A day passed since Twilight was given her new assignment to study the magic of friendship. Right now, she and Applejack were trotting along the path adjacent to the farm. Both mares wore harnesses with baskets of apples attached. Spike was resting comfortably on Twilight's back as he surveyed the apples for any signs of deformities.
"Thank you kindly, Twilight, for helping me out," Said Applejack, "I bet Big McIntosh I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime. If I win, he's gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny's girdles," The farm mare burst out laughing at the thought of such a thing.
Twilight wasn't listening. Her mind drifted elsewhere, thinking about the things she learned of yesterday, about keyblades and the Heartless. Those mystical keys apparently dated back to the time of Nightmare Moon, but how did she get one?
"Hey, is there sumthin' botherin' ya, Twilight?" Applejack asked the distracted unicorn. Said unicorn stopped trotting and faced the orange one's gaze.
"Oh, sorry, Applejack, I can't get those keyblades out of my mind," Twilight rubbed her temples, "I've studied amount magic all my life, and I've never heard of a weapon that can grant non-unicorns magic powers and open any lock. Did Sora ever use his keyblade before Nightmare Moon's appearance?"
Applejack shook her head, "Nope, that was the first time ah ever saw him use it. Ah don't think Sora even used it when he rescued that little filly from the burning building."
"What?!" Twilight jolted from shock, so much so that she accidentally knocked Spike, and a few apples, off her back, "When did he do that?!"
"His first day in Ponyville, if ya can believe that," Applejack answered, "Ah heard he jumped right in soon as he heard a filly was trapped inside."
Twilight was astounded. She'd seen Sora's nobility first hand when he faced off against Nightmare Moon, but willingly jumping into a building that was on fire to save another life? That was something a hero would do.
"Yeah, I remember hearing about that during that first party Pinkie threw us," Spike said, getting up and glaring at the purple unicorn, "Man, I wish could've seen him fight those 'heartless' things, everypony says it was amazing!"
"Where do ya think he learned to fight like that?" Applejack asked. Sora was young, but he fought as though he was a skilled warrior with years of experience.
"No idea," Twilight stated, "I'm more flabbergasted that Luna had a keyblade of her own. She must have acquired it before her banishment. But how did she get one?" Twilight began pacing back and force as her speech slowly but surely grew frantic, "But if Luna has one of these 'keyblades,' does that mean Princess Celestia has one as well? No, that can't be, I would know otherwise, Princess Celestia wouldn't keep secrets from me. But what if she is keeping her probable keyblade a secret from me? If that's the case, is she keeping even more secrets from me?"
Twilight continued on rambling with Spike and Applejack watching, not really following what she was say, "Uh, is she okay?" The farm mare whispered to the dragon.
"Yeah, this is pretty normal for her" Spike replied, walking up to the purple unicorn to grasp her mouth shut, "Twilight, relax. I'm sure your just overthinking it."
"Maybe you're right, Spike," Twilight relented, "If the Princess does have a keyblade, then I'm sure there's a good explanation why she hasn't told me," The unicorn felt at ease. Surely there was a rational explanation to it all, right? All of a sudden, Spike felt something rumbling in his stomach. With cheeks bulging, Spike belched a spurt of green fire. From the fire materialized a scroll held with a red seal. Twilight knew exactly what this meant, "A letter from the Princess?" She said. Spike unfurled the scroll and read the contents.
"Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of... yadda yadda yadda... cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest," Spike then belched out two golden tickets, which Twilight caught in her magic grasp.
Twilight and Applejack gasped in shock, "The Grand Galloping Gala?!" Then that shock turned into excitement.
—
Sora lounged in his seat in the train car with his fore-hooves behind his head, thinking about the day before. After the party, Celestia approached him and requested that he meet her at the royal castle in Canterlot for a personal chat. He agreed, hoping that he could learn how and why Luna has a keyblade of her own. Celestia paid for Sora's train tickets so that he could travel to the capital. As the trip continued, Sora looked outside the window, taking in the beautiful landscape as it zoomed past due to the train's speed. This world was such a peaceful place, yet it was so close to falling into eternal night just yesterday. Even the most serene of locales can be victims of destruction. That was something Sora knew all too well. Looking ahead, Sora saw the capital city of Canterlot getting closer.
Sora had seen the city from a distance while at Ponyville, and it was certainly a sight to behold. It was a grand city hanging off the side of the tallest mountain for miles with curvaceous architecture in shades of purple, gold and white. The train had reached the station and it was time to exit. Sora took in the scenery as he trotted outside the train. The city was even more magnificent up close. The cobblestone roads were well kept and the buildings were crafted with pristine marble.
"Excuse me," Said an unfamiliar voice. Sora pivoted his head forward his position to see a royal guard. He was different from the others as he wore purple armor instead of gold. He was a fairly bulky pearl white unicorn stallion with teal eyes and a two tone navy blue mane and tail, "You wouldn't by any chance be Sora, would you?"
"Yeah, actually," The caramel pony responded, "Who are you?"
"I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard," He introduced with a bow, "The Princess has asked me to escort you to the audience chamber."
"Oh, thanks," Sora showed his gratitude.
"Right this way," Shining said, trotting onto the cobblestone streets with Sora not close behind, "Things have been really hectic around here lately. First the sun doesn't rise when it's supposed to, then the Princess arrives with her long lost sister."
Sora chuckled in response, "I can imagine it gets pretty busy in a place like this," He remarked, taking note of the many ponies, mostly well dressed unicorns, wandering about.
"You're telling me," Shining replied, turning his head to make eye contact with the caramel pegasus, "You've made quite the impression around here."
"I have?" Sora didn't notice at first, but many of the citizens were staring at him and talking amongst themselves. The caramel pegasus suddenly felt very uncomfortable being the center of attention.
"Yeah, everypony's been talking about the ponies who stopped Nightmare Moon," Shining explained, "From what I heard, you beat her in a one-on-one fight."
"Yeah, that was me," Sora confirmed modestly.
"That's really something," Shining Armor complimented, "Standing hoof to hoof with an alicorn? That's unheard of!" Sora felt a surge of pride; however, beating Nightmare Moon didn't feel like a large accomplishment to him.
"I've faced way scarier opponents than her," Still, it felt great knowing that these ponies were safe.
—
Shining Armor guided Sora through the city and into the royal castle. It was massive, utilizing the already amazing architecture of Canterlot. The interior of the castle was just as impressive, decorated with velvet curtains and pristine carpets. The two stallions continued until they reached their destination, the Throne room. It was a very spacious area, centered with a red carpet the lead to a magnificent throne flanked by two royal guards. There Celestia was, looking at Sora with that gentle gaze of her's.
"Presenting Her Royal Highness," Announced Shining Armor, "Princess Celestia!" She lifted herself off her throne and approached the caramel pegasus.
"I've been anticipating your arrival, Sora," She then turned her attention to her guards, "You may leave now," She ordered them. The armor clad ponies, including Shining Armor, saluted in response and exited the chamber, leaving only the Princess and the keyblade wielder.
"So, Your Majesty," Sora started awkwardly, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, Sora, I would like to know where you're from, first and foremost" Celestia began graciously. Sora could practically hear a certain duck yelling in his ear about the World Order right about now
"Oh, I'm from really far away from your kingdom," Sora halfheartedly explained. The tall alicorn brought a hoof over her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her laughter.
"There's no need to hide the truth from me, Sora," Celestia addressed him respectfully, "I can tell that you're from another world."
Sora did a double take, "What?! You know about that?"
"I've been around for quite some time," Celestia explained, "Your peculiar clothing and hairstyle were something of a clue; however, your keyblade was all the proof I needed."
"It was?" Sora inquired.
"Just a few days ago, I saw a shooting star from my balcony. I felt a strong light emanating from that star, a light that could only reside within one with the Keyblade's power. Tell me, was that shooting star you by any chance?" Sora nodded in response to Celestia's question, "I must ask, however did that come to pass?"
Sora's face slumped, he didn't know how he ended up in Equestria, but he did know the circumstances that led him here. He remembered those events clear as day, events he would like to forget. Thinking about it put a strain on his heart.
"I was rescuing someone important to me," Sora relayed a heavily abridged version of what happened, and he spoke with solemness in his voice, "But my heart was damaged in the process. I ended up fading away into the Final World. I don't know how long I was there, but I came into contact with some sort of light. Next thing I know, I'm on the Apple farm. Apparently I fell from the sky."
"Could you describe this light in any way?" Celestia inquired.
"I'm not sure how to describe it," Sora admitted, "But I remember sensing something similar when Twilight and the others used the Elements," Was there some sort of connection between him, the mares, and the Elements? This was all so confusing. Why was nothing ever simple?
"That certainly is strange," Celestia said, bringing a hoof to her chin. Despite this confusion, Sora felt surprisingly relieved he didn't have to hide anything from Celestia. Then something occurred to him. Perhaps she was the key to returning to his friends.
"Hey, if you know about other worlds, then I don't suppose you know how I can get back to my world?" Sora asked hopefully.
"Might you describe your world to me?" The alicorn asked.
"Well, my home is a group of islands called the Destiny Islands," Sora described his home with great enthusiasm, "It's beautiful. The sunsets there are amazing. I used to play on this small island off the coast of the mainland. There's even this one tree with this special fruit that—" Sora stopped himself. Suddenly, his enthusiasm left him, leaving him in solemn silence. Celestia pursed her lips in confusion, wondering what could cause Sora to shift his mood so quickly. Perhaps he reminded himself of an unpleasant memory. Sora shook off his uncertainty and continued, "Anyway, that's what my world is like. Is there anyway you could get me back?"
His hopes were dashed when Celestia shook her head, "I'm afraid not," she answered regrettably, "I wouldn't be capable of transporting you to your world."
"Oh..." Sora slumped his head in disappointment. Now he really was stuck here unless his friends found him.
"I'm sorry, Sora. If there is anything I can do to make your stay in Equestria more comfortable, you need only ask," Sora felt a little better
"There's something I wanted to ask you. How is Luna a keyblade wielder?"
Celestia gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head, "Oh, yes—perhaps I should show you something first," Celestia's horn began glowing in it's yellow aura. In a flash of bright light appeared, to Sora's bewilderment, a Keyblade. It was similar in design to Luna's blade, only it was colored a pristine white, the crystal held an orange light that seemed like it contained the fires of the sun itself, and the teeth and keychain charm resembled the alicorn's sun cutie mark. Sora's pupils shrunk to mere dots at that point, jaw hanging wide. Celestia noticed his slack-jawed expression and chuckled nervously again, "I was worried this would happen," She dismissed her keyblade.
"How come no one knew about this?" First Luna, now Celestia. Were there other keyblade wielders out there Sora didn't know about? As far as he knew, all keyblade wielders knew and kept in contact with one another. There's another question to add to the list.
"When Luna and I were young, a powerful Keyblade Master known as Starswirl the Bearded bequeathed the Keyblade's power to Luna and I. History remembers Starswirl as a powerful unicorn wizard, but the knowledge of him being a Keyblade Master has been lost to time," Celestia casted a solemn expression as she continued, "He saw the potential for us to be Keyblade wielders, so he took us in as his apprentices."
Sora absorbed the information he was told critically, "Okay, but do you know how Starswirl got his keyblade," Sora knew that there were keyblade wielders in ancient times, but he didn't know much beyond the legend of the Keyblade War.
"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question," Celestia responded, "One day, Starswirl vanished off the face of Equestria, leaving me and Luna, still mere apprentices, without a Master," So Celestia and Luna were still considered apprentices by technicality.
"Oh, okay. You know, it kind of makes sense now that I think about it," Sora folded his fore-hooves, "When I fought Nightmare Moon, she tried to beat me using brute force, only with magic instead of physical strength. Her sword play was practically nonexistent. I've fought against other keyblade wielders before and they had more varied skill sets than just magic power."
"Master Starswirl did have more of an affinity with magic then with physical combat," the Princess said with a hint of nostalgia, "Luna and I tried to continue our training ourselves, but our royal duties were creating a rift between us," She sighed in remorse, bringing her head down, "I'm sure you know what eventually happened between us," Celestia totted over to a balcony overlooking the castle gardens as she continued, "After Luna's banishment, training with the keyblade brought me only pain. It only served as a reminder of my sister and what I did to her. After some time, I stopped using my keyblade entirely," Celestia sighed in remorse as light tears began to shed, "There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of Luna, thinking I could've done something else to save her from her darkness."
Sora trotted over to Celestia's side, feeling an intense amount of sympathy for the royal, "I know what it's like, being forced to fight someone you're close to. What matters know is that you two are together again."
"Thank you, Sora," The Princess said in gratitude, "It's true, I feel so much greater now that my sister has returned to me."
"Speaking of," Sora shifted the subject, "Where's Luna, I haven't seen her in the castle."
"Luna is still recovering from having the darkness in her heart," Celestia explained, "Besides, it's been over a thousand years since Luna has walked Equestria. She'll need to catch up on current events to reintegrate into pony society."
"That makes sense," Sora said. He was glad that Luna was doing well, "With you and Luna, now I know three Keyblade wielding royals," He stated with a cheeky smile.
"You know of another ruler with the Keyblade's power?" Celestia showed her interest.
"Oh, you'd really like King Mickey."
The two keyblade wielders talked more and more as the day went on. Sora told of the many worlds he had explored during his travels. When it came to lunchtime, Celestia treated Sora to a fantastic lunch, one of the best he ever had as he put it. The Princess even gave Sora a personal tour of the castle. When asked about the stain glass windows in the throne room. They were depicting events in Equestria's ancient history, including one time when Celestia and Luna defeated a chaos god known as Discord. Sora expressed some concern to Celestia concerning the Heartless. The ruler of Equestria assured him that they're arrival was due only to Nightmare Moon's influence. Equestria was a world abundant with light, so Sora could rest easy when it came to the Heartless. After a while, Sora started another conversation while trotting through the castle halls.
"It's funny," He said, "The last thing I expected to see here was two other keyblade wielders."
"Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad you were there to guide Twilight when she needed it," Celestia placed her hoof on Sora's shoulder like a caring mother. The caramel pegasus appreciated the gesture, looking up at the Princess gratefully.
"Say, how did Twilight become your student anyway?" Sora asked, remembering how flabbergasted he was when Spike revealed that the purple unicorn was the Princess' personal protege.
"I sensed the magical potential within Twilight when she was just a filly," Celestia elaborated, "I took her in as my personal student so that she could better harness her potential. I sense great things in her future," She said, making Sora wonder what that meant, "Anything else you want to know?"
"Actually," Sora said nervously as he stopped trotting, "There is one other thing I've been meaning to ask you," Celestia chuckled in response seeing the worried smile on the pegasus' face.
"In answer to your question: Yes, it is real hair," She ran a hoof through her mane to emphasize her point.
"Oh, uh—cool..." Sora replied half-heartedly, "On second thought, I probably shouldn't ask her how old she is," He thought, "It might come off as rude."
All of a sudden, a burst of green fire appeared in front of Celestia, revealing a scroll. The Alicorn unfurled the piece of paper with her magic, revealing two golden tickets inside. Looking a little surprised, Celestia read the scroll before letting out a small chuckle.
"What is it?" The caramel pegasus asked in curiosity.
"It appears Twilight has already learned her first friendship lesson," Celestia responded with a warm smile. A fresh scroll and a quill appeared before her in a burst of magic, along with five additional tickets and an envelope. Writing up a quick reply, Celestia inserted the letter and the six tickets in the envelope before teleporting it away, "That reminds me," The alicorn continued, summoning another ticket and presenting it to Sora, "I want you to take this."
"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Sora read the writing on the ticket, "What's that?"
"A formal event held at the end of the summer," Celestia broke eye contact for a brief moment and gave a heavy breath. Sora tilted his head in confusion, but he didn't have time to contemplate as Celestia addressed him once again, "I'd be honored to have you attend the event. Maybe you'll make it interesting."
"Okay, thanks," Sora accepted the gift and placed it into his saddle bag. After accepting the gift, he was struck by a wave of curiosity, "Hey, how do you send letters back and forth with Twilight like that?"
"You know Spike, correct?" Sora nodded his head, "He's imbued with a special flame that can send letters to me. He acts as sort of a liaison between Twilight and I."
"That's really cool," Sora said with a smile, "Well, it's been great talking to you and all, but I should probably get back," It was close to when the sun should set and Celestia needed to perform this duty.
"Before you leave," Celestia stopped Sora, "I have one request for you. If I know my student, she'll want to know about the Keyblade. Please be sure to not reveal the existence of other worlds to Twilight. We wouldn't want to upset the World Order, would we?" Celestia pursed her lips in contemplation, "I might have to reveal my keyblade to Twilight at some point."
Sora folded his fore-legs, "Okay, but what am I supposed to tell Twilight?"
Celestia gave him a playful smile, "If she ever asks you something you probably shouldn't answer, just be cryptically vague," The Princess chuckled.
"Okay then..." Sora tilted his head, not sure what Celestia found so amusing. Nonetheless, he understood what she asked of him, "I'll be sure to keep the outside world a secret."
"Glad to hear," Celestia said, "Will you be needing help returning to the train station?"
"No, I think I'll be fine," Sora declined, "I should be able to make it back on my own."
"Alright then," Celestia lowered her head to Sora's level, "Remember, if you need any guidance, ask Spike to send a letter to me."
"Thanks," Sora relayed his gratitude with a nod, "Well, see ya round."
Sora began to make his way back to the train station. Along the way, he noticed Shining Armor standing position at the front gate. Something seemed off however, the unicorn was drifting his eyes to the side
"Hey, Shining," Sora caught the guard's attention, "Is there something wrong? You look out of it."
"Oh, hey, Sora. Guess you're done talking with the Princess, huh?" It was obvious Shining Armor was dodging the question. Sora crossing his fore-hooves and giving the guard a stern gaze convinced him to spill the beans, "Well... I've just been missing my sister is all."
"Your sister?" Sora repeated, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing serious," Shining affirmed, "She just had to move to Ponyville is all. It's weird not having her around, I guess," He was clearly saddened that his mysterious sister was somewhere else.
"Alright, want me to go find her for you?" Sora asked without hesitation, making Shining Armor backpedal in shock, "I kinda live in Ponyville, I can go talk to your sister if you want. I'll let ya know how she's doing."
Shining couldn't help but chuckle at Sora's enthusiasm, "No, it's fine. If I know my sister, she'll try to stay in contact with me."
"Oh, okay then," Sora dropped the subject, "Well, see ya."
As Sora left, Shining Armor sighed. He used his horn's magic to pull out a small black box that was tucked inside his armor, "Honestly, I wish Twily moving out was the least of my worries."
—
Sora arrived back in town as the evening rolled in. He decided that he should go back to the farm and rest for the night. He intended to tell the others what he and Celestia discussed today, not all of it though.
"There you are!" Sora heard a female voice from behind him. He turned around to find a sight that made him wide eyed.
"What's up with her eyes?!" He thought. She was cross eyed, yet she didn't seem like to mind at all. Even as she was, she still looked at Sora with gratitude.
"I've been looking all over town for you!" She said. She was carrying a white box tied with a red bow on her back.
"You wanted to find me? What for?" Upon further investigation of this mare, that didn't involve looking into her eyes, Sora found that he recognized her gray coat and messy blonde mane and tail, "Oh, I remember you. You were that
mother from the fire."
"That's right. My little filly's alive thanks to you," The mare stated.
"Hey, is she doing okay?" Sora asked in concern.
"She's doing great," The mare answered with a smile, "All she can talk about is how amazing you are. But I guess everypony in town's been saying that."
Even though he appreciated the compliment, Sora couldn't help but feel sad for Her and her daughter, "Still, it's a shame your home burned down."
"Oh, don't worry about it, it's insured," She was acting very nonchalant about the incident, "So long as I have my little Dinky Doo with me, I'll be just fine."
"Well, do you two have a place to live in the meantime?" He didn't want the two of them to be essentially homeless.
"Yes we do," She assured, bringing a wave of relief to Sora, "My friend is letting us stay at his home for the time being.
"That's good to hear," Sora reaffirmed. Something then occurred to him, "Hey, I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Sora."
"Sora?" She repeated, "That's a weird name."
Sora pursed his lips in annoyance, "My name is not weird!"
"I'm Ditzy Doo," The mare introduced herself, "Oh, I almost forgot," Ditzy propped up the box on her back with her wings and placed it in her fore hooves. She presented it as a gift to Sora, "Here, take this as a thank you for saving my daughter."
Sora took the box in his hooves and undid the bow with his teeth. He opened the lid of the gift to view it's contents, "Wow, muffins!" There was a dozen of varied delectable looking muffins that were arranged neatly, "These are all for me?"
"Sure are," Ditzy proudly answered, "I baked them myself," Sora looked back down at the well crafted muffins he was given, "Take them, it's the least I can do to repay you,"
Sora thought back to when he rescued Dinky from the fire. He jumped into that inferno without a second thought, all for one reason, "It was just the right thing to do."
"Well, I appreciate it all the same," Ditzy responded. She waved Sora goodbye and flew off, presumably back to her temporary home with her daughter, Dinky. As Ditzy flew off, Sora picked out one of the muffins in the box and took a bite. He moaned in pleasure closed the lid and placed the box on his back, with the intention of eating the muffins latter.
Sora curiously found himself thinking about Shining Armor's sister. The two of them sounded pretty close. What could've caused her to move to Ponyville? "It's probably not worth worrying over," Sora shrugged, "Like Shining said, they'll keep in touch with each other.". Sora trotted back to the farm with muffins in tow. Maybe he could share these with the Apples.