(Missing You)

After taking his leave, Terra walked out of the palace, Lea explaining to Dilan and Aeleus about the secret experimental room beneath the laboratory the intruding guest was right about. They reluctantly let him go, seeing as he was already miserable enough after realizing Aqua sacrificed her own life to keep him, and Xehanort, out of the Realm of Darkness. He had no clue what befell Ventus, but if Vanitas attacked him, then there was no chance the young teen could have survived fighting someone so frustratingly powerful. It might have been possible he ended up turning into the X-blade Xehanort mentioned before the confrontation. As soon as he was far enough away from civilization, he transformed his blade into his glider and activated his armor, flying off into the cosmos to find a world considered a safe enough haven, far from any world Xehanort never explored. That also meant he had to steer away from Master Yen Sid's tower, or else he could put the wizard in grave peril as well.

Terra had spent several days flying from world to world, always spotting Heartless roaming about in the ones he's known or were new to him. The memories of his became more clear as he flew through space, his "second life" being the leader of Organization XIII, his body under the influence of Xehanort's darkness, despite Xemnas, who he was in that life, was a Nobody. He even recognized Lea, Dilan, and Aeleus as prior members of the Nobody group, though they were known as Axel, Xaldin, and Lexaeus, and there were a few differences between the humans and now deceased Nobodies. And the one the assassin they mentioned, Braig, was also a member, called Xigbar. Even without a heart, he was still a cold killer as a creature of nothingness.

Passing through an empty area of the universe with no worlds within miles, Terra cruised along, not paying attention to where he was going. He was too busy looking down at Rainfell, the only thing that was left of Aqua aside from her suit of armor back in Radiant Garden. He hoped she was still alive, but even if she's a skilled fighter, there was no way anyone would be able to survive in the Realm of Darkness for so long. There was no escaping that place once someone is sent there, and Aqua gave herself a death sentence.

He finally looked up after several moments staring at Rainfell, finally seeing a world after several hours of nothing but the empty void of space. It was far out of any world's reach, the last one several light years behind him that was probably half an hour away at a casual pace. The colorful landscape looked incredibly peaceful, from the mountain city at the top with a grand castle to the small and rustic looking town at the bottom. It's a world none of them had ever seen before, and it was so far from any other worlds, almost as if it rested on the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Seeing as it was as good of a world as it could be, Terra flew toward it to rest, recuperate from the traumatizing realization after spending the last decade under Xehanort's power, and train himself to fight back against the man responsible for everyone's pain, including Sora, Kairi, and his successor, Riku.

Once he breached through the world's atmosphere, he felt his body begin changing shape, something that he hasn't done in quite a long time. It was dark in the world as it was late in the evening, giving him the perfect cover to keep himself from getting caught by the inhabitants. He made his landing in the middle of a forest after spotting a perfect enough glade to land in. He touched down on the ground, stepping off his glider, but the moment he brought his foot down, he nearly lost his balance and fell on his behind.

"Ah! What did I turn into?" Dismissing his armor and glider, Terra got a better look at himself under the light of the full moon. His hands turned into his hooves, his skin covered in brown fur, feeling a squared muzzle for his mouth and nose, equine ears on top of his head, and a tail lightly flicking around behind him. At least he was still wearing his clothes, unlike the first time he had turned into a quadruped when he was younger. He spun around and got a look at his sides and behind, especially the spiky tail almost similar to his hairstyle. "A horse...That's new. I guess this must be a land filled with equines." He then sighed, his ears drooping as he looked at Aqua's Keyblade. "I bet Aqua would have loved to come here when we were younger..."

His stomach snapped him out of his thoughts, grumbling low and begging for food. He hadn't eaten in a while, and he did spot a village not too far from the dense forest he landed in. As much as Terra didn't want to use his Munny he still kept on him, if this world accepted the blocky currency, he wasn't going to chance eating something that could be poisonous to him in the woods. Standing up on all fours, something he was going to get used to for a while, he picked up Rainfell in his mouth, carefully sheathed it in his obi-sash by his right hip, and began heading in the direction of the town nearby.

(Traverse Town)

It took him a while to get through the thick foliage with his bulky frame, but he made it out and into the town. Despite how late it was, there were some lights on in some of the buildings, and there was a tavern a few houses down that was quite busy. It was the only place that was opened that might serve food, otherwise he would have to wait until morning to buy something to eat. Entering the building, there were many patrons seated at the bar, booths lined against the walls, and several tables scattered about the floor, the inhabitants indeed equine as he expected. Aside from normal ponies, there were also pegasi and unicorns, but seeing those kinds of ponies here wasn't what surprised him; it was their big eyes. He resisted the urge to touch his face and see if his own eyes were that large as well, not wanting to look more awkward as he was the only one in the tavern wearing clothing, making him stick out like a sore thumb. What was even stranger were the images around their flanks, each of them some kind of tattoo, though they were all different.

Terra gingerly made his way up to the bar, avoiding some of the drunker patrons, scrunching his nose at the strong scents of liquor and hard cider they drank. Some of them who noticed him snickered and whispered about him, his equine ears twitching when one of them asked their friends why he was wearing a dress, which it clearly wasn't. He didn't let their words bother him, taking an empty seat at the bar where a few other stallions sat with their mugs, chatting to themselves over something the Keyblade wielder tuned out. He didn't need to wait long for an employee to notice him, a beige unicorn stallion with a pale red handelbar mustache, matching the same hue as his slicked back mane.

"What can I get for ya, kid?" the bartender asked.

"Uhh, do you serve food?" Terra asked, his stomach asking the same question with a growl.

"Sure do." The stallion levitated a menu in front of him, showing their specials on the front. Terra did expect there to be a lot of dishes meant for herbivores, though he ignored anything that had flowers or uncooked hay. "Anything to drink?"

"Actually, before I order anything...what kind of currency do you accept?" The unicorn raised a brow in confusion, finally realizing Terra must be from another country as he noticed how he dressed.

"Not from Equestria, huh?" the bartender asked. Terra let out a nervous chuckle, both at how odd this world was known as and how right the unicorn's guess was. He pulled out a gold coin, showing Terra the money used for the world. There was an image of a mare wearing a crown on her head, her mane really long as well as her horn on the front, and on the back was the symbol of a sun. "The only acceptable currency here in this kingdom, and in other places, are bits. Unless you're here for the sake of company, you won't get much of anything without bits."

"Oh..." Terra grimaced, knowing his Munny wasn't going to be acceptable, but he had to at least give it a try. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a big Munny block, seeing the bartender's eyes widen at the odd form of currency. "I don't suppose this is able to get me something?"

"...What in Equestria...?" The older stallion picked up the Munny block in his pale yellow aura, turning it around as he examined it. "Is this...supposed to be some type of gold? Or topaz?"

"That's...currency where I used to live," Terra explained, keeping his identity as an outsider of this world a secret like he was supposed to. "We call it Munny...and I honestly cannot describe what kind of metal it's made of."

"Hmm...Well, sorry, son. Can't exactly get you anything without bits." The Keyblade wielder sighed, taking back the Munny.

"I figured as much." Terra pushed the menu back and lowered his head on the bar, sputtering a raspberry as his stomach groaned in protest. "Of all my luck...I might have better luck scrounging for berries out in that forest as long as none of them are poisonous."

While he contemplated finding somewhere in town to work and earn money in this world, the door to the tavern slammed open. Everyone turned to the entrance, all the patrons and employees gasping in shock as a muscular earth pony stallion and a skinny, shifty pegasus stallion walked in. The whole tavern went silent, even the drunk stallions and mares, many of them trembling at the two ponies. The earth pony had a dark orange coat, his short mane and tail a dark black with three red stripes running like lightning bolts in his hair, his flanks bearing a barbell with heavy weights bending the metal rod from both ends. The pegasus was pale gray, his pale yellow and red highlighted hair long and messy, his flanks showing a pony skull with swirling eyes, which definitely matched his personality with how insane he looked.

Terra turned back around in his seat, not seeing them as much of a threat, though from the looks on the patrons' faces, they must have terrorized the tavern several times in the past. He looked at the bartender, shivering in fright as he pretended not to notice them. Terra's ears twitched, hearing the heavy thumps of the intimidating earth pony stallion and the light, skittery pats of the pegasus, making their way up to the bar. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the twitchy pegasus eyeing him, snickering heavily as he looked down at his clothing. The other stallion, however, stood behind him, letting out an annoyed snort at the back of the Keyblade wielder's neck.

"You're in my seat," he said gruffly.

"Yeah, you're in his seat, 'little filly'!" the pegasus added with a guffaw, laughing so hard he fell out of his seat faster than any of the inebriated ponies in the room, and he didn't even have a drink in the tavern yet.

The bartender let out a nervous laugh. "Ah, yes! I completely forgot! I could have sworn I put your names down on your seats, Iron Weight, Jitterbug!"

"Next time, don't forget, or we'll do far more damage to your business than last time," Iron Weight growled, his pegasus friend swiftly sitting back up in his seat, nodding his head erratically.

"Yeah! Don't forget!" Jitterbug emphasized, ready to hop over the bar at any moment and grab any of the liquor bottles displayed on the wall.

As much as the bartender urged Terra with his eyes to move before he got hurt, the brown stallion didn't budge. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you can take possession of a seat at a bar," he said, Iron snorting angrily at his defiance. "Sit next to your psychotic buddy in the other empty stool."

The patrons gasped in horror, some of them slinking down to hide under their chairs or tables. Iron Weight glowered at Terra while Jitterbug slowly turned his head toward him, eyes widening with his pupils shrunken to pinpricks. Iron roughly turned the less bulky stallion around, giving him the most intimidating scowl that did nothing to effect the brown stallion.

"I think your hearing is busted, runt," Iron growled, letting out a snort that made Terra cough at the scent of his breath.

"Ugh! Too bad my nose works fine," he gagged. "Ever heard of a breath mint?"

"Oooooooh, he's giving us some sass!" Jitterbug exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the bartop. "Punch his lights out! And how dare he call my a psycho while he's wearing a dress!"

"First of all, it's not a dress. It's a hakama," Terra explained, moving his muzzle away from Iron's to get some air, looking at the hyper pegasus. "It's a traditional warrior's uniform where I come from. Second, you're bouncing on the counter like a little kid desperately needing to use the bathroom, while hopped up on gallons of sugar."

"Oh, he's just asking for a beating. Kick his plot, Iron! I got seconds!" The pegasus giggled maniacally, fidgeting excitedly.

"I'm gonna give you 'til the count of three to keep that trap of yours shut and get out of my seat," Iron Weight warned. "If you don't, I'm gonna pummel ya into the floor."

"Well, even if I do or don't, I know you're still going to try to hit me," Terra said. "I'm not moving, and you're not going to continue acting like you own this tavern acting like a bully. Go ahead and hit me, but I'm warning you; I'm a lot stronger than you think."

"Not in a dumb dress like that," Jitterbug commented with a snort.

"Fine. You want me to bruise you up, wish granted." Iron Weight grabbed Terra's shirt, keeping him steady as he reared his other foreleg back. "This'll only hurt for a week!"

The other ponies flinched and looked away, unable to watch the visiting stallion get beat up by the stronger earth pony. Jitterbug began cackling louder, anticipating the first blow right in Terra's face. Iron Weight threw his hoof, intending to break the brown stallion's muzzle. Terra quickly shot a hoof up, grabbing the orange stallion's foreleg, stopping the punch a mere inch away from his snout. Iron growled in confusion, struggling to push his hoof forward, but Terra was far stronger than he expected, showing no signs of strain.

"I did warn you," Terra said, slowly twisting his hoof as he got up from his seat. He began to slowly, painfully twist Iron Weight's leg, the brute stallion retaliating with his other hoof. Terra moved his head aside, quickly grabbing the other leg and twisting it behind his back, making Iron yelp as his hind legs buckled. "Saw that coming a mile away. I've handled monsters worse than your pathetic strength."

"See this!" Jitterbug quickly leapt off the bartop to tackle Terra and save his partner.

Terra threw Iron Weight to the ground, leaping away from the pegasus as he smacked his face into the wood floor clumsily. "Oh, that is it, punk!" Iron Weight stood up, grabbing "his" bar stool with his hooves. The other ponies scrambled away from the tables and stood on the sides to avoid getting caught in the middle of the brawl. "Nopony makes a fool out of me!"

Iron Weight charged at Terra clumsily on his hind legs, never used to wielding a heavy object to use as a weapon that was too big for his big mouth to properly use as a hand. He swung the stool, missing Terra as he staggered, thinking he would have easily hit the stallion. While he was distracted by the brute stallion's failed swing, Jitterbug snapped out of his daze and flew into Terra, clutching onto his back and tried to force him back on his hind legs.

"I got him!" the pegasus called out, though he strained to lift Terra up with his skinny frame and lack of muscles unlike him. The stallion humored him, smirking as he pretended to flail, rising up on his hind legs. "Hah! Not much of a stallion in that frilly little skirt, huh!?"

"I told you, it's a hakama!" Terra shouted, flipping up into the air and slamming down hard, landing his back on the pegasus's front while his own back smacked the hard ground.

He heard Iron Weight yell as he ran toward him again, quickly rolling off Jitterbug as the dark orange earth pony swung the stool down on top of his friend. "AHHH! That's me, you idiot! I'm not the stupid stallion in the dress!"

Before Iron could argue with his buddy, Terra grabbed the stool and swiped it away, sending the stallion staggering toward him. Seeing it was going to get a lot more messy, Terra swiftly dashed toward the scattered tables and chairs, sliding them across to give them more fighting room and cause less collateral. He didn't have any bits to pay for any damages for the fight he instigated, but he would at least keep these two ruffians from harassing everyone who worked or hung out around here. While the patrons and employees were amazed by his speed, strength, and insane bravery, Iron Weight and Jitterbug weren't, only interested in beating Terra up and not realizing his potential.

Jitterbug got back up, rubbing his sore chest from getting whacked by the stool, speeding off toward Terra in a twitchy, erratic pattern. While keeping his focus on the pegasus trying to get around his blind sides, Iron Weight charged forward, then turned around and skid across the ground, rearing back his legs to buck the Keyblade wielder in the face. Terra was about to avoid the oncoming stallion, but Jitterbug surprised him with a sucker punch to the back of his head. He barely managed to duck under Iron's hooves, quickly standing back up after giving the orange earth pony a swift jab in the gut, stunning him a little while he focused on the tweaking pegasus stallion.

He turned to face the cackling pegasus, only to gasp in shock when he saw Jitterbug holding Aqua's Keyblade in his greedy hooves. Terra looked down at his side, surprised he didn't even feel Jitterbug swipe the Keyblade away from him when it was attached to his hip. He grit his teeth, glaring at the stallion mocking him as he swung it around, admiring the oddly shaped weapon.

"Give that back," Terra growled. "That belongs to a friend of mine."

"Finders keepers, losers wee-" Terra dashed into Jitterbug, slamming him into the wall with his hoof gripping his neck tightly.

"That wasn't a suggestion!" the stallion shouted. He kept his darkness in check, not wanting to use that power anymore, but he was willing to knock Jitterbug unconscious if he didn't let go of the blade. "If you don't let go of that sword in the next second, I'll pry it out of your unconscious hooves!"

Iron Weight grabbed Terra from behind, pulling him away from the slightly dazed pegasus. "You've really gone and ticked me off now!"

Terra slipped out of Iron Weight's hold, dashing away from him before returning back with a barrel roll, giving the stallion a swift roundhouse kick in the face. The brute stumbled back a bit, but stayed standing. He looked up and saw the brown stallion rush him, rearing a foreleg back to punch him, but Terra slipped by him and avoiding his hard jab. He wrapped his legs around Iron's barrel, letting out an grunt as he hefted Iron Weight off his legs, flinging him backward to the floor in a suplex, landing him on his head and knocking him out.

Terra flipped back up on his hooves, hearing Jitterbug let out a manic cackle, flying at him with Aqua's Keyblade still in his hooves. The pegasus swung it, the Keyblade wielder lifting up his armored foreleg, blocking the wide horizontal with his pauldron, throwing Jitterbug off balance. Terra quickly grabbed the staggering stallion by his neck again, throwing him down to the ground, kneeling down on his foreleg still holding onto Rainfell while keeping him held down.

"Drop it," Terra growled, pinning the flailing pegasus down to keep him from escaping. Jitterbug continued to squirm despite being completely outmatched, infuriating the Keyblade wielder as he applied a bit more pressure to his neck, choking him enough not to completely deprive what little brain cells he had left in his head. "I said drop it!" As he gasped for air, the pegasus dropped the weapon as it clattered to the floor behind Terra. He moved his hoof away from Jitterbug's windpipe, but kept him held down, seeing him comply knowing he and his friend were finally beaten. Iron Weight stirred awake with a groan, looking up to see his partner pinned down. "Don't even think about it.

"We can do this all night, and no matter how many times you try, you two will not take me down." The stallion didn't care, stumbling back onto his hooves to keep fighting. Growing tired of their stubbornness, Terra lifted Jitterbug up on his haunches, grabbed Iron Weight's mane, and smacked both of their heads into each other. "How many times do I have to beat this into your thick skulls!? No matter what you do, alone or teaming up on me, I will just keep knocking you down!" He finally got their attention, both stallions looking at him in defeat. "Now, I'm going to give you two choices: keep trying to fight me until I knock you two unconscious and throw you out, or you can go quietly and leave this tavern alone, along with the rest of this town. And if you think about causing more trouble around here, you can try fighting me again and expect the same results."

Iron and Jitterbug looked at each other, both of them clearly not wanting to be humiliated anymore in front of the bar patrons and employees that worked here. "Uhh, w-we won't...harass this place anymore."

"Y-Yeah, yeah! Promise! We'll be good!" Jitterbug added with a nervous giggle.

"You'd better be." Shoving Iron Weight back, Terra kept his grip on Jitterbug, glaring angrily at him. He reached back, picked up Rainfell, and held it up in front of the pegasus's face. "You take this away from me again, and I will make sure you stay knocked out in a coma for the next decade. This was my best friend's weapon, who I found out I just lost a few days ago. I would appreciate it if you showed what little respect you carry in your insane, twisted heart for this blade. Do I make myself clear?" The pegasus gulped, nodding his head, fearing to see what else he would do to him after enraging him too much. "Good. Now, you two get out of my sight."

Terra released Jitterbug, who quickly scrambled onto his feet and limped away, Iron Weight following his friend as the duo fled the town. The stallion took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh. The other ponies that watched were dumbfounded by his skill and strength, glad to have somepony brave enough to take on the two bullies that terrorized them. Terra sheathed Rainfell back around his sash, heading back to the bar and sat down in front of the bartender.

"...Wow...Kid, you've got a lot of guts," the stallion said. "Ever since those two came into town a few months ago, they've caused nothing but trouble for all of us. Destruction of property, stealing, and intimidating anypony from stepping hoof around here. Not a lot of us are capable of dealing with them, at least until you came around."

"Well, glad to help deal with those two for you." Terra looked behind him, the employees and patrons putting the tables and chairs back in place while the others cheered, hailing him as their hero. "I kind of needed to vent off some steam. I haven't had the best week, and I've been traveling nonstop for the last few days."

"We need to repay you in some way." Terra shook his head, holding up his hoof to decline.

"No payments necessary," he said. "Just doing the right thing for those in need."

"But it just wouldn't feel right. And I'm sure everypony else in here feels the same way." The earth pony sighed and shook his head again, apparently unable to break himself out of his heroic deeds going unrewarded. His stomach growled, only this time, it was loud enough for the bartender to hear it. The unicorn chuckled as Terra rubbed his empty stomach. "Well, if you don't want bits, maybe there's something else I can offer you? How about a month of food and beverage of your choice here, on the house?"

"Wouldn't that be bad for your business?" Terra asked, a little surprised at the offer.

"Kid, you practically saved all of our businesses. And I won't take no from somepony with skills that could rival that of the Royal Guard up in Canterlot. I think that sounds fair, right?" The unicorn held his hoof out to the Keyblade wielder for a hoofshake to seal the deal.

As much as Terra wanted to refuse, his stomach made the answer for him, gripping the bartender's hoof and shaking it. "...Alright. I guess I'll take it."

"Great!" the unicorn cheered. "I'm the owner of the Traveler's Tavern, Barkeep."

"Terra," the earth pony introduced himself.

"Well, then, Terra-" Barkeep levitated the menu out in front of Terra again, holding up a pen and notepad. "What'll you be having?"

(Kairi)

Even though Equestria was relatively peaceful, Terra knew not one single world could stay that way forever. During his stay in the world full of ponies, he felt like part of the community in the town he decided to stay around, doing odd jobs to earn bits to spend while in this world. If he ever needed anything else, he could go off to any other worlds, but because of the circumstances with a possible encounter with Xehanort somewhere, he couldn't risk getting himself caught. At least Iron Weight and Jitterbug didn't come back to the town and cause trouble anymore, but he kept his eye on them just in case.

After earning enough bits, he bought himself some tools to build himself a home out in the forest, nestled in the glade he landed in his first night here. He needed some solitude away from the ponies, mostly so none of them will see him train with his own Keyblade. While learning about this world, and how differently it worked compared to others, Terra learned a bit about the kinds of ponies in Equestria: unicorns can use a variety of spells using their horns, pegasi can move clouds and create weather, and earth ponies are in tune with the ground beneath their hooves. It was faint, but as an earth pony, he can practically sense the life of nature at his hooves, able to feel the essence of life flowing from the flora around him. It was quite serene and tranquil, seeming as peaceful as the Land of Departure. He even found out what those marks on a pony's flank was called and what they were meant to be, finding it odd to discover he had one too without realizing a few days after arriving here; his Keyblade marked on his flanks as his cutie mark.

Using some of the trees around him to use as building material for his cabin, Terra spent a couple weeks building his new home on his own. As much as some of the ponies back in town wanted to help him, he declined their offer since he also used his Keyblade as a tool to chop down the trees, stump and all. Once it was all done, he bought himself some furniture to decorate the cabin, especially something to sleep in after spending weeks using his Tents he had on him. There wasn't much at first, but it was a start for his home away from home, spending his money on anything frivolous to spruce up the rooms when he saved enough. He set Aqua's Keyblade down in his room so no one would try to steal it again, though looking at it did give him some sleepless nights, guilt and regret over his actions that lead to Ventus's demise and Aqua's sacrifice to save him when he didn't want to be saved.

During the next couple years, Terra focused on his training: combat drills, meditation, magic spells, workouts, anything to keep him focused on getting stronger to defeat Xehanort once and for all. Whenever he had a chance to take a break, he wandered into the town, greeting the ponies he knew as he walked down the road to either buy food or something to keep him entertained while living like a hermit. After the first several months passed, there were some odd occurrences that were a bit alarming, only to be resolved after a few moments: the sun not rising during the Summer Sun Celebration that one year, odd pink clouds that rained chocolate milk, even Heartless began appearing, though they only attacked Terra at his cabin, thankfully. It wasn't long until he read an article in the news about the heroes during those disastrous events, detailing six mares and one stallion, the pegasus wielding a key-shaped sword named Sora.

After finding out Sora was here in Equestria, though the reason for him being here was unknown, he didn't want to be spotted by the teen, or if his friends were there as well. In order to keep himself hidden in case they bumped into each other, Terra bought himself a cloak to hide his identity. He's already caused enough trouble for Sora, Riku, and their friends, and the less they knew about him, the better. But that didn't mean he refrained himself from hearing about his triumphs while in Equestria, even during the Canterlot wedding invasion and return of the Crystal Empire, where the two boys and their friend, Kairi, a Keyblade wielder like them now, saved the kingdom and the world from the evil forces involved.

The trio of young Keyblade wielders reminded Terra of him, Aqua, and Ventus before this madness between them started. Riku was just like him, calm but with a strong heart, which made him a better successor under him to wield the Keyblade. Sora was like Ventus, only the teen was far more energetic than Ventus, and his bravery knew no bounds, always making friends and fighting for them, those same friends behind him to back him up and give him strength. Kairi was more like Aqua; level-headed, smart, keeping Sora and Riku in line. She almost looked like Aqua as well, aside from the age difference, experience in combat, and different colored hair, which only made Terra miss her all the more.

One day, he had heard from the other ponies about the upcoming Equestria Games, a competition of athletic events ranging from races to competitive sports. With the added event called Struggle the princesses of Equestria added, Terra grew a bit curious and decided to compete in it. After fighting random Heartless that showed up in his yard and training by himself, he was itching to see if there was anyone worth fighting that could match him. He flew off on his glider, being wary of any pegasi that might be flying around, reaching Rainbow Falls, where the preliminaries for the Games' events were being held.

Dressed in his cloak, he made the right move hiding his identity when he reached the arena where the Struggle qualification matches were held. He was surprised to see many of Equestria's inhabitants there to take part or watch, and as he expected, he spotted Sora and Riku on the other end of the arena. They were given a little cheerleader show by two mares, one of them being Kairi as a pink unicorn, while the other was the lavender alicorn princess that had recently been crowned not too long ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Both teens' wings immediately sprung out from their sides, making Terra chuckle and shake his head.

He looked around the field as he waited for the matches to start. Suddenly, something in the bleachers caught his eyes, spotting a blue unicorn mare with a blue mane, her right foreleg in a cast. He gasped when he got a better look at her from where he stood, recognizing the short hairstyle and the clothing she wore. It was no coincidence that who he was looking at, wearing clothes that weren't from this world, or like the younger Keyblade wielders'.

"...It can't be..." Terra couldn't believe his eyes. Sitting there, about to watch the matches with the other ponies, was his long lost friend. Whatever happened to her, however she managed to escape the Realm of Darkness, none of that mattered to him as long as he knew she was still alive after all this time. "Aqua..."

Terra was tempted to run up to her and hug her, grateful to see her alive and not wanting to lose her again. He stood his ground however, afraid to know how she would react to seeing him. Before he tried to thrust himself and Xehanort in the Realm of Darkness, he almost killed Aqua against his will, under the influence of the man who controlled his body as his new, younger vessel. And since she took his place in that dangerous realm filled with Heartless, she must have gone through great lengths just to survive and find a way out of the inescapable darkness.

He didn't know how she broke her arm, but he can tell from the look in her eyes that she's been through hell. Terra grimaced, lowering his head, blaming himself for putting her and Ventus through so much. He didn't pay attention to the Struggle matches already underway as he wallowed in guilt. He can't show himself to her. At least not yet. Until the time was right, he would invite her to where he lived and hope she doesn't lash out at him, thinking Xehanort was still a part of him.

Terra soon heard his alias name, The Unknown, calling him for his match. "Aqua..." He made his way up onto the arena, meeting with his opponent in the middle along with the host, taking his Struggle bat in his maw. He looked back at the bleachers as he took his place on the platform, seeing Aqua more focused on Sora and Riku, analyzing their fighting styles and combat skills. "I'm sorry..." He brought his attention back to his opponent, gripping the bat tightly in his mouth as the match was about to begin. "Please forgive me..."

(Aqua)

Terra and Aqua had long finished eating as the stallion told the mare what had happened to him after regaining his body again. Aqua still can't understand how Terra came back after Xehanort gave up his heart to create Ansem and Xemnas, raising so many questions than finding any answers. Somehow, Xehanort must have known if the Heartless and Nobody of a person who used to exist is slain, they return to their old selves like nothing happened. She did see something like that happen to Sora after he gave up his heart to wake Kairi, turning into a Heartless, only to find her and return to normal thanks to her light. But that moment still didn't tell her what kind of power was able to do that for someone who lost their light and the shell they left behind.

What shocked her the most was hearing Terra say that everything that happened to them was all his fault. Even her decision, her choice, to save him from falling into darkness under Xehanort's control, he blamed himself for what she chose to do for him. They admitted they had messed up in some way in the past, Ventus included, that lead them to their longest and difficult battle against Xehanort and Vanitas, but they all felt they should each be ultimately responsible for the blame.

"...Terra...None of what happened to us was your fault," Aqua said. She looked at him, the stallion staring dejectedly at his hooves. "It was my fault too."

"No, it wasn't," Terra said. "It all started because of me; because I was fooled by Xehanort 'helping' me control the darkness I had no control of using during our Mark of Mastery exam." He let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his forehead, mad at himself for being so gullible. "The moment I had left the Land of Departure by Master Eraqus's orders, everything went downhill. I couldn't trust you or Master when you were spying on me for my sake, and I took it the wrong way. I found Xehanort held captive by that assassin, Braig, and I ended up using the darkness to stop him. Then, when I came back home to save Ven, I fought Master Eraqus and got him killed, unleashing the darkness inside me against him while Xehanort dealt the final blow!

(Aqua)

"And I still remembered what I did to you, against my control in Radiant Garden..." Terra slowly looked up at Aqua, his eyes misty as he gently took her hoof. "...I would have killed you...You should have just let me fall into darkness."

"Terra, don't say that!" Aqua argued. "I didn't want to lose you. Ven had lost his heart after we stopped Vanitas...I promised I would stay by him until his light returned...but I didn't want to see you fall into the Realm of Darkness...You don't deserve to have a fate like that." She began to tear up, gripping Terra's hoof tightly as the memories being lost in the Realm of Darkness resurfaced. "I thought I could still save you after you fought back, but I only caused more misery to the others: Sora, Riku, Kairi, every single world in our galaxy...I deserved to suffer in that dreadful place for my selfish actions."

"Then you should have let me stay down there instead of saving me," Terra countered. "I was trying to stop Xehanort once and for all before he could try to for the X-blade again and cause more trouble. I killed Master Eraqus, I fell for Xehanort's lies, I wound up having you suffer my fate that you and Ven don't clearly deserve."

"I just wanted to help you, Terra! I just didn't want to see you continue straying down the wrong path, and I shouldn't have said all those things to you..." The loneliness she felt in the Realm of Darkness came back to Aqua, all the pain and heartache she experienced, the fear of surviving in an inescapable world, losing any hope of being reunited with her best friends. Her refreshed tears began streaming down her cheeks, her limbs shaking from the frustrated days and nights of her mistakes haunting her. "I felt so alone...I deserved to be punished for what I did...I don't deserve to be a Keyblade Master."

"Yes you do," Terra said gently, gripping Aqua's shoulders gently. "You deserved earning your place as a Keyblade Master...You were stronger than I could ever be." He lowered his hooves down to Aqua's barrel, hugging her and pulling her closer to him. "I'm so sorry, Aqua...I can't imagine how much pain you endured and how much of a struggle you had surviving over a decade trapped in the Realm of Darkness. Your mind and heart are so terribly fractured, and it was because of me that you sacrificed your freedom just to save me..."

"...T-Terra," Aqua whimpered, wanting to steer the blame for everything toward her, but her mind constantly flashed back to her nearly endless struggles fighting infinite waves of Heartless, especially the Dark Hide that hunted her dozens of times.

"I can't imagine how difficult it was to be down there on your own," Terra continued, holding Aqua tightly, feeling her body shudder as she tried to hold back her sorrow. "I was afraid the worst had happened to you...I felt like giving up all hope to know you would still be alive." His tears threatened to fall from his eyes, nuzzling Aqua's neck while she wrapped her hooves around him tightly. "When I saw you at Rainbow Falls, I couldn't believe you were actually sitting there in the bleachers...You have no idea how happy I was to see you again."

Aqua leaned her head against Terra's shoulder, hugging him back, feeling safe in his embrace. "I missed you...so much."

"Me too," Terra uttered. "I'm sorry..."

The two long-lost friends stayed in their embrace, losing track of time as they said nothing, just relishing the fact that they were together again. Xehanort tried to force them apart, failing at first, succeeding when the end of their battle in the Keyblade Graveyard separated them in different directions, but now all three were back, safe and sound with regrets they wish to amend. Though her thoughts being trapped in the Realm of Darkness still lingered in her mind, having Ventus and Terra back in her life was enough for her to quell those awful memories.

She leaned her head back, the two of them looking at each other. Aqua suddenly leaned forward, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against Terra's, shocking the stallion as his body froze from the sudden kiss. Aqua didn't realize what she was doing, too far gone in the moment, part of her wanting more of a relationship with Terra after all they've been through. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing the shocked expression in his eyes making hers open wider, pulling away with a heavy blush on her cheeks.

"Oh gosh. I-I'm sorry!" she apologized, looking away from Terra while slipping out of his hold on her, sitting on the far end of the couch. He was still paralyzed, staring at Aqua as a nervous blush on his face began to grow on his face. "I have no idea why I did that..."

Terra finally snapped out of his daze, running a hoof through his hair as he looked away from Aqua. "...I guess, uhh...You still...have that crush on me after all this time? Huh?" The unicorn groaned in embarrassment, burying her face in her hooves. Terra cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly at a loss for how to respond after such an awkward, if not pleasant moment. "...Was it...an impulse? During that emotional roller coaster we just had?"

"...I...don't really know," Aqua said, just as confused as Terra. "...Maybe it was? I mean...I've spent so many years in the Realm of Darkness with no contact from anything that didn't try to kill me on a daily basis..." She bit her lower lip, tapping her hooves together, avoiding eye contact with him. "...I just made things awkward, didn't I?"

"...Well, I never said I didn't like it," Terra said. "That just...caught me off guard." He managed to look over at her, Aqua summoning the courage to look at him right back. "...Do you...want to do it again?"

Aqua's mind was screaming for joy, wanting to say yes so badly, but she kept herself as calm as she could, her cheeks still burning red. "...I-I...W-Well, that depends..." She swallowed the biggest lump in her throat, mulling over her words she tried to say and not make this anymore awkward than it already is. Terra moved closer to the distracted mare, too busy looking down at her hooves to notice him scooching closer to her. "It's just, I did grow feelings for you when we were younger, and it evolved into a crush, but I repressed it, just staying as friends so nothing awkward comes between us while we're training. And now, after everything we went through, thinking none of us survived and were proclaimed dead or forever lost in darkness, I wanted to feel some companionship after I fought for so many years in darkness-"

"Aqua-" Terra called out, but the unicorn didn't listen.

"-not to mention all the close calls with death I had and losing my mind," Aqua continued her rambling, growing more frantic and panicked. "Then I started seeing things and hearing things, ending up using darkness as well without even realizing it was darkness because it was mostly a magic surge and I nearly lost it if Ventus's light didn't show up to help me fight back, but I never thought I would see you two again, wallowing in depression and misery over my stupid mistakes and-!"

(Always On My Mind)

Terra gently cupped Aqua's cheeks with both hooves, turned her head, and pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss. Aqua squeaked in surprise, her whole face turning red with her eyes opened wide in surprise. Her brain was frazzled, quickly losing her train of thought as she only saw Terra with his eyes closed, feeling his lips kissing hers while one of his strong, gently hooves left her cheek and wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer in his gentle embrace. Instantly, all of her stress, fears, and pain melted away. She never thought she would ever have a moment like this in her life, even in the psychologically broken state she was in after escaping the Realm of Darkness, but it was happening with her friend; her crush seemingly forgotten until she knew now that he was alive, free from Xehanort's control.

Aqua's eyes began to droop, kissing Terra back, her hooves wrapping around his neck as she leaned closer to deepen their kiss. She wanted this to last forever, reunited with a friend she thought was gone forever like Ventus, Master Eraqus, and their home, her crush she kept aside now blooming into a romance she desired. Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as she wanted, both ponies breaking apart with a light smack of their lips, panting a little as they stared in each others eyes. Terra was the first to snap out of their daze, chuckling lightly.

"That felt...wonderful," he uttered, Aqua nodding dumbly in agreement.

"Yeah," she mumbled, wanting to lean in for another kiss, but she stopped herself. She worried if they were starting to rush things, even though the two of them had been close friends for so many years and were just reunited moments ago. She already lost him once to the darkness and nearly ruined their friendship from following orders to bring Terra and Ventus back home, but she didn't want to lose it for good. "...Terra?"

"Hmm?" He could see the apprehension on Aqua's face, rubbing her back to help ease her.

"...H-Have you...ever had any feelings for me?" she asked. "When we were training together, did you ever think about me that way?"

"...Well, to be honest, I really didn't," Terra answered. Aqua's ears drooped as she looked down, but he gently lifted her head back up. "Back then, at least. But now, after coming back and spending the last few years here in Equestria, I just couldn't stop thinking about you. I thought that you were gone forever, and I would never see you again...I felt so guilty, having you sacrifice yourself to save me when I wanted to stay in the Realm of Darkness, to stop Xehanort."

"But, Terra-" The stallion gently pressed a hoof to her lips.

"You didn't deserve to be trapped there," he continued. "I'm amazed you survived in the Realm of Darkness that long, especially with how emotionally distraught you were when you confronted me face to face in the Crystal Empire." He gently brushed a few of Aqua's bangs away from her face, giving her a soft peck on the lips. "You have no clue just how relieved I was to see you at Rainbow Falls, and seeing Ven with you and the other ponies at the stadium. But you...you suffered far more than I have. I used the power of darkness, but that's nothing compared to living in a realm filled with nothing but darkness. You must have been so determined to last that long...I couldn't..."

"...I wanted to give in to the darkness," Aqua said. "I was losing all hope as I fell in that endless void, traveled the endless roads leading to nothing...I was all alone..." She leaned into Terra, resting her head against his chest, feeling his hooves gently cradle her. "Even when I finally got out, I still felt alone. Without you or Ven...I didn't know what to do..." Fresh tears welled in Aqua's eyes, holding him tightly as Torrent's enticing words to let the darkness take away her pain came back to her. She knew she was still emotionally and psychologically unstable, and she didn't want to make anymore mistakes like that and hurt the ones she swore to protect. "...I was so scared...I'm so traumatized, I'm afraid my unicorn magic will surge out of control and bring out my darkness again...I thought I lost everything I ever cared about."

"I thought the same thing, but the three of us are still here," Terra assured. "This whole mess started by my actions through Xehanort's schemes, and I intend on fixing everything, starting with him." He helped Aqua sit back up, wiping away her tears. "But I know I can't do this alone. No matter how hard I trained, I still feel like I'm not strong enough to stop Xehanort on my own. With all of us, including Sora, Riku, and Kairi, we just might be able to win." He then took her hoof in his, holding it gently. "And I don't care what you say about the past. Everything from how it started to now, Master Eraqus's death and you taking my place in the Realm of Darkness, all of it was my fault, and I'll shoulder all the blame for you and Ven.

"You've already been through so much...I want you to relax your mind, take back what freedom you gave up to rescue me, and I want to see you happy." Terra moved in and kissed Aqua again with passion, devoting himself to making amends with his mistakes going down the wrong path as a Keyblade wielder that had lead to their suffering. "I love you, Aqua."

"...Terra..." Aqua wanted to argue further, but Terra was insistent on taking the blame. No matter how many times she'll refuse that to be true, she knows she won't be able to change his mind so easily with that stern gaze of his. She gave him a soft smile and shook her head, giving in out of the love he has for her, and she needed him. "I love you, too."

The couple then cuddled for a while, both of them agreeing to start off slow with their relationship and let time pass for it to grow more like their friendship as kids. Terra grabbed the dishes and cups after reluctantly prying himself away from Aqua for a moment to wash them up in the kitchen. After leaving them on the dish rack to dry, he made his way back to the living room, but he had one thing he wanted to give Aqua he showed her before in the other letter he had Dewey give to her.

"Almost forgot something," he said to Aqua before heading off into his room. He came back out, surprising the unicorn as he carried Rainfell with him in his mouth. "I think you dropped this a few years ago."

"My Keyblade..." She took it from him, glad to have her old weapon back. Even though she gave it up, it accepted her as its owner, like a friend meeting another after several years apart. "Thanks, Terra." She dismissed Rainfell, now holding both her own Keyblade and their master's. She had gotten so used to using Eraqus's Keyblade the last several years, she hoped she wouldn't forget about her own weapon now that she had it back. She looked out the window, seeing how late it was. "I think I should be heading back to Ponyville. I promised the others I would be back soon. Want to come back with me and stay there instead of out here, where you're in hiding?"

"Hmm...I'll have to say good-bye to the ponies in town first, and make sure the door is locked tight so no one can get in," Terra said. "Plus, I really do want to see Ven again, as well as the others. Maybe we can use this cabin as a little summer or winter spot for us when we don't want to be bothered. If you know what I mean."

He leaned in to give Aqua a kiss, but the mare stopped him with a giggle, pressing hoof to his muzzle. "Let's start off slow before we get to that point, Terra."

"Ok, that should be every single room discovered in the castle," Twilight said as she held out a detailed map of her new castle. Everyone gathered in the throne room, getting some bearing on where everything is with the new crystal tree castle. There were a lot of different rooms aside from the bedrooms: there was a large room with shelves for a library of books, a kitchen in need of some appliances, closets to store cleaning supplies, full functioning restrooms, and plenty of other rooms for them to decorate to their liking. "Now to make several copies of them for each different floor so anypony else doesn't get lost."

"At least it won't be as embarrassing like trying to give the pony we thought was Ms. Harshwhinny a tour of the Crystal Empire's castle." The other mares groaned at the horrible misunderstanding during the Equestria Games' inspection.

"Thanks for reminding us of that embarrassing moment, Riku," Rainbow grumbled. "Why did I think a castle had a gym for royal ponies to work out in? There wasn't one in Canterlot, and there certainly isn't one here."

"We can make one of the rooms a gym," Sora suggested. "After all, if this castle belongs to all of us, we're going to need somewhere to keep ourselves in shape."

"Don't you get enough of that working at Sweet Apple Acres?" Kairi asked.

"Well, maybe for a warm up, but for exercise, if I accidentally uprooted a healthy apple tree, AJ will probably kick me in the face. Then my butt, and then a good hit right in the chest." Applejack nodded her head, doing exactly that if Sora ever did knock one of her family's trees out of the ground, accidental or on purpose. "But, speaking of training, I wonder when Aqua's coming back. She's been gone for the last few hours, and the sun's about to set."

The doorway opened as Aqua entered, her throne appearing upon her entrance, wielding her old Keyblade instead of Eraqus's. "Hey, guys."

"Guess that answers that question," Sora said.

Ventus was the first to notice Aqua's Keyblade, the one chosen to her in place of the one she had used since giving it up when she went to the Realm of Darkness. "Wait...Aqua, you have your old Keyblade!"

"Yeah. I sure do," she said. "I still have Master Eraqus's Keyblade, but I'll be using it as a backup in case I lose Rainfell again."

"But how did you find it?" Ventus asked. "Was that what you were doing today?"

"No," Aqua answered, looking back outside the slightly opened doorway. "It was...something else. You're in for a surprise when you see who I ran into."

Peaking everyone's curiosity, everyone made their way to the doors and opened them up. Ventus gasped in surprise, finding Terra standing outside in the hall, waving at them with a grin.

"Hey, Ven," he said. "Been a while, huh?"

"Terra!?" The teen looked at Aqua, then back at Terra, mumbling incoherently, wondering how he had come back.

"Wait...You mean, both yours and Ventus's friend, Terra?" Twilight asked. "But, you said his heart was lost in darkness after Xehanort possessed him."

"Yeah...It's really confusing," Aqua admitted. "Even he doesn't have any idea how it was possible."

Ventus didn't care how Terra managed to come back. He was glad to have his friend back. The pegasus ran at him, nearly tackling him to the ground as he caught the earth pony in a hug. Pinkie squealed and tackled them, managing to knock Terra onto his back, surprising him with her hugging him as well.

"This is the bestest day ever!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I am going to throw the biggest party tonight: one for Terra coming back, one for Terra being in Ponyville for the first time, not counting the time he snuck into the castle last night, and one for Terra, Aqua, and Venny back together again as bestest best friends!"

"...Uhh, you must be the hyper one out of the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie, right?" Terra guessed, making the mare gasp dramatically.

"How'd you know!?" Pinkie tossed Ventus aside, making the pegasus yelp in surprise as he tumbled across the floor, grabbing Terra's shirt and bringing her muzzle to his. "Are you psychic!? And you really are an earth pony?"

"I've read about you and your friends' exploits in the news," he said. "The Summer Sun Celebration a couple years back, the random chaos weather, the invasion in Canterlot, and liberating the Crystal Empire from the north."

"...We were in the news?" Pinkie asked. "Then how come none of us are recognized as heroes aside from Dashie with the Wonderbolts!?"

Terra gently shoved the mare off of him, already amused by her comical attitude. "Yeah. Hyper and outright silly." He stood up and helped Ventus up on his hooves, ruffling his mane like he always did back then to tease him. Ventus didn't care if he was still being treated like a kid, happy to have both of his friends back together. Terra approached Sora and Riku, both pegasi stunned silent as they recognized his voice. "Sora. Riku. You two sure had a lot of skill back in the tournament."

"You were the stallion we fought!?" Sora exclaimed. "Then what was with the disguise!?"

"I was hiding in case Xehanort tried looking for me," Terra explained. "That, and if Aqua saw me, I didn't know if she would attack me if she thought Xehanort still controlled me."

"I would have been able to tell the difference," Aqua argued.

"You didn't when you found me in Radiant Garden after I was taken over," Terra countered.

Aqua opened her mouth to argue further, but stopped herself. He was right about that: Terra-Xehanort had a darker skin tone, yellow eyes, and the obvious silver hair. She should have realized something was wrong from the way he looked rather than almost getting choked to death when she ran up to him to see if he was ok.

"...Point taken," Aqua said sheepishly.

"So, does this mean we've got ourselves another Keyblade wielder as a part of the Castle of Friendship?" Rainbow asked.

"But there's twelve thrones in there already," Terra said as he looked inside the throne room. "...Unless that smaller one is supposed to be mine."

"Actually, that's my throne," Spike replied, surprising the stallion as he looked down at the baby dragon.

"...Ok." Terra let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I would have fit in that small throne anyway."

"Just walk on in the throne room and we'll see if the castle gives you a throne." He looked at Aqua quizzically, but decided to go along with it.

Terra stepped inside the throne room, his Keyblade suddenly appearing in his mouth without his command. The others got a look at his blade, which looked really heavy compared to the other wielders'. A moment later, the empty space between Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy's thrones began to fill in with a burst of light, the sixth taller throne with Terra's Keyblade marked on the crystal seat.

"Wow...That's actually pretty cool." Terra examined his throne, surprised to actually have one.

"So, that means Terra is a part of the group," Twilight said. "Six small thrones; six seats that bear the Elements of Harmony. Six taller thrones; six seats for the protectors of light."

"There's still so much more to this castle that we don't know," Aqua muttered.

"And it looks like we'll find out more as time goes on," Twilight added.

"But, let's take a break from all the exploring and learning and get on with the party!" Pinkie shouted, pulling out her party cannon.

"Wait, is that a cannon!?" Terra shouted, quickly ducking as she fired the dangerous weapon, sending streamers and confetti flying everywhere. "Uhh, is that thing even remotely safe?"

"Just don't question Pinkie Pie, Terra," Aqua said, pulling the stallion back up to his hooves. "Whatever she does, let it be."

"...Well, alright. I'll take your word for it." Pinkie pulled out a record player and began playing lively music. Terra also noticed a buffet table filled with sweets that came out of nowhere like the pink earth pony's party cannon, but he followed his girlfriend's advice and didn't bother asking where it came from. While the others were distracted with celebrating Terra's return, his visit to Ponyville, and the trio of Keyblade wielders from many years ago were reunited, the stallion leaned over to Aqua and whispered to her. "You think we should tell Ven we're gonna start dating?"

"Maybe after a few weeks," Aqua whispered back. "This is the second party this week, and I'm not sure I can handle a third if Pinkie Pie knows about us. But, at least I'm able to fully relax now that I know you're yourself again." She then punched Terra hard in the shoulder, making the tough stallion wince in pain. "But next time you walk in on me while I'm asleep, I'm going to beat you to a pulp."

"Then should I tell the others I heard you sleep talking, dreaming about me teasing you about something you were wearing?" Aqua gasped and leered at Terra, scrunching her face angrily with a blush on her cheeks. Terra snorted, holding back his laughter, finding the look she gave him more cute than intimidating. "You're not making it any easier for you when looking angry as a pony makes you even more adorable."

"T-Terra!" Aqua swung at him again, but she missed as he avoided her, laughing uproariously as he ran away.

Growling, her cheeks burning red, she chased after him to smack him for the comment. As much as it was flattering, knowing he heard her talk in her sleep while he snuck in the room she was in last night riled her up. She didn't know what she said in her sleep, but if Terra was teasing her about it, she was going to make sure he keeps his mouth shut if it was anything embarrassing.