Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Harmonic Hearts! Here we are, the last interlude. As I've said, this is mainly to have Sora and Riku change to their KH3 designs, among other things to set up. But before we get to it, what do we have:

johannvanguard: Here's a glimpse into that.

Nisha: I had doubts on a section or two, so I'm glad it worked out. Honestly, I wish there were moments that Sora did mention his mom. It'll show that despite his travels, he still has a life back home. And it's clear he and Kairi like each other, so just let them get together already!

Guess you could say Riku keeps them down to Earth. That aspect and his arc of acceptance is why he's my favorite character, he deserves the title from that alone. I personally think that Sora's similar to characters like Sonic, where they don't really change who they are, but mature over the years. Glad you like those teasers, by the way.

Thanks for the feedback! Now let's go!

Interlude 5: A Friendly Invitation

Time has passed once more, where we find ourselves following the Destiny Trio. They were called to the Mysterious Tower, where Master Yen Sid waits in his study. Although this time, they notice two suitcases on the table.

"There are two things to discuss. As you see, these suitcases are for you two." Master Yen Sid starts, gesturing to Sora and Riku.

"Let me guess, new outfits?" Riku was right on the money.

"Yes. The Good Fairies felt that they were leaving you two out. While nothing's wrong with your current attire, the new ones will not only help enhance your abilities, but also give you new ones."

"Sweet, thank you!" Sora was about to grab his, but was stopped by the wizard:

"Hold just a moment. There's something else I must show you."

He then holds his hand up, creating a puff of smoke that soon dissipates, revealing an envelope with a special seal. He hands it to Sora who was curious:

"Is this to me?"

"To you and your friends. After your last visit, I decided to make contact with the princesses of Equestria. As we spoke, they mention a special event that Twilight Sparkle had planned. She wanted to invite you to the 'Friendship Festival'."

Riku chuckles at the name, "How creative."

"That's the princess Sora helped before, right?" Kairi recalls.

"Yeah." Sora confirms, "It's been awhile since we went to Equestria, so why not?"

He and Riku grab their suitcases as Master Yen Sid warns them, "The Wayfinders have left to search other worlds for Xehanort. I can feel his return, and it's likely he'll find Equestria in time. Be on your guard."

The trio nod in agreement before heading out. Though as they do, Riku was suddenly hit with a feeling of dread. It was very brief, but it left him concerned for what's to come.

Back at CHS, the bell rings as the students start to leave the school. The Rainbooms and Shadowolves were hanging out in the band room, where Midnight was rubbing her head in annoyance:

"I know every scientific element down to the atoms, every possible chemical combination, and even the elements of magic..."

She then slams her fingers on the grand piano keys, "Yet I can't play a simple instrument!?"

"It's called skill." Rainbow casually answers, "You need to practice it if you want to get good."

Midnight rolls her eyes at that before sighing. Speaking of her, she's changed out of her signature dress into something more casual.

She now wore a black shirt under a dark blue jacket, which had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows to show her black wristbands. She compliments them with black pants and shoes, the latter having glowing blue accents to reference her 'glass slippers'.

The last part was her suggestion, as Rarity made the outfit for her. She's just generous like that.

"It's a challenge, right?" Visor makes a decent point, "Magic doesn't make you good at everything you know."

"Yeah, yeah..." She shrugs off before they heard the doors open:

"You're still on the piano?" It was Vanitas, who also had a change of attire.

When Rarity offered to do his, he only had one condition, which is having the pattern design and colors resemble his bodysuit's. So in short, his new outfit might as well be an upgraded version of said suit.

He now wore a sleeveless turtleneck under his new coat, the latter having an upturned collar, a tattered coattail reaching his knees and a zipper zipped-up from the belt to the chest. To match this is a pair of gloves, pants with a buckled belt, and boots.

Midnight smirks as she turns towards him, "I'd rather keep myself busy than brood near the wall."

"Very funny. Like it's that hard to play."

"Really?" Her smirk turns to a devious smile as she scoots over, "Then show me how easy it is."

Taking that as a challenge, he takes a seat on the bench before cracking his fingers. He then plays a few keys, which clearly sounded horrible. He continues to play for a little bit, but it didn't improve at all. He grits his teeth as he hears Midnight giggle:

"Having a bit of trouble there?"

"Tch, just warming up." He denies, soon going back to the piano.

Sci-Twi then notices someone wasn't there with them, "Wait, where's Sunset?"

"Don't you remember? She went to visit Equestria this weekend." Stylite answers.

"Oh right, kinda forgot she's from the parallel world."

"I don't blame you." Levin assures her, "She's usually over here."

"Glad I'm not the only one." Rarity adds while applying nail polish, "Hope she's having fun."

Speaking of Sunset, she was helping Spike in the castle's kitchen to bake some goods for the festival. It was here that she sees that he can cook more than just cookies. She was currently stirring a bowl to make cupcakes as she spoke:

"Nachos, cakes, pies, and even tea? You sure had a lot of time on your hands."

"Back when Twilight was more focused on studying, she would miss her meals sometimes. So I decided to take up cooking for her." He explains before nervously chuckling, "Of course, I wasn't the greatest in the beginning."

She smirks upon realizing why, "Let me guess, burnt food?"

"Yeah... that was also when I was learning to control my fire." He admits before hearing the timer go off.

He opens the oven to pull out a pan of nachos as he continues, "Of course, you can see the results of my training."

"I can certainly taste it." She quips as she finishes stirring, using her magic to pour the batch evenly into a cupcake pan.

He places the nachos on the counter before taking the cupcake pan, putting the latter in the oven. Once he closes it, he adjusts the timer as she licks the spoon to taste the delicious batter:

"Hmm, is this your recipe?"

"Yup. Not bad, huh?"

The two then heard the door open, seeing a familiar face who lights up upon seeing Sunset:

"You're here!"

"Yes I am, I did say this weekend. Then again, time flows a bit differently between our worlds." The two then share a short hug as she greets back, "Good to see you, Starlight."

Starlight then notices the kitchen, "Baking for the festival?"

"Yep, my goods are gonna be a smash hit." Spike confidently answers.

"Well you do have competition. The Cakes, the Apple Family, Pinkie Pie..."

"I know, but I'm still pretty confident about it." He then hears the timer go off.

As he goes to check on the food, Starlight then notices Sunset wearing an apron:

"Didn't take you for a chef."

"I rarely cook. Usually I order out or one of the Rainbooms get me food." The latter admits, "Still, it doesn't hurt to learn."

"I know that feeling, I had to do it by hoof for the first time with Pinkie."

The two then heard Spike speak, "All right, that should be enough for the samples. Thanks for the help, Sunset."

"No problem." She said as she removes the apron, placing it on a nearby hanger before getting an idea:

"Hey Starlight, wanna go fly kites? I think we have some time before the festival gets underway."

"Ooo, I'd love to! It's just that Trixie wants me to help her set up-" Starlight then widens her eyes, "That reminds me, I'd better get going! Good seeing you, Sunset!"

She then teleports away, making Sunset giggle at the sudden exit.

Inside the library, the mirror portal ripples before the Destiny Trio came out. The trio land to find themselves in the castle library, which Sora comments on:

"Huh, it's been awhile. Kinda expected a change."

"Guess some things never change." Kairi comments, "Right, Riku?"

"Yeah, I know that feeling." He answers, "So where do we go for the festival?"

"I guess outside the castle. Let's go." Sora leads the way as they enter the halls.

Since they never been outside the castle library, it was like a small labyrinth as they check every door they came across. The rooms they found included a lounge, a personalized bedroom, and a couple of bathrooms. It took a bit until they reach the kitchen, which was being cleaned by two familiar faces:

"Spike! Sunset!" Sora greets as they approach the duo.

The young dragon's eyes beam upon seeing them, "Sora! Riku!"

As he runs over to hug the boys, Sunset goes to greet Kairi:

"Nice to see you too."

"Same here. What brings you over to Equestria?" The latter wonders.

"A little vacation time. When I heard about the festival, I decided to help Spike out with some cooking."

"We can tell."

The two then heard Spike speak with pure excitement, "I haven't seen you guys for a long time! How you've been!?"

"Doing good. Sorry for not visiting often, it's been kinda busy." Sora laments.

"Twilight invited us over for the festival." Riku adds, "Is she here?"

"Nope, she and the others are already at Canterlot to make sure it's ready." Spike answers, "I like your new looks by the way."

Sunset notices the boys' new attire as Kairi casually adds, "I did their haircuts."

"It's certainly different, but in a good way." The former comments, "I like them."

Once the trio helped them finish cleaning, they head out into the castle halls. From here, Spike decides to give them the tour so that they know how to get around. Upon reaching the bedroom from earlier, he mentions somepony they never met before:

"I don't remember this 'Starlight Glimmer' from our visit before." Sora tries to recall.

"It's a long and kinda confusing story." Spike answers, "In short, Twilight and King Mickey had to stop her from ruining Equestria's future."

"Former villain, got it." Riku jovially summarizes.

"Don't let that fool you, she's pretty cool. She even saved me and the Rainbooms once." Sunset mentions.

"Can't wait to meet her then." Kairi adds.

The tour comes to an end as they reach the entrance, where Spike stops at the doors:

"And for our last stop, I wanted to show you where we are in Equestria. Sora, Riku, Kairi, welcome to Ponyville!"

He and Sunset open the doors, revealing the colorful town in its full glory. The trio walk out with the two following behind, letting them take in the sights as they enter said town. The locals were traveling about, though they seem to be rather busy.

Some of the locals notice the trio as they walk by, curious on what they are. They didn't mind the stares, much less even know they were being stared at.

"Now this is more like the other worlds I've been to." Sora comments.

"Yeah, this would suit you like a glove." Riku teases.

"Jokes on you, I don't have gloves this time." He holds up his hands, showing off his new gauntlets that don't cover his palms.

Kairi couldn't help but giggle at their exchange, "Come on Riku, you'd like this place too."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Sunset adds, "He comes off as that 'tough guy, big softie' type."

Riku smirks as he crosses his arms, "Very funny."

"And there's way more to see!" Spike cheers as he leads the way, "Come on!"

The others follow him to see more of the town, as in the meantime at Canterlot...

"It's good to see you again, Celestia."

King Mickey walks into the throne room with Donald and Goofy in tow, approaching the three princesses of Equestria. Luna and Cadance stood by Celestia, who gives them a warm welcome:

"It's always nice to see you, Mickey. I'm glad you're able to attend the festival."

"Of course, Your Highness!" Goofy agrees, "When we heard Twilight was in charge, we had to come visit!"

"And it's been awhile." Donald casually adds.

Mickey then notices the other two princesses, "Oh! You two must be Princess Luna and Princess Cadance, correct?"

"Indeed. A pleasure to finally meet a keyblade wielder of your stature." The former confirms.

"Twilight has mentioned you three a couple of times." The latter brings up, "It's great to know there are heroes beyond our own world."

"Yup! We do our best to protect the world border!" Donald brags.

"Wait, I thought it was the world order." Goofy corrects him.

"Wah!? It IS order, now you got me doing it!"

The princesses giggle at their little exchange before they heard the throne doors open, where Twilight enters from. She then smiles upon seeing the guests, even flying over to give them a hug:

"Mickey, Donald, Goofy! I'm so glad you can make it to the festival!"

"Of course, we have to keep our alliance strong after all." Mickey mentions, "Oh, I hope my advice from before helped you."

"Don't worry, I didn't forget. 'A kingdom is as strong as those who inhabit it'. Thanks to you, Ponyville is thriving better than ever!"

"That's great to hear!"

"Hmm, I doubt that's why you came in here." Cadance points out.

Twilight widens her eyes upon remembering why, "Oh, yes! I came in to ask a big favor from you three."

The two trios look at each other before she clarifies, "The princesses, I mean."

"You need our assistance for the festival?" Cadance wonders, "I'm sure you have enough hooves for that."

"Actually, it's something only you three can help me with."

As they wonder on what, she brings out a whiteboard and levitates a chalk piece before getting to work:

"Here's what I'm thinking. For Rara's performance, it is not scheduled until you start setting the sun. And based on my precise calculations to get the best lightning for the stage, I was hoping for Celestia to place the sun at twenty-point-one degrees to the south. Luna, I need you to place the moon at sixty-two degrees in the north. Having them up at the same time, the light would reflect just right to frame the stage perfectly!"

The others were rather intrigued at the idea, but it's clear that was only two-thirds of the plan as Cadance points out:

"So, where am I in this?"

"That's simple. If you can use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun and moon would shine right through it to make an amazing light show!" Twilight finishes as she now has the full schematic on the board.

Mickey, Donald and Goofy were now imagining such a sight. It would be rather beautiful. The princesses on the other hoof:

"So, you want us to raise the sun and the moon... for the party?" Luna summarizes.

"Well I'd do it myself, but I don't have your magic." Twilight admits before letting out a small snort.

The princesses look at each other before pondering the suggestion. After a long moment, Cadance was the first to speak:

"I'll admit, I'm rather curious about this myself."

"Curious or not, it falls on Luna to allow it." Celestia adds, "So... what do you say, sister?"

Luna looks at Celestia, then Cadance, then Twilight. The Princess of Friendship was smiling in anticipation, which eventually made her relent:

"...Very well."

Her answer made Twilight spring up into the air, "YES! Thank you very much, princesses!"

Back with the Destiny Trio, they are now on the train to Canterlot with Sunset and Spike. The latter was currently telling them stories to pass the time:

"And that's how we saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra."

"Wow, what a brave dragon you are." Kairi compliments.

"Huh, I heard a different story from Starlight." Sunset mentions, "Something about a 'Crystalling'?"

"What's that one about?" Sora wonders, which Spike answers:

"That was when we were reuniting her with an old friend named Sunburst. Thanks to him, we managed to fix the Crystal Heart when it broke."

Before Riku can ask for clarification, his gut feeling from earlier returned as his surroundings distort. Getting up to his feet, he sees his friends and even the train slow to a halt. Recognizing the effect, he quickly summons his keyblade and turns to point it at a familiar hood:

"Not a very nice welcome."

"After what you've done, be lucky you walked away alive." Riku threatens, "Now why are you here?"

"I only came to deliver a warning. A grave threat will soon approach, one that will bring down many worlds. It'll only emerge when the magic of the four princesses unite, formed to be untamed like a ferocious hurricane."

"How about you stop speaking in riddles for once?"

Xehanort chuckles at the idea, "Now where's the fun in that?"

Riku narrows his glare before he notices the surroundings distorting again. He quickly looks back to see the hooded figure had disappeared already, leaving them alone in the train car as time resumes. He ponders on the riddle before hearing Sora call his name:

"Riku? Are you all right?"

He turns to see the others looking at him, where he eventually admits the truth:

"No, something's coming."

And done! All right, this took a bit to figure out how I wanted to structure the beginning of the movie. After some time, here's what I got:

After changing the boys' designs, I decided to give a small glimpse into what the EG cast is doing. No joke, Vanitas and Midnight have great potential for their dynamic, plus I chose to give a sneak peek of their new attire. Needless to say, that scene was fun to write.

Now a big change to the movie, Sunset and Starlight join the cast! Since this is the last visit of the story, it'll feel wrong to leave out the former as she was here from the very beginning. For the latter, she was originally gonna be in the third visit's climax, but that didn't happen for various reasons. Now that we are in Equestria, why not have her join the fun?

Speaking of big changes, the Disney Crew came to visit the princesses. While I do have the throne room scene here, the end result is different as the original... had nothing. Like when you think about it, nothing really changes if they said yes or no. And they had NO REASON to deny the favor as there was no established negative effects for having the sun AND moon out.

And finally, Xehanort had returned. At least the time traveler one. I'm not entirely sure how much he would affect the visit, but I'd at least get some practice in writing him.

With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!