The seven ponies entered the ruins of the castle through the rotted wooden doors, finding themselves in room that had it's ceiling missing. In the center of the room was a moss covered pedestal carrying five stone orbs each with a carving of a diamond on it's surface. Twilight had to hold back a gasp.
"We've found them," She breathlessly stated, "The Elements of Harmony," the ponies took the Elements off the pedestal, all the while Twilight insisted they be careful with them.
"There's only five of them," Sora pointed out, "Where's the sixth?"
"I don't know," Twilight responded, "But I might have a hunch."
The experiences she had with those five ponies taught her something about each of them: Applejack's sincere honesty, Fluttershy's kindness to those in need, Pinkie Pie's use of laughter to make everypony feel better, Rarity's generosity to complete strangers, and Rainbow Dash's loyalty to her comrades. Each one of these ponies represented one piece of the five known Elements of Harmony. Was it a coincidence? Twilight thought that she should share this idea with Sora and see what he thinks.
"Hey Sora," Twilight caught his attention, "Can I talk with you in private?"
"Okay, sure," He agreed with no hesitation.
"In that case, we'll just see ourselves out, then," Applejack lead the other mares outside, "C'mon, ya'll, let's let 'em have their chat," Once they were out of hearing range, Sora turned his attention to the purple unicorn.
"So what do you want to talk about?" He asked.
"Well... I've been thinking, about our colleagues..." She wanted to say 'friends,' but there was still that rational part of her that kept her from saying that word.
"Colleagues?" Sora interrupted, "Don't you mean our friends?" There was no sarcasm, wit, or amusement in his voice. He spoke with complete and utter sincerity and conviction.
"Friends? I've only met all of you today," Twilight looked unsure about calling Sora and the others her friends.
"Yeah, but think about the adventure we've all had," Sora said with complete and utter sincerity, "Those are the kinds of friends that last a lifetime," Twilight thought about the adventure that brought the seven of them here. It was more than clear to her that she wouldn't have made it this far without their help.
"You consider me a friend?" Twilight questioned Sora.
"Sure, and I know the other do too," He answered with a smile on his face, "It's really not that complicated," Sora continued, "Just look inside your heart and it'll give you the answer."
Look inside her heart? He said that as if it was simple. Maybe it was easy for him. It was clear to Twilight that there was more to this caramel pony than what she initially believed, and she acted disrespectfully to him. Sora did nothing wrong to her, he only wanted to help her and Spike. She actively tired to avoid him and yelled at him. Despite her mistreatment, he still thought of her as his friend.
"You couldn't possibly stop any kind of evil because you're an enormous dolt who can't take anything seriously!"
Now Twilight could see her outburst couldn't be any farther from the truth. Sora's overall attitude shifted once he understood the threat that Nightmare Moon presented. Not only did Sora know when to be serious, he was also a capable warrior, fighting off waves of heartless with ease. There was still so much she didn't know about Sora: Where did he come from? Why did he have this keyblade? What kind of experiences has he had?
"Anyway," Sora brought Twilight out of her thoughts, "What were you saying?"
"You know what, never mind, it's nothing," Twilight wasn't sure how the other mares fit with the legend of the Elements, but she did have another theory for this 'spark,' "I think I have an idea on how to make the sixth element appear. I'd stand back if I were you, there's no telling what might happen."
"Okay, I'll give you room to concentrate," Sora replied, turning to go join the others outside. Twilight focused on casting a spell that might reveal the sixth Element. As she did that, the black smoke appeared before Twilight and enveloped the Elements. The purple unicorn gasped in shock as the smoke swirled into a portal overflowing with darkness, sucking in the stone orbs.
"The Elements!" Twilight shouted, catching Sora's attention just as he exited the doors. He looked back to see Twilight jump into the portal in a desperate play to recover the Elements.
"Twilight!" Sora shouted, rushing up to the dark portal and flew in. The other mares saw Sora rush back into the castle. Curiosity taking hold over them, they followed after him. The portal vanished just as the others re-entered, leaving behind no trace of the purple unicorn or the caramel pegasus. The mares began to frantically comb the area for any signs of their friends.
"Sora! Twilight!" Applejack called off in random directions, hoping that it would yield some results, "Where'd they go?"
"Look!" Rarity was pointing to an intact tower from a window. The tower in question was glowing bright from the inside. The other mares looked out the window and saw that bright light, "That must be where they are."
"C'mon, ya'll!" Applejack ordered. They galloped off to a nearby hallway with Rainbow Dash in front. The cyan mare collided with an invisible wall that showed hexagon patterns when she smashed into it.
"Hey, what gives?" Rainbow angrily demanded, pounded the wall with her hooves.
"We're trapped," Fluttershy worryingly stated. Just then, a number of Shadows emerged from behind the mares. Fluttershy's natural ability to sense even the slightest amount of danger had her turn around from the strange noise. She screamed. The rest turned their attention to see the dark creatures circling them like predators overlooking their prey.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity poised themselves for battle, remembering what Sora told them. Shadows were paltry opponents but were deadly in groups. Thankfully, there weren't that many heartless around them, but that could change. As for Pinkie and Fluttershy, the former glaring at the heartless in a very silly fashion while the latter backed away as far as she could.
"We're gonna hafta fight our way out!" Rainbow Dash declared. The heartless jumped forward, seeking to take the hearts of these mares.
—
Twilight's head rattled as she regained consciousness, her vision and hearing blurred. Her body was laying down on the cold stone floors of the castle, limbs feeling brittle. Diving into that dark portal wasn't the best of ideas it seemed.
"T...ight," Came a voice, too blurry to make out who it was, "Twilig..," There it was again. Twilight's senses came back to her slowly but surely. Her head jerked up when somepony grabbed her shoulders and lifted her upright, "Twilight!" Her vision and hearing returned to her, revealing that it was Sora who was calling out to her.
"Sora..?" She drowsily slurred, starting to regain her strength.
"Twilight, are you okay?" He questioned in concern, releasing his hold on her. The purple unicorn regained her footing as all her sensory functions returned to her. She rubbed her temples to ease her headache.
"I'm fine," She responded, then she went wide eyed, "Wait? The Elements? Where are the Elements?" She frantically twisted her head for any sign of the stone spheres. She spotted them on a circular platform at the end of the room surrounded by four pillars, "Over there!" She pointed. Sora followed where
"Come on!" He said, galloping towards the stone spheres with Twilight not far behind. They were unable to reach their goal as a barrier appeared before them. They both crashed into the force field.
"What's this?" Twilight cried out. Numerous Shadows, Soldiers and Large Bodies appeared in the room. Sora immediately summoned his keyblade in preparation for the fight ahead. Twilight seemed a bit unsure, taking a slight step back.
"Twilight," Sora said, bringing her out of her momentary fear, "I hope you're ready for this."
Sora began by lifting his keyblade in the air, "Thunder!" A bolt of lightning rained down on the heartless, creating a massive burst of electricity that stunned the dark creatures. He lunched forward, hacking and slashing his way through the heartless ranks. Sora swung his keyblade in an upwards slash, launching a Soldier up in the air. The caramel pegasus jumped and brought his blade down on the Soldier, sending it crashing on the floor and destroying it. While flying, Sora fired a blizzard spell at a Large Body, freezing it in place.
One Soldier set it's sights on Twilight. She grew worried as the monster clumsily approached her. Then something within the unicorn switched gears. Up until now, she had avoided the Heartless in fear of having her heart taken away; however, the fate of Equestria was hanging in the balance. With her expression tightening in determination, she used her magic to lift the Soldier heartless in the air.
"Sora!" Twilight called out. The pegasus looked to Twilight, who launched the Soldier to him. Sora took advantage of the situation and cut down the heartless, releasing the heart inside. Both ponies shared a nod of mutual understanding, now fully willing to work together. The battle continued with Sora slashing the heartless while Twilight fired bolts of magical energy and flung the monsters around with her unicorn magic. They had cut down a sizable amount of the heartless force, but more kept showing up.
Sora took a deep breath and heightened all his senses, carefully taking note of all the heartless still on the battlefield. Sora leapt into the air and held his keyblade in his hoof. The tip of the blade glowed in a radiant light. In one swift flick, Sora fired a salvo of magical projectiles the homed in on the heartless. His attack decimated the remaining heartless, all except for one Shadow. It didn't have much time to plan an attack as a blast from Twilight's horn destroyed it.
Both ponies sighed in relief when the fighting was done. The barrier was dispelled, but the black smoke revealed an even greater obstacle between them and the Elements, Nightmare Moon. Sora and Twilight shared a look with each other. They exchanged nods once again and lowered themselves into a running stance, staring down Nightmare.
"You're kidding," The dark mare asked, "You're kidding, right?"
Twilight and Sora rushed forward, while Nightmare Moon did the same. Before they could clash, Twilight disappeared from view. Both Sora and Nightmare stopped in their tracks, curious to what happened to the purple unicorn. She had casted a teleportation spell to pull herself closer to the Elements of Harmony. Twilight rubbed her temples, she never attempted teleportation until that point, doing so put a strain on her horn. With her last piece of remaining magic, she lit up her horn and casted a spell on the Elements. Nightmare Moon, realizing Twilight tricked her, dissipated into black smoke and reappeared before the purple unicorn. Nightmare casted a shockwave spell, forcefully blasting Twilight away from the Elements. Sora caught Twilight before she made a painful impact.
"You okay?" Sora asked in concern. Twilight brushed off the pain as he put her down.
"I'm fine," Twilight replied with a smug look on her face. She was able to cast her spell, now the sixth Element would appear. Nightmare Moon looked down with a hint of nervousness to the stone spheres glowing in a faint light. Just then, the glow dimmed away. Twilight and Sora were perplexed at this turn of events, Nightmare Moon cackled in pleasure. Rearing up her hind hooves, the dark mare slammed the ground with enough force to cause the floor to shake. In an instant, the Elements of Harmony shattered into pieces.
Twilight's heart sank watching the stone shards splatter all over the floor. With her eyes in a perpetual state of shock, she fell to the floor as despair washed over her.
"You stood no chance, little foal!" Nightmare Moon belittled, "You will never see your Princess or your precious sun again! The night will last FOREVER!" Her mad cackling echoed throughout the halls of the castle.
"This can't be real..." Twilight wallowed. The only hope of defeating Nightmare Moon was gone. Now Equestria would be stuck in eternal darkness, "We've lost... It's over..." Nightmare Moon glared over Twilight with an evil grin. Sora wasn't as deterred, quite the opposite. Fearing for the unicorn's safety, he stood in front of Twilight like a valorous knight sworn to protect the innocent.
"I wont let you hurt her!" He declared with a look of fierce determination on his features, "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone! Not you or the Heartless!" He brandished his keyblade and poised himself in a battle ready stance. Twilight was brought out of her slump, if only slightly, when Sora spoke.
"I will deal with her in time," Nightmare Moon threatened, stepping forward, "You're the one I'm really interested in."
"Why's that?" Sora angrily responded.
"First, answer me this you whelp," Nightmare Moon sneered, "How did a mere colt such as yourself acquire the Keyblade?"
"What?" That was a question Sora never expected to hear from her. Nightmare Moon knew about the Keyblade? Now there was another question to add to the list. How does she know about the Heartless and the Keyblade? Even Twilight, in her despair, was curious.
"Oh yes, I know all about the mystic powers of the Keyblade. Although, why would it choose a scrawny weakling such as yourself?" Sora steeled himself; although he was mentally freaking out, he did not want to show it to Nightmare Moon, "Go on, foal, deliver your blow. Show me your power!" Sora was more than willing to oblige as he galloped up to Nightmare Moon and swung his keyblade in a downward arc. A black mist appeared in front of the dark alicorn, forming an object that blocked Sora's attack. The caramel stallion's pupils shrunk when he saw what his opponent summoned.
"YOU HAVE A KEYBLADE?!" The hilt was held with the alicorn's dark blue aura, the guard made to look like wicked bat wings. Atop the hilt was a serpentine eye that matched Nightmare Moon's. The shaft resembled a unicorn's horn, pitch black in color. At the end was a wickedly curved crescent moon that made the teeth of the weapon. The same crescent moon served as the charm at the end of the black keychain as well.
Nightmare Moon, laughing maniacally, relished in Sora's shock, "Surprised to see another keybearer, are you?" The dark alicorn sneered. Her blade pushed back Sora's, sending it flying across the room. Sora snapped out of his shock in time to avoid impalement from Nightmare Moon's dark keyblade, "This keyblade was left here after my defeat a thousand years ago. Now that I have reclaimed it, nothing will stand in my way. Don't you understand? Your defeat is imminent!"
Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. This strange weapon she learned of only a few hours ago was also held in the possession of Nightmare Moon? Twilight's heart sank into even further despair. She'd seen how powerful Sora was with his keyblade, but that same weapon in the hooves of an alicorn, there was no stopping Nightmare Moon.
Sora inhaled and released a long breath from his nostrils. He met his gaze with Nightmare Moon's, showing no signs of fear, "You won't win. I won't let you," he declared, keyblade appearing in his maw.
"I see now," Nightmare Moon muttered, "Such strong resolve for one so young," She raised her dark keyblade to prepare for battle, "Your heart will make for an excellent trophy," She raised her keyblade and fired a salvo of dark fireballs towards Sora, who dodged them swiftly and skillfully. He then went on the offensive, rapidly slashing at Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn had trouble blocking all of his strikes.
She unleashed a shockwave of dark energy to push him back. Sora gracefully landed on all fours as Nightmare Moon pointed her keyblade at him again. This time, a bolt of black lightning blasted out, impacting on Sora and sending him soaring into a wall. The caramel pegasus groaned in pain as his muscles jolted in shock. That single attack left Sora in a near critical state. It was clear that Nightmare Moon held much power.
Getting up, he held his keyblade up and shouted, "Heal!" Pink bellflowers appeared above Sora, showering him with green dust. Almost immediately, Sora felt his body recover from Nightmare's attack, "That took up all of my mana. I can't let her hit me again."
The dark alicorn launched her keyblade like a javelin at Sora. He held up his blade just in time to deflect her blade. In retaliation, Sora spun his keyblade towards Nightmare Moon, successfully impacting against her chest. She reeled back from the counter attack, vengefully glaring at the stallion as he re-summoned his keyblade.
"You insist on making this difficult, don't you?" She spat, keyblade reappearing in her dark aura.
"You can still stop this," Sora said, "Don't you remember? You used to rule alongside your sister years ago—Princess Luna," Nightmare growled in irritation at the mention of that name.
"That has no meaning to me anymore," She seethed, "That fool was weak, I'm the one who made us strong. Any semblance of what used to be Luna is gone."
"That's not true," Sora responded, shaking his head, "The darkness may have a hold over your heart, but I know that there is still light inside you."
"Ignorant foal. What would you possibly know about the heart?" Nightmare Mare insulted.
"I know that the heart's true nature is to never let go of the bonds we share with others," Sora spoke with absolute certainty, "The heart is always looking to connect, no matter how vast the darkness," Twilight payed close attention to his words. He sounded so confident, so sure that what he was saying was fact. Was it possible that Nightmare Moon could be saved from her own hatred? "That's why I'll never give up, because I know that there's a light that never goes out! Deep down, you still care about your sister!"
The dark mare in question wasn't moved in the slightest, she merely cackled uproariously, "You're even more of a goody two shoes than I imagined," Sora hardened his expression. Nightmare launched another bolt of dark lightning at him. However, Sora was prepared this time, dodging out of the way just in time. Landing on all fours, he lunged towards Nightmare Moon, striking her with a left slash. The caramel pegasus was only getting started.
Sora was surrounded by a transparent bubble, which he burst out of (creating a sound of shattering glass). His clothes had changed in appearance. The red highlights of his outfit were now colored white, while his red hood became black. His shirt now took an a navy blue coloration rather than black. His gray saddlebags switched from gray to a vibrant red.
"What is this?!" Nightmare demanded. Sora showed her what his transformation meant, unleashing a string of powerful blows against her. He ended his combo by summoning three orbs of light that surrounded him, damaging the dark alicorn in the process. Sora's finisher sent Nightmare Moon flying into a wall. She regained her footing and seethed in anger. She held her keyblade in her magic and began wildly swinging it in Sora's direction. The caramel pegasus blocked each inelegant swipe. He knocked the blade away and lunged forward for another attack.
Twilight looked on at the battle in awe. Sora at first seemed to be at a massive disadvantage when against Nightmare Moon, but he was proving to be a more than worthy adversary; he even seemed to be winning the fight. Nightmare Moon had alot of power behind her, but Sora had finesse and skill.
"Twilight, Sora! Ya there?!"
"Don't worry, we're coming!"
"Hold on!"
Twilight broke her vision away from the battle and to the open door. She knew those voices, It was the others: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. An overwhelming surge of emotion washed over Twilight: relief, joy, comfort. All of a sudden, all of her worries were brushed aside.
"Just look inside your heart and it'll give you the answer."
In that moment, Twilight experienced a moment of euphoric clarity. Now she understood what Sora meant. In her heart, she knew that those five had a connection to the Elements of Harmony. Moreover, she knew that they were her friends.
Meanwhile, Sora continued to apply pressure to Nightmare Moon, who could hardly keep up with his strikes. Sora lifted his keyblade and summoned a sphere of magical energy that pushed Nightmare back. She recomposed herself and intensely glared at Sora.
"You're more powerful than I expected," She admitted through ragged breaths, "But you still have no hope of reclaiming the sun. Your precious Elements are nothing but dust now!"
"You're wrong!" Twilight yelled, pulling the dark alicorn's attention, "You can't destroy the Elements that easily, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!" The others entered the room just as Twilight finished her little speech. Sora was glad to see his friends were okay. The five mares all gasped in bewilderment when they took notice of the dark keyblade in Nightmare Moon's possession.
"What the heck?!" Questioned a wide eyed Rainbow.
"Uh, did ah miss sumthin', or does Nightmare have one of them keyblades too?" Applejack added.
"I'll fill you all in later," Twilight hastily responded, then addressed the dark mare again, "These five ponies carry with them the spirit of the Elements!"
"WHAT?!" Shouted Nightmare Moon. Twilight grinned in confidence and presented her evidence.
"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty!
"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness!
"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter!
"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity!
"And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty!"
As Twilight spoke, shards of the elements floated towards the mares as they were called out. Nightmare Moon grew nervous. Twilight's face was one of fierce determination, no longer fear, "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."
Nightmare Moon began growing fearful, backing away from the mares, "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"
"But it did!" Twilight proclaimed, turning her head towards the five element bearers, "A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you. I learned how much I truly cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!"
The pieces took on a new shape. The five were now wearing gold necklaces with different shaped gems. Applejack had an orange apple, Fluttershy a pink butterfly, Pinkie Pie a blue balloon, Rarity a purple diamond, and Rainbow Dash a red lightning bolt. Twilight briefly locked gazes with Sora, who nodded to her with confidence.
With newfound determination, Twilight looked Nightmare Moon in the eye, "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the spark of friendship that resides in all of our hearts, it creates the sixth Element: The Element of Magic!"
An orb of pure light appeared above Twilight. She closed her eyes as the orb descended upon her, emanating magical energy into her very beign. In a flash of light, a golden tiara embedded with a gem resembling Twilight's cutie mark appeared atop the unicorn's head. Twilight opened her eyes, now fully glowing with light.
"No," Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth in furious rage, "I will not be defeated!" She held her keyblade and channelled a dangerous amount of dark magic into it, intending to destroy the mares and the Elements in one devastating spell. Unfortunately, the dark alicorn forgot about the caramel pony who was giving her trouble. Said pony flew in front of her and swiped away her keyblade with his own.
"I don't think so," Sora said. With his keyblade glowing at the tip, Sora went on the offensive, rapidly slashing Nightmare Moon with a flurry of furious blows, eight in total. The dark one could feel her stamina drain as Sora pelted her. He wasn't done just yet; rising into the air, the pegasus bashed down on Nightmare Moon's helmet, cracking the headpiece and bringing the alicorn down on her stomach. Sora's clothes returned to their normal state when he was done.
As that was happening, the six mares glowed in a blindingly bright light as they hovered above ground. The six of them felt a comforting sensation as they focused their energy. Twilight in particular experienced a euphoric sensation she hadn't felt before: the light of Friendship. A multicolored beam of purple, orange, yellow, pink, white and cyan swirled around them. The beam shot up and coursed it's direction to Nightmare Moon. The dark mare, fatigued from Sora's finishing blow, could only watch in horror as the rainbow beam surrounded her.
"No! NOOOOOOOO!" The entity known as Nightmare Moon could feel her power being striped away from her. Her reign had come to an end. The entire room was washed in a blast of light so bright that Sora had to cover his eyes.
When the light dissipated, Twilight and the others were sprawled across the floor. Sora was the only one left standing up after that whole ordeal.
Sora found curled up in the middle of the room a different kind of alicorn than who he fought earlier. She was significantly shorter than Nightmare Moon, but still taller than the average pony. Her coat was a grayish blue with a splotch of black on her flanks, along with a crescent moon cutie mark. Her azure mane fell down one side of her face in a wavy manner, her tail was just as wavy. She wore silver shoes, a black chest piece with a crescent moon on it's front, and a black crown.
Her keyblade, tucked underneath her hooves, had changed in appearance as well. The blade was a dark blue rather than pitch black. The guard now resembled majestic pegasus wings. The serpent eye above said guard now held a round blue crystal that seemed to hold numerous stars within. The crescent moon that made up the teeth and keychain was now more elegant and not as wicked.
Sora approached the mare and knelt down to her level, "Hey, are you alright?" She opened teal eyes to find Sora's concerned expression. She could only mumble in response, "Hey, it's okay," Sora comforted.
"I-is the darkness gone?" She stuttered. Sora lifted his hoof and stroked the mare's head in reassurance.
"Yeah, it's over now."
As the mares recovered from their overwhelming power surge, they started admiring their new accessories. Rarity was the exception as she was ecstatic over her newly restored tail.
"Sorry we were late," Rainbow Dash apologized, "We had to fight off some heartless to get here."
"That's okay," Twilight replied admiring her tiara.
"Gee, Twilight!" The farm mare addressed the unicorn, "I couldn't follow what you was sayin', but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Harmony."
"Indeed you do," Spoke a soft and calming voice. The ponies could see the sun at last rising over the horizon. Sora stood back up to see this event happen. Appearing before them was a new mare, twice the size of a regular pony. Her coat was a pristine shade of white that seemed to glow brightly in the light of the sunrise. Her purple eyes displayed kindness and many years of wisdom. Atop her head was a long and elegant horn, and on her sides were long and illustrious wings. The crown atop her head, the piece around her neck, and her elegant hoof guards were all a pristine gold. Upon her flanks was an illustration of a burning sun. The most striking aspects of this creature were her mane and tail; colored light blue, light green, a darker shade of blue, and light pink, her hair flowing as is blown by a gentle unseen breeze.
Twilight gasped in relief, "Princess Celestia," She ran up to the tall alicorn and hugged her.
"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," The Princess spoke, "I knew you could do it."
"But... you told me the Mare in the Moon was just an old pony tale," Twilight responded to her trusted mentor. Celestia gently brushed her student's cheek with her hoof.
"I never said that," Celestia replied, "I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew you who had the magic inside to bring her back to the light, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart," She then turned her attention to Sora, who was entranced by Celestia's majesty. Now he could see why the ponies of Equestria adore their Princess so much, "What is your name, friend?" She asked, trotting over to him.
"It's Sora, your majesty," He responded courteously.
"Well, Sora, allow me to thank you for helping guide Twilight towards the right path," The alicorn's face tensed into a more serious expression, "However, it seems somepony else must learn the path of friendship as well," glancing towards Luna. The blue alicorn shrunk behind Sora, unwillingly to meet he gaze of her older sister. The caramel pegasus stepped aside, allowing Celestia to address Luna directly, "Dear sister, It has been a thousand years since I have seen you," Celestia greeted, kneeling down to address Luna, "Please, little sister, let us put the past behind us and rule together once again, like we were meant to do," Luna looked down to the keyblade under her fore-hooves, then back to Celestia. The blue alicorn felt tears forming in her eyes as the reality of the situation dawned on her.
With her keyblade disappearing in a burst of stars, Luna stood up and placed her muzzle on Celestia's neck, "I'm so sorry for what happened! I missed you so much, big sister!"
"I've missed you, too," Celestia reciprocated, affectionately nuzzling Luna. The seven ponies in the room all felt their hearts soar seeing these two sisters reunite. Sora in particular felt a sense of of nostalgia seeing Celestia and Luna make amends even after the latter fell to darkness.
Pinkie was crying a river of tears, and then her attitude made a 180, "Hey, you know what this calls for?"
—
"A party!" Back in Ponyville, the townsponies were more than thrilled to see the return of the sun and the Princess. Once the heroes returned, the citizens of Ponyville welcomed them back with praise and admiration. Even Luna seemed to be welcomed back with open hooves. Despite the festivities, Twilight was anything but festive. In fact, she was gloomy, something Celestia picked up.
"Why so glum, my faithful student?" Celestia asked Twilight, "Are you not happy that your quest is complete and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"
"That's just it," Twilight replied, "I only just learned how wonderful it is to have friends, and now I have to leave them," Sora looked at the purple unicorn with a sympathetic gaze. It was always sad when you had to leave your friends. Celestia brought a hoof to her chin in thought.
"Spike, take a note, please," The little drake produced a quill and scroll, paying close attention to pen down Celestia's words, "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship and report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville."
Twilight felt her eyes grow misty. Celestia had given the studious unicorn a dream of an assignment, and she was determined to give this task her all.
"Oh thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before," She vowed. The ponies cheered in joy at the announcement of Twilight staying.
"Looks like you'll be staying a little while longer," Sora commented. Twilight turned around to face him. She was viewing him with a look of pure gratitude, a stark contrast to the loathing expression she gave him the night before.
"Thank you, Sora," Twilight said with a trembling voice, "I would never have discovered how great friendship is without you," Sora sheepish rubbed the back of his head in gratitude. Twilight then rushed to Sora and hugged him. This action caught him off guard, but Sora reciprocated the action nonetheless. Both ponies felt at ease now that the ordeal was over, and Twilight was ready to begin her new life in Ponyville.