a blast of fire towards his kidnapper. As soon as the flames hit him, the wolf suddenly started hopping.

"OUCH! THAT'S FREAKING HOT! IT HURTS! OH MY GOD!" the wolf yelled as his behind was searing in massive amounts of pain. He hopped, ran, and rolled in order to get the pain to stop. Eventually the pain stopped, the wolf, with a slight amount of tears in his eyes, then walked over to Spike, who had a smug look on his face. In spite of the pain of the chains, Twilight couldn't help but giggle.

"That hurt you piece of shit!" he yelled at the dragon, stomping on the baby's neck. Spike screamed in pain at this, and tried to breath fire in response. Unfortunately, a chain then suddenly wrapped around the neck of Spike, making sure he wouldn't be able to breath fire. For extra cruelty, the chain was so tight, Spike could hardly breath, as Twilight could tell by the deep breaths the purple dragon was taking.

"Leave him alone!" Twilight demanded of the wolf, who turned to her in response. "It's me you're after, right?" Twilight asked with tears in her eyes, hoping he would comply. The kidnapper then walked towards her and wrapped his long tongue around Twilight's neck, choking her.

Twilight struggled hard against the organ and the chains, desperately fighting for freedom and oxygen. Spike tried as hard as he could to claw through the chains and breath fire. But unfortunately, their attempts were meaningless because the chains wrapped harder around their body parts. Twilight eventually gave up and accepted her fate. But then, a miracle happened.

A bolt of lightning hit the canine's tongue, making him retract it, freeing Twilight's neck. The wolf screamed out in pain as Twilight gasped for air. But that wasn't all, out of the sky came a certain green stallion, wielding a black sword with his tail.

"Ventus!" Twilight exclaimed in shock, not expecting him to follow her. Ventus then grinned at her and made a quick stroke with his sword. The single stroke broke all of the chains, dropping Twilight on the ground. She then stood up and stared towards the wolf who had kidnapped her.

"Whose this guy, Twilight?" Spike asked, impressed with both the green pony's sword and swordsponyship. Ventus then freed Spike in the same manner as before. The dragon then took a deep breath, and stood, ready to fight his kidnapper. The wolf then had a nervous looking smile on his face.

"Damn it! I wasn't expecting this! Oh well, I can always use my trump card," he thought as he suddenly extended his tongue. Ventus stepped forward, ready to defend. However, the tongue wasn't what he needed to worry about.

Out of nowhere, many chains, some red with heat and some having spikes attached to their tips, came rushing towards the group. The wolf then started laughing madly, eager to see his victims destroyed. Spike and Twilight's eyes widened, the former screaming. Ventus however, gripped his sword tighter, ready to fight. The mysterious thief then smirked at Ventus's audacity, and sent all of the chains towards him.

As soon as the chains came near the green pegasus, he attacked them effortlessly with great speed. He sliced every chain that attacked him, breaking them almost rhythmically. None of the chains touched him, his magnificent speedy, agility, and heightened senses assisting him in defending himself. Having enough of this, his sword then glowed and unleashed a great tornado of rocks around its wielder, automatically breaking every single chain that came towards him. After they stopped, Ventus then looked towards the wolf, who looked ready to run away.

To Twilight, this was simply revolutionary. His sword skills were superpony with how he managed to destroy each and every single chain. The part that really intrigued Twilight was the tornado of rocks at the end which made her think two things: How could that sword perform magic? Where did he get it? She simply had to know more.

To Spike, this looked like something out of some comic book, or a movie. His mastery with a sword, speed, and ability to use magic, could be summed up in one word: "Awesome," Spike said, eager to tell his friends about this later.

After the sword had stop glowing, ending the spell, Ventus then looked towards the young wolf, who looked like he would vomit in fear. The long-tongued beast knew there was nothing he could do. Trying to use his tongue wouldn't work because the green pony would react in time and probably cut it off. So, in the end, the canine just stood there while Ventus walked up to him.

Ventus looked down at the dog, having a look of murder in his eyes. He wanted to know only one thing: "What's your name?" Ventus asked.

The wolf gulped and said "Lacom," hoping that the warrior standing before him wouldn't take his life. Ventus then took his sword and pointed at the thief. The wolf flinched and closed his eyes, thinking he was going to die. However, he instead no longer felt the ground he was standing on, making him realize that he was levitating.

Twilight, still being impressed, ran up to Ventus, getting between him and Lacom. "Amazing! Astounding! Absolutely astonishing!" she complimented him, while wanting to know more. "How you defeated those timberwolves is obvious! What isn't obvious is that blade that you used to use magic! Tell me how you did it! Explain how you obtained it! TELL. ME. EVERYTHING!" Twilight demanded while getting in Ventus's face, making the stallion blush. Ventus thankfully didn't drop Lacom.

Ventus pushed Twilight's face out of his and said, "U-um, I'll can explain that to you later. Right now," he glared at the wolf trapped in his telekinesis spell, "We have bigger problems to deal with. Okay Lacom, tell me where you hid the stuff you stole: the books, the apples, the silver ore, and the potions, and I promise to not hurt you," Ventus requested of him, though unfortunately, the wolf had something unexpected to say.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Lacom responded. "Besides, I only stole the books," he answered bluntly, making Twilight Sparkle come to a conclusion.

"Since the same symbols were on the scenes of the other thefts, and due to the fact that you claim to only know about the books, I can assume you're part of a group of thieves," Twilight rationalized, which made Lacom gulp. Twilight smirked. "I assume I'm correct. Now tell me, where have you hidden my books?"

Lacom shake his head and said, "Beats me, I don't know where the hell they are," he answered, making the two ponies and dragon irritated and confused.

"What!? How could you not know? You stole the freaking books!" Spike exclaimed in confusion.

Lacom then answered, "My job was to steal it, I don't know where the others took it."

Spike then sighed and looked at the sky. "We don't have all day, we might as well walk back to Ponyville and take you to the cops," he said as he decided to start walking. The two ponies also decided that it was a good idea, Ventus levitating Lacom with telekinesis.

Seeing that Ventus was not flying, Twilight decided to ask, "How come you're walking with us? We've caught him. You can leave," she said before realizing something. "Wait! Don't leave, I still need to know about that sword!" she begged Ventus while also being in his face as he was trotting, once again making the green pony blush.

"O-okay! I won't leave. However, can we take a rain check on that request? Say... no later than the next three days?" Ventus requested of Twilight, who nodded and grinned.

"Right. No later than three days. I'll memorize that!" she said excitedly as she cheerily hopped, skipped, and jumped towards Ponyville, making the three males sweat-drop in confusion.
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Back in Ponyville, everything was pretty much normal... except for Pokey Pierce holding Applejack's waist while trying to stop her from entering the Everfree Forest.

"Applejack!" Pokey cried out as he struggled to protect the mare, mostly failing. His muscles were starting to fail him as his grip started loosening. Applejack struggled only slightly due to the blue pony's lack of strength.

"I'm sorry Pokey, but even if what Zecora told us was true, we still need to do something!" she told him as she strained against the grip the blue unicorn was giving her. She eventually escaped and kicked Pokey Pierce in the head, knocking him out, thus stopping him from chasing her.

"I need to help out Twilight! If I stay out of sight, then maybe I'll be able to ambush the thieving varmint!" Applejack thought with worrying excitement. Her heartbeat was rapid, her legs were moving as fast as they could go, and her hat was barely on her head. She ran with great speed, eager to get to rescue her friend. However, as she reached the entrance, her chase was halted when she crashed into a purple pony, the impact making them roll like a steamroller into one of the trees.

As the earth pony lifted her head up and opened her eyes, she saw that it was Twilight, and started strangling the unicorn in a painful hug. Twilight could barely breath.

"Oh thank Celestia you're okay, Twilight! I thought you might have been eaten up by some critter!" Applejack shouted in joy as she continued hurting Twilight, who used her magic to move the earth pony a few inches away from her, allowing her to catch her breath. Applejack realized what she did and blushed. "S-s-so, where are the other two?" she asked.

Twilight then looked over towards the entrance. "They should be over right now," she stated. And she was correct! Ventus, Spike, and Lacom walked out of the Everfree, Ventus still levitating the wolf. "By the way Applejack, that thief was the one who stole my books. Though he claims someone from his group stole your apples," she informed her friend, who snorted and frowned in disappointment.

Spike, seeing Applejack, ran over to her and started yelling at her very quickly. "Applejack! You should have seen it! Ventus was awesome! He had a cool sword, and was really fast and cool, a-a-and the coolest part is his sword! It. Can. Use. Magic! It was awesome! He's like some kind of superhero!" he said excitedly as Applejack's eyes widened in realization.

"Well I'll be a mule's aunt. Zecora was right," she said, impressed with Ventus's power. She then realized something. "Hold on Twilight, didn't you say that the wolf guy doesn't have my apples?" she asked while glaring at Lacom.

Twilight nodded. "Yep," she said simply, as Applejack then glared at the thief before smiling with a cruel smile that could scare a crocodile.

"No problem. We can just torture him," Applejack said bluntly, which made Lacom sweat furiously and try to escape Ventus's telekinesis. "We can kick him, strangle him, or slowly peel off his family jewels until he sings," she suggested, making Lacom all the more desperate to escape. Twilight then shook her hooves in protest.

"There's no need for that, Applejack! Besides, that's the police's jurisdiction. They'll accuse you of being a vigilante," Twilight told Applejack. The orange mare sighed in defeat and mumbled under her breath. Ventus then decided to fly Lacom over to the police. Lacom begged, kicked, and whined, but it wouldn't help him.

"Wait!" Spike screamed at Ventus, who obeyed the request. Spike then ran over to where Lacom was and did something unexpected: he gave Lacom a mocking kiss on the nose before slapping him.

Twilight was shocked, Lacom was nervous, but Applejack and Ventus laughed. Twilight thought the joke was funny, but tried to keep a serious and disgusted look on her face. Eventually, Twilight couldn't help herself, and joined in on the laughter. The sound of the laughter overwhelmed the sound of Lacom's crying.

What the ponies (and dragon) didn't know is that there was more to Lacom than just the fact that he was a thief. They would soon learn that he was part of something bigger.

Chapter 3: Interrogation

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The interrogation room of Ponyville was small, yet clean. There only things Lacom had in the room were a couch he was reclining on, a cover, and a small bag of popcorn. He had protested and demanded that he be given meat, however, the guards did not listen. Eventually, he got hungry and decided to eat the snack.

"Even though this weird food tastes good, I would kill for a steak right now," he complained before finishing his food. He then closed his eyes and prepared to lie down and rest, however he was interrupted by a policemare.

The officer was an orange earth mare, whose blue eyes looked very dull and uninterested, as indicated by how she looked ready to sleep. Her mane was brown and horrendously uncombed. On her body she wore an unbuttoned, unironed, black dress shirt and a collar around her neck. Her cutie mark was a stone with cuts on it. She looked at Lacom with a bored look.

"So, let's get down to business. You decided to steal from a library, kidnap a minor, and attempted to kill the Element of Magic. What kind of idiot are you?" she spoke. She then sighed. "So, to start off, why'd you do all that, kid?"

Lacom then looked at the mare with lustful eyes. "She may not be my species, but she's got some nice curves," he thought, letting his lower self think for him. He responded to her question as such: "You know, I'm not sure I'll tell you... unless you tell me your name," he said in a flirtatious tone. He got a punch in the stomach for this.

"Don't push me. I've made psychopaths cry like children. But to answer your question, my name is Stone Heart," she stated while rolling her eyes at his attempt to flirt with her.

Lacom chuckled in spite of the pain of the punch Stone Heart had given him. "I can see why they call you that," he replied while grunting in pain. Stone Heart then cleared her throat. "W-w-what?" Lacom asked.

"The information," the mare replied, sounding a bit impatient.

The wolf tried to be tough. "Bitch please, do your worst. I ain't selling out my planet or my army," he said with audacity and a smirk. Stone Heart let out a small laugh and rolled her eyes. "What's so funny?" Lacom yelled, not pleased with her laughter.

Stone Heart composed herself and replied with a dull tone. "Because you gave me two pieces of important information. One: you're from another planet. Two: you're part of some army," she finished as looked at him with cold eyes. "Now tell me more."

Lacom mentally slapped himself, but wouldn't give up. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to say no on that one. The higher ups would kill me," he responded. He then closed his eyes and smiled, looking extremely smug. "So, you might as well let me go free right now," he stated.

"Oh, and why is that, Lacom?" Stone Heart asked uninterested.

Lacom then grinned. "Because, bitch, the kingdom I'm part of has control of threeplanets!" he revealed while getting in her face. This caused Stone Heart to open her eyes fully. She wasn't shocked, but interested. She then pushed Lacom on the couch.

"Really? An army that controls three planets?" she asked, fascinated. "You know, even a mouse can slay a snake, so don't get too cocky," she scolded the teen, who scoffed.

"Look who's talking. You should know when you're beaten," Lacom chastised. "You've got spunk, I like that in my chicks. Makes it all the more fun when I bed them," he said before extending his tongue to try and cop a feel of the flanks of the orange pony. However, his attempt was failed when the mare said one thing.

"Bees," Stone Heart said simply. Suddenly, a bee flew on Lacom's tongue and stung it, making him squeal. He then retracted the organ, crushing the bee in the process. However, that wasn't the end of his suffering.

A bee soon flew on Lacom's face and stung him. He crushed it with his paw and rubbed the spot where he was stung. Two more bees came out of nowhere and stung him. "What is with the bees?" the wolf asked while looking around to see where the insects where coming from. While he was distracted, he felt several more stings on the midmost part of his body. When he looked down, he saw something unexpected.

On Lacom's midsection where bees. Hundreds of them were stinging him. And they quickly multiplied, reaching high and low, making him howl in continuous pain as they stung his body all over. They were everywhere: on his face, on his paws, in his eyes, and even up his nostrils. This was torture.

Lacom screamed, but was interrupted as the bees eventually reached his throat, preventing him from speaking or breathing. Lacom's heart pounded with the fear of losing his life. His body twisted, turned, and contorted with pain. However, his pain would soon be over.

"Bees," Stone Heart said. Suddenly the bees disappeared like magic, though Lacom could still feel the pain of the stings. The wolf shuddered in pain and was somewhat traumatized, though not enough to refrain from giving the policemare a piece of his mind.

"What the hell was that!?" he demanded to know in a mix of fear and fury. "What was with the bees!?"

"That popcorn you just ate contained a powerful drug. It's called Essence of Nightmare. It makes you imagine you're in a horrifying illusion. There are over 1,000 known variations, each contained in the snacks we provide to the prisoners," she explained as Lacom's fury and paranoia grew. "It's activated by saying a certain phrase. Each food item contains a specific variation of the drug with a specific phrase to make it kick in and to make it stop," she finished explaining.

"How could you drug me? I'm just a teen! You should be fired for cruel and unusual treatment!" he whined, trying to gain some sympathy. However, Stone Heart had something else to say.

"A teen who kidnapped a minor and tried to kill somepony," she countered. "Besides, it's legal to do this. You're lucky I'm interrogating you, cause if you give me some info, depending on how juicy it is, the police may lighten your punishment," she said, the wolf's head perking up at the thought of being show mercy.

"Guess that's a fair trade," Lacom stated meekly, deciding to comply. "Besides, you had me when you used those bees on me. Okay, so what in particular do you wanna know?" he asked while the policemare closed her eyes in thought.

"Okay, lets see what I know: One: He's an alien. Two: He's affiliated with an army. Three: He wanted to kill the Element of Magic. I think I know which question is most important, she thought. "Since you're an alien, I'd like to ask you why you're here in the first place," she asked.

"I'm supposed to steal whatever I can, and kill whoever they tell me to kill," Lacom responded with Stone Heart nodding. "Before my bosses decides to begin colonization, I, along with other thieves, need to learn what I can."

Stone Heart rubbed her chin at this. "Interesting. Speaking of thievery, I need to ask you about those symbols you and your buddies left behind. Why in Durga's* name would you leave behind something so obvious?" she asked.

Lacom sweated and gulped, knowing that if his bosses knew he chickened out and talked, there would be hell to pay. If he got out, that is. "Those are Bloodsucker Seals," he answered.

"Bloodsucker Seals?" the mare asked with slight amusement in her voice. "I'm surprised a planet that still uses seals managed to somehow gain control of three planets," she said insultingly, which made Lacom gasp in offense

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lacom demanded to know.

Stone Heart sighed. "I hate having to explain things. But to keep it brief, seals were what the primitive equines used before we learned to use magic on our own. Now, about those Bloodsucker Seals," she demanded impatiently.

"They're seals that we draw in our own or in someone else's blood in order to use our magic," Lacom explained while looking a bit bored. He wished that this could end already so he could get his sentence over with.

"What did that seal in the houses do?" Stone Heart asked.

"It was a seal for a teleportation spell," Lacom answered with Stone Heart rubbing her chin.

"So you and your other group of thieves teleported from here to your planet," she concluded with Lacom nodding. "But there's one problem: How did you get here from your planet? Teleportation spells require the user to have been to the area where they teleported."

Lacom shrugged. "I had someone else with me who did the spell. I can't use teleportation magic," he answered, with Stone Heart rubbing her chin.

"So by that logic, you and the other one traveled here by spacecraft, broke into the house, the other one drew the seal, then teleported himself back home while you stole the books," the policemare confirmed, with the wolf nodding.

"Say, you're pretty good," Lacom complimented. Stone Heart paid no heed to the compliment, and focused on interrogating the thief.

"It's all coming together now. Now I would like to ask you why you stole books of all things," Stone Heart requested.

"It's strategy. We steal books that contain info. Info like spells, history, how their government works, etc. We do that before we actually begin the invasion," Lacom informed. Stone Heart smirked a bit at this interesting information.

"Ingenious. Now tell me why you decided to take down the Element of Magic," she demanded while getting close to Lacom's face.

"W-w-well in one of the books we learned about the Elements of Harmony. Like how there are six of them, how they're connected to six ponies, and the fact that they only work when used together," Lacom informed with nervousness, since he was selling out his people.

"So I would be correct in assuming that you decided to kill Twilight in order to prevent the Elements from working," Stone Heart guessed with Lacom nodding. "But there's one problem: how did you know Twilight in particular was the Element of Magic?" she asked with Lacom sweating.

"W-w-well it's a funny story. You see in order to figure out more about the Elements of Harmony, we kidnapped one of the Royal Guards," he stated, with Stone Heart's face doing a total 180. She now looked serious, as if she was a completely different pony.

"He said he kidnapped a Royal Guard. Recently, my brother, Stone Armor, went missing. I think I know who it is," were the now serious mare's thoughts. "Tell. Me. More," said the interrogator. Lacom suddenly smirked.

"Oh? You finally stopped being stoic," Lacom noted with Stone Heart's look becoming more intense. "Okay, geez. Stop giving me that look," he stated in nervousness before clearing his throat. "It took place a couple of days before I committed the theft. I wasn't there, but I was given the details of his torture," He began, before Stone Heart interrupted him with a glare that could scare off an Ursa Major.

"Torture!?" the mare asked, fuming at this shocking revelation.

Lacom gulped, but continued. "Yes, we tortured him. We needed to find out some information on this planet's strengths and weaknesses. The bastard was tough; the interrogators stabbed him, broke his bones, and even tore his skin off. But he didn't budge a bit," the wolf explained, making Stone Heart smile.

"My bro was always a bit stubborn," the pony said happily in spite of the pain her brother went through. However, that happiness would be short lived.

"Seeing that physical torture wouldn't work, they tried to get him mentally, and boy did it work," Lacom said happily in spite of his situation, smiling due to the fact that he knew that he hurt his enemies both emotionally and physically.

Stone Heart was shocked at this new information. "What did they do!?" she yelled as her veins showed.

Lacom put his paws up defensively. "Cool your teats bitch, I was just getting to that. They used a spell to read his mind. They found out he had a wife and daughter. We used an a spell to make illusions of them, though the pony didn't know they were illusions. And guessed what they did," he said with a sadistic smirk and a stifled laugh, happy to traumatize the policemare for the sake of petty revenge.

Stone Heart looked ready to strangle the canine, though she kept her calm and remembered that she had to interrogate him. "What?" she asked in fear, honestly not wanting to know.

Lacom grinned wider. "They violated the two bitches," he said with Stone Heart becoming increasingly angry, which made Lacom increasingly happy. "They fucked them, beat them, and tortured them. The guy didn't have the stones to take it, and he broke down crying like a little bitch, all of the while unaware of the fact that the two cunts we were raping weren't even real," he revealed mockingly before laughing like a hyena. The wolf's laughter made Stone Heart lose it and give the sadist a good punch in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall with great force. Lacom was in great pain, had a bloody nose, and even had some broken legs. In spite of this, Lacom still had the strength to talk, eager to get his revenge.

"He revealed a bunch. He told us about the Elements, who the Elements are, about all of the kickass tech you guys have. Seriously, your stuff makes ours look like shit. They wanted him to sing like a bird. And boy did he sing," he explained in detail, still having the smug smile on his face. Stone Heart had enough of this and marched over to him, wanting to know more.

"And where exactly is my brother now?" she demanded.

Lacom's face moved closer to her's, almost making physical contact. "In hell. After all, we couldn't let him get away with knowing our secrets," he cruelly revealed, making Stone Heart nearly sink into despair. "Now if you're done, I have a lightened punishment to-"

"No," said Stone Heart.

Lacom was confused. "Why? I told you everything you needed to know," he said, not happy that his inevitable punishment would be delayed.

Stone Heart glared at Lacom, making him lose the color in his face. "Because I need you to answer three more questions for me," she told him, making Lacom sigh.

"Fine, what are the three questions?" he asked impatiently.

"First, I would like to know what type of technology your planet uses," the pony requested.

"Like I said before your stuff makes mine look like shit. Though if you want to be specific, we use steam technology," he admitted, making Stone Heart gulp.

"Yikes. They conquered two planets with steam tech. Hate to imagine what they could do with today's level of tech," she thought, having a bit of doubt in her nation's ability to defeat the enemies they would have to face. "Secondly, tell me about the abilities of the other two races you guys have conquered,"

"The first race we conquered is called the Fire Tigers. They have the ability to produce magically enhanced flames. The second race is called the Nagas**. They use a combination of animals, weaponry, and magic," Lacom explained.

Stone Heart felt satisfied with the information she was given. "Finally, tell me when the debut attack is going to take place," she asked, making Lacom surprised.

"You're one thorough bitch. Very well, to answer your question, it's going to be in five of your species's days at Canterlot. They want to steal the Elements of Harmony," he answered. "Now that these questions are answered, can you just take me to away?" he asked.

"Very well, I feel no need to ask you anything more," Stone Heart said. She then started shouting. "Okay guys, I'm done!" she said to no one in particular. Immediately, two muscled policeponies came in and took Lacom away, the later groaning due to his injuries.

Stone Heart didn't expect this at all. Aliens coming to colonize the planet. Worse, they already controlled two other planets AND they had access to key information about the country. She only knew one thing:

"This is going to the Queen."

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(Two Days Later)

(Queen Celestia's bedroom)

The bedroom of the Queen was what you would expect. It had a large, comfortable bed, numerous decorations, rare plants, etc. Many ponies would kill to have even a small percentage of it. On the opposite side of the bedroom was a medium-large altar with a small stone statue on it. The statue in question was that of an alicorn with multiple hooves and wings, and in its hooves and wings were numerous weapons***.

Queen Celestia's current state of mind was not what one would call okay. After learning about the invasion which would take place within three days along with the fact that the invaders have three planets, she was a wreck. Her multicolored mane was in a mess, her eyes had bags, and she couldn't get any sleep. She even had to take pills, just to stop herself from going insane. She was currently reading a letter.

"Oh goodness, this may possibly be the worst situation of my life," she stated as she stroked her head in thought. "Not only are we about to be attacked, but the new stallion my faithful student met also wields one of those wretched Keyblades," Celestia stated in a stressed tone as she tried to think. A new voice soon interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh my Queen, why must you think so negatively? If we play our cards right, we can control the Keyblade wielder," said a smug, yet comforting voice. The statement came from a notably portly aqua-haired unicorn stallion. His mane was black on its left side and a dark shade of gray on its right side. His eyes were a very dark shade of crimson. His cutie mark was a flock of ravens bowing down to a larger raven. On his face was a bored yet smug smile.

This stallion's name was Great One. He was Celestia's adviser and the captain of special group of unicorn soldiers known as "The Dark Angels." They are powerful users of magic. They are called the Dark Angels because of their use of black magic. Most ponies would be imprisoned and be given a punishment worse than death for practicing such dangerous arts. Only the Dark Angels are allowed to practice them and live. This is due to the trust that the Queen places in them.

Great One himself what most ponies would call "a total jerk." He is known for being brutal, very critical and sarcastic, smug, insulting, and he never shows any empathy for anypony other than himself. In spite of this, he is praised for his power, leadership, teaching methods, competence, and loyalty to Celestia and the nation as a whole. However, even Celestia is not spared from his words.

"Honestly, are you so simple? We can use this!" he stated with glee. Celestia looked somewhat puzzled. Great One sighed. "Must I explain everything to everypony, even you? Very well. As you know, Keyblades are powerful," he said with Celestia rolling her eyes.

"I couldn't have possibly guessed that on my own," the Queen said sarcastically.

Great One ignored her. "Considering what happened with the other Keyblade wielder," he began, with both he and Celestia wincing. "It is clear we must try to maintain a good relationship with him. Make him believe we trust him."

Celestia had problems with this. "But what if he suspects us of using him? What if he gets out of line?" she asked with slight fear in her voice. Even if she was an alicorn, she still seemed afraid of the Keyblade wielders for some reason.

Great One patted her head patronizingly. "What I have in mind will prevent that if we are lucky enough. We just need to find out about his personality, powers, and certain personal information. The invasion tomorrow will help us learn some," he said as if it were simple. Celestia thought about it.

"I understand learning about his powers, but why his personality and personal information?" she inquired of Great One, who smirked even wider.

"It is obvious," he said arrogantly. "For his personality, we need to know his mental state and sense of morals. Depending on what we see of him, we will know how to manipulate him," he said as if it were the most easy thing in the world. "As for his personal information," he began before leaning closer to Celestia and putting his mouth to her ear. He whispered something to her. Celestia looked shocked at what she heard and slapped Great One.

"That is terrible! I'm not surprised you of all ponies would suggest that, but how could you expect me to go along with it?" Celestia said offended. She then slapped him three more times, still not satisfied with the one slap she had given. Great One then rubbed his cheeks.

"Ow! You could've just said no!" he complained, before talking more about his plan. "Anyway, you know as well as I do that the Keyblade is a dangerous weapon. I'm just suggesting what the best choice of action is," he stated while getting close to her and whispering in her ear. "We could have a powerful soldier who is loyal to Equestria and will follow anything we say."

Celestia seemed uneasy about this judging from the guilty look on her face. She could barely speak. "I-I-I will approve your idea," she stated in discomfort, which made Great One's smile ear to ear. He then began walking out of the room.

"Excellent! I will fly over to Ponyville and pick up Twilight and her new friend. I'll use my own personal jet," Great One stated happily.

Celestia looked confused at this. "Why only Twilight? Why not the rest of the Elements?" she asked.

Great One chuckled. "Because, I know Twilight well and I trust her with the information I am going to give her. I don't know anything about her friends' personalities. If I brought them along, they might eavesdrop on us," he explained, which gave Celestia a peace of mind. She then got in bed and put the covers on her body.

However, unbeknownst to the Queen, Great One had another plan he didn't tell her. One that he knew Celestia would never approve of.

Chapter 4: The Test

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(Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's House)

It had been three days since Twilight's books had been stolen, and it wasn't something she would forget anytime soon. The police told her that her books were on another planet and she became hysterical. She cried, screamed, and complained for hours after she learned this fact, making the people around her feel uncomfortable, yet understandably sympathetic towards the mare. Seeing as how she wouldn't be seeing her books anytime soon, she decided to buy replacements. But she was still pissed.

"Spike, do you know how many books I lost?" she asked her dragon companion, who rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Thirty. You told me three days ago," he said flatly. Twilight nodded.

"Correct. Now, do you know how many bits I had to spend to replace them!?" she asked with annoyance. Spike sighed.

"Seventy-five. Again, you told me three days ago," he said with annoyed sarcasm. Twilight then smirked and used her magic to levitate a notebook and pen over to herself.

"Again, correct. Now do you know how we will replace those bits?" she asked. This time Spike was confused, and shrugged. "Do you remember that pony we met named Ventus?" she asked eagerly.

Spike nodded. "Yeah! He was awesome! His moves were like scenes from a movie, but in real life!" he said excitedly, before looking confused again. "Wait, what does this have to do with making money?"

Twilight opened her door while levitating her notepad and pen. "Three days ago, I made a deal with Ventus that I could learn about his sword. I want to know where he obtained it, how it works, who gave it to him, etc. I want to sell my findings to the military. Just think of how mass-producing it could benefit them. And best of all It'll make me rich!" Twilight explained excitedly before going outside. "I want you to stay here and guard the house while I find him. If anyone comes over, tell them that I'm busy today."

Spike nodded unsure and closed the door. Twilight walked forward while looking in all directions in order to find Ventus. Thankfully, it didn't take long, as she literally bumped into him. She smiled as she found the target of her research, however that smile was ruined when she saw another pony beside him.

"Hello...Great One," she said in disgust. "What brings you here?"

Great One chuckled. "I can see your dislike for me is as strong as ever Twilight Sparkle. How adorable," he said condescendingly, making Twilight gain a tick mark on her forehead. "Anyway, Queen Celestia has ordered me to bring you and your new friend here to Canterlot," he explained, making Twilight suspect ,and Ventus confused.

"Three things:" Twilight began. "One: Why does Queen Celestia want him to come? Two: Why doesn't she want the other elements to come? Three: How did you know what Ventus looked like?" Twilight asked.

Great One sighed and began walking forward, eager to get to Canterlot. "I'll explain things on the way. So follow me," he told the other two. They obeyed him. "To answer your first question, Twilight, I was told to bring him to Canterlot because he is a," he then leaned closer to Twilight and Ventus to talk in a tone that only they could hear. "Keyblade wielder," he answered, making Ventus nervous.

"Key...blade?" Twilight asked, eager to learn more about the sword Ventus used. She immediately wrote this down in her notebook, making Ventus more afraid. However, at that moment something unexpected happened:

A pink, fluffy-maned, blue-eyed, grinning pony with balloons for a cutie mark appeared in front of Twilight's face out of nowhere. She was also carrying a pink duffel bag

Great One, Twilight, and Ventus were shocked, Twilight less so. Ventus's wings went stiff for a split second. Twilight's face went back to normal.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie. What brings you here?" she asked the pony in front of her. Pinkie Pie opened her bag and began explaining herself to Twilight as she felt through the bag with one hoof.

"Well, Applejack told me about your new friend, Ventus! I wanted to meet him and throw him a party! But I couldn't find him. You told me yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that that you didn't know where he was. I went to your house today to ask you again, but Spike told me you went to find him. I overheard you talking about how you have to go Canterlot without me," she said before taking a huge breath and continuing. "So I brought this," she said before pulling out a green rectangular device with multiple buttons and a screen out of her bag and giving it to Ventus.

Ventus looked at the object in confusion. "What is it?" he asked curiously. Pinkie Pie then pushed a button on the back of the device, turning on the screen. On the screen was a large, green, digital land mass that had many names beside it.

Pinkie Pie began her explanation. "It's a digital map! All those names are cities, towns, and landmarks.You can see any place in the country. I bought one for you since you're from a different planet!"

The screen had a list titled, "Cities." Ventus saw the name of one called Canterlot, and clicked on it. The screen then zoomed in to show a rich city full of large shops, gardens, waterfalls and mansions. At the edge of a cliff was a large, white and gold castle. It looked like a city designed for the aristocrats.

Ventus was amazed to see all of this. He wasn't a pony who necessarily cared for the upper-class lifestyle, but he was still excited to get a chance to go to such a large and luxurious city. He also secretly hoped the Queen was going to give him a reward, especially if it was a monetary one.

"And that's not all! Watch this!" Pinkie said, interrupting Ventus's thoughts. "How do you get from Ponyville to Canterlot?" she asked the device. Suddenly, the map zoomed out to show Canterlot on one end and Ponyville on the other End. It then drew a line from a dot marked "Ponyville" to a dot marked "Canterlot" on the map. "Now you can never get lost!" Pinkie stated. Ventus smiled and was about to thank Pinkie Pie, however he wouldn't get the chance to, as a light-blue aura appeared around her, and she was tossed with great force and speed. "My leg!" was the pink pony's cry.

When Twilight and Ventus looked over, they saw that the culprit was Great One, as the glowing horn told them. Ventus was shocked, confused, and slightly angry. Twilight was just very angry.

"What did you do that for A-hole!?" Twilight demanded to know, trying to punch the aqua pony in retaliation. However, her hoof only went through him, as he was using an intangibility spell. Twilight was so frustrated, she didn't stop trying to punch him, and kept on trying as the he explained.

"She was taking up valuable time that we could have been using to get to Canterlot," he explained as he began walking forward, the other two following him. "Anyway, to answer your second question, that's none of your business," he answered, making Twilight confused. Before she had a chance to say anything, Ventus asked his own question.

"What are these elements that Miss Twilight mentioned?" Ventus asked.

Twilight was happy to explain. "They are the Elements of Harmony. Six powerful, magic artifacts that are wielded by me, and five others. Applejack, and that other pony you met are also wielders," Twilight explain, making Ventus look like a kid being told a bedtime story.

"Awesome. Tell me more," he requested with a smile and stiff wings.

Twilight cleared her throat to begin her long explanation. "Queen Celestia and her sister originally found them to battle Discord, a spirit of chaos," she began, Ventus being fully absorbed into her explanation. While they were having their chat, Great One looked back at them and smiled.

"Even if he is dangerous, I'm sure Twilight can easily befriend him. Which will make him loyal to Celestia by extension," he thought, eager to make Ventus his pawn. He then looked forward, and saw on the outskirts of Ponyville, a silver Piaggio P.180 Avanti jet that had a symbol of the sun on its nose.

"-and then we used the Elements to seal Discord again when he escaped his prison" Twilight finished. Ventus was amazed at this. To think that he happened to be friends with a wielder of such powerful artifacts. He felt like Twilight was someone he could relate to. He and Twilight were snapped out of their bonding by Great One.

"If you two lovebirds are done flirting, then we can leave for Canterlot," he said with a smirk on his face. Twilight and Ventus blushed at his words. To them, the idea of hooking up now would be foolish. They barely even knew each other.

"S-so, how exactly did you find Ventus?" Twilight asked, remembering that she asked the same question before in order to change the subject.

"Don't you remember,Twilight? You mentioned his description in the letter you sent to the Queen," the stallion replied before getting in his plane.

Ventus nodded. "Mister Great One found me via some kind of spell," he answered, satisfying Twilight. Both he and Twilight then boarded the plane.

The interior of the aircraft was small. There were only eight passenger's seats, all of them made of some kind of blue fur. Unlike most planes, the pilot's seat was visible from the passengers' view and there only seemed to be one. Other than the seats, the inside of the plane looked ordinary. Great One took the pilot's seat, while Twilight and Ventus took passengers' seats directly behind him.

"All set?" Great One asked. The other two nodded in response. After this, the plane took off to the sky with great speed. The sudden burst of speed almost made the three ponies have heart attacks. In less than twenty seconds, the plane was in the air.

To Ventus, being this high in the sky was nothing new, but to Twilight, being so high at great speeds made her a bit uncomfortable and queasy. This wasn't the first time she had been this high, but it was the first time she had gone this fast. Ventus noticed Twilight's discomfort and tried to distract her with a conversation.

"I noticed that you don't like Mister Great One. Why's that?" he asked, making Twilight have a greater look of discomfort on her face. This was obviously a touchy subject for her.

"Because he's a fat, sociopathic, arrogant, unreasonable douche," Twilight responded. "Seriously, if I had one wish, I would wish that his mother miscarried when she was pregnant with him so my life could be happy," she said casually, causing Ventus to have a shocked look, and Great One to chuckle.

"Ouch," the portly pony responded sarcastically.

Ventus was almost speechless. "So... what did he do to make you wish that?" he asked with a scared look on his face.

Twilight had to clear her throat. "He's an ex-teacher from Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorn's, one of the most renowned magic universities in the country. And I had the misfortune of having that psychopath as my teacher," Twilight explained in stress while pointing at the psychopath in question.

"You know Twilight, I would think you would be a little grateful, seeing as how you wouldn't have the amount of skill necessary if it weren't for me," Great One countered. Twilight started growling and lighting up her horn.

"What did he do that was so bad?" Ventus asked in a tone that indicated both annoyance and curiosity. Twilight then calmed down, though she still looked pretty angry.

"Where do I begin? Well, for starters, he threw chalk at the students whenever they incorrectly answered a question!" the mare yelled, her horn sparking a bit.

Ventus looked confused. "That doesn't sound so bad," he said, unprepared for what Twilight would say next.

"When I say he threw chalk, I mean he threw it hard. As in, hard enough to get stuck in somepony's throat! Mainly mine," she expounded, making Ventus's mouth gape in shock. "But that's not all. One time, he actually deprived his students of food and water as part of our training. He claimed it would make us better at performing magic."

It was then that Ventus's opinion of Great One changed. Ventus thought he was just kind of a jerk at first. Now, Ventus thought of him as a monster. "That sick bastard," was all he had to say about the other stallion. "It's a good thing he isn't a teacher now," Ventus said, before getting a piece of chalk thrown at his forehead by Great One.

It was surprisingly painful for Ventus. "Ouch!" he said rubbing his forehead.

"I have no problem with you calling me a monster," Great One began, before levitating another piece of chalk. "However, saying that me not being a teacher is a good thing is something I will not accept," he finished before throwing the other piece of chalk at Ventus's stomach. Ventus's yelped in pain and rubbed his stomach. It was at this moment that Twilight decided to stand up and defend her friend.

"This what I mean!" she yelled before trotting over to where the pilot was. He paid her no attention and continued flying. "Don't you ignore me! I don't care if you are the Queen's advisor nor do I care you are part of a milita-"

"Oh look we're at Canterlot, can we continue this conversation never?" the cruel pony said before going for his landing. The plane then started nosediving downwards. Unfortunately, since Twilight was standing up, gravity took effect and she was flung and stuck behind the pilot's seat. Ventus, who was wearing a seat belt, then summoned his Keyblade and used telekinesis, unsticking Twilight from the seat and suspending her in the air until the plane landed.

And soon enough, it did, as Twilight and Ventus could tell. The landing was somewhat rough, but not dangerously so. As soon as the plane was still, Twilight was let down, and she started wobbling and feeling sick. After this, Great One got out of his pilot seat and magically opened the plane's door. Twilight then immediately ran out. Retching noises were heard, making Great One grimace.

"She can't even handle a little rough landing. I'll have to fix that," the adviser thought while writing down something in a notebook he summoned via magic. He then teleported the notebook and pen away before Ventus noticed. Great One then went outside, Ventus doing the same.

When the two males got outside, they saw Twilight with a dizzy look on her face. She wobbled around, almost falling off the edge, if not for Ventus's quick thinking of using telekinesis. After Twilight was rescued, Ventus looked at his surroundings and saw that they were on a rectangular, floating, metallic platform. When Ventus looked around he saw various other platforms of around the same size, some of which also had planes on them. The platforms were arranged in an way that formed a circle, and in the center of them was something that made Ventus's jaw drop.

A tall, prominently white castle with golden spires, flags with symbols of the sun, flowers and various other decorations. He could see rich ponies going in and out of the castle. Ventus thought it looked cool, and couldn't control himself. Since there was seemingly no way to get to the castle by foot, he foolishly decided to try to fly in order to get a closer look. Unfortunately, he was stopped by Twilight Sparkle's magic.

"You can't just go flying around the Canterlot castle as you please! The guards will shoot you," Twilight warned as she gently lowered the pegasus. Ventus then blushed in embarrassment and tried to change the subject.

"Since you know that I wield a Keyblade, I want to know why you called me," he said to Great One in a serious voice. Great One was ignoring him while his eyes were closed and his horn was lit. "You know, it's rude to ignore someone," Ventus said. Great One was still ignoring him, so Ventus sighed. Seeing as how he wasn't allowed to fly to the castle, he wondered how he would get there if the platforms were so far away. He soon got his answer.

Suddenly, Ventus felt motion under his feet. He looked around and tried to see what this new phenomenon was. He looked down, and saw that the platform was moving towards the castle. Ventus was impressed once again. This world would probably never cease to amaze him.

As the platform got closer to the castle, the three ponies saw an extended, rectangular section of the castle made of metal that was sticking out on the same altitude as the platform they were standing on. The platform they were standing on connected to the extended section, allowing them to access the castle.

Great One then walked forward and motioned for the other two to follow him. They did so, with Twilight simply walking forward, and Ventus looking around to observe the scenery. He then remembered something.

"Hey, I wanna know two things: One: How do you know what a Keyblade is? Two: Why exactly have you invited me here?" he asked with a somewhat suspicious voice.

This time Great One was willing to respond, though he didn't look back. "To answer your first question, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to give out that information," he said before coming across a large metal door with a red screen with a raven on it. "It's me," he said to the door. At that moment, the screen turned blue, and the raven spread its wings. The door then opened automatically. Behind the door was a dark passageway with descending stairs. The three then went started trotting down them, continuing their conversation.

"Before you ask him anymore questions, Ventus, I want to know what a Keyblade is," Twilight asked in an authorative tone.

"It's the sword I use," Ventus said, trying to give as little information as possible. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn't satisfied with just that amount of information.

"I know that," Twilight said while rolling her eyes, insulted by Ventus's pathetic attempt to avoid answering questions. "I mean I want to know more about it. I want to know how it works, where and how they're made, and other general information," Twilight demanded.

Ventus was about to say something, when Great One interrupted. "Keyblades are made from hearts," Great One said, making Twilight shocked.

"Hearts!? I think I'm gonna be sick," the mare said.

Great One chuckled and continued his explanation. "I don't mean the physical heart, Twilight. I meant heart in the emotional sense. You see, Keyblades are not manufactured, and given, they are born from individuals who have certain traits in their hearts."

"What traits are those?" Twilight asked with a grin. This was getting juicy. At this point, Ventus had given up on trying to prevent Twilight from learning, simply choosing to let Great One explain.

"Courage, determination, confidence, and numerous others. There have been many Keyblade wielders throughout history. They can come from any species on any planet. Ventus's status of being a Keyblade wielder is the reason we have called him for an extremely important duty," he explained. At this moment Ventus chose to speak up.

"What duty is that exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

"Do you remember the thief you apprehended three days ago?" Great One asked.

"Yeah?" Ventus said, wanting to know where this was going.

Great One's tone turned to one of worry. "Well, as it turns out, he was actually working for an army that lives on an entirely different planet. He was only stealing things to make it stronger," he explained, with Twilight and Ventus gasping in shock, the later gaining his composure quickly before turning his face into a frown. At this point, Ventus could figure out why he was called.

"So I take it you're requesting for me to fight for you?" Ventus said with a noticeably angered tone that made it seem like he didn't want to fight. This change in tone didn't go unnoticed by Great One, so he tried to gain sympathy by giving himself a frightened tone.

"Please, I ask of you to assist us, Keyblade wielder! Our planet is in danger of being colonized! In fact, the one we are fighting has an army of three planets," Great One revealed, making Twilight and Ventus gasp with fear and shock.

Ventus had taken on many powerful foes in the past, but an army of that size was something new. He had heard of stories of rulers colonizing countries before. However, an army strong enough to take over other planets was insane and frightening. Even so, he was still willing to fight. He may have hated war, but it was cleat that the citizens of this planet were obviously victims.

Twilight had similar feelings. Although she had fought a few powerful foes in the past, something of this level of danger was off the charts compared to what she had faced then. Although the Elements of Harmony were powerful, Twilight had a feeling they wouldn't be enough for what they were going to face.

"So when and where will they first attack?" Ventus said courageously. Great One smiled at the fact that Ventus was willing to help. Twilight felt a sense of hope and courage in her heart and put on a serious face.

"Two days from now this castle will be attacked. In addition, I have called you here in order to test and train you for the upcoming battles," the noble explained with a tone worthy of that of a leader. "But be warned, my training is very strict and is probably like nothing you've seen before. Are you up for the task?"

Ventus gave a cocky smirk and summoned his Keyblade. "I'll use my Keyblade to protect the innocent regardless of the opponent's strength."

As if on cue they had reached their destination. It wasn't what Ventus and Twilight were expecting in the least.

The area was a wide library with hundreds of books on the steel shelves, all of which contained black magic. The floor was concrete, something you wouldn't expect in a castle. Most noticeable was a tall electric fence that blocked access to the books.

Ventus was confused. "A library? Reading is my training?" he asked with disappointment. Twilight took offense at his tone and socked him in the jaw.

"You idiot! Don't you realize how useful this is?" she said before grinning widely and beginning to talk quickly and excitedly, almost like a fangirl. "These books books contain the spells used by the Dark Angels, one of the most elite military forces in our country! What this means, is that they are going to give us access to their-"

"I'm afraid you're incorrect Twilight Sparkle," the other unicorn said, spoiling Twilight's fun and causing her to gain a look of shock on her face. "You know Queen Celestia has laws regarding dark magic. She would kill me if I gave out these books to just anypony."

Disappointed, Twilight teared up and looked at the spell books the same way one would look at a dead loved one. "I love you," she said to the forbidden books, which made Ventus look at her with pity and fear.

"So if we're not here to learn new spells, then what are we here for?" Ventus asked. Suddenly, a shining light appeared in front of the three ponies, forcing them to cover their eyes. After the light died down, they saw the beautiful and majestic Queen Celestia.

Twilight and Great One bowed before her, with Ventus doing the same a few seconds after. Ventus looked up a the Queen, admiring her. She was everything he expected to see in a queen: strong, beautiful, and giving a off a sense of trust. The three smaller ponies stopped their bowing, ready to get to business. The queen then trotted towards Ventus, staring at him in disapproval. The pegasus looked up at her with slight fear in his heart.

"I assumed he would be much taller and fit," Celestia said, with Ventus gaining a tick-mark on his head. Celestia noticed this. "B-b-but I'm sure size isn't everything. Now tell me, have you been informed of why you are here?"

Ventus and Twilight nodded. "Queen, If it doesn't bother you, I would like to ask a question," Twilight requested.

"What is it,my student?" Celestia asked nicely, yet cautiously. Twilight gulped at her cautious tone.

"Why exactly didn't you have the other Elements come here? I'm sure they could have helped," Twilight said, hoping she didn't ask anything offensive.

Princess Celestia answered suspiciously hesitantly, almost as if she was lying. "Well you are the only one I can trust. Your rational and analytical personality along with specialization in magic make you a valuable asset in the war," she said, with Twilight becoming shocked and shaking. She wasn't expecting to have to be a participant.

"With all due respect Queen, I simply can't. While both of those things you said are indeed the truth, I'm not in any way, shape, or form, a warrior. Besides, I still don't see why we can't tell the rest of the Elements. Why do you want only me?" Twilight asked with fear and suspicion. Celestia leaned down at Twilight and whispered.

"Because I need you for an important part in this war," she said to Twilight who was confused by her whispering. Unfortunately, Ventus decided to speak his mind to the Queen.

"Why does Miss Twilight have to fight in this war!?" he yelled audaciously as his Keyblade glowed, looking as if he was ready to attack. Great One intervened, standing in front of the Queen as his horn was glowing. Suddenly, Ventus felt pain in his internal organs. It felt as if they were being stabbed. He merely grunted despite the torture.

"Now, now, now, I should warn you that if you try anything hasty, there will be worse than what I just gave you," Great One stated calmly as he stopped his spell, letting Ventus feel relief. Great One then went over to Ventus and glared at him. "Just for that, I'm going to make your test two times harder."

Ventus was confused. "Test? What am I going to be tested in?" he asked while Great One's horn was glowing. Suddenly, the floor they were on started shaking. Celestia and Ventus flew, while Twilight tripped and lied on the ground. Suddenly, cracks in the ground started forming, and the temperature started rising at a rapid pace. Eventually, a horrifying monster popped out of the cracks, directly in front of Twilight.

The monster in question looked like a large, train-sized worm made of magma, only it had a large, perfectly circular mouth with a row of sharp teeth. The rocks of the magma didn't seem to be budging any time soon, so the ponies were safe from lava spillage.

Twilight was scared due to being almost eaten, Great One smirked, Celestia looked slightly afraid, and Ventus looked ready to fight. The monster seemed to be interested in Twilight, as everyone could tell from the way the monster leaned down at her. It seemed almost allured by her scent. Twilight sweated at the violation of her personal space

Ventus immediately rushed over to the monster, blocking the its "view." "I assume this is the test," he stated with a serious voice. He then used a spell to put a shield around himself and Twilight. "A cherufe. Not bad."

Twilight's eyes then widened after she calmed down. "You've seen this thing before?" she asked in confusion. Ventus ignored her, focusing on keeping up his shield, even though the monster didn't seem to be paying attention anymore. Celestia then used a spell to teleport both herself and Twilight on the other side of the electric fence. "Why did you have him summon that monster!?" Twilight yelled at the Queen. She was glad to be safe, but she still wanted to help her friend.

Celestia sighed at her emotional subject, but was willing to explain. "Twilight, this is how we are going to test him for the battle. But more importantly, there are two pieces of key information I need to tell you," she said before leaning down and whispering. "Without him hearing."

Twilight whispered to Celestia, deciding to play along. "What exactly is it you need to tell me that he can't hear about?" she asked before hearing a loud roar from the other side of the fence. She looked over, and saw that the cherufe was ready to attack. The creature opened its mouth wide, trying to bite the shield Ventus created. Surprisingly, the mundane method seemed to be effective, seeing as how Ventus not only had to struggle to keep the shield up, but how the shield was also cracking in spite of his efforts.

Eventually, the worm managed to bite through the shield, with Ventus just barely escaping. He soared in the air, high above the beast's reach. He then tried to use magic to shoot shards of ice at the creature. As soon as they hit, they started expanding, as if they were trying to freeze the beast to death. However, the creature's body heated, and melted the ice.

Great One then clapped sarcastically. "Because shooting ice at a creature made of lava would work. Even if you didn't know what a cherufe was, it should have been obvious," he chastised. He then took out a notebook. "Note to self: Ventus is an idiot."

Ventus then smiled sheepishly. "I just assumed my ice spell would freeze the bastard. Guess I got a bit cocky. Besides, I know what a cherufe is: They live in volcanoes, ancient cultures sacrificed to it, hoping it would leave them alone, and it prefers to snack on virgin girls," he explained. At that moment, the creature opened its mouth even wider, and it started glowing. In five seconds, a stream of fire came out, forcing Ventus to fly around.

"Yes but they also like virgin males as well. Tell me, do you have a lover? If not have you ever had sex?" asked Great One. This was an odd question to Ventus, so he acted accordingly.

"Why are you asking that sort of thing in a situation like this!?" Ventus asked disgustedly while blushing before deciding to use magic. His Keyblade glowed brightly, and he shot a white energy ball towards his opponent. As soon as it hit, it didn't damage the creature at all, rather it stopped moving entirely. It didn't even seem to be breathing. Ventus sighed as he was finally able to take a moment of rest and think of a plan, however, that would have to wait.

"I merely asked you because we are going to have to get to know each other," Great One stated. Ventus hit him over the head for this.

"Yeah, but haven't even know each other for that long! Besides, why would you want to know if I have a lover anyway?" he asked, unable to believe that he was having this conversation.

"I suspected that you didn't due to the fact that the cherufe was chasing you," Great One explained before pointing behind Ventus. "Speaking of the cherufe," he said before teleporting away, which Ventus instantly knew was a bad sign. He was right, as the cherufe had became unfrozen, and continued to breath fire, which Ventus reacted to by flying around.

Celestia took this time to continue her conversation with Twilight. "As you can see Twilight, having a Keyblade wielder as a member of our military would be a most wonderful thing. That is why I need you," the Queen explained while looking at the battle. At this point, Ventus left behind a trail of small swords made of light as he flew, which circled around the cherufe.

Twilight was still confused. She knew she could simply copy Ventus's spells, but that wouldn't instantly make her a great fighter. That would require months of training. "I don't get it. In what way can I be useful? All of the spells I know generally aren't something you would see in war, or fights in general," Twilight explained. She then looked at Ventus and sighed. "In what way can I be useful?"

Celestia smiled. "Your only duty will be to get to know and become close to Ventus," she said to Twilight who sighed in relief, but was still quite confused.

"How will befriending him help us in our battle?" she asked. Celestia then chuckled, and said something Twilight never thought she would hear Celestia say.

"I never said you would befriend him. I want you to become his lover," Celestia said. At this moment, Twilight was definitely more surprised. All of these surprises, from the Knowledge of the Keyblade, the news of the war, and now this!

"Whoa, hold the phone! Why would I want to become his lover? Yeah he's nice, strong, and kind of handsome, but I barely know the guy!" Twilight said in fury. She wasn't even interested in starting a relationship. Celestia put her hoof over the smaller mare's mouth to explain herself.

"You don't have to fall in love with him," Celestia stated.

Twilight let out a muffled "Huh?" in response.

Celestia then looked over and pointed at Ventus, who pointed his sword at his magma covered enemy. As soon as he did this, the smaller swords flew at his target at high speeds, stabbing it. The creature didn't cry out in pain or flinch. However, it did flinch a bit as soon as they did something unexpected: explode. This power of the blast managed to destroy a small part of its "skin" causing some of the lava inside to leak a little.

Celestia then turned towards Twilight. "Even if he is kind, his powers are simply too great to ignore. That is why I need you to form a false romance with him," she explained, before taking her hoof off of Twilight's mouth. Twilight respected her Queen very much, and while she sometimes made questionable decisions, this was too far.

"That sounds worse! It's against my morals to manipulate somepony in any way, shape, or form!" Twilight yelled in Celestia's ear before getting her mouth covered again.

Celestia then decided to explain herself more clearly to Twilight. "Twilight, are you loyal to me?" she asked. Her student nodded slowly but surely. "Then you must understand that by forming a relationship with him, he will also show loyalty towards me, thereby insuring that he will not try to harm us," Celestia explained before taking her hoof off of Twilight's mouth.

Even though Celestia explained herself to Twilight, this was still a serious consideration. Twilight didn't want to have to manipulate someone for power, but seeing that Celestia, her role model, was telling her to. Twilight was completely confused. She didn't answer.

Celestia saw the look of confusion in Twilight's eyes and tried to make things easier for her. "Twilight, I know this goes against your morals, however, you have to remember that morality is not completely black and white. Many people considered heroes have had to commit unrighteous acts in the name of the greater good."

This seemed to make things slightly easier for Twilight. "I'll think about it. Anyway, what was that other piece of information you wanted to tell me?" Twilight asked, trying to change the uncomfortable subject.

Celestia sighed at the pleased that Twilight didn't accept her decision completely. "I will have to explain it to you somewhere more private," Celestia said before teleporting both herself and Twilight, meaning the only ones in the room were Ventus and the cherufe.

While Twilight and Celestia were speaking, Ventus was struggling against the cherufe. It's armor was surprisingly tough, plus its ability to breath fire made it hard to attack the inside of its mouth. The only form of progress Ventus had made was cracking some of its armor, and even then that had only gave him less room on the floor due to the lava that spilled out of the wound. Ventus had shot some water spells at the lava, solidifying it, but not cooling it.

Ventus was basically in a pickle.

"Why couldn't I be fighting something easier? Like a phantom? Or a harpy? Hell, even a freaking hydra would be a cakewalk compared to this guy," Ventus complained. He then began to try to think of a plan. "I know in the original story, it was killed with a freezing sword, but my ice spells wouldn't even give it frostbite."

The cherufe then did something unexpected: it stopped breathing fire. This was surprising considered that it seemed to be working, keeping Ventus at bay, making him wonder what its next course of action would be. He got his answer: the ground started rumbling, and the cherufe was sinking into the ground.

"Did it decide to give up?" asked Ventus to himself, hoping it did. His wings were getting tired. Unfortunately, the rumbling underground answered unfavorably. The cherufe popped out of the ground, deciding to eat Ventus. Ventus naturally used his wings to fly out of harm's way, barely managing to escape the beast's mouth due to his lack of energy. Ventus watched as the gargantuan monster rose out of the ground, intimidated by its massive length. It almost reached the ceiling! The cherufe eventually stopped after it seemed to realize that his meal was below him. It then "looked" down, diving at the pegasus.

Ventus obviously scared. His wings barely had enough juice to fly anymore, and the floor was littered with lava. He cursed under his breath as the beast got closer. In spite of the stressful situation he was in, he still wanted to fight this enemy. After all, if he died, he wouldn't be able to save this planet of becoming a colony.

"Well it looks like I only have one choice," Ventus said under his breath as he pointed his Keyblade at the cherufe. In spite of the tiredness of his wings, he had plenty of energy to use magic. Ventus's Keyblade glowed with a blue light as he channeled all of his strength into it. He would die if his plan didn't work, so he had nothing to lose. After a few seconds he shouted "Blizzaja!" and shot a lance made of ice out his sword. The lance flew with the speed of a bullet. Its target: down the cherufe's throat.

The cherufe's mouth was wide open, meaning that the lance would have no trouble getting down the beast's throat. The monster swallowed the lance just as Ventus's wings gave out and he started slowly gliding towards one of the spots that didn't have lava on it. After three seconds, the cherufe screeched in pain as the ice started to cool its body. Unlike the previous ice spell, this one seemed to effect the cherufe, due to its increased power. The inside of its mouth rapidly turned blue, showing that the blizzard magic had harmed it greatly. Eventually, the blue spots were covered in ice. The cherufe tried to heat the inside of its mouth, but it was found impossible. Eventually, the beast lost its energy as the ice started sticking out of its mouth, crashing down on the ground.

Ventus looked over at the cherufe, and saw that it was dead, making him sigh in relief. "Dead from frostbite and suffocation. What a way to go," he said before fainting from the lack of energy. After this, Great One teleported back inside to observe the results. He didn't seem to shocked to see his monster dead, but he was still disgusted by Ventus fainting.

"I thought you would have been stronger than that. Guess I should up the level of training for the battle," he said. After this, a black spider crawled over to Great One. He let it crawl up his hooves before lifting the hoof he was looking at to observe it. "Thanks to these Allseeing Spiders, I effectively have eyes in multiple places. I don't know how I would've found Ventus if not for you," he said before using his magic to teleport the spider away. He then used his magic to levitate Ventus before walking out of the entrance they came in.

"After I take him to a bed, I need to send an email to the other country's rulers. Queen Celestia has some interesting deals and proposals in mind: proposals that they will have to be stupid to not to agree to," Great One said to himself as he exited the training room.

Universe is Magic: Kingdom Hearts

by cybirddude

Chapter 1: The Swordspony

Chapter 2: The Thief

Chapter 3: Interrogation

Chapter 4: The Test