Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic nor any character used in this story.

Note: This Fic is written, assuming the reader HAS played the Kingdom Hearts game series. (Especially I, II, Re:Coded, and Birth by Sleep.) And has watched the first season of MLP:FiM at the least.

Special Thanks: I would like to thank Siegfried432 for helping me with the editing of this chapter.

Chapter 10

Double Trouble, Flim Flam Rumble!

Riku woke up with a start, cold sweat streamed down his head, he didn't like his dream, but, unfortunately, he can't seem to remember what it was. It was a complete blank… save one image that he COULD remember. The image of the mane six, all of them, darkened and grey as if the wonderful color of their hair was stripped leaving them bare and lifeless. They looked on, staring at him with cold eyes, filled with disgust and hate. Riku shook his head, trying to get rid of the image.

His heart was pounding, he was scared. "Wh-what was that dream?! Could this mean something?!" he thought.

"Umm Riku? Are you alright?" A familiar voice was heard. Riku swerved his head around and saw Twilight Sparkle looking at him, her face filled with worry, but she had her normal colors of purple and pink highlight in her mane and tail, nothing like the dream he had.

"Oh, morning, Twilight, and yeah, I'm alright, I just had a bad dream is all." He said with a smile.

"A nightmare? What was it about?" She asked, concerned and a little surprised.

"Funny enough, I can't seem to remember it at all." He lied, though it was mostly true save the image he could recall. But other than that, he really didn't remember anything at all.

"Oh, I've those dreams too; ones where you wake up and you can't seem to remember what it was at all. But I guess in your case, it was a good thing." She said smiling after pointing her hoof at him momentarily.

"Haha, yeah I suppose you're right." He agreed smiling nervously. "I'll figure out what that dream meant later. Right now, I've more important things to worry about." He thought before shoving that image to the back of his mind.

"Well I wouldn't worry much about it, it's just a dream after all." Twilight assured him. "Anyway, would you like some breakfast? Spike just finished making it and I'm sure you must be hungry."

"Sounds good, I'm famished." Riku agreed as he got up from his bed and walked behind Twilight out the door to the dining area. As they came in, they saw a rather wonderful spread of food laid out for them, and Spike was putting on the table one last waffle on a plate… wearing a pink apron with a bright red heart as décor. "Morning, guys! Just in time for breakfast!" he said while he took off his apron and threw it onto a coat hanger.

"It looks wonderful, Spike!" Twilight said gratefully to her dragon assistant.

"By the way, Twilight, the Princess just sent this letter for you." Spike informed her as he passed her a rolled up parchment.

"A letter from the princess?" She spoke inquisitively as she unrolled the paper.

My dear faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

I am afraid there has been a terrible event that occurred last night. It would seem a heartless creature has stolen all the recorded documents of the Friendship Reports you have sent me over the time you have spent learning about friendship. I have no idea what it may have wanted with the reports of friendship you've done for me, but, fortunately, the Heartless had not gotten away and we were able to retrieve the reports. But I had remembered you stored the recorded documents of the previous reports I had sent you back and I wanted to warn you to keep those safe, I fear the Heartless may attack you in order to obtain those reports. Be careful Twilight Sparkle my most faithful student.

Signed, your mentor

Princess Celestia

"Oh my gosh! Spike! Quick, we have to hurry to my room!" Twilight cried in excitement as she ran out the room.

"Wha?! W-wait up, Twilight!" Spike cried as he followed. Riku, of course, ran after them as well. And as the two neared Twilight's room, they heard her scream.

"HEARTLESS!" upon hearing that Riku bolted past the door, keyblade in his mouth, ready to strike them down. He looked around quickly to see the Heartless Soldier carrying a large box almost overflowing with parchments.

"Get it, Riku! He has my Friendship Reports!" Twilight cried as she pointed her hoof at the box the Heartless was carrying.

"I got it!" He cried muffled by the keyblade in his mouth, as he leaped into action. However, it was too late; as he leaped to strike the Heartless, it leapt out the window, carrying the box with it.

"No! It's making a break for it!" Twilight cried with a scared look on her face.

"I'll chase after it! You two try to head him off!" Riku yelled to the two as he leaped after the Heartless through the window.

"You heard him, Spike, come on!" Twilight told her dragon friend.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Spike cried in a hurry as he tried his best on his two short hind-legs to run after Twilight. As the two ran after their silver friend, they noticed something weird… he was nowhere in the streets.

"Wh-where is he!?" Twilight cried.

"Twilight, look the rooftops!" Spike said as he pointed up. There was Riku, gallantly leaping from rooftop to rooftop, chasing the Soldier Heartless, who was somehow hopping just as fast.

But it didn't get too far as Riku blasted it with a Dark Firaga spell, blasting the shadow monster into nothing but wisps, releasing the trapped heart inside.

"I got it! I got it!" Riku cried, as he tried to catch the box of parchments. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep a hoof on it as it slipped out of his hoofs just barely touching it. "I don't got it!" Riku cried in horror.

"I'll get it!" Spike Said as he jumped to try and grab the box. Only for it to be swept away… by a Pegasus Heartless! It grabbed the box awkwardly in its mouth as well holding only one side as it drooped. Causing the parchments to fall!

"Oh no! The reports are falling!" Twilight cried.

"I'll get them!" Spike cried, and Riku was trying to chase down the Pegasus Heartless. Unfortunately, at this point, as the parchments fell, a sudden wind swept up blowing all the parchments away!

"No, the Friendship Reports!" Twilight cried, utterly helpless as she sees the Friendship reports all being blown away. Only to be encompassed in a small dark sphere before disappearing. "What!? Wh-where did the reports go?!" She cried completely confused and frantic.

"I got you now! Whoa!" Riku cried as he fell from trying to strike the winged Heartless only for it to disappear in a dark void right in front of him before he could finish it. "Waaaaah!" he cried as he dropped onto the floor. Spike winced, he could almost feel Riku's pain. Riku was seeing stars as his eyes rolled in opposite directions. Boy, was his head spinning. Right then, the box that held the Friendship reports suddenly dropped on his head. "Uggggh." He groaned as he lifted the box off his head. "Sorry, Twilight, I couldn't catch them." He said in a sorrowful voice, as he shook his head and looked away.

"It's okay, Riku, but my reports are gone now." Twilight tried assuring Riku.

"What were those reports about anyway?" Riku asked.

"Those are the reports Twilight wrote up while she was learning about friendship, all the hardships and fun times and problems that, through friendship, were able to help solve." Spike answered for his guardian.

"I see… it makes sense. Friendship is something that can show a really strong light. I guess those powerful feelings that you had when you wrote into them gave them a bright light that the Heartless may have mistaken for something like the Heart of a World." Riku tried reasoned.

"Oh no, are they going to try and turn my reports into Heartless things too?!" Twilight cried in fright and worry.

"No, I doubt it. It has a bright light but the Heartless only want hearts, for something like that they might just scatter them around. My friend, Sora, and I have found some things that were similar to your reports in the same way. At least that's what I'm guessing." Riku explained.

"Well, that's good to hear, but I guess we'll just have to find my reports again. At least I know they're not being turned into some sort of monster or something." She said in relief and half joking. "Wow, all this excitement in the morning and we haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet."

"Oh my gosh, the food!" Spike cried, "It's gonna be all cold now!" He said with a sad face.

"It's okay, Spike, cold or not, food is food." Riku assured his new little dragon friend.

"Well Howdy Y'all!" A sudden Southern accent voice came from no where.

"Huh?" Riku said as he looked around.

"Down here!" the voice piped, and as Riku looked down he saw a certain red mane filly.

"Applebloom!" Twilight said surprised, what are you doing here in town this early?"

"Early? It's afternoon! And I just got off of school and was heading to my family's apple stand today" Applebloom replied. Twilight looked up at the sky and sure enough the sun was at its highest in the sky, showing that it was indeed noon.

"Well, eh heh, time flies when you're having fun right guys?" Twilight said embarrassed.

"Yeah." Riku said as he smiled hesitatingly.

"Well if y'all haven't had breakfast yet, wanna to come to our apple stand? It's our annual Apple Sweets Season sale!" Applebloom said excitingly.

"Apple Sweets Season Sale?!" Twilight gasped "That's right! I nearly forgotten! Applejack asked me to help out today too! With all the craziness in the last two days, I'd completely forgotten!" Twilight said shaking her head ashamed of her forgetfulness. "Come on, Spike, we should hurry! Applejack should be expecting us right now."

"I'll be right there! But, first, I better clean up the food back home." Spike told her as he rushed off to the library.

"Sorry, Riku, I know you're busy with trying to find your friend's, Sora, heart fragments but do you think you could take a bit of time to help us out?" Twilight asked Riku hopefully.

"Of course. What are friends for right?" Riku answered and gave her a grin. A smiling Twilight nodded before the two headed off with Applebloom to their friend's apple stand.

"So Riku, can ya show us those magical Bits you have again? Those were neat!" Applebloom said smiling, remembering the amazing magical Munny that suddenly transformed themselves into Bits, the Equestrian currency. "You mean this?" Riku said as he pulled some Munny from behind him. The yellow diamond-shaped objects suddenly started to morph into the equivalent amount of golden coins that everypony in Equestira knew as Bits.

"That's really interesting, I never knew something like these existed until you told us the other night, how does it change?" Twilight asked as she watch the Munny transformed.

"No idea, every time I needed to use the munny, it transforms into something I could use the moment I need to use it. I never thought about how it works." He answered. As the three continued chatting while walking, they soon came upon a stand with a mountain of treat behind it and being crowded around by many ponies and was thrilled to see a certain orange earth pony having trouble balancing several orders of sweets as she tried her best to take Bits and give out exact change and whatnot.

"Ah'm here, Applejack! And look who decided to come along with me?" Applebloom shouted to he sister amongst the crowd.

"Hey, Applebloom! Hey, Twilight… Riku! Sorry I can't welcome y'all properly… kinda busy here… hurry and give me a hoof here, Applebloom!" Applejack shouted towards her friends and sister.

"Where's Big Mac and Granny Smith?" Applebloom asked.

"Big Mac is still gathering apples for Granny Smith to bake, we've a good bunch right now but it's gonna run out soon!" Applejack explained.

"Run out? But there's so much right now and I don't think there are that many customers here." Riku said confused from his observations.

From what he could tell so far, there was quite a line, perhaps around fifty to seventy ponies lined up. Then looking to the large amount of piling treats behind the apple stand, it sure didn't look like a hundred ponies could buy them all.

"I agree with Riku, there doesn't seem to be lot right now." Twilight said.

"Y'all ain't looking far enough. Here… stand on this and look past the line." Applebloom told them as she shoved a box in front of them to stand on. Looking to each other, they both stood on top and looked past the line they saw… and from what they saw shocked them. The seventy something ponies they saw earlier was cut off by a section, behind them was a even greater line far behind that looked to range possibly around five hundred to six hundred ponies line behind them, their jaws dropped.

"By Celestia's mane, how many ponies are there?!" Twilight cried in surprise.

"I can't tell, are there really that many ponies living in Ponyville?" Riku asked his eyes wide with shock.

"Ummm, I think that's about everypony IN Ponyville." Twilight stated. She could also have sworn she saw Rarity and Fluttershy there somewhere in the line but she wasn't too sure.

"Uhhh… Twilight… Riku… Ah'm sure the view is nice and all, but, uhhh, mind if ah have mah box back now?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, sorry." The two said.

"Well, we're here to help you out, Applejack, just let us know what we need to do." Twilight told her friend.

"Well, Ah could use a little more help handlin' these customers, but Ah know Big Mac could use some help bucking up some more apples to help out Granny Smith." Applejack explained.

"Don't worry, Applejack, I can help you with the customers. Riku, can you help out Big Mac with apple bucking?" Twilight asked.

"Sure, at the Apple Orchard, right?" Riku answered with a question of his own.

"Eeeyup, right at Sweet Apple Acres." Applebloom chimed.

"Alright, I'll head on over there." Riku told them.

"Thanks Riku, and Twilight, good luck bucking!" Applejack shouted to the silver colt. Riku waved goodbye before heading off to find the farm. Luckily, he still remembered from yesterday where the farm was located. After about fifteen minutes of walking, he found it. He was a bit hesitant to walk in though.

It wasn't because of the fact there was nothing but apple trees OR because of the fact he couldn't figure out where Big Mac was to let him know he came to help. Nope, not at all… what made him hesitant to go in was the fact there were twenty heartless swarming right outside the entrance of the Orchard!

"Heartless?! Why are they here?! It's just an apple orchard!" He thought. Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he summoned his keyblade and leaped into the fray of them. The Heartless didn't even realize Riku was there before three of the twenty were already slained. They weren't much in the first place, just ten Shadows and five Soldier heartless, the last five though were flying heartless, tiny red triangular shaped heartless with heads that seem to have a yellow pointy hat.

"Red Nocturnes" Riku noticed that all five were charging up what seemed to be a fire spell all aimed at him. Too bad they were so slow on the cast, giving him enough time to jump up and perform a spinning slash on all of them, and following up with an upward slash before finishing them with a Heavy swing knocking them away before they became nothing but wisps of released hearts. The other Heartless leaped into action as well, which was pointless considering how Riku easily dispatched them before he charged forward, zooming into five different directions before finishing off by leaping into the air and slamming down his keyblade into the ground causing a shockwave that slew the heartless all at once. "That was easy." He stated to himself. "Too easy, has something happened to the Orchard?" He thought.

Riku, noticed something on the ground, he saw that there were a few bags around that the Heartless seemed to have been carrying. He went over to one and picked it up only to find apples inside.

"Why were Heartless picking apples for?" he hurriedly ran through the path leading to the farm on the hill in the orchard thinking there may be more Heartless inside, picking more of the fruit. He looked around trying to see if there were any more Heartless around… Strangely, he had found none… he walked around trying to notice anything that resembled a heartless but saw nothing. This puzzled him.

"No Heartless around? But then… why would they have come here to pick apples in the first place?" He thought.

"Ummm, Can I help you?" A burly voice asked. Riku tuned to face the owner of the voice and instantly recognized the stallion that was part of the Apple Family.

"Big Macintosh!" Riku said in surprise.

"Eeeeyup." He acknowledged simply.

"Applejack told me you may have needed help bucking these apples down, so I volunteered to help, hope you don't mind." Riku told him.

"Nnnope." Big Mac said simply.

"Alright then, so think you can show me how exactly you buck apples?" Riku asked him.

"Eeeeyup." The red stallion replied simply.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Riku asked.

"Nnnnnope." Big Mac replied again. The two set off though, and Big Mac showed him the ropes, how to buck apples, turning around and kicking at the trees. Riku picked up on it fairly easily, able to get quite a few apples from a few kicks. Not as impressive as Big Mac, of course, who was able to get all the apples from one tree in a single buck. They bucked the apples and dragged them back to the farm where Riku saw Granny Smith working the oven, making pies, fritters and all kinds of treats and sweets made from apples.

This went on for quite a while. At least three hours from what Riku could tell had passed. Before long, two carts filled with apple treats were ready to be taken down to the stand. Then they saddled up and trotted into town and from what they saw, they were just in time. Apparently, Applejack just sold the last treat they had about five minutes ago before they showed up. Unfortunately, Riku kind of noticed the line hadn't really gone down by much… the two carts probably might not even last two hours much less the three it took for them to buck all those apples.

"This could be a problem." Twilight said.

"How are we gonna get enough treats to sell to everypony in time?" Applebloom said.

"Ah don't know but we'll just have to do our best. Really wished Pinkie was here, she's a genius when it comes to making treats." Applejack said.

"Too bad she had a party to cater to somepony in Manehatten with Mr. and Mrs. Cake." Twilight said.

"Well, we'll just have to do our best! Just like big sis just said" Applebloom chimed "I'm sure we can do it! Right guys?"

"We'll see, little sis, we'll see. Come on, everypony! No point in standing still we got treats to sell!" Applejack said. With that, the ponies went back to work. Big Mac and Riku going off to buck apples as fast as they could, while the girls did their best to sell as slowly as possibly in order to give the boys more time to get apples. They tried, of course, but it wasn't enough, the treats were just selling too fast and boys did their best to buck as much as possible but it was just too slow. Ponies in the line were getting impatient and complaining how there wasn't enough for everypony in line.

"Oh no, this is just like cider season all over again." Twilight Sparkle said.

"Don't remind me, Ah don't want to remember those brothers again." Applejack said.

"DID SOMEPONY SAY… 'BROTHERS'?" A new voice was heard.

"Oh no, that voice, it can't be!" Applejack cried in slight terror. She turned to face the owners of the voice and sure enough… Two ponies, unicorns in fact both yellow with red mane and tails with white highlights while one has a moustache both wearing white and blue striped shirts with ties, and both wearing straw boater hats, both having apple cutie marks, one missing a piece and the other just a single apple slice, walking up to the apple stand as one places an elbow on it looking at Applejack all sly like.

"Having problems satisfying customers again, eh, Apple Family?" the clean shaven pony asked.

"What are you and your brother doing here, Flim?" Applejack answered in an irritated voice with a question of her own.

"No need to have the tone, little missy. My brother and I were just in the neighborhood when we heard about your little annual Apple Treat Season Sale, and thought we'd come by to take a sample." He explained. "But, lo and behold, just like before, you can't seem to make enough for all your customers just like before." He said. "Well, not to worry, folks, the Flim Flam Brothers are here with a great brand new opportunity!"

"Oh no, not again." Twilight said, giving herself a facehoof. Tapping her shoulder, Riku asked.

"Hey Twilight? Who are these two?" he whispered

"They're the Flim Flam Bros. They're sibling salesponies that came here some time ago, trying to force Applejack and her family off their farm to use their apples to make cider with their cider-making machine. I thought we sent them packing when the whole town decided to just not buy their cider at all but… I guess they didn't learn from last time." She finished.

Riku looked at the two ponies disdainfully, disgusted by what he just heard. "Don't worry if they start any trouble I'll handle them." He assured her.

"They're not worth it, Riku, besides I think Applejack has it covered." Twilight said smiling confident in her friend's ability to handle the situation, who by the way is right now confronting the two brothers.

"Hold on, you two, my family and I have been making apple sweets and selling them in this town for generations… Who do you think y'all are for trying to run in on our business… again… Sides weren't y'all trying to sell cider before?" She finished with a question.

"Tsk tsk tsk, please, my little pony, after that horrible fiasco, my brother and I have invented an even MORE amazing machine to create the most delicious of apple treats!" He said just when he did his brother pulled in a large wagon-like machine into view, it had a large whistle, pumps, gears, rollers, a hammer and something that appeared to be an oven inside of it.

The machine started to make steam and whistle as pumps and gears were heard moving inside. "Allow us to demonstrate the beauty of our amazing machine and its beauteous and delicious concoctions! Hit it, Flam! Mind you folks this might take a bit, but it'll be worth it!" Flim said as he instructed his brother, Flam, to turn on the machine's cooking function. As he did, the machine began to sputter making more noise then before and from a bag of apples that Flam threw into the machine, the machine made whirling noises. After thirty minutes of the un-amused ponies patiently waiting had passed, a green light was suddenly lite before a ding was heard. Suddenly over at least forty different types of apple sweets were made. Apple fritters, cakes, pies, cupcakes, and many more.

"Well? What do you think? Amazing, isn't it?!" Flim cried out in a confident manner.

"Yeah well, Ah bet ours still taste better!" Applebloom challenged.

"Well then, little missy, let's find out, shall we? Have a bite!" Flam said to Applebloom before shoving an apple cupcake into her mouth, who surprisingly didn't spit it out, but instead actually chewed and swallowed it.

"Hmm" She said as she put on a thinking face. "It's not that bad, but Ah think Granny Smith's sweets are still better. Heck, Applejack's cupcakes taste way better then this. But I guess it's okay." She said.

"Oh really?" Flim said "Well, a lot good your quality does you, if you can't serve it. Ain't I right folks!?" Flam said as he egged on the crowd.

"Now, hold on just a minute there, fella." Applejack said, a bit crossed with what she just heard. "Now Ah know that we're a bit short-hoofed right now to make all those sweets, but I know for sure that we can serve every pony here in Ponyville, including you two by the end of the day. We just need everypony to be patient and just wait for Granny Smith to cook up a fresh batch." Applejack proclaimed.

"Well then, as a special service for all you waiting ponies feel free to have a sample of our wonderous machine's treats while you all wait in line for these 'quality' goods." Flim said sarcastically. As he said that, he pretty much tossed the baked goods into the hoofs of the ponies in line, who merely shrugged and decided 'what the hay', they gave them a shot and had to admit that they weren't too bad, though they still wanted Granny Smith's baked goods. After all, she does make the best apple treats in Ponyville and no machine could compare. After that, the brothers took their machine with them and just left, not bothering to come back to buy any treats at all, which suited Applejack just fine honestly.

As the brothers left, the Apple family along with Twilight and Riku continued to help out at the sale. Spike, who showed up late because he some trouble with cleaning a stain he had found on a plate, came to help as well. Strangely enough, the day went on without a hitch. In fact, just as Applejack said that Granny Smith made enough for every pony in line and, with Twilight and Riku's help, it all went smoothly. However, it was really late in the day, and thus Riku and Twilight and Spike headed back to the library to get some well deserved rest. Then morning came.

"Yawn! Man, I hadn't slept that well in a while." Riku said to himself, as he got out of bed and he walked over to the window, it was a bright day as always in Equestria. "I wonder if Spike and Twilight are up yet having breakfast." He thought. As he head out the door, Twilight and Spike were there already setting up the table for breakfast.

"Morning, Riku! Spike and I were just about finished, setting up for breakfast." Twilight said smiling.

"I noticed" Riku chuckled "Would you like some help?" He offered.

"No, we're ok, go ahead and take a seat. We're almost done and after we-" Just then the door to the library suddenly slammed opened!

"Twilight! Where are ya?! I need ya help, Twi!" Appljack practically screamed as she busted down the door.

"Applejack?" Twilight said, before rushing to the entrance to the Library. "Applejack, what's wrong, what happened?" Twilight asked concerned for her friend.

"It's horrible, Twilight! Something's gone wrong with the sweets from yesterday!" Applejack told her.

"What? What do you mean?! I thought we sold all the sweets yesterday and they were all fresh from the oven?" Twilight asked surprised. "What could have gone wrong with them?"

"Ah don't know! That's why I came to talk to you! All the ponies that bought our apple sweets are all sick!" Applejack said frantically. "The doctors at the hospital all said it was some sort of apple food poisoning. But that only happens if we used any bad apples in the batch that we had, and it would have to take a lot of apples to do it!"

"Oh no! that's horrible!" Twilight exclaimed.

"But that's not the worst of it!" Applejack continued. "Turns out only thirty-nine ponies didn't get sick, and they were the ones that ate those two brother's machine concocted sweets."

"Wait, something doesn't sound right here, why are they the only ponies that didn't get sick?" Riku asked.

"Ah don't know! But ah do think they had something to do with the sudden sickness that came to Ponyville, but the main problem is the fact that everypony is blaming us for getting them sick and they all want their bits back! With all the money we'll lose from the sales, we'll lose our farm, Twilight! Ah jus don know what to do!" Applejack said on the brink of tears. Twilight too was distraught seeing one of her best friends in such a state of worry and disrepair, it broke her heart.

While this happened, one could hear the turning of wheels and whistle and spinning of gears of a large moving machine and two smugly smiling brothers as they rode into town to the Library. Victory seemed to be within their grasp….