Of Magic and Machinery

by Dragonborne Fox

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Dark, Alternate Universe, Comedy, Adventure, Tragedy
Length: 9179

Magic: The thing that many ponies fear, to the point the unicorns were persecuted for it. Some, however, chose to embrace it a tad too much...throwing a world into peril.

The War of the Magi left the land scarred. Unicorns and many other strange beings called 'espers,' because of their dangerous powers, either stowed themselves away or risked persecution. One thousand years passed, when magic and espers were all but forgotten. In the wake of this era, machines and technology ruled the lives of the citizens. The Gestahlian Empire came to power, making many enemies with the cruelty of the current emperor's iron hoof.

A sudden breakthrough leads to the rediscovery of magic, and the Empire has put it to use, making fearful machines powered on the very essence of espers. It seems–and proves–quite impossible for even a massive army to take down this menace…until an accident with one of its own soldiers sparks a horrific chain of events that leads to its eventual fall and the re-awakening of the ancient Warring Triad at the hooves of a crazed stallion.

This is the tale of one mad soul who broke the world, and fourteen brave souls who helped to repair it.

——–

A crossover of Final Fantasy VI, and collab with this awesome pony. Comedy tag will be used scarcely, and in much later chapters. Dark and Tragedy tags will also play major roles later on.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-13 19:55:42 UTC

Prologue

**Of Magic and Machinery

Crossover with/Ponyfication of Final Fantasy VI

Written by Ein Hander and Dragonborne Fox**

Prologue

You may have heard this story before;

It's been told many times in many worlds.

But it must be told again,

For we must remember the time a mad soul broke the world,

And the fourteen souls who put it back together.

This is not the Equestria you may know as of yet,

But all will make perfect sense when this tale is done

And our homeland borne anew in the minds of those who heard of this horrific era.

The winds of rage howled, carrying with them an unrelenting tsunami of snow. It was quite dark, which would render normal travel useless.

Approaching some undefined thing in the distance were three hulking figures that were clanking noisily in the ongoing storm. If one looked at them for long enough despite the hellish winds, then one could see all three figures were bipedal.

The clanking figures marched on in single file, heading for some unknown destination. What was it these strange things were searching for in this thick blanket of pure white snow? They kept going on, as if never stopping, as if the snow never impeded their progress.

The storm never ceased but once, and yet the strange beings pressed on still. Had these things been living, or were they something else altogether?

The beings climbed a giant hill which ended in a sharp cliff. Here, the winds couldn’t get to them. The strange things were entirely made of some dull brown-grey metal. It had a vaguely draconic head from which a sharp, curved horn protruded. They had strange, red fluid in a glass reservoir on their backsides.

On top of the beings was exactly one equine each, two of which were in armor and had wings of feathers on their backs. In front of all of three was a simple glass pane, which protected a strange series of devices. The legs which held the metallic dragons upright were bulky and seemingly disproportionate, yet they fit the things in some strange, elegant way.

One of the dragons stepped towards the cliff that overlooked a small town in the mountains. The pilot turned to its fellow armored equine.

“Hey, Wedge. There it is, the city of Narshe.” Said the armored pony rather eagerly, pointing a hoof to the town below.

“Emperor Gestahl wants us to get a frozen esper rumored to have been found in the mines.” Replied the second armored stallion, glancing around before nodding.

“And what about the girl?” Asked the first, glancing at the third equine who accompanied them. She was a strange sort, sporting a light pink coat and a mane of sea green that was tied into a ponytail. Her forelegs and rear legs had some long, red sock-like pieces of clothing covering them.

Her blank, almost soulless azure eyes stared back ahead. On her forehead was a sharp horn, and just below that was a strange ornament that had a series of metallic chinks here and there.

“She won’t give us any trouble thanks to the slave crown. Heck, she won’t even breathe unless we tell her to. Gestahl entrusted her to us so we could have a higher chance of getting that frozen esper.” Answered the second, a grin on his muzzle.

The first armored pony chuckled. “What are we waiting for?” He asked, fiddling with the strange series of devices that caused the dragon he was riding to turn around.

“Let’s get that esper!” Declared the second who also turned around. The strange mare moved her hooves to mimic those she came with, almost as if she were but an automaton doll. Her dragon also turned around, and all three began descending the hill and into that snowstorm again.

The winds picked up more speed, and the dragons moved towards the town like prowling cats. The armored stallions occasionally complained about the snow hitting their faces, but the pink mare didn’t waver once.

Eventually, they reached a gate to the town of Narshe. And all hell was about to break loose.

Chapter I - The Frozen Esper

Chapter One: The Frozen Esper

The metallic dragons stood at the gate with the armored pilots before the strange mare. A pony wrapped head to hooves in bandage-like cloth approached the trio from a short distance.

“Sorry, but Narshe is neutral.” Said the pony, quite clearly a stallion.

“We aren’t here for negotiations; we want that esper.” The first armored pony retorted, crossing his forelegs rather begrudgingly.

“We’re not handing the frozen esper over.” Replied the bandaged pony, reaching for a sheathed sword with a hoof.

The dragon nearest to him opened its artificial maw, revealing some kind of round hole in the back of its throat. It began to collect energy, radiating a glow the color of fire. The horn on its head turned a white hot in color, and it was giving off intense warmth.

The bandaged pony looked into the glow for a brief moment before he turned tail and ran into the town shouting “Horntek! Horntek!” like some kind of maniac.

The dragon snapped its iron jaws shut on the spot, its horn reverting back to slick, cool metal. The three bipedal machines then marched into Narshe almost as if nothing stood in their way.

And, for a fleeting bit of time, it was indeed that way. More bandaged ponies carrying macabre swords and shields blindly charged at the machines. Some brought guard dogs and other creatures that looked like miniature wooly mammoths.

One of the artificial dragons opened its maw and radiated a fiery orange glow seconds before a destructive beam of flame obliterated one pony, leaving nothing but a scorch mark at where he was standing.

Another, far more agile pony actually got on one of the machines and met with the face of the strange, pink mare whose horn began charging with some kind of strange energy.

“Roast ‘em alive!” Shouted the second armored pony as his dragon fired a beam of ice at a dog, which froze the flesh and then shattered it with frightening ease.

That bandaged pony found fire engulfing his body before being tossed aside like a useless twig. He screamed and writhed in agony before his body became a pile of cinders.

Another bandaged pony was quick to notice this. “Oh no, they’ve packed a unicorn this time!” He shouted, rushing at the mare like an idiot.

“Hey, girl! One’s coming up to you from behind!” Called the first armored pony.

The mare’s dragon turned around and its mouth opened. From the back of its throat came a green, horrid gas that the pony soon choked on. Even as the pony died of the gruesome, airborne cocktail the machine produced, her eyes remained soulless and she failed to speak even one word.

“Forward, march! Let’s get to the mines already!” Shouted the second armored pony, pointing a hoof towards a walkway nestled in between two rows of houses. The dragons marched on, only to stop short as yet another wave of guards, dogs, and mini-mammoths charged at them like the pitiful fools they were.

“Vicks, behind you!” Called the first armored stallion as he electrified a bandaged pony with a beam the color of gold.

“Roger! And my name’s Biggs, you nutjob!” Biggs replied, turning around and crushing a dog with the foot of his machine.

“Whatever!” Shouted the first armored pony, noticing another dog trying to pry off the horn of his beast. The dragon thrashed its head violently, trying to coax the damned hairball off of its face.

The dog found itself flying in the air and let off a yelp of pain as the horn skewered its ribcage.

“Wedge, ya need some help with that?” Biggs asked, having just finished frying another pony with a beam of fire.

“No, Biggs. We’ll clean up after we get that esper.” Wedge replied, fiddling with the series of strange devices before him.

“These pathetic guards don’t stand a chance against our Horntek Armor!” Biggs said rather proudly as he glanced at the pink mare to make sure she was not too far behind.

“Ya got that right!” Wedge agreed before noticing even more ponies and critters charge blindly into battle.

The mare began to toy with the devices before her, and she wasn’t even using her hooves to do so. Instead, her horn glowed as if on instinct, the soft teal aura also covering the various buttons, switches, and levers before her whilst aligning them into place. Her Horntek opened its maw and a soft, white glow emitted a strange, misty substance that coated the machines that Biggs and Wedge were piloting.

“What’s she doin’ now, Vicks?” Wedge asked, turning around and looking at the mare.

“Repairing any damage to our Horntek. We didn’t tell her to do so, but at least the Emperor won’t throw one of his royal fits.” Biggs replied, making his artificial dragon open its maw and fire another destructive beam of flame at the the wave of enemies.

The bandaged ponies dodged it with ease. The dogs and mini-mammoths, not so much.

“For Gestahl’s sake, we finally got something we can call enemies!” Wedge cried like a madpony, his gaze shifting briefly from the mare to the fight. “Hey, girl! Send some missiles their way!”

The mare was quick to comply with that command, again toying with the strange series of devices before her without her hooves. The Horntek opened strange wing-like appendages from its sides that housed slender white objects with red tips.

The objects detached from the wings and whizzed past the armored stallions, propelled by fire towards the defenders of Narshe.

A series of violent, yet small, explosions happened seconds later, causing the guardsponies to fly into windows, doors, what have you. One even flew backwards into a wooden support beam and caused half a roof to cave in on itself as a result.

Wedge clapped his hooves together maniacally. “Hopefully they’ll stop now! Now we can get that esper!” He said, clearly trying not to engage in a hysterical laughing fit.

“You said it! Let’s go already!” Biggs agreed as he fiddled around with the devices some more. All three ponies who piloted the Horntek marched forward. They ascended a small set of stairs before some more ponies ambushed them.

The machines overpowered the ponies by firing beams of cold ice at them, which caused them to shatter in seconds.

The trio moved on, finding the mouth of a cavern and pressing onwards. After searching for a bit, they took a sharp right, tenderly walked past some crates, and took a left shortly thereafter.

And there it was, the very thing they had been searching for, sitting upon a large round stone as if it were a throne: A frozen beast with a serpentine shape. It had a beak and curled horns on its head, and its body was a mint green for the most part. On its back were glorious wings of colorful feathers, and it had four fearsome talons that could rip asunder anything stupid enough to get near it.

Something suddenly sent a bolt of golden lightning at the mare, who backed off posthaste. Some more lightning was hurled at Biggs and Wedge and they recoiled a bit from aftershock.

In between them and the esper was a giant snail-like creature. Its shell had many sharp spikes dotting its frame, and it was a distinct purple color. The snail itself was a dull gold.

“Hold it! That thing’s a….! They must’ve trained it to guard the mines!” Biggs cried, pointing a hoof accusingly at the oversized snail.

“What are you talking about? You know what this thing is?!” Wedge snapped, shooting Biggs a stony glare as his wings snapped open.

“Ever heard of lightning whelks?” Biggs retorted, casting his own glare at the other stallion. “It’s a monster that absorbs lightning…”

“....and stores it in it’s shell!” Wedge finished for him, casting the pink mare a glance.

Biggs also looked at the mare. “So, whatever you do, don’t attack the shell!” He commanded, again pointing at the whelk.

The whelk sent more lightning bolts to the mare and did some damage to her Horntek Armor. In response, she sent a beam of ice at the snail that missed its whole body by mere inches.

Wedge threw a beam of flame at the whelk. It started to show small bits of damage on its head, but nowhere near that of the defenders of Narshe. If anything, it was mocking the Horntek’s rather dangerous abilities.

Biggs unleashed a misty substance, providing it to the mare. Or, rather, he would’ve if the whelk didn’t distract him with another arc of electricity. The mist, due to the sudden change in directions, wound up healing the whelk.

“OWCH!” Biggs cried as the bolt ran three marathons in his body, causing him a great deal of pain and paralyzing his wings in the process.

Wedge shook his head disapprovingly and groaned in disappointment. He turned to the mare. “Oi, fire some missiles at the damn beast! We haven’t all day!” He cried, pointing a hoof at the whelk.

The mare’s Horntek spread its metallic wings and the missiles hastily detached from them. They homed in right towards the whelk, who was surprisingly quick to retract into its shell. The missiles exploded right onto the spiked whelk housing and didn’t leave a single crack.

“Oh great! It’s in the shell! Hold off! Hold off!” Wedge cried desperately, flailing his hooves about madly.

Biggs stopped convulsing in his electrical shock. His Horntek began emitting small electrical sparks around the joints of its hulking legs. He turned to the mare, his wings still stiff with lingering paralysis. “Heal me for the Emperor’s sake!” He cried.

The mare’s horn was radiating the teal glow once more, and it enveloped both Biggs and his Horntek.

The whelk came out of its shell, and it began firing bolts of lightning with a vengeance. One bolt hit the mare right in the horn, causing her to recoil in shock and let her aura dissipate. Another hit Wedge, causing him to yelp in surprise and--by freak accident--press a button which caused his Horntek to open its maw, the throat and horn radiating a blazing orange hue.

It sent the deadly beam at the beast, and it let off another bolt that hit the rocky ceiling as it died, its body roasting to a charred black in color as it shrunk to a laughable size. The shell was resilient, however, and only suffered small burns as the last of the beam faded from the world.

“We….we did it.”  Biggs sighed after panting for a bit as he looked at what remained of the whelk.

“At last, we can take the esper!” Wedge agreed, nodding.

All three Horntek pilots approached the frozen beast slowly, almost as if hesitant to do so.

“Come on! Let’s take the esper already!” Wedge shrieked, flailing his hooves as if panicking.

“I’m not sure about this…” Biggs commented, his machine inches behind that being piloted by his fellow soldier. Closer still they drew to the esper, which was now radiating a soft glow through the very ice which made its prison.

They came closer, and the glow intensified. Only now was a ripple pattern discernible through the translucent blue hue surrounding it.

“Hey, what’s it doing?” Biggs asked, the sight of the glowing spectacle confusing him.

The esper glowed brighter and brighter as the soldiers approached. When they were in front of it, it suddenly fired brilliant blue electricity at them without warning. Both stallions screamed in most horrid agony as currents shook their bodies and tore their senses asunder. As if to mock them, their machines exploded into a million or so pieces.

The mare, as if on silent command, approached the esper. From what she had witnessed, the stallions simply vanished in a mysterious white light. She stopped on short notice before turning around like the legs of her machine ceased working.

“Hey, where’s that light coming from!?” Wedge shrieked before screaming as he simply disappeared into thin air.

“H-hey! Wedge...where are you? What’s happening…?!” Biggs shrieked before vanishing into thin air as well.

She was still silent even as she attempted to move away from the esper. Now, a vivid blue glow had encased them both entirely; brilliant blue lightning connecting the two rather violently as the Horntek Armor exploded. The mare, though still in one piece, was sent flying into a wall that connected with her face, causing her vision to fade to darkness instantly.

Chapter II- Terra

Chapter II: Terra

The pink mare stirred as her heavy eyes opened, and instead of a rocky surface, she was seeing stone brick walls and a matching floor. A white blanket covered her body, leaving her head exposed on the soft pillow.

She groaned, her body aching with sensations like none other she had felt prior. The mare lazily turned over and found that part of the floor was concealed with a carpet.

Gentle creaking resonated through wherever she was, but it was faint. So too was the sound of a door slamming shut, and the frantic beating of hooves on the floor. But the hoofsteps got louder for a second before stopping to a dead halt.

Another door opened, and in walked a grey stallion with a platinum blond mane that was greying. His eyes were green, like fields of grass, and resting on his flank was a simple hammer and nail. He rushed towards the mare with a worried look on his face.

The mare tumbled out of the bed, gasping in pain as she rose onto her rather wobbly legs. She took a step towards the stallion before collapsing onto her stomach again. “Where am I….?” She weakly croaked, once more trying to stand.

“Whoa! Easy! I just removed this slave crown a few minutes ago!” The stallion shrieked in surprise as he trotted over to the other side of the room. In the corner of the room was the contraption on her head, broken into a few different pieces. He then turned to the mare, a look of worry still present on his face, “They had total control of you while you wore that thing…”

“My….head….hurts…” The mare croaked as she forced herself into a sitting position. She put one hoof on her head and shook it rapidly.

Something seemed to click in her head on its own. She blinked a few times, still looking rather dazed. “I...can’t remember anything…”

The stallion trotted to her. He put a hoof on her back, and patted her gently. “Don’t worry, it will all come back...in time, anyway.” He said, smiling faintly.

The mare rubbed her eyes as her vision blurred once, maybe twice. She groaned in pain again, removing her hoof from her head as something else clicked in her clouded, empty mind.

She shook her head briefly before looking at the stallion with a rather confused look as she said, “My name….is….Terra…”

The stallion’s eyes went wide for a moment, “Impressive! I’ve yet to hear of anypony recovering this fast…!”

The stallion froze for a second as dogs began barking outside, and he got up as something banged noisily on something else. A voice called out, “Hey! Give us the mare and the Empire’s Horntek Armor!”

He rushed out the door of the room, and down a small room with a burning fireplace. He found a window and peered out of it. Outside in the snow, banging on the outermost door was one of the guards of Narshe, accompanied by a fellow soldier and two dogs. He looked rather annoyed as he shouted, “Open this door and give us the mare! She’s an officer of the Empire!”

The mare wobbled her way in front of the fireplace. “Horntek Armor….? Empire….?” She asked as the banging of the door continued outside.

The stallion galloped past her as if his hooves were ablaze. “There’s no time to explain! I have to get you out of here!” He cried as he entered the room he left moments ago. The confused mare followed him, a limp no longer present in her walk. “Over here!” The stallion cried again, standing next to another door in the room.

Terra walked out the door and winced as cold assaulted her body full-force. She glanced around and found a bridge to her immediate right. She cautiously walked on the wooden planks, finding that they held surprisingly well.

“She’s up there!” Cried a voice. Terra looked down and found four bandaged ponies staring right up at her before they scattered off in different directions. Something else registered in her mind as she galloped down the bridge in a mad hurry, finding herself in another cave barely lit with dying torches.

She felt her hooves touch more wood, and her horn lit up with a soft ember. Another bridge, this one barely intact, greeted her. She rushed down it, and met another that she soon crossed. A passageway came soon after that--

“Got her!” Cried the voice again as two ponies sprang up from the darkness. Terra tried taking another route before two more ponies blocked it off. They closed in on the mare as she backed up in a corner slowly.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the mare gave way, and she fell down the dark depths whilst shrieking in surprise. The guards rushed in moments too late.

Terra met solid ground with her face once more, and she tried getting up, only to fall down out cold again.

This time, however, she had a vision. A vision of a cackling stallion who put the contraption on her head; a vision of stallions clad in brown armor dying by her own hoof; a vision of many more armor-clads cheering on another in elegant robes and three others she could not identify.

The grey stallion sat in front of the fireplace, prodding at the burning logs with a stick. He heard the sound of a door opening, and he turned his head to the right. A pegasus stallion with a dark cyan coat, brown mane, and a strange cloth on his head had entered the room. Sitting on the concealed flank was a brown treasure chest.

“Hey, Locke. How’s the robbing and pillaging trade going?” Asked the grey stallion rather jokingly.

“I PREFER the term ‘treasure hunter’!” Locke shrieked in annoyance, wings spread wide in a bit of shock. He stomped his hoof in a rather pouty manner.

“Ha! Semantic nonsense!” The grey stallion replied, rolling his eyes rudely.

“There’s a HUGE difference!” Locke yelled, wings twitching from how irate he was getting. He then shook his head and sighed. “Anyhow, were you the one who sent for me?”

The grey stallion nodded. “Yeah; there’s a mare I’d like you to meet.”

Locke’s eyes went wide for two seconds before he suddenly sprung up in the grey pony’s face with a glare. “This better NOT have anything to do with that Horntek-riding Imperial witch!”

The grey stallion walked away for a bit. “Imperial troops are hounding her even as we speak,” He replied, “This town is no match for the Empire. Our independence can only be assured if we join with the Returners, an underground resistance movement.” He then turned to Locke before continuing, “That mare wasn’t responsible for her actions--we have to get her to understand our dilemma!”

“I think we’d better help her, then.” Locke sighed as he turned around and began trotting to the door.

“Agreed. Make your way to Figaro first, and talk with the king…” The grey stallion said.

Terra was still out-cold, lying pitifully on the ground. Dark cyan feathers danced around from above before a pegasus matching their color landed on his hooves. He trotted over to the mare and checked her for any injuries--

“Now we gotcha!” Cried a voice as a pony clad in blue bandages arrived at the other end of the massive, maze-like room. With him were more soldiers, some dogs, and miniature mammoths.

Locke stepped in front of the mare and analyzed the situation. “Wonderful, there’s a whole bunch of ‘em….” He cursed under his breath.

“Kupo…” Cooed another voice as Locke turned around. He saw around ten white dragons with purple horns, red underbellies, purple legs and wings, big cat-like ears, and red pom-poms attached to their heads via a slender strand of hair had arrived from another hole in the cavern wall. They had cat-like faces, complete with little pink noses, and all had closed eyes. Four inspected Terra, and the other seven looked up at the pegasus stallion.

“Moogles…?! You’re saying you want to help me…?” Locke inquired, and one of the moogles nodded in response.

All of them jumped in the air whilst shouting “Kupo!” Some then brandished knives and swords, one wielded a mace, and another had a shortsword. One also had a pike in its claws. Another supplied Locke with a saddlebag that was wrapped around his midsection, right behind the wings. He opened it and within was a knife of sterling silver hue. He took it and put it in his mouth.

He and the first three moogles rushed into the maze, seeing dogs and mini-mammoths weaving their way slowly up to Terra’s dirt nap. The pegasus trotted around a rock, and the moogles followed suit. The other eight stayed behind, keeping a close eye on the unicorn.

A dog and mammoth pounced one moogle, only for the mammoth to get kicked in the face with hooves. The dog was hit with a mace, and found itself staggering backwards into a rock. The mammoth was now dead, as a knife had been impaled into its throat.

Locke then led his band of furry friends past another rock, only to dispatch another team of dogs.

The moogles guarding Terra had just wiped out another mammoth, and three of them were busy bashing a bandaged stallion. Another bandaged pony tried helping him, only to wind up having his legs broken with a mace and a pike shoved into his ribcage.

The stallion in blue bandages was getting exceptionally irritated now. He and two dogs rushed at Locke head on. The dogs were dispatched by the moogles, but the pegasus already found himself pinned to a rocky wall and hooves holding him by the chest. Locke struggled to kick him away, and the more he squirmed, the more pressure was applied to his chest.

At last, a moogle hit the bandaged pony with a mace, and he stumbled backwards as the pegasus landed awkwardly on his hooves.

“Cheeky little bastards. Now they want to help the Empire too?” The bandaged pony hissed as he righted himself and drew a sword with a hoof, looking at the moogles for the briefest of seconds.

Locke also righted his stature, wings spread wide. His mouth held the knife tightly.

“So be it.” Said the bandaged stallion as he loaded his weapon into his mouth and rushed at Locke, sword slicing the air as he approached the pegasus.

Then, for mere moments, all was still. The sword was inches away from the tip of Locke’s right ear, and a smile was on his face. The bandaged pony was as stiff as a brick wall. Locke moved his eyes down a little bit and found that jutting up to his neck was the point of a pike that was impaled in his opponent’s chest.

The weapon was removed from the covered stallion, and he fell onto his side unmoving.

Locke put his knife into his saddlebag before rushing back to Terra, who was still unconscious. With the help of some of the moogles, the mare was hoisted onto his back.

“Thank you, moogles. We’re in your debt!” Locke said cheerfully as he rushed into the hole the moogles came from earlier ago, careful to avoid dropping his new cargo. He ran down a small set of stairs and past some more rocks before meeting with a dead end. On the wall opposite of said end was a strange lever.

The pegasus carefully put Terra onto the ground. He murmured something incomprehensible as he rose up onto his hind legs and yanked the lever downwards.

The cavern rumbled a bit before some rocks parted, revealing a white blanket of snow outside. When Locke went to pick Terra up, she began to stir. The mare groaned in pain as she forced herself into a sitting position.

“Eh? You’re with us now?!” Locke said in shock, helping the mare stand.

“You….saved me?” Terra asked, looking at him as if his mere appearance confused her.

“Save your thanks for the moogles.” Locke replied, smiling.

Terra sat down again, looking at the ground blankly. “I…..can’t remember anything...past or present…” She murmured.

Locke’s wings spread, and he almost jumped in surprise. “You have amnesia?!” He cried, eyes wide as dinner plates.

Terra nodded as she stood up and looked at him, confusion still lingering on her face. “A stallion said my memory would come back….” She replied.

“Give it time. You’re safe with me! I give you my word.” Locke said, overcoming his shock. Terra looked at him as though he made absolutely no sense whatsoever. “I won’t leave you until your memory returns!” He added, smiling.

Chapter III, Part I- Imperial Ally?

Chapter III, Part I: Imperial Ally?

The snowstorm refused to relent, even as two ponies--a pegasus and a unicorn--galloped through the thick white blanket that was ever-growing. Neither was adequately dressed for this weather, unless one counted the red cloth covering the legs of the unicorn. The pelting force that surely came from Hell kept assaulting the duo with fierce cold, but they didn’t stop once.

At least, until they crossed into a snow-covered forest. Here, the snow was gentle, and the moon hung high. The light above gave everything a silvery tint. Aside from the crunching of snow under shivering hooves and the soft breathing of ponies, all was still. Even the passing winds did not make much noise.

Locke pulled a great big cloth from his saddlebag and threw it onto the ground, followed by some wooden stakes and ropes. “I’m sure the guards of Narshe won’t find us here. We need to take a breather.”

Terra found a damp log just barely jutting out of the snow. She sat down on it as best as she could. Her mane was a mess, and some strands clung to her cold face.

“You tired?” Locke asked, shaking a tree branch with one hoof until it was free of snow. He was flying, and held the cloth in his other hoof.

The mare swallowed hard and nodded. “It’s freezing…”

“I know. Once I finish setting this tent up, I’ll make a fire.” Locke said, smiling as he draped the branch with the cloth. He then landed and set to work nailing the cloth into the ground with the wooden stakes. After that, he tied the tree branch with some of the rope so it would not eventually fall under the weight of the cloth.

“Fire…” Terra murmured, her earlier vision replaying in her mind. She could still not make any sense of it. Why had she done those things? Why was she controlled? And who were those strange ponies that got cheered on by a legion of stallions in brown armor?

“Something wrong?” Locke asked, piling some logs and sticks in a small circle of rocks.

Terra shook her head. “No.” She answered, getting up and trudging her way to the pile of sticks.

“Dammit, I need to find some flint…” Locke cursed under his breath, turning away from the mare as he dug in the snow frantically.

Terra felt a sensation which was strangely both natural and odd as her horn lit up in another soft ember. She stared intently at the pile of logs and twigs as the same ember color bathed them in a mystic aura. Then, without warning, the whole thing went up in flames right as the embers faded from the mare’s horn.

Locke turned around, seeing a vermillion hue flash out from behind him. Much to his shock, the logs were already lit aflame.

Terra huddled as close to the crackling flames as she could manage. There was a welcoming warmth about them, which soon gave her a means to fight against the cold.

Locke tapped her shoulder with a hoof gently. Terra quickly turned to him, eyes widening a bit.

“Why don’t you have a cutie mark?” Locke inquired, pointing to the mare’s flank. Terra looked at it and found nothing but pink pelt.

She then looked at him, confused as ever. “I….never got it.” She answered, glancing back at the fire.

“Eh. You’ll get one eventually, I’m sure of it.” Locke said, smiling again. “I’m going to sleep. Even from a distance, I can tell you haven’t slept in a while.”

The world was still silent even as the dawn arose, bringing with it a light that turned snow into ice before slowly melting it away.

Terra clambered out of the tent, rubbing away sleep from her eyes before yawning into a hoof. Locke was tending to the dying fire, and there were two plates on a nearby log. The mare found that one of them was already emptied, and the other had slightly roasted hay, a slice of bread, and some kind of weird vegetable.

“I see you’re up.” Locke said, pointing a hoof to the plate that was full. “I went ahead and made breakfast. Who wouldn’t be hungry after running away from angry town guards?”

“Thank you...” Terra meekly said as she trudged her way to the plate. Right when she lifted it with her hooves, her stomach grumbled loudly. Deciding not to waste another second, she ate greedily until nothing was left of the food.

“Anyway,” Locke started, getting up and kicking the ice on top of the fire with a back hoof, “we need to get to Figaro Castle.” He soon set to work on deconstructing the tent.

“Why is that?” Terra asked, watching as the stallion stuffed the ropes, stakes, and cloth into his saddlebag.

“Let’s just say it’s really important.” Locke answered, now scanning the surroundings for anything out of place.

The pink mare sighed as the stallion trotted past her.

“Follow me.” Locke said as he kept going. Terra immediately complied, never once straying from his side. She was still confused, though, and kept wanting to ask the pegasus questions he either could not answer or would not answer without getting snappy.

After a trot that lasted thirty minutes or so, the forest and what remained of the snow thinned out into a scorching desert that seemed to have lasted for miles and miles around. In the distorting distance was an odd, black silhouette.

“There it is. Just stick with me and we’ll be fine.” Locke commented proudly, pointing a hoof at the silhouette. He immediately broke into a gallop towards it, and Terra caught on, though she struggled to keep up.

The silhouette came closer into view as the two dashed madly to it, and it was slowly looking more and more like a castle with two towers, one on either side of it.

Then, much smaller silhouettes belonging to ponies and strange, bird-like beings came into shape.

After some passing moments spent running, the duo slowed down as they approached the nearest wall. They then walked around, only to find a white stallion in red clothes standing before a double door of some kind.

Locke approached the white stallion, only to get a sword’s tip shoved into his face. “Wait!” The stallion cried. He then looked at the pegasus before going wide-eyed and sheathing the sword. He quickly stepped aside. “Oh, it’s you. Proceed.” He said, opening the doors for him.

Locke motioned Terra to continue following him with his hoof before trotting within. The mare complied, and found ornately-decorated walls and red carpets, as well as two flights of stairs, one on each side. He then opened another set of double doors, and trotted out of them. Terra followed, finding herself on top of the castle, with two more side-compartments blocked off by more guards. She ascended a small flight of stairs before following the pegasus in yet more doors.

They soon entered another room after passing some suits of armor that were in the hallway. In the room were some more ponies, and one in particular who sat on a throne. He had a light tan coat and a blond mane that was tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a blue cloak that complimented his teal eyes, and on his concealed flank was a crown and a wrench.

Locke trotted to the stallion and whispered something to him. The stallion then rose up and trotted to Terra, inspecting her from horn to hoof.

“You mean THIS young mare...?!” He asked, turning to Locke and trotting to him.

“Who do you think you are?” Terra asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, sorry!” The stallion replied, turning back to her with a cheeky grin on his face, “How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!” He then walked up to her, a warm smile on his face. “I am Edgar, king of Figaro.”

“Surprised somepony like me knows a king?” Locke asked jokingly, his own muzzle plastered with a friendly smile. He and Edgar exchanged glances and nodded. “Talk to you later!” The pegasus said before bounding out the door to who knows where.

Edgar trotted around Terra as if to follow Locke, though he stopped halfway before glancing at Terra once more. “So, you’re an Imperial soldier! No problem; the Empire and Figaro are allies! Please, relax while you’re here--it’s not in my blood to harm a lady.” The king said almost as if they had known each other for quite some time.

“Look, why are you helping me?” Terra asked as she took a few steps forward, staring right at Edgar. “Is it because...of my abilities?”

Edgar’s ears perked, and another smile crossed his lips. “I’ll give you three reasons: First, your beauty has captivated me! Second, I’m dying to know if I’m your type.” He paused, his smile fading somewhat as he trotted closer to the doors. “I guess your...abilities would be a distant third…”

Terra trotted towards him before stopping, blinking a few times as confusion once more crossed her face. “What’s with you, anyway?” She asked meekly.

“Guess my technique’s getting a bit rusty…” Edgar mumbled to himself as he trotted out the doors.

Terra lowered her head and sighed. “I....suppose a normal mare would’ve found him dashing...But I’m hardly normal….” She then trotted out the doors, and down the hallway to the top of the castle, taking a right into the compartment that was blocked off. Then, she descended a flight of stairs that led to the outer walls.

Finding entry to the east tower through a door, and another flight of stairs, the mare was stopped in her tracks by an elderly pony with green robes.

“Edgar has a twin brother...he was such a nice boy….” Mumbled the aged mare.

~~~

Edgar sat in a chair, head hanging low. He did not seem to take notice of another stallion who looked so much like him when he entered the room.

“Brother, what’s wrong with father? Why’s there all this talk about a successor?” Asked the stallion.

Edgar rose from his seat slowly, then trudged past the desk that sat in front of him. He turned to the other stallion and nearly shrieked, “Are you blind? Look at how thin his face became!”

“What is it?” Asked the other stallion, blinking a few times. Edgar trudged away, head hanging low again. “Brother!” Cried the other stallion.

Edgar shook briefly before breaking off into a gallop, rapidly descending a flight of stairs and causing shimmering, small orbs to fly from his eyes as he fled.

“Tears…?” Asked the other stallion worriedly.

~~~

“Yes….Sabin was his name. Oh, he looked so much like his father.” Spoke the aged mare as she wrapped the tale up. “When he ran away, he was a sweet little child. I almost ponder what he’s like now…”

Terra was confused, and decided to leave the tower. As a matter of fact, she thought it best to return to the throne room to see if Edgar had returned. Sure enough, when she entered, he was sitting on his throne, but he looked as if something were on his mind.

“Well, how do you like my castle?” He asked, having clearly noticed the mare.

A white stallion with a red coat rushed in, and he looked out of breath. “King Edgar! Somepony from the Empire wants to see you!” He cried.

Edgar looked at the white stallion, his face twisting into an angry scowl. “Probably Kefka.” He murmured.

Chapter III, Part II- She Used What?!

Chapter III, Part II: She Used What?!

Trotting alongside two stallions clad in brown armor was a copper-colored unicorn that had grey spots here and there, including a section of horn that didn’t match up with the others. He had a blond mane tied back, and an ostentatious feather jutting from the side of his head. He wore colorful, abstract robes, and his concealed mark was a smiling theater mask.

“Hrumph! Emperor Gestahl’s stupid orders! These recon jobs are the pits!” He complained before rising up onto his hind hooves and flailing his front ones at the bright skies above. “Edgar, YOU PINHEAD! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?!” The stallion then reverted to all fours and looked at his forelegs. “Erhem, there’s SAND on my hooves!”

The two soldiers accompanying him stopped in their tracks, eyes wide as dinner plates as they then turned around and hastily scrubbed the unicorn’s legs with cloth rags. Once finished, they held one hoof in salute and shouted “Yes, sir! All set, sir!” in unison.

The stallion cackled maniacally before mumbling “Idiots” to himself. He then trotted towards the doors, and the guard stopped him without drawing his blade.

“Sir Kefka?! What on earth do--” The stallion started.

“Outta my way!” Kefka cried, kicking the guard aside before barging into the double doors. He then exited out, and the soldiers stood before him as Edgar exited out from the other side and made his way to them.

Edgar turned to the first armored stallion and said, “I thought we were allies! What’re you doing in my domain?” The stallion didn’t answer, and he turned to the second. “You’ve been busy down south! Looking for more cities to destroy?”

“That’s for us to know.” Hissed the second armored pony quickly as Edgar turned his attention to the unicorn stallion.

“What brings Kefka, humble servant of Emperor Gestahl, into our lowly presence?” Edgar asked, trying not to show any signs of shock.

“A mare of no importance recently escaped from us. We heard she found refuge here…” Kefka answered, glaring at Edgar as though he were a foe.

Edgar turned around and stepped away, then stopped to look to his right at nothing in particular. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with this ‘witch’ everyone’s been whispering about, would it?” He asked, sounding worried.

“Lies!” Kefka shrieked as if surprised, “She merely...stole something of minor value. Is she here?”

Edgar turned to him and sighed. “That’s a tough one.” He then trotted towards Kefka again before continuing, “You see, there’s more mares here than the grains of desert sand out there. I can’t keep track of ‘em all!”

“I’d hate to be you if we found out you were lying…” Kefka mumbled before letting a laugh escape his throat. He then turned around and began trotting away, but stopped before glancing at Edgar. “I hope nothing happens to your precious Figaro…” He mumbled before going about on his merry way, the stallions in brown armor following suit.

Edgar turned around and began making his way back to the throne, but then stopped when he noticed Locke sitting on his rump before the doors.

“That colt’s missing quite a few buttons…” The pegasus sighed.

Edgar was silent for a moment before he spoke, “Where’s Terra?”

The doors behind Locke opened, and standing behind the pegasus was the pink mare who looked as confused as ever.

Edgar turned around, and Locke rose up to follow him. They exchanged glances. “Take her to her room.”

Locke nodded as Edgar trotted up to Terra.

“I’d love to stay and chat with you, but the chancellor and I must plan our strategy. Sometimes, I hate being a king! If you’ll excuse me.” Edgar sighed, trotting past Terra as if in some sort of hurry.

“Follow me.” Locke commented, motioning for the unicorn to do as told with a hoof before bounding off into the left compartment. Terra followed, finding herself in a small library with another flight of stairs. She soon found herself in the other tower, where Locke was waiting for her.

“Don’t worry about a thing! I’ll-” Locke started.

“You’re Locke, right? Edgar told me all about you.” Terra cut him off, “Is it true you’re a thief?”

“That’s TREASURE HUNTER!” Locke snapped before trotting around Terra and sighing. “Edgar may seem to support the Empire on the outside, but the truth is he’s actually collaborating with the Returners, an underground resistance movement opposed to the Empire. I’m his contact with that group…” He paused, glancing at the unicorn, “that old stallion you met in Narshe is one of us.”

Terra now looked worried as her ears fell flat and eyes went wide. “Empire...but I’m a soldier of the Empire…!” She almost shrieked, stomping a hoof in a pouting manner.

“That’s not true! They were using you! Things are different now.” Locke replied, anger and anguish lingering in his voice, but Terra could not tell which one of the two was taking precedence.

Terra turned away and shook her head. “I don’t understand...what should I do?” She asked, ears still flat on her head.

Locke trotted to her and patted her back with a hoof. “I can’t tell you what to do. You don’t have to decide right now. You’ll soon find your way…” He answered before trotting down the stairs and out the tower.

Terra looked at the floor rather pitifully. “But how will I know which way is right…?” She mumbled to herself.

Edgar slowly rose from his bed, his senses still numb from sleep. He yawned and shambled out of the bedchambers before an odd smell hit his nose. Then, the sounds of panicking ponies hit his ears.

“...What the…?” He mumbled before rushing out of the tower to find that much of the castle was ablaze. He ran up to the top of the castle and bumped into a guard who was commencing with total freak-out mode. “What’s happening?!”

“It’s the Empire! It’s Kefka!” Cried the guard, who ran past Edgar right as the copper unicorn appeared with a twisted grin on his muzzle.

“What are you doing?!” Edgar cried, trotting right up to Kefka.

“Bring me the mare NOW!” Kefka demanded, stomping his hoof in fury.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about!” Edgar replied, ears flat on his head.

“Then welcome to my barbeque!” Kefka taunted before laughing like a maniac.

Edgar turned around and trotted towards the throne room, seeing a guard stand before the doors. “Get ready.” He said.

“Yes, sir!” Replied the guard as he turned tail and ran inside.

Kefka trotted up behind Edgar. “Changed your mind?” He asked, still grinning.

“Looks like I don’t have a choice…” Edgar mumbled as he trotted to the edge of the castle wall and whistled loudly. Next to the burning castle came three great yellow birds, each pulling a gladiator’s carriage. Edgar jumped down and landed into one on his hooves. “Or maybe I do!” The bird he now controlled circled the castle, followed closely behind the other two.

“Aaack! Shameful that a king should leave his people to burn! How utterly delightful!” Kefka chimed, the sick grin never once leaving his muzzle.

The birds ran under a bridge. “Jump!” Edgar cried, and two more ponies--a pegasus and unicorn--did as told, landing into their carriages as well. As his bird ran around to the entrance of the castle, he yelled out “Dive now!” as Kefka left the building.

“Yahooo!” Locke cried eagerly as his bird fled the burning building, which soon began to shake as the towers pulled themselves closer and closer to the main compartment.

“Figaro submerge mode activate!” Called a guard as he fled inside.

“Nopony can defeat the people of Figaro!” Cried the chancellor as he too stowed himself away. The castle then began to sink under the sand, and all entrances within were sealed shut.

Kefka lay on his backside in the sand. He soon rose, shook his head, and pointed at the three ponies who fled from him using birds. “GO! GET THEM!” He cried with a scowl on his face.

Two stallions piloting Horntek Armor quickly rushed past him, and they quickly caught up with the ponies using birds. One opened its maw and fired a blue laser at Terra, who ducked for cover in the safety of her carriage. Her bird circled the Armor, and she rose up with her horn crackling to life with embers. Then, she flung a bolt of fire at the Armor right as it opened its maw, causing it to explode into a million pieces.

The second Horntek Armor fired another laser at Edgar, who ducked and then emerged with a crossbow loaded into his hooves. It fired arrow-shaped bolts of metal at the behemoth, and all it did was agitate the pilot who then became nothing but burning flesh for some reason. The Armor then exploded, and the king of Figaro laid his eyes on Terra, whose horn was still glowing with fire.

Edgar’s jaw dropped and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight. Locke’s carriage ran next to his, keeping up in perfect tempo as the trio circled Kefka. “What’s wrong, Edgar? You look positively spooked!”

“D-d-d-d-d-d-did you j-just see w-what I s-saw?” Edgar asked, pointing at Terra.

Locke glanced at the unicorn. “Yeah, this filly seems loaded for real…”

“She’s amazing! That was magic! M-A-G-I-C!” Edgar cried, flailing his hooves about.

Locke’s eyes went wide. “M-M-M-M-M-M-MAGIC!? She used magic?!”

Both stallions then whispered to each other frantically before their carriages caught up with Terra’s.

“Terra, where on earth did you learn that?” Edgar asked.

“Sorry...I...um…” Terra stuttered, looking away from them as she spoke.

Edgar’s hooves slipped, and he fell to the floor of his carriage rather clumsily.

“Sorry, Terra. I didn’t mean to make such a big deal out of this…” Locke said awkwardly.

“Me either.” Edgar chimed as he repositioned himself on all fours. “It’s just that I’ve never SEEN magic before. Where did you…?”

“Look, Edgar. She can use magic, and we can’t--that’s the only difference between us. Right now, we could use her help!” Locke said, smiling faintly.

Terra looked at them. “Thank you, Locke and Edgar!” She said, smiling.

Edgar then turned to where his castle once stood. “Bravo, Figaro!” He cried, smiling wide.

Kefka started jumping in place. “Son of a submariner! They’ll pay for this…!” He cursed as the bird-piloting trio dashed off into the distance.

“Whoo! This is great!” Locke chimed happily, wings spread wide in a proud manner.

“W...was that a bad pony? I’m...s-scared…” Terra muttered, ears flat on her head.

Edgar’s carriage moved next to hers. “Terra, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” He said.

Locke’s carriage proceeded to mimic Edgar’s. “We’re members of the Returners.” He chimed, smiling.

“Our mentor, Banon, would certainly like to meet you.” Edgar added, flashing Terra another grin. “Magic is going to be the key to winning this war.”

“Magic…” Terra murmured.

Edgar looked at Locke. “Terra has magical powers. That esper seemed to react to her...can there be some connection?” He asked worriedly.

Terra snapped, “I haven’t the foggiest! It just seems natural to me that I have use of this power…”

“But no PONY is born with the powers you seem to have, and…” Edgar started, only to stop as Terra’s bird and carriage came to a sudden halt. He grabbed the harness of his bird and forced it to turn back to the unicorn. “I apologize…”

“What should I do…?” Terra asked, head hanging in shame.

“I’m sure the Empire is going to come after you...if they get their hooves on you again, the world’s finished…Terra, you want to understand your own powers, right?” Edgar asked, frowning.

Locke’s bird also re-directed him to the unicorn. Terra remained silent.

“Then, I think we need to consult with Banon…” Edgar sighed, blinking a few times.

“Please…” Locke pleaded, only to frown as well when Terra failed to answer.

“Okay, to the south of here, there’s a cave that leads to South Figaro…” Edgar sighed again, his ears now flat on his head. He grabbed the harnesses again, and his bird took off. Locke and Terra followed suit, and none exchanged words with the others.

After a few moments, they found a cavern at the foot of a mountain that sat on the very edge of the desert. In front of it stood a guard from Figaro.

“King Edgar! Where are you headed?” Asked the guard.

“Through this cave, and eastward to South Figaro. Get to the castle and tell everypony we’re safe.” Edgar replied, smiling as he got out of his carriage. Locke and Terra dismounted as well with haste.

“Yes, sir! Take care!” Said the guard, getting into his own carriage and driving the bird away. The other three followed close behind. In a few moments, the whole lot was but a speck of black in the distance.

The trio went inside the cave, dismal darkness greeting them as soon as they set hoof within. As they left the light radiating from outside, Terra’s horn started to glow once more in soft embers. All took a right, but not before drinking some water from a nearby spring. They found a set of stairs that led them deeper in the cave, this time with an area that already had torches present.

They took another right, then a left down a rocky corridor which led them to another flight of stairs. They found another set of stairs going down soon afterwards and took it before finding another entrance in the caves. Terra’s horn had ceased glowing as they stepped into the outside world once again, this time with a town in the distance.