Every kind of athlete can be the subject of a muscle spasm, a forced contraction of microfibrils beyond their normal amount. It carries with it an extreme sense of pain that can take minutes to recede. As the fastest pegasus in Equestria, Rainbow Dash had been subject to her own fair share of spasms and contractions over the years. From simple twitches that wouldn’t leave, to near crippling pain that brought tears to her eyes, she had felt every kind at least once.

Those were nothing compared to the spasms in her wings now.

As her head pulled itself from the Portal of Souls, white-misted prize in hand, her jaw clenched itself with more than just a grip to keep hold of her find. Her hooves trotted backwards quickly, the figure sliding across the tile with her. When the only pull she felt on the figure was her own, she released her grip.

“Ow!” She cried as soon as she was able. “Ah! Hng, ah!”

“Dash!” Twilight quickly made her way to her friend’s side. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Where? Can you breathe? Where is the obstructi-” She backpedaled as one of the pegasus’s wings hit her across the face. Confusion and shock washed over her features, before realization set in.

The mare’s wings were sporadically flinging themselves in the air, extending to their maximum length before pulling against her side again, hyper-contracting to the degree that her furled wings touched one another. The pain of the experience was clear on the face of the pegasus, biting her lip with eyes clenched shut. Her hooves dug into the stone floor with little relief. Twilight acted swiftly.

“Hold on Rainbow.” Closing her eyes, she focused the magic into her horn. Her mind’s eye looked through the synaptic nerves of the blue wings, watching with horrific fascination. The calcium and potassium pumps were operating out of homeostatic proportions, forcing extreme negative solutions across the efferent nerve cells. Worse yet, they were operating outside of the direction of the spinal cord’s direction.

Her magic flowed across the nerves, freezing them in place. All chemical movement slowed under her direction before settling on a dead stop, holding them in place. This couldn’t last though, and Twilight knew it. The only thing that can stay in perfect equilibrium is something that’s dead, it was a reminder she wrote in her biology book. It was temporary though, and blood was still circulating unobstructed through the capillary networks of the pegasus. Her wings weren’t close to decaying yet.

“Oh…” She heard the voice slowly release, the closest thing to a pleasurable sigh she had ever heard fall off Rainbow’s lips. “That’s so much better.” Twilight opened her eyes to look at Dash.

Her legs had since given out, and she was laying sprawled across the floor in an almost undignified manner. Somehow though, Twilight didn’t think she minded right now. Looking the pegasus in the eyes, she smiled kindly.

“Anytime Dash.” The cyan mare smiled weakly up towards the unicorn. It was a painful experience, but they both only felt better now that it was over.

“What have you done?” Anything warm they felt vanished under the icy voice that spoke above them.

Twilight and Dash looked up to see the cold visage of the Princess of the Night. With wings flared and eyes sharp, nothing off the royal alicorn appeared kind, let alone forgiving. The pegasus couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her form, even in her pained and exhausted state. Twilight was little different.

“I ask you again,” She spoke as her hooves trotted closer to the pair. “What have you done?”

“Um,” Twilight began with the onsets of a cold sweat. “W-I asked Rainbow Dash to use the portal.” The fury grew quickly across the features of the Princess of the Night. “She didn’t want to, b-but I convinced that it wo-”

“Whoa! Hold on there, egghead,” Dash interrupted her friend, standing on her four legs, wings hanging with a slight limp at her sides. Her pink eyes looked to the sharp blue orbs of her ruler. “Twilight didn’t do anything but help cheer me up after… yeah, after that.” Her hoof gestured towards the far wall. No pony had to turn to see what she meant.

“No, you’re wrong Dash.” Twilight’s words were quick and decisive. “Princess, I coerced her into doing it. I… I just thought that everypony should get a turn, and Dash had yet to-”

“Not even close to the truth. Princess, I wanted to use the portal.”

“Stop attempting to take my blame Rainbow.”

“Stop trying to protect me Twilight!”

“Enough!” Luna’s voice hinged only a breath’s length away from a shout, a force all ponies knew well could push them from the ground with ease. Both Dash and Twilight were silenced by their ruler, looking up to her with fearful eyes. “Neither Loyalty nor Magic sought to asketh of us for our permission in using the object of Discord’s creation. Thou exchanged no words with either us or our elder sister. No warnings were given for no action was seen!”

Celestia raised a wing to stop Applejack from raising her voice. Twilight was her student, but this was Twilight’s action. Before anything else, the ruler had taught her student one important rule. Always take responsibility for your own actions.

“After what occurred  with Generosity’s choice of thoughts, did neither of you think of thine actions before commitment?” Her hoof shimmered in the light of the waning sun, gesturing to the figure still covered in a mist of white. “What are thou’s plans for action should the soul be tortured as the last, Magic?” Luna’s words fell to Twilight, who could only shudder as she curled closer to the ground. “Or you Loyalty, what words do you know to speak to calm a pained soul?” Rainbow opted to use her previously spastic wing, draping it over the lavender unicorn at her side.

“Do neither of you see the force of thine actions if-”

“Please don’t be harsh on them.” Luna whirled to see the bearer of the voice, a voice she did not expect to hear.

It was Teresa, standing at her tallest with the timid Fluttershy at her legs.

The warrior’s face was sunken in, the tears and muffled sobs of earlier still as present on her features as the blonde hair that ran down her mane. Silver eyes locked gazes with Luna’s own orbs, the apathy of the former unfazed by the rage of the later. The blonde woman took a breath before she began to speak again.

“Fluttershy has told me what has happened.” She reached down to stroke the pink mane of the canary pegasus. “She has spoken of this monster than invades your lands, and of debate that followed for using such a tool. Before you say it again, she did explain how it works, though I’m sure a few details were neglected.” The pegasus hid herself behind her mane, but did not shy away from the gentle fingers that scratched at her scalp.

Warriors and Elements alike watched the woman with uneasy gazes, unsure how stable the woman who had so swiftly raised her blade against them was. Her form was tall, stiff, but showed no sign of reaching for any kind of weapon. The blonde only continued to watch the Princess of the Night with a gaze that resembled the dead more than the living.

“Then,” Luna began cautiously to the woman, “Are you… accepting your being here?” The woman took a deep breath before replying; face moving only to allow the air to slip past her lips.

“I have only accepted the need you have for warriors to aid you, and that my death was by no force of your will.” It was too cryptic an answer for any member of Celestia’s party. “Simply, no, I have not accepted being here because I have never imagined a place beyond death, let alone other realms that held life. Take no insult to my words, but I am not as accepting to sudden change as the rest of you appear to be.”

“May I ask why not?” Celestia spoke in her sister’s steed, walking around the blonde woman to gain her vision, to prevent any sign of cornering her. If she was beginning to accept her state her, then any form of threatening motion had to be avoided.

“There is no magic in the world I am from. No gods or kings, only monsters that hunt and warriors that hunt the monsters.” She looked towards both Luna and Celestia, hollow gaze alternating between the two. “I was one of the warriors who hunted the monsters, but I chose to leave.”

“Why?”

“So I could take care of Clare.”

The word was the only thing that brought emotion to the dead voice of the blonde warrior. Wisely, neither princess spoke more of the subject. Teresa’s eyes left the rulers, looking instead to her side. Her vision fell onto two figures, garbed in green and white.

“Link, Jack,” she spoke to both warriors, wearing a face that was as hidden as the pegasus still trotting meekly behind her legs. “I am sorry for assaulting you.” She drew in a shaking breath before continuing. “I still am becoming accustomed to the knowledge… and memory… of my death.”

Jack smiled in return, bowing low at his hips before her.

“It is of no fault of your own.” He spoke in a kind deep voice, fearless and comfortable before the warrior who had so recently nearly defeated him. “It is an alien feeling to experience, but I hope you accept it in time.” As he rose, Link walked closer to the white garbed woman, face as unreadable as her own.

His cerulean blue eyes peered into her empty silver gaze. The room was still as they stood before one another, neither moving a muscle nor shifting to speak. They simply stared at one another, speaking on a plain none could understand.

Slowly, Link lifted his hand to the warrior, face unchanged. Her gaze dropped to examine the object, briefly looking it over before looking back to the Hylian’s eyes. They had changed, though only slightly.

No longer did they bore into her own, but now calmly allowed to accept his offering of peace. Raising her opposite hand, she grasped his leathered gauntlet. Link’s face lit up in a smile. Slowly, almost unsure of herself, Teresa did the same.

Slowly, the other warriors and ponies began to surround her

“F-Fluttershy?” The canary pegasus turned from the tall blonde woman to her alabaster friend, trotting forward with a pace even she would call slow and timid.

“Rarity, are you alright?” The answer was obvious, but the question was no less needed.

“No… No, not really darling.” Her curled mane swayed with her hair, rocking back and forth. “It is hard for me to think that I brought… her into Equestria, me. The Element of Generosity, and it sounds as if I tore a mother from her child.” Liquid slowly started to pour down the unicorn’s cheeks.

“Oh no no no no no,” Fluttershy quickly set to work wiping the tears from her friends face. Rarity did little to fight back. “Rarity, it’s not your fault, she’s just a little scared is all. It’s not that uncommon.”

“Really?” The alabaster pony’s voice already doused itself with sarcasm. “It just happens everyday, ponies pulling families apart and having to watch the mothers sob themselves catatonic. Oh yes, I must have just forgotten to read the headlines.”

“You know that’s not what I meant…”

“Darling I know… I know, it’s just,” she let out a bitter laugh. “Did you know I thought of Sweetie Bell when I reached into that thing?” Her hoof made a sharp motion towards the Portal before continuing. “I just tried to remember how much I love her, that every time I get her to laugh or smile is something good that’s happened to me. I held that close to my heart, and what happened? I tore another family apart like… like… like dragon teeth through fine silk.”

“Rarity…”

“I’m sorry.” The unicorn let out quickly. “I’m venting, and I-I’m quite well aware, but…” Her eyes looked again to the blonde woman, shaking hands and bowing low to warrior and pony alike, an empty smile on her face. “How can I not feel guilty over that?”

“I’m glad you feel guilty.” The comment made the mare’s head spins.

“Fluttershy! How could-”

“It means you want to help her, you want to make her feel better.” Fluttershy smiled politely and timidly to her friend. That sounds generous to me.”

The unicorn’s lower lip twitched up and down. Those words… they were so wise, so… deep. She found a smile pushing itself upon her face. Wasn’t that supposed to be Pinkie’s job?

“Th-Thank you.” She spoke earnestly to her friend. “Thank you so much. I’ll do it. I’ll do just that. I’ll… I’ll make her a gown that will have the princesses drop their jaws in awe!” Fluttershy giggled at the comment.

“I can’t wait.”

“Whoa, talk about a spin.”

All conversations in the room died.

The group collective focused their vision on a figure no longer covered in white.

Celestia stood above him, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle at her sides. The pegasus offered her friends a wink of the eye before focusing her vision back on the moving creature.

“Sister…” Luna began, looking towards her alabaster elder. “You… revealed it? Woke it?

“I apologize sister,” Celestia spoke as she turned to her younger sibling. She had a sly smile across her features. “But they did ask me first.” Any arguments Luna had died on her lips as her eyes saw motion beyond her sister’s form.

The spiked creature spoke as he rose to his feet, large red shoes upon them. A white-gloved hand was pushed against his face, hiding the already studied features from view. His other arm was held outwards, either searching for a means to stabilize himself, or simply to help his balance. Silence reigned around him. When his feet were secure on the floor, he let his hand slide away, revealing to the occupants of the hall the emerald green eyes he possessed.

They quickly widened in shock.

“Whoa!” He shouted with more force than the first time he spoke the word, pedaling backwards on his feet. Celestia was unfazed before him. It was far from the first time today she received such a reaction. It was unlikely it would be the last.

“Please, calm yourself.” She spoke with as light a voice as she could muster, eyes as gentle as they would allow themselves to be. “We are no threat to you here.” His reaction did surprise her.

He calmed down, visibly.

His just rapid breathing slowed to a normal pace, lighter than that of one in shock, and with eyes that looked little different than those of the ponies around her. He bent forwards for a moment, quills nearly touching the stone beneath him, before he rose to his fullest. The cheekiest grin she had ever laid eyes on was settled evenly on his lips.

“Sorry about that.” He spoke to her like she was an old friend. “Just shocked me is all. Haven’t seen you around before. Then again,” he spoke as his eyes scanned the room, grin shrinking as his eyes grew. “I haven’t seen… well… anyone here before. Something happen to me?” Silence reigned after his question.

He was too calm. Way too calm.

“Oh sorry,” he spoke quickly, as if he had offended them in some way. “I got a bit ahead of myself, didn’t I?” Curled one of his hands into a fist, letting the thumb stick out like a nail. He pushed it against his chest as his head rose as if to look at the ceiling, but his green eyes remained fixed on Celestia’s dilated pupils.

“Sonic’s the name, speed’s my game!” Silence met his declaration, until a single voice rose in protest.

“Oh yeah?!” It was of only mild shock to see Dash race in front of the hedgehog, who appeared only slightly perturbed by the pegasus’ appearance.

“Sorry to rain on your parade buddy, but speed is my  game. I can fly fast enough to break the sound barrier and I doubt you can even reach half that speed. What’s wrong? Do you think you ca-”

Dash found herself muted as a purple aura surrounded her, pulling her back to the side of the princess, or more specifically, the mare by the alicorn’s side.

“Dash!” The unicorn cajoled, glaring at the rainbow maned mare with as much anger as she could summon towards her friend. “Challenging him like that is no way to introduce yourself. Princess Luna was upset enough after we, yes we, used the portal so quickly. Do you want to upset her again?”

The proud and confident features on Sonic’s face turned to confusion before embarrassment, eyes looking curiously around at the many different faces eyeing him.

“Hey, did I say something wrong?”

“No.” Celestia spoke with forced volume, fearful that her shock would render her voice mute. “It is just…” She watched her faithful student talking down the Element of Loyalty, said pegasus looking back with a protesting glare. Her wing extended over her eyes, hiding as she adjusted the mask back into place.

She couldn’t show weakness, not to her little ponies and certainly not to this foreign form. Carefully, her wing retracted back to her side. “We have simply not had such acceptance on the part of the others we have drawn from the portal.”

“Portal?” His hand raised itself to scratch the back of his head, scratching between his quills. One eye was half shut while the other was wide, questioning the word.

She sighed. Of course he didn’t know. How could he have known? With a motion of her hoof, Sonic looked towards the method for his entrance.

“That is the portal, or as we now call it, the Portal of Souls.” She trotted closer to the blue figure, mind thinking of every logical path he could venture down in his curiosity. “It was crafted by a being we call our enemy.” She paused, knowing the next question that would come.

“So you like, what, stole this? Seems kind of a hard thing to lift off the ground.” A bit crass, but he spoke honestly.

“This is my home, Canterlot Castle. He invaded my home and used this device to pull forth a being that threatened the lives of my subjects.” Again she waited. Again, she was right.

“Hey, whoa, wait, you mean that you’re, what, at war or something?” His green eyes looked to her with minor confusion, hand moving from his quills to his chin, scratching them all the same.

“Yes,” Even after admitting such a fact so many times, the dread within her had yet to subside. “His name is a Discord, a master of Chaos and Disharmony. He threatens to tear apart my kingdom and send all of my subjects into a realm of disbelief and horror that I cannot allow.” She turned her head, looking towards a warrior her sister had drawn from the portal, Sonic followed her gaze.

“That is Link.” Said warrior gave a small bow of acknowledgement. “He is a warrior my sister, Princess Luna, drew forth from the Portal of Souls.” The alicorn gave a respectful bow towards the newest addition to the group of foreign creatures at the mention of the name. The hedgehog smiled to each of them as he waved and bowed, offering a raised fist and extended thumb to each.

“They both seem pretty cool.” He spoke while looking towards the younger ruler, but his gaze quickly met Celestia’s again. “But I didn’t catch your name.”

“My apologies,” she spoke with a small practiced smile. “I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria’s Day.” His eyes widened a bit before the smile brought his lids down.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were a princess.” His hand rubbed the back of his head, weaving between his sharp quills with practices ease. “Most of the royalty I know is more relaxed than you.” Celestia couldn’t suppress either the sigh or smile that overtook her. Incredibly rude, but brutally honest.

“I have been told that very same thing by only a very few number of ponies.” She smiled down at the smaller figure, he scratching the end of his nose with a grin she found absolutely cheeky. “But now I must ask, why are you so calm with this? Are you not worried of waking in a strange land, with strange ponies?”

“Well, a little shocked, yeah,” he admitted stepping back, taking a little spin around with his arms held outwards. “But this is hardly my first time going through this. I’ve woken up in the desert, stranded on an island, in an alternate dimension, and I’m guessing I’m in the later on this one.”

“Close, but not quite.” Eyes turned to the white garbed form of the samurai, stepping forward before offering a low bow of greeting. Sonic recuperated with a nod of his own. “I have been through experiences similar to your own, Mr. Hedgehog.” Said hedgehog’s eyes raised at the title given to him. “But this is not an alternate realm, but merely another.”

“I don’t follow.” It was a fast answer, which meant it was one he was sure of. Jack continued without a sigh or sign of annoyance.

“There are events occurring in this realm tied to our own. From the words of the princesses, an evil has worked its way to move this land into the path of the afterlife.” That got a reaction from Sonic.

“Whoa, wait, one more time.” He held up a single digit.

“There are events-”

“Not what I meant.” Sonic didn’t let the confusion even begin. “I mean that I don’t understand the ‘moving the realm’ part. How powerful is this dude?” Shudders from the alicorns was his answer before words were given.

“He is the master of magic that no being in my land can dare approach. Any object or action you can dream, he has the power to fulfill.” Luna spoke in a tone filled with cold dread, eyes showing no emotion otherwise. “He has robbed my night, attacked our subjects, and has threatened to rip our land apart. War is what we mentioned we were at before, and neither my sister nor I were jesting with the word. But this goes beyond merely our world.”

“If Discord wins,” Celestia finished for her sister. “It is highly likely that all life, of all worlds, of all realms, will slowly begin to fall.”

“Whoa.” The hedgehog fell to his back, hands spread wide on the ground as his eyes looked blankly upward, the information moving like molasses through his mind. It was the simplest summary of emotions Celestia had ever heard or seen.

“That’s why we started using the Portal of Souls.” Sonic’s head twisted sideways towards the new voice, a lavender mare he heard speak only briefly before. She took notice of his confusion quickly and easily. “Sorry, my name is Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia.” She beamed at the title. “When Discord said he was going to start bringing in warriors and things from other realms, we knew that whatever we had in Equestria wouldn’t be enough.”

“So you decided to get help the same way he is.” Sonic finished for her. “Good call.”

“It appears that Rainbow Dash has drawn a suitable soul from the portal.” Celestia spoke with a kind voice to her younger sibling. Said alicorn gave a low sigh as she shut her eyes.

“But that does not mean that my words from before possess any less weight.” Now it was the elder’s turn to sigh.

“I admit,” she began “It was a risk on Rainbow Dash’s part.”

“Then you do agree it would be best to not use the device again?” Celestia did not speak, instead, staring at the Portal of Souls.

“Perhaps…”

“Then let us see if we can shut it.” Luna spoke with a tone of finality. She continued before her sister could speak again in protest. “At the very least, we may be able to hide it from sight.” Celestia nodded towards her sister, trotting towards the portal in tandem with her sibling. They were both stopped by a voice new to their realm.

“Whoa wait, hold on.” The blue hedgehog spoke as he appeared by the princesses’ side. Celestia flared her wings quickly in shock, but flexed them back to her sides. “You’re not going to use that thing again?” His white gloved hand aimed towards the Portal, swirling still with its soundless color.

“Correct.” Luna answered honestly, raising her height to her fullest, towering over the smaller creature. “Do you hold an argument to our decision?”

“Yeah, I kind of do.” The sisters blinked. He was a bold soul if nothing else. A bit rude and forward, but definitely bold.

“Please, what is your reasoning against our decision?” Celestia spoke in her sister’s place, holding an aura far calmer than one of her younger sister’s. “You are the last soul we have drawn forth from the portal, and the one who has not seen the power it holds.”

“No, I haven’t, but I have heard plenty about this Discord guy now.” Sonic countered, motioning a thumb over his shoulder. Celestia let her gaze briefly follow his motion, her eyes settling on that of both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. “From what I hear, this dude means more than just business, and he’s not exactly too big on letting the playing field stay fair.”

“As true as that is,” Celestia began to counter. “I cannot risk pulling forth more souls that will disrupt the balance of my kingdom. Counting yourself, we now have eight beings that have never existed in Equestria before, nine souls who were never meant to see my land, if I include the dragon.” Her face looked towards the group of warriors, spread out among the Elements. “At what number do we risk a turning in power? What is enough and what is too much?”

“That is why we are now finished.” Luna concluded, lightly stomping a hoof to the ground. “We are now eight warriors stronger, eight beings that Discord has not prepared for. Why would we risk pulling forth a warrior that wishes for destruction now?”

“Because that won’t happen.” His smile reflected all the confidence in his voice. It did more than simply confused the Princesses of Night and Day. It baffled them.

“You…” Celestia began, almost unnerved by the confident posture of the blue being a quarter of her size. “How can you be so certain of such a thing? It goes beyond magic’s ability to predict; yet you claim it as if a fact read from an ancient book. How?” To Luna and Celestia’s chagrin, the hedgehog shrugged.

“I’ve been across dimensions,” he explained in a casual tone. “I’ve seen places I thought impossible, like this one, and I’ve met rulers and leaders that guarded kingdoms with their lives, like yours.” Sonic had spoken of this before, as both alicorns were aware. “But, you guys are by far the most peaceful race, in the most peaceful place, I have ever seen.” Celestia could not hide her smile from the praise.

“What is it you mean to say?” Luna questioned in place of her grinning sister.

“Well, I can say that as long as pe- sorry, ponies that you trust keep using that thing.” He motioned with a jab of his thumb. “I have a rather hard time seeing you pulling out Iblis.” The title flew over the heads of both eternal rulers, but the tone of the name was clear.

“I have to agree with… Sonic.” The gray wizard spoke on approach to the royal group and hedgehog. A smile was visible, just visible beneath his beard. “In times of war, risks are necessary.”

“We have risked enough.” Luna shot back quickly to the wizard. “We risked much pulling forth as many warriors as we have. The chances of pulling out a warrior that will not aid us, but find comfort in Discord’s ploy, will only increase with every soul summoned. Would it not be best to end it now? It saves us the risk.” Her cerulean eyes looked to the sole woman of the room, a mournful smile upon her lips. “It can save others the harm.”

“That is a risk in itself.” Gandalf’s tone was filled with strength. He pulled himself to his tallest against his gnarled wood staff. Luna’s eyes widened for only a moment, before sharpening themselves into slits.

“What does thou mean?”

“You do not wish to risk the lives of your subjects with… reckless abandon. Neither of you do.” The alicorn sisters exchanged small glances to one another before nodding towards Gandalf. “But would it not be risking those who depend on you by not accepting the help of allies?” Luna’s gaze hardened on the wizard, but he continued. “We have numbers now, yes, and I have yet to meet this creature of evil and deceit. However, if what you claim is taken in truth, then how can you ensure the numbers we have now will be enough to prevent his wrath?”

Neither sister could give an answer.

“The gray man’s right.” Sonic spoke with a jab of his thumb. Gandalf’s brows raised in curiosity towards the title he was given. “We’re not trying to say you’re flat out wrong, but really, there’s no such thing as having too many friends at your sides.”

His words hit the sweet spot.

Celestia looked moving her gaze from the two, looking towards her faithful student. Twilight was standing next to Rainbow, horn aglow as she moved through the wings of the pegasus, relaxing the microfibrils and rejuvenating the collage of the Element’s muscles. A few years prior, she would never have though her student so willing and outgoing for another pony in her life. Secluded to a library, studying for enjoyment, keeping safe a doll she had since foalhood as a friend dear to her.

Now she experienced more joy than books ever offered her, depended on her friends more so than she did the teacher who guided her for so long in her life. Celestia had never been prouder.

“Perhaps they are right.” Smiles of agreement adorned the faces of the blue hedgehog and gray wizard. She turned her pink eyes to Luna. “Sister, what do you think?”

“I am still… unsure.” The dark alicorn answered truthfully, “They… are correct, but I still fear.” She turned her gaze to her sister. Celestia did all she could to not wrap a wing around her kin, not in the presence of foreign gazes.

“Go sister.” The suddenness of the command shocked the alabaster alicorn more than the words.

“Luna?” The Princess of the Night motioned with her hoof.

“I have drawn from the portal once already. It must be your turn now.” The pink eyes of the elder alicorn looked from the swirling mixture of white to the dark eyes of her younger kin. One looked inviting, the other accepting.

“Alright,” she spoke easily, little motivation needed to try something she had not experienced in her thousand years of rule.  “But, you are going next.” She needed even less motivation to gain joy out of her sister’s surprise.

“S-Sister?” The alabaster alicorn hide her smile with a turn of her head, facing no longer the warriors of blue and gray, but the portal of white instead.

“We are taking far too long with this. Discord will return, and I fear he will return soon.” She replaced the smile with the mask of the princess. Stern, absolute, powerful, and above all else, intimidating. She turned to Luna, wearing the practiced mask. “When I begin to draw forth with a soul from the portal, I would ask you to descend after me. Can you do this?”

Luna looked to her elder with a bashful look Celestia knew she offered no other pony. The playing of hooves, averting of eyes, they were the actions one gave another of greater power or authority. Their power was shared, their authority the same, but Celestia was the eldest and Luna never forgot it.

“I will, sister.” Celestia removed the mask to give her sister a bright smile.

“Thank you Luna.”

She felt, more than noticed, the calm that had descended upon the crowd in her hall. The conversations hushed, movement slowed, and doubtlessly, eyes now trailing her form. It was nothing she was not used to, experiencing it multiple times in the course of a day, millions in her eternal life time.

‘We already have so many warriors.’ Celestia noted within her mind, eyes scanning the crowd of foreign creatures that now occupied her ruined hall. ‘Do we truly need another warrior? Do we need another soul capable of destruction?’

Her rule over the lands of Equestria had taught the old alicorn the importance of being frugal. If any life, young or old, dwelled too long or took too much of an item, they would by consequence rob another from possessing or enjoying whatever it was they hoarded. It reflected on the policies of the economy, on the boundaries of their land, on the magical powers her unicorns bore, and nearly everything else her court decided upon. Now, such a lesson was being taught with not items, but lives.

‘How do I decide what is enough? How few are too little to challenge Discord? How many are too much to keep the balance of power within my land? I cannot allow my ponies to be threatened.’ She bit her lower lip in thought, a habit she had not done since a foal in the shadows of a growing kingdom.

They had a knight of great devotion, a samurai of speed and strength, a woman driven by love, a wizard devoted to balance, a giant kinder than a most would expect, and a boy who had tamed one of the fiercest of creatures. Warriors they had plenty. But as Celestia listed the new lives that occupied her land, she noted a detail, a title, that none could truly possess.

‘We do not need another warrior. We need a leader.’ The idea chimed in her mind like a well-timed bell. ‘We do not require strength in steel or magic, we need traits suited for wisdom and knowledge, a life with the strength and determination to lead others through respect and loyalty.’ She felt a small wave of joy wash through her. It wasn’t often she felt such an emotion.

Self-satisfaction.

So many of her daily tasks devoted to the care of others, the safety of her subjects, the prosperity of her ponies. Not since Twilight left for her tutelage in friendship did Celestia feel such an emotion. A bit selfish as it was, it gave her a kind of happiness that was impossible to avoid.

With a breath to calm her nerves, closing her eyes to concentrate, Celestia let her head dive into the Portal of Souls.

Begin

Ace is dead.

It was the mantra filling his head for what felt like years now. A constant unending string that filled his senses. He saw Ace’s face, he heard Ace’s laugh, and he felt Ace’s hugs. All he could think of was his brother, the one true member of his family he had left. And he’s gone.

Ace is dead.

Even if the impossible had been accomplished, even if he possessed the strength to overthrow the World Government, it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t matter without the promise of seeing his brother again. But that was impossible, a dream he dreamed while awake in tears.

Ace is dead.

“But I’m not.”

That was the mantra he spoke now.

On his knees, exhausted beyond belief and thrown into a training regiment he hadn’t had since his childhood, he let the words overpower his feelings, let the meaning override his doubts. His brother is dead, his life gone, but that wasn’t the end of the world.

Portgas D. Ace is dead.

Monkey D. Luffy is alive.

“Tired, huh?” The aging voice asked with sarcasm that could drown a fish. From his hands and knees, Luffy looked up to see the grinning face of his mentor, the former right hand to the now deceased Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh.

The hair on his head and chin were silver, grayed from a long life and countless battles. Rimless glasses held themselves over his eyes. Eyes unmarred aside from a single scar running over the edge of one. His skin was tan from the countless hours spent in the sun, body wet with sweat. Through it all, he still held a proud, but slightly cockish, smile.

“Not… done yet.” Luffy spoke with his powerful determination, refusing to stop until his mind left him. “I can do this all day, and you know that.” His mentor gave a small laugh towards the words.

“I doubt that, you’re barely able to stand on those rubber legs, kid.” The tip of his scimitar pointed towards the quivering limbs of the young captain. Luffy spoke nothing in return, not at first. He held one of his hands against his legs, steadying himself as he rose from the ground. The other grasped the straw hat on his head, holding it in place as he raised himself to his tallest, standing in unneeded defiance of his mentor’s words. Silver, nonetheless, smiled at the act.

“I’m not done, until… until I’m strong enough. Strong enough… to protect all… all of my friends!”

The white haired teacher stood back for only a moment, watching the child less than a third of his own age, proclaiming to do so much with so little. It was endearing in its own way.

“You really don’t quit easily. Here I thought White Beard was just blowin’ his stache’ again.” He chuckled to himself at the joke. Luffy did not join in. “But sorry kid, you aren’t gonna learn anything about Haki while you’re on your last leg. C’mon.” He motioned backwards with his head, already sheathing his sword. “Let’s get some grub before you pass out again. God knows I ain’t gonna carry you back to camp for the third night in a row.”

Behind

Silver bent low and motioned his head to his right, deftly dodging an elongated arm. The appendage appeared to grow with the strike, moving forward an impossible distance, stretching as if it were made of rubber.

Then again, that was exactly what it was made out of.

“Tough luck kid.” Silver’s voice didn’t carry an air of difference from his tone before, differing not even in pitch.  “You’re getting  better though, didn’t even notice that one was coming until the last minute.” The former general turned on the ground, looking at the form of his student, arm out stretched to nearly its fullest in the futile attempt to hit him. Luffy’s breathing had yet to subside.

“Did I ever tell you how Gol and I fought like this?” Luffy didn’t reply to the question, breathing to hard and focusing too much. “We’d go for hours a day on the deck, of course not all out. Couldn’t risk sinking our own ships. Once we hit dry land though, the crew would have to clear out entire sections of the island just for us to be sure we weren’t gonna hurt anyone. Of course though, Roger always won, being the captain and all.” The old man turned on the ground, pushing off of it as he rose to his fullest height.

“Wanna know the big difference between you two?” Silver asked as he approached the still recovering Luffy, too exhausted from work and strain to even retract his elongated arm to his body. “That man knew when enough was enough.” That earned a cold stare from the straw hat captain.

“There’s no such thing… as too far… for my crew!” He pulled his arm back with his declaration, forcing the limb to quickly retract back into its original shape, no longer distorted and elongated. His mentor didn’t bat an eye. He did, however smile even brighter.

“Aye, you two share that as well.” The determination on Luffy’s face slowly cooled into curiosity. “I don’t want you ta give up on anyone kid.” Silver explained with outstretched hands, cool and aloof despite the training his student wished to continue. “I just want you to calm down and rest for a day. We can do all this tomorrow, and the next, and I bet even the day after that. But if you don’t stop, we’re gonna have to put you behind schedule. And it’s like you said, you want to finish in two years time.”

Silver was right, Luffy realized.

His muscles ached in ways that begged him for rest, cramping in pain and twisting in agony. Sweat poured from his rubber skin, drenching the red vest and thick jeans on his waist. Even his breath was labored in leaving his body. Taking it in was a task by itself.

“Okay.” He relented, promptly falling onto his face.

“Oh come on now.” Silver sighed as he watched his student hit the ground. “The whole point of stopping was so I wouldn’t have to carry you again. C’mon, get up.” He cajoled as he lightly kicked Luffy’s side. Not even a grunt of pain was uttered from the downed captain.

“God, you are just as hopeless as Gol was.” Though the words meant to criticize, the old mentor found himself smiling at the barely conscious boy at his feet. Without a word of protest from either party, Silver reached down to Luffy, picking up the captain, and placing him over his shoulder.

Turning towards the woods, he walked away.

The trip was taken in a state of haze, details impossible to grasp and only the broadest of actions remembered in mind. Silver had made it back to their small camp by dealing with only a small number of the local wildlife, specifically a wolf, bear, and a few dozen lions. Nothing either of them couldn’t handle.

Now Luffy was laying on his straw cot, staring past the thin canopy of trees above him, watching the stars that were out of reach for even his elastic arms. He hated to think, but he never was tired of dreaming. And when he looked into the stars of the night, dreams filled his mind faster than water overtook a sinking ship.

“How are you doing?” Silver asked him across the campsite, sitting comfortably against a thick tree. His blade was in hand, free from its sheath. A stone worked its way across the outer edges, sharpening the heavy steel to a fine point. “You haven’t said a word, haven’t even asked for some meat.” It wasn’t an offer, just an observation.

“Tired,” Luffy muttered with a grunt. “And weak.” The scrapping of stone against steel stopped.

“You are learning plenty fast.” Silver observed. “Only a half a year to go, yet you understand more about accessing Haki than I ever seen in an individual. However,” He put his blade aside, staring at Luffy with eyes that held the same rare fires of importance.

“There is another way we can do this.”

Luffy turned his head towards his mentor, head still resting comfortably on his cot. Silver, however, had his eyes trained on the stars far above.

“It’s risky, dangerous, but I guarantee that if someone is strong enough, they can pull through it with more strength than they could have ever imagined before. Strength of mind, of body, but requiring a tremendous strength of will.”

The old man’s eyes fell onto the straw hat captain, wearing a gaze that was almost uncharacteristically serious. It didn’t unnerve Luffy, but it made him pay attention. Silver let his eyes work their way over his student, taking careful detail of every bruise, every scar, every mark across his body. With a deep sigh, he finished his thought.

“If I force your spirit to leave its body, you can become more adept at sensing, and manipulating, the forces of life around you.” The eyes of the straw-hat captain bulged.

“Haki…” He spoke almost absently, mind processing what his mentor had said.

“That’s what Haki is.” The old man explained, eyes drifting back to the stars above. Even as he spoke, he found himself tracing the familiar constellations, the shapes he enjoyed drawing from the bow of a good ship. “There only ever was a few individuals who can manipulate Haki the way I can… the way you can. Sensing life, striking at souls, and instilling fear in the very depths of one’s being. Those are the three principal forms of Haki. The cages of our bodies in essence, limit us. Spirits are trapped within our flesh and blood, only able to sense so little.” Silver’s gaze fell from the sky, falling again on the young captain before him.

“If you were to leave the prison that is your flesh, let your soul mingle with the world in a way only the dead can, then you will learn by instinct alone how to manipulate the forces of Haki, at a rate few could ever honestly predict.”

“You want to kill me.” Luffy didn’t trip over a single word. Neither did Silver.

“Correct.”

For just a moment, the straw hat captain let his eyes drift away from the silver haired man. He didn’t think. It hurt him to think, but he could dream, he could imagine. Imagine the faces and expressions on each and every one of his friends. All of them strong, each of them loyal, but even so, none of them strong enough to protect everyone.

That was his job.

Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, future King of the Pirates. He had to have the strength to best any foe, conquer any enemy, defeat everything and anyone that threatened his crew, his friends, and his family. If he didn’t have the strength to defend them, to help them, he didn’t deserve the honor to be a captain or leader to them.

He needed to get stronger, he needed to fast.

If this was the only path that allowed that, he would take it.

“I’m ready.”

Silver never gave Luffy a chance to take back his words.

End

Luna watched her sister with rapt attention. There was honestly very little to see, her head and mane vanishing into the mist of color nearly identical to the elder alicorn’s coat. But she cared little for what she saw with her eyes, and observed more what she saw with her mind.

The stillness of her sister’s body was from more than focus. The muscles in her body had frozen in place. Even deeper than that, the blood in her veins and sensations in her neurons were completely still. It wasn’t much different than a frog in winter, its blood crystallizing in hibernation.

The Princess of the Night knew from experience alone that the sensation was one unfelt. Her sister, like herself before, was traveling through a dream she wouldn’t remember, a state of mind the guardian of the night knew better than any other.

But this was one dream she would intrude upon.

Instead, the dark alicorn used her time to think of the decision that would soon come her way. Her cerulean eyes drew themselves to the figure her jaws had drawn from the portal of white, the second alien figure to appear within the realm she and her sister shared. He was speaking, or more accurately listening, to the curious inquiries of Gandalf the Gray.

It was by luck’s wings alone that she was able to pull Link from the portal, but she was sure the grace of fate’s winds would not blow beneath her again. She needed to be sure of herself, like her sister, like the Elements before them both.

‘But what gives me peace?’ The reflective question was oddly difficult to answer. One would assume finding peace would be a thing anypony would know how to do, per their preferences. ‘A wonder I have not given such a thing more thought in times past. My night would give me such a fleeting feeling, but the remembrance of its current state… no, not peace at all.’

She breathed a heavy sigh as the memory of her empty sky perpetrated her mind. Her eyes screwed shut at the reminder that it would be seen every moon rise until Discord’s defeat.

‘Then not my night.’ She spoke resolutely in the corridors of her thoughts. ‘Not the stars, not the dark, most certainly not the moon.’ Luna’s head shook left and right as the obvious answers slowly dropped into the implausible. No craft of her night sky brought her peace, no memory of her past brought her hope.

‘Then what?’ The question was answered only with continued silence. ‘If not peace, then what brings me joy? I hold not yet the love of subjects, adoration of others, or deeds in the present to distinguish me.’ She felt the ice of regret begin to form around her heart. She clenched her chest in hopes of breaking it.

That was no longer her. The ice of loneliness was no longer her captor. She did have friends, a family, and duties to fulfill. She was no longer hated, no longer whispered off with trembling voice and tearful eyes. There was no adoration, but there was respect.

For the sins of the past, she had earned her redemption.

Luna smiled.

‘So that is it.’ She admitted with a  growing smile. ‘I feel joy from such a memory. I feel peace moving towards such a goal.’ She trotted next to her sister, standing before the portal with her sister’s frozen form beside her.

‘A warrior seeking redemption. Such a soul would be perfect.’

When Luna saw her sister’s head begin to rise from the portal, she followed the elder’s instructions to a tee.

With an unneeded breath, but a resolute mind, the Princess of the Night dove into the Portal of Souls.

He loved the waves.

They reminded him of so much, from memories of the past to ideas of the future. The paths he thought he knew as a child changed like the waves of the sea, the same waves he watched from his home day in and sunset. The waves, the ocean, carried dreams upon its foam.

Even though he was far from home, even with his future unsure, the waves he watched were still as peaceful as ever.

“What are you thinking about?”

His vision turned to see his friend looking at him, blue eyes filled with a kind of happiness that seemed foreign in the dark landscape they were trapped in. His eyes wandered from his friend, looking past him to the monoliths of dark arcs. They stood above the land, stretching over the sky and sea. Malformed, alien, twisted, maybe even a little creepy. He couldn’t call them evil though. The darkness wasn’t evil.

“Just home.”

He answered his friend simply, letting his eyes return to the boy only a year his junior. Sora looked back at him with a bright smile. His spiky brown hair waved with his head, no doubt holding back another odd chuckle. Living in the presence of optimists for a few years really wore off on him. No, that wasn’t it. His friend was always like this. If anything, he wore off on them.

“Yeah, I miss home too.” His friend’s eyes looked out to the sea, still smiling. “But hey, at least every one else made it back.” Now he was smiling brighter too.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They were silent again, each looking out to the ocean. The soft cascading water across the dark sands beneath them filled their ears. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine a palm tree just behind him, a blue sky stretching over an endless sea, maybe even another friend calling their name from somewhere down the beach. He sighed contently.

“Do you ever wish it didn’t happen?” The question surprised himself. Why did he need to ask that?

“If what didn’t happen?” His friend asked in return. He looked over to see those same eyes looking at him with nothing but idle curiosity. No, he was wrong again. There was definitely some happiness still in those eyes. Even the world of darkness couldn’t swallow that light.

“Everything.”

“Like time never happened?” His friend followed the serious question with a bout of laughter, leaning back on his hands. He could only sigh with patience at the action.

“Sora.”

“Ha ha. Sorry, something Goofy said once. I still can’t forget it.” His friend  looked back to him, a smile brighter than before across his features. Odd, he never got tired of seeing his friend smile like that. “But no, I’m glad it all happened.”

“How come? You know we’re probably going to be here for a while. Stuck in a world of darkness.” He waved his hand around as he said that, motioning towards the dark water in front of them, the shadow arch ways around them, the black sand beneath them, and the night sky above them. There wasn’t any life for them to enjoy.

“Yeah, but we still have a bit of light to share between us.” Scratch that, just enough light for them to enjoy. Now he found himself laughing a little in return.

“You and your light.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead, just imagining his friend without that fire inside of him.

“You and your darkness.” Yes, him and his darkness.

The cold shadows that had tempted him since a young age, the darkness that he listened to eagerly. The empty promises, honeyed words, and false hopes that it had given him. He had followed them all for years, and it was only with his friend beside him that he realized the error of his ways. It was never the task of darkness to rule or lead. It followed the light. Where the light went, it would go.

“Touche.” He spoke again, pushing a finger against his friend’s shoulder. His friend laughed like he was tickling him.

The waves continued on.

He let his vision be consumed by the only object in this world of shadows capable of movement. They lulled him like the oceans of his home, like the islands he hadn’t seen for years. It would be a hard task to see them again. But if they ever did, it didn’t matter right now. Now, all that mattered was nurturing that small amount of light he had, the fire his friend had given him to pull him from his despair.

He felt something hit his feet.

Curious, he looked down, nearly gasping at the sight.

A message in a bottle.

He picked it up, pulling the cork on the glass off as he shook the message free. It fell into his hands with a small crinkle. It wasn’t aged. It couldn’t have been older than a few months. It was written on with dark ink, bleeding through the other side of the paper, but only slightly. He unrolled the message and let his eyes scan over the text quickly.

He was smiling.

“Hey,” he spoke towards his friend. Sora looked over at him, a small smile on his face before looking down at the object he was holding. It was something he didn’t have before. He pushed it towards his friend, for once, with a smile larger than that of Sora’s.

“It’s for you.” The spiky haired teen took the paper from his hand, holding it in front of him as he began to read the text aloud.

Begin

“Thinking of you wherever you are.” He let his head fall back on the sand.

“We pray for our sorrow to end.” He let his eyes shut in peace.

“And, hope that our hearts will blend.” He opened his ears to the sound of his friend speaking.

“Now I will step forward to realize this wish.” It sounded like something she would say.

“And who knows:” Who did know?

“Starting a new journey may not be so hard.” It never really was.

“Or, maybe it has already begun.” It had begun years ago for them.

“There are many worlds.” Hundreds of them.

“But, they share the same sky.” The same fate.

“One sky, one destiny.” One road to dawn.

He felt warmth spread through his body.

He rose from the ground, looking out across the dark water of the shadow world’s ocean. A bright light had begun to grow above the water. It wasn’t far away, it wasn’t a star unseen. It was a beautiful warmth that spread over the waves, lighting the dark world.

“Light.” The word sounded so foreign to him, even though it was as well known to him as the friend who sat next to him.

“A door to light.” That’s what it was. A door to the world of light, growing in the realm of darkness.

They had seen the impossible before.

His friend jumped to his feet, looking over at him with a smile he hadn’t seen for years. A smile that begged for love, for friendship, for courage.

For adventure.

“We’ll go together.” His friend held out his hand to him, waiting for him to take the offering. A promise to continue their adventure together, to remain together in worlds they had never seen before. The one promise neither had kept.

The one promise he could redeem.

“Yeah.”

He took his friend’s hand, standing up on the dark sands. Together, they walked through the dark waters of the ocean, ignoring the soft beating of the waves against their skin, the foam clinging to their clothes.

They walked through the doorway together.

Riku and Sora left the world of darkness behind.

End

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