My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by xinbra

Sora is sent into the land of Equestria after his failure at the Mark of Mastery. Along the way, he will face all sorts of challenges coming towards Equestria. Credit goes to Codex92.

237. Chapter 237

Mothers' Day Out

Freya was up bright and early, dressing herself in her coat, but she decided to leave her hat. She left her room, but as she walked through the halls, she got a bit lost. Even with a tour yesterday, the interior of the castle was more like a maze.

"How did everyone find their way around here? Why were castles built to look the same every hall you turn?" she questioned to herself. Freya resorted to a little trial and error, opening different doors and peeking inside. She found more empty rooms, several closets, much to her confusion, and side bathrooms. She grumbled, wishing they had at least put up signs or placards next to the doors to note which room was what. The next door she opened, she winced when she almost bumped into Riku, who was about to reach the door handle to leave. "...Sorry. I was...looking for Spike's room."

"It's fine. This place is a little rough to navigate the first time," Riku brushed off. "His room's actually across mine and Twilight's."

Freya looked behind her, leering blankly. "Thanks. Would be handy if there were signs."

"We have maps that display all the rooms in the castle," Riku added. "I think Twilight may need to update the enchantment so they list which room is which, too."

"Great idea for random guests who wander around and get lost." Freya just sighed and shook her head.

"What do you need Spike for?" Riku asked.

"Oh. He asked me last night if he wanted to do some training with me today," she said. "Maybe...a little more bonding after."

"That sounds like a great idea," Riku said. "Why not try a little camping trip? Back home when I was a kid, my parents always took me out to the woods and set up a campsite. Nothing like family bonding than roughing it in the woods and outdoor cooking."

"Hmm...I think I'll try that," Freya said. "...But does Spike like camping?"

"As long as he enjoys his time with you, that's all that seems to matter with him," Riku shrugged.

"Right. I just don't want to pressure him into doing anything he doesn't like," she said. "...I did drag him outside the Crystal Empire to get his light to activate with a bit of light sparring. Thanks, Riku."

Riku nodded and watched Freya approach Spike's bedroom door. Before he left, he hummed to himself, debating to himself after mentioning his family. He walked off, making his way out and to the school to find Twilight. Freya gave the door a few knocks, but didn't hear a response. She opened the door, peeking inside to see all of Spike's belongings, from a bookshelf with a few books and lots of his favorite comics stashed away, a dresser with a mirror, and a bed he was able to stretch himself out on with his new height. Snoring lightly with his covers scattered over him, Spike was sound asleep with his Rarity plushie held closely in his arms. Freya was still a little perturbed her son had a crush on someone who was much older than his age, especially with a doll that resembled the mare he was crushing on. She didn't judge him, though he could have maybe liked someone around his age like Smolder.

"Mmm...How do you like the new me, Rarity?" Spike mumbled, turning a bit as he sleepily began to pose, trying to impress Rarity in his dreams. "Blueblood's got nothing on these guns..."

Freya stifled her giggle at Spike's sleep-talk. She stepped inside and approached the slumbering dragon. Ignoring the tiny plush replica of the fashionista, she brought her hand to his shoulder and gently nudged him.

"Spike, time to get up," she said.

Spike snorted awake, blearily squinting his eyes open. "H-Huh? Wha...?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes, then looked at his mother, still half asleep. "...Mom?"

"Did you forget what we planned to do today?" Freya asked.

"Uhh...How early is it?" he asked, slowly waking up after remembering their talk before bed.

"Early enough to get a start on your training," she said. Spike stretched his arms, leaving his Rarity plush beside him, then turned himself to side on the side of his bed. "And...maybe a little something more while training?"

"More? Like what?" he asked curiously.

"I thought...Well, Riku gave this suggestion, but so that we're far enough away from other ponies, we can find a training spot...and do a little camping?" Freya offered with a timid grin.

"Camping..." Spike stood up, pondering the idea. "...I don't think I ever went camping before. Traveling from place to place, maybe, but not an actual, adventurous camping trip...Does camping outside your backyard count?"

"So you don't mind that?" Freya asked.

"Of course not. It'll probably be fun," Spike said.

"Ok. I'll be outside whenever you're ready," she said, already eager to spend some more time to bond with Spike.

Riku stood outside Twilight's office, frozen stiff as his nerves got the better of him. Since his small talk with Freya and her plans with Spike, his camping suggestion reminded him of his parents, and the fact they had not met Twilight. He'd been a bit worried wondering how they would react when they finally meet her, thought it was mostly when they find out his girlfriend of the last several years was an alicorn princess from another far-off world. Granted, the difference between meeting Twilight's parents and her meeting his was what they knew about the two. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were completely unaware of any worlds beyond theirs and their daughter's boyfriend was actually another species disguised as a pegasus through his magic helping him blend in to avoid shattering the world order. Or whatever was left of it from how much that has been broken.

Riku's parents, however, were aware of what his "occupation" was when he had returned home after spending more than a year away from Destiny Island, even after it had returned. During that time, he had been struggling with the darkness inside him, with Ansem's darkness still lingering in his heart, and the disappointment he brought to Sora and Kairi for siding with the darkness and giving into it when he confronted Roxas, "permanently" changing his appearance, even though he was still in full control. He omitted his faults from them to avoid upsetting them and feeling ashamed for almost turning into a horrible monster. They know his work was dangerous, but everything they taught him as they raised him would leave them being disappointed in him if they knew the truth.

Gulping nervously, he steeled his nerves, giving the door a small knock after standing outside for nearly twenty minutes. "Come in!" Twilight called out. Riku opened the door, feeling like HE was the one that would get in trouble with the headmare, and he was an assistant teacher, not a student. Twilight looked up from her paperwork, not expecting Riku to surprise her. "Hi, Riku. If you're looking for a raise, you're not going to find it in here, mister."

Despite the alicorn's flirtatious response, Riku laughed sheepishly as he closed the door behind him. "I was suggesting no such thing," he said.

"Well, what brings you by?" she asked. "Almost got all these papers graded. Might be a bit rebellious and play hooky for the rest of the day."

Twilight expected some playful, aghast shock from Riku and question if she was really Twilight, but he was too worried about what he planned on doing, and had been delaying for a long while. "...Did you want to?" he asked, startling Twilight.

"...You...want me to?" Twilight questioned. "...Why?"

"Uhh...So you can...finally meet my parents?" he said with a nervous grin.

"...Really?" she asked.

"It's been a while since we...talked about that...but, after much thought, and dealing with...all of whatever had been happening the last couple years, I'd rather just...peel off that bandage and finally introduce them to you," Riku said.

"...Oh. Ok. That sounds like a neat idea," Twilight said. "...Did you mention them about me?"

"Err...I withheld where you came from...and that you're actually a pony," he mentioned. "...And a whole lot of things I'm afraid they'll figure out about me that'll make them think differently of me."

Twilight was a little concerned, wondering if Riku's parents were incredibly strict or highly judgmental, but she did understand how awkward it must be if they saw his girlfriend wasn't human. "...I...guess that's fair. But, you didn't tell them about...what you did before? With your darkness?"

"No," Riku admitted with a frown. "I know they raised me better. I've struggled dealing with it on my own for over a year, and I don't want to disappoint them."

"I'm sure they'll understand you were just lost and confused when your world was taken," Twilight assured, leaving her desk and walked over to Riku.

"And that I tried to kill my best friend when I listened to the lies of a stranger?" Riku questioned.

"Well, everything's fine now. Sora never thought of you differently, and your parents won't either," Twilight reassured. She planted a kiss on his cheek, assuaging some of his worries, but he still felt uncertain revealing his dark past. "My parents fully trust you, even though they don't know you're...'different'."

"We'll see when you meet them," he said.

"I don't think they'll be as bad as you say they are. I'm actually a little excited to see what they look like and what they do." Twilight teleported away, then returned a moment later, wearing her enchanted vest that allowed her to change into a set of clothes as she transformed herself into a human. "Ready to go?"

"Y-Yeah. Sooner is better," Riku said.

The couple left the office and found Starlight, letting her know she was going to be out with Riku for the rest of the day and watch the school in her stead. Once outside the school grounds, they put on their pauldrons and activated their Keyblade armor, transformed their Keyblades in their glider forms, and flew off to Destiny Island.

Freya waited outside the castle for Spike to get himself ready for their mother/son camping trip. She didn't wait long when he finally came out, wearing a huge backpack filled with all the essentials they would need.

"Ok! I think I'm ready!" he said. "Got some canteens for water, a tent and some sleeping bags, bug spray, a few different snacks, a couple towels...Am I missing anything?"

"Is there anything else in that pack that's essential?" Freya teased.

"Uhh, no," he mumbled, his eyes shifting nervously. "Should I make a list just in case?"

"I'm just messing with you, Spike," Freya said.

"Oh. Didn't you want to bring anything?" Spike asked.

"When I traveled in my world, I sometimes camped out wherever I pleased and literally roughed it in the woods. I'm used to finding a decent spot to sleep without camping gear. But, a bed isn't all that bad to sleep in every once in a while." Spike grimaced, part of him glad to have been raised by ponies and lived in comfortable beds to sleep. Even though the dragons from his birth home were more civilized and had homes with all the necessities, he couldn't imagine literally roughing it without any gear. "So, do you know of any places around here perfect for camping?"

"I haven't been there myself, but I heard Sora, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity hiked up to Winsome Falls with the Cutie Mark Crusaders a couple times," Spike said. "It's pretty scenic and plenty of space for training."

"Alright. Let's get going." With Spike leading the way, they both took to the air and flew to their chosen location. With all the camping gear Spike was carrying, he wasn't diminished by the extra weight. He felt like he could carry even more of Rarity's luggage when she brings just about everything with her on road trips without breaking a sweat. Where the hike would take a couple days to reach the falls, their flight took them only twenty minutes until they arrived. Freya was impressed by the serene landscape; a waterfall spanning a quarter of a mile sending water down into a river, clouds around the area creating their own waterfalls of liquid rainbow that dissolved in the rivers below, and green fields as far as the eye could see. "Wow. This place is beautiful."

"It sure is," Spike agreed. He took off his heavy pack and set it down, opening it and began pulling out the pieces of their tent. "Let's see if I can remember how to set this thing up." Just as he was about to piece together the poles used to frame the buildable shelter, his stomach began to growl. "...Or, maybe breakfast would be better first? Heh."

"You think this growth spurt with your light's return altered your diet?" Freya wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Luckily I brought those snacks." He started digging around for the snacks he brought, but Freya had another idea in mind for breakfast.

Glancing at the river, she wondered what kind of fish were swimming around. She approached the water's edge and looked down at the surface, spotting some of them aimlessly swimming around. With a swift leap, she dove into the water, snagged a few with her claws swiftly killing them, then hopped back on dry land. With a decent haul from the tiny school, she licked her lips and walked back to Spike.

"How about some actual breakfast to start our day?" she asked.

Spike looked up from his pack, grimacing slightly as he saw six fish in her hand. "...F-Fish?"

"Yeah. When cooked right and with a bit of seasoning, these are perfect for a nice dish," she said.

"Uhh...I-I...Do we...?" Spike seemed a bit sick to his stomach, confusing Freya.

"...What? We dragons are omnivores," Freya reasoned. "As much as I enjoyed the cuisine in the Crystal Empire, I mentioned eating beef or pork."

"...I...I've never seen...other dragons eat..." Spike warily stared at the dead fish, then back to his mother. "...N-Not in person, b-but...I think Fluttershy wouldn't like that."

"Because she loves and cares for other animals?" Freya asked. Spike nodded, suddenly no longer feeling hungry. She didn't understand why her son was this perturbed by eating meat, but since he had been living among ponies and no other carnivorous species, she understood his hesitation and his disgust. "...Well, what about the other young Bearers? There's that dragoness, Smolder, and that griffon and hippogriff. Those two need to have meat in their diet. And the other wielders outside Equestria, they eat plants and animals, too."

"...I...I guess you have a point, but...Don't you feel bad for...You know?" Spike asked.

"Not when it came to livestock for sustenance," she explained. "...Just as long as you don't get too attached to your food, it's not a bad thing." From her son's reaction, Freya realized just how different this Equestria was compared to her home. Even the ponies in her world didn't bat an eye to watching a dragon, griffon, hippogriff, any carnivorous creature ate any kind of meat so long as it wasn't from something with as much sentience as them. "...Have you ever tried any?"

"N-No. I mostly ate gems, or whatever pony food I'm able to eat that doesn't get me sick," Spike said.

"Hmmm...Well, how about giving it a try?" Freya suggested. "If you don't like it, I won't pressure you into eating it or any other type of meat."

Spike mumbled anxiously, but his stomach demanded food. He didn't want to upset Freya and wanted to learn more about himself as a dragon, even if he might not like certain parts of it from how he was raised.

"...O-Ok," he meekly answered. "...J-Just...don't tell Twilight."

"Considering her boyfriend is a human, she might not be that disturbed knowing her baby dragon brother could have had a diet consisting of meat." Her assurance didn't make Spike feel any better. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Freya focused on getting their breakfast made. Heading to a nearby tree in the fields, she snapped a couple thick branches off, stabbed three fish through each branch, and when she returned to her son, she dug out some of the grass to make a small fire pit. With enough earth to keep the fire from spreading to the grassy fields, she spat a fireball from her mouth into the middle of the dirt pit, making it flash of linger without kindling, creating their makeshift fire. Spike watched his mother silently, eyeing the two sets of fish as she hovered them over her fire, letting them cook. "I suppose you didn't pack any salt or pepper in that backpack? Add a little more flavor to our meal?"

"Mm-mmm," Spike mumbled with a shake of his head. Knowing she was only making thing awkward, Freya frowned and focused on cooking the fish properly. "...I'm not going to...enjoy it too much, am I?"

"Hmm?" Glancing up at Spike, Freya saw him staring at the fish, his legs curled tightly to his chest with his arms around his legs. He seemed frightened at the idea of trying one of them. "Well, some dragons have different tastes. Why?"

"I...This is gonna sound dumb, but...if I like eating meat too much, would I...have an insatiable craving for more?" he asked. "...To the point where...I might go mad and eat something else...or...someone?"

Shocked by her son's thoughts, she didn't expect him to think he would turn into a feral predator with just one bite of something that's important for a carnivore's diet. "Spike, that's not going to happen," she reassured him. "You have far more self control over your inhibitions than any other predator."

"Like my greed?" Spike questioned.

Freya shook her head. "That's completely different. If you don't enjoy eating the things I've grown to enjoy, that's perfectly fine. You had such a different lifestyle growing up. And don't think I'll be upset by whatever I cook for you gets spat out if you don't like it. You're old enough to eat what you want, whenever you want, and if you're still eating healthy, I'm ok knowing that you can make your own decisions. But I promise you you aren't going to just immediately turn into a savage beast who hungers for any type of flesh to sate your hunger." Spike lowered his head after a moment of silence between them, making Freya feel awful. As much as she swore she wouldn't pressure him, she was. "...I should have asked first before I caught these fish..."

"...I did say I was willing to try one," Spike assured. As relieved as Freya was to hear that, she didn't want to push her son away if he felt too uncomfortable. The fish were roasting nicely, her nostrils flaring at the aroma from the slow fire-cooked fish. When she glanced back at Spike, she noticed he was sniffing the air, catching a whiff of the fish, more interested than disgusted. "...Those...actually do smell good."

"Hmm. That's a good, small start," Freya said with a small grin. "If it'll make you feel better, perhaps when we're in another world where some of the creatures aren't as highly sentient as we are, we can see if you'll try some other kinds of meat."

"Uhh, I'll just...start with fish for now," Spike said.

"Fair enough. Baby steps." After another few minutes, Freya removed the fish, her mouth already watering as they were cooked to perfection. She moved over and sat beside her son, offering him one of the branches. "Just try one bite. If you don't like it, I'll finish them, and we'll just be vegetarian dragoons."

Spike rolled his eyes, taking the offered food, then gave the golden brown fish a look over. Freya watched with anticipation as he sniffed them, then slowly, hesitantly, brought his muzzle closer to one of the fish, then took his first bite. Though she cooked some fish after de-scaling them, these ones' scales weren't as course, and dragon fangs can easily sink into gems without breaking or chipping. Spike clenched his eyes, giving a few small chews as his taste buds savored the new flavor he never tasted before. Slowly, his chewing slowed, his eyes opening as he hummed curiously. Swallowing his first mouthful, he surprised Freya by going in for another bite, a slightly bigger one, his lips curling as he actually enjoyed eating his first taste of seafood.

"...This is...actually pretty good," he said.

"I knew you'd like it." Freya dug into her own fish, munching down on a sizable bite with a hum. "Could have been a bit better with some salt."

"I don't know. It's good enough for me," Spike assured. "But, just so I don't upset anyone else, I'll try the other kinds of meat outside of Equestria. Though I have no idea where beef and pork come from."

"Beef comes from bovines like cows, and pork is pig meat," Freya said.

Spike paused as he was about to go for another bite, side-eying his mother. "...Bovine?" he asked. "...Are...yaks 'bovine'?"

Freya flinched, pausing her chewing as he slowly glanced at Spike. "...Y-Yes," she admitted, swallowing her mouthful. "But, I never ate yak. Most of the beef we ate came from cows." Spike grimaced, gawking at Freya awkwardly. "...The cows in this Equestria are much more intelligent, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Spike answered.

Sitting awkwardly, Freya and Spike continued eating their fish. "...Yeah, I'm definitely going to change my dietary habits while I'm living here."

"Plenty of gems to eat instead," Spike offered.

"Perhaps, though it's going to be really hard going a day without thinking about eating a nice, big, juicy steak cooked on a grill," Freya said. "Or a fat, delicious pork roast."

"I think I'm fine with just fish at this point," Spike said.

Freya nodded, content with just small little steps showing Spike what he had been missing out on when it comes to culinary delights for a dragon.

Landing in the woods outside of town on Destiny Island, Riku scouted ahead, being cautious in case anyone caught them. Thankfully, no one saw anything flying at blinding speeds down in their position, and they landed far enough away for Twilight to transform without any flashing lights bringing any attention. He could hear Twilight's magic activating, along with the bright flash that came with her transformation. The coast was still clear, Twilight soon stepping through the foliage to join up with him.

"It's been a while since I've stood on two legs." Riku turned around, his alicorn princess now temporarily in her human form. Her outfit was a more modified version of her clothing while in Canterlot High. While they remained the same color, they looked more suitable for an adventurer than a high school uniform. The special vest that aided in her transformation was over her blouse, a pair of purple leggings that hugged her legs to fully cover her legs along with her skirt that bore her cutie mark on one side, and her boots were less constrictive to give her more mobility, especially when in the midst of combat. Twilight held up her hands, flexing her fingers to get used to having the extra appendages after some time. "Still not used to these things."

"Mhmm," Riku mumbled.

Twilight was definitely feeling concerned for Riku with his response. "...Wow. Usually, you find a way to tease me if I say something nerdy or informative. You really this nervous introducing me to your parents?"

"Obviously," he admitted. "Weren't you when your parents officially met me a couple years ago when they visited Ponyville that winter?"

"I wasn't expecting them to show up that year," she said. "I was nervous, but I was far too distracted with everything as a princess and my training as a Key Bearer like you guys. My mom definitely approves of you."

"After she threatened me not to emotionally hurt you," Riku grumbled.

"...Ok, my mom may be a little bit extreme at times," Twilight nervously said with a sheepish grin.

"I've noticed during that fake vacation sweepstakes Iron Will gave you and your family for a profit for his airship cruise," Riku uttered. "You have her energy when it comes to freaking out and panicking, not thrills and heart-pumping excitement."

Twilight giggled, seeing Riku more relaxed with the teasing quip he made to her. "If your parents are as weird as mine, I think we can get along just fine," she assured, gripping Riku's hand in hers. "Come on. I'm ready to see where you lived."

Riku sighed, grasping Twilight's hand tightly, and without any further delay, led her out of the woods and out to town. Since her last visit, Twilight didn't get a good look around the seaside town due to her being a creature beyond this world's comprehension. Just the island Riku spent his childhood playing with Sora, Kairi, and their other friends, and Sora's home being a bit further out of town than the others. It was fairly peaceful, just like Ponyville, but all the homes were normal and nearly identical, nothing too extravagant like Sugarcube Corner or Rarity's boutique. Riku guided her down the dirt roads, passing by many people who recognized him and waved to him, until they came to a stop at one of the houses in the middle of the town.

Riku hesitated slightly, but he stepped forward on the concrete walkway leading to his front door. Twilight stayed by his side, hands still held to reassure him he didn't have any need to worry about what his parents opinions of him would be. He knocked on the door, holding his breath as he was unsure who was currently home right now. He winced when the handle turned and the door opened, and the person who greeted the couple was an older man. He wore a pair of tan pants with brown boots, a red vest with a white undershirt underneath, and had short blonde hair with the front raised in a slightly spiked cowlick. He also sported a beard and a goatee, and there was a scar over his left eyebrow. Upon seeing Riku and Twilight, the man was surprised as he looked at Riku, then grinned.

"Riku," he greeted.

"H-Hey, dad," Riku greeted back nervously.

"Well, I didn't expect you to visit. A couple years later." Riku sheepishly grinned while his father smirked. He then glanced at Twilight, growing curious about the girl who was with him. "And who is this? I don't think I've seen you around town."

"Uhh, this is...my girlfriend," Riku said.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," the disguised alicorn said, then held out her hand, though it was balled into a fist as it felt natural to use her new appendages as hooves. She quickly realized her blunder and giggled sheepishly, opening her fingers to give the man a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Mr...?"

"Oh. So THIS is the girl you mentioned during your last visit," he said. He gently took Twilight's hand, startling her from how strong it felt, yet was very gentle like he could crush her dainty wrist in one squeeze. "I'm Basch. And..." Basch glanced over Riku and Twilight, looking around the neighborhood, then lowered his voice. "I assume you work the same 'occupation' as my son?"

"Err, yes," Twilight said, getting the hint and subtle curiosity. "I'm...not as great as Riku is, but I'm progressing. More book smart than anything."

"I couldn't tell," Basch said. "But, then again, with how often my son gets into scraps with Sora, I hope you're able to reign him from getting into too much trouble."

Riku gulped nervously, but his father chuckled, merely teasing him. Basch let his son and his girlfriend inside their home as he walked further into the house. The living room had a sofa and a recliner, a dresser had some pictures of Riku's family with him as a young kid or from a few years ago before Destiny Island was swallowed by the darkness. Twilight took a closer look at the photos, picking up one of Riku as a five-year-old boy with his parents. Basch had longer hair in this picture, it was a bit messier than his current look, and his hair was tied in a ponytail. She got a good look at who Riku's mother looked like. Her hair was a lighter blonde color to where it was close to being silver like Riku's hair, and like Basch's, her hair was also tied in a ponytail, but much longer, and she had a few bangs sticking out in front of her face. Twilight couldn't even tell if she was a woman at first from how tomboyish she looked, along with her green shirt, blue jean shorts, dark tan boots.

"Well, now you have some ammo to make fun of me in my pictures," Riku said as he came up behind Twilight.

"Is...this this really your mom?" Twilight asked curiously as she pointed at the woman in the picture ruffling the younger Riku's head.

"Yeah. It's...weird, but she's told me a lot of people mistook her for a guy," he said, startling Twilight.

"Uhh...Is there a reason why?" Twilight asked.

"Because I'm a tomboy who doesn't play pretty princess like other girls when I was younger." Twilight yelped and turned around, nearly dropping the picture frame. Behind her was Riku's mother, though instead of the hair color she had in the photo, her hair was a bright purple and loose rather than tied back and silvery-blonde. She also wore a green shawl over her shirt and a green headband. Though she had changed her style, she still looked as tomboyish as she had in the picture, and she felt a bit more intimidating than Basch. She leered at Twilight for a moment, then turned her gaze toward Riku, who seemed to be bracing himself for a scolding. "You visit the day before Mother's Day a few years ago, and you never so much as leave a letter or pop in to say 'Hi' every once in a while? What kind of son does that to his poor mother, hmm?"

"Sorry, mom," Riku apologized. "A lot's happened since then."

"And it involves a girl you just so happened to bring along and let her peruse our house like she owns the place," the woman added, making Twilight suddenly feel nervous as she hastily set the picture frame back on the dresser where she found it.

"I-I thought I was a guest, and I was...curious?" Twilight said.

Riku just sighed and glared at his mother. "She's just messing with you, Twilight," he said.

"H-Huh?" Twilight uttered.

The woman smirked, then began to laugh at the disguised alicorn's reaction. Flabbergasted, Twilight stared at Riku, then back to his mother, furrowing her brow as she saw where he got his "teasing" from.

"No need to get so riled up, missy," the woman said. "And I guess you must be my son's girlfriend he's talked about. Before he decided to forget about his folks the last couple years."

"Tone it down, Faris," Basch scolded, standing beside his wife with his arm draped over her shoulders. "There's overprotective fathers, and then there's the overbearing mother."

"Not my fault she took me way too seriously," Faris scoffed. "But, my name is Faris, as my husband introduced myself before I properly could."

"R-Right. I'm Twilight," Twilight said, giving Riku a sideways glance. She looked back at the picture she stared at, then back to Faris. "Umm...In your old picture with Riku, your hair-"

"I dyed it a few years ago," Faris interjected. "The blonde look made me feel a bit too old, so I decided to express a bit more of myself with a different look. I'm not that old to decide on how I live my life after raising my troublemaker of a son for fifteen years, and had no clue where he disappeared to for a year after a freak storm hit the island." Riku grimaced, hanging his head, but Faris stepped forward, giving her son a light nudge on the arm. "Come on, Riku, you know I'm just messing with you. But knowing you and Sora somehow disappeared after that day, and without Kairi, you scared me half to death."

"...I-I know. Sorry," Riku apologized.

"I don't think there was ever a need to worry with our son taking after us," Basch said to Faris.

"After you two?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Take a look at the other pictures that didn't tickle your fancy," Faris said, pointing to the other photos that were lined up. Aside from the family pictures, even with one of a newborn Riku held in an exhausted Faris's arms in a hospital bed, the pictures of Basch and Faris had both of them in naval military uniforms, either alone or together with the fleet they were a part of in their younger days. "Basch and I were natural-born fighters, and we both enlisted in the navy. Met on the same ship, though his hometown is across the seas on another continent."

"Ivalice," Basch stated, giving Faris' shoulder a light squeeze. "In the city of Rabanastre. Moving here was a much better than having to deal with my twin, Noah. Or, as he's calling himself now, 'Gabranth'."

"You two need to kiss and make up already," Faris scolded. "Your brother's not that bad."

"We're identical twins, and he always wound up getting me into trouble, spouting my name while he spread chaos back home, and while in basic training," Basch grunted. "At least now people can tell the difference between us with this scar I got after a malfunction that gave me a pretty bad gash over my eye."

Curious, Twilight looked at Riku, learning more about his parents than he ever told her when she asked. "Is that why you were that interested in building a raft when you, Sora, and Kairi wanted to explore the sea back then?"

"That sense of adventure stemmed more from when I met Terra," Riku admitted. "Traveling the ocean would have been a bonus...Until that...'storm'."

"And now you're exploring the cosmos, traveling to other places, and fighting creepy monsters with a weird key-shaped sword," Faris added with a grin. "Living the dream. And with some new duds and a new haircut." Riku ran one of his hands through his spikey hair, nearly forgetting how different his hairstyle was in the past. "I knew you wanted to grow your hair out some more, but that was way too long even for my liking."

"I...kinda prefer this style a bit more now," Riku admitted.

"It's definitely different," Basch complimented.

Faris eyed Twilight, examining every inch of her. "So, she's also a world-saving warrior like you?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. She's still an apprentice, but she's definitely gotten a whole lot better. Her forte is more magic spells than any close ranged physical confrontations," Riku said.

"Hmm...She definitely looks like the bookworm type," Faris agreed. "I'm kinda curious to know how she fights with a blade. Without the fancy magic stuff."

"Wait, you want to watch me spar with Riku?" Twilight asked.

"No, with me!" Faris stated, shocking Twilight. "Believe it or not, I was quite skilled with weapons combat. Even Basch. But I've also had a rivalry with Sora's father, Kaito, when we were kids. He was such a nuisance and when he finally got under my skin, we had a duel, and I kicked his ass. His first loss, and it was against a girl."

"You and Sora's dad were rivals?" Twilight gawked.

"And you see where Riku gets that antagonistic streak with Sora, much to my own dismay," Faris said with a groan. She then leered at Riku and pointed at him. "Every time I hear from Manami that Sora and Riku got into a fight and got themselves all bruised up from their own sparring matches, I knew immediately the reason why was because Riku egged Sora on. That big mouth and smart-aleck attitude of yours is gonna wind up with you in hot water, mister. And the same can be said if you tease your girlfriend and push the wrong buttons."

Despite Faris' scolding being less harsh than intended, Riku's face went a bit pale. She didn't know just how badly it got for him when that confidence of his and his attitude drove him down a dark path. Basch grabbed Faris' wrist, lowering her hand.

"Alright, let's not startle his girlfriend and cause an argument," Basch said. "Twilight's our guest. And I'm sure she's doing her best to keep our son out of trouble. Right?"

"Err, right!" Twilight agreed. "He's always saving me, so he's avoiding causing too much trouble! Or messing with Sora too much to get them in another altercation, friendly or not!"

"Good. About time someone other than me has to remind him to control his ego." While Faris chuckled, Riku was deathly silent. Even if the past was put behind him and Sora, what he did still weighed on him. Forgiven or not, his judgements with who he thought he could trust wound up almost killing him, and in turn, he would have killed his best friend. "Well, there must be more than a reason for you to come and visit aside from introducing us to a potential future daughter-in-law."

Even with the embarrassing claim for Riku and Twilight's relationship in the future, Riku barely made a response. Not even an ounce of embarrassment. Basch's brow quirked, growing a little concerned with his son's silence.

"Riku, is there something wrong?" he asked, snapping Riku out of his daze.

"Uhh...N-No. Just...a bit exhausted from...everything," Riku lied. "It's...pretty rough work, so..."

"We got ourselves a bit of free time, and Riku wanted to show me around where he lived and meet you two," Twilight said as she hugged Riku's arm, seeing his discomfort and stepped in to support him. "He wanted to introduce me to you two for a while, but it has been a busy few years since the idea came up. Riku was a little worried how you two see me, even though I've been called an egghead by one friend of mine who felt annoyed by my desire to learn and study everything and anything that peaks my interest."

"Oh, please. Did you think with our military background, we'd be overly strict or overbearing with incredibly high standards for our little man?" Faris questioned, approaching Riku and playfully pinched his cheeks, where Riku grunted and swatted his mother's hands off of him.

"He didn't tell me everything about you two, and I have an older brother who was a soldier back home," Twilight said.

"And he did the same mentioning you, so I guess withholding important secrets must be part of his big job as a warrior like him," Faris added. Riku just sighed, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "But, in all seriousness, how long are you two staying for?"

"...Just a couple days," Riku said. "I don't want the others to have to handle saving too many worlds from the Heartless...There haven't been any around here, have there?"

"Black creatures with glowing yellow eyes? Not a single one," Basch said, relieving Riku.

"Well, if you're taking a mini vacation, then how about we do a little bonding with little booksmart warrior?" Faris suggested. "Take the next day or two going out and do some outdoor camping, just like we used to when you were younger."

"Uhh...I guess," Riku mumbled, then looked at Twilight. "...You don't mind, do you, Twi?"

"I did want to try a little friendship campout last year, but because of that fiasco in the Everfree Forest, it was a mess before we even got to the campsite," Twilight said.

"Perfect! We'll head out to our usual site and get started!" Faris said. "Basch, you and Riku gather the gear. Twilight, I'm gonna show you the best spot we've found that we camp out at every time we went on a little outdoor trek. Come on!"

Faris grabbed Twilight's wrist and pulled her after her, making the alicorn-turned-human yelp as she was dragged by her boyfriend's mother. "Great start to bonding with her," Basch sarcastically mumbled. "Might as well get the packs ready."

"Y-Yeah," Riku uttered.

As Riku was about to gather their camping gear, Basch gently rested his hand on his son's shoulder, stopping him. "Riku, are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "If you're concerned about your mother doing something to scare off your girlfriend-"

"I'm fine," Riku assured. "A lot's happened. I'm just a bit exhausted. There's far too many worlds out there that need saving."

"...Alright. Just don't push yourself too hard," Basch advised.

Riku nodded, his father walking alongside him to gather their camping gear.

After eating their breakfast, Spike and Freya stood a few yards away from each other out in the open field. Spike held a look of serious determination, ready to begin his training. Freya wanted to hold off on their Keyblades so her son could get more used to his body, deciding on trying hand-to-hand again. Without a word, she shifted her stance, as did Spike, and after a moment of silence, Spike rushed forward and threw the first punch. Freya weaved, bringing up her own arm to push Spike's aside to throw him off, but she grimaced when Spike barely staggered and shoved his knee toward her. While she managed to avoid getting struck in the abdomen, she backed away slightly, blocking Spike's other fist. She almost forgot he was as strong as he was tall, forcing to use a little more than her usual strength from their first familial bout back in the Crystal Empire.

"Fast learner," Freya complimented, flicking Spike's wrist back and gave him a light shove back a few steps.

"I guess you can say that," Spike laughed slightly, smirking as he brought his hands up in a boxer's stance. "Managed to catch you off guard, though."

"I thought I was used to you being smaller and frail, but I underestimated your strength in your true form," she said. "That won't happen again."

Taking it as a challenge, Spike was going to try to land one hit on his mother. He began to charge forward, but then he suddenly vanished as he made a swift leap, then reappeared behind Freya. He brought his leg around to roundhouse kick her, but Freya used her tail, grinning, flicking it like a whip and wrapped it around Spike's leg. She flung his limb, causing him to yell and spin a few times before he hit the ground on his back. Spike let out a groan, looking up as his mother looked over her shoulder, giving him a mocking smile showing she anticipated his little trick while her tail waved teasingly over his abdomen. Grunting, Spike vaulted back up on his feet, then made a lunge for her.

Freya leapt forward, spiral flipping around to face Spike, watching him rush forward again and avoided his barrage of punches. He exerted a lot of power in his throws, his fists blocked or shoved aside, his tells being too obvious where his next punch would be aimed at. He threw in a kick or two to throw her off, but Freya was far more skilled to be distracted by whatever pattern he was making in his assault. Spike suddenly got a crazy idea, though where it came from didn't come from his own thoughts; it came from the fighting instincts he'd picked up upon the Crystal Heart's transference of Sora's prowess.

He reared is right hand back for a full-powered punch, preparing Freya to block it. As he threw it, she brought her hands up to block her son's arm, but with his momentum, he swiftly lowered the angle of his punch, crouched, and with a swift spin, stretched out his leg for a low sweep kick. Freya was momentarily stunned before she yelped, not anticipating the sneaky tactic as she was swept off her feet and fell on her back. Though she was down, she wasn't out, glancing up to see Spike leaping and flipping forward, his leg outstretched into a heel drop down on her. Rolling aside, she barely avoided Spike's foot, and with a strong whip from her tail, she returned the favor by tripping Spike as he began to stand up.

"W-What in the world was that?" Freya questioned.

Spike laughed as he sat up with a cheeky smile. "I thought you weren't going to underestimate me again."

Grunting, she stood back up, as did Spike. "Ok. SEVERELY underestimate you," she corrected. "I didn't expect you to be this fully coordinated after faceplanting taking your first step in your new body."

"Yeah. It's kinda weird, just like how I was able to fight the Heartless that day," Spike agreed as he looked at his hand, flexing his claws. "I had no experience fighting at all, but when the light from the Crystal Heart finally reacted, I felt like I gained all that experience Sora had. It's kinda like how the other girls have the Keyblades of Harmony, but Sora had them for a long while, and without any prior training, they were able to fight with his experience while using it as their own."

"A transference of skills from another's memory, huh?" Freya mumbled. "...Maybe I should know more about Sora if he's as powerful to make such a possibility happen."

"Well, he played a part in it," Spike corrected. "The Tree of Harmony was the one who made it possible. Guess it made sense since Twilight and the girls are the Elements of Harmony."

"...Sora sounds like he's of grave importance to just about everyone," Freya said aloud, stunned. "Why is that?"

"I don't know. He's a huge hero here and through all the worlds he's visited," Spike said. "As strange as he is, his heart's definitely the biggest out of everyone I know."

"...I suppose so," Freya mumbled. Though she'd only heard stories from the others about Sora's accomplishments, she wanted to see them with her own eyes. While she was pondering what the fate of her home and her family would be if Sora had been much older in that time, Spike flew toward his mother, then spun and tried to land a kick on her. She held her hand up, catching his foot, making the dragon teen gulp nervously as she leered at him. "Trying to distract me with my thoughts to sneak a hit? How dishonorable."

"Uhh, heheheh...Break over?" Spike sheepishly answered. Freya grunted, tossing her hand up, flipping Spike rapidly as he yelled wildly. After several dozen flips, she reached her hand out, grasping Spike's shoulder and immediately stopping him on his feet. His eyes spun, groaning deliriously, then teetered off balance once his mother released him. "Ok. Fair. Cheap shots bad."

"Yes. Especially against your mother," Freya warned. Spike nodded, then quickly shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "But this transference is beneficial. You're doing well."

"Even though I tried to fight dirty?" Spike asked nervously.

"...Heartless always fight dirty," Freya uttered. "They have no morals...They'll do whatever they can to kill whoever's in their way." The somber expression on her face began to concern Spike. Realizing what she was saying, Freya frowned, her thoughts really derailing to her past. "...I think we should take a break..."

Freya began to walk over to the river. Spike began to grow wary of her sudden shift in demeanor, sensing she was still reeling from the many years she spent tirelessly hunting Heartless for revenge. Freya knelt beside the edge of the water, scooping some water in her hands and splashed her face, hoping it would cool her down. With her face dripping wet, she stared at her hands, her vision flashing to the aftermath of her rage upon losing everything. The droplets turned into a heavy downpour, the field around her was ignited in her dragon breath, and puffs of dark mist from the slain Shadows slowly dispersed as they had been slain by her trembling hands. In the middle of the carnage, she saw herself standing there, snarling with pure, unyielding rage, transformed into the corrupted monster that almost took the lives of many innocent lives in this world.

"Mom?" Spike placed his hand on his mother's shoulder, making her gasp as she was thankfully snapped out of the terrifying scenario. Freya looked at Spike, panting slightly, showing him the intense bout of fear on her face. "...You alright?"

"...No," she admitted. Spike got down on his knees beside Freya and hugged her, which she immediately accepted as she struggled to control her emotions. "...That day I thought I truly lost everything...Looking back at what made me snap...I'm terrified I might not return if I lose control of my rage like that again."

"I know you won't," Spike assured. "It might take some time to recover from all that, but I'll make sure you're much happier here."

"You don't know much seeing myself...raze that field with such fury from another perspective impacted my fears," Freya said, grimacing slightly. "You and all your friends are willing to look past that, but if I were to lash out in a frenzy without that...thing's darkness bringing that part of me out..."

"You won't," Spike repeated. Giving Freya a light squeeze, he pulled back and looked at her. "I couldn't imagine what it would have been like if I was in your place and lost this world as my home. You struggled enough." Freya didn't want Spike to imagine being in her place, or even promising anything crazy like he swore to the Corrupted Wrath to kill the Darkling who continued existing to cause trouble. "How about we just relax and enjoy camping out here instead of focus on my training?"

"No. I promised you last night I would help hone your skills as a warrior of light," Freya insisted.

"But I don't want you to have a panic attack if you're afraid of losing control of yourself," Spike argued.

"Spike, you may have inherited these skills, but you're not ready yet," Freya argued back.

"I was able to do pretty well against a whole horde of Heartless by myself, and I took that darkness out of you AND destroyed it when the others couldn't!" Spike argued further, only to yelp when Freya quickly grasped his shoulders, tightly, digging her claws into his scales with a terrifying scowl.

"I AM NOT GOING TO RISK LOSING YOU AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME!?" Freya roared. Taken aback, Spike's voice died in his throat, his argument shattered. Freya's glare quickly waned, realizing she had not only shouted at her own son, but her nails dug deep into his shoulders. She didn't intend to snap like that, not so aggressively. Slowly, carefully pulling her claws from Spike's shoulders, her hands trembled again as tears rolled down her face. She turned away from him, holding her hands together to her chest, feeling guilt weighing over her when she only wanted to be sure her son was properly prepared for such a dangerous occupation. "...I...I don't..."

She was afraid Spike was going to run away after that. She flinched when she felt him wrap his arms around her again, providing her comfort without any fear of her. Freya didn't deserve a son with this much patience and tolerance to her outbursts. Through all the years she had been alone trying to pull off the impossible and kill every Heartless in existence, she was desperate need of emotional and psychological help. She broke down in sobs, lowering her head as she cried while Spike continued to hold her. Promise or not, Spike will hold off on his training until his mother was in a much better state of mind. She didn't want to lose him again, and he didn't want to lose her again.

It took a moment for Freya to calm down. The two dragons silently sat by the edge of the river, letting the serene sounds of nature relax them, but it wasn't helping much. Freya stared into the water, wary of seeing her darker reflection stare back and come back to haunt her. She may have felt that side of her being physically expelled from her body, but it didn't feel like it was completely gone.

"I'm sorry, mom," Spike apologized. "I don't want you to worry about me. I do need more training, but if you're still reeling from the past, I don't want you to overly stress yourself."

"I promised to train you," Freya mumbled. "I wanted to teach you everything I know...There was so much time lost between us. I didn't want anything to tear us apart anymore than it already has, even if I have to endure my own torment to see you be a dragoon like your father and I."

"Not at the expense of your sanity," Spike scolded. "I had to be the voice of reason for Twilight when she had her nervous breakdowns, whether they reached her or not. I'm gonna do the same thing for you."

"But-" Before Freya could argue, Spike pressed his hand to her muzzle.

"Not 'buts'. Whenever you're truly ready, with a more calm mindset, you can teach me everything about being a dragoon," Spike said. "I'll train with the others until then, work on my stamina and everything. For now, we're going to spend today and the next couple days enjoying mother/son quality time; something that's more important than anything else between us right now."

He moved his hand away, leaving Freya more disappointed not being capable of training Spike like she promised him. And with how serious Spike was, he was going to force her to relax and not strain herself with anything that would spike her PTSD again. After being filled with such anger, her progress to return back to who she was before was going to be an uphill battle that she might not be able to climb. Sighing, she stared back at the water.

"...You're right," she reluctantly agreed. "...If only I were stronger..."

Spike scooted closer, bringing his arm around his mother's waist in a one-armed hug. "No thinking; relaxing," he playfully chided.

Freya glanced at him, rolling her eyes as a small smile curled on her muzzle. "Convincing argument," she said.

Twilight followed Faris after the woman finally released her wrist halfway through town. They were heading back to the forest where she and Riku landed, making their way to what seemed to be the same direction of their landing zone. Moving beyond that point, Faris pushed through the underbrush, keeping the branches held back for Twilight to walk through. They arrived at a small clearing with a running river down the middle, some stumps scattered about that were cut down for timber for Riku's family camping trips. There was even a patch of dirt made for the fire for those same outings in the past nearby.

"Here we are," Faris announced. "Far enough away from civilization to enjoy the great outdoors."

"Wow. It looks like a nice spot," Twilight said. "But are we really going to 'rough it' out here? Are any of the plants or berries poisonous in this area?"

"I may have overexaggerated too much, but none of the plants around here are toxic or poisonous," Faris assured Twilight. "We bring some snacks just in case. Basch and I might know how to survive in the wilderness in basic, though that doesn't mean we forced Riku to do the same thing."

"Oh. Uhh, good to know." Twilight took a look at the camping spot while Faris headed toward the stream, kneeling down to cup some water in her hands and took a small drink. "So...earlier, you mentioned you knew Sora's dad. Were you two friends?"

Faris chuckled, wiping her face as she stood back up and faced Twilight. "Friends? Not at first when we were kids. And calling us rivals was an understatement."

Twilight blinked, unsure what the woman was trying to explain while being incredibly vague. "...Uhh...Rivals?"

"Back when we were carefree kids, I thought he was the biggest, most annoying dork in the whole school," Faris explained. "Always grinning, laughing, having a carefree time no matter if it's at lunch or in the most boring classes we suffered through. Sora definitely took after that goof...Even after what happened." Her grin wilted to a frown. Considering how Sora and Riku were close friends, it would be obvious that news about what happened to Kaito and his crew out at sea spread out to them. Faris sighed, sounding depressed as she crossed her arms. "...I figured I would have lost my life at sea long before he did in that horrible storm."

"Oh. Sora...mentioned what happened to him," Twilight mumbled.

"It was devastating for the kid. Even Manami was in a horrible state, though it was mostly because of Sora being a bitter and cold-hearted kid who looked like he lost his innocence before reaching his angsty teens," Faris said. "Some of my colleagues on patrol who heard about the wreck by another ship said only one survivor made it, but they were long gone before they tried to ask what happened out there...Part of me wished it was Kaito."

"You...cared that much about him?" Twilight questioned. Faris was silent, glancing down at the ground as she grasped her arms tightly. "...Was he...more than a nuisance in your fo - er, childhood?"

Faris shifted her gaze back up to Twilight, then gestured her to come closer. Nervous, Twilight did as she was commanded as Faris turned and sat by the water's edge. She sat down beside Riku's mother, hearing her breathe in deeply through her nose, then exhale in a shaky sigh.

"One day, I got fed up with his happy-go-lucky attitude," she began. "I heard he got interested in swordplay, so I took it up just so I can get him to shut his mouth and stop being so chipper. I challenged him, and he seemed eager, to my frustration, but I took it seriously while he thought it was just a game. Our groups of friends caught wind of the duel, so we had a whole audience watching us. Despite his cockiness, I was almost caught off guard by that weird stance he likes, something Sora definitely seemed to inherit from his dad.

"He got a bit lucky, but I was the one who came out on top and whooped his sorry behind. He put up a good fight, but that look on his face when I looked down, he was either dumbstruck that a girl beat him, or he had lost his first fight, or a combination of both that would humiliate him. But, like his usual, goofy, dumbass self, he sat up, stared at me with stars in his eyes, and asked me how good I was. I was taken aback, my plan failed, but when he couldn't stop praising me, he asked me to be his training partner and improve. I wanted to yell at him, insult him for how stupid he was acting when he lost, but...I was completely silent." Faris laughed as she looked back at that day, letting out a small sigh as she gazed skyward. "I misjudged why he was always so eager and excited all the time. So, I became the dumbstruck victim in that exchange, and I agreed to be his sparring partner."

"I guess Sora also inherited Kaito's ability to make friends with just about anyone, no matter what their background or their thoughts, huh?" Twilight asked, slightly amused.

"Oh, I still found him annoying, for a few months," Faris corrected. "He had all these crazy dreams, like wanting to go on an adventure, see the world. I never knew he had some of those same dreams I had. Part of the reason why I became a part of the navy." Faris grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, actually, my dream was to be a pirate captain. It's close to what I imagined, only I had to play by the rules and not screw around."

"Ugh. Sora made friends with a pirate crew a while back, and I thought that was the worst idea he could have done due to the circumstances we got ourselves in," Twilight groaned. Faris laughed, knowing how wild Sora's imagination was whenever he and Riku would hang out at their home instead of the island. "So, what changed your thoughts about Kaito?"

"It happened a couple years later. The two of us were sparring again, and he had definitely improved since that loss. He went in for one of his tricky feint attacks he loves to pull off to throw me off, but he botched it and ran into me...then landed on top of me..." Faris suddenly hesitated, her cheeks turning a light pink as she rubbed the back of her neck some more. Twilight could take a wild guess as to what happened, imagining Faris on the ground, on her back, Kaito accidentally falling on top of her, and their faces probably mere inches away from each other. Clearing her throat, Faris fell back on the grass as she leered at the sky, her blush still present on her face. "Dumbass didn't even feel the slightest bit flustered while I was blushing as red as a tomato. Our lips didn't make contact, but with how close he was..."

Twilight's jaw dropped as she stared at the older woman. "...Oh my gosh. You fell in love with him!?"

"It was a dumb crush I didn't realize I was growing since we hung out more and became friends/sparring rivals...Except, I waited too long to tell him my feelings since that slipup during practice." Twilight knew what Faris meant.

"...He had his eyes on Sora's mother, Manami," Twilight guessed.

"Yup." Sighing, Faris sat back up, hunching over to stare into the water. "One day, we were just hanging out, but I had been trying to give him subtle hints so he could take the hint. Didn't know if he was being oblivious on purpose, as he usually was, or my clues weren't obvious enough for him to notice. Fed up with the anxiety, I got upset with him and professed how much he meant to me and I wanted him to be my boyfriend...I think that was the first time I had ever seen his grin flip upside down, and struck him with silence...but it was because what he had to tell me was going to hurt me.

"Those words have never left me after all these years," Faris mumbled with a half-hearted sigh. "'Oh, I didn't know you felt that way. I thought we were just friends, but I don't see you in that way at all.' I got so offended because I was tomboyish and I looked more like a guy than a girl, and he didn't like me that way because of that. He panicked and pedaled back on what he was trying to say until he calmed down, then said, 'Sorry if you thought that, but you're the first girl I met who shared so many interests as I did, even though you hated my guts for some reason. I like being friends with you, but there's someone else I like a whole lot more.' And then he mentioned Manami, which made my heart sink.

"For a couple months, I stayed away from him, trying to let the crush I had slowly deflate and lift away...Kinda hard to do that when you see him every day in class, watching him act more like a doofus than ever trying to impress the girl HE'S got a crush on. I was jealous. I wanted to take him away by force if I wanted to be happy again...but that meant destroying the relationship we did have as friends." From admitting her jealousy, Twilight was reminded of her own envy toward Kairi when she began to develop feelings for Sora. Faris may not have acted upon her jealousy, but Twilight did, and she was afraid she'd shattered her friendship with Sora and lost any respect toward Kairi. "It still hurt, even when I got over it after I had plenty of time to cool my head. And scarf down a few gallons of ice cream to soothe the heartache. But, for his sake, I put my anger aside, appreciated how he still sees me as a friend, and began to hang out with Manami and got to know her a little more. Those two were a better match made in heaven than I ever could."

"And...you still liked him that way," Twilight guessed.

"Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to just betray Basch if I had that sudden urge to jump Kaito and spend just one moment of sinful passion with him. I'm not wrecking two homes over my selfish desires," Faris said with serious leer aimed toward Twilight. Her gaze softened as she looked back at the water. "...When he died in that storm, I felt a part of me die along with him, just like Sora and Manami had...I think Basch knew my heart wanted to belong to him when I refused to leave the house or do anything when that news hit. He's got that way of reading someone who's hiding something, whether they're able to hide it well or not."

Twilight was surprised, yet another trait Sora gained from his father. Whenever Sora was distraught, or if anything were to severely happen to him, everyone else around him would be upset. Kaito was the same way for those in Destiny Island. As much as she wanted to tell Faris that her friend since their youth was still alive, but as a Nobody, she couldn't tell her that without revealing more of what Riku's already told them. But hearing her story, Twilight didn't realize just how similar she and Faris were when it came to liking someone, only to find out they were in love with someone else.

"...Before I ever met Riku, Sora was the first person who visited my world," Twilight said, catching Faris' attention as she glanced at her. "I found his personality annoying, and got in the way when my world was about to fall to a villain that would return. He was sent to help, but I thought he was going to get in the way. I grew up studying my whole life, so I didn't have time to make friends. But when I got to know him more, and when he saved my life on a couple occasions-"

"You fell madly in love with him, but you had no idea how to tell him, nor did you even know he already had his heart set on Kairi," Faris guessed with an intrigued smirk.

Twilight let out a groan, already embarrassed by her past situations and retelling them to her boyfriend's mother. "I didn't know what was going on with me. I barely made any friends before I met Sora or my other friends, so all these things were new to me! He kept helping me, I was used to his company and thought of him differently, and I...resorted to books on romance to help me figure out how to tell him." Faris snorted, not surprised someone as scholarly as Twilight would have run to books on the subject to either give her some guidance or confidence. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Even after I thought I phased out of turning to a book for all my answers, I still return to my library if I'm struggling for one. Too book smart, not a single ounce of street smarts to my name."

"Oh good lord. Must have been a real gut punch when he finally mentioned Kairi, huh?" Faris asked.

"You have no idea," Twilight mumbled.

"Heh. I'm surprised we had something so common," Faris laughed. "And ironically, we dealt with the same kind of guy as dumb kids who have no idea how love works." Twilight laughed along nervously, leaving out how she went a bit too far with her jealousy to avoid being seen in a terrible light with Faris. "We're both a couple of dumb girls who fell in love with the right guy, but said something to them at the wrong time."

"Mhmm," Twilight mumbled.

"...You still like Sora, even though you're dating Riku?" Faris asked curiously.

"N-Not like that, but I still cherish Sora as a really close friend," Twilight answered.

"Well, cherish him as much as you can before something bad happens to him." Faris had no idea how many close calls Sora's had with death, nor what alternate timelines held with him dying in one way or another and resulting in a cataclysm of destruction for Equestria, or any of the other worlds.

While waiting for the men to arrive, Faris and Twilight talked a little more about their lives. Faris grew curious about how she met Riku, which was a highly elaborated story Twilight weaved, leaving out the difference in species the woman expected while leaving the events truthful. Faris didn't know what to expect from a disastrous royal wedding, and her older brother marrying a princess, but the bridezilla turning out to be some crazy doppelganger pretending to be her real sister-in-law was not one of those scenarios, nor the army she brought to take over the royal venue. Then there was the day they officially became a couple, ironically out on a camping trip to study the flora of Whitetail Woods, their different dates, how Twilight became a bearer like Riku by complete accident. She was disappointed by how gullible Twilight's parents were to accept a free cruise ticket on a zeppelin in the mail from some random recipient, but the sweet gesture he made when he dealt with the swindler who tricked them to be the main attraction for the cruise made Faris proud of her son for giving Twilight a chance to relax and enjoy herself.

Some time later, Riku and Basch arrived with their heavy packs. "Good to see you two haven't started killing each other," Basch joked.

"Ha ha, Basch. I wasn't going to start a cat fight unless I'm provoked into one," Faris said with a pout. Basch rolled his eyes with a faint grin, he and Riku finding a good spot to take off their gear. Twilight and Faris joined them, the latter clapping her hands together. "Ok! Let's set up all four tents and really get this bonding camping experience underway!"

"Uhh, mom? There's still only the two tents we've used for years," Riku mentioned.

Stunned, Faris looked at the packs, then to Basch. "...I thought we got more."

"Well, we planned to, but because of our active duty, shopping for some more camping gear in case our son brought a lady friend with him was put on the backburner," Basch said.

Faris hummed curiously, then held up a finger as she found a solution. "Alright then. Boys in one tent, girls in the other."

"Why?" Riku questioned.

"Don't play dumb, Riku!" Faris scolded. "Whose to say you and Twilight will get frisky sharing the same tent and try to do the deed while being as quiet as field mice?"

"W-What!?" Riku exclaimed, taken aback by his mother's accusation.

"Aha! That was your plan tonight, wasn't it!?" Faris exclaimed with an impish grin, purposefully picking on her adult son and getting him flustered.

"N-No! Why would I even think of doing something like that around my own parents!?" Riku questioned.

"So you two have been screwing around back wherever your girlfriend lives, huh?" Faris continued pestering and embarrassing Riku while Twilight and Basch watched the chaos unfold.

"Oh boy. Dear, you know this never worked toning down his teasing in the past," Basch grumbled. "He's a man now. He can learn from his own mistakes."

"Not if these two are intergalactic heroes saving other worlds from creepy monsters that lives in the abyss of whatever hell they crawled out of," Faris said. "If she's got a bun cooking in that oven, you'd best be keeping Twilight and that baby safe, mister."

"M-Mom, knock it off!" Riku whined. "Why do you have to embarrass me!?"

"I'm just making sure you don't make any mistakes in the heat of the moment," she reasoned, making Riku scowl and leer at his mother with disdain.

"This is why I didn't want to bring Sora around to hang out," he growled.

Twilight chuckled sheepishly, wondering how Sora would react to seeing Faris constantly pestering and annoying Riku. "This is gonna be an...eventful couple days."

"Ugh! Fine. We'll sleep in separate tents, but we're building one together," Riku grumbled, puffing his cheeks angrily as he snagged one of the tent sets from his pack he carried. He ignored his mother's laughter, taking the shelter and grabbed Twilight's hand, taking them a bit of a distance away from his folks. "She is just...so unbelievable sometimes. Did you tell her about all the times I teased you? Because she only does this to me whenever she hears how much of a 'brat' I am when I constantly pick on someone."

"I said nothing of the sort," Twilight promised. "But, you did seem to have it coming."

"I've already got my karma when my 'choices' could have spelled disaster to every world in existence," Riku mumbled bitterly. "Maybe instead of humiliating me, she should give me some weird advice about me picking on someone means I like them and express that likeness in a different way. And I don't want her to know what we do in the privacy of our bedroom back in Equestria."

Riku fumbled with the rods, getting frustrated as he tried to set up the tent. Twilight grabbed his hands, giving him a small peck on the cheek, calming him down a bit.

"You wanted me to meet your parents after a lot of thought debating this because of me," Twilight calmly said. "Just try to relax and enjoy spending time with your mom and dad. How long has it been since you last saw them? A couple years?"

"...Y-Yeah," Riku mumbled. "Mother's Day...the same year Sora brought Manami to Equestria."

"Exactly. And you've seen my mom be a little bit overprotective of me when she met you," Twilight mentioned. "Parents are supposed to embarrass their kids, no matter how old they are."

Riku let out a sigh and hung his head. "I know...I just...I'm still worried one of us is gonna slip up and mention...the 'worst' I've done."

"Even if they do, I think they'll understand," Twilight assured. "Like your dad said: you learn from your mistakes as you get older. And you have and became a much better person than you did years ago."

Riku still blamed himself for choosing the wrong side, but Twilight was right, as well as his father. Though there were a couple moments he trusted the wrong person, like Chrysalis back when she was disguised as Cadence at hers and Shining Armor's wedding, he was much more wary about those with evil intentions, and even trusted his gut when some were seen as sinister were actually innocent, like Thorax before the changelings' metamorphosis. Riku believed he still had a lot to make up, but the effort did show after a while.

Smiling at Twilight, Riku leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lover's lips, startling her. "Hey! I'm not seeing any tent building!" Faris called out, making Riku groan as she spoiled the moment between the two. "I'm gonna grab a long branch off one of these trees and shove it between you two!"

"Alright, Faris, enough metaphorical prodding," Basch said. "We should start getting the other one up as well."

"Just making sure they're not getting too distracted," Faris reasoned.

"Like you are right now?" Basch questioned with a smirk.

"I can set these tents up in minutes without a single slipup," she said, taking it as a challenge.

Basch sighed and shook his head as his wife started to gather the parts for the second tent and begin setting it up. "Our son gets that competitive side from you, you know."

"And he's got your good looks," Faris jabbed back. "Now stop your gawking at me and get some firewood for the pit."

"Hmph. Yes, ma'am." With a grin and a mock salute, Basch took out an ax hooked to his pack and made his way to one of the nearby trees to chop some wood for tonight.

Night began to fall in Winsome Falls, Spike and Freya laying among the flowers near their campsite, looking up at the stars. Freya had felt anxious doing nothing but relaxing as Spike constantly reminded her to do to avoid losing her temper and having a traumatic episode. She'd been fighting for so long, the only respite she's had was when she met everyone in the Crystal Empire and reunited with her long-lost son. She made an effort to try at the least, helping Spike set up their tent and taught him some camping tricks she's known in the past.

"There's Orion right over there," Spike said as he pointed to the many stars dotting the sky, and which ones made some of the constellations each group made up. "Those three stars make up Orion's belt...Although, I think there's a fourth somewhere in that. Don't tell Twilight that, or else she'll flip out and keep her eye glued onto her telescope."

"I...kind of see it?" Freya uttered. No matter how hard she squinted her eyes and tried to see the figure among the group of stars, she wasn't able to see Orion. "Uhh, is his head over there, or is that the wrong end?"

"No, that's his head," Spike assured.

"...I'm sorry, Spike. The stars around here are so different from the ones I knew back in my world," Freya sighed. "I don't think I'll remember all of these ones. Or which worlds lie within those 'stars'."

"Well, not all of them are other worlds out there," Spike said. "Most of the stars closer to Equestria were made by Princess Luna." While his gaze shifted to each constellation, he spotted a cluster of them that made up Sombra's face, a constellation she had made only a few years ago as a memorial for her lover after what happened in the Crystal Empire when it and the Heartless controlling him reappeared. "Like that one. There's a stallion's face if you trace these stars right here. That's Sombra, Luna's fiancé. Kind of a long story with this guy, but he and Luna were in love, but a Keyblade Master named M, the Master of Masters, turned him into a Heartless, causing the Crystal Empire to fall under his power, and she and her sister Celestia banished him along with the kingdom in the shadows. He came back with the kingdom after a thousand years, and Sora and I saved everypony and were the heroes of the Crystal Empire."

"Goodness. A wielder who was that heinous to do something like that to someone?" Freya questioned.

"Well...M's not really...villainous?" Spike said, feeling uncertain about the mysterious master from the past. "He's a weird character, that's for sure. He knows everything that'll happen in the future, and he got involved with the Pillars of Equestria, even Celestia and Luna."

"I've never heard of some ancient wielder who called themselves 'Master of Masters'," Freya said. "I know wielders have been around for many years spanning millennia. Nothing I've learned mentioned the first ever master."

"He's actually from many, MANY years before Celestia and Luna's time when they were fillies over a thousand years ago," Spike explained. Shocked, Freya turned her head toward her son, baffled. "Yeah. Hard to believe, but Sora knows a time travel spell that was hidden in Caterlot Castle's royal library. M must have known that same spell...and maybe planted it there when we tried to sneak in there because Twilight was panicking about a disaster she overexaggerated believing when her future self looked like she was in a war." Spike grew silent as he pondered his theory. "...I think he also knew I was gonna get a stomachache after eating dozens of tubs of ice cream that whole week."

"Why would you eat that much ice cream in a seven day period?" Freya questioned.

"Because Twilight was freaking out and so focused on the disaster that would never come that I decided to be snarky and ate so much ice cream," Spike reasoned, then grimaced at the aftermath of his poor choices. "I kept saying it would be future Spike's problem, and I became future Spike in the end." Freya burst out laughing, making Spike pout. Sure, he did deserve it after not realizing he was going to make himself sick by being such a rule-breaker, but his mother could have shown some sympathy. Then again, if he was that defiant against her, Freya would have let him suffer the consequences after being warned more than he should have been. "Well, I wasn't even thinking about what would happen later. I was too busy enjoying my ice cream and teased Twilight while she panicked on what her future self tried, and failed, to warn her about."

Freya began to calm down from her laughing fit at the ridiculous, exaggerated tale. "And yet despite gorging on sweets, from you eating habits when you mentioned your gem cake, you didn't seem to learn your lesson." Spike rolled his eyes in response. "I almost find it hard to believe that time travel is possible. None of the unicorns from my world could come up with an elaborate spell like that."

"Well, Star Swirl the Bearded was able to make a spell like that, but his version was only able to make him jump back about a week in the past," Spike said. "And M was practically friends with Star Swirl, and probably inspired him to make the spell."

"If this 'M' was a wielder from several thousand years ago, what was his purpose of being around this world in the future?" Freya asked curiously.

"He got pretty attached to Celestia and Luna. He was like an uncle to them...and he sparked the events that led to Sombra becoming the evil tyrant of the Crystal Empire, which upset Luna more and turned her into Nightmare Moon. But he was also responsible for creating the Tree of Harmony, the Elements of Harmony, almost everything to lead Equestria to a much more peaceful world." It was a lot of information to process, but Freya had no idea how big of an impact M had made from his meddling. Most places outside of her home, they're unaware of the dangers the darkness holds and the power of the Keyblade. Sometimes, that power could end up in the wrong hands, intentional or by unfortunate fate. "He even had Sora as a part of this world's saving grace at times. For the Pillars, he was the seventh Pillar one thousand years after they disappeared in limbo when they stopped the Pony of Shadows. And for Twilight and the other girls, he was the seventh Element that helped stop the worst of the villains...Well, most of them."

"...So that was why he asked if I knew him," Freya mumbled.

She wanted to hear all of Sora's exploits some time, but learning he had the power to travel back in time, she wanted to learn how the spell worked. With such a spell, she could go back in the past and prevent her world from being destroyed. She could save everyone, her comrades, her home, Estinien, and she would never be separated from Spike and raise him properly. Her heart longed to be reunited with her love, to start a family and raise Spike the moment he hatched out of his egg. And she would get rid of the Heartless that ruined who knows how many other worlds and took the lives of millions of people into the Realm of Darkness. Her life could go back to the way it was.

But, the more she thought about what her actual future could have been, the more selfish she felt. If she changed the past, her own past, she would change how the future would hold as the years past from that moment that she lost it all. Though she lived for years in sorrow and anguish, Spike had been found and raised by a good family. He made a lot of friends, he's considered a hero to a kingdom, he enjoys the life he has here, even with the lows that struck him several days ago. Making such a drastic change in the timeline to take away his happiness to regain her own made her feel sick to her stomach.

Her thoughts were conflicted with what Spike had been through to what it could have been for her and her life. If she could change the past, she would live peacefully with a more sensible mind, living together with Estinien as they raised Spike the moment he hatched from his egg, watching him grow into a strong, courageous dragoon just like his parents. She never thought of a name for him, uncertain if their baby would be a boy or a girl. That dream could be made a reality, but if she went through with it, the young drake she reunited with would be nonexistent. Twilight wouldn't hatch him, he wouldn't be part of her family, no one in Ponyville would ever know he existed. She'd essentially be "murdering" her child, bringing back the horrific rage that was unleashed by the monster who took away everyone else she knew.

"Mom?" Freya let out a sharp gasp, snapped out of her whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Kneeling beside her, Spike looked down at her worriedly. "You ok?"

Spike seemed to try to get her attention for a while when she didn't say anything. Grimacing, Freya sat up, afraid to look her son in the eyes from the selfish desires that invaded her mind.

"...Sora has mastered this time travel spell, right?" she asked nervously.

"I...guess?" Spike answered. "He's done it a few times, but he hasn't abused it too much. Alter that past, you alter the future."

"...I know, but...I...began to wonder if...things would be better for us...if I could save our home," she mumbled.

Spike started pondering what his life could have been, humming curiously. Freya didn't expect a positive response, but when she glanced at him, he seemed to frown, contemplating the thought.

"...I don't know," he said. "So far, nothing seemed to have changed for the worst. Aside from M messing up Sombra's life just to bring him back to a much better future for him and Luna." Freya waited, sensing there was more to what Spike was thinking about her heart's selfish desires. "...But changing the past wouldn't end up being the best thing for everyone. Even if one change can only make you happy."

"But you could be raised by both your father and me," Freya said.

"As great as that would be, who knows what could affect everything with one small or big change," Spike said.

"...What do you mean?" Freya questioned.

"I know you only met Starlight Glimmer for a short while yesterday, but she wound up causing a huge disaster involving time travel with a modified version of Star Swirl's spell," Spike said.

"She learned the spell, too?" she asked.

"Starlight wasn't as...nice as you think a couple years back. I didn't experience what happened since I stayed at the castle and everyone else was sent by the Cutie Map in the throne room...She was a little bit on the sinister, almost psychotic side of evil." Freya gave Spike a dumbfounded look. Upon meeting Starlight the other day, she seemed like a normal unicorn who helped run the school. She couldn't imagine someone like her to have caused any sort of mischief. "Long story short, Starlight hated cutie marks and made a village making other ponies she fooled into being equal with the same cutie marks. She tricked everyone she conformed, hiding her own cutie mark to physically take away cutie marks, did the same thing to the others when they tried to figure out what was going on, and almost ran off with their cutie marks when the truth came out. Her magic is just as powerful as Twilight's, strong enough to rival alicorn magic."

Freya's jaw hung open in surprise. "...I know only a little about cutie marks, but...why did she hate them?"

"She blamed cutie marks for ruining her friendship with Sunburst when they were foals," he explained, further baffling Freya. "He got his cutie mark, and his parents moved him to Canterlot the next day. She's been bitter about them for so long, and when they foiled her plan to make Equestria completely equal with her the only one with power, she was in hiding for about a year, then came up with a plan to go back in time and change the moment where Rainbow Dash first pulled off a sonic rainboom. That moment was where all six of them got their cutie marks, a sign of fate that they were meant to be friends many years later and become the Elements of Harmony.

"She snuck into the castle and dragged Sora and Twilight through her little trap to watch her succeed in her greatest plan to get revenge and create her kingdom of equality...Sadly, she didn't see the outcome of the futures she created by changing that one pivotal moment." Spike began explaining each of the different futures, and in such horrific detail that mortified Freya. Each change that Starlight made, or involved Sora and Twilight accidentally making a change along with her, each alternate timeline seemed to be worse and worse. What was worse was that Twilight and her friends' lives weren't the only ones who were affected; the other bearers were also affected by the change. Especially Sora. Since Sora was part of the Elements of Harmony with the Mane Six, he was also connected by that sonic rainboom as well. And each new timeline, there was something terrible that happened to him in the moments during his journey before ever arriving in Equestria that resulted in his death. Just like the girls, he was also just as important to the fate of Equestria. The what-ifs that she imagined for her own changes shifted to being more grizzly than what she already suffered through if this butterfly effect expanded farther beyond this universe. "...and after she graduated as Twilight's first friendship student, she's one of the school counselors, and when Twilight takes over the throne for Celestia and Luna, she'll be running the school as the new headmare."

"...I...see..." Freya wilted, taking it all in. Her initial idea would have been a false hope. It seemed like Sora had such a huge role in so many worlds, not just the ones in this universe. And if she asked him to help her right the wrongs done to her and her world from the Darkling's presence, there was that dreadful chance that her dream to be a happy family with her husband and son in her Equestria could be far worse and much more devastating than what she already experienced. She'd rather leave things as they are now; she may not have Estinien, but she still has Spike. "...Then...changing history would be a fool's errand either way..."

"Well, Sora did try to save his dad by going back in time, and even though he tried, it still happened anyway," Spike added. "If anything, I'm ok with things as they are. Might not ever meet dad, but...at least I have you."

Freya looked at her son, smiling at her without any sign of regret from what he knew he would miss. Even with the power and magic to go back in time, changing the past wouldn't change anything in the long run. Spike was happy and content with his life, and with her in his life now, he was ensured it would be even better than he expected. The guilt from her selfishness melted away, smiling back at Spike, then pulled him into a tight embrace, which he reciprocated.

"As much as I want things to be different...I don't want to destroy what made you happy in this world," Freya said.

"Just keep looking toward the future and not linger too much in the past, right?" Spike asked.

She agreed as they both laughed. Though it was harder not to be reminded of the past, Freya would try just as hard to focus on the now and her future with Spike. They both decided to turn in after gazing at the stars a little longer and crawled into their tent. Even though Freya put aside changing the past, she was curious to see just how big of an influence Sora has on everyone and every world within this universe.