> Kingdom Hearts: Star Swirl´s Legacy
>  by NightmareShredder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Prologue



Only the silvery shimmer of the moon and stars illuminated the pitch black darkness of Luna's room while she meditated to travel through the many dreams of her subjects. Helping some ponies to get through their problems in their dreams was one of her many duties, but with upcoming fall and much longer nights, she would be able to handle all this a lot better.

Princess Luna liked dreamwalking very well. Some ponies really had the weirdest psyches and using her powers to fix fears and difficulties always was a unique experience to her.

She remembered this one time when she helped that filly. What was her name again? 

Ah yes! Sweetie Belle. I guess I went a bit overboard there. That certainly was one disturbing lesson I taught her! 

Luna chuckled a bit while remembering how she scared the hell out of that little girl by showing her Rarity´s mental breakdown after Sweetie´s interference.

She just reminded me too much of myself I guess. I made it up to her by helping to fix the headdress, but I should check on her from time to time.

Hatred that blossomed from jealousy was probably no laughing matter, the princess was a living evidence for that, and Luna's actions certainly did the trick, but it was really easy to mess up big time inside other people's minds.

Maybe I can make a quick detour now, just to make sure everything is still alright.

As she reached out to Ponyville with her magic, something else got her attention before she found Sweetie Belle. She could feel the strangest dream waves coming from the Crystal Tree Castle. Was Princess Twilight having nightmares?

Luna's dream form turned around and landed on the balcony to Twilight's chambers. She passed through the double windows and found the alicorn lying in her bed, fast asleep. Most parts of the room were taken by a lavender stream that flowed and wrapped around the Princess of Friendship.

She was about to touch the stream and dive right into it as she felt resistance. What is this? She thought. This had never happened before.

Luna tried to dive in again, but with no success. The princess pushed forward with more force now but the breakthrough never came.

Okay, I guess magic will do the trick then. 

Luna took a few steps backwards as her horn began to shine in a dark blue aura. Quickly, she dashed head on into the barrier.

She felt a sharp pain raging through her head as her horn seemed to crash into a steel wall. The only reason why it did not just break into tiny pieces of bones was that while dreamwalking, she had no actual physical body. The headaches later would be pretty bad though. Dazed from the impact, Luna shook her head to clear her vision again.

As she cleared her eyes of the tears of pain, she saw a door-like structure made of lavender light in front of her.

What in Celestia's name is Twilight hiding so deep in her heart that even I can´t break through? Luna wondered. She would ask her that the next time she met with her.

Suddenly she felt a strange sensation. Something wasn´t right.





The sound of thunder ripped Luna out of the out-of-body experience. She was a bit disoriented at first. Being forced back in such a short time wasn´t a comfortable sensation. The headaches were terrible and she had to lie down for a second first.

Soon enough, another feeling distracted the Moon Princess.

It felt like something in her night sky had been shattered, a strange sensation she had never felt before. She shook awake as a tickling wandered from her horn through her whole body like a soft stream of electricity.

"What just happened?" she asked herslf, shuddering a bit. Every hair on her body stood on end as this unknown feeling washed over her.

Luna jumped to her hooves, opened the window to her balcony, and walked over to her telescope. Her starry, ethereal mane caught the wind that seemed to be filled with some kind of magic because it felt like it carried small amounts of sand that tickled her skin. As she observed the sky, she wasn´t sure if it still was her night.

The sky was glowing slightly and it looked like it was breaking apart as shards fell from it and desolved in midair, revealing a new sky with hundreds of new stars she had never seen before.

As Luna looked around, she saw the royal guards looking up in confusion. For a few seconds, she wasn´t able to say anything. This wasn´t like anything she had ever imagined.

Then she caught herself again and in her royal Equestrian voice she commanded: "Do not panic! Get both captains here immediately! And notify my sister!“

Luna's horn flashed as she reached out with her magic to get a better feel of her surroundings which were still sizzling with that strange power. It somehow felt familiar ... she  just could not put her hoof on it.

Whatever this was, it was big! "Maybe we should request the aid of someone else as well."





The nightmare stared up. She could feel the new kind of power that was lingering in the air around her. They did it! They actually did it!

I think i should probably leave now as well. This may probably turn some heads and I don't want to face any resistance so early in our plans!

"Well now... you did well my dear," she heard from behind her and turned around, scared because she didn´t expect that someone was still with her after her minions left.

Even though the nightmare was a creature of the night herself, the silhouette in front of her still sent shivers down her spine. The fairy was tall, wore a long, tattered cloak and her appearance almost fused with the the darkness around her. 

If there hadn´t been her staff and her slightly glowing, green, reptile-like eyes that seemed to pierce through even flesh to see into the nightmare's very soul, one might mistake her for the night itself. In the eerie light of the dark fairy´s staff, the mare could just make out the two horns originating from her head and bowed before her.

"Now, now my dear Nightmare, you don´t have to bow before me anymore. You are a queen remember?" the fairy said with a soothing tone, caressing the nightmare's green and blue mane. "Soon, the Heartless will come here and every single pony will bow to you."

The nightmare was happy to be praised by this being. This praise had two meanings.

First, that she was still getting closer to her goal, and otherwise that her dark mistress didn´t have any reason to crush her. This fairy´s power was far beyond anything she knew so far.

But that was the thing that bothered her most. Why is she working with me? Knowing her for two months now, I know it isn´t out of pure kindness.

The mare rose her head. "Why are doing this? I still can´t see how this is helping you. You are not from here anyway."

"Aftereverything I did for you, you dare to doubt me ? Now, after I have given you and your minions the posibility to survive?" Her magic now illuminated the whole chamber. The green light shimmered in the crystal tree behind her.

"N-No ... I ..." the nightmare stepped back a little. She regretted her decision to question the fairy immediately.

"You will see. I see great potential within you. Cast this land into the void of darkness. This will be enough."

The Nightmare nodded as her mistress emitted more eerie light and weaved a spell out of pure, dark magic. The tree cracked and was shattered from the raw power. It was terrifying to see that this old guardian of the Everfree was smashed without any visible effort of that witch.

"It will take some time for the Heartless to come here. This world was closed off for a long time after all." the fairy said. "Wait until then! Unleash your minions in as many places as you can and bring the Elements of Harmony to our destination! Then this world shall be yours!" She turned around to look the mare in the eyes again.

The fairy vanished in green flames, her voice echoing trough the room one last time. "Rise now and plant the seeds of darkness in their hearts, Nightmare Oblivion!"





Pete stared in the dancing flames while waiting for Maleficent in the clearing. He had nothing to do and the staring contests against her raven Diablo just rose his boredom even more.

Finishing his job in the old castle´s ruins had not been that difficult and just sitting around between trees wasn´t really exciting either.

"Damn that witch ... taking her sweet time!" he muttered to himself, slowly dozing off.

Then, a pillar of flames rose from  the bonfire, turning it into smothering ashes and let Pete jump up in shock, landing flat on his back.

"What the heck was that for?" he complained.

Maleficent just ignored him. Diablo sat down on her shoulder. "Did you find it?"

Of course! She nearly fries my brows off, scares the hell out of me and stuff but business first huh? Damn witch!

"Yes I did. Do you really think it will help us?" Pete answered, revealing a book from his pockets. "I mean, it is only a dusty, old book."

A satisfied smile lightened up Malificent's face as she took the old tome and caressed over the brown, leather cover. The binding displayed  three stars made of some clear crystal, that began to shimmer under her touch.

"Just wait and see!" she laughed joylessly. "From this bright world, we will cast the darkest shadow over each other world."

With this, her staff and eyes flashed and black thorn hedges began to grow alongside her way.
> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter One – The Dream


Twilight felt a warm breeze on her skin. It carried the smell of fallen leaves, grass, and earth to her and painted a colorful picture of the coming season in her mind. The last warm days before fall were beautiful. The sun, the sound of the lake, the grass beneath her, everything was so peaceful. So quiet … 

Perhaps a bit too quiet?

She opened her eyes and found herself under a tree at the lake near Ponyville. Everything seemed to be good, but something really bugged her. Where was everypony?

So much to see.

“What?“

So much to learn.

Startled by the strange voice that rang in her head, she got up and looked around.

The door is about to unlock. Are you afraid?

To be honest, she totally was. What the hay was going on? There was most definitely no door that needed unlocking around here.

“What am I doing here?“

Step forward now. The path is clear.

As she took a step forward, the ground began to shine.

But what does it bring? Salvation … 

A thin line of light made it´s way to the lake and began to draw a picture on its surface. Fascinated by this magical spectacle, Twilight kept walking forward, stepping onto the lake. Before she knew what she was doing, she stood in the middle of it and looked around. The surface looked like some kind of stained glass window, showing the Tree of Harmony in all its glory.

Amazed by the beauty and detail of this unnatural structure beneath her hooves that even put the windows in Celestia's castle to shame, Twilight was filled with a deep peace and nearly forgot about the strangeness of this situation.

… Or doom?

Everything around the lake suddenly was engulfed in green flames.

Shocked by the sudden display of destruction, all she could do was to watch how the fire consumed the houses, the trees, her castle, her friends … 

She spread her wings to fly over to Ponyville, which was right behind her. She was interrupted by a mass of a strange, black liquid that landed directly in front of her.

Twilight screamed in terror as the puddle of black mud spread all over the floor like a stain of living ink that crept around to corner her.

Will you face the darkness … 

Two other masses of the sludge came down. The black substance circled around her and tried to grab her right hoof. Panic began to wash through her head and she flew straight up to get away.

“No, no, no, no, no! This can´t be happening. I have to save the others quickly!”

She just wanted to get away. A million thoughts ran in circles in her head, but in her state, she was not even able compose herself anymore. 

...or go down in fear?

More darkness fell down on her, smashing her into the stained glass. The impact was strong enough to shatter it into a million pieces and Twilight saw them sink into a dark pool of liquid fear, rage, despair and hatred.

She couldn´t think straight; everything was happening so fast, her mind wasn´t able to make sense of what happened. Slowly but surely, she was dragged into the pure darkness.

Twilight couldn´t see anymore. The darkness around her was complete. It robbed her of sight, hearing and feeling. Even her taste was taken when the black liquid filled her mouth and her thoughts.

She could not breathe! Air … ! Air … 

Do not be afraid.

The shards of shattered glass formed nine shining stars swirling down near her, engulfing everything in a blinding light. Twilight lay there, twitching and coughing; the light calmed her down in its soothing warmth that wiped away every last drop of darkness.

Because you bear a light stronger than all.

The mare stood up. Her surroundings changed again. Now, the stained glass platform displayed the Crystal Empire. In the center, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence held the Crystal Heart. Everything around the platform was still obscured by deep shadows.

Can you feel it? Does it have a form? Give it a form.

What did the voice mean, a light stronger than all? What form could it have? Was it her magic? With this thought, her horn flashed to life and Twilight created a glowing image of her cutie mark.

No, that wasn’t it. This symbolized her talent, her place in the world, but it wasn´t what made her stronger. The one thing that always helped her, even through the worst hardships, was friendship. Without her friends, she would not have stood a chance against Nightmare Moon, Discord or Tirek. Alone, she was weak.

You are not alone.

The pieces of the old platform, which were scattered all around her, began to glow and bloomed into flowers of light with all her friends standing in the blossoms. Everyone was there: Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, even the princesses and Discord took form.

But beware of the darkness that lurks in every heart!

Twilight looked around. What was this voice in her head trying to tell her?

She began to cough heavily. Her knees got weak and she collapsed on the floor while some of the liquified darkness forced its way out of her mouth and landed on the ground with a weak, splashing sound.

The small amount of black sludge crawled in the direction of the Crystal Heart, sank into it, and corrupted it. First the crystal turned dark purple, then black and, with a deep dark pulse, shattered it, leaving a hole from which small, shadowy creatures originated.

They looked kind of cute. A little smaller than Twilight even though they stood on two legs, and they seemed kind of restless. The creatures had two antennae on their heads, which were twitching as they came closer to her.

But when their empty yellow eyes fixed on the lavender pony and the shadows became more aggressive, with tension in their sharp clawed hands, all the cuteness was replaced with an image of a mindless beast, hunting it´s prey.

“N-no! Stay back! Don´t come any closer!” Twilight threatened the creatures with a shaking voice. Why was this happening? Fear crept back into her heart. She crawled backwards, still weak after the assault of pure darkness against her.

But she wasn´t alone. The enlightened silhouettes of her friends flowed into her, giving her strength and resolve. She had the power to defend herself against the darkness. The spark of friendship would never go out.

“I can do this!”

As one of her opponents tried to attack her, she took a step to the side and blasted him away with an energy blast from her horn. With one flap of her wings, she jumped over a few of them and cast a rain of magical light upon them, which caused the creatures to silently go down and fade away.

“Okay, now I have bought some time. I need to fix this platform!”
Twilight tried to put the shards of the crystal heart together again, but failed as the force of darkness broke her magical grip over and over.

When she realized that this wouldn't work, she was already surrounded by even more of those little shadows. Surprised by the sheer amount, she stumbled into one of them and got hit on her chest, leaving three nasty marks. Wincing, Twilight teleported out of the circle and prepared to attack.

The Princess of Friendship sprinted in the direction of one enemy, impaling him with her horn and throwing him into another shadow. With one flap of her right wing, she pushed away two jumping creatures while hurling one away with a powerful kick.

However, with every shadow she defeated, more came from the hole in the center.

“I have to do something! But how do I fix a structure I cannot analyze properly?” she asked herself, defending herself against a small army of shadows.

When they tried to encircle her again, she teleported herself into the air and hovered a few feet over them.

“There is only one way then.” Twilight said flying into the air, covering herself in a magical aura and diving directly through the shadows into the hole, causing a magenta colored maelstrom which consumed the shadows. “Ripping out the roots!”

So much to see.
So much to learn.
Let your light grow.

Twilight dashed through the darkness, going deeper and deeper into its depths.

She crashed into another platform. It was different. She could not make out what it was showing because of the black, chain-like patterns that covered it.

The darkness poured out of the center. “This must be the core of it all... but how do I stop this?”

She walked around it a bit more. “No, that's not it; it feels different.”

This was something darker. These little creatures had a similar feeling to them, but they seemed kind of mindless. Whatever she was looking at now felt much more evil. It was intelligent, controlled, deeper, stronger and most of all more evil than those shadows she had faced a few minutes ago.

Every new path brings new bonds.
Will you let them form?

The princess noticed a door just at the edge of the platform. Had it been there before?

Stepping closer to the door, she felt that this would change everything. That it would bring something into her life. Something new. Something big!

She wasn´t able to put her hoof on what this all meant, but she knew that whatever was happening, she was the one to solve it. She had to go on.

Twilight opened the door and saw it led into nothingness. “Well, isn´t that just nice?” she muttered. However, she felt like she could trust it. And even if not … she had wings after all.

She took a first, careful step.

Under her hoof appeared a step of stained glass in all colors of the rainbow, and another, and yet another.

Amazed by all what was happening around her, Twilight was sure she was dreaming. But why did it feel so different, so real? Was there a meaning still hidden from her? Maybe she was just going crazy.

The steps led to another round platform. Looking down at her hooves, she recognized herself filling half of the circle. It looked like she was sleeping. Her hooves in the picture seemed to hold something, but there seemed to be nothing there.

A bit further, she could make out a brown earth pony in a similar position, completing the circle. He wore a necklace with a crown shaped pendant. The cutie mark showed a strange fruit which resembled a star. This pony actually held a big key in his hooves. Between them, there was a portrait of a sunset at the beach. It somehow shimmered, as if it was real.

“Who is this?” she wondered, stepping further into the center.

Sora...

As Twilight repeated the name in her mind, she was roughly interrupted by a roaring sound. Her eyes widened in shock from what she had to see. A giant, black dragon descended from the void of darkness above her. The look in its menacing, green eyes sent shivers through every part of her body.

You must be ready to fight!

“Oh, hay no! You are kidding me!” she shouted. In that moment, a blaze of green fire shot out of the dragon’s mouth.

She dodged by leaping into the air and spiraled her way up, around the pillar of flames. The heat of the fire helped the alicorn to accelerate her flight. Twilight managed to concentrate enough magic to attack with a few lavender colored shots as well. However, the monster wasn´t fazed at all.

“How am supposed to deal with a dragon? Where is Fluttershy with her stare in a moment like this?” she complained while fireballs began to rain down.

She dodged a sweep of a black, spiked tail and rolled to the side to not be hit by one of the claws. When the beast angrily spit another fireball at her, the mare teleported directly in front of the scaled beast’s face and channeled all magic she could into one powerful beam.

The creature roared in pain and anger when the attack hit it directly in its eyes. It flailed its arms as it fell to the ground and hit her with the back of its claw.

The heavy hit tossed Twilight onto the ground as well and for a few moments, she was only able to cringe and moan in pain.

But there is still time.

She was hurled off the platform by a wave of white light. All she saw was nothingness. Twilight fainted.





When Twilight opened her eyes, all she saw was a purple dragon’s face with green eyes. “Wake up Twilight! You have to see this!”

She let out a shrill shriek, pushed Spike, who was standing beside her bed, away from her and jumped out from the other side, ready to attack. “What …? How … ? Why … ?” she panted.

“Woah! Come on, chill Twilight! What is wrong with you?” Spike asked with a startled look on his face.

Then it clicked inside her head. “Oh, I´m so sorry Spike! I just had … a strange dream.”

“You better be sorry! You really scared me!” the baby dragon complained.

Twilight relaxed and levitated him over, sitting him next to her to pet his head. “I´m sorry,“ she said. “So... what was it you woke me up for?”

“You must’ve been sleeping like a rock! There was that loud thunder outside, and suddenly the sky broke apart and everypony panicked. I don´t know what to...”

“The sky did what?” The alicorn threw him on her back with her telekinesis and sprinted outside to see what her assistant was talking about. Her mouth fell open and she looked up, stunned by the spectacle the night had to offer.

This was definitely something else. The air was filled with a weird sensation and the sky looked kind of strange. It was brighter than ever, and there were so many new stars she had never seen before.

Even though it was a beautiful sight, it did not seem right. By the sounds of scared ponies all around, she got the impression that a lot of Ponyville's citizens were more frightened than happy to see this change.

Some ponies already gathered in front of her castle and demanded answers, answers she would not be able to give. She had to think of something before things got out of hoof even more.

“What is going on here?” Twilight muttered. “Spike! We have to notify Celestia immediately!”

Right that moment, Spike choked and belched out a small, green flame from which a scroll with the royal seal on it came to be. “Or she just notifies us … ”



Dear Princess Twilight,

It seems that something strange occurred with the magical balance in Equestria. We couldn´t find a reason for this so far, but thanks to patrols around the Everfree Forest, we were able to tell that the problem originated from there.
Since this is different from anything we had ever imagined, we are not prepared for it. We have to decide on arrangements as soon as possible.
Gather your friends! We will hold council at your castle in about two hours.

Princess Celestia.



Wait a minute. Did Twilight just misread this? Even the princesses did not know the cause of this? As she looked at Spike, she saw the same bewilderment on his face that had been stuck on hers.

Life in Ponyville can never be easy huh? Well, I guess we should prepare for the worst.

“Come on Spike! This will be a long night, and I´m sure it won´t be easy to gather everypony in a panic like this. You stay here and prepare everything! Just work according to this emergency checklist!“

The scroll that suddenly manifested in Spike’s hand looked more like an over-sized roll of kitchen paper with thousands of instructions.

“While you do that, I’ll try to stop this panic and gather our friends. I´ll be back as fast as I can!”

With that, she turned around and spoke to her subjects again.

“Don´t worry everypony! Just gather around the town square and I´ll explain everything!” The alicorn called down to the frightened ponies, jumped from the balcony and turned in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

Spike looked at the hasting silhouette of Twilight, then back at the checklist, and again at Twilight, then kicked the ground.

“Ah crap!”
> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2 – The Gathering


"What did I just say?" Twilight's voice shook with disbelief as she winged her way towards Sugarcube Corner. "Everypony's going to be waiting for me, and I don't have anything to tell them!" For solace, she thought back to the last time something like this had happened; when she woke to find the Sun and Moon together in the sky. Everything had turned out okay, because she'd found her friends and together they'd made a plan.

And that's just what we'll do now, she thought, smiling at the sight of her destination. Pinkie Pie had decorated the bakery with dozens of star-shaped balloons and an enormous, deep blue banner emblazoned with glittering letters announcing "Gummy's Super Stellar-bration!" The pink pony herself bounced happily in front of the door, inviting passing ponies in with an unwavering grin.

"Oh hey, Twilight!" Pinkie waved her friend down as soon as she saw her. "Did you do something to the stars? I've never seen anything so amazing! It's like they're having the best party ever. I wanted to join in, but everypony just wants to panic instead!"

"No, I didn't! Doesn't it bother you at all?" Pinkie shook her head happily. "Listen, this is—" Twilight's eyes widened with inspiration. Of course! A Pinkie party was just what the town needed. She pulled a few balloons down with her magic and shoved the strings into Pinkie's hooves. 

" … just not big enough! Sugarcube Corner. For everypony, I mean." Twilight took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. "Find Rarity and tell the Mayor to gather everypony in the town square. I'll get the others."

Pinkie nodded. "Okie dokie!" she said, and hopped higher than Twilight had ever seen before. When she came down, it was with the banner neatly rolled and balanced perfectly on her back. Before Twilight could say anything, Pinkie was half a block away, bouncing in the direction of Rarity's Carousel Boutique.

Twilight took off again and scanned the horizon. Rainbow Dash would be a great help in finding the others. Twilight just needed to find her.

"I should research a tracking spell for times like this," Twilight sighed. Before she could think about how such a thing might work, however, something heavy slammed into the back of her head. "Aah!" she screamed, and scrambled to spread her wings, but couldn't stop herself ploughing into a hedge.

"Ow … " she groaned.

"Oh my! Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, Fluttershy. I walk away from stuff like this all the time." That rough, cocksure voice could only belong to one pony. Sure enough, when Twilight turned to look, there was Rainbow Dash shaking twigs and leaves out of her multicolored mane. She helped Twilight stand, then cuffed her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey!" she said. "What did I tell you about making note of everything when you're flying?"

"I was trying to find your house," said Twilight defensively.

Rainbow smiled indulgently. "Just remember next time. So, you were looking for me? Is this about, you know … " She waved a hoof at the sky.

Twilight nodded. "The Princesses are coming to my castle tonight to explain everything, and I want all you girls there. Pinkie and Rarity will meet us at the town square, but we still need to find Applejack."

"Then it's your lucky day." An orange pony wearing a felt hat and a relieved expression cantered up the road.

"Applejack!" they all cried in unison. She opened her mouth to respond, but Twilight cut her off.

"Is your family okay?"

Applejack nodded. "Big Mac and Granny are taking care of Apple Bloom and her friends. They'll be fine. I saw Spike too, when I went looking for y'all. He told me to tell you everything'll be ready for when the Princesses come."

"That's my Spike." Twilight smiled, then flared her wings purposefully. "Okay. There's no time to lose! Anything else you have to tell me, say it as we walk."

Fluttershy gave Rainbow a nudge. "Um," she said, "I think that means now would be a good time to tell her."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "Me and Fluttershy saw something totally weird going on in the Everfree Forest."

The Everfree Forest? That's where Princess Celestia said whatever happened, happened! "Tell me everything."

"Well, um, Tank had a cough, so Rainbow Dash brought him to me. We'd just gotten him to bed when—"

"There was this huge explosion! Like a sonic rainboom, but super loud, and deeper." Rainbow sounded almost jealous. Twilight nodded for her to continue. The pegasi's story agreed with Spike's so far. "I flew outside to check it out, and there were these two freaks coming out of the forest! One looked like a circus bear in blue and red overalls, but with cat ears and gorilla arms. The other was really tall and skinny, with horns like a minotaur and a black robe."

"I tried to get closer, but this crow tried to take my eye out!" Rainbow was covered in scratches from the crash, but the cut she jabbed a hoof at now looked particularly deep.

"The best flier in all of Equestria crashed into a crow?" teased Applejack. 

"And you lectured me about paying attention?" said Twilight indignantly. Rainbow blushed.

"He was a raven, and he attacked her," corrected Fluttershy. "I still don't understand why he did that. Normally ravens won't mob pegasi unless there's a lot of them, and even then only if they think they need to protect their nests."

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a grateful look. "Anyway, when I got rid of him, the freaks were gone. But there was this green light coming from the forest, and these thorny, black vines had sprung up out of nowhere!"

Applejack stopped walking and held up a hoof. "Woah, there. Y'mean like Discord's plunder-whosits?"

"I already told Rainbow, I'm sure Discord had nothing to do with this." Fluttershy sounded surprisingly vehement.

"I don't think he did either," said Twilight. It was true. The spirit of chaos had learned a lot about friendship since he'd let that old plot of his run amok. "But he might be able to tell us about them if we ask. Did the vines look like they were going to keep growing?"

"Nah. They just sat there, like a fence. We coulda flown over it, but Fluttershy here wanted to hightail it back to Ponyville. So we did." She shrugged at Twilight's expectant look. "That's it."

"Nuh uh. You forgot the bit where I found y'all in a heap at the side of the road," said Applejack. They all laughed at the recent memory, and continued on their way.


	*


"Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to this unexpected but very welcome gathering."

Mayor Mare looked as composed and confident as Twilight wished she felt. She was glad she could count on the Mayor's years of experience. As she spoke, the Mayor gestured to the furled-up banner behind her. "You know who called us here. I'm sure you're as eager as I am to see what she has prepared for us, our very own, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight took a deep breath and stepped up to the podium. The crowd looked up at her with big, worried eyes.

"Thank you, everypony, for coming here tonight. I know you must be really upset. I was too, when I first saw what had happened. But if we all keep calm, everything will be okay. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be here soon. Please work together to show them that Ponyville is a place of peace."

Twilight could see the mood of the crowd start to shift, as they realized what she asked wasn't so hard. They could do it.

But some skeptics remained. "What about the Everfree Forest?" came a voice from the back. "I heard it was covered in vines again."

"This isn't like last time. The vines aren't invading. And they won't keep me and my friends out for long. Whatever's trying to hide in there, we'll find it!"

The crowd began to stomp and cheer, secure in Twilight's hooves. But that didn't mean she could ignore what they had to say, or what they might have seen. "If you've seen something we think we should know about, like the vines, or any strangers, please tell the Mayor. She'll let us know.

"Finally, I think if Princess Luna were here she'd want me to remind you that even if the night's going to be different for a little while, it's still beautiful, and safe. To that end, my friends and I have prepared a little celebration." Twilight reached out with her magic and undid the ties around the banner. As it fell, confetti exploded from off to her left, where Pinkie and Rarity had set up a snack table, jukebox, and telescope. Gummy stood in the middle of the table, with what looked like an enormous, red jelly candy in his mouth. "Thank you, and have fun at the celebration."

The crowd made their way over to the attractions, and Twilight followed. The speech had gone better than she'd hoped, but there was still one thing she had to make sure of.

"I didn't get the chance to ask before, but you are okay with coming to the castle tonight, right?"

"Oh darling. Sure, I'm skipping some beauty sleep, but you know I wouldn't miss this for the world." Rarity didn't look like she'd missed any beauty sleep. Her mane was perfectly coiffed and her coat shone like fresh whitewash. Still, she lifted a hoof and examined it critically. "But maybe I am a bit underdressed for a royal meeting. If you'll excuse me." She ducked into her boutique, shutting the door behind her.

Pinkie bounded up to the shop. "Just hurry up, okay?" she shouted, then flounced down on the stoop. "I don't want to miss out on all the fun."

Twilight smiled. "You won't, Pinkie. I promise."
> Journal One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Star Swirl's Journal 1



First entry

Date: Season 3 of the pony calender; Year 38 (1st Day)

My name is Star Swirl, and I am a unicorn. That is what the pegasus patrol that found me in the wastelands told me. They knew I was a unicorn from the horn on my head, and named me after the spiral and silver stars of my cutie mark. I would have told them my name, but I do not remember it.

I do not remember anything from my past. Everything is hidden by a fog of nightmares.

They brought me to a city. The unicorns there told me I could live with them until I get better. They also gave me this journal and a healthy stock of quills and ink.

To prevent myself from forgetting anything I learn in this place, I will record everything I deem important in this journal. Maybe doing so will also help me recover what I have lost.






Second entry

Date: Season 3 of the pony calender; Year 38 (7th Day)

It has been seven days since I awoke in this place. The ponies call it a "hospital." They try to help with my amnesia. One of the doctors, a pony named Lucky, taught me basic unicorn magic. It felt strange channeling energy through my horn at first, but soon I was levitating objects with great dexterity. No longer will I need to hold a quill in my mouth!

I still have nightmares. I can never remember them. One of the nurses, Daisy Chain, says I mumble something about a war, then I wake up screaming names she doesn't know. She told me the ones she could remember: Vesta, Futsunushi, Erebus and Diana. I don't know them either.

This is my first day out of the hospital. I wanted to explore, so Daisy Chain  showed me around town. She called it Solena. A tall, domed building towered above the rest of the city. When I asked about it Daisy told me that was where the Magic Council met, and that no one ever went there without being invited. We did climb the walls though, and she showed me what lay beyond.

Earth ponies had divided the land into lush fields, orchards, and vinyards. The wastelands were just barely visible on the horizon. I could also spy thecloud city of the pegasi floating its circuit from east to west. Daisy told me it left rainclouds in its wake, so the pegasi could water the fields that needed it. I tried to get a better look, but Daisy wouldn't let me. She said the other tribes would come to town for market day, and I could talk to them then if I was curious.

Even if I cannot see everything yet, what I have seen is simply amazing; a trinity of tribes, helping each other survive and prosper.

I need to learn more.






Third entry

Date: Season 3 of the pony calender; Year 38 (8th Day)

Lucky told me I was well enough to leave the hospital for good. Daisy said she would let me stay with her until I found my own place. I shall have to repay them somehow.

Maybe I can help by learning more about magic. Lucky says ponies with cutie marks of celestial bodies have exceptional magical potential. I asked him if I could keep coming to him for lessons, but he said he had nothing more to teach me.






Fourth entry

Date: Season 3 of the pony calender; Year 38 (14th Day)

I will meet the Magic Council today. I asked to join their researchers, and they granted me an audience to prove myself. I spent the last few days finding out everything about magic that I could. There wasn't too much really. Only one tome written by a unicorn called Solaris.

I was easily able to pick up on how the spells worked. It was all a matter of channeling the magic through my horn the right way. With only a few days' practice, I was able to use almost every spell in that book without any problems.

I just hope that will enough to leave an impression.


Evening of the same day


And so it did. Apparently my magical potential rivals with that of the Council's best. They told me to perform some basic spells. Levitation of even multiple objects was a breeze. I was able to infuse magic into and extract it from objects as well, despite having only a week to practice. I was unable to teleport accurately, but I am told even getting entangled in the rafters is a major achievement.

After such a showing, they gave me a job as one of Solaris's assistants. She leads the Magical Research Devison, and had helped create the spell to move the sun and moon. A really amazing unicorn.

She told me I had great potential.  I will follow the path of magic further. I believe it will lead me to my place in this world and to answers about who I once was.
> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3 – A New Adventure


Sora perched on the balcony railing high atop Twilight Town's Station Tower. He raised a stick of sea-salt ice cream to his mouth and took a bite as his feet kicked at the empty air.

Everything was as it should be in the in-between world. The sunset painted the sky and hills outside town the same bright oranges as it always did. The wind tugged at Sora's brown, spiky hair in the teasing way it had. The ice cream was as crisp and refreshing as it always was, but it still didn't feel right.

As a Keyblade veteran, but not quite a master, Sora was free to wander the worlds until his next chance to show that the Mark of Mastery presented itself. However, something was missing from every world he visited. His island was still a great place, but Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie had moved on with their lives while he was on his adventures. Meanwhile, the friends he'd made on those adventures all knew he was just passing through when he came to visit.

His closest friends, the ones he'd shared his adventures with, were all busy. Riku and Mickey had their missions as Keyblade Masters. Donald and Goofy had returned to guard Disney Castle in case Maleficent attacked there again. Kairi and Lea had to rush their Keyblade training for the upcoming battle with Xehanort even though, from Sora's perspective, it seemed like it would never come.

"Aghh! Who would have thought that waiting for a war would be so hard?" he groaned, flopping back to lie on the balcony and propping his feet on the railing. He lowered the ice cream to his mouth, but dropped it in surprise at the sudden sight of two piercing green eyes and a spiky red mane.

"Give me a break Lea," he complained, getting to his feet. "You scared the heck out of me." Still, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his newest friend.

"Hey, you got it memorized!" Lea clapped Sora on the back and sat with him, lowering back down on the railing. "Riku still calls me Axel sometimes. I guess for that you can have my spare." He handed Sora a fresh ice cream, and they ate in silence for a while, watching the darkening sky.

Lea was the first to speak. "Man, this is weird. It feels like yesterday I was sitting up here with Roxas." He flipped the end of a yellow scarf over his shoulder. "There's just so much to get used to, you know?"

"Yeah, like seeing you out of that black coat." Besides the scarf, Lea was wearing an orange vest over a white shirt and beige trousers.

"Hey, I wore this stuff all the time before I became a Nobody, I think."

"That's what you came up here to tell me?" Sora nudged his friend. "I know you didn't plan on eating two sticks of ice cream all by yourself."

Lea laughed. "I just came here to have a quiet moment and get fat before heading back to Yen Sid."

"We can't have that, you lazy bum."

"What do you— Whoa!"

Sora grabbed Lea's scarf and threw him over the railing, jumping after him with a carefree laugh.

A cocky smile crossed Lea's face. "Ha! You asked for it, Sora!" Gravity seemed to release the two warriors as they summoned their Keyblades.

Sora grinned back and kicked his feet against the tower, hurling himself at Lea.

Lea caught the silver shaft of Sora's Kingdom Key on the serrated red edge of his own weapon. Sparks and starbursts sprayed as they clashed, disengaged, and clashed again.

The ground came up suddenly, but Sora broke their fall with a Reflect spell. He rolled to his feet and charged at Lea, who was still struggling to stand upright.

Lea was able to dodge by just giving in to gravity. He struck at Sora's knees as he passed, wreathing his Keyblade in magical fire. Sora blocked just in time with the Kingdom Key, but the force of the hit sent him flying.

"Is that all you got?" Lea taunted. "I told you I'd catch up in no time!"

Sora jumped back to his feet. If he wants a magic battle, he can have it!

With a swift sprint, he closed the gap with Lea, wreathing himself in a fiery vortex.

Lea brushed the flames aside. "Are you for real?" His blade cut through the flames, but Sora was already behind him. Lea's assassin reflexes let him match Sora's speed, but they couldn't force his blade through the magical barrier that flared into existence around Sora. It reflected the energy of the hit, forcing Lea backwards.

That was the opening Sora needed. He fired a barrage of ice magic at Lea.

Surprised by the sudden change of Sora's fighting style, Lea had to block the incoming projectiles instead of dodging them. The attacks left spider webs of frost on his blade and on the wall behind him.

With Lea on the defensive, Sora loosed a Thunder spell. The air sizzled with magical electricity, forcing Lea to his knees. Sora darted to his opponent's side, touching the Kingdom Key to the back of Lea's neck.

"Okay, okay! You got me," said Lea, letting his Keyblade burn to nothingness. Sora dismissed his own weapon in a flash of light and helped Lea back to his feet.

"Next time, try something besides fire. Got it memorized?"

Sora laughed at his joke, but instead of joining in, Lea slipped a hand into his vest. "What's up?" he said. "Did I hit you too hard?"

"Nah." Lea's hand reappeared, clutching a purple letter sealed with golden wax. "I just wanted to make sure you got this." 

"From Master Yen Sid?"

Lea nodded. Sora grabbed the letter and ripped it open.

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"'Cause you threw me off the tower!"

But Sora was too absorbed in the letter and all it promised to feel guilty. New worlds, new adventures, new friends, and maybe a new power? Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Lea smiled at Sora's obvious excitement. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah! Of course!"

"Come on then." Lea beckoned Sora to the station, where a violet train waited to carry them to the magician's home.





Sora smiled from ear to ear at the sight of all of his friends gathered in the Master's dusty, half-lit study. Riku and Kairi greeted him with warmth in their eyes, Donald and Goofy with a furious bear hug. King Mickey surveyed the whole scene with a giddy grin.

Master Yen Sid waited patiently, his hands tucked into the deep sleeves of his sorcerer's robe and his face wearing its ever-stern look, for Sora's friends to release him. Finally they did, and he greeted Sora's bow with a magnanimous nod. A quick clearing of his throat called the gathering to order. While Donald and Goofy snapped to attention at Mickey's side, the other four Keyblade wielders fell into line in front of the sorcerer's desk.

"Sora, Riku," he began, "Do you recall the signs that marked your first journey?" Sora peered quizzically at the Master, and Riku looked down at the floor, but neither said anything. Goofy, however, looked to his king for permission, and answered.

"Uh, yes sir. We saw the stars goin' out."

Yen Sid nodded. "That is correct. When a world falls to darkness, the light of its heart ceases to shine. But the process also works in reverse. When a new world comes to light, a new star appears in the sky."

"New worlds? You really mean it?" Sora blurted in his excitement. Kairi giggled, and Riku and Lea rolled their eyes at his lack of decorum, but Yen Sid nodded.

"These worlds were protected from the Heartless by a barrier even stronger than the walls that divide the worlds you know. As a consequence, they never fell to darkness or to sleep and never attracted the attention of the Nobodies."

"Were protected?"

"Yes, Riku. Although these worlds once possessed a power to hold back the darkness, their sanctuary is now broken and it will not take long for the Heartless to find them." Yen Sid surveyed the assembled warriors. "I want you to investigate the reason for their sudden appearance and protect them from the Heartless."

Lea folded his arms in front of his chest. "How are we gonna do that?"

Kairi poked Lea in the ribs. He grunted, and she sighed. "What Lea's too embarrassed to say is that we haven't learned how to get to new worlds with our Keyblades yet."

"Don't worry Kairi, the King thought of that," said Donald, puffing out his chest.

"Yup! Me and Donald picked up some navigation Gummies from the broken wall before we came here. Our ships are ready as soon as you need 'em!" He reached into his pocket and placed two blocks, one purple flecked with pink and white, the other scarlet streaked with gold, on Yen Sid's desk.

Lea still looked skeptical. Something about the whole process seemed to be putting him on edge. "And what, we draw straws or something to see who goes where?"

"King Mickey and I have already decided which of you will travel together," the sorcerer said, picking up the purple Gummi Block. "Donald and Goofy will join forces with Sora and go to this world. Riku, you will take Kairi and Lea to the other. Insomuch as you are Keyblade Master, do not forget to teach them, and to learn."

Sora took his block from Yen Sid with a smile on his face. He'd have liked to travel with Riku and Kairi for once, but he understood the Master's reasoning, and any adventure with Donald and Goofy was bound to be great too.

Riku, meanwhile, grabbed his Gummi from the desk. "Do we have any idea what we're looking for?"

"C'mon! Don't take all the fun out of it," Sora said. "The Keyblades always guided us where we needed to go." He grabbed his friends by their shoulders and pulled them close. "I know. The team who comes back last owes the other team a whole truck of ice cream."

"You really want to make it a race? I'm so in!" Lea exclaimed. Riku sighed in exasperation, but his eyes glinted with excitement.

Kairi giggled again. "You guys never change, huh?"

Yen Sid silenced them with a sweep of his hand. "The only other power able to withstand the darkness in such a manner is the light of the seven Princesses' hearts. This power is likely of the same kind, and the same number." An image of seven gems, each a different color, appeared to the right of the desk. Five of them clustered around a large, rosy sixth, while an even larger diamond stood alone.

"We can't let Xehanort get his hands on seven pure lights!" Mickey added. "He and the rest of the thirteen Seekers of Darkness could use 'em to start the Keyblade War all over again."

"Gawrsh, that sounds really serious!" Goofy remarked, scratching his head. Donald silenced him with a nudge.

Sora, however, greeted the task with bravado. "We'll find … whatever it is. And if the Organization tries to take it, they'll have to deal with us!" He started toward the door. "Let's go!"

Donald and Goofy followed him down the staircase, whooping and cheering as they went.

Lea looked dumbfoundedly at the door, then Riku, and finally Yen Sid. The Master smiled and dismissed them with a nod.

All seriousness fell from Riku's face. "Come on guys! We've got a race to win!"
		
> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4 –  The Royal Meeting


Twilight surveyed the room anxiously. She'd been to Princess Summits before, in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, but this was her first as hostess. She wanted everything to be perfect, even under the circumstances.

Each of her friends—even Rarity, who'd taken her time getting her high-collared purple dress just so—was seated in her proper throne. The Royal Sisters stood slightly outside the circle, across from Twilight and Spike. Princess Luna looked grave, but Princess Celestia flashed Twilight an encouraging smile.

Twilight had invited Discord, but she hadn't really expected the free spirit to come. She would track him down later. Two other absences bothered her much more.

"Are you sure your message reached the Crystal Empire? It's not like Cadance and Shining Armor to ignore a letter."

Princess Luna shook her head. "I fear they may be facing their own crisis. Neither your brother nor your sister has slept." 

Twilight bit her lip, but Princess Celestia held up a reassuring hoof. "I sent the Wonderbolts to check on them. They should be back soon."

Twilight wasn't happy with that, but she knew Princess Celestia was just as concerned as she was. "I guess we'll have to start without them. Can you tell us what's going on?"

The way the Royal Sisters looked at each other made her heart sink. "Perhaps," said Princess Celestia delicately, "it would be best if you shared what you know first, Twilight."

"Er, okay … . Well, the sky's all messed up," she said lamely. Princess Luna gave a curt nod, and Twilight hurried on. "Rainbow Dash saw a hedge of black vines sealing off the Everfree Forest—"

"And don't forget those two creepy weirdoes I saw."

Twilight nodded. "I'm sure it's all connected somehow."

"I don't know 'bout you, but I think it's mighty suspicious of Discord, not showin' up," Applejack said. "Our last weed problem was his doin', remember?"

"I told you, he had nothing to do with this."

"Oh don't worry Fluttershy! I'm sure Dizzy'll barge in any second now, fresh and friendly as a fiddle!" prattled Pinkie Pie.

To everypony's surprise, she was half right.

The door swung open and in stepped the Spirit of Chaos. His scales were scratched, and his fur was matted and smoking in places. "You will not believe the night I've had!"

Two ponies leapt to his side immediately: Fluttershy with sympathetic coos and a healer's touch, Pinkie Pie with a Discord-shaped balloon animal to cheer him up.

"See? I told you!" 

"Oh my goodness! Discord, what happened?" Fluttershy murmured. She turned to Twilight. "Do you have any cold water? Honey? Bandages?"

Spike hopped up to get Fluttershy her supplies, and Discord took the dragon's seat. Twilight only got a brief glimpse, but it looked like his whole back was burned.

"Why can't he just fix himself?" said Applejack, not looking at Discord.

He snapped his fingers. The balloon animal sagged a bit, but that was all. "I just can't."

"Discord," said Twilight gingerly, "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Oh, I could," he said, raising an eyebrow at Celestia, who gave him a small nod. "But I'd much rather show you!" He struck a pose, the Sun Princess lit her horn, and the meeting room disappeared.

In its place stretched a warm blue sky in which the assembled conclave floated, surrounded by stars. Twilight's friends marveled at the spectacle, wide-eyed and mouths agape. A surprised yelp and crashing sound told Twilight that Spike had come too. She found him some distance away, bandages and salves strewn about him. Twilight gathered the dragon and his things up in her magic and gave Celestia a puzzled look.

"Why here?"

"The astral realm can show us many things, Twilight," said the Princess. "Princess Luna comes here to enter the dreams of sleeping ponies. But, as you know, it can also let us relive our own memories." As if on cue, moving images began to float past. Some showed scenes Twilight recognized. Others were unfamiliar to her. Rainbow Dash flew up to one of these and pointed excitedly.

"See? These are the guys I was telling you about!"

Princess Luna flapped up to join her, but Celestia stayed behind. "Valuable as I'm sure that knowledge will be, the memory we want will be easier to find if we all focus on Discord." She smiled indulgently at him, and he shrugged. 

Helping Fluttershy treat Discord's wounds distracted Twilight and the rest from their own thoughts, and soon only a few images were left. "That one," he said, finally, and Celestia blew it up so it dominated the sky. It showed Discord laying on a fog bank in the middle of the Everfree Forest, taking in the rare and subtle chaos of untamed nature. Above him, the starlight tripped erratically down through the air; below him, a brook burbled unquietly.

"I'm going to need to find a new thinking spot," he griped, watching himself shift this way and that on the cloud.

"What were you thinking about?" said Pinkie.

"She'll know if I lie, won't she," Discord said, gesturing at Applejack.

"Yup." The farm pony pulled a bandage tight.

"Fine." Discord winced as he tested her knotwork. He could barely move his right arm. "If you must know, I wanted a way to prove I deserved this second chance."

Twilight looked guiltily away, and Princess Celestia gave him a knowing smile. Fluttershy opened her mouth to talk, but Discord shushed her. "Just watch."

An enormous crack appeared in the night sky of Discord's memory. As if in answer, his body spasmed from horns to tail, and he sat bolt upright on his cloud. He looked up and his eyes widened in shock just before he was bowled over by a sudden peal of thunder.

"Hmph," image-Discord grunted, popping to his feet and dusting off his forelimbs. He raised an eyebrow at the scrambled stars.

"Right about here, I realized something was wrong with the Tree of Harmony." Discord looked pointedly at Applejack. "And as you can see, I had nothing to do with it."

"I'm sorry, okay?" She glued her eyes to the image, where a crooked grin was spreading across Discord's face. He clicked his talons, and the image shifted as he teleported.

Now it showed the entrance to the Tree's grotto, where something was clearly wrong. It had always been shady, but the darkness that shrouded it now was thick and cloying.

"Okay, how do I fix this?" he mused.

"You could have kept us informed," scolded Rarity. "We're your friends, we would have helped."

Discord shook his head. "Didn't you hear me?" Rarity furrowed her brow for a moment, but nodded in understanding. Twilight, too, knew the temptation to fix something all by herself, the flush of pride that went with it, and the shame of those times it had gone wrong. She laid a hoof on a bandage-free patch of scales. Above them, Princess Luna faltered slightly in her flight, but turned it into a gainly landing to one side of the group. Rainbow Dash followed close behind.

"Oh, I can't watch," said Discord. The image showed him about to head down into the cave, only to suddenly turn and come face to  face with a pulsating clot of darkness.

"I can't let you interfere, Spirit of Chaos." The mass spoke with a calm, male voice. A vague silhouette swam in the darkness, barely visible, but for two turquoise eyes shining through the inky blackness. 

"Who do you think you are, telling me what I can't do?" Discord's sarcasm was obvious even through the filter of memory. "Don't get me wrong, I'd have joined the fun if you'd asked, but you crossed a line there."

"This is none of your business. Leave, or I shall make you."

"Oh, at least let me help clean up!" Discord summoned a mop, twirled it like a baton, and thrust it deep into the darkness. The mop lapped it up thirstily, and Discord wrung it into a bucket, where it bubbled like hot tar.

Without its shroud, the silhouette was revealed to be a blue pony, somewhere between Celestia and Luna in height. His eyes glimmered the light blue of moonlight, and his curved horn tapered to a cruel point.

Discord pointed the mop at the strange stallion. "Be a good little pony, and I won't  mop the floor with you next."

He was interrupted by his own bucket plopping down on his head and dumping its contents over his face. Discord clawed at the clinging darkness, only to be pinned onto the floor by the unicorn's hooves.

He teleported away just in time to escape a magic blast scorching the spot where his head had been.

"Well, well, well!" Discord appeared behind his enemy, accompanied by a small, fluffy cloud. He snapped his fingers and a clear rainl washed away the darkness.. "Now I've got to teach you some manners!"

But before he could do anything, a searing blast of green magic hit him between his wings and threw him to the ground.

"What are you doing?" a female voice hissed. "We were told to lay low for now! You know what's at stake here. Get lost!"

"I apologize, my Queen."

A dark haze filled the memory for a moment. When it cleared, Discord was alone on the ground.

"Oh, you are not getting away," he grumbled, but was interrupted by a loud cracking from between the trees.

Discord jumped in surprise as thorny black vines sprouted everywhere around him. He dodged, but one of the thorns grazed his belly. He snapped his fingers to teleport, but nothing happened.

With a desperate look on his face, he launched himself into the sky, just in time to see that the black vines began to swallow the forest. Holding it in an iron grip, locking it tightly.

The memory faded, leaving them with a beautiful sky around them.

"Ever since then, I haven't been able to work any magic. I had to fly all the way here. Fly! Do you know for how long I haven't done that?"

"A thousand years, and more." Princess Celestia lit her horn again, and the group reappeared in Twilight's castle. Twilight, envigorated by the transition, clapped her hooves together.

"Spike, take a note." The little dragon pulled a paper and quill from under his seat. "Here's what we know. We have four enemies, and we know what three of them look like. They did something to the Tree of Harmony that caused this whole mess. And they don't want us to interrupt them, so this is only the first part of their plan."

Celestia nodded. "We should prepare for anything. My sister and I will return to Canterlot and await the news from the Crystal Empire. The Royal Guard can patrol the borders of the forest."

"While we go in and beat up the bad guys!"

"Not yet, Rainbow Dash.Wait until Discord recovers. I believe he also has a part to play."

"And don't forget, we've still got a party to go to!" Pinkie gravitated to the door, desperate to be going.

"We can tell everypony Discord's going to help."

"Not just that, Fluttershy. I've got this feeling we're gonna make some great new friends there."

"It sounds like we've got a plan." Twilight said.

Celestia gave her a satisfied smile. Twilight's chest swelled with pride as her friends filed out, led by Pinkie Pie. Princess Luna, however, remained behind.

"Might I have a word with you, Twilight Sparkle?" she asked.

"Sure! What's the matter Princess?”

Luna walked slowly up to Twlight, her steps echoing in the high-ceilinged crystal chamber. "I was unable to enter your dream tonight, so I...  "

If Twilight had been worried about that dream before she was definitely alarmed now. She described it to Princess Luna, noting for the first time the parallels between her dream and the waking world. "Do you think something is wrong with me?"

"I do not believe you are aiding our enemies. Perhaps you had a vision. Whatever the solution, it is hidden deep inside you. So deep in fact, that only you can uncover it. I hope it does not put you in danger."

Luna led Twilight to a window. The shimmer of moonlight shone through and reflected off the crystal walls of the castle, bathing them in its light.

"I should go now. Be on your guard, Twilight Sparkle." Luna teleported away.
> Chapter Five - Updated
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5 –  Fall of the Crystal Empire


First day on the job, and Emerald Feather had already been posted to the Crystal Heart. That never happened normally, but today was anything but normal. When the sky broke apart, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor had doubled the patrols throughout the Crystal Empire in order to keep the citizens calm. That left the mint-green pegasus and another rookie, a red earth pony Emerald didn't even recognize, to protect the magical artifact.

"That was quite the happening last night huh? Never thought that my first day guarding the Crystal Empire would be so exciting." said Emerald. It couldn't hurt to get to know the pony whose shift he was sharing, could it? He could watch the perimeter of the Heart's azure glow just fine while he talked.

"W—What? Oh yeah sure. … Exciting and stuff."

Was this guy serious? Emerald was pretty sure he'd caught the other guard dozing off. "Are you alright back there? You sound tired."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, this would have been my first day off in weeks. My wife and I had a whole day planned, then I get kicked out of bed and marched off here."

"Gotcha. Just … try to stay awake a little longer okay?" Emerald said. "What's your name, by the way?"

No answer.

He turned around, only to see no trace of the red pony. "What the—"

Just then, Emerald felt a strange sensation beneath his hooves. He jumped away just in time to see it turn black, and to avoid a clawed arm grabbing at the air where he had been standing.

"Oh, we got a fighter here, have we? Well, the better you are, the better for me!"

A monster, bigger than any animal Emerald had ever seen, pulled itself up out of the darkness. Its bulky body stood on two way-too-short legs. With its huge arms and strange face it looked like a mixture of a gorilla, bear and cat.

The pegasus tensed and dropped into a ready stance. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm here to steal your precious Crystal Heart of course! And I'll turn all you cute little ponies into Heartless while I'm at it," the creature said, grinning all the while.

Emerald had heard enough. He grabbed his spear, and leapt at his foe.

He did not get far, though. Another enemy jumped out of the darkness and pulled the weapon out of his grip. Surprised, Emerald was unable to dodge the cat-bear's huge fist.

The impact crushed the air from Emerald's lungs and flung him across the square. He tried to catch his breath, but coughed and writhed as his ribs stabbed him inside. 

"Don't worry about the pain, little fella. It'll be gone any second now," said the cat-bear, plucking the Crystal Heart from between the two spikes that held it suspended. The strange dark creature, that had first attacked Emerald now loomed over him, staring down with dead, yellow eyes.

The cat-bear put a huge hand on Emerald's chest and everything around him went black.





"Fall back! Reform the defenses. Everypony gather in the throne room!" Shining Armor yelled, driving his soldiers before him.

He had to build up a defensive line before the enemy reached Cadence.

They were attacked without warning. Just as the panic was cooling down, guards and citizens started to disapperear, and strange black creatures appeared all over the Crystal Empire. Ponies flocked to the Crystal Heart, but found it had disappeared.

Without the Heart, the shadow-like monsters were free to roam the streets, attacking any pony careless enough to cross their path. Even the Guard wasn't safe. Lemon Amber had strayed from his patrol and been ambushed. By the time Shining Armor arrived to help, Amber was surrounded. The monsters pinned him down, tore open his chest, and ripped out something glowing and crystal.

Shining Armor would never forget Amber's gurgle in that moment. Dark, tarry sludge gushed from his mouth and eyes, covering him in seconds. He rose again as one of them, deformed, bulky, and gnashing his new sharp teeth. If Shining Armor hadn't witnessed it himself, he would hardly have believed the monster had once had been a pony.

Only a few of his soldiers remained now, driven back into the castle. The creatures had appeared mere hours ago, and he was on the verge of losing the Crystal Empire.

Shining Armor shoved away insistent memories the changeling invasion of Canterlot. He ran into the throne room, joining the two dozen guards who were already there, and together they slammed the doors shut. "Don't let anything through! Block that door with anything you can find! All unicorns, shield spells!"

Orders given, he ran to Cadence, the Princess of the Crystal Empire and the love of his life. She met him halfway and threw her hooves around him. Her horn glowed a familiar warm blue.

"You're safe! I was so worried."

"Me too." He stroked her mane, then pulled away and looked up at her horn. "Is that the spell you used against Sombra?" he said, hope in his voice.

Cadance nodded. "I can stop them coming in, but I can't get rid of the ones already here."

"Then you have to go! They're converting the crystal ponies somehow." Something heavy slammed on the door from the outside.

"What about the spell we used on our wedding day?" Another thud on the door sent the guards reeling. They barely managed to brace themselves in time for the next strike.

Shining Armor had learned two lessons that day. One was that he'd do anything to protect Cadance. The other was to always trust his sister. She needed to know what was happening. It hurt Shining Armor to trick his wife, but he pulled her close and touched her horn with his, just like the spell required.

His magic, however, slipped a yielding blue crystal block under Cadance's wing. He and Cadance had found it in one of Sombra's old labyrinths. The mad king's research notes said he'd stolen the teleportation gem—he called it a Star Shard—from Star Swirl the Bearded himself. Sombra had abandoned it when he couldn't figure out how to make it to take him where he wanted. But the only place Shining Armor wanted Cadance to be was far away from here. Somewhere safe. 

"Shiny, what are you doing? You can't! Stop this right—" The magic of the block cut in, turning Cadance to a ball of light and sending her bouning around the room and out the window.

Shining Armor sighed in relief and turned around. It was time to join his soldiers. They held the doors shut with all their might. Six unicorn guards had merged their magic together to form a glimmering shield of light. 

He galloped over to them and added his magic into theirs. He could feel the flood of enemies pressing against their last stand.

It seemed to pay off. It took a few minutes, but the pressure against the double doors slowly died down. The guards visibly relaxed, the unicorns hanging their heads and the earth ponies and pegasi slumping against the doors, exhausted, but grateful for the reprieve.

Shining Armor's hope was short-lived, however. From the other side of the doors came a voice, somehow more forceful than all the invaders' battering.

"Meteors, judges from the dark, turn this wall into an arc. Crush, destroy, tear them apart! Turn this crystal into shards!"

Shining Armor threw up a shield, but was only fast enough to cover his ponies. The door broke apart, battering the shield with crystal splinters and overwhelming magical force. The shield fell, and Shining Armor with it. He lay on the floor of the throne room, gasping for air, pain throbbing through his body. All the guards he could see had fallen too, some burned, some bruised, one with a crystal shard sticking out of his chest. Where the door once blocked the way stood a gaping, jagged-edged hole framing an impossible figure.

It stood there, looking down on the beaten and broken ponies, a cold smile on its face. A demon from the deepest abyss of Tartarus, admiring its work. It was tall, clad in a black and violet robe. Horns curved like Tirek's jutted from its head. Its yellow reptile eyes stared down at the defeated unicorn. He turned his head to glare back up at it.

"Now look at that. One of these vermin still has strength enough to move. How … unusual!"

The cold, female voice sent chills down Shining Armor's spine. It was calm, soft even, but void of any mercy.

"I am Maleficent," she declared. "As the new Queen of this empire, I will rule over you ponies. From now on, this shall be a realm of darkness!"

Shining Armor answered with all the strength he could muster. "W— We will never bow to a monster like you." 

"Oh, I think you will." Maleficent smirked confidently, her eyes narrowed. "Pete! Throw this one in the dungeon! He will make a fine Heartless."

Shining Armor's consciousness slipped away as a huge figure loomed over him.
> Chapter Six
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6 –  Gummy's Super Stellar-bration


Sora stood in a clearing in the middle of a forest. It was dark and quiet, with only a few stray rays of silvery light through the canopy allowing him to look around.

The forest before him looked calm and beautiful. The leaves rustled in the soft, near-autumn breeze. A small pond reflected a beautiful night's sky. 

"Looks like your spell worked, Donald," Sora said, inspecting one of his new hooves. "I'm a pony now?"

"Uh huh. This world's full of 'em. It should be easy to blend in," Donald explained.

Donald's own pony form was white, with a slightly ruffled mane and tail. His favourite blue hat rested on his head; a spiraling white horn, a little stubbier than the ones on the statues in Twilight Town, peeked out from under the brim. His wand lay  next to him on the ground.

Goofy's coat was cream-colored, his mane gray. He had also kept his hat, a battered orange bag of felt, and his shield was strapped to his foreleg. Two gray wings sprouted from his back. He reminded Sora of Hercules' friend Pegasus.

"Look at you guys! Why the long faces?" Sora joked.

Donald and Goofy both pointed at him. "Look who's talking!" they said together.

The trio's careless laughter echoed through the woods.

After they calmed down a bit, Sora checked his reflection in the pond. He was brown, his mane just a bit darker than his coat. His eyes were still blue, and he still wore his necklace with the crown-shaped pendant. Unfortunately, he didn't see a horn or wings. "Hey, why didn't you give me wings?" Sora asked with a hint of jealousy.

"I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't add these," Donald answered, poking his horn with his hoof. "This world has its own magic."

Sora shrugged, and turned back to his reflection. There was something on his flank. A closer look was enough for him to identify it as the star-shaped paopu fruit. "Guys? Do you have these too?"

They did. Donald's looked like a magic wand topped with the king's seal, while Goofy's looked like the shield on his foreleg, decorated with wings.

"Wah! What are these?" Donald flopped to the ground and tried to scrape off his mark, but when he looked again, it was still there. 

"Don't worry Donald. I bet it's just more of this place's magic!" Goofy said reassuringly.

"I just hope it isn't permanent," Donald grumbled.

Sora stepped away from his friends, listening to the leaves rustling of leaves in the wind. Faint among them, he thought he heard music, and occasional peals of laughter. An excited smile crossed his face, and he turned back to his friends.

"Enough standing around. Let's go exploring!" he said, following the sounds of fun.

The other two followed him, chuckling in anticipation.





Their search didn't take long. The music, it turned out, was coming from a small village. Despite the hour, there were all kinds of ponies in the streets. By following one group of ponies, Sora, Donald, and Goofy  reached the town square.

The square was positively packed, with ponies, fairground games, and an array of food stands whose keepers hawked strange and familiar wares. Sora's nose wrinkled at the thought of daffodil sandwiches or "hay fries," but his inner child kicked up its heels when he saw the enormous array of sweets.

The music came from a stage, decorated with a banner that read Gummy's Super Stellar-bration. A white unicorn with an electric blue mane and violet shades spun a pair of turntables, and the crowd was happy to dance along.

It all reminded Sora of King Mickey's world, Disney Town; peaceful, yet exciting, like a childs dream come true. Radiant, colorful, innocent, having been spared the touch of darkness for a long time.

Sora was just about to share his amazement with Donald and Goofy when a pink pony landed directly in front of him, bouncing happily and seizing him with a curious glimmer in her sapphire eyes. "I found you!"

Sora blinked in surprise. "Were you looking for me?"

"Of course!" the pony said, bubbling with barely-restrained excitement. "You're new, and every new pony should feel welcome in Ponyville. So I threw you a party, and now you'll just have the best night ever, and make a bunch of new friends! Like me, Pinkie Pie, and  my pet alligator Gummy. He doesn't normally help with my parties, but he was so excited about this one. Do you like it?"

Soras head spun with questions as he tried to follow Pinkie Pie's breakneck stream of consciousness. She'd known he'd be coming? Or her pet "Gummi" did? But Sora simply couldn't suspect the pink, fluffy pony. The friendliness in her face was so real, Sora couldn't help but smile along. Suddenly, her eyes went even wider, and she gasped. "Silly billy, I forgot to ask your name!"

"It's Sora," he said, "and my friends are Donald and Goofy. Should I call you Pinkie Pie?"

"Just Pinkie," she said with a smile. "It's what my friends call me. Ooh, let me introduce you! I can show you around too." 

"Sounds great! We're right behind you."

Pinkie led the trio deeper into Ponyville, bouncing like Tigger did on his spring-loaded tail instead of walking.

"I don't think we should waste our time here," Donald whispered.

"It can't hurt to take a look around, Donald. Don't be so serious all the time, " Sora countered.

"Whatever it is we are looking for, I bet we find clues if we talk to as many ponies as possible," Goofy added. "Yen Sid told us to invast … invers … "

"Investigate," Donald corrected, then did a double take and sighed when he realized he was arguing against his own point.

"See? What Goofy said," confirmed Sora, adding a bit of spring to his steps to catch up to their guide.

They eventually reached the buffet, where Pinkie jumped into a group of four other ponies and one creature Sora had never seen before. It looked like Mushu from the Land of Dragons, but much taller and  with a Halloween Town makeover. The dragon's limbs were from all over the animal kingdom, tied on with bandages.

"Hey guys, I have great news! I made three new friends! I told you missing out was not an option," Pinkie giggled. Her friends turned their heads couriously.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, these are my bestest friends in the world! This here is Applejack," she said, pointing at an orange pony with cowboy hat, then hopped between two winged ponies. "Here we have Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."  Finally, she pointed her hoof at the last two. "And last but not least, Rarity and Discord. Only I can't say last but not least because there's one more pony you just have to meet … "

Pinkie's rambling faded into the background amidst the scene Donald was making. He'd gasped and hidden behind Goofy as soon as he spotted Rarity. He looked like the poised white unicorn, or maybe her purple dress, reminded him of someone.

"Daisy?"

"What? Did you say something?" Rarity asked."You know it's rude to stare at a lady like that."

Sora nudged his friend. "Sorry! What he meant to say was that we're glad to meet so many nice people."

"What're people?"

"Huh?"

Applejack looked skeptically at Sora. "You just called us people. We're ponies."

Sora gulped. Too many slip-ups like that, and the ponies might find out there were other worlds!

"Yeah, sure! I meant to say ponies. We're from kinda far away, so … " he stammered.

"Well we've traveled all over Equestria, and I've never been called a people," Rainbow Dash was hovering now, her forelegs crossed in front of her chest.

This was getting difficult. All eyes were glued on Sora and his friends, even Fluttershy's, through her mane. Fortunately, Pinkie interrupted, pointing excitedly. "Found them!" Sora followed her outstretched hoof toward an approaching purple pony, slightly taller than the others, with wings and a horn. A small purple dragon with green spikes rode on her back. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, meet our bestest dragon-friend in all of Equestria, Spike, and the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle!"

"Princess?" The trio gawked, then bowed stiffly. "We're honored, your majesty." Twilight regarded them with a curious twinkle in her eyes, and bade them rise with an awkward smile and a wave of her hoof.

"I heard what happened. It can be overwhelming meeting so many new ponies at once." Twilight's expression turned wistful for a moment, then she composed herself and approached the trio.

"Would you like to talk one on—er, in private for a bit?"

"Uhm … yeah, sure."

Thankful for the escape, and hopeful that the princess could give them a clue to this world's seven pure lights, Sora and his friends followed Twilight. She and Spike led them away from the busy square, towards a huge crystal structure that glimmered in the moonlight.

"Talk about overwhelming! What is this place?" Sora craned his neck up in awe. The ediface grew like a tree, with a palace perched in its branches, all topped by an enormous crystal starburst.

"This is my castle. I'm still getting used to it myself," Twilight answered. Her horn glowed, and the big double doors swung open to let them in.

"You're way too modest!" Spike said. "Twilight got this rad castle after she and her friends defeated this gigantic, magic-stealing Monster named Tirek and—"

Spike was interrupted as Twilight shut the doors behind them and looked around to make sure they were alone. Then, abruptly, she rounded on Sora, her voice eager. "Okay, who are you?"

Sora, not expecting the princess to start interrogating him again, fumbled for words. "I'm Sora, and my friends are Donald and Goofy. Didn't you hear Pinkie Pie?"

"You know what I mean. I know where they say 'people,' and it's not here in Equestria. You're from the human world right?" Receiving no answer, Twilight narrowed her eyes and pressed harder. "And I have a feeling that you can tell me about all the crazy things that have happened today"

Sora's jaw gaped in surprise. Fortunately, Goofy stepped in. "So you're sayin' you know about the other worlds? I thought they were supposed to be a secret."

Twilight frowned. "Other worlds? I know of one. I have a magic mirror I can use to go there." She paused. "But if you didn't know that you couldn't have come through. So how did you get here?"

Sora sighed. There was no point trying to keep their secret now. Twilight had already traveled the worlds. She had the right to know what he knew. Maybe she would even be able to help. Sora looked at his friends, first Donald, then Goofy. Both gave him reassuring nods.

It took a while, but they told Twilight all about other worlds, about the broken barrier, and about their mission to find seven pure lights.





"So … you are three are travelers who fly from world to world, defending them from creatures of darkness called Heartless. And since we might be on the precipice of disaster, your master sent you out to help us."

It was all so much to take in for Twilight. She sat there, trying to process it all. The more she thought about it, though, the more it all fit together. The sky breaking, the new stars, even her dream. She was sure Sora was the stallion she saw on the stained glass platform. She still couldn't figure out what it meant, but she knew she had to stick with those three, if she wanted to uncover what happened to Equestria.

But she decided to keep the dream between herself and Princess Luna for now.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Sora said. "Do you know anything about seven pure lights? Or did anything strange happen? Maybe some guys in black coats showed up?"

Twilight shook her head, trying to fit these new pieces of information into her rapidly expanding universe.

"I've never heard of seven pure lights. There are the Elements of Harmony, but there's only six of them." Sora's face fell, and Twilight scrambled for something to tell him. "My friends saw some suspicious creatures near the Everfree Forest. We think that's where all the trouble started. We can't get in and check it out, though. It's closed off by magical thorns. Discord can get us in, but he was injured, so we're waiting for him to recover."

"We'll come with you," Sora said. "That sounds like it's our best shot to find what we are looking for anyway."

"And I think it is about time you got back to the party. Keeping your friends waiting is such rude behavior for a princess." Sora's head snapped to the door in surprise, but Twilight recognized Discord's teasing voice. His magic must be returning. He hadn't popped in, but he'd gotten the door open without a sound. Not that he was keeping quiet any more.

"I know it's not every day we're joined by a trio of handsome stallions, but running off just as soon as you meet them? Ponies will talk." He slithered up to the ponies, an impish grin on his face.

Twilight was about to respond, but was interrupted by a magical glimmer flying in through a window and blinding everypony with a flash of light.

Twilight rubbed her eyes to get back her vision. What at first looked like a pink blurr, soon resolved into a very familiar pony.

"Cadance?"

Twilight quickly jumped in front of her. She had so many questions. "How did you get here? What happened? Why didn't you answer my letter? Where's Shining Armor? Why—" She was interrupted by a small claw, poking the side of her neck. "Hey!"

Spike shook his head silently, gesturing at Cadance. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. Her mouth sputtered, opening and closing with the pink alicorn's own unspeakable questions.

Twilight took a step forward and poured all the reassurance she could into a hug for her former foal sitter. The others watched in silence.

Shortly, Cadance's breathing began to calm down. She sighed. "Thanks Twilight, but we don't have much time." She broke the hug, the better to look seriously into Twilight's eyes. "The Crystal Empire is under attack! Shining Armor sent me here with this," She held up a blue, star-shaped crystal. "I have to talk to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately. I don't know how long he can hold them back."

"Spike, send a message to Canterlot!"

"You can count on me!" The baby dragon jumped off Twilight's back, running into the nearest study for paper and a quill.

"You've been attacked? What did they look like?" Sora asked insistently. Both princesses flinched at the reminder that they were not alone.

Twilight spoke first. "Cadance, these are Sora, Donald and Goofy. They came here to help."

Her sister-in-law sized them up, her expression softening. Still, worry clearly quavered in her voice. "They had all kinds of shapes. Some of them even looked like ponies, but made of darkness, with yellow eyes and heart-shaped crests instead of their cutie marks."

"So the Heartless are already here?" Donald sighed and lowered his head. "This is very bad."

"Heartless?" Cadance's eyes widened further at the implications of the name.

"Yes, and it's our job to defeat them," said Sora hotly. "How do we get to the Crystal Empire?"

"Normally we'd take a train … " said Twilight, in a tone that said that wasn't an option. The last train of the night had left hours ago. And walking would take weeks. "How did you get here Cadance?"

"Shining Armor shoved this under my wing and it somehow brought me here." Cadance stretched out her hoof to show the star again, but it was gone. "Where is it? I swear I had it just a second ago!"

"Now, where have I seen this before?" Discord mused, turning the crystal in his paw to get a look at it from different angles. 

Donald, however, recognized the device immediately. "Wah! Sora, that's a Star Shard."

"You know how to use it?" Twilight asked. Donald nodded vigorously. "Discord, you have to give that back!"

"Okay, okay! No need to be so rude. I was just curious." the draconequus made to hand the crystal over, but suddenly it began to glow. Within seconds, the first faint glimmer had grown to envelope Discord, transforming him into a ball of light that beelined back out the window.

They all stood there, mouths agape, looking first at the spot where Discord had been, then at the window and back. Their only way to get to the Crystal Empire was gone.

Spike came back, a waving a scroll in his claw. "Twilight! Celestia already answered! You— Hey, why's everypony so quiet? Where's Discord?"

Twilight wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all. Thousands of questions, no answers, and as soon as she saw some way to untangle all the loose ends, it literally flew out the window. But she needed to keep calm. She took a short breath, putting a hoof on her chest and letting it extend as she exhaled, just like Cadance once taught her.

"It's okay Spike. What did Celestia say?" she said, her voice brittle.

The dragon's eyes flew over the letter for a second. "She wants to talk to Cadance … They're going to organize an offensive to get back the Crystal Empire … Oh and she's given you and the girls the okay to fix the Tree of Harmony. "

Spike glanced up from the parchment, his pupils narrowing into slits. "Twilight, watch out!"

Twilight turned, and jumped in surprise. Only a few feet away, a horde of the grasping, fidgedty shadow creatures from her dream rose balefully out of the floor.

"Impossible! What—?"

Before she was able to shake her initial shock, a bright light flashed before Twilight's eyes. She blinked them clear, just in time to see Sora and his friends slam into  the enemies. 

While Goofy spun in quick circles to corner the shadows, Sora sprinted right through them, wielding a huge key in his mouth like a sword. Charging in with a battlecry of his own, Donald pointed his wand into the air. A barrage of lightning struck all the remaining creatures, turning them into black mist.

In a matter of seconds, the battle was over.

Cadance, Spike and Twilight stood there, looking at the trio of fighters. Spike found his voice first. "What the hay were those things?"

But Sora was still tense. He raised a hoof to stop the others from questioning further. "It's not over yet. Can you hear that?"

Twilight listened. There were screams coming from Ponyville. Her dream was coming true! The flames … the darkness … she had to save her friends!

Without a second's thought, she teleported away.