The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia

by MrAlterad

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Human, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Other, Adventure, Pinkie Pie, Discord
Length: 217021

Spike, Applejack and Pinkie Pie find themselves in a world connected to Equestria, a world called Gaia. Follow them in this FFIX crossover where the fate of two worlds rests in their claws and hoofs.

Hello Equestrian;

Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie Pie. When the Ninth Fantasy began, they were lost to Equestria, when it needed them most, blessing Gaia with their aid. This is their story. The friends they made, the enemies they fought, the trials they endured, the tears they shed. A story, beginning with a humble journey to return home, escalating into an epic struggle to save two worlds from an ancient ritual. A story about, naturally, friendship, and the strength born of it that they all relied on, in their harrowing adventure to save all that they could from Unity, and the Chaos born within.

A Final Fantasy IX crossover, Gaia Side.

Cover Art done by Cloureed. Thanks! You're Awesome!!
Final Fantasy IX belongs to Sony and Square Enix, you should totally buy the game.

Published 2014-10-17 04:30:04 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-18 19:57:53 UTC

2. Feel My Blade

Applejack sighed as she watched the play from a overlook near the royal balcony. Garnet doesn't know how I got here, and she's never heard of Equestria. Still, she must have summoned me here! It's Princesses that have all the magic, so she must know! The mare thought as she looked to Princess Garnet. Applejack's tilted her head in confusion when she noticed how down Garnet looked. Is somethin' on her mind too?

Hearing a cheer from the audience, her eyes went back to the play, two of the actors had separated themselves from the stage, participating in a mock sword battle before the nobles. The red head, and the blond man with the tail were sparing with a practiced ferocity that captivated Applejack.

Have- Have they fought with those weapons before? She wondered in alarm. The skill they attacked and dodged each other didn't seem staged to the mare, but ad-libbed. The weapons the guards and actors used, were real. The unspoken danger of those weapons prompted her eyes to fall upon several cannons stationed around the castle with large metal harpoons loaded in them, guards posting them lazily, watching the play.

Why are there so many weapons here? She wondered worriedly, the notion only increasing her desire to return home. Trying to rid herself of her worries, she looked to the play, and saw that the bout between the two actors came to an end, and they ran off, out of sight. Wait, did they just go inside the castle? Looking back to the royal balcony, spotting the over-sized queen, but it appeared as though the princess had left.

Queen Brahne was, well, quite large, and shared no resemblance to her daughter. She was generously proportioned, had sickish blue skin and had a hat that would have made Applejack chuckle, had her situation upon seeing it hadn't been so hostile. The queen did not have the kind nature that her daughter emulated. Suffice to say, the queen of Alexandria sure knew how to leave a poor impression on others. The notion of a queen being in charge had taken a few minutes for Applejack to get accustomed to when she first arrived in Alexandria.

She looked away from the queen, curious as to why the actors went into the castle, as well as what was bothering the princess. Abandoning the balcony, she headed into the castle, heading to the royal balcony, hoping to spot either of the parties that interested her.

Going down several halls and flights of stairs, she stopped before reaching the stairway to the balcony, the sound of someone running down catching her attention. A woman wearing a white robe with red triangles etched into its edges paused a moment to take in the mare, and when their eyes met, Applejack faltered in surprise.

“Princess?” Applejack asked, confused, but the sound of others coming down the stairs prompted the princess to run past her. Applejack saw two guards running towards her, and they both also paused at seeing the mare. One of the guards had short blond hair and a tail-

Wait a minute! What's goin' on here! She thought as her brow furrowed, and she moved to block their path.

“Stop! What're ya up too!?” Applejack asked, making the blond one scratch the back of his head as he gave her a sheepish grin. She then glanced behind her, where the princess ran off to. Are they after Garnet? She wondered as she frowned, glaring back at-

One of them, she couldn't tell which, used the moment she looked away to approach her, shoving her hat down over her eyes, and tripping her.

“Hey! That's playin' dirty!” She proclaimed indignantly as she scrounged to her hooves, hearing their footsteps go in different directions as she got her hat straightened. Looking towards where the princess had run off too, she followed in pursuit. They're after the princess!? I gotta stop 'em!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Big Castle, Small Dragon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seems the guards inside the castle are less attentive than outside, getting past these chumps was easy! Spike thought with a sly grin, only to realize he didn't know where to go. He wandered around, searching, finding a large kitchen, and a library that reminded him of home. Letting out a small sigh, he wandered about for ten minutes before resigning himself to the fact that he was lost.

Right, so if I was a princess in a large castle, where would I- his line of thinking was interrupted as a girl wearing a white cloak with small red triangles stitched at its edges bumped into him. He quickly appraised her attire with a nod. Rarity would approve of that design! He thought, suddenly feeling a little homesick.

“I'm sorry,” the girl began, her voice carrying dignity and a honest apology. “I did not intend to bump into you.” He was caught off-guard by how formal she was, prompting Spike to apologize in turn. She had long, dark brown hair, and had an aura of sophistication.

The girl bowed to him again before running off, and shortly after she departed, a guard with a tail and short blond hair stopped and looked over Spike. He kind looks like one of the actors! he thought as he looked at the man, wide-eyed.

“Did you see a young beautiful woman in a white robe wander past here?” He asked of the dragon, making Spike wonder if this was part of the play, or something else.

“Uh, she just passed by.” He replied, giving the actor a questioning look, “She a friend of yours?” He shook his head, but gave a playful smile.

“Wouldn't that be something.” He said with a light chuckle as he ran off after the girl, looking to Spike over his shoulder. “Thanks!” He said, clearly having fun as he left Spike alone, and confused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Get back here ya darn scoundrel!” Applejack cried out as she rounded the corner. She paused in confusion as she saw Spike standing there, looking to the mare in surprise. She saw past Spike, the thief that intended to steal the princess running off.

“Spike!?” Applejack said in confused relief. Oh thank goodness, I'm not alone in this strange land! She thought as she ran forward. “Look sugarcube, we can catch up later, that hooligan is after the princess! Let's move!” He looked at her, a little confused, but nodded eagerly with a grin.

He may be agile, but he can't outrun me! Applejack thought as she passed Spike. If she wasn't so busying breathing heavily from exertion, she'd let out a sigh. Why did this all have to happen on the Princesses' birthday? I'm suppose to be with the others in Canterlot helpin' with the mist, not savin' a princess in some unknown land with strange creatures! she thought in annoyance. Unlike Spike, she wasn't aware of what humans were, and considering her welcome, wasn't completely comfortable around them just yet.

“AJ, wait for me!” Spike shouted after her. Ahh shoot! Applejack almost kicked herself for not stopping for Spike. Turning back, she muttered an apology as she scooped him up onto her back. Looking back, her brow furrowed as she saw that her target was out of sight. If Spike is here, maybe the others are as well! she thought hopefully as she looked to her young friend.

“Now you hold tight Spike, we got us a princess to save!” She proclaimed as she moved, almost losing Spike in the process, getting a yelp from him as he grabbed on tightly. She heard footsteps of the criminal, and pursued them. Castle guards got out of her way, recognizing her by the princesses' orders, and took action as Applejack spread the word of the thieves. Since the princess was occupied by her birthday, Applejack had time to familiarize herself with a good amount of the castle. She actually found this place easier to make sense of than the castle in the Everfree.

“So what's this about a thief after a princess? I didn't see a thief, or a princess.” Spike asked as they left the castle out into the courtyard. Passing a pair of guards, she told them about what was going on, and the guards spread the word that a pair of thieves were out for Garnet.

The blue light of the moon was cast over the area, revealing the princess and the brigand as they went into one of the grand towers, and Applejack continued her chase.

“That feller with the tail is a thief, and an impostor! He and his actin' buddy went right into the castle durrin' the play! And now it looks like they're after Princess Garnet.” She breathed out, she was giving the chase her all, and it was wearing her down faster than it should have. Why am I so winded already?

“Oooh~, so the girl in the robe was the princess!” Spike nodded, his expression lacking confusion. “I knew that.”

“I'm sure ya did,” She sarcastically replied.

Within the tower, a spiral staircase challenged her fortitude, but her step didn't falter. However, her speed was hampered by the curve of the climb, the staircase was not accommodating to a pony. Dang it, I'll never catch up at this rate! Wait! This should lead to a dead end! Seeing her victory near, she couldn't hide her rueful smile.

Reaching the top of the tower, it opened up to a walk-about around the tower's spired roof. Going around half the circle, her legs locked when she saw the princess standing on the stone railing, a small rope with decorative triangle flags was held behind her. The thief that had been chasing her was looking at her, surprised. The princess smiled at everyone before falling off the side of the tower, causing Applejack's heart to almost leap out of her chest.

“Princess!” A unified cry from Spike and Applejack pierced the night as panic and fear drove them to look over the edge. Before they closed the distance the, brigand with the tail jumped over the side after her. W-What the hay!? Quickly looking down below, she let out a sigh of relief as she saw both the princess and the thief swinging down to the ship the play was staged on, using the decorative ropes. Her chest still pounding, she eyed another rope tied to the side of the tower.

“Come on AJ,” Spike began, a fire in his eyes, “if a princess can do it, we can to!” He gave her an infectious smile as he tightened his grip on her. Applejack took that smile in, and reflected back to him.

“Yeehaw! Here we go~!” She grabbed the rope, biting into it as if her life depended on it, and fell over the side to continue the chase. Having her tail grab the rope for extra grip, she kept a hoof on her hat to keep it from flying off. Getting closer to the ship, she frowned as she foresaw that their swing wouldn't follow the princesses'.

While the thief and princess landed above the stage, in a loft where the band was playing music, the Ponyville duo ended up crashing on the deck above the loft. Not wasting time lingering on their new bruises, they used the rope and wrapped it around the ship's railing, then climbed down it to reach the loft. The musicians looked distracted, but the princess was nowhere to be seen.

“Which way did the princess go?” Applejack asked, her only answer being the sound of the instruments playing their love song. It wasn't that the musicians were preoccupied with their roles in the play, they were actively ignoring the two outsiders.

“Let's try through here!” Spike offered, indicating a door to the right, and seeing no other option, she moved towards it, briefly wondering why the band was so cold to them. Going though it, her heart almost jumped out of her throat as she moved to avoid crashing into a gray haired woman wearing a light blue bandanna.

“Gosh, it's like a stampede in here!” The woman claimed indignantly

“We're sorry! Didn't mean to startle ya!” The mare responded as she passed the woman. Hearing Garnet's voice down a set of stairs, the pair followed it to its source. At the bottom of the stairs was a room with a table at its center, lighting the room with candle light.

Seeing the thief go into a room on the opposite end, he closed the door behind him, giving the pair a little smile as he did. Applejack reached the door first, it was locked. She hit the door repeatedly in a fruitless effort as another door in the room opened up, and an Alexandrian soldier joined them.

“Ah, a soldier!” Applejack exclaimed, glad that one of the guards finally caught up to them. “The princess has been foal-napped, they're in this room. Give me a hot second and I'll get us in!” The soldier looked confused at the expression 'foal-napped', but nodded.

Applejack turned around and gave the door a solid Applebuck. As she did so, she felt a strange sensation travel from her hat into her back hooves. The door crashed open, and flew into the opposite wall, prompting her to stare inside, wide eyed, unmoving for several moments.

Spike let out a low whistle at the door's fate as the three of them went into the room. The room was littered with spare parts to some sort of machine, which wasn't present. A table had been pushed aside, revealing a hidden hatch in the floor. It was open, warm air and the sound of an engine leaked out of it. She eyed the narrow latch, picturing herself getting stuck in it, then shook her head in annoyance.

“Well shoot, I'm too big to fit!” She nodded to the hole, “Spike, you go after them,” She then turned to the soldier, “You help Spike, I'll look for another way around.” Spike nodded and hopped into the hole, to the soldier's surprise. He jumped right after the dragon, leaving Applejack by herself. She turned around, her breathing hard, her legs aching. She wouldn't give up, she needed to find a way down, she needed the princess to, hopefully, return home.

She looked and looked, her panic slowly rising with each passing moment till she found what she was looking for. In a room adjacent to the candle-lit room, was a small maintenance area with a sliding pole that lead to a lower level. Sliding down the pole, Applejack was surprised to find herself in front of the thief and the princess, who were standing side by side, along with another person who had a strange hat and a scruffy beard. For a tense moment, they all looked to each other, the moment defused when Spike and the soldier appeared behind them from an adjacent room, dispelling Applejack's panic for something more inspiring.

“Gotcha, ya darn thief!” Applejack said, her victorious grin evident to all, “Now, we'll be taking back the princess.”

“Now don't you worry princess,” the soldier assured sarcastically, “we'll take care of you.” He gave Applejack a grin that made her own falter. He quickly shoved Spike behind him, back into the room they came from, and shut the door, locking it, prompting Applejack to take an unexpected step forward.

“What!? You!” She exclaimed as realization struck her across the face. The soldier was the other brigand from earlier. Now it was three against one, against her favor. The princess stood back behind them as the trio stood side by side in front of Applejack. She was about to call out to the mare before being interrupted.

“You can just~” The one with the tail started.

“Leave the princess~” Followed up the hammer wielder.

“To us!” They all valiantly concluded in unison as they stood between the mare and the princess.

“You want to do this the hard way, that's just fine with me!” Applejack yelled in defiance. She eyed their weapons with concern, but wouldn't stand down. She was going to save the princess, even if that put her life at risk. As she began to move to buck the short one with the beard, she felt exposed as wind rushed past her ears. Reaching to her head, she stopped moving as she felt that the back of her head was naked. Looking to the one that slipped past her, the one with the tail, her blood ran hot when she saw her hat on his head.

“Hey! Ya give that back!” Applejack cried out as he smiled at her. Before she could reach him, he tossed her hat to the fellow disguised as a soldier. The princess temporarily removed from her mind, Applejack succumbed to a game of pony in the middle. During the hat tossing, she failed to notice the one with the tail leave with the princess following behind.

She plowed into the 'soldier', pinning him and getting her beloved hat back. In the process, she also managed to get his blade away from him. Carrying it in her mouth, she hesitated at the idea of using it, and reassured herself that it was just for self defense. Seeing that the bearded one ran off to the same side room as the others, she followed after.

Inside the small room were several platforms, three total. The room smelled of oil and metal, and she saw a contraption tied to the platforms. The two brigands and the princess were each standing on a platform as the platforms started to rise, and Applejack was quick to act. She slammed into the bearded bandit, knocking him off the the platform as it ascended up onto the stage above, taking her with it.

The lights were shining on everyone on the stage, four actors were looking at the unexpected additions in surprise. Applejack's attention was drawn elsewhere. If Garnet's mother is watching the play, then I can expose these crooks! Squinting through the light, she looked past the crowd and saw on a high balcony the large leader of Alexandria. The mare dropped the sword, took a deep breath and exposed the criminals for who they were.

“Yer highness! This is a band of thieves tryin' to steal the Princess!” Applejack said while pointing at the actors, the fellow with the tail, and the princess. The brigands were trying to improvise when they stared at the orange mare in shock. Their change in attitude gave her what she had been secretly hoping to feel for the last few minutes. The rush of victory. Queen Brahne stopped looking amused by the play, getting worried looks from the brigands.

“Scrap it, Zidane, we're moving out!” The play's beginning announcer ordered as he departed from the stage, addressing the thief with the blond hair and tail. Applejack looked to the others, her thoughts racing as she tried to piece together why Garnet wasn't acting to flee while everyone else was distracted. A possibility came to mind that made her ears drop. Wait, her strange get-up, and the troubled look she had earlier...

“Uh princess,” Applejack began sheepishly, “did you want to be foal-napped?” Her head started to fall as Garnet gave her a confirming look. “Oh horseapples, and I've gone and mucked it up,” she shamefully admitted as she rubbed her leg. If Garnet wanted to leave, they why was she runnin' from the brigand. No, Zidane?

One of the lifting platforms came topside, revealing Spike. He appeared composed as he looked around, as if expecting everyone else to have been expecting him. Receiving nothing short of confusion, or outright ignoring the dragon from the others, Spike sagged a little as he addressed Applejack.

“So are we still playing cops and robbers? It looks like everypony is busy being serious.” As he finished, the engines let out a roar as the ship started to move, almost making Spike fall over. The thief named Zidane, the one Applejack had been chasing, helped keep Spike from falling over before looking towards the castle, his face flashing in alarm. Applejack's gaze followed his, her heart skipped a beat as she took in that the cannons were now aimed at the ship. Each cannon had a large metal spear bigger than a pony, and with a blast, they were sent flying towards them.

“What in tarnation!” Applejack proclaimed in outrage, “The Princess is on the ship! Are you trying to get her hurt!?” She screamed at the queen, but the only response the queen offered was calling for another barrage. The spears had long metal chains dragging behind them, and when they hit the ship they easily dug into its wooden exterior. The ship shook violently as it was lanced by the attack.

“Okay, not fun anymore!” Spike yelled as a metal spear landed right into the stage, knocking everyone but Applejack down. Several spears had the ship chained, but it still moved to get away from the castle, the chains dragged and altered its course, making the side of the ship rub against the buildings in the city, causing panic amongst the roof-top viewers.

As the ship gained distance from the castle, many of the binding chains broke, or were pulled out of the hull. Before the ship got too far away, a large metal ball was shot at the stage, but before the ball collided, it blew open, revealing a round monster of fire. Applejack felt the heat radiating from it, and took a step back. A monster!?

“It's a bomb!” Zidane proclaimed as he brought out a pair of daggers, taking up a battle stance. A bomb!? She thought as she glared at the new threat. No! I'm not gonna let any of us get blown up because of my blunder!

“So then we just cut the fuse, right!?” Spike asked, alarmed.

“I'll take care of it!” Applejack proclaimed as she got under the 'bomb' monster and gave it her best Applebuck. Once again she felt a strange sensation travel from her hat to her hooves as her back legs connected with the monster. The bomb was starting to grown as it was hit, and the impact sent it flying up into the sky.

Had it not been night-time, it would have been difficult to spot where the bomb had been sent. It had also been hot to the touch, making Applejack reel back in pain as she waved some smoke off her hooves. Looking back to the bomb, she let out a sigh as it exploded, well before it could return to the ship. My applebuckin' sure seems to be good at sendin' things flyin' in this land. She thought, as she lay on the broken deck. She felt that she wouldn't be able to do another Applebuck like that without rest first. Indeed, after all that running, she was right tuckered out.

“That was one heck of a kick,” Zidane complimented Applejack, giving her a honest smile, “Glad I wasn't on the receiving end of one of those.” He then offered her his hand, leaning down to help her up. “I'm Zidane, and welcome to the Prima Vista.” She quickly got on her hooves, cautiously accepting his hand, briefly eyeing the sword she had before replying.

“Oh, um, I'm Applejack-”

“And I'm Spike!”

“And I'm not gonna apologize for chasin' ya down,” she frowned at him, then her ears dropped again, “but I will say sorry for gettin' yer ship shot up. I didn't know Garnet wanted to be stolen.” Applejack turned to the princess with open concern.

“I am terribly sorry about that Applejack,” Garnet said while bowing to the mare, “I should have told you. Things have been... unusual in the castle. I wanted to head to Lindblum to see what regent Cid knows about it, but mother would not let me-”

Everyone fell over as the Prima Vista sagged, the sound of one of its engines sputtering out sent a poor message to everyone on board. The ship had managed to leave the city behind them, and was now over the valley. As its altitude lowered, Applejack noticed a layer of clouds beneath the ship, and as the ship fell into the clouds, she realized that it wasn't clouds, but mist. The last thing Applejack saw before being hurled off the ship from an unexpected impact, was a large forest, radiating malice.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with some more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Applejack was the first to be transferred between worlds, switching places with Captain Aldelbert Steiner. He was in charge of the Pluto Knights, the only squadron of male soldiers in the kingdom.'

'While a recent addition to Equestria, mist has been present in the Mist Continent for longer than the nations have, thus why it's called the Mist continent. The nations of Alexandria and Lindblum have learned to harness the mist to power mist engines, which allow airships to fly!'

'The bomb Applejack sent flying is a monster that lives solely to explode, it gets bigger and bigger until it goes off, causing massive collateral damage. Kupo~'

'As you can see below, Applejack has an ability called Beast Killer. Abilities are divided into two kinds, active and passive, and Beast Killer is passive. It costs ability points, which you have a limited pool of, and while you're investing AP into it, the affect it grants is active. There are a lot of abilities, but a limited amount of AP. As the story moves along everyone will learn more and more abilities and will have to pick and choose which they want to have active.'

'You may have noticed that Applejack has no MP, just as Spike had almost no MP at the end of chapter one. That's because they used it all up on their active abilities. Active abilities are magic that can cause amazing things, whether you're a swordsman or a mage, you can use magic to fight, heal, or do something completely unexpected. Active abilities fall under a specific category, such as Applejack's Applebuck being listed under her Apple Arts. Active abilities cost MP, and without MP you cannot use them, so they must spend their MP wisely! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Broadsword: Beast Killer

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

Lvl-1 HP 108/120 MP 0/24

AP 13/17

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Sword Arts:

Author's Note

Which tone should I go for? Probably the FFIX tone.
I prefer her with the robe, so she's keeping it! Garnet and Zidane below!

Also, did you know that thanking your readers lowers your risk of sudden anxiety attacks? Well, neither did I! Thank you for reading my story, and big thanks to OCisbestpony for helping me edit this mess. :twilightsmile:

3. Awakened Forest

As the ship slammed into the tree tops, Spike saw Applejack get hurled off. His heart skipped a beat as he saw her disappear into the night.

“Applejack!!” He called out before he felt his feet lose contact with the deck of the ship, making the dragon feel weightless. As the ship hit the ground, the young dragon bounced off it, and was sent flying into the forest. His head hit something with a crack, and he fell unconscious as he crashed into the dirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Brahne's Malice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Queen looked on as the Prima Vista left Alexandria. Her blood cooling as she composed herself. Perhaps Garnet isn't such a helpless little girl anymore. She thought bitterly as she watched the nobles and commoners flee the disaster area that was where the ship was once docked.

“Zorn! Thorn!” She angrily called for, and in quick order, two small jesters appeared at her side, Zorn wearing blue and white, Thorn in red and white. “Is our little experiment ready?”

“Ready it is my queen!” Zorn cheerfully answered.

“Eliminate the princess, it surely can!” Thorn added.

“Fools! I need her alive! Bring her back at once!” The queen barked. The two jesters quickly left to get what they needed together, leaving the queen alone with an armored woman at her side.

Brahne's attention turned to her, the woman was waiting patiently for her queen's command. She was Beatrix, top general of the Alexandrian army. She had long light-brown hair, a silver eye-patch that covered half of her face's right side. Her armor bore white and red as their colors, her sword had jewels encrusted into the blade, two rubies on each side of it. Known for her loyalty and being the strongest warrior of the kingdom, Beatrix gave the queen her report.

“It appears that when the princess fled, she was in the company of Applejack. It's possible she was sent here to facilitate the princesses' escape. She may also have something to do with Captain Steiner's disappearance,” she divvied out. Despite what had occurred, Beatrix was composed, her expression unreadable as she glanced back out into the night, where the ship had departed.

“Hmph,” he queen replied, “should have thrown her in the dungeon instead of humoring my daughter!” She probably 'alerted' us about the thieves to facilitate her innocence! I will not be fooled! The queen thought as the addressed Beatrix. “Where did she say she was from again?” The queen was looking to add another nation to her list of targets.

“Equestria,” Beatrix replied, “She said she was from Equestria.” Queen Brahne smiled at her answer. Steal her away will you. Trying to fool me with your lies? I'll make sure you come to regret it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike woke up covered in bark and leaves. He looked around, confused, the last thing he remembered was being knocked off the Prima Vista after it crashed. Looking around, he saw no sign of the ship, though he did see what he smacked into when he fell off. A large branch lay on its side near him, having been smashed by the collision. Princess Garnet stood over him, her white and red robe having been torn from the crash, but she looked fine, at least better that Spike had been. So, she's the princess? Then realizing the state they were both in, addressed her.

“Princess, are you alright!?” Then he quickly looked around, “Where are we?” He asked, he already wasn't too fond of this forest, and wanted to get out of here, after finding Applejack of course.

“Oh, I am fine Spike, thank you for asking.” Garnet assured him, “I healed your wounds, so you should be just fine as well.” She then looked around apprehensively, “I believe this is called the Evil Forest, we need to find the ship, it is not safe here.”

The Evil Forest? That has to be the lamest, and most accurate name for this place! Spike thought as he got up. The air was heavy with mist, the trees in the forest were watching the pair, and it all felt malicious. The thick air and the feeling of being watched reminded the dragon of the Everfree. However, that forest didn't feel malicious. Well, besides that one time with the crazy thorny vines, he thought as he looked to Garnet.

“Don't worry princess,” Spike began, puffing his chest out. “I'll protect you! Nothing in this forest is gonna stop me!” He bravely stated as he looked around, trying to find evidence of the ship or Applejack's whereabouts. Hearing the rustling of leaves nearby, they both looked to the source. Spike's bravery faltered as they spotted large bulb of vines moving towards them from the tree tops. The mass of vines was easily as large as three ponies combined.

It has to be called the 'Evil' forest, he mentally bemoaned, why couldn't it have been the 'Forest of Friendly Plants'! He thought as he took a deep breath and spewed fire on the monster plant before it could get any closer. To his dismay, the clump of vines wasn't bothered in the least. Why isn't my breath burning anything!? Seeing no means of fighting back, he grabbed Garnet's arm, and ran.

“Why was your fire unable to harm it?” She asked, alarmed and afraid as she matched his pace.

“I don't know! It's never acted like this before!” he frustratingly admitted as they ran. He tried to burn it with his mind again, but he was still drained from when he played with fire earlier. He heard a crashing in the trees ahead of him and they both stopped in fear. Then they let out a sigh of relief when Applejack burst through the underbrush, broadsword in mouth. Thank Celestia! Spike thought as they moved to her side.

“Spike! Princess! Ya'll alright?” Applejack asked after planting the blade into the ground.

“We are being pursued by a monster!” Garnet replied as she indicated behind them, to reveal an empty patch of forest. Spike stared at the empty patch for a moment before adopting a smug smile. Hah! Applejack scared it away! Don't mess with a bearer of harmony! Then Spike mentally corrected himself, as they didn't have the Elements anymore.

“I don't doubt ya, but I don't see em'.” Applejack replied, keeping a cautious eye to the forest around them, “Let's get a move on, the sooner we're outa this creepy forest, the better.”

“We need to find the others,” Garnet admitted as she let go of Spike's claw, giving him a thankful look. “I doubt either of you know the way to Lindblum,” she suspected. Applejack didn't look comfortable with the idea of finding the foal-nappers, but didn't deny the practicality behind it, so they set out to find the Prima Vista.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Broken Vista
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane downed a healing potion, recovering from the wounds being knocked off the ship had brought about. After composing himself, he headed through the dark forest to a source of light in the distance. It wasn't long before he found his way back to where the ship crashed.

Clearing his way through the underbrush, he abandoned the cumbersome armor he stole, as he stood at the top of the hill overlooking the cash site. A swath of trees were crushed in the direction the ship traveled in as it collided with the ground, leaving a new clearing in the dark forest.

The ship! He thought in dismay as he appraised the mess, My friends! The princess! Why did it have to go so wrong! he kicked the dirt underfoot in frustration as he looked for a way down.

After a short climb down the hillside to the ruined ship, he saw a fire was burning a part of its hull, and debris lay scattered everywhere. Worried for his friends and the others, he quickly went into the wreck, looking for them, as well as anyone that needed help.

Cinna, the man with the scruffy beard, informed Zidane that he hadn't seen the princess or the two strangers. After Zidane learned Baku was fine, he headed out into the forest to look for the others, trusting Baku's abilities as the gangs leader.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them continued through the forest, trying to find the ship. They didn't wander far before being attacked by a wolf. It had a pair of large fangs, and Applejack got her sword out, placing herself between the canine and the others. Spike got in front of Garnet as well, ready to strike if the beast charged past the mare. It's smaller than a timberwolf, this will be easy! It charged Applejack, and the pony failed to avoid its first bite, causing her to yelp in pain as it bit her flank.

“Applejack!” Spike cried in worried alarm, not expecting it to actually hurt her. Smaller than a timberwolf, but still dangerous!

“Ya darn canine! If Winona were with me she'd show ya a thing or two!” She said as she brought the sword down on it. The blade cut into the thick of it, causing it to jerk and crumble under the blow. It quickly dissipated into mist after perishing. “What in tarnation?” The mare asked, confused, and a little glad that it dissipated. Garnet, noticing her confusion, spoke up.

“Creatures born of the mist return to the mist when defeated.” She explained, casting a healing spell over Applejack's wound, patching it right up. She then picked up a small collection of coins left behind from the monster's demise.

“Wow, it's right healed!” Applejack declared in amazement before turning to Garnet with a smile. “Princesses sure are something. Thank ya Princess.” Her compliment got a blush from Garnet as Applejack then looked back to the forest, keeping an eye out for danger. “So, that wolf, it was mist?” She asked, prompting Spike to worry about what that would entail for his friends back home.

“You do not have to thank me for healing you,” Garnet began, “it is my duty as future queen to look after my subject and allies,” dignity and pride was radiating from her as she nodded. “Yes, that monster was born from the mist, just as all monsters are,” she concluded. “Here, you slew it,” Garnet said as she presented Applejack the pile of coins.

“What is it?” Applejack asked, and Spike was curious to know as well, getting a look of surprise from the princess.

“This is gil, it's left behind by slain monsters, and occasionally medicinal items are left behind too. Gil is currency, you can buy most anything with it, and it's universal, it's just as valuable in Alexandria as it is in Lindblum.”

“Come again?”

“That's awesome!”

Applejack and Spike replied in unison. Seeing that Applejack wanted to know how this was possible, the princess apologized to her.

“Nobody knows why it happens, it just does,” she replied with a shrug. Still, that sounds very handy, fight some monsters, and get rich! Spike thought, a gleam of greed in his eyes.

He then looked around the forest, realizing that he wasn't very handy at fighting monsters at the moment. If we're attacked by another, I won't be much help! I need something to- before he could finish his line of thought, they heard someone running through the woods ahead of them, drawing their attention towards it. With their focus on what was coming, they failed to notice what was above them.

Garnet let out a scream as she was swallowed by a cocoon of vines. A plant monster had landed over her and enveloped her in a prison, pushing Spike and Applejack away from it with its vines. Spike swiped at it with his claws, and saw that it barely scratched the beast. No! It's Power Ponies all over again! I need that fire I did earlier, I need that magic! His breath and claws were useless in this world, he needed magic to save his friends. Out of frustration and stubbornness, he hit the monster with his staff, which to his surprise, caused a bigger gash than his claws did.

Applejack was torn between helping the princess and not turning her back to whatever was coming their way through the forest. She then stomped the ground in frustration as she swept around Spike to the monster before them, briefly looking to the dragon over her shoulder.

“Spike, watch my back, I'll handle this overgrown weed!” She ordered as she brought her blade around. Spike nodded, he didn't like being unable to help, but he could at least do that much. His attention now on the coming noise, he was surprised when he saw that the source of it, was Zidane, crashing through the underbrush, looking relieved to see them.

“Zidane! The princess needs help!” Spike shouted, Zidane looked past him and saw the crisis, when he saw the princess trapped by the monster, his face took on a dangerous scowl.

“Let her go!” He shouted as he jumped at the vine monster. Leaping through the air, Spike watched in awe as Zidane was enveloped by a purple-pinkish light, red and white lightning arced away from him as his blow connected with the monster, causing a devastating gash in its side.

Whoa, that was so cool! Spike thought, looking at Zidane, who's hair took on a pink hew as he radiated energy. Zidane's eyes, they seemed particularly focused, as if in a trance. Applejack was surprised by the turn of events, but didn't falter. She struck the beast, severing off several vines, which dissipated into mist shortly after hitting the ground.

Zidane was surprised that he was radiating energy, but put it to his advantage. Drawing on the energy, he gathered it up and let it free into his foe. Several mystic runes assaulted it, knocking it back several feet.

The monster, seeing its defeat imminent, took to the tree tops, fleeing. What!? No!! Spike thought as he saw the monster disappear into the foliage. Just like that, the monster was gone, the trio losing sight of it. Zidane looked around confused, and the energy that empowered him dissipated in short order.

“Princess!” Spike shouted in mixture of alarm and fear. If only I was able to use my magic! And I used it all up to burn grass! I swear, I will never be so wasteful with it again! Not when I can use if for something more important! His grip on the staff was hard, his face flushed at his his fear for the princess shifted into self-loathing.

“The beast, what's it gonna do with her?” Applejack asked worryingly, "It's not going to... eat her, is it?" Spike's anger popped at Applejack's worry, making the dragon's eyes water at picturing that outcome.

“No, I doubt that," Zidane quickly assured, noticing the looks the others had adopted. "I felt it when I attacked it. That thing was a minion, it probably intends to return her to its master.” Really!? Spike thought hopefully, latching on to Zidane's words.

“Then,” Applejack began, hope in her voice, “we got time to find and save her! Let's move-”

She was interrupted as another vine monster swooped in, scooping the mare up in its vine-like cage. “W-What!? Oh no you don't!” She angrily shouted as she swung her blade around, cutting through a part of her cage. Zidane jumped atop the newcomer, bringing his daggers to bare into it. They both slashed and cut into it repeatedly as Spike whacked it with his staff out of angry frustration. You are not getting Applejack too!

As they assaulted it, trying to free Applejack, she suddenly looked drained. Her stamina weakened, and she appeared fatigued, while the monster looked a little renewed. What did it do!? Spike worried as he saw Zidane toss Applejack a potion, telling her to drink it. She eyed it skeptically, but still brought it to her lips. Drinking the potion, she felt renewed again. Thanking Zidane, she continued her assault.

In short order, they slew the beast, taking it down before it could flee. It crumbled under Applejack, freeing herself from it. Before it dispersed into mist, however, it blew forth a cloud of noxious green gas. Zidane jumped out of the way, quick on his feet. The others didn't get away in time and ended up breathing in some of the gas.

Spike fell over, his limbs no longer answering to him, a puppet with its strings cut. As darkness started to overtake him, he saw Applejack in a similar state, and as everything faded away, he tried, desperately, to reach out to his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Weight of Two Lives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not good, they've been poisoned! Zidane thought as he stood over the two fallen Equestrians. He wasn't too sure if he could manage it, but he tried to slump Applejack over his shoulder, and carried Spike under his free arm. She's heavy. Still, I think I can get them back to the ship like this. The princess needed to be rescued, but he chose to save those in front of him first, he doubted he could save Garnet alone anyhow.

Still, just who are these two? He wondered as he looked the cute mare slumped of his shoulder, and the spunky little dragon tucked under his arm. I've never seen their like before, and what were they doing at the castle? He wondered as he spotted the ship, getting them to safety before they were attacked by any other denizen of the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike stirred from a peaceful slumber. He got out of his cot and worked to see if Twilight needed-

Spike couldn't move, but he was in a comfortable bed, just not the one he's use to sleeping in. He saw that he was in a small room, furniture and pictures fallen over, the walls cracked from the damage caused by the crash.

Sitting in the corner was one of the members of the ship, the actor with the red hair. Spike remembered where he was and what occurred, and felt a stab of sadness from not being home, and a stab of anger for not being helpful. This world, it's more dangerous than the other world. This is someplace different. His anger turned slowly shifted to worry, Ohhh, I hope everypony back home is doing okay.

“Ah, you're awake,” the crew member stated, “You two are lucky, you know that? Had Zidane not been there, you would have been goners.” Spike looked at him in surprise. We would have been goners!? Applejack!

“Where's Applejack?” Spike quickly asked, trying to get out of the cot, but his body refused to listen. “Where's my friend, and the Princess, what about her!?”

“I'm over here sugarcube, thanks fer the concern.” The mare replied, glad he asked about her first. She was in another cot that was behind Spike's. If he could move, he'd get up and hug her. “Blank says it'll be a couple before we can move again, shouldn't be long.”

Applejack paused for a moment, considering something. “We'll go after the princess after we can move. And don't you worry, she's gonna be fine. She's a princess after all.” She assured, and he readily took solace in her words. Being stuck there, unable to move, Spike saw this opportunity to touch base with her.

“Applejack, do you know where we are? I'm guessing you've been here longer than me.”

“Besides it bein' called the Mist Continent, I don't even have a clue. I was looking fer Apple Bloom in the orchard when I was blinded by light, when I could see again I was in the castle, near Garnet's room actually, boy was that an unpleasant surprise,” she smiled as she continued, “I think she had somethin' to do with it, but she disagrees.” She then looked to him, “Yer turn.”

Spike nodded as he recounted everything up to when he ran into her in the castle. Neither had an answer for how they arrived there, but they both agreed that the mist meant there was a connection between Equestria and wherever they were now.

“So,” the man named Blank began, catching the both of them off guard, as they had forgotten he was in the room with them. “The both of you aren't from this world?” He let out a soft chuckle, “That's one I've never heard before, maybe you're simply from the other side of the ocean, no one's ever seen what lies beyond the sea. Still, just in case, welcome to Gaia.”

He nodded as he stood up, moving closer to them. “It sounds like you two could use some info, and sitting here quietly is boring, so I'll help you with what I can.” The two friends shared a look, there were actually a number of questions they wanted to address, Spike offered her the first question.

“When I applebucked the bomb earlier, I felt somethin' strange go on with my hat. I've also been feelin' a little weaker that normal, like my stamina isn't at tip top shape, got anythin' for that?” Blank was surprised at the question.

“Feeling weaker? Maybe you're not use to the altitude Alexandria is at?” He weakly offered with a shrug. “As for your hat question, I can help with that.” He gave her a small smile as he motioned towards a sword at his hip. “For warriors or thieves or knights or whatever it is you do that gets you by when dealing with the monsters of the mist, there is power in equipment.” Spike looked to Blank, a little confused.

“You say your hat feels strange when you 'applebuck'?” Applejack nodded to his question, and he returned the nod. “It's because your hat empowers you with that ability. All equipment, and even some gems and other knickknacks, have abilities laced within them.” He then drew his sword, showing it for emphasis. “This sword, and the one you took from me, it has the property of being extra effective against beast type monsters, such as the wolves in the forest.”

He then sheathed the sword as he looked to Applejack. “If you use the sword enough times, you get use to the property and can adopt it yourself without the sword. Use the ability in your hat enough times and you won't need the hat anymore, follow?”

“I've always been able to applebuck!” Applejack declared, “And I ain't givin up my hat!” she added stalwartly.

“Not saying you didn't,” Blank quickly replied, holding his palms up defensively, “if so then you probably don't even need the hat anymore, but you can keep wearing it,” he added before continuing on, “Gear teaches abilities that suit your prowess, but it's not entirely an open practice. I can't cast spells with a mage's staff, as I'm not studied or talented with magic. You'll have to figure out what works and what doesn't on your own.”

So, Spike thought, a little surprised, and yet welcoming of this information, it's the staff that lets me cast fire! And if I do it enough, I'll be able to do it without the staff. What other tricks can I learn?

“I can cast fire,” Spike affirmed, “but I wasn't able to earlier, back in the forest, why?” Blank considered that one for a moment before speaking up.

“Spells and mystical abilities require a certain kind of fortitude. You can't quite put numbers to it, you'll simply have to feel it out and guess from experience. Simple tricks are less exerting than bigger tricks, so you need to pace yourself.” A look of comprehension dawned on Applejack's face, which was mirrored on Spike's.

“If items make us stronger,” Spike began, “lets us learn new tricks, then we need to get ourselves better equipped!” he pointed out, jumping out of bed, ready to make himself more capable. When Applejack saw him jump up, she got on her hooves and stretched out, fully recovered from the paralysis.

“Well, we'll see what Zidane can offer you,” Blank stated, adopting a contemplative look, “he should be back any minute. Oh, you can keep the sword, I have a spare.” He finished sarcastically, giving Applejack a sly grin.

“Ya shouldn't have taken my hat!” she replied, getting Blank to roll his eyes at her.

“Well, you got our ship shot down.” He said mockingly, making Applejack rub a foreleg over the other as she looked away, blushing in embarrassment, prompting Blank to smile. “No hard feelings, what happened happened, the queen fired at us, not you.” Blank assured, only working to make Applejack look more flustered. Blank considered her for a moment, his grin growing. “Anyone tell you you're cute when you're blushing?” He pointed out, confusing the mare. The door opened as Zidane walked into the room, seeing her expression.

“I, uh, we, we need to save the princess!” She said, trying to regain her composure from Blanks compliment, which made Spike smile as Zidane nodded in agreement.

“That's what I'm here for, looks like you're back on your feet- legs- hooves.” Zidane scratched his head. “Whatever, let's go, it'll just be the two of us, the boss is too scared to offer any help.” He said, clearly annoyed with the prospect.

“Hey, I'm coming too!” Spike proclaimed, grabbing his staff, and feeling with the weapon, he could tell that he was up for casting fire again. “I wasn't much help earlier, but I can cast again, I doubt those plants will hold up against fire!”

“Oh, you're a mage?” Zidane realized, at first surprised, then looked to Spike apologetically, “I'm sorry, didn't know, my bad.” He looked reassured with Spike's offer and adopted a smile for it. “Then, it'll be the three of us! Let's move out, I think I have a good idea where we need to go to find her.”

Oh, he's not going to doubt me? Spike briefly wondered, looking to Zidane wide-eyed. Wow! Spike radiated appreciation for blond rogue, and was also smiling at the prospect of helping this time. He couldn't use his fire breath effectively anymore, but he did have an alternative now.

“Um,” Spike began, looking to Zidane sheepishly, “Blank just told us about learning abilities from items, would you happen to have anything that could help us, you know, not be under equipped?” The dragon asked, not out of greed, but out of wanting to be capable of saving the princess. Zidane nodded, looking as though he had some things that could help out.

“You know,” Blank began, moving to Zidane's side. “The boss isn't going to be happy if you up and leave.” Blank seemed both slightly annoyed and amused at the prospect.

“Yea, I'm gonna go talk to him right now, can you help them get ready?” Zidane asked, Blank nodded in turn as Zidane left several things with Blank before leaving the room. Seeing him leave reminded Spike of how his hair turned pink, and the energy he gave off, so he asked Blank about it.

“Whoa, that happened?” He asked, wide eyed, getting a nod from both of the Equestrians. “Guess he really cared about the princess.” He said to no one in particular as he addressed the others. “That's an uncommon power called Trance. It's brought on by a sudden burst of strong emotions, lasts for a few seconds and then takes some time before it can occur again. I've heard that only a number of individuals have access to it. If you've done it once, you can repeat the Trance, but it can occur at unreliable times.”

He considered something for a moment before continuing. “Trance empowers you, its affects are very personal, no two individuals are affected the same by Trance.” He then looked out the room, the direction Zidane left towards, looking impressed. “I honestly didn't think he had it in him.” Oh, that sounds awesome! Spike thought as he imagined himself going into Trance. I wonder if I'll be able to do that sort of thing! I hope it doesn't turn me pink though, no offense to Pinkie, but it's not my favorite color.

“Well then,” Blank continued, “let's get you equipped for saving a damsel in distress. Afraid we don't have much that would fit, ah, you, Applejack, but we do have some robes and a hat for you.” Blank said, staring at Spike. He brought out a dark blue hat and small robe that seemed to change its size magically to fit the dragon. Neat! Ooo, those look similar to Twilight's Star Swirl costume, only without the silly bells. Wonder what tricks I'll learn from them! Spike gleefully thought as the prospect of summoning rocks from the sky came to mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'The Evil Forest is a large forest at the base of the valley closest to Alexandria. Every once in a great while the monsters of the forest wander to the city, which is one reason Alexandria is heavily defended.'

'There is a reason monsters 'drop' gil and items when they perish, but that's for a later chapter.'

'Now about items granting power... oh. Good one Blank! Saved me the work!'

'Also, Spike regained his MP from resting, a nap or proper rest in an inn replenishes your mental fortitude, allowing you to continue using your active abilities. There are other ways to restore MP, but that can also wait for a later chapter.'

'Blank also covered Trance pretty well, when a character manages to 'unlock' trance, it will be added to the bio below, along with its affects.'

'You can see below the new items Spike got this chapter. Some items have properties in addition to the abilities and protection they offer. These properties will be listed below the item. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Mage Staff: Fire

*Leather Hat: Fire

*Silk Shirt: Thunder, ~~Cure~~.

Property: Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

*Wrist: ~~Flee-Gil~~

Lvl-2 HP 82/82 MP 52/52

AP 15/15

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Author's Note

Rated 'T' for Teen

Behold! Equipment!

I hope you're enjoy the words that you read before reading these ones! Thank you, and another big thanks to my friend OCisbestpony for helping me edit this. :twilightsmile:

4. RUN!

While Spike was putting his new equipment on, Applejack eyed the items she had been given apprehensively. The sword in particular stood out to her, even she knew how amateurish she was with the blade, her swing had no skill or finesse, just strength. Still, it had helped her escape the plant monster, and slay the wolf, so maybe there was hope for her as a swordsmare.

She then shook her head at the notion, not liking the idea that she'd use a weapon long enough to become practiced with it. As she started putting on the other items she was given, she wondered, Just what does Zidane need to talk to his boss about?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Rough Departure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane approached Baku, who had abandoned his costume as King Leo and announcer for the play. He once again tried asking for additional aid with helping to rescue the princess.

“Not happening.” Baku curtly replied, “We've got to look after ourselves. The ship's a wreck, we have many injured, and of all places to crash, we ended up in the Evil Forest.” He finished, a hard look on his face.

“You're going to just let her die!?” Zidane asked, throwing his arms to the side in anger. “If that's how it is, then I'll go get her myself!”

“You're staying here to help, you know the rules, follow my orders or get out. If you're leaving, you know what happens next.” Baku replied as he turned to Zidane, cracking his knuckles.

Members that leave the gang get punished, Zidane's left the gang before, and always came back, this was probably no different. Baku had to look after the gang over finding the princess, Zidane understood that, but he didn't have to like it. Defending himself and his motivations, he fought Baku over leaving to save Garnet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack was appraising Spike's new attire, it made him look very wizard-like. Blank didn't have much to offer her in regards of armor, there were no ponies in the mist continent. She was given a scabbard with a belt that wrapped around her shoulder, as well as some crude saddlebags to carry extra supplies.

Her sword was more accessible and less in the way with the scabbard, and she could feel it offer her some prowess at defending her friends. She could also sense some power hidden in the saddlebags, and she chose to wait and see what comes of it. She realized that Applebuck was draining, she can only use it twice before being spent, she hoped the power the saddlebag offered was less taxing.

Blank suggested she look into getting chocobo barding, as that's what the saddlebags were made for. Zidane returned before she could ask what a chocobo was. He was holding his stomach in pain, but gave them all a proud smile.

“Cleared it with the boss, let's head out, we have to save Princess Garnet.” He said, heading out with Spike following in tow, who looked concerned for the thief. Applejack was still wary of Zidane, considering how they met. Even if Garnet wanted to be stolen, that didn't make the thief any more trustworthy in Applejack's eyes. Since they were going to be working together, she felt obligated to share her feelings concerning him.

“Just so we're clear, I don't trust ya. Yer helpin' us save the princess, not the other way around, ya follow?” The stubborn mare asked. Zidane appraised her for a moment, surprised and taken aback.

“Does it really matter? We're working to save her, who's following who doesn't matter. Once she's saved she's going to want to go to Lindblum, and I'm certainly going to make sure she gets there, are you intending to stop her?” Applejack considered his words, not honestly knowing what to do afterwards.

When we save her, I gotta talk to her about Equestria. But, if she truly can't send us back, then what? She wondered, starting to fear the possibility of not returning. This world is dangerous, what if- She shook her head of doubt, she had Spike with her, having a friend by her side would keep her going, so she turned to Zidane to answer his question.

“She's the princess, I'll help her, and I'll stop her if she tries to do somethin' foalish, otherwise I have no intention of gettin' in her way.” Applejack nodded as Zidane took her words in, seeming impressed. “A princess becomes one by bein' of strong character, I would be a right fool if I doubted everythin' she did. She wanted to leave the castle fer a reason, and we'll find out why when we save her.”

“A princess always has a lot on her mind,” Spike added, moving to Applejack's side, “it can be pretty stressful, but as long as somepony she trusts is by her side, she can get through anything. I don't know if she has someone like that, but right now we're the closest to that in this forest.”

Spike then looked up, as if picturing something only he could see. “I want to go back home to Equestria,” he then looked to Zidane, a fire in his eyes, “but I also want to help the princess. I know a couple ponies back home who would be disappointed if we just up and abandoned her.” Zidane nodded at Spike's words, seemingly satisfied.

Applejack's head fell in shame. She did want to save the princess, however she also wanted to get back home, Ponyville was in danger, the mist spawns monsters. Spike's right, they would be disappointed if we just up and abandoned the princess after savin' her. We should at least see her to Lindblum before havin' her send us back. The mare had her duty to her family, the farm, Ponyville, her friends, and Equestria. She needed to return home, with Spike at her side, not linger in some strange world playing knight.

Leaving the wreck of the Prima Vista, Applejack finally got a look at the damage. Her ears dropped upon seeing the mess brought about by her actions. The hull was cracked and broken in many places, and parts of the ship showed signs of fire damage. Near the ship was a stack of supplies and wounded crewman, being looked over by the hammer wielding fellow.

“Zidane, take this!” Blank said as he tossed Zidane a green bottle, “It'll cure the paralysis those plants do.” Zidane thanked him, and the trio embarked into the forest.

“So, where's Equestria?” The thief asked after the ship was out of sight, “Can't say I've ever heard of it, and I've been around.”

“I don't know where it is, but I'm aimin' to get back a-sap.” Applejack stalwartly answered.

As they crossed a small stream, Applejack found herself in a familiar spot. It was where they had lost the princess earlier. We were that close to the ship!? Her annoyance was greeted by the sound of something in the forest approaching them, and she drew her sword.

Two wolves jumped out and lunged at Spike and Zidane. Being drawn by the property of her scabbard, she intercepted the one going for Spike and got hit in his stead. She then counterattacked, taking down the wolf in one strike.

Equipment grants power and abilities, it was true, and it helped her protect Spike. Zidane had dodged the wolf going for him, also taking it down in one blow. Well, at least he's capable, she thought as she appraised where the wolf raked her. Considering it nothing but a scratch, the trio proceeded deeper into the forest.

The next attack caught Applejack and Zidane by surprise, as it came from behind them. A short humanoid as tall as Spike with long ears and a red nose attacked them, a wolf aiding it. Zidane and the pony were hit, taking on new wounds. Before they could counterattack, both monsters were swallowed by fire, when the fire cleared all that remained was mist and gil.

“That was awesome!” Spike declared, then looked to the others. “Oh, are you two okay?” He asked with concern. Zidane was smiling at him, and Applejack couldn't help but smirk at how both monsters were handled by her small friend.

“You pack quite a bunch,” Zidane admitted, “glad you're on our side.” His compliment made the young dragon happy, which turned Applejack's smirk into a full smile. “You watch our backs and ensure all we see from what attacks us is a pile of gil.” Zidane playfully ordered. He then picked up the money the monster 'dropped' and gave it to Spike. We need to pick up the habit of lootin' these monsters. She thought as she looked ahead.

“Roger!” Spike said, giving Zidane a curt salute. Applejack was confused as to why Spike wasn't using his dragons breath, but decided not to ask, assuming that there must be a good reason behind it. She was glad for their bravado, for it helped dispel the lingering malice in the air. The monsters in here seemed easy enough to handle, but she was worried of being worn down before finding the princess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Softy Baku
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blank prepared to leave the Prima Vista as Baku barked orders to get the wounded moving. The theater group was working to leave the forest, but Blank wouldn't be accompanying them.

“You're sure about this?” Blank asked, “Kinda goes against you kicking him out, you know.” Baku simply shrugged and waved Blank away. With a map in hand, Blank went into the forest to help save the princess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rounding a bend, they found a large trunk with water gushing out of it in the center of a small clearing, a spring. The mist was very thin here, and the area somehow felt safe, serene. Looking at the water, Applejack felt some sort of familiarity with it, but couldn't place why. In a small hallowed out tree trunk nearby was a small bear-like creature with an antenna with a red bulb on top. It also had the wings of the bat. As Applejack drew out her sword, Zidane stopped her.

“It's just a moogle, it's safe,” Zidane assured her before addressing the creature. “What's your name, friend? Would you happen to know where the plant monsters take what they catch?”

“Kupo! I'm Monty, nice to meet you.” The moogle replied, then turned to point at a place deeper within the forest. “There is a den of dangerous vines deeper that way, though I'd avoid it if I were you.” The moogle added, shivering at the direction he indicated. Zidane was struck with an idea and asked Monty another question.

“Have you ever head of a land called Equestria?” Monty shook his head. Is Zidane tryin' to help us? Applejack wondered as she eyed him suspiciously. Probably just tryin' to get on my good side.

“Kupo. Can't say I've delivered to a place by that name, why? Have a letter that needs sending? We guarantee your letter will reach your destination!” He proudly claimed, Applejack and Spike shared a look, This sounds promisin', maybe we can get a letter home!

“I'm on it!” Spike said before the mare could ask him to write anything. After making a small note, he gave it to the moogle, Applejack then looked at Spike in concern.

“Yer fire isn't workin', is it?” He shook his head, sheepishly eyeing the ground at her question. Does the mist mess with Equestrian magic, or do we need to be in Equestria fer it to work?

“Kupo. Okay, one letter to Princess Celestia in the land of Equestria. I'll get to it after I get out of this forest, don't you worry. Oh! Try the water, kupo,” Monty stated enthusiastically as he indicated the spring, “it's quite refreshing. And stay safe!” The moogle wished of them before flying into the forest. As Zidane and Spike waved goodbye to Monty, Applejack appraised the clean water in the spring before taking a sip. Almost immediately the fatigue and wounds she received from the two earlier fights washed away.

“Wow, this is amazing!” Spike admitted after taking a sip as well, “I feel like I could use my magic all day long with this kind of water.” He then adopted a contemplating look. “Something about it seems familiar though.” They both felt it, but neither could place its connection.

Feeling rejuvenated, and having a direction to travel, the trio proceeded through the forest. Shortly after leaving the safety of the spring, they were attacked by a large floating flower. Before it was destroyed by Spike's second fire spell, it sprayed Applejack's eyes with pollen, blinding her.

“Dang it! I can't see a darn thing!” She tried to rub the pollen out of her eyes, they were watering, but it didn't seem to help.

“Stay still, I have some eye drops, a small mix of antidote and potion clears eyes up nicely,” Zidane said as he helped the mare clean her eyes.

“The plants here fight dirty, drainin' your vitality, blindin' and poisonin' ya, I'll be glad to be rid of this forest when we save Garnet.” She said, and with her eyes cleared, they continued down the path. Thorny vines were become more and more apparent the deeper they went in. Not wanting to go through that again, she applebucked the next floating flower that got in their way, sending it flying off somewhere into the forest, never to be seen again.

Finding a small cave where the vines came from, they went inside and found a large plant monster. On the back wall of the cave, held there in vines hung the princess, unconscious. The monster seemed to be where all the vines originate, it had a large four petal red flower at its core, four vines composed of its limbs. It was large, easily eight feet wide and seven feet tall, and that was without accounting its limbs.

“The Princess!” Spike shouted, his concern mirrored by the others.

“Let's cut this weed down and get her outa here!” Applejack quickly proclaimed, bringing out her sword and rushing the monster, Zidane at her side.

Charging the beast, she found it didn't cut as easily as the other monsters had, This one's gonna to take effort! Zidane attacked as well, getting his blades into it before it could counterattack.

It caught them all off-guard when it cast a spell.

Lightning coursed from its limbs and struck the trio. Applejack's coat was burned where the bolt passed through, making her mane a mess from the static. Zidane and Spike were in a similar state, but continued fighting. Getting another round of stabs in, the weed was engulfed in flames as Spike's magic finally joined the fray.

The plant sprayed pollen on everyone, blinding Applejack and Spike. Since it was big, Applejack wasn't too affected by the pollen, and it seemed that through some working of his magic, Spike's spells still hit. Zidane helped Applejack with another vial of eye drops. The monster, recognizing Spike's fire as its biggest threat, and with the others distracted, swung at him, sending him crashing into the cave wall.

“Spike!” Zidane shouted, fear in his voice. Applejack was still clearing her eyes and didn't know her friend had been hit. Now that she could see again, she saw that the dragon was out cold, her heart skipped a beat as the dangers of this world were reinforced, seeing her friend, unmoving, in the corner.

Zidane ran to his aid and pulled out a red feather, rubbing it on the dragon, and a warm light glowed from the feather. The light washed over Spike, healing him slightly and waking him. Spike got on his feet, cradling his head, and Applejack let out a big sigh of relief. Thank Celestia! Okay, maybe I should give Zidane some slack.

“Anyone get the timber on the tree that hit me?” Spike asked as he leaned on his staff. Tarnations! I shoulda blocked that for him, and now he's practically done, he can barely stand, if only there was-

Applejack felt an unconscious tug from her saddlebags, and she felt as though now was the time to use the power that lay within. Trying to draw on the item's power, she felt her actions momentarily give way to the items will. A yellow apple popped out of the saddlebag, and Applejack bucked it to Spike, the power of the ability prompting Spike to catch it, to his surprise.

“Ugh, eat it?” Applejack said, a little confused. Spike did just that, and as he ate it, his body gave off a yellow glow, immediately making him look better. Applejack grinned at the prospect that she had an ability that healed others.So I can give my friends healin' apples? I didn't know there were apples in this bag. Still, I'm not complainin', even if I don't exactly understand how I did it.

“Thanks for the apple AJ,” Spike said, “It really hit the spot!” He then grabbed his staff and rejoined the battle, just as the monster tried to take a swipe at Zidane, who deftly dodged over it, cutting it as is passed him.

Spike gave the monster another fire spell, causing the monster to cry out as it perished. As it dissolved into mist, Zidane went to the wall to free Garnet. She was still out from the plant's poison, and he was quick to give her the antidote Blank gave them. She stirred, her eyes opened, she was going to be paralyzed for a little bit, but she was awake again, a small thankful smile on her face.

“Ah jeez, looks like I'm late to the party,” surprising everyone, Blank was at the entrance of the cave. Did he come to help? Her brow furrowed in annoyance. Why was he late! We could have used him twenty seconds ago! “Well, let's get her out of here, the forest isn't getting any safer-”

He was interrupted as the vines that were connected to the monster caved into the ground, making everyone back away, revealing a big hole in the center. Small plant bug-like monsters started poring out of it, moving on the party. Spike burned the first wave, but more where shortly behind. Moving quickly, Applejack picked up Spike, Zidane carried the princess, and they all ran out of there.

“I guess I wasn't late after all!” Blank shouted in annoyance. As they ran Spike constantly peppered their pursuers with fire, keeping them from catching up. Their numbers were great however, after taking out at least two dozen, his magic dried up. During the chase, Applejack noticed Blank slip something into Zidane's pocket.

As they ran, the horde of plants seemed to thicken behind them. Applejack almost stumbled when she felt a strange sensation crawl down her spine. Maybe it was that good old earth pony magic, or farmers intuition, but something about the forest was changing, and she knew it would be bad for them if they were inside it when it happened.

“Somethin's not right about the forest! It's changin'!” She warned, for all the good it did, they were already running as fast as they could. She knew Zidane was fast from the chase back at the castle, but she was surprised at his strength, carrying the princess barely slowed him down.

“There should be an exit to the south-” Blank said when he noticed something behind Applejack.

“AJ look out!” Spike warned as one of their pursuers lunged at her, it had gotten the jump on her and would get her before she could dodge it. Blank bumped into the mare, knocking her out of the bug's path, getting caught instead of her. The horde behind them was still there, and she noticed that further back, the forest was petrifying. Applejack paused, considering helping Blank or escaping the forest.

“Run! Don't just stand there, RUN!” Blank yelled, unable to free himself. His words shook her, and compelled her, as she bolted out of there. If she helped him, she was also putting Spike at risk. Spike yelled for Blank, telling Applejack to turn back. She pressed forward, her ears low, fighting the sting of tears in her eyes. She slowly caught up to Zidane, a hard look on his face.

“He's been turned to stone...” Spike weakly bemoaned, looking back behind the group.

“Look out!” He then shouted in alarm, “Vines are coming for us!” Glancing over her shoulder, Applejack saw large thorny vines violently surge past the horde of insects towards them. She weaved and dodged, avoiding each and every one as she saw an exit ahead.

As she reached the exit, a vine crashed into the ground behind her, sending her and Spike sprawling out of the forest. As they got up, they saw the vines wrap around the exit, sealing the forest shut before the vines and the trees turned to stone. Everyone stood, staring at the petrifying forest for a few moments, catching their breath.

He saved me, and now he's stone... The panic and adrenaline subsiding, was replaced with sorrow as she stared at the petrified wall in silence. She walked up to the stone vine wall, hitting it in frustration, her eyes still wet. Why did it have to happen that way!? She hit the wall again, as if hoping that breaking it would save Blank. She flinched when Zidane place his hand on her shoulder.

“Now, don't feel that way.” He said calmly, his face an unreadable mask, “He knew what he was doing, had you been caught, then so would Spike.” He looked to the forest a moment as Applejack turned to him, and he looked her in the eyes. “I'm sure there's something we can do to turn him back. Just not right now, Blank will have to wait till later.”

He gave her a reassuring smile, but the mare wasn't sure if he was mocking her or being genuine, and because of that found no comfort in his words. They did however calm down Spike, who looked a little shaken up.

“Well, that's good.” Spike breathed out, “Maybe we just need to find a particularly large cockatrice?” He suggested, bouncing back and trying to cheer up Applejack, a little worried that she was still feeling down. Applejack looked into his eyes, and saw that worry. She shook her head and put on a small, but terribly unconvincing smile.

“Yea, and once we string it up, we can march it here and turn Blank back, piece of cake!” She said with false bravado, doubting this world even had cockatrices, but didn't want Spike to worry over her.

Her words were a lie, though what she said itself wasn't a lie, the 'fact' that she was okay born from those words was. Spike bought her act, which only made her feel more ashamed. Someone saved her, she left him behind, and now she was lying to her friend to make him feel better. No, she won't let that slide, even if it was the easier option.

“I'm sorry Spike, Zidane,” she began as she looked to them both, “I wanna believe ya, I really do. He saved us, and I just left him there.” She held her hoof to her chest, “It, it really hurts, having abandoned him.” It was true, her heart ached, like it was going to burst from what she did, she was still fighting back tears as Blank's words played out in her head again. Zidane looked at her, a little impressed, he hadn't bought the act she fed Spike, but wasn't expecting her to abandon it for the truth.

“Applejack, there is a cure,” Garnet whispered out, having recovered a little of her strength, “I know there is, so don't you worry. He did what he had to too save us, just as you had to too save yourself and Spike.” Applejack turned to her, and Garnet gave her a kind smile.

“If you are sorry," Garnet added, "then apologize to him when you free him from the forest.” Her words were a cure to Applejack's heart ache. If, if the princess says there's a cure, then there has to be! Without even intending for it to happen, someone from this world worked to protect a complete pair of strangers. How am I suppose to just walk away from that? I, I can't go back to Equestria and leave Blank like this! She thought as she looked to the forest again.

Getting some distance from the forest, the group set up camp. As Garnet regained her strength, she tended to the wounds they received rescuing her. Zidane was looking at the forest, a mixed look of regret and determination on his face. They must have been friends, was he bitterly mocking me, or was he trying to cheer me up? She wasn't sure which, the mask he wore when he tried to comfort her instilled doubt.

“Zidane, I'm sorry about Blank,” Applejack said, getting his attention. “I swear I'll get him cured.” He nodded at her as he gave her a weak smile.

“Yea, I know, you're someone that takes honesty very seriously, I see that now. Don't worry, I believe you'll do just that.” He then looked to the others as he slipped out the piece of paper Blank slipped him. “Now let's get some rest, Blank slipped me a map, and there may be a way out of this valley with it, we can tackle that tomorrow.” Agreeing that rest was the best course of action, they prepared for just that.

With the camp set up, the others went to sleep, and Applejack took first watch through the night, making sure no monsters assaulted. During her watch, she worryingly reflected on the days events, and how involved she and Spike had inadvertently become involved with Gaia. Ooohh! Today was terrible! She scoffed as she felt her face flush over the blunder of getting the Prima Vista shot down.

She briefly hoped the worse was now behind them as she looked over her sleeping companions, her gaze lingering on Zidane and Garnet. Just how attached will I become to this world by the time I leave it? She wondered as she looked to the sky, seeing nothing but mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle with little bits of info about Gaia!'

'I've never met Monty, but he sounds like a nice moogle. I really should track him down and thank him for handling that letter. The part of the forest he resided in was a healing spring, a well of water given healing properties from some 'unknown' source. It truly is a hallow place, considering it was in the Evil Forest.'

'The gang ended up tackling monsters that inflicted status affects Darkness and Poison, which was resolved with some Eye Drops and Antidote. Another status is being knocked out, which can be recovered by using Phoenix Down on the party member, but they recover from KO still weak and injured, so it's important to have a healing ability ready for them as they get back on their feet. There was also Petrify at the end, a real nasty status, if you're petrified, you're out of the fight until someone uses a magical chocobo feather called Soft to cure you of it.'

'Applejack is stronger now then she was in chapter two. Fighting the monsters of the mist make you more experienced against fighting them, making you better at, just about everything needed to fight! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Broadsword: Beast Killer

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

*Leather Scabbard: Cover

*Crude Saddlebag: Apple Toss

Lvl up! Lvl-5 HP 105/265 MP 9/29

AP 9/19

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Sword Arts:

Author's Note

Don't you worry, Spike will get his own specail Abilities too.

Here's a map of the Mist Continent.

Wanna thank my readers, and OCisbestpony for help editing!:twilightsmile:

5. Ice Cavern

Zidane was roughly stirred by Applejack, as it was his turn to keep watch, and she didn't want to leave the second half of the watch to Spike or Garnet. Zidane stretched, but didn't say anything to her. She went over to where Spike was sleeping, and lay down next to him, her eyes giving Zidane a look of warning. Guess she still doesn't trust me. Well, at least she doesn't hate me, so that's in my favor. Zidane thought as he scratched the back of his head, giving her a small grin.

He could tell she was still bothered by Blank's sacrifice, but he hoped she hadn't spent her entire watch brooding over it. He was still upset with his friend being petrified, but it wasn't healthy, dwelling on something that couldn't be helped. The monsters didn't seem up to harassing the party at night. Are the monsters keeping away because of the forest? Though he was unsure why, he wasn't complaining at the lack of activity.

Looking over the map Blank left him, he noticed there was a cave marked to the south. The valley was surrounded by steep cliffs, getting out would be tricky, but he once heard about a cave that connects from the valley to somewhere near the Village of Dali. He assumed the cave on the map was the same one. Wouldn't hurt to check it out when we can.

The only other ways out of the valley were the north and south gate. Old gates used before the invent of airships to allow passage between the three nations on foot. Those gates were now closed off, from what Zidane had heard from Baku, leaving the cave as their best option.

Casting his gaze to the petrified forest, he wondered if the gang made it out of the forest in time. Knowing Baku, I'm sure the rest got out just fine. He was glad that fortune, good or bad, brought the two out-worlders into the forest with them, he doubted it would have worked out had he tried saving Garnet alone.

He then chuckled lightly, Even if one of the outsiders got our ship shot down. He held no enmity to Applejack for that, she was doing what she thought was right. Zidane's brow then furrowed as he wondered what would compel the queen to fire upon them and put her own daughter at risk.

Out-worlders, Equestrians. He looked over to them, a hint of wonder in his gaze.

He had overheard them explain it to Blank, and unlike Blank, he didn't doubt them. He'd seen enough from Applejack to figure she's not the lying type. It also helped that he's never seen a pony or heard of Equestria before those two showed up, chasing him through the castle.

While Zidane fancied luck in games and life, he also knew that sometimes there's no such thing as coincidence. What are the odds of two Equestrians appearing and ending up with the princess the night she wants to flee the castle? Something's going on, and I'm gonna get wrapped up in it if I stay with Garnet. He considered that for a moment then shrugged, Well, If it happens, it happens.

He's taken a liking to his current company. Garnet was cute, and beautiful, and he was always a sucker for a pretty face. Spike has a great deal of power, and has the kind of enthusiasm that Zidane enjoys. Applejack was different, he felt like he was walking on eggshells around her, but that was fun in its special kind of way. She saw him as a thief and a scoundrel, and she wasn't wrong. Smiling at the thought of it all, Zidane kept a quiet watch through the night, and stirred his company when the mist started to thin a little from the sunrise.

Garnet and Spike looked well rested, while Applejack had trouble waking up. By the time the camp was packed up, she was awake and aware of what was going on. As Zidane led them away from the forest, he saw Applejack eyeing it.

He considered trying to comfort her again, when he noticed the look in her eyes, there was a fire burning within them. I guess she's found her resolve. Blank will be fine, he's got me and her on his side. He thought happily, looking back at the forest.

When it started turning to stone, he had felt something strange, it still bothered him, but he couldn't reason an answer for the sensation. Shrugging, he called Applejack along, and she did so, after giving a surprised look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Narrow Escape
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That was a little too close for comfort.” Cinna said as he looked over the petrified woods. When the forest turned to stone, they had managed to avoid the same fate by taking refuse in a stream that lead to the south gate.

“Good thing the stream was shallow,” Baku commented, “or some of us would have been petrified with the forest.”

“Do you think Zidane saved her?” A man in a blue vest and blue shorts, wearing a red bandanna, Marcus, asked.

“Gwahaha! Of course he did!” Baku assured as he walked up to the South gate's ground entrance. It was completely grown over, years of neglect taking its tole on the large wooden doors. “Now we just gotta get through this and we'll be in Lindblum territory, but that can wait.”

Baku then turned to the others, “Marcus, Cinna, get the wounded over here, we're gonna rest up till they can walk on their own!” He barked, and Marcus worked to do just that, while Cinna was distracted collecting the stream's water.

Baku eyed the forest, thinking that it was a blessing that those woods were now stone. He assumed that no one would be harmed by it again as long as it was petrified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where we headin'?” Applejack asked as Zidane overlooked the map, then showed the others.

“There's a cave south of here, it should lead up above the mist. We can worry about getting to Lindblum after we get back topside, we can't linger down here too long.” The mist was an unknown danger, it affected everyone differently, but it was always in some unpleasant fashion. Headaches, chest pains, seeing things, aggression, it's rarely the same between two people.

Destination in mind, they traveled south, to a cave that would take a number of hours to reach. Zidane looked over his shoulder, seeing Applejack and Spike talking to Garnet about Alexandria. As he listened to them, he had to wonder if there were any others from Equestria that had found themselves on Gaia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Pinkie Development
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie shook her head, clearing away the white haze that washed over her when the spell collided with her. Her vision returning, her ears fell as she found herself in an unfamiliar swamp.

There was mist in every direction. Tall, wet grass scattered around patches of murky water, and the smell of insects and mud were heavy in the air. It was strangely quiet, but as she sat there, the sounds of insects slowly filled the air, having acclimated to the unexpected appearance of the mare.

Oh no! she thought in alarm as she spun around, getting a look to see that there was indeed, nopony nearby. No, nonono! as she moved to look for somepony, anypony, she tripped over a oversized fork, which would have made her laugh to see, but she was far removed from being joyful.

Nooo~ This is Gaia! Isn't it!? She mentally bemoaned. A friend would do her some good right now, but being alone, far, far removed from home, in a land shrouded in mist, did anything but put her in a good mood.

Stopping, taking several deep breaths, she worked to compose herself. Calm down Pinkie Pie~. We can laugh at the ghosties, we'll be fine, so- Her tail twitched, making her look around to the sky, expecting something to fall.

Someone wearing red landed right in front of the mare, making her stumble back in surprise as she took in the unexpected Gaian. The individual stood on their hind legs, holding a spear. She had a pointed noise that reminded Pinkie of a mouse. It was a rat-folk, easily taller than her. She had white fur, bright green eyes, wore a red battle dress and pointed helm with two ornamental ears looking more like wings attached. She also had her sharp looking spear pointed at Pinkie.

The mare wasn't bothered by this fact, indeed, she was welcome to see another face, instantly brightening her mood as she adopted her prized smile.

“Hello~ I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you~!?” The warrior blinked in surprise, not expecting Pinkie to talk. She cautiously lowered her weapon as she appraised the mare.

“I'm Freya, and just what are you?” Freya asked as Pinkie looked to her. Freya's hostility replaced with curiosity as Pinkie was hoping to make a new friend in this smelly, misty land.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After moving south for several hours, they found the southern cliff-side, and after searching it for another couple hours, they found the cave's entrance.

They had been attacked several times by monsters, but it wasn't anything the four of them couldn't handle. With Garnet covering their wounds, they had Spike hold off on his magic till they reached the cave, leaving Zidane and Applejack to taking out the monsters. Snakes, goblins, giant blue squirrels, the monsters of the mist seemed more of a nuisance than a danger to the group.

Now that they were at the cave, Zidane wondered if it would continue being that easy. It was giving off a chill, and there was ice visible inside the cave. They were not particularly dressed for the cold, dealing with monsters and the cold climb would be tough.

“An Ice Cave huh?” Spike began as he appraised the cave, adopting a smug look. “Good thing I'm here, with the magic~!” Applejack smiled a little at his comment as she looked up towards the top of the cliff.

“So,” she said as she turned to the others, “we gotta go through that to get to the top?” Applejack asked, clearly not liking the idea.

“'Fraid so,” Zidane confirmed, “it shouldn't be all that bad, we do have Spike with us after all,” he finished playfully, making the dragon puff his chest out with a salute.

Zidane would have it the worst, as his clothes left him more exposed to the cold than the others. Applejack would probably be fine with the cold because of her fur, and Spike had patched up Garnet's robe before they left, surprising the princess and Zidane with his prowess with needle and thread.

“What?” Spike had asked afterwards, “I know a pony that's really into this, of course I would pick up a few tricks,” he had admitted bashfully when questioned.

Zidane smiled as he shook his head of the memory, walking into the cave, the others following behind. They were in awe at the beauty of the flowers within, alive, but frozen. Ice hung from their petals with a strange sort of serenity. Garnet took a close look at the flowers, infatuated by them.

“This is so much better than pictures in a book!” The sheltered girl cheerily proclaimed.

“They're some pretty flowers, that's fer sure.” Applejack added, appraising them with a more pragmatic expression then the princess.

“They almost look edible.” Spike said, his stomach growling as he looked at them, “Kinda wish they were gems.”

“Why, did you want to sell them?” Garnet asked as she turned to him.

“Sell them?” Spike shook his head as he pat his stomach. “I'm hungry, there's only so much apples and flowers can do for me. I want a good gemstone! Maybe a ruby, that would be nice.”

He eats gemstones? Zidane thought as he adopted a contemplating look, Guess dragons have a pricey appetite, shouldn't be too hard for me to get my hands on some. Nodding to himself, he bent down to Spike.

“When we find some, you'll be the first to get 'em.” Zidane promised, making Spike adopt a thankful smile. “Now, let's get a move on, don't want to freeze over in here.”

With that, they proceeded their climb through the cave. The walls of the cavern were blue, slicked with thick ice, causing the path they walked upon to be slippery. Large icicles hung from the ceiling, blocking bits of the path, Spike had to use his magic to clear the way a number of times.

Along the way they tackled monsters; gelatin beasts, tusked brutes that hid behind the cavern breeze, and ice goblins whose concoctions put their foes to sleep. They managed through every battle, each one following the next leaving them more taxed. Zidane wasn't surprised to see that the monsters of the ice cavern proved to be weak to Spike's fire.

Eventually, they found a two-way split in the path. To the right, the path blew with a strong breeze, snow billowing from its entrance as the howling of wind could be heard from beyond. Choosing not to tackle that, the party went left. The path didn't go far, as it was a dead end, but something frozen on a pillar of ice caught their attention. It was a moogle, frozen within a block of ice.

“Just leave this to me!” Spike said in surprise, determined to free the moogle. Quickly gathering up what was left of his magic, he melted the ice. The moogle shook off the hot water, complaining about the heat before realizing it was free from its icy prison.

“You-You freed me!? Thanks! Kupo! Oh thank you thank you, kupo!” The moogle flew around them and Spike, radiating gratitude as it stopped, bowing to them. Zidane and the others had adopted a smile, the warmth of the moogle's happiness becoming a small reprieve from the cold.

“Think nothing of it,” Spike said with a casual tone.

“No, it means a lot to me, kupo. I'm Mois, and I gotta make it up to you.” Mois considered them for a moment before nodding her head. “Oh, I know! I have a way to pay you back, kupo. You four, you're on a journey!” She stated matter-of-factly as she pulled out a large tome.

“You have to be, no one just wanders through this icy cave. Am I right?” Seeing her audience nod, she continued, “In that case, let me record your travels! I can write a book about the adventure you took part in.” She pitched to the party. Applejack and Spike shared a look, the mare shrugged, which made the dragon's grin widen.

“Sounds good!” Spike replied, “you're coming with us?”

“I sure will, kupo. I can't help much in a fight, but I can record your journey and help you with your mail!”

With that, they welcomed Mois, and everyone introduced themselves to the moogle. Nobody minded having another to travel with, and having someone chronicle their journey to Lindblum could make for an interesting story. “When you all have a moment, feel free to fill me in on what you've been through so far,” she requested.

“Mois,” Zidane began, getting her attention, “do you know how far we are from the exit?” He was hoping that this cold climb was almost over as it was now clear to him that they were going to have to go through that strange blizzard.

“It's not that far, but that blizzard is risky, I tried waiting it out, and you saw how that turned out!” Zidane nodded as he let out a sigh.

I guess we can't wait it out either. Still, at least we're almost there.

Glad to be almost done with the cave, the party moved on, and went back to the turn with the howling winds. It truly was unbearable, the wind cut at them like a knife, sapping them, but they pressed on, the exit being close driving each and every step. To Zidane, it felt as if the cave itself was trying to keep them from leaving.

Something's not right about this blizzard, he thought as he tried to look through it, It feels wrong, superficial, fake even! As he pushed forward, he heard Applejack cry in alarm. Looking back, he saw that Garnet had collapsed. Applejack stood over her, trying to wake her. She's asleep? That shouldn't be right! Moving to help the princess, Spike shortly fell asleep right next to her. Zidane heard something on the wind, the chime of a bell. Looking ahead, he understood now, this storm was being made by magic.

Garnet needs to wake up, and so does Spike. He then shook his head as he felt a wave of drowsiness assault him. We're not going to be stopped by this! I am not going to be stopped by this! Determination in his eyes, Zidane pressed forward to the source of the chime.

Looking back, he saw Applejack looking at him, her eyes heavy with fatigue as she passed out. He also saw Mois slumped over in a corner of the chamber, they were all out, leaving just him. Hoping he would be enough to handle the problem, he forced his way through the snow, seeking to save them. In the chamber right after the one the others collapsed in, was a frozen waterfall.

“Why aren't you asleep?” A malicious voice from above asked, “You should be dead by now!”

Zidane frowned up at the waterfall, seeing the source of the blizzard. A short figure stood there, glowering down at Zidane. It had a tan-ish yellow wizard hat and brown tunic, its face concealed by darkness, two yellow orbs showing for its eyes. It was a Black Mage, but unlike normal mages, this one also had dark blue wings. In its hands it held a small golden bell, the source of the chime Zidane had heard.

“So you're the one causing the blizzard!” Zidane accused as he pulled out his weapons.

“Hee hee hee, that's right!” the Black Mage then landed in front of him. “Come, Sealion!” he cried out as he gave the bell a ring. Instantly, a large monster born of magic and mist appeared at the Black Mage's side. It was large, at least twenty feet tall, it looked something akin to a snake with the wings of a bird attached to its head. Zidane's brow furrowed deeper as he charged at the two, I need to save the others!

Zidane charged the mage, seeing it as the greater threat, despite Sealion's size. Dodging under Sealion's attack, he slipped past and bared his daggers upon the mage-

Sealoin's tale intercepted the attack, taking the hit in the mage's stead, to Zidane's surprise and annoyance. Well, if that's how it's going to be! He thought as he gave the summoned monster his attention, giving it a fresh gash. He was unexpectedly hit from behind by a ball of fire, causing him to roll past Sealoin. The mage smiled at him, and cast a freezing spell onto Sealion, healing the gash Zidane had inflicted.

Oh come on!

Drinking a potion, recovering from the mage's fire, Zidane found himself locked in a battle of attrition. He doubted his potions would outlast the mage's magic. Unexpectedly reaching out, his eye's widened in surprise, mirrored by the mage, as he found a yellow apple in his grasp.

Looking back to the cavern's entrance, a sly, thankful grin on his face, he saw Applejack, giving him a curt nod as she charged into the fight, sword drawn. She slipped past Sealion, catching it by surprise as she attacked the mage. Dodging an attack from the beast, Zidane quickly downed the apple, feeling rejuvenated as he redoubled his attack upon Sealion.

With Applejack's blade, the fight turned to their favor, the battle of attrition coming to an end as the mage found its guardian unable to aid it while Sealion was under Zidane's assault. The mage, being less hearty than the monster it summoned, was slain first. Being run through by Applejack, the bell it held as was destroyed as the mage dispersed into mist with a surprised cry.

“Nice one AJ! Now we-”

Zidane's hearty cry was interrupted by Sealion letting out a terrifying roar. In a burst of magic, it summoned a wave of water, crashing it into the waterfall, shattering the frozen river. The shards of ice mixed with the water, slamming into the both of them, no cover available to defend themselves from the unexpected attack. As the crashing wave washed over them, Zidane thought he heard Applejack cry out.

Zidane gurgled out the air in his lungs as he felt himself being cut by the attack, but he avoided swallowing the water as it dispersed, leaving him and Applejack unceremoniously dumped on the cold ground. Zidane was shivering from the cold, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw that Applejack wasn't moving.

Drinking a potion, he reached for a Phoenix Feather. Before he could bring out the feather, Sealion landed a solid blow against Zidane. However, because of the potion, he was able to bear the brunt of the assault as he moved to the mare's side, wincing in pain. Pulling out the feather, he used it on her. As he helped her to her hooves, she gave him a surprised look.

Handing her his last potion, he separated himself from her, returning his attention to their enraged foe. Dodging another attack, Zidane planted his dagger into the beast's wing, pinning it into the ground. Abandoning the dagger, he ran up the wing to Sealion's head, going for its eyes.

As Zidane's attack hit his mark, he felt the beast buckle under an unexpected impact. Looking down, Zidane saw Applejack, having rammed into the beast with her sword. The beast lurched as Zidane hopped off it, and dispersed into mist. Applejack and Zidane shared a quick look, before falling on their haunches, breathing heavily as the adrenaline pumping through their veins worked its course.

They sat there quietly as they caught their breath, and to his surprise, Applejack handed him a yellow apple, but avoided making eye contact with him.

“You defeated number one, but number two and three will reclaim the princess!”

A voice filled the cavern, seeming to come from the walls itself. They looked around confused, and worried, but no attack came, and no enemy could be spotted. With another potential threat nearby, they both went back to check on the others. They returned to find Spike helping Mois on her feet, Garnet looking over the both of them.

“Ya'll alright?” Applejack asked, appraising them with concern.

“Yea, I felt really sleepy, something happen?” Spike asked as he brushed snow off of himself. “The blizzard stopped, which is nice.” Zidane, seeing they were all fine, let out a sigh of relief. After a short rest, he had everyone move along, now that the blizzard was gone, the exit was a short stroll away, and he was freezing. As they made their way, Applejack filled them in on the battle with the Black Mage.

“So,” Spike began, “that was sent for the princess? Who sent it?”

“Probably an enemy of Alexandria,” Garnet said after hesitating, her expression looking unconvinced at the idea.

“Well,” Zidane started as he looked to the others, “we should keep an eye out, there are supposedly two more we'll have to deal with at some point, so be vigilant.” He suspected it was the queen that sent the mage, but didn't want to upset Garnet with the suggestion. The queen went overboard! what if Garnet had been hit by one of those spears!? He thought with a small frown. I wouldn't put it past her to be the one that sent that mage.

Climbing the path up beyond the waterfall, they saw sunlight ahead of them. And after a few more renewed paces, they were out of the cave, enjoying the warmth of the sun, leaving the mist behind them.

The cave's exit was in the side of a mountain, out in the distance was a town, and Zidane recognized it as the village of Dali. From there we may be able to get an airship to Lindblum, if not we'll have to head to the south gate or Treno to get to Lindblum, still, this is a lot better than being down in the valley.

“Let's rest before continuing, we can head to Dali and see what happens from there,” Zidane suggested, indicating the village. Everyone welcomed a more dedicated rest, it had been a long tough climb through the ice caverns, and with all the fights and the blizzard, they were exhausted. The day was close to mid-afternoon, they had plenty of time to reach Dali.

Zidane noticed Applejack giving him a look, catching her eye, she looked away. Does she still not trust me? Or has her opinion changed with that battle with the mage? He wondered as he sat down and took a breather, hoping that fighting was over for the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle to tell you a little bit more about Gaia!'

'This was where I met Spike and the others! Spike saved my life, so I always follow him around, I mostly go where he goes. Good thing I can fly, he has a knack of getting places others can't, as you'll see next chapter. Kupo.'

'The party came across a nasty spell that puts you to sleep, Zidane managed to overcome it, and Applejack followed shortly after. Good thing too, that kind of Black Mage is very dangerous!'

'You see Zidane has a new weapon below! Where did he get it? As a thief, he can steal from enemies, so something in that cave had a new knife for him!'

'The ice cavern is kept cold by some odd workings of the mist, and relies solely on it to maintain its low temperature.'

'Some other monsters have a weaker version that puts others to Sleep, but a slap or two will wake anyone affected right up! Kupo~'

~~~~~~

Zidane

~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Mythril Dagger: Bandit

Leather Hat: ~~Fire~~

Leather Wrist: Beast Killer, ~~Blizzard~~

Leather Shirt: Protect Girls(mastered)

Lvl Up! Lvl-8 HP 359/359 MP 50/50

AP 6/22

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Protect Girls(4) - You take damage in place of a girl.

*Flee-Gil (3) - Receive Gil even when running from battle.

*Bandit (5) - Raises success rate of Steal.

Abilities:

Steal: Action Command - Steal an item from the enemy.

Skill:

Flee 0 MP - Escape from battle with high probability.

Detect 0 MP – See the enemy's items.

Trance - Physical damage multiplied by 1.5, Gain access to the Dyne Skills.

Author's Note

Have no fear, most chapters will be from Spike and Applejack's PoV. And Mois is a girl now, hope nobody minds/notices!

Here's a pic. for our boss battle.

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a 'thankyouforreadingthis' bug going around?
Anyways, thank you OCisbestpony for your help editing.:twilightsmile:

6. Frontier Village Dali

Even though Spike was drained of magic, he felt pretty good about himself. He couldn't do anything with his fire breath, but his magic proved his value to the others in a fight. While Fire was the sole tool he used, it wasn't the only one his gear granted him, as he was looking forward to the opportunity of trying out Blizzard and Thunder. As they were recovering, Zidane moved to Spike's side, bending down to address him.

“Drink one of these,” he said to Spike as he gave the dragon two orange potions. “Save the other for an emergency, it will replenish your magic.” Spike looked at his smile, surprised there was a remedy for drained magic. Spike eagerly downed one of the bottles, feeling his magic being replenished in the process.

It would have been nice to have this earlier, Spike thought as he eyed the empty bottle, but I guess I didn't tell them how tired I was. He had really taken a liking to Zidane, it was clear to Spike that Zidane respected his abilities, and that really boosted his self-esteem after what happened in the Evil Forest. Spike looked back to Zidane, sporting a toothy grin.

“Wow, that hit the spot!” he replied. It tasted like orange juice! Thinking that, he got on his feet, ready to tackle whatever was thrown their way. He looked over the plains below them, spotting the village before turning back to the blond rogue. “Zidane, you been to Dali before? What's it like?”

“Well,” Zidane began as he turned to address everyone, “it's a small farming village that overlooks the airship traffic coming from the South Gate.” He looked back to the village as he frowned in thought. “Or, at least it was, looks like they've cut back on their farming.”

“This will be my first time visiting another settlement of Alexandria,” Garnet pointed out, “I am looking forward to it,” she added with enthusiasm.

“You've never visited the other towns?” Spike asked her, his head tilted in confusion.

“Actually, that reminds me of something.” Zidane said as he turned to the princess, “Garnet, you'll need a new identity. The queen is looking for you. Someone from Dali will blow the whistle if you walk in there calling yourself princess-”

“Wait,” Applejack interrupted, stomping her hoof at hearing that, “ya want her to pretend to be somepony else? She's a princess! She doesn't need to lie about that!” Spike looked on in concern as Applejack approached Zidane. Spike understood what Zidane meant, but Applejack represented the element of honesty, she wasn't going to allow this without a fight. Okay, this will probably get ugly. Come on Spike, think, think! How to convince AJ?

“It is okay Applejack,” The princess assured as she got between the mare and the rogue. “Zidane is right, I do not want to be found by my mother, I will need a new name until we reach the lands of Lindblum.” Considering something a moment, her eyes fell upon the weapons sheathed on Zidane's belt, and she nodded to herself. “Zidane, what are your weapons referred to as?”

“Oh, these?” Zidane asked as he pulled them out. “A blade this short is referred to as a dagger, while blades as a little longer are short swords. The weapon Applejack's wielding, meant for two hands, is called a broadsword, and-”

“I think I understand." She interrupted, making him sag a little, "How about calling me Dagger? No one would expect the princess to take up such a name, right?” Zidane nodded as he sheathed his weapons. That's a pretty cool name! Spike thought as he looked to Applejack. She looked like she wanted to argue, but the smile on Garnet- Dagger's face made her pause.

“That's perfect,” Zidane said with a nod, “now try to talk more casually, like me. You're speech is a little too formal for a small farming town.”

“I shall try.”

“No, not like that,” Zidane said, shaking his head as he looked over to Spike, then Applejack, thinking for a moment, “Just say 'sure thing',” he said, mirroring the mare's accent. Applejack frowned while Spike tried to hide his chuckle.

“S-sure thing!” Garnet stammered, causing Spike to hold his sides in a failed attempt to hide his mirth. Oh boy, two Applejacks! It'll be a right hoedown before we know it! Spike thought, his smile getting a glare from the mare.

“Now princess-” Applejack started.

“It is Dagger now Applejack, do not- don't call me princess, okay?” Dagger asked of her. Applejack had a pained expression, like she wanted to yell at Dagger, but didn't want to yell at her at the same time. Spike nodded as he moved to Applejack's side. Spike to the rescue!

“Applejack,” he began, “just don't call her by name, and when we're by ourselves, you can refer to her as Garnet. Okay?”

“And it'll be for her protection,” Zidane assured, “keeping the princess safe is your top priority, right?” Applejack frowned, and didn't reply, suddenly looking unsure of herself. She didn't nod, but she didn't press her argument either. “Alright then, let's move out.” He said, as he turned and began making his way down the mountain.

Applejack followed behind, and Spike moved to her side, wanting to assure her. Applejack was the most stubborn of his friends. He wanted to help her get accustomed to traveling with a colorful character like Zidane, and a princess with a cool nick-name.

“You okay AJ? You've been pretty upset since the ship crashed.” Sometimes simply asking if something is wrong is all it takes to help. She looked at him, her expression softening, as she shook her head.

“I'm worried, terribly worried.” She then sighed as she looked to the alien sky. “We're stuck here. I talked to Garnet earlier, she said she didn't know how we got here, or how to get us back. And now we're caught up in helpin' her and Blank.”

She then looked to Spike, worry etched on her face, and he started to adopt it too as she continued. “What's happened to the farm? How're our friends? What's the mist doing to the Everfree? I'm don't know. It's makin' me right agitated!” She then let out a sigh as she looked to the rogue ahead of them. “Zidane makes sense an' all, even though I don't like it, and I want to trust him, but I can't,” she finished, looking at the ground in annoyance.

“Come on Applejack.” Spike began, looking her in the eyes. “We've been split from the others before, and we all did alright. It'll be fine, so don't worry, okay?” She looked to him, considering his words before smiling.

“I'll try Spike, thanks.” She said, honestly reassured from his words. She had faith in her friends and family, they should be fine without her for a couple days.

“Besides," Spike added, "you have me with you, we'll be fine, and so will everyone in Ponyville,” he said with his chest puffed out. Twilight still has Owlicious, so she'll be fine without her number one assistant for a while. While Spike was a little homesick, he wasn't worried about the others, they were always good at managing without him. Well, besides when Twilight went crazy.

With both Equestrians momentarily content with their situation, the party moved on to Dali. While they had been talking, it seemed Zidane and Dagger carried a conversation of their own. From what Spike had picked up from it, the conversation concerned why Dagger wanted to leave Alexandria, but he couldn't make out the details.

Getting closer to Dali, several monsters had assaulted them, and several monsters perished for it. Of the monsters they fought, Spike took note of the large spiders, which were of the same variety that first attacked him outside Alexandria. He was surprised that the spiders were so weak. Well, weak compared to the monsters in the Ice Cavern.

“There are monsters above the mist as well?” Applejack asked, and Zidane nodded, informing them that monsters climb up the cliff to harass those above.

And I got a firsthand taste of that. Spike thought as he realized he didn't pick up the gil from that very first monster outside Alexandria.

In short order, they reached Dali. The village had a small number of domed stone buildings, as well as windmills. A farm stood at the eastern side of the village, and to the east, near the edge of the cliff several miles away was a small raised hill with a home at its base. The village was quaint, calm and smelled of fresh produce.

Having already rested, the party walked past the inn, and moved to the center of town. Zidane then looked over the others as he explained his intentions.

“We can go to the South Gate on foot, but I doubt they'll let us through.” He then appeared to realize something as he looked to Applejack and Spike. “The South Gate is a large doubled off gate that controls airship travel between Alexandria and Lindblum. Any and all airships need to go through it to cross the border, and security is tight there.” Applejack nodded in understanding as Spike pictured a very large door that swung open to let airships through.

“We should split up and see if we can find an alternate route," he added. "Just in case. We'll meet back up here in an hour, sound good?” Everyone agreed, and Applejack volunteered to protect the princess. Dagger and the mare went off to check out the town, Mois going with them, while Zidane asked Spike to follow him.

Going into a small store, Zidane talked to the clerk to see what she was selling, and in short order bought a bunch of supplies and equipment for the whole party. He surprised Spike by handing him a small number of clear gems called Ore and a single Garnet. The Ore was opaque, having no color to it, while the Garnet had a hot pinkish tint, similar to Twilight's Element of Harmony.

“You wanted to eat some gems, so here you go.” Zidane said with a friendly smile.

“Wow! Thanks!" Spike replied as he looked up to Zidane, "You and I are officially friends!” he then promptly ate several ores as Zidane nodded, clearly happy to have heard that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Dagger Tries
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack was looking over the small farm with more interest than Dagger had expected. While the mare was distracted, Dagger tried to converse with the old woman tending to the farm.

“Greetin- Um, Howdy? I was wondering- wonderin' what you're doing with the plants.” The old lady turned to Dagger, giving her a strange look, before she could reply, Applejack interjected her answer.

“She's pullin' weeds and killin' bugs, gotta do that to make sure the plants stay healthy and strong.” The orange mare answered, getting a surprised look from both of them. “What?” Applejack said as she returned the look. “I kinda do this for a livin'. Though, it's mostly apples, I still manage other plants too.”

“In that case,” the old lady said, “care to help me out for a little?”

“Don't mind if I do!” Applejack replied with a beaming smile, helping with the small farm, both of them forgetting about Dagger as she stared on in disbelief. I-I didn't know Applejack was a farmer.

Dagger then considered what Applejack said, 'Pullin' and Killin'?' I can't really see myself talking like her! Dagger shook her head at the notion as she watched the mare work for a little bit, considering her alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Spike ate the gems, he felt a power coming from the ones in his claws. These rocks have power in them! But more importantly, they're tasty! Eating all but a single Ore and the one Garnet, he considered trying out the powers hidden within, outside, where it was safe. Zidane followed him out curiously as the dragon gave the power in the Ore a spin.

Drawing on its power, he was surprised when he took in a deep breath and spit out a jet of red fire. Luckily, he didn't burn anything belonging to anyone. It felt hotter than his Fire spell, but more concentrated, he'd only be able to burn a single foe with this attack.

Switching to the Garnet, he was surprised to feel something familiar when he called upon it. He felt a presence he's known his whole life as he teleported a short distance from where he was. The Garnet allowed him to teleport, and holding it felt as if Twilight was standing right by his side. He held the gem close to his heart for a moment, feeling reassured as Zidane approached him.

"That was something!" Zidane proclaimed wide-eyed, "Is that part of your black magic?" Spike considered that a moment before shaking his head.

"It was different," then he looked back to the gem, "and familiar." He then looked back to Zidane, his grin renewed. "Thanks Zidane!" Zidane gave him an amused nod, then looked over the village before addressing Spike.

“I'm gonna gather information, see you in about fifty minutes?” Spike nodded, and they waved to each other as they split up.

The windmill had caught Spike's eye, and he teleported over to it. His teleport had a shorter range than Twilight's, but it was easily the least taxing spell he had. The powers in the gems seemed to disappear when he held both at once, so he naturally chose to master the one tied to Twilight first. Looking up at the windmill, he quickly forgot that he was suppose to be looking for a way to reach Lindblum as he took in the sights of the town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Dagger Tries Harder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger was in the town's shop listening to the shop-keeper converse with a young boy. She took acting lessons as a princess, but Applejack's accent was just too much for her. Listening to these two converse was giving her a good idea of how she should be talking. Applejack had stayed at the farm when she left, the mare clearly infatuated with the task of aiding in its upkeep.

“Oh, hey Dagger, where's Applejack?” She jumped lightly in surprise as she turned around to see Zidane standing at the shop's entrance, giving her his typical smile. She took in a deep breath as she looked back to the shop-keeper,

“She's working at the town's small farm right now, but she'll be done soon. I guess you and Spike split up?” She asked, hoping she had gotten her speech right this time.

“Yea, we split up-” Zidane paused as his eyes widened, looking to her. “Oh hey, that was pretty good!”

“Why, thank you very much,” She replied with a smile as she gave him very formal bow, getting an odd look from the shop-keeper. Zidane shook his head as he let out a lighthearted sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kwehh~”

The noise caught the young dragon by surprise. Hungry? Who's hungry? Where did that noise come from? Spike looked around, hearing the noise again, he followed its source to a small chimney poking out of the ground. It's beneath me? His face scrunched in thought as he looked around. Should I dig, or try teleporting?

Not too sure if he needed to see where he was going to teleport, he tried to teleport five feet below ground. After the flash his eyes had to adjust to the lack of sunlight. He had teleported into the middle of the air, and instantly fell a few feet into a pile of hay. His heart skipped a beat as he landed, feeling as though he was sharing the pile of hay with something bigger then himself.

“Kwehh!?” A startled bird stood next to the dragon, preparing to attack the intruder. The bird was bigger than a pony, had short wings, a long neck and yellow feathers.

“Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you.” Spike quickly got out as he backed away from the bird. “I'm Spike, pleased to meet you.” He swiftly added with a small, sheepish smile. The bird, no longer startled, backed away as it appraised Spike.

“Kweh?”

“Yea, not hear to eat you, I promise.” Glad that he wasn't gonna be kicked by it, he took in his surroundings. He was in a cave, lanterns and the light coming in through the chimney lit the area up. The floor outside the bird's pen was layered in brick. Spike then looked back to the bird, “So, what are you, and what is this place?”

“Kwehh~” it replied, giving off a couple of chirps and whistles as it tilted its head. So, this is a chocobo, and it's resting from working in the factory? He nodded as he left the pen, deciding to look around, bidding the bird grateful farewell. This place smelled like an adventure, and he wasn't going to pass it up. Time to explore the super-secret-hidden-underground-place! Not understanding why a factory would be underground, he naturally assumed it was suppose to be a secret.

Wandering deeper inside, he passed many long boxes and crates. Not interested in a bunch of boring boxes, he move past the storage area to a loud room. There was a machine with mist seeping out of it, the source of the noise, metal grating on metal. He watched in wonder as it constantly spat out tan and pink eggs as big as he was onto a conveyor belt. Oo~ what's this? He also noticed a pair of double doors with mist seeping from it. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he threw them wide open.

He was immediately attacked by a pair of small purple ghost-looking monsters. Caught by surprise, they got him first with a pair of fire spells. Luckily for Spike, fire doesn't harm him. He responded with lightning, taking down the first, and shortly after eating up another pointless fire spell, he took care of the second. He saw that room had some strange machine that was sucking up the mist in there, and transferring it to the one spitting out the eggs. Not wanting to linger in the monster infested chamber, he left, closing the double doors behind him as he looked back to the conveyor belt.

Moving on deeper inside, following the eggs, he saw a chocobo powering the conveyor belt. Giving the chocobo a quick greeting, confusing the bird, he walked past another machine that the eggs fed into. Trying to look in past all its moving parts, he thought he could hear the eggs hatching. Moving onto the next room, he saw what came from the eggs. They closely resembled the description of what Zidane and Applejack fought in the cave, Black Mages.

Wait. Do these machines make Black Mages? Why? Spike looked at them in wonder, unable to find an answer to his question.

Hanging from the assembly line, the unconscious mages were dragged along. Spike followed them out of curiosity, they didn't seem dangerous, and he wanted to know more about them. Following the line, he saw that the mages were put in the longer boxes he had walked past earlier and fitted into large barrels. Seeing members of the village in this room, he teleported past them. Looking out beyond the room, he saw a ramp going up, a cart pulled by a chocobo was pulling a full barrel out of the cave and onto the surface.

Reaching topside, he was surprised to see an airship docked near the underground door. The airship had a boat like vessel hanging under a large balloon, with a pair of large propellers extend from each side of the balloon. It didn't look as impressive as the Prima Vista, but it was still amazing to the young dragon.

He saw several villagers and Black Mages loading the ship, and decided to explore it. Maybe this is heading to Lindblum! He thought hopefully as he teleported to the deck, seeing half a dozen awake Black Mages working on it. They payed the dragon no mind, which made Spike all the more curious as he looked around the ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Fowl Temptress
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The chocobo's full attention was given to the orange earth pony. It had never seen a pony before, but it considered her to be the most beautiful creature it's ever laid it's eyes upon. Hearts floated behind the mare in the chocobo's eyes, it truly was smitten. There were also two others with the mare commenting on the barrel near its pen, but it paid them no mind.

“Kwehhh~”

“Oh?” The mare replied, looking to the him in surprise. It's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. “Howdy! I'm Applejack. Have ya seen a small dragon around here? We're lookin' fer him and could use some help.” She was addressing the chocobo, and it was terribly happy for the interaction. He now felt that he could die a happy bird. Not wanting to disappoint her, he quickly replied.

“Kweh!” Giving some short clicks and whistles, it informed the mare about the dragon it encountered. Considering the mare's attire, the chocobo had an idea, and offered the mare a gift, “Kwehhhh?” It asked as it raised an eyebrow, making the mare's eyes widen in surprise.

“Ya-Ya do?” She replied, looking a little embarrassed, “I mean, if it's not too much trouble, I'd love to, but why?” She asked the chocobo, unsure why it was offering her its old armor.

“Kweh~” It was no trouble giving it to her, the chocobo had no use for it now, the villagers having long abandoned chocobo combat.

“Well, if it's no trouble, then thank ya kindly!” She responded with a big grin, making the chocobo wince in pain as its heart almost leapt from its chest. It made Applejack happy, and it gave her something that would protect her life, truly the chocobo was happy with giving her the gift.

“So, do ya have a name?” She asked of him, and he almost bit his tongue chirping it out. “Boco? Thanks Boco!”

As the orange mare left, the chocobo watched her leave, his old armor waiting for her in the storage room. He didn't fancy he'd ever see her again, but for a brief moment in time, he understood the magic born of pure euphoric bliss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, whatcha doing? Did you just hatch?” Spike asked the mage overlooking an old engine. He had followed several of the mages around, they never said anything, but he got the impression they were being polite to him. He found one that would answer his questions with a shake or nod of its head, and through a long line of questions, Spike figured that the mages were the assistants of the village, and were helping load the ship to go to Alexandria.

“Would it be cool if you took me and a couple of my friends to Lindblum? We have to get there soon, it's important,” he requested of the mage that answered his questions, and it nodded its head, much to Spike's surprise, and delight. All right! I gotta go tell the others!

Hearing the sound of a commotion, he teleported to the side of the ship. To his alarm, Spike noticed a fight going on below. His friends were fighting a winged Black Mage. Spike immediately teleported down to help his friends with the battle.

Teleporting near Applejack, he was surprised to see her wearing metal armor that covered her chest and the front of her forward legs. Is that chocobo barding that Blank talked about? The dragon wondered as he let out a barrage of fire on their attacker.

The Black Mage was already wounded by the time he joined the fray. Dagger had kept everyone's wounds in check, putting the mage at a disadvantage. The others were glad he joined, informing that they were looking for him.

The mage seemed rather indignant at Spike's magical display, and was quick to counter attack with a matching spell on the dragon, but after learning Spike wouldn't burn, instead focused on the whole party, minus Dagger. However, with the concentrated assault, it perished very quickly.

Strength in numbers! Spike thought as he looked over his friends. I guess we should stick together, doesn't seem like anything can beat us when we're together! Just like back home, he finished with a smile.

“P-Princess! I must... capture the princess for... the queen!” the Black Mage croaked out weakly before dispersing to mist. They're made of mist? But the ones on the ship seemed nice. He thought, a little confused, how is this mage different from the other mages, besides the wings? Thinking on it, he noticed everyone else looked a little tired from the battle. As he waited on the others, resting, Dagger looked to where the mage perished, confused.

“Did my mother really send the Black Waltz to capture me?” She asked, unsure if it was true or not.

“It said so itself,” Applejack affirmed, “dunno why yer mother wants ya back so badly, I mean, there's bein' protective, and then there's bein' possessive.” Spike looked over the others with a questioning look, wondering if they had conversed with the 'Black Waltz' before the fight.

“Spike,” Zidane began, a hint of concern in his voice, “you okay? We were looking for you.”

“Yea, I'm great!” Spike the pointed to the ship behind him, giving his friends a toothy grin. “I got us a ride to Lindblum! the Black Mages on the ship said they'll take us!” Zidane eyed a barrel that hadn't been loaded onto the cargo ship yet, before looking back to Spike.

“We were under the impression it was heading to Alexandria.”

“Well, yea. But they said they would drop us off first! Rather nice of them.” Spike added with a big smile.

“Well,” Applejack began as she got on her hooves, “if Spike is sure they'll take us, then that's good enough fer me, sound good prin- erm Garnet?” Dagger nodded, and with everyone for it, they boarded the ship. Spike, however, teleported onto the ship, surprising the mare and princess.

“Spike! That was just like Twilight! How'd ya do that?” Applejack asked, wide-eyed and a little happy for the dragon. Spike pulled out the Garnet, showing it to Applejack as he smiled.

“This gemstone lets me do it! Awesome right? When we get back to Equestria, I can't wait to show Twilight that I can do her trick too!” He shouted as the rest climbed aboard. Spike went below deck to talk to Applejack. When he reached her he asked, “So where'd you get the cool armor?”

“Got it from a chocobo named Boco, when we started lookin' fer ya. I heard it and asked it about ya. It seemed happy to part with it, dunno why.” Applejack paused to consider something for a moment, and she blushed lightly before shaking her heard, turning back to Spike.

“Eh, ah- We went down there to find you!” She said as she composed herself, making Spike tilt his head in confusion. “We accidentally got stuck in some boxes and ended up outside near the airship, the Black Waltz attacked after we escaped the barrel we were in. I'd say ya missed out, but it looks like ya had a small adventure of yer own.” She told him, giving the dragon a sly grin, which he mirrored.

"So it's not a Black Mage, but a Black Waltz? That thing we fought?" Spike asked curiously.

"Ayep, it called itself number two. The one we fought in the cave was number one. Still one more left." She finished, looking to Zidane and Dagger.

As Spike considered that, the airship started to take off. As it lifted, it slowly rotated south, and flew off towards the South Gate. Things were looking up for everyone, they sat on the deck of the ship and rested while they were transported to their destination, talking about the Black Mages and what reason the queen had for making them.

As they talked, Spike quietly eyed the Garnet that let him teleport, like a certain mare. The power it granted was a connection to his friend, his family. He would never eat this gem, he held it close to his heart and treasured it as the cargo ship made its journey above the mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Chocobos! Before mist engines became prevalent, travel between nations was on chocobo drawn wagons or chocobo riding. Chocobos are feared by monsters, which make them handy to have when traveling through the mist. Now that airships are fairly common, weapons and armor for chocobos have fallen from grace. Many chocobos are fine with this, as the birds themselves are naturally docile.'

'When Spike teleported below ground, I was left behind! I went to tell the others about him disappearing like that, and the search began! Kupo!'

'Black Mage's are produced via mist. Though the mist is seen as a malicious force, that should not be held for the Black Mages, they are as capable of good as they are evil. It's simply a matter of whether the Black Mage's you're dealing with are puppets or not.'

'The fight with Black Waltz No.2 was tough, if wouldn't have been possible without the Princesses' healing magic. Shame Spike was late to the fight. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Mage Staff: Fire(mastered)

*Feather Hat: ~~Bright Eyes~~, Add Status

Raises Wind Elem-Atk

*Leather Wrist: ~~Beast Killer~~, Blizzard(mastered)

Silk Shirt: Thunder(mastered), ~~Cure~~

Property: Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

*Garnet: ~~Bahamut~~, ~~Healer~~, Teleport

Lvl up! Lvl-9 HP 180/244 MP 23/67

AP 15/18

*Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Author's Note

It is here, the time has come! Oh wait, no Black Waltz No. 3? How could I!?
Have some Chocobo!

And a Black Waltz No.2 while we're at it.

Thanks for reading, and thank you OCisbestpony for making my words make more sense.

7. Black Waltz

Black Waltz No.3 looked on in disgust as the Queen's two jesters complained about the petty failures of No.1 and 2. How insufferable, and to think I was constructed by these inferior creatures. No.3 thought as he distracted himself from their pointless squabble, keeping his attention on the cargo ship.

Black Waltz No.3, being the strongest of the Waltzs, was also the largest, had more pronounced blue wings, and a large staff that occasionally crackled with lightning. Despite the fact that it was fabricated, it took pride in its power, and was eager to put it to use.

Black Waltz No.3 and the two jesters had been watching from a distance on the deck of a small airship, which barely had room for the three of them, but was fast. From there, they witnessed the failure of Black Waltz No.1 and No.2. Now, the cargo ship was taking off from Dali, and was bound to Alexandria, with the princess on board.

“We should have sent all three at once?” Zorn asked, tilting his head as he looked to his red and white clad twin.

“All three at once, we should have sent!” Thorn annoyingly said, practically jumping as he replied. Zorn quickly shook his head.

“We should have made them more compatible!”

“Work together, they should have!” Thorn affirmed.

“Now we only have No.3 left,” Zorn said with a hint of fear in his voice as he looked to the cargo ship. They then both looked alarmed when they saw the ship turn towards the South Gate, instead of Alexandria.

“Our heads, the queen will have!” Thorn bemoaned as he pointed to their escaping target.

“Go retrieve the princess, quickly!” Zorn ordered Black Waltz No.3.

“Quickly the princess, you must retrieve!” Thorn proclaimed, his brow furrowed. No.3 wings furrowed, and didn't humor them with a response.

Damn pests, he thought as he glanced over his shoulder to them, I live to capture the princess! I need no orders to do my sworn purpose! No.3 was the strongest of the Black Waltz's, so he naturally saw everything else beneath him. All the Black Waltz's refused to work together, believing that they could each capture the princess on their own. One and Two were inferior, their deaths a certainty. I shall retrieve the princess, and crush the vermin she surrounds herself with!

Wasting no time, No.3 took flight, heading after the cargo ship, quickly catching up to it. He saw on the deck an the orange-four legged creature and a small black mage. No, No.3 corrected himself. It was some sort of lizard wearing the robes and hat of a black mage, A mere pretender, how disgraceful!

The impostor had fallen beneath his noticed when he saw No.2 perish, the lizard fought with magic, and was thus beneath Black Waltz No.3.

No.3 knew how the others were defeated. Strength in numbers. He wouldn't allow himself to fall to the same trick. I will not give them time to gather! Catching his enemies off guard, he landed on the ship and blasted the orange one with his most powerful stroke of lighting. Caught off guard, she was hit by the full brunt of his assault, sending her rolling, and flying off the side of the ship. No.3 smiled to himself. One down.

“Applejack!!” The small lizard cried fearfully. A small rope flew over the side and caught the railing, but No.3 didn't pay it any mind. He instead prepared another blast for the monkey wearing blue that was coming out of the ship's cabin. Before his magic could be cast, the small mage used his own magic against the Black Waltz, which No.3 deflected, with shameful ease.

“Pathetic,” he commented offhandedly as he gave the human with the tail his attention. The magic No.1 and 2 had were child's play compared to what No.3 had. His Thunder was on a completely different level. He blasted the monkey, causing him to stagger and fall back. As it started to get back on its feet, No.3 noticed the princess coming out of the cabin. The princesses' healing magic did in No.2, not this time!

“Princess!” No.3 proclaimed maliciously, “Use your magic to aid these rats, and I'll have to shut you down.” It was the only warning No.3 was going to give.

Regardless, he saw that the princess was preparing a spell, but he fired his off first. The electric storm took her down, and she fell to the deck, unmoving. While dealing with the princess and the monkey, he failed to notice the lizard helping the mare climb the rope to the deck. He spread out his thunder as the monkey started to move to the princesses' aid. Fool, you wasted your chance to strike me!

As the monkey rubbed a red feather on the princess, she started to stir, but the following thunderstorm that hit everyone on the deck knocked her and the thief out. The lizard lost hold of the rope from the thunder and a cry of alarm came from the one hanging onto the other end.

Only the small lizard remained, and Black Waltz No.3 ignored it. He moved to the unconscious princess, he was here to capture her, and his goal was right in front of him. And that is why I am the strongest-

Black Waltz was hit by fire, but to his surprise, it hadn't been from the lizard. Half a dozen Black Mages gathered before him, coming up from the lower deck, keeping him from the princess. What!? These dolls choose to stand before me!?

“Get out of my way!" No.3 ordered, sweeping his staff to the side, "You dare stand before a Black Waltz?” The Black Mages responded by preparing their spells, gathering magic to strike No.3. “You trash!” No.3 shouted as he let forth another thunderstorm.

His storm lashed over the six Black Mages, knocking them back as their bodies were burned by the crackling lightning. The force of the blast sent each and every one of them overboard, disappearing into the mist below. No.3's lightning arced out, destroying most of the deck, it crackled through the hull, destroying the barrels full of sleeping mages on the sides of the cargo ship, that had just been loaded up in Dali, sending them falling into the mist.

No.3 looked at the carnage he had caused, the only sound welcoming him was the purr of the engine, and the rustling of the breeze. What rubbish, good riddance! He thought as he looked to the princess. The way clear again, he moved to retrieve her.

“Why? Why did you do that?” An unexpected voice asked of him, “Weren't they your friends!?” No.3 stopped, confused that someone was asking him a question. The small lizard stood in front of him. It was so short that No.3 hadn't noticed it until it spoke. The expression it was giving him made him pause. The lizards face was wet, it's accusing glare demanding an answer. The damn thing has tears in its eyes. What was that suppose to be, a sign of weakness? No.3 thought as he stepped back to appraise the false mage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike stared at the Black Waltz, his cheeks wet from his tears, his chest aching at the pain in his heart, which hurt more than the burns the Waltz's attacks had caused. It had killed the Black Mages that chose to help them, and he wanted to know why.

“Because they were in my way.” No.3 replied viciously, “They were trash, rubbish, mass produced dolls created to fight and die, so I killed them.” Spike shook his head before looking back into No.3's yellow eyes.

“But they're just like you!” Spike proclaimed. “Why do that to someone that's just like you?”

“They are nothing like me!” No.3 replied, the air crackling with magic as he did so. “I captured the princess, No.1 and 2 failed, I have succeeded, and you are finished!” he said as it gathered more power for his spell.

They're nothing like him? Spike thought as he took a step back, Why would anyone do that? Can people really be that mean? he then shook his head. No! I won't believe that! I've met plenty of nice ponies, and very few bad ones! He's wrong! His claws were clenched hard as he glared up at No.3. I won't let him get away without showing him how wrong he is! Spike's will to prove the Black Waltz wrong was powerful, very powerful. As Spike saw Applejack swing over the side of the ship towards the Black Waltz, he felt himself become empowered with energy.

He felt the power flow through him, and his clothes and weapons disappeared into a smog of magic, his green spines shimmered with power as purple and green lightning arched from him. Feeling a compulsion born of the Trance, he took a deep breath. As he did so, Applejack slammed into the side of No.3. The mage, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, misfired its spell, the lightning flying harmlessly off the side of the ship.

“How do ya like them apples!” Applejack proclaimed as she moved in front of No.3, glaring swords at him. “How's it feel to be caught off guard, ya monster!”

As No.3 turned to attack Applejack, anger in its eyes, Spikes spines shimmered green as he let forth a swirl of power, breathing out a jet of magic. Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder all assaulted the Black Waltz in a Tetra-Breath of destruction. No.3 cried out in pain, and took flight to avoid another barrage. Applejack, however, caught the Black Waltz with her rope, and tied it down to the deck.

“Ya'll pay for what ya've done, ya ain't getting away, ya darn fiend!” She proclaimed as the Black Waltz prepared another spell. Take another one, you big jerk! Spike thought as his spines shimmered again, letting forth another breath of electric chilling fire, washing past Applejack's rope and greatly harming No.3's wings. He let out a cry of rage as he glared at them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I will not be dealt in by a fake mage and an overgrown house pet!” No.3 proclaimed as it let forth its spell. The orange rubbish got in front of his attack and took the brunt of it, to his dismay. He quickly followed up with another that would cover both of his foes. When his spell flew, he managed to knock out the lizard, but the other was still standing. As the lizard fell unconscious, the energy wrapped around it dissipated, and its clothes rematerialized over its form.

“Spike!" The pony screamed out in concern, then turned to No.3, "Ah now ya've done it, take this ya darn monster!” The overgrown house pet said as it ran up to the Black Waltz, and it kicked him with her rear legs. Power surged through her legs into him, the ropes bound him and kept him from flying away, causing massive bodily damage, making him cry out.

No.3 couldn't take another hit like that, so it focused its efforts on escaping. Gathering magic, it burned the ropes with a fire spell. Summoning power into its damaged wings, it quickly flew back to the airship the despised jesters were on. I fled from them! I fled! I will kill them! I will kill them! Kill! Kill! Kill!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Though still wounded, Applejack ignored the pain as she focused on her friends first. With three red feathers in her mouth, that she had bought back in Dahli, she was quick to get them back up. She also didn't fancy the idea of taking that thing on alone when it chose to return.

The new barding had saved her neck, the power within it letting her summon a strong rope that spared her from falling into the mist. She was surprised at what the abilities items granted her were capable of. She had summoned that rope out of thin air.

I'm an earth pony, not a unicorn! She thought as she reached Garnet. How is this possible? Thinking on it, she realized that the apples from Apple Toss were also created with magic. Just what is up with this world, does it have more magic than Equestria?

During the fight, she had used the rope to swing back on deck. And with a combined assault of Applebuck and Spike going into Trance, they had managed to scare off their foe, for now. Spike's Tetra-Breath was impressive, but what happened to trigger it weighed on the mare's mind.

After Garnet stirred from the Phoenix Feather, Applejack asked her to get a Cure spell going for when she woke the others, and in less than a minute all four of them were back on their feet.

“That was too close for comfort.” Zidane admitted as he overlooked the damage, “Good save, Applejack!” Applejack nodded as she saw the look on Spike's face, and his eyes met hers. Zidane noticed the look they shared, and asked the princess to make sure the cargo ship didn't crash into the cliff sides. He then kept an eye out for the Black Waltz, leaving Spike and Applejack to themselves.

Looking over the carnage, Spike was just short of crying, next to a mage's hat that had gotten caught on splintered wood from the now battle-scarred deck. He asked them to take us to Lindblum, and now this. Applejack thought, her ears low as she wondered if her friend was blaming himself like she had over Blank.

Moving to his side, she comforted him as best she could. She hugged him, saying it wasn't his fault, it was the Black Waltz that did it, not him. He returned the hug, silent for a minute, before breaking the silence.

“I know,” Spike admitted with a sniffle, “it doesn't make me feel better, but I know it's not my fault.” He then looked to the sky, as if searching for something. “Why's it willing to kill its own? I don't understand. Ponies never kill ponies, dragons never kill dragons, so why did that black mage kill the others?” His question made her heart ache, and she considered it a moment before shaking her head.

“I don't know sugarcube, I just don't. I guess he was as bad as Sombra or Tirek. He was a bad pony, and we shouldn't expect any better from him.” Applejack looked out over the mist, her mind lost in thought. This world was dangerous, the mist seems to be everywhere, with monsters being born of it. And the queen of Alexandria isn't afraid to kill us to get her daughter back. She let out a sad sigh as she recalled her small farm back home, feeling homesick, and wishing she wasn't on Gaia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Airway Robbery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Failed, all three have!” Thorn cried out as he clutched his head in frustration.

“And now the queen will have our heads!” Zorn bemoaned. Thorn noticed something moving towards them, and pointed to it.

“It returns, No.3!” Thorn proclaimed, looking towards the Black Waltz. Zorn looked to it, confused as he tilted his head.

“Something's wrong, its broken!” Zorn declared as he looked to his twin in worry.

“Control it, we cannot!”

“Run away!”

“Run away!”

With that, both jesters abandoned their airship, jumping out and flailing in the wind as No.3 landed on it. Shortly after landing, the small ship zipped off towards the cargo ship. As the two jesters slowly fell into the mist, the couldn't help but fear what the queen would do with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dagger, give it all you got!” Zidane ordered as indicated towards the South Gate, “Drive the engine as hard as it can go! We'll slip through the gate and trap him outside it!” He shouted as he spotted their pursuer. Looking ahead, Applejack could see a large structure built between two mountains, a wall with a giant round door in its center. That's the South Gate!? It's a lot bigger than I pictured! Applejack thought. It was a man-made wall of stone, its inside hallowed out, with two doors on each side to control airship traffic.

“Let's make sure he doesn't get another chance to do that again, okay?” Applejack asked Spike, hoping it would distract him from the sadness hanging his head down. He gave a small nod that the mare almost missed. She gave him another reassuring hug before quickly moving to the back of the ship, watching the small craft the Black Waltz flew getting closer. Spike shortly joined her at her side, watching as well. The cargo ship was gaining speed, the wind passed by so fast it was roaring. As the Black Waltz got close enough for it to attack the ship, she was caught off guard when Spike teleported over to his.

The Black Waltz turned around in surprise as Spike used Thunder on his ships engines, the ship spun about, knocking the dragon off it, making Applejack's heart skip a beat. He teleported back to her side before he fell too far, making her sigh in relief. She then frowned as she lightly hit him on the head for scaring her, and he gave her a sheepish grin in turn. Looking to the bow of the ship, they saw they were about to go through the large doors of the south gate. The doors were closing, but they slipped through before they could be trapped outside.

Black Waltz slipped through as well, to Applejack's dismay. He followed through the door, having recovered from his spin. The mage pulled his ship close and prepared to let out a thunderstorm on the group. Applejack moved to take the brunt of it, but to her, and his surprise, the lightning damaged his own vessel.

Quickly looking back to appraise the fire, he failed to avoid the closing doors at the end of the South Gate's passageway. Slipping out and safely through the South Gate, the explosion of the Black Waltz's ship was all they needed to see to be assured of their foes fate. With the threat behind them, everyone went to the cabin of the ship, and sat in silence. Spike and Applejack sat next to each other, and several minutes passed before anyone spoke up.

“So, why's everyone so quiet?” Zidane asked calmly, almost cautiously, hoping to get a conversation rolling.

“We damaged the South Gate,” Dagger said, her eyes on the broken flooring, “No thanks to me.” Applejack shook her head as she got up, stomping her hoof as she moved before Zidane.

“Zidane, ya idiot!” Applejack said as she looked him in the eyes, “The ship is wrecked, it's not even ours! And all its crew is dead, and we went and broke the South Gate. Ya expectin' us to be happy or chatty after that!?”

“Applejack, it's okay,” Spike assured as he move to her side, “Don't take it out on Zidane. Yes it's bad, but like you told me earlier, it wasn't our fault. This wasn't our fault.” He assured as he motioned to the damaged vessel. “I'm sure who ever is in charge will get it when we explain.” Applejack looked to her friend, then to Zidane, who gave a weak apologetic grin and shrugged. She let out a sigh as Garnet appraised everyone.

“There's Lindblum castle.” She then looked to Spike and Applejack. “You two should go out and get a good look. It's something I'm sure neither of you have had the pleasure of witnessing before.” The princess offered, giving everyone the distraction they needed from recent events.

Going to the deck, the two Equestrians stopped moving as they looked ahead of them, finding themselves in awe. The castle of Lindblum was large. Dauntingly large. It was a castle as big as a city. A big city. Canterlot was a small village compared to the large city before them. Flying to the gate of Lindblum, they saw several airships traversing in and out of the city, its gate as large as the South Gate's had been.

As the cargo ship flew into the city, they saw a large sprawl of buildings. Lindblum seemed to be divided into several districts, and at the center of the city was a large tower that housed all of the city's airships. There were several buildings throughout the city letting out stacks of steam, and the bustling of people down below was intimidating, reminding the mare of the crowds in Manehattan. There were also a large number of small airships that seemed to ferry people between the districts.

As she took in the city, Applejack started to wonder where she should go once they've docked. They got Garnet to Lindblum, now it was time to find a cure for Blank, then a means back to Equestria. As the ship made to dock, she wondered if this would be where she and Spike would part with Zidane and the Princess. The ship docked as she was thinking on it, and she found herself being disappointed with the prospect of parting, which surprised her. Ah shucks, I've gone and grown fond of them. Well, how 'bout that.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here to fill you in on things about Gaia!'

'If you're curious, Spike's Trance is called Tetra-Breath. it lets him cast three Black Magic spells at the same time as a breath attack. He can choose which spells he uses, but it costs the same MP as casting them individually. Since it's a breath attack, it cannot be spell reflected. Reflect can wait for a future chapter. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Iron Sword: Minus Strike

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

Leather Scabbard: Cover(mastered)

Basic Barding: Hog Tie

Crude Saddlebag: Apple Toss(mastered)

Lvl-9 HP 454/454 MP 0/36

AP 11/21

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP

Author's Note

Oh, there's No 3! :twilightsmile:

Thank you for being a part of this story reading enrichment experience.
Also, thanks to OCisbestpony for the help.:twilightsmile:

9. Qu's Marsh

Pinkie was in a part of the marsh where the monsters didn't wander. She had organized a party for the frogs of the marsh, and one thing a party did not need, was monsters. We don't need any party crashers! Pinkie thought to herself. Her mane was slightly deflated, but she wore a convincing smile for her guests. The party wasn't what anypony would call a resounding success, only a small number of frogs were in attendance, but it was enough for Pinkie, maybe, just a little. She gathered what she thought constituted as frog food and party fun for her guests, and she even dressed several of the frogs with a small top-hat and cane.

“Come now Pinkie,” Discord began as he appeared before her, “do you really think you should be partying around with a couple of handsomely dressed frogs?” Pinkie acknowledged him, but he wasn't actually there. He was a figment of her imagination. Pinkie pulled out a piece of paper,and checked a box written on it as she turned to the spirit of chaos.

“I'll have you know," she began as she raised an eyebrow at him, "'pretend Discord', that these frogs are simply overjoyed~! Just look at the smiles on their faces!”

“Frogs don't smile, you bouncing ball of cotton candy,” he pointed out, and Pinkie suddenly found a strong urge to taste her tail, but resisted it.

“Errr mot vreely vere!” Or maybe she didn't. It did not taste like cotton candy. She spat out her tail and repeated herself, “You're not really here! If you were, it would have tasted juuust like it~!” she pouted. She's been seeing Discord since that rodent of unusual size left her yesterday, and Discord was boring when he couldn't make things happen.

“Oh, am I not? Who's to say I didn't add a little something of myself when you were accidentally sent you over?” He said, giving her a big grin. He snapped his fingers and the frogs started dancing.

And they're singing! Pinkie took the scene in with glee, then shook her head. Nope, the frogs were still laying there, being normal frogs, wearing top-hats. Pinkie checked another box on her list as she considered his words. Strange things happening around Pinkie was never out of the norm, to the pink mare anyway, but seeing things that were not there was something knew, and she didn't like it.

“Did you~?” She asked, putting on her serious face.

“I'm afraid the only answer you'll believe is 'maybe'. So instead, I'll say yes!” He cackled. All the frogs gained his goatee and horns, and matching eyes as they all said in unison, “Shouldn't you be looking for Spike and Applejack? After all, you're stuck here because sparkle-butt tried to send that tin-can and adorable ball of magic back to this world.”

“It's Twilight~” she almost sang out, “Not sparkle-butt! If you're going to be some part of my imagination, you can at least get our friend's names right!” Adding her third, and fourth check, she worked to refill the party treats. She then let out a surprised gasp. Oh dear! We're all out of flies!

“I suppose you've got a point," Discord replied as he nodded, his head rolling off in the process. "Maybe I wouldn't call my new friends mean names, or maybe I would. Who knows? You certainly don't know, that's for sure.” He scooped his head back up and nodded, as if confirming something to himself. “So, why exactly aren't you looking for our friends?” He said as the party, and the frogs disappeared, leaving the pink mare alone in the marsh with her imagination. Her mane deflated more as she believed the party hadn't been real in the first place, but her mane still had some puff to it.

“This place is different, you know that ghosty-cord. I wander too far from here and the scary beasties and ghosties come out. Laughing at them doesn't scare them away." She then let out a slightly sad sigh. "And now this silly pink pony is seeing somepony who isn't there.”

By herself, the outside was dangerous, it was dangerous in the marsh too, but there were safe spots. Quina's fork and her party cannon was all she had to defend herself. It sufficed in the marsh, for a little bit, but not outside. Wait, who's Quina? She briefly wondered, Eh, must not be important~ She then added a fifth check mark to her checklist. Suddenly a miniature Discord appeared on her check list, looking over it.

“Let's see,” he said, “all that's left is to 'Mention Unified Fantasy'.” He then shook his head as he turned to her. “Honestly Pinkie, this is the fifth list you've made since yesterday, at least the party list made some sad amount of sense.” Pinkie checked off the last item, then tossed the list aside.

Ever since the mist started seeping out of the Everfree, she's been working non-stop to keep everypony happy. She was exhausted when Applejack and Spike disappeared, and she hasn't been able to sleep straight since arriving in this world. Her fatigue was clearly getting the better of her.

I should have gone with Freya, at least I wouldn't be stuck in the stinky, smelly, party-less, smile-less, daisy-less marsh!

“And yet you stayed put, what kind of party pony stays put when there's friends that need a smile on their faces?" Discord scoffed a he looked her in the eyes. "One that doesn't want to risk her life to do it, that's who!” He delightfully added, making her mane lose the rest of her fluff.

She was afraid, and that fear made her nothing better then a scaredy pony. What her friends needed, however, was not a scaredy pony. What was needed right now was the resolve to push through, beyond the monsters and the ghosties. Pinkamena. Yes, that was it, the part of Pinkie Pie that was not a party pony. Pinkamena could do it. She had the resolve to do it. She could take on what Pinkie could not.

She looked over the marsh, fed up with the location. She wanted to be with her friends, she wanted to make them smile. Wishing to to just that, Pinkie placed all that made her a party pony aside in a place in her heart, to keep it safe while Pinkamena tackled the beasties and misties. With her mane and tail straight and lifeless, Pinkamena opened her eyes, and looked around, wondering what she should do.

“How about getting on your hooves, my little pony,” Discord suggested, “And do something caa-razy!” He recommended, using Pinkie's voice to deliver the final word.

“You're right,” she said, being filled with a new sense of resolve, “sitting here all pouty pony is doing nopony any good! Monsters wanna fight me, huh? Won't they be surprised when I fight them!” With that proclamation, Pinkamena got on her hooves and moved to leave the marsh.

The mist does strange things to the mind, and she had been in it for too long. “Not long enough if you ask me!” She said aggressively, to nopony in particular. If this place is going to be scary unsafe, then I'll just be scary unsafe until it wants to party with me instead! Grabbing the oversized fork with her tail, she marched into the marsh. Leaving the frogs and party, that actually had been real, behind her. Appraising the fork, it was almost as long as a pony, its head big enough to be a shovel. Honestly, it better resembled a dragon sized spork more than a fork.

It wasn't long before she, Pinkamena, had encountered her first monster. It was a pony-sized toad with a penchant for summoning smothering water. She didn't give it a chance, she whipped out her party cannon, slammed the fork into it and fired! The frog was lanced by the fork, confetti fell on it as it dispersed into mist, leaving a small pile of coins where it once stood. She let out a sinister grin, her brow furrowing at her victory.

Clearly, that's how she should have been fighting them, as apposed to using the weapons on their own. Getting the fork back, she continued through the marsh, singing a tune about all the monsters being misties. The next frog she came across only got nicked by her attack. It's accuracy could use some work! She thought as Discord was laughing at the terrible attack. The frog, in its confusion, tried attacking Discord, its spell going through the apparition. Pinkamena gave Discord a sidelong glance, You really sure I'm just imagining you? Discord shrugged as the pink mare got the fork and fired another shot off, slaying the frog.

Continuing through the marsh, she was soon attacked by water salamanders! These monsters were also the size of a pony, and typically came in packs of two or three. This was a pack of three. One of them spat a jet of water at her, knocking her back, slamming her into the ground in pain.

“You call that a splash?” She coughed out as she got on her hooves, “This is a splash!” She pulled out the fork from her cannon and let her weapon take the next stream of water the salamanders shot at her. Her cannon took it in, and she fired it back, washing all three in confetti and water.

“The fun's just getting started!” She cheered viciously, two of the salamanders were confused, leaving the last with its senses intact. Thinking that one of their own had sprayed them, they ended up attacking each other. While they were distracted, she took out the third one with her fork cannon. One of the confused ones caught her with its tail, knocking Pinkamena back. Reaching back for her cannon, she gathered her fortitude and sent loose another stream of water on the two monsters, turning them to mist.

“Ah-ha~!” Discord chimed, “So brutal, if only your friends could see you now!” She hesitated as she looked to him, a little hurt.

“You're not being a funny pony you snarky warky larky.” Pinkie said, her hair gaining some fluff. She got the fork and worked it back into the cannon. To no pony in particular, she said, “Somepony might think I'm coocoo. It's just me talking to Discord, nothing coocoo about it.” Discord, never missing a beat, started making the noises of a coocoo clock, deflating her hair, and making Pinkamena roll her eyes.

Wandering through the swamp, she found herself lost. Wait, which way did I need to go? Her mental question was answered by a giant arrow that appeared in the air near her that said 'not that way', which was the direction she came from. Well, besides that way, then arrows appeared that pointed in every direction, including the sky and the ground. Not helping~. Considering her options for only an instant, Pinkie grabbed her fork and tossed it up, and went in the direction the head pointed when it landed.

“A mare after my own heart!” Discord sniffled out, almost crying at her choosing randomly. This exchange between the pink mare and her psyche went on for almost an hour. She fought several monsters during that time, getting more and more battered with each fight. Some monsters she slew left a healing item behind as they perished, which she never questioned, and made quick use of, as well as leaving behind the strange currency. But it happened too infrequently, it was never enough to fully restore the mare.

After finishing another fight against some more salamanders, she slumped down, battle worn and drained, and still in the marsh. She looked around, even Pinkamena was starting to worry, another poor fight, and it would be her last.

“Oh dear,” Discord started as he looked over her, “you're not looking too good, your health is in the yellow,” he said with some genuine concern. In the yellow? She thought. “Another fight like that last one and it's game over, my little pony.” At this point, Pinkamena was too tired to care. “You better care, if you perish here, your friends will never smile again.” Her mane briefly poofed as she stared at him, wide-eyed. Never again! That's like, never ever!

Pinkamena got on her hooves, hoping- No, determined to get out of this marsh. Slogging through, she finally found her way out, the marsh and wet ground giving way to green hills. Taking a few steps out, her ears fell as she heard the sound of a monster charging towards her.

It attacked her before she could defend herself, knocking her to her side, hitting the ground hard. Her mind started becoming cloudy as darkness began to overtake her. Her eyes lingered on Discord, who stood over her, looking sad, as if he was about to cry. Please, not that. Please, smile for me. She weakly thought through the fog. She didn't want the last thing she saw to be his sad expression.

She refused to let her last image be a sad one.

Pinkamena refused. Pinkie Pie refused. Determination pored through her, pushing the growing darkness back. Get up Pinkie, we have to make everypony smile, no time for being lazy! Feeling emotion and power surge through her, she struggled, and got on her hooves. Her mane tingled as the fog over her mind melted away, and Discord watched in amazement as she glowed.

Her coat shimmered white, her mane and tail taking on a golden hue, regaining their fluff as she entered Trance. Pink and gold lightning arced from her as she looked to the frog. Facing the frog, ethereal silver wings spread from her sides, coating her in protective and regenerative magic. The frog blinked at her, taking a step back.

“Surprise!~” She sang out, getting her cannon and shooting the frog with a water balloon bigger than the cannon itself. The balloon flew at the frog with such speed that the frog became mist from the impact alone. Then the balloon popped, sending water exploding every which way, causing the mist in the area to disperse. The white mare giggled at the turn of events.

“Well, that sure was a surprise!” Discord said with a smile, mirrored by Surprise. As the mist started to fill in the void caused by the water balloon, the energy crackling from her died down, and her colors returned to her pink palette. “Ah, over already, oh well~” he said with disappointment. The magic her Trance had wrapped her in was starting to wear off, but she felt completed healed from the restorative spell the Trance had given her. “You're looking better than ever!" He proclaimed with a smile, then bent low, raising an eyebrow to her. "Now, how about heading to someplace full of people that could use some smiles?” Pinkie didn't hesitate, and gave him a happy nod.

“Okey Dokey Lokey! Let's go make someponies smile~!” She replied, feeling better than she had been for the last few weeks. As she started to move from the swamp, her tail twitched, Something's falling!? Looking up, she ducked down, looking for whatever was fall-

Freya landed in front of Pinkie Pie, making her gasp and falling on her back, legs pointed at the sky. Seeing Freya's look of concern was no good, she needed to smile!

“Hey Freya, looking as red as ever, has anypony told you that you have a tail?” She stated as she sprang onto her hooves, circling Freya. Her last time talking to the rodent ended without a smile, she was a stubborn one, but so was Pinkie. Freya shook her head as she let out a sigh.

“Glad to see you're still alright,” she weakly admitted, “I met someone that wants to see you,” she added as she turned to where she came from, “Over here!” She shouted, and shortly afterwards Pinkie was surprised to see an orange mare gallop out of the mist to them.

The mare had a sword sheathed to her side, her chest and forward legs were covered in heavy looking armor, she had some leather saddlebags, and she wore a cowgirl hat. Pinkie hopped over to the orange mare with startling speed, crashing right into her, toppling the fortified mare and standing over her.

“APPLEJACK! I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, soooo~ happy to see you!” She sang out, her heart singing so loud that it ached. “Are you okay? Are you fine? Have you been getting your doctor's recommended amount of smiles!? I say you haven't! You don't even have a doctor, but that's okay because I'm a certified funny doctor pony, see my badge!” She quickly exhaled, even bringing out a badge that proved her credentials. Applejack shook her head as she gave Pinkie a warm smile.

“Boy, am I right glad to see yer face,” Applejack said as she got up from under Pinkie. The two wrapped each other in a warm hug, and Pinkie knew that there were still many smiles for her to give in the future, regardless of how sad, dark and lonely things got.

“Not to break up the flow of this touching moment,” Discord said, seen only by the pink mare, “but there are mist bags coming this way,” he pointed out, literally, with a neon sign reading 'free cathartic derailment'. A group of salamanders came to harass the three, Pinkie's mane immediately went limp as she got her cannon, switching into battle mode.

“Ah, Pinkie?” Applejack asked with concern.

“Not now AJ, we got misties to poof, and they ain't gonna poof themselves!” Pinkamena said as she brought her cannon to bear, taking out one of them with a lucky shot. Applejack nodded, and was quick to buck one away, never to be seen again. Freya had jumped out of sight, and as the pink mare was rearming her cannon, her tail twitched as Freya fell from the sky, spearing the last salamander, slaying it.

“Wow, did you see that!?” Pinkie said, her hair returning to normal, “I was like, Kaboom! And AJ was like Yee-Haw! And Freya was like; Jump! Zip! Bam!” She stood before Applejack, being over expressive with her hooves. “It. Was. Amazing~~! Those misties sure chose the wrong girlies to ghosty!” She said with her usual enthusiasm, Applejack shook her head, clearly thinking that Pinkie was as crazy as ever, and smiled at her. Pinkie Pie returned that smile. She was in a strange world, far removed from most of her friends, but now she wasn't alone anymore, making her smile shine true.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Pinkie Pie was the third, and last Equestrian to be transferred between the two worlds, Quina of Qu's Marsh was sent to Equestria when Pinkie came to Gaia.'

'Qu's Marsh is one of many marshes on Gaia, and they are typically homes for the Qu, a race of food enthusiasts that love to eat frogs.'

'Pinkie has a form of magic called Blue magic, which allows her to use abilities monsters of the mist use. In order for her to learn these abilities, she needs to be hit by them.'

'Her trance is very party friendly, it casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party, making them difficult to injure, while their injuries recover! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Fork Cannon: High Tide, Auto-Confuse(mastered)

Shard of Chaos: Pink-a-mena(mastered)

Lvl up! Lvl-9 HP 349/349 MP 14/56

AP 7/18

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink-a-mena (6) - 'You're not quite right in the head at the moment...'

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

??????:

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

And then it happened. Add that Pinkie Pie tag!:pinkiehappy:

I'm really happy with this chapter. I still get a smile reading it, and I hope it got you to smile too.
Another thank you for reading, and thanks to OCisbestpony for the help editing.

10. Song of Memories

Garnet sighed as she looked out the window down into Lindblum. She wanted to walk through it, see what the commoners see, take in the sights and smells. Instead, she was kept inside the castle, like a sheltered princess. And while it was for her own protection, naturally, she didn't like it. Many people were coming to Lindblum for the Festival of the Hunt tomorrow, and many were still working to get things ready. At least that's what it looked like from her view.

“Spike,” she began as she looked to him, “wouldn't you rather be out there, with Applejack, than being stuck here with me?” Not that she wasn't appreciative of his company. He proved himself to be a very capable assistant, having managed her robe for her. She enjoyed talking to him, as being royalty was a lonely affair, but felt he would have more fun in the city than with her. He looked to her, giving her a toothy grin.

“If I was out there, then you'd be alone. It's no fun being alone.” He admitted, sounding wiser than his age suggested. “So, Garnet, whatcha do for fun? Twilight loves to read, do you?” She considered his words a moment.

“This Twilight, she's a friend of yours?” If he was going to keep her company, she was going to gladly accept it. I, I could use the distraction.

“Yep!” he heartily replied, “she's a princess as well, though she wasn't always one.” Her eyes widened at the notion, now realizing why Spike was so practiced at aiding royalty. “Twilight's very good at magic, and she's smart. She was also the one that hatched my egg.” He then sighed a little as he reflected on her. “She can be a little crazy sometimes. She always ends her to do lists with double and triple checking the list!” Garnet found herself smiling as she nodded.

“Sounds like she's very important to you, and a very diligent ruler.” Spike quickly shook his head in reply.

“I wouldn't call her a ruler, but when things go bad, she'll always be there to try and fix it!” he finished with a nod of his head, then looked downcast. “I, I really miss her.” Seeing the bubbly dragon looking sad made her heart ache.

I truly hope Cid can find something to help these two return home. She thought, sighing again. So, this Twilight had a hands on approach? My mother may very well be going to war, and I'm just sitting here, doing practically nothing, she sighed once more as her eyes fell back to the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Empty Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane sighed as he found the inside of the building was empty. The place had articles left behind from his friends, the articles patiently waiting for the rest of Tantalus to return to the nest. He hadn't expected the rest of the gang to have returned by now, but he still found it sobering to see the building empty.

Well, at least I now know about Super Soft. He thought as he leaned on the interior wall. His search for information had payed off, and he came to learn that a noble in Treno had a remedy to cure Blank of his petrification, Super Soft. Once Applejack returns, we can leave for Treno...

Despite what the mare thought on the matter, Zidane intended to help her and Spike get back home. He had spent some of his time looking for info on Equestria. However, his search had been a waste of time. Still, he hoped that maybe he could find something in Treno, maybe some book worm or teacher would know of something. As he leaned there, a troubling thought came to mind, What if the means for them getting back lies in Equestria, not Gaia?

He stood in the empty structure for a couple minutes, considering that and also what's recently transpired. Then his thoughts wondered to more infatuated thoughts as he adopted a light smile, I wonder if the princess misses me? He considered it a moment, then shook his head. She was a princess, he assumed it would probably be best if they didn't see each other again.

“See, I told you he was back!” A young voice exclaimed from the doorway. Looking over, Zidane saw a young boy, a child wishing to join the gang, and behind him was his sister.

“No way~,” the young girl commented, “Welcome back Zidane! Just so you know, we're members now!”

“Is that so?” Zidane asked playfully as he approached them.

“Uh huh, Baku said we could join if we found treasure, lookie!” The young boy presented a couple of feathers to Zidane. His eyes widened as he took them in, as if they were a great artifact.

“Wow! Trick Sparrow feathers! I guess that means you're in!” Zidane claimed, they weren't actually a treasure, but that didn't stop him from making the two happy.

“So how'd it go, did ya get the princess?” The young girl asked.

“That's right, she's in the castle right now.”

“Was she pretty?” The boy asked, Zidane nodded.

“She probably misses you,” the sister said, blushing lightly, “Oh! You should see her!” She suggested, and Zidane considered it for a moment. He smiled as he looked to them before chuckling.

“You know, I think I just might do that. You two be safe, stay out of tomorrows festival, 'kay?”

“Okay~” They answered in unison. The sound of the mid-afternoon bell ringing out over the district followed Zidane as he left for the castle.

Just because she's a princess, doesn't mean I don't have a chance, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A bell range from the theater district. Hearing it made Garnet feel all the more melancholic. She couldn't stand sitting around like this. The guards wouldn't even let her in the library, where she wanted to gather information. She wanted to look into Equestria to occupy her time-

She frowned at her own shortsightedness. Though she may not be able to learn anything about Equestria from the library, she did have a good source of information sitting near her.

“Spike,” she began as she turned to him, “could you tell me more about Equestria, and your friends?”

“Oh certainly! Where to start?” He said excitedly, “Well, first there's Rarity...”

The better part of an hour later and Garnet found herself with a great deal on her mind. She'd asked to be alone and left Spike in the room while she considered what he told her up on Lindblum's highest tower.

The tower itself was an observation platform with a large telescope that looked over the misty lands of Lindblum. There was a small garden atop the tower, making it a nice and peaceful place to think.

A princess that raises and lowers the sun, and another for the moon. Earth ponies, pegasai, unicorns, griffins, minotaur. It truly is another world! How does one go about finding their way back to another world? The princess heavily doubted Cid had anything on Equestria. Lindblum was all about technology, but traveling between worlds sounded like something only magic could accomplish. Mother had some means of making dolls that wield magic, would she know something about this? She looked over the edge of the tower, overlooking the mist covered valley far below Lindblum.

That strange man that was prowling around the castle lately, what was his name again? Something about that man feels dangerous, is he involved in all this somehow. She frowned at nothing in particular as she looked off to the South Gate, trying to see the lands beyond it. I need to return to Alexandria and find out more!

The fact that the two Equestrians were even here means there's some way for them to return, but she doubted the answer would be found in short order. If Cid really doesn't find anything, she'll have to break it to the two of them. Distracting herself from the notion, she started to hum an old melody from her childhood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Dragon and his Treasure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike wandered the castle, thinking about home. While there were a lot of differences, he couldn't help but see the castle resembling Canterlot. Talking about home to the princess made him feel all the more homesick after she left to be alone. He wanted to see Twilight, he wanted to help her organize her books, work her check lists, do silly things with magic.

He cradled the red gem that let him teleport, that reminded him of Twilight, and after a small number of hops, found himself on the tallest tower of the castle. He could hear Garnet singing, he hadn't expect that this was where she was, and quietly gave her some distance.

Going down to the level below the top floor, he stood next to an opened stain glass window. He sat himself in the window sill as he overlooked the city, listening to the princesses' song as he thought about home, and the ponies he dearly missed-

“Oh hey there,” Zidane said, making Spike jump as he looked to the blue and blond rogue.

“Oh, hey Zidane,” Spike then blinked when he saw Zidane was alone. “Where's Applejack?” Seeing Zidane was a nice distraction from his thoughts, but he really wanted to see the orange mare right now.

“Well...” Zidane began as he explained recent events. Spike, at first, was more then interested, and by the end of it, was bursting with excitement.

“Pinkie's here? That's awesome!” A thought suddenly occurred to the dragon, and he hopped off the sill and moved to his friend. “Zidane, do you have some extra gil I could borrow? There's something I need to get ready for Pinkie for when they get back!” Zidane smiled as he gave the dragon some gil. Spike then asked Zidane to tell Garnet where he went, “I got a surprise in mind, so look forward to it!”

He then teleported down closer and closer to the city, forgetting about his assistant duties. That pink pony is gonna need some party supplies when she arrives, there's a festival tomorrow! The excited dragon thought to himself, looking forward to seeing his favorite pink pony.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet's song had attracted a flock of doves to gather near the ledge she overlooked, as she sang, she felt a little envious for them. Garnet heard footsteps from behind her and saw Zidane approaching, the doves flying off as he did so. She watched them fly off, barely hiding her envy. I wish I could just fly away, do what I want and need to do, instead of being trapped here.

“That was a nice song,” he said. Though she appreciated the compliment, she wasn't in the mood to talk with him.

“How did you get up here?” She asked, masking her annoyance. “This is a restricted area.”

“Come on, I do this for a living,” he replied with a proud grin. She sighed as she turned to him.

“Oh, right. It must have been easy for you.” If only I could manage that. He can do whatever he pleases, a rogue full of confidence and determination. I can't just stand by and do nothing, maybe I should try being more like Zidane, or Twilight. Lost in thought, Zidane was looking at her with a confused expression. Looking troubled by the awkward silence, he took a look around.

“Man, what a view,” He observed as he cast his gaze over the lands of Lindblum. He glanced to her before looking to the telescope. “Hey, a telescope! Let's go check it out,” he said with his usual enthusiasm, and he went over to it. Seeing Garnet not following him, he beckoned her over. I suppose I should humor him, he's done so much for me after all.

As Zidane looked through the telescope, the princess couldn't help but wonder what she should do. I didn't even need to run away from Alexandria, Cid was already working on getting me out of there, and he already knew what I came to tell him. I've been such a bother to everyone. I, I just feel so useless right now! I couldn't help mother, and now I can't even help myself!

“What's wrong?” He asked, clearly worried by the expression Garnet was wearing. He worked with Tantalus to get me out of Alexandria, was it just his job?

“Zidane, why did you help me come here, to Lindblum? Was it because Baku told you to?” She wanted to vent her frustration, and was looking to Zidane to set himself up for it. He shook his head.

“I just wanted to help you. That's all. Baku didn't agree with me, so I ended up leaving the group,” he replied, surprising the princess.

“What!? Really? I, I'm so sorry,” her disbelief momentarily dispelled her frustration.

“Don't worry about it. It isn't the first time I've left.” He left, just like that? Now she was even more envious of him. Her kingdom was in danger, her people at risk, and the people of the other nations as well. Her mother was up to something bad, and she needed to act. Building up her resolve, she got to work on an idea on how to return to Alexandria, knowing that she would get no help from the others.

“Zidane... Uh, how were you planning to abduct me?” She asked, looking for some inspiration. He looked to her a little surprised as he took on a contemplating look.

“Well, we were going to knock you out with sleeping weed, then kidnap you. A good sized dose can knock out an adult. We were going to lace it into your tea.”

“I see. I guess you didn't need it since I came along on my own,” hearing that, her idea came together, “Um, Would you mind giving it to me? I've been having trouble sleeping lately.”

“I don't think that's a good idea,” he started, surprised by her request, he gave her the plant and added, “You might get addicted. Maybe all you need is some company, eh?” The suggestion immediately irritated the princess.

“Oh please, do you think I'm that naive?”

“You can't blame me for trying,” he said with a sheepish grin. Seeing her un-amused expression, he quickly tried to change the subject.

“Umm, err, that song! It sure was nice, what's it from?” She glared at him, then her expression soften as she let go of her anger.

“I'm not sure, I can't remember where I learned it. I sing it when I feel sad or lonely. It comforts me, and reminds me that I'm not alone.”

“It must be a mystical song, mind singing it again? I really liked it,” he asked of her, and she saw no reason to object.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Missing Warrior
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Uh, Pinkie, I don't think that's how yer suppose to use the sword,” Applejack commented as the last monster perished. Pinkie grabbed the Broadsword Applejack use to use and loaded it back in the cannon, then turned to the orange mare with a confused look.

“Well, how am I suppose to use it, Jackie?”

“With yer mouth- erm, hooves- oh,” she paused, appraising her hooves and noticing the bite marks working into the blade's handle. “I guess we ponies don't have a right and proper way,” Applejack admitted as she frowned at her own blade.

“I know, right? Oh! Oh! Freya, that reminds me. Did you come back to party with good ol' little itsie witsie me?” She asked with unhinged excitement, as she bounced around the knight.

“For the third time Pinkie, no. Applejack was looking for a friend, and I was able to help her, so I did, that's all,” the red warrior replied.

“Right, you helped because you miss your lovey dovey special somepony!” The pink mare exclaimed as she circled Freya.

“I- I don't recall telling either of you that!” Freya replied, losing her composure.

“Ah- Ha! I knew it~” The pink one exclaimed, donning a detectives hat and bubble pipe. Applejack gave the lancer an apologetic look as Freya almost stammered to regain her composure. It's no wonder Freya had left the pink mare alone in the marsh after their first encounter.

“So, um, yer lookin' for somepony, err, somebody ya really like?” Applejack asked bashfully. Freya's shoulders sagged, Pinkie was annoying, but Applejack was respectable, she couldn't refuse her curiosity. Regaining her composure, she answered the orange mare.

“Sir Fratley, a dragon knight like myself, he was my betrothed. Five years ago he went out to explore Gaia, leaving our country behind. I couldn't stand not having him by my side, so I followed after him. I've chased after rumors of his presence, and of his passing, but in these five years, I haven't found him.”

“Don't you worry Freya-meya. You'll run into him soon, and I'll have a party ready for you when it happens. You can count on me! Pinkie promise.” The mare said as she put a hoof over her eye.

“What makes you so sure?” Freya asked.

“Because you have somepony helping you! Four eyes are better than two, and if finding him will get a smile out of you, then I've gotta help! So, it's a promise!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, Dagger,” Zidane started as her song drew to a close, “If I win first place in the festival tomorrow, how about you and me go on a date, sound good?” He asked her, making her appraise him in surprise.

“What? A date? What does that have to do with anything?” Where did that even come from? The entire notion of a date between a princess and a vagabond was incredulous to her.

“Come on, it'll be fun,” he insisted. Maybe I should humor him, if he does win, then I'll simply hope I can get my plan together before I have to follow through.

“Fine,” she replied, giving him the answer he wanted, making him smile.

“Alright, it's a date!” Zidane made to leave, but remembered something important. “I've got some interesting news. Apparently another pony was spotted in the marsh, Applejack went to go find her with a friend of mine. Spike ran off to go buy something after I told him, he was very happy to hear the news.” That brought a smile to Garnet's face, Glad to hear that, good for Spike and Applejack. Another Equestrian huh? Oh, I wonder.

“Did you catch the name? Is it one of their friends?”

“Yea, someone named Pinkie Pie.” Oh my, the eccentric party planner? She thought as she adopted a worried look.

“Another one from the world of Equestria, I wonder what's going on that's sending them over here.” Garnet wondered, more answers for her to gather, back home, in Alexandria. Zidane seemed to consider something before addressing her again.

“If they hurry, they'll be back by nightfall, I might just wait for them at the Dragon's Gate. Till then, I'm gonna get ready for tomorrow, see you at the date, Dagger.” He said, skipping a little as he turned and left. He called her Dagger, the name she gave herself, and it made her a little happy.

Shortly after her left, she abandoned the tower as well, and went off to look into the kitchen. She had a plan to put together, and not much time to act upon it. Tonight wouldn't be the best night to put it into motion, but tomorrow, for the Feast of the Hunt, would be the best time to pull it off. Getting everything together, the princess put her plan into motion, she had to return to her kingdom.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with some more notes about Gaia!'

'Spike teleporting around can be annoying for me sometimes, but I never lose track of his general position. We moogles have a locating spell for finding others, it really helps with our mail delivering!'

'Dagger has a set of spells called summons which call forth powerful entities to destroy her enemies, and as you can see, it's very taxing to use.'

'It's rough, being royalty that actually cares about their nation, huh? Kupo~'

~~~~~~

Dagger

~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Rod: Cure(mastered), Panacea(mastered), Protect(mastered)

Steepled Hat: Protect(mastered)

Wrist: ~~Flee-Gil~~

Silk Shirt: Cure(mastered), ~~Thunder~~

Lvl-8 HP 250/250 MP 62/62

AP 18/18

Abilities:

White Magic:

Cure 6 MP: Restores HP of single/multiple targets.

Panacea 4 MP: Removes Venom and Poison.

Protect 6 MP: Reduces damage from physical attacks.

Summon:

~~Shiva 96 MP: Causes Ice damage to all enemies.~~

~~Ifrit 104 MP: Causes Fire damage to all enemies.~~

~~Atomos 128 MP: Reduces all enemies HP. Amount varies on targets HP.~~

~~Odin 112 MP: Causes KO to all enemies.~~

~~Bahamut 224 MP: Causes Non-elemental damage to all enemies.~~

Author's Note

ATE's! It's a thing! Also, Garnet/Dagger is important too! Next chapter, Spike, Festival of the Hunt! Woot!

Also, ATE OVERDRIVE! All the ATEs, all the time!
Thanks again for reading! And thanks to OCisbestpony for editing!:twilightsmile:

12. Stolen Eyes

With the festivities had died down a little, and it was time for Spike to collect his reward, and for everyone to enjoy the Feast of the Hunt. Applejack grinned to the young dragon as the five of them entered the royal chamber. She was happy for him, and she personally had a lot of fun competing against Freya. I wouldn't mind doin' that again sometime soon, she thought as Cid looked to address them, Garnet at his side.

“That was marvelous, all of you!” he said as the party gathered before him, sitting on his throne. Artania was standing to his side, carrying a small, finely crafted bag. “A grand display of skill and tact if I ever saw one. And your festive additions were quite the unexpected joy, Ms. Pinkie Pie.”

“It was nothing~” She replied as Artania walked up to Spike.

“195 points,” Artania complimented, “most impressive, congratulations Spike!” he happily said as Cid continued.

“We grant you, Spike the Dragon, the title of Master Hunter, and your reward.” On Cid's cue, Artania presented the dragon with the sack of gemstones, which Spike eagerly peaked into. His eyes widened in happiness as he beheld the bag's contents, which Applejack couldn't see from here, but she assumed it had an impressive array.

“Gotta say, that was pretty awesome. Nice one Spike!” Zidane complimented, Applejack wasn't sure if he was sour about losing the hunt or not, but he seemed genuinely happy for the dragon.

“Wait till you tell Twilight about it~!” Pinkie added.

“This is all kinds of awesome! Thanks everyone!” Spike replied as he eyed a purple gem he pulled from the bag. Freya hesitated, before also congratulating Spike-

Showering the dragon with congratulations and praise was interrupted by a Lindblum guard helping a terribly wounded rat-folk soldier into the royal chamber.

Applejack's mirth and line of thought instantly froze as she took in the wounded Burmecian. Those wounds were fatal, and despite what she wished, she could tell he was on the brink.

“Messenger from Burmecia,” the guard grimly informed Cid as Garnet quickly worked to cure the Burmecian of his wounds. Despite her efforts, the wounds didn't seem to close up, which made her distraught from her lack of success. The Equestrians stood looking in shock, the scene alien to them. Applejack lifted a hoof, wanting to step forward and help, but put her hoof back down as she stared on helplessly. He's bleedin', an awful lot... She thought as the soldier looked to the regent.

“Please forgive my intrusion...” the Burmecian weakly said, “I bring urgent news from our king,” Freya move to help the soldier, worry and concern written on her face as well.

“The King of Burmecia?” Cid asked, alarmed, but composed, “Please, continue.”

“Our kingdom,” he began, drawing on what was left of his strength, “is being attacked by some unknown force! We're severely outmatched... please send reinforcements, immediately!” Everyone was surprised by the news as he continued, “The enemy is an army of mages, wearing steeple-crowned hats...” Like the Black Waltz's!? Applejack thought wide-eyed, her fear momentarily switched out for confusion, and anger.

“I see,” Cid replied, his brow furrowed, “the king and I are old friends. We will send reinforcements to Burmecia immediately!”

“Thank you, regent, the king, and all of Burmecia will be most grateful... I must... return now...” he finished weakly as he slowly slumped to the ground, his breathing dying down as they all looked on, helpless. Seeing him perish made Applejack's eyes sting, but she wasn't going to indulge the itch, as she felt Pinkie and Spike at her side, and her pride wouldn't let her be the first to cry. Applejack vaguely noticed that Zidane looked like he wanted to hit something, while Garnet was trying to remain composed.

“Take him to the infirmary!” Artania ordered.

“It's too late,” Freya sadly declared as she respectfully closed the dead soldier's eyes. “He's gone... It's a miracle he even made it this far.” She moved back as the guard that helped the soldier in moved the body out of the room. Freya watched them leave, her shoulders heavy as her eyes fell to the red mess on the floor near her.

“I can't believe this is happening.” She admitted as she looked up from the blood, turning to Cid. Her movement stopped a moment when she saw how the Equestrians looked.

Applejack had kept her tears down. She didn't need to look to know that Pinkie's mane was a little deflated. She looked to Spike, and didn't know whether to feel relieved, or concerned. Spike looked confused, the entire event not processing to him. Zidane looked at Freya, concern written on his face. The others didn't notice the outsider's distress, they were too wrapped up in the big picture.

“This is a problem,” Artania stated as he turned to Cid, “because of the festival, there are hardly any men left in the castle. It will take time to mobilize!”

“We have no choice,” Cid admitted, “we'll have to call back the 4th aerial division patrolling the border.”

“But Cid, We'll lose our eyes over Alexandria if we do that.”

“Burmecia is our ally!” Cid answered with anger, “We must help them.”

“Steeple-crowned hats...” Zidane said, his frown melting when he looked to the Equestrians. He hesitated a moment before continuing. “They must be Black Mages, like what we saw at Dali,” he suggested bitterly.

“No! That's no true!” Spike claimed, having become attached to the Black Mages at Dali, he wouldn't believe the very same ones made there were the ones that were responsible for the blood that lay before him on the ground.

“Could my mother have done this?” Garnet wondered aloud. A troubling silence was born from her question, which was broken by the dragon knight.

“I must go.” Freya stated, looking to the others. “I cannot sit and wait for reinforcements.”

“I'm coming with you,” Zidane proclaimed.

“No, this doesn't concern you.”

“What's this, I'm a stranger all a sudden!?” She looked taken aback by his outburst, and she wasn't alone, Applejack was just as surprised by his swift volunteering. “I'm not gonna sit back and watch your home get destroyed, alright?” Freya took his words in, and gave him a small nod.

“Thank you, Zidane,” she finished, happy that she wasn't going into this alone.

Applejack looked between the two, then the red puddle on the floor. The idea of either of them sharing the fate of the messenger made her heart falter. Blank, petrified in the forest, flashed before her eyes. I, I don't want to lose them! Either of them! She thought as she looked away from the blood, taking in a deep breath.

“I, I wanna help too,” she said as she steeled herself. Freya looked even more surprised at that, and Zidane gave Applejack a weak, almost sad grin. “Yer home needs aid, and I wanna help.”

Applejack was scared, no, she was terrified. This world was dangerous, and it was clear that people kill people here, it was clear to her now more than ever. But still, she considered Freya her friend, after what the two have been through these last two days. And she was going to help her friend. Freya needs all the help she can get if she wants to save her homeland! Applejack knew that this was a dangerous venture, but she refused to abandon Freya, just like she had abandoned Blank. Freya helped her find Pinkie, and Applejack was going to return the gesture.

No one objected to the orange mare helping as she looked towards Pinkie. Applejack was use to going into danger with her friends, but she was unsure if Pinkie would be willing to accompany her on this venture.

Pinkie stood quietly, looking between the others. She looked like she was having a mental conflict, and provided no certain response to the situation. Applejack was worried for her, she's been acting strange, for Pinkie, ever since the mist appeared back in Equestria, and it's only gotten worse since she came to Gaia.

“Alright then,” Garnet let out, a fire in her eyes, “Let's go to Burmecia.” She said it as if it was a foregone conclusion, drawing almost everyone's attention.

“This is a foreign matter Garnet,” Cid admitted, disapproval clearly on his face, “We are not positive if Alexandria is involved.”

“But if Black Mages are involved,” she began, almost pleadingly, “Zidane, Applejack, you know what I'm talking about.” Zidane looked to the princess, considering it for a moment, “If mother is behind all this, I'll make her stop, I promise!” Applejack glanced back to her friends before stepping forward to Garnet.

“I think ya should stay here, princess,” Applejack began, “This is gonna be mighty dangerous, and royalty like yerself should stay away from danger.”

“I agree,” Zidane added, surprising the mare and the princess.

“What? Why!?” Garnet asked indignantly.

“We don't know what to expect there,” Zidane answered firmly, it was clear to Applejack that he wasn't going to give on this matter.

“I've already faced danger coming here! What's the difference!?”

“Dagger, this is war. A lot of people are gonna die,” Zidane replied. War? What is war? Applejack thought, her eyes falling back to the red puddle as she swallowed back her growing fear.

“I know that!” Garnet shouted, clearly not happy being treated like a child.

“How did you feel when you saw the Burmecian solder die, just now?” Zidane asked.

“I felt sad, of course.” Garnet hesitatingly answered, unsure where his question was leading.

“Just sad? Weren't you scared, too?” He asked as he shook his head, “Obviously, you haven't realized how dangerous it's gonna be. You could get killed. This is no time to be talking about convincing your mother of anything.”

Applejack looked to him, his words seeming to make the danger she pictured seem more real to her. She could get killed, we could get killed. I'm not some coward, I've been close to losin' my life already in this world. I'm not gonna cower now, not when a friend needs me! But Spike, this is too much for him. And maybe too much fer Pinkie. This could even be too much for me! She glanced to them briefly, before turning to her two friends.

“Spike, Pinkie, what do ya think?” The orange mare asked her friends. She had already agreed to help, but she needed to know what they intended.

“If you're going, I'm going too,” Pinkie replied, but it lacked the bouncing energy her words always carried. She was just as scared as Applejack, but she was also the element of laughter, “Sounds like they're gonna need somepony to bring the smiles in Burmecia,” She finished weakly, avoiding Applejack's gaze as she eyed the floor.

“I'm coming too,” Spike added, “I want to make sure it's not Black Mages, that it's some big misunderstanding.” While the mares were afraid, Spike was angry. And that made Applejack pause.

No, what we're heading towards is more than just dangerous, what we'll find in Burmecia is something we'll never find in Equestria. I can't expose Spike to that. It was more than just the danger, she felt that something important would be lost if Spike went with them. She also doubted Twilight would ever forgive her for letting Spike waltz into such danger.

“I'm sorry sugarcube, but yer stayin' here, where it's safe.”

“What? Why!?” He shouted, mirroring Garnets outburst. Applejack looked to Zidane, their eyes met, and Zidane saw what she wanted from him. She doubted she could convince Spike to stay, but she knew Zidane could pull it off.

“Because someone needs to stay with the Princess.” Zidane answered as he knelt down to Spike, “And I can't think of anyone better suited than the Master Hunter.”

Applejack hid her shame as Zidane smoothed things over for her. Her honesty was her pride, but right now, it would only put Spike in danger. She didn't want Spike to go with them to spare him from Burmecia, but if she told him that, it would hurt his feelings, and make him only more curious. Zidane's reasons for him to stay were less painful, and this time, Applejack took solace in it. Spike took in Zidane's words, and reluctantly accepted them.

“Well, alright, I'll stay with the princess. But you all better come back alright!” He ordered of them.

“I'm not staying,” Garnet interjected, “I'm going with you!”

“That will be enough, now's not the time to argue,” Cid said, breaking up the discussion.

“He's right," Freya said, “We must head out at once. Come, let's go.”

“W-wait!” Garnet said, stopping Freya from leaving, “If it's really that dangerous, shouldn't you at least enjoy the feast before leaving? You don't know when the next time such a meal will be available.”

“We don't have time for a victory meal, my homeland is in grave trouble!” Freya shouted, forgetting that she was talking to royalty.

“You may as well," Artania suggested, "We had to close the Dragon's Gate for the festival, it'll take some time to open it again. The monsters at the base become agitated during the festival." Everyone but Garnet shared a reluctant look, but decided to take part in the feast, as they couldn't leave just yet, even though they wanted too.

On the floor below the royal chamber was a large dining hall, with a table buried in all manner of food, and to the ponies' disgust, a good amount of meat was on it. Thankfully, a number of plants were also arranged for them.

Freya was reluctant to partake, and Applejack wasn't hungry, considering what just happened, but at Zidane's insistence, they all partook of the meal. Well, besides Spike, he was feasting on his new cache of gemstones. It was a quiet dinner, no one wanted to talk about what happened, or what was going to happen, as the air was heavy with worry.

As Applejack noticed that the princess wasn't eating, Applejack started to feel sleepy. She saw the regent fall over, passing out, as well as Freya and Zidane. Pinkie didn't seem to be succumbing to the same fatigue that was washing over the orange mare. Then she saw Pinkie twitch and pass out unexpectedly. The last thing Applejack saw as she tried her hardest to keep her eyes open, was an apologetic look from Garnet as Spike looked at the others, confused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Garnet and the Dragon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Applejack, Pinkie!?” Spike said in alarm as he tried to stir his friends.

“They're okay Spike, it's just sleeping weed, they'll be up before long,” Garnet assured.

“What? Princess, you do this?” Seeing her nod, he looked to her, confused, “But why? They're our friends!”

“Because, I need to stop this war, and they won't trust me, trust us, to be able to pull it off. Come on Spike, let's go, before they wake up.” Spike stood there unsure what he should do. His eyes looked to Applejack, then Zidane. He said that I needed to protect the princess while they're gone. If she's leaving, then I have to follow her! He realized as determination lit up his face.

“Okay! You lead, and I'll follow,” Spike said, he had a task to follow through, and he wasn't going to let his friends down. He was the Master Hunter after all, and the princesses' assistant. He didn't know anything about wars or how to stop them, but he trusted that Garnet had a plan. He also saw another adventure ahead of him, this time just him and the princess, and he was certain he could pull it off. We were going to split up anyway, so this should be fine. He thought as he left a note for the others, and departed with Garnet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack stirred from her plant induced sleep before the others did. She saw that Garnet and Spike were gone, and it wasn't that hard for her to put the pieces together. She moved to wake the others, while doing so, she saw a note left on the table. Seeing Spike's signature at the bottom, she quickly looked over it.

'Dear friends, the princess has decided to take matters in her own hands and is going to stop the war. As her assistant and protector, I'll be accompanying her. Please be safe, and I hope we'll be seeing each other again soon.' -Spike

Applejack was slammed the ground with her hoof. She adopted a glare, but didn't know who it was intended for. Spike for not stopping the princess. The princess for not trusting their words on the matter. Or herself for not being able to stop them from doing something as foolish as running off to tackle this by themselves. Zidane saw the letter and read it aloud for everyone else. After finishing he crumpled it up.

“Tch, It was the sleeping weed I gave her, said she was having trouble resting. She got us good.” He said, both frustrated and impressed.

“She got it from ya?” Applejack asked, trying not to let her anger be vented against Zidane.

“I gotta say,” Freya said, “I'm impressed. There's more to her than meets the eye.”

“Just what is she thinking!?” Zidane exclaimed as he looked to Applejack and Freya, “They must have gone to Burmecia.”

“If you head out now, you might be able to catch up to her!” Cid suggested worriedly.

“If she's heading to Burmecia,” the dragon knight explained, “she'll have to pass through Gizamaluke's Grotto, once through, she'll be in my home nation.”

“The gate must be open by now .”

“In that case, let's get a move on!” Applejack said as she made for the exit, but paused when she saw Pinkie. The pink mare seemed at odds with herself. It got Zidane's attention, he quickly glanced back to Applejack before approaching Pinkie.

“What's wrong Pinkie, do you want to stay here?” He asked her calmly, as if he was walking on eggshells. She looked at him, confused. She then shook her head.

“I said I was going to go help them smile, and that's what this Pinkie is gonna do~” she said half excitedly. What is wrong with her? I'm scared too, but our friends are in trouble!

“Maybe you should stay put,” Freya suggested, “I don't think war is someplace a pony like you should be around.”

“I'll be an okay alright just fine pony. Okay?” She replied, trying to bring back her usual enthusiasm. “Staying put here isn't helping anypony, not even me. So I'm going too, and don't try to make me stay like Spikey, you saw how that turned out~” she finished, almost singing out the end of her sentence. “I'll be super duper, because I'll be with my friends!” She concluded, settling the matter. Applejack still saw the uncertainty in her eyes, but trusted her decision.

“Alight then, let's move!” Applejack ordered, and the four of them moved to leave the city behind them, off to Gizamaluke's Grotto.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'If you're curious, Spike was given seven Ore, two Garnets, two Amethysts, and three Rubies.'

'The wounded soldier arrived by boat, he wouldn't have made it on foot otherwise. The Dragon's Gate was closed for the festival, so he wouldn't have been able to deliver his message had he arrived to the city on foot.'

'I fell asleep from the food too, but Spike carried me till I woke up. Wasn't that nice of him! Kupo~'

'...poor Burmecia...'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Iron Sword: Minus Strike

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

Iron Scabbard: Bird Killer

Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Basic Barding: Hog Tie(mastered)

Leather Saddlebag: Hog Tie(mastered), Antibody

Elem-Def: Earth damage reduced by 50%

Lvl-9 HP 454/454 MP 36/36

AP 4/21

*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP

Author's Note

And so everything takes a turn for the bad.
Have a muffin as an apology.

Thank you for gouging your eyes out over this story!
And Big thanks for OCisbestpony for that thing he does that makes this story a little less bad. :twilightsheepish:

13. Loss of Me

Pinkie was distracting herself with the white cotton robe Zidane had given her. It wasn't made for ponies, but since it was a robe, it could cover her well enough. Wearing it was better than nothing, and there was power in equipment.

She could feel the power in the robe whispering to her the secrets of making potions stronger, and she listened eagerly as they marched through the green hills. She was glad with the distraction the robe was currently giving her, wondering if she should color it pink or try mixing all kinds of colors into it.

“I don't think your clothes are suppose to be whispering to you.” Discord said, half seriously, and she chose to ignore his comment.

Pinkie is a pony that tends to live in the moment. She would have been able to overlook the soldier's death in front of her with the short passing of time, if it wasn't for the constant reminders of it occurring.

The party was traveling through the valley past the marsh, the grotto was nestled at the base of the mountain at the valley's end. Every monster battle they encountered ended with Applejack giving her a concerned glance, and it kept sending her back to the dead soldier. And if it wasn't Applejack that reminded her, it was Discord.

“What, little ol' me? Don't blame me for something you didn't want to see.” He huffed at the thought of being the cause of her distress. “You should have stayed in the castle. You haven't recovered from your mist exposure, and now here you are, getting another helping of it!” His scowl confused her, lighting a fire in her eyes.

I can fight, so why does everypony think I should have stayed back?

“Because they care about you, that's why,” he replied as he shaped his form into a giant heart symbol. “You're on the brink of breaking Pinkie, one dead soldier and anxiety from your friend's concern brought you here, what lies ahead will finish it.” Her step faltered as she looked to the apparition.

What's up ahead, Discord? I know it's not a party, and I know there will be no smiles there. What do you know that has you, of all ponies, worried about me?

“Death, sadness, and a broken heart. Pinkie Pie can't make the dead smile, and Pinkamena cannot avenge them. What are you to do? You cannot stand what lies ahead, not as your are.” He said as he shrugged at her apologetically, “And now you've reached the point of no return.” He finished as the group reached the opening of the grotto.

The entrance looked like it was hit by devastating spells, the walls and decorative parts of the entrance were scorched by burns, and rubble lay scattered about.

The guards laying about the entrance were dead.

Freya approached them, distraught, Zidane was by her side as the two mares looked on. Applejack's face hardened as she joined Freya's side, looking over the corpses. I really envy her right now. Pinkie thought as she kept her gaze on Applejack's back, avoiding looking at the warriors who would never smile again.

“Come on, get up!” Freya pleaded from the dead soldiers, “Dammit, say something!” Seeing her efforts were in vain, she turned to Zidane and Applejack with a dangerous glare. “The Black Mages, who are they!?” Applejack took a step back before replying.

“W-We're not too sure!” Applejack quickly assured, “Just that they're made in Dali, and shipped to Alexandria.” Freya considered her words before looking to the grotto's entrance.

“The king!” she said, almost in a panic, “He must be in danger if the mages are capable of this much. Come on!” And she ran into the entrance of the cave, Applejack following along side her. Zidane looked up at the destruction in worry.

“I sure hope the others didn't come here,” he said, then turned to the mare behind him. Their eyes met, and he saw the hesitation in hers. “Come, Pinkie, you've got us with you, we'll be safe,” he assured her.

“R-Right! Let's go...” she couldn't think of a silly word scramble to finish her sentence with, her mane still had poof, but she felt drained just from seeing the grisly mess.

She moved forward, and Zidane waited for her as she passed the bodies littering the sides of the entrance. The sight made her sad, but not afraid, at least not for herself. Pinkie saw her worth in making others happy, when she lay on the brink yesterday, it was the thought of making others sad that brought her into her trance, not the fear of dying. Looking at the bodies as she passed them, she asked Discord, Does this make you all sad and ache-y too?

“Not really,” he quickly replied, “they aren't Equestrians, they aren't my friends, they're just strangers of another world that met an unfortunate end. Now seeing you right now, that does make me all sad and ache-y.”

How is she doing it, Applejack is so strong, how can I be like her?

“She's strong because she needs to be. Two of her friends are hurting more than her, so she needs to be the strong one.”

Can you help me, be strong like her? She suspected it was only going to get worse from here. She needed to be stronger, or her friends would do nothing but worry for her. Nopony was happy right now, and she didn't think it was possible, or right, for them to be happy right now.

“My method of helping you is literally messing with your head. Now whenever a fight happens you switch personalities instantly, thanks to 'my help'. You've got two ponies in your head right now, and me. Applejack may be strong because she only has one pony in her head. Buuut~ take from that what you will,” he finished nonchalantly.

During her inner dialogue, Zidane and the others found a wounded soldier who informed them about the locks of Gizamaluke. The cave was sealed after the attack to prevent others from passing, each door was sealed by a magical bell that needed a hand-bell to open. Giving the guard some potions, he was able to recover from his wounds and gave the bell to Zidane, and at the groups insistence, the soldier waited at the entrance for other survivors.

He was thankful to be saved, and gave the group a weak smile as they moved on. Pinkie saw that smile, and understood what she needed to do. If we save as many as possible, then they can smile again! She latched onto that hope, not realizing that hope was the driving force behind the guard's smile.

“To save as many as possible means to fight the attackers, can you take a life to save a life?” Discord asked, making the mare hesitate. Pinkamena could, but that would mean a loss of me. Ohh shoot, why do I have to be the crazy one with two ponies in my head! I need to make two ponies into one. Discord, how do I do that?

“Well, if you're gonna ask me, I suggest trying to make both ponies the same. If Pinkie fights like Pinkamena,” a small figure of pinkie shooting her cannon loaded with weapons appeared in his left hand. “And Pinkamena parties like Pinkie,” and in his right hand Pinkamena was dancing with a party hat on her head. “Who knows what will come of it.” He suggested as he smooshed the figures together, turning them into pie. Pinkie took the idea to heart. She doubted she'd be partying anytime soon, so she'll have to try being Pinkie during battle.

Zidane took the bell he was given and used it on the door blocking the party's way. As he rang it, a bell built into the door range in unison, and the door opened.

“I doubt the princess came this way,” Zidane said with a sigh of relief as he looked down the hallway the door revealed, “she wouldn't have been able to pass, and the guard would have been healed by her.”

“Then she won't see what lies ahead of us. I'm not turning back for her, I'm pressing forward,” Freya said adamantly. Zidane frowned and pondered on that before nodding.

“We'll probably not find her if we turn back now. I think pushing forward is best, we'll have to hope the others will be okay,” he concluded.

“Well, alright, let's hope then.” Applejack said, her brow furrowed, not having too much of a choice in the matter, and Pinkie nodded with her, carrying her sentiment.

They moved down the stone hall, their paces increasing at the sounds of combat. Turning around a bend revealed a large chamber with several guards fighting Black Mages. As Pinkie's hair started to slack from switching personalities, she pleaded with herself, and as she did so, Discord snapped his fingers with a small grin.

Let me do this. I want to be stronger, so let's try our best, okay? Pulling out her cannon, her hair lost its fluffy curliness, but it wasn't straight either, it was slightly curled, somewhere between Twilight's and Rarities manes, but not entirely slack like Pinkemena's. Alrighty, Pinkemena replied, let's kick some flank, together!

As she prepared to join the fight, something caught everyone's attention. On a raised walkway on a wall passing over the path were two small figures, one wearing a red and white jesters garb, the other in blue and white. The twin jesters looked at the party in confusion.

“Who are they?” The blue one asked.

“That, I don't know,” the red one answered.

“I know I have seen those two somewhere before,” the blue one stated, eyeing Zidane and Applejack.

“Somewhere before? I have not seen them. I know,” the red one affirmed.

“I guess it is not important. Let's kill them.” The blue one stated as several Black Mages joined them.

“Yes, kill them, shall we?” With that, the group of Black Mages jumped down and attacked the party. Freya immediately jumped up to attack the twins, and came down on them as the Black Mages assaulted the rest of the group, knocking them both to them to either side of her.

“Heee! Savage monsters, they are!” The red one screamed as it fled from Freya.

“Run away!” The blue one followed after. Freya glared at them, then turned and aided the party in their fight against the group of mages.

Pinkie was first to engage, she placed the broadsword Applejack had given her and fired it at the closest mage, piercing right through it. She has come to learn that the weapon she fires affects her damage, the fork causing great damage if it makes a clean hit, or low damage if it nicks the target. Swords were the most consistent, while spears, which she had only tried once, pin the targets she hits. Seeing the Black Mage speared by the sword, it slumped over, dead, but didn't disperse into mist, which made her and Applejack pause in fear.

I, I just killed it. The fact that it didn't disperse into mist made the reality of her actions more apparent. Suddenly, Discords words during the festival of the hunt had a new sense of clarity behind them.

“It's them or us!" Freya shouted, "Don't hesitate! They've already killed a number of others, steel yourselves and fight!” Pinkie shook her head as she eyed the mage she killed, fighting back tears.

She's right. They'll kill my friends if I just stand around and let them, but that doesn't mean I have to like fighting them! She thought as she pulled her sword out of the mage. Applejack followed up and took down the mage that was about to attack Pinkie. Zidane and Freya dispatched the remaining two. The party didn't have Spike or Garnet's magic supporting them, but the four of them were an offensive powerhouse, it would take more than an even numbered fight to threaten them.

The fight over, Pinkie let out a long, sad sigh, her hair returning to its puffy normal self. She eyed the bodies of the black mages, sad at what she had done, and by the fact that there was no alternative. The tears she had fought started to fall down her face as she wondered, Why is it like this, what reason is there for this? Applejack moved to her side, their eyes met, and Pinkie saw the same thoughts in her friend. The orange mare gave her a hug, and Pinkie returned it in kind, smiling weakly. They shared the embrace for a moment, then let go, they didn't have time to vent their sorrow right now.

“Equestria, it must be a nice place, if you don't have to deal with this.” Zidane said enviously, “Don't worry, I'll get you back home, safe and sound. I promise you.” There was a fire in his eyes that caught the ponies off guard. Pinkie didn't doubt his promise, and felt reassured for it.

“Now, let's move, there are still fights going on inside, let's save as many as we can.” He calmly insisted, Applejack and Pinkie gave each other a determined nod as the group moved deeper into the cave. There were lives to be saved, at the expense of the Black Mages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Queen's Sword
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beatrix overlooked the attack. The Black Mages were pushing into the city with annoying ease. She was content to fight at her queen's command, but she wished it was the might of her soldiers that had won these battles, not the Black Mages the queen was supplied with.

The queen herself was overlooking the battle from the safety of her airship, the Red Rose, while Beatrix overlooked the battlements on the ground. An officer approached the general, looking quite pleased with themself.

“Mam! We'll have the city taken by nightfall, the king is as good as ours!” Beatrix nodded and dismissed the officer.

Beatrix unsheathed her sword, the holy blade of her station, 'Save the Queen', and joined the battle, her blade cutting through all opposition as she worked towards the city palace. We can do better than nightfall.

The dragon knights of Burmecia were giving her troops a hard time, she would fix that. She singled them out in the battlefield, bringing everything she had upon the jumping spearmen. As she cut down knight after knight, she couldn't help but wonder, Is this really what's best for Alexandria?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were more than Black Mages in the cave. Monsters born of mist also assaulted the group, no doubt driven here by the Black Mages. Pinkie switched back to using the fork for the cannon's ammo. It seemed better suited for her than the sword, though both had their uses. She didn't have any spare spears, though useful, the only one she had snapped after its first use. They fought, battle after battle, against monsters and Black Mages, as they worked their way through the grotto.

The supply of potions they had were not fairing well. Pinkie had been handling the stock, she added a little something to the potions to make them more potent, to the benefit to everyone, still, they were running low. Several of the foes they fought were strong at counter attacking. It did however backfire several times for the monsters, as Pinkie's penchant for confusing her foes caused them to counterattack themselves.

The 'key' got them through every door, and after a short while they had rescued half a dozen soldiers. They had reached the hall before the last chamber. There was a moogle sitting next to a large bell resting on a raised platform, and when Pinkie saw the moogle her expression unexpectedly changed to pure mirth.

She had briefly talked to Mois when they were together earlier in the day, and she found the creatures cuter than parasprites, which was pretty easy considering parasprites are pests. To Pinkie, they were so cute that just the sight of one made all the gloom of going through the grotto disappear, for the moment.

"Kupo! Could you please help my husband, he's trapped inside the bell! Kupo~!" She asked of them, and with a quick combination of Aqua Cannon and Applebuck, the heavy bell was pushed aside with a terribly loud , revealing the moogle within.

"Kupo! Thank you for saving me!” the husband exclaimed as he approached his saviors. “Here, have this! You look like you'll need it more! Kupo." He said as he gave Zidane a golden hand-bell. “Thanks again!” with that, he flew off, his wife chasing after him lovingly.

Dawww, how cute~!The entire exchange almost made the pink mare bust from the happiness. Since she was about to burst, she let out some of her mirth by giving her friends one of her best, honest smiles.

"Oh please,” Discord said as he rolled his eyes, “I think I might get sick from how sweet that was," Suddenly, he turned green and keeled over as he smiled at Pinkie, happy she was happy.

Whether it was from the mist exposure, or 'Discord's 'help', or her own determination, Pinkie found herself becoming more and more in sync with Pinkamena with each battle. Her hair would stay curly for a longer duration after each fight. As the group gathered around the last door, in-crested with a golden bell, Applejack appraise Pinkie.

"Yer lookin' a lot better, and I mean before we saved them moogles, what's up?" Applejack asked as she eyed Pinkie's mane.

“Just trying to be one pony, instead of two, duh~” She replied enthusiastically. She was feeling better. Saving the soldiers, in turn, saved herself. And Applejack was looking better off as well. Pinkie and Applejack were the kind of ponies that were happy to help others, and they were helping the soldiers of Burmecia live to save their home. They'd taken themselves to simply looking at the Black Mages as monsters that didn't dissipate when slain.

“Oh, if only things were that simple.” Discord commented with a sense of mock dread, “Still, its nice to see you getting your guffwah going!”

Guffwah? No no no, this is more like Pizzham! I got my Pizzham going!

“Oh, my mistake,” he replied, embarrassed that he had gotten it wrong.

“I don't follow,” Applejack admitted to her comment of being one pony, “but ya look better fer it, so I guess whatever it is, it's helpin' out.” Zidane and Freya seemed to be of a similar opinion, as they had stopped giving the pink mare worried glances a couple fights ago. “So, this Gizama-whatsit, we gonna fight it?” One of the soldiers they had rescued had informed them that Master Gizamaluke had somehow been driven mad.

“We may not have a choice,” Freya began, “but I insist we spare him, his madness may only be temporary, and he's been an ally of Burmecia for a long time.” She then considered something before looking to the others. “So you know, he isn't a Burmecian. He's a friendly sea monster of the mist.” That got a surprised look from her companions. “He's quite large.” She then scratched the back of her head, “You know, sparing you the shock when we first see him.”

“A friendly monster? Well of course we're gonna spare him~,” Pinkie assured, “what do you think we are, a bunch of bullies that want to make everypony all gloomy?” She didn't get a smile from Freya, but Zidane and Applejack had a small grin, they were making a difference here, and it reflected in their smiles.

Using the golden hand-bell, the group went into the last room. Inside was a large pool of glowing water with a stone bridge built a foot above the water that stretched to the exit at the opposite end. Expecting a fight to happen at any moment, they all took action.

Freya jumped up, grabbing onto a stalactite on the ceiling as the rest ran to the center of the bridge, prepared for the guardian to spring out and attack. And they were not disappointed.

Pinkie's mane became wavy as the large guardian jumped out of the grotto, drenching her with water, revealing itself to indeed be quite large. Gizamaluke had the body of a snake with the wings of a bat, webbed out for swimming. It jumped over the trio, sending water from the grotto onto them, slamming them to the ground.

“Oh, we ain't gonna have any of that!” Applejack proclaimed as she prepared her rope for the next pass. When it came, Gizamaluke was tied to the bridge, preventing him from getting away, but not disabling his methods of attacking. Zidane and Freya attacked while he was pinned, cutting into him, but the guardian was hearty, it would take much more than that to defeat it. Pinkie fired the cannon, sending the fork into its side, and with a quick tug of the rope tied to the fork, reclaimed her ammo.

Their opponent thrashed the water, pummeling all of them again. The pink mare felt as though she was at the edge of bursting with energy, a sensation she never felt before, but she knew it was the attack that caused it. She gave Zidane a potion as Freya and Applejack pressed their attacks. Not believing her Aqua Cannon would have much affect on it, she fired the fork again, and it immediately responded with a counterattack.

It let out a low screech that shook the walls of the cavern and made her ears scream out in pain. As the noise fell over her, she felt the built up energy let loose, and this was a sensation she had felt before, as she went into Trance.

Her mane turned golden, its puff returned as her coat changed white, her robe dispersing into magic. Crackling with gold and pink lightning, the ethereal wings appeared, and showered all of her friends with its protection.

The noise Gizamaluke had hit her with had silenced her, but she understood the trick behind what it had done, and grabbing her party cannon, she was going to let out a noise of her own. Her friends looked at her in surprise, Applejack and Zidane both looking empowered at seeing her enter Trance, to her joy.

“Might wanna cover your ears, this is gonna be one heck of a party blast!” She shouted, only she didn't, as no sound left her voice as she fired the new ability Gizamaluke had unwittingly given her. Or maybe not, she was silenced, and was unable to use the new ability.

She then remembered Zidane explaining to her about how being silenced can mess with using special powers. Zidane came to her side while Applejack distracted the guardian, and used a healing item called Echo Screen to remedy the problem.

“Thanks Zidane, you're a real pal! Now cover your ears everypony!” She said, able to talk again, as she fired the guardian with a seismic wall of bass, knocking it from its ropes and slamming it into the far wall, causing cracks to spread from the impact. It fell into the water as Surprise let out a whoop of victory. Discord slapped on a pair of shades and nodded to her, saying 'that's my pony!'.

Then Gizamaluke jumped out of the water, not finished fighting, and tried to slam into the white and gold mare, making Discord abandon his shades in mock panic. Zidane and Applejack got in its path, catching it off guard as they attacked in unison. Applejack was quick to tie it down again as Freya landed on its back, stabbing deep into its side. Zidane followed up with a slash to its webbed wings. Gizamaluke thrashed violently as the bridge started to crack under the stress. He let out another scream of noise, but directed it beneath him, and the bridge crumbled.

With Zidane and Freya still on his back, they fell into the water with him. The rope came undone as half the bridge fell into the pool, leaving the mares behind on what remained of the bridge.

As Surprise moved to the edge of the broken bridge, the energy that empowered her died down, the mare returned to her pink, wavy haired self, and her robes returned as the final crackle of lightning sparked out.

Looking into the water, they saw that Freya and Zidane refused to let go of their opponent. The water churned as it surfaced, trying to dislodge the persistence warriors. Zidane and Freya hadn't fared well from the water ride, but Gizamaluke looked ready to fall at a moment's notice.

“Get off it ya two!” Applejack ordered, and seeing the look in her eyes, they did just that. As the guardian turned to the orange mare, she jumped up and applebucked it into the water, deep into the water, and the guardian of the grotto disappeared from sight. After a minute of waiting, the group assumed he wouldn't resurface anytime soon.

“Oh, over already?” Discord asked, coming out from where he hid when Gizamaluke tried to slam Pinkie.

And where were you, mister scaredy pony?

“Oh you know, just watching while my second favorite pony strutted her stuff,” he replied, shooting a miniature Gizamaluke with a miniature party cannon.

With the bridge broken, it would take some time to get the soldiers they rescued across the gap, as Applejack and Freya worked to carry them across, Pinkie donned her perpetual smile. Being both Pinkie and Pinkamena made her a whole, secure, pony, and with that she felt she could face what was waiting for her in Burmecia. She saw that 'Discord', however, was looking over her in worry.

“One certain thing about the future, is uncertainty,” he said in line with her thoughts, which the spirit of chaos knew all to well.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'The bells were made as a unique lock and key system insisted by Gizamaluke. He once insisted the keys break after being used, but that didn't make any sense to the Burmecians, so they chose to have the keys be reusable.'

'The Black Waltz's were made more of mist than Black Mages, which made them unstable, and disperse into mist when they perished, unlike the Black Mages.'

'Pinkie can a be a little overbearing when I talk to her, she wants to dress me up and make me say 'Kupo' all the time. It scares me.'

'Silence is the bane of all magic wielders, it makes their voice die out and makes them unable to cast abilities. It essentially locks down their contribution to the battle, good thing Echo Screen can negate its affects.'

'It is speculated that Zorn and Thorn used some strange magic to bypass the doors locking mechanism, allowing their black mages into the grotto.'

'If you're wondering, Gizamaluke did survive that encounter, but it took some time afterwards for his madness to be dispelled. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

*Needle Fork Cannon: High Tide, Pony Cannon

*Cotton Robe: Chemist, ~~Shell~~

Shard of Chaos: Pink-a-mena-Diane-Pie(mastered)

Lvl up! Lvl-12 HP 553/553 MP 8/78

AP 6/21

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink-a-mena-Diane-Pie (6) - 'Keep at it Pinkie, you'll be there soon enough.'

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals Non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to Silence them.

?????:

Pony Cannon 0 Mp: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

What will it take for Pinkie to make Freya smile? Guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Wet mane Pinkie is pretty close to what Diane Pie looks like.

And yes, that's Beatrix's theme, so sue me!
Boss Pic. Get! Gizamaluke looks over wedding ceremonies, can you tell?

I'd like to thank the academy of FIM;Fic readers for doing what they do.
And I'll also thank my editor, OCisbestpony while I'm at it! :twilightsmile:

14. Aloha De Chocobo

“And once you get on the trolley, I'll just teleport on top of it!” Spike said, laying out the last piece of the plan out to Dagger. She insisted on being called by that name again since the two were now incognito. The guards would be looking for the princess and the dragon, and their brilliant plan would get them to Alexandria without being discovered.

“That sounds perfect!” Dagger replied with a smile, “When we're about to reach the South Gate, I'll get the disguise together!” she affirmed as they wandered through a forest near the river. Spike was following her lead, for he didn't know the way to the gate, and he was really hoping they weren't lost.

They'd been tackling the monsters of the mist fairly well, and the new powers his cache of gems provided had been a boon. With his destructive magic, and Dagger's healing magic, the two were relatively safe from the monsters.

It would be bad if the Master Hunter couldn't handle a couple monsters! Spike thought smugly. Out of his rewards, he had already eaten all he intended to, leaving a single Amethyst and a Ruby left. And just like the Garnet, each of those gems reminded him of somepony.

The Amethyst had the same color as Rarity's element of harmony, and holding it made Spike feel like he could reach out and touch her. It felt regal, and proud. But it was also melodramatic to the point of being silly. The power it granted Spike let out a shrilling noise that made monsters run away. While the noise didn't sound like Rarity, Spike couldn't help but draw a connection between the sound and her whining. She was quite the whiner when she put some effort into it. He loved the mare, but even he found that tone grating. And while the power her gem gave was very useful against the monsters they would rather not fight, there was several other powers in the gem, it really was a generous gemstone. Being tied to Rarity, Spike wished to master it before mastering the Ruby.

The Ruby radiated with brash confidence, and a fierce loyalty that could only remind Spike of Rainbow Dash. When he drew upon its power he was surprised to summon a miniature sonic rainboom upon his enemies, knocking them into the ground and confusing them. Seeing the enemies attacking each other out of confusion was indeed, awesome. Also matching her element of harmony, Spike was curious to see what would come from the gems that matched the other three; Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack.

Thinking of them, he briefly wondered what was going on in Equestria right now, Had the mist gotten worse, or had it been taken care of? He also wondered what his friends back at Lindblum were up two as the pair wandered deeper into the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Trek Through the Rain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gathering the soldiers they rescued, the whole group, now numbering ten, left the grotto behind them, and marched to the city of Burmecia. Zidane appraised his company, Freya was looking more and more dower the closer they were to the city, and he couldn't blame her. His Equestrian companions, however, were looking better than they had first entering the grotto.

They must be use to harrowing adventures if they can adapt so quickly. Thinking on it, he suspected it was their friendship that gave them the strength to get through the cave.

Saving the soldiers made them both happy, and seeing that happiness in each other reinforced it. Zidane put on an optimistic face, if happiness is contagious, then he hoped Freya would catch a little of it to help her with what lies ahead.

The two ponies were friends that have been through a good amount together, Zidane could tell that. Freya didn't have that connection with the others. He did, admittedly, feel happy for the two ponies, glad they found the strength they needed, but he also felt sad for Freya. Surely, what was waiting for them in Burmecia would do anything but give the dragon knight happiness.

This section of the nation of Burmecia was always raining, making the mist thinner here then in the other nations. Burmecia was a city built within the mist, and it's believed that the rain weakens it, allowing the Burmecians to live in the mist without suffering from its adverse affects.

While the rain did protect everyone's sanity, it was also depressing, at least Zidane thought so. Since the Burmecians live in constant rain, that probably wasn't the same sentiment for them. Looking ahead, he thought he could make out the vague signs of the city in the distance. Soon, they would see what state the capitol of the Burmecians fared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger and Spike stood before a clearing, in which a chocobo and a moogle were chasing each other in a game of tag. The pair found the sight very unexpected, considering the monsters they were fighting not that long ago. The clearing had no mist, and some sunlight was basking the area, making it bright and a lot less gloomy then anywhere else under the mist.

The chocobo noticed the intruders first, and stopped suddenly in surprise, causing the moogle that was chasing it to crash into the yellow bird. The chocobo took a step back nervously as the moogle noticed the outsiders, and approached Spike and Dagger.

“Oh, hello! Kupo. I'm Mene, what brings you to Chocobo forest?” Dagger and Spike shared a look before the princess spoke up.

“We're trying to find the ground entrance to the South Gate,” she explained, welcome to a friendly face, “and we're a little lost.”

“Did you come from Lindblum?” The moogle asked curiously, and seeing Dagger and Spike nod in unison, let out a yelp of surprise. “You traveled from Lindblum to here on foot!? You must be strong! Kupo.”

“We do make a powerful pair,” Spike admitted smugly, puffing his chest out.

“Well, if you're heading to the ground entrance, it's around the river. Oh, I know! Choco here can help you get to the trolley for the South Gate!” The moogle suggested, and the chocobo looked at it, annoyed that it was getting volunteered to help.

“Kwehh!”

“Oh,” Spike replied to its decline, “that's alright. We don't mind going on foot anyway.” The dragon was for either option, riding a chocobo would be as fun as tackling the monsters in between here and the gate. The chocobo looked at Spike with interest.

“Kweh?” And following a couple whistles, Spike nodded. Choco looked happy that Spike could understand her.

“Looks like Choco likes you!” Meme said, causing the chocobo to roll her eyes, “In that case, how about you try finding some treasure with her?” Dagger spoke up before the dragon could greedily except the offer.

“We need to reach the South Gate as soon as possible, so I'm afraid finding treasure isn't an option right now.” She adamantly pointed out.

Ahh man, but treasure~ Spike groaned to himself, maybe another time then. Choco noticed the dragon's look of disappointment and walked up to him. It knelt down to let Spike on her back. The dragon's mood instantly shifted as he got on her, and he let out a cheer as she stood tall.

“This is awesome!” Spike admitted as Choco ran a lap around the area, glad the dragon was enjoying the ride. After a little bit Dagger started to look impatient, making the dragon ask the chocobo, “Do you mind carrying us both to the South Gate?” Choco eyed the princess, considering for a moment before nodding her head.

“Well Dagger, looks like we won't have to worry about being lost,” Spike said proudly as she got on the chocobo's back.

“Kweh!”

“Oh, and according to Choco, we won't have to fight monsters while riding her!” Spike explained to Dagger, assuming she didn't understand the chocobo.

Spike felt tall on her back. Chocobo's are awesome! They can even find treasure, apparently! When he had the free time, he intended to learn more about this treasure finding trick. Choco eyed her passengers before sprinting off into the woods, making Spike cheer, while Dagger yelped in surprise.

Meme saw them off as Choco left the safety of the clearing. Dagger held on tight to the bird, out of fear, but it soon dissuaded into mirth. Bolting through the forest, monsters got out of their way as Choco blitzed through the foliage, and before long, they broke free from the forest's cover.

“Choco, can you go faster!?” Spike asked, and Choco gave him a sly look as she picked up speed. Choco was going faster than Applejack's best sprint. Is this what it's like to feel speed like Rainbow Dash? Up and down hills, around the river, the terrain zipped past them. The trek that would have taken the rest of the day, only took half an hour.

Seeing the entrance to the gate not too far away, they stopped near cover so Dagger could get her disguise ready. The plan was for her too look like a commoner and use the South Gate Pass she had to use the trolley, while Spike would teleport past the gate and ride on top of the trolley as it climbed the mountain.

“That was so thrilling!” Dagger admitted, “I've never been allowed to do that back home. Thank you Choco.” And Choco let out a whistle of joy, glad that her passengers enjoyed the blitz.

“Next time I'm in the area, you can count on me to follow up on that treasure hunting!” Spike claimed, which got another hoot of approval from the chocobo. The two casters bid farewell to the bird, and proceeded to the South Gate.

Before splitting up, Spike turned to the princess, letting out something on his mind. “We could have at least asked about the treasure hunting,” he commented. To say he wanted to do it would be an understatement. The princess adopted an apologetic, yet resolute look.

“I'm sorry Spike, but time is of the essence, the sooner I reach mother and stop her, the better. Next time we're in Lindblum, I promise you can hunt for treasure with Choco.” Spike knew that this was important to the princess, and the others, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted to go treasure hunting. He gave her a nod, satisfied with her promise, and teleported out of sight as she approached the guards at the gate.

From his hiding place, Spike saw that the guards had bought the disguise, and let her pass. So Spike got himself on the other side of the wall, and when no one was looking, appeared next to Dagger.

“So, do I gotta stay out of sight till we reach Treno?” He asked, the plan was to cross into Alexandria territory and head to Treno, and from there, Alexandria. Spike would rather not have to play hide and seek the entire venture.

“Once we make it to the top of the mountain, you shouldn't need to hide anymore.” She assured him as she looked ahead to where the trolley was, “Let's move, the trolley will be leaving soon.” Seeing her assessment to be true, Spike teleported on top of the trolley as Dagger ran up to the attendant. She was let in and shortly after it started moving, slowing climbing the mountain. As Spike sat atop the metal car, he couldn't help but imagine mountains of treasure, discovered with Choco at his side.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Chocobo forests are little sanctuaries hidden throughout Gaia, you can find all kinds of treasure in them, with the aid of a chocobo!'

'Mene is an old friend of mine, we didn't have time to catch up however, I had to chase a sprinting chocobo! Kupo!'

'Choco became a good friend of ours later on, suffice to say, a great deal of treasure was involved, as well as a life changing adventure for our feathered friend.'

'The trolley that climbs the mountain is used by people who can't afford to ride an airship in between nations. The guards are rotated often to avoid mist poisoning. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Mage Staff: Fire(mastered)

Feather Hat: ~~Bright Eyes~~, Add Status(mastered)

Raises Wind Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Silk Shirt: Thunder(mastered), ~~Cure~~

Property: Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Amethyst: Whining, Generosity, Ability Up, ~~Accuracy+~~

Lvl up! Lvl-11 HP 342/342 MP 18/86

AP 4/20

*Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (3) – Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

*Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Short chapter for short scene. Spike and Choco will be the best of friends!
Rarity uses Whining, its super effective!:moustache::raritydespair:

So this is the part where I say something on the words of my informing you that this run-on sentence was composed of words expressively designed to draw out my means of thanking you for reading more and more of this story that I am enjoying to wright for myself and my readers so I think I'll just say thank you!:rainbowhuh:
And thanks to OCisbestpony.:twilightsheepish:

16. Far Away in the Twilight

As Zidane climbed after Freya, Pinkie and Applejack shared a look. As he slipped into the palace, Pinkie stood rigid as Applejack threw her as hard as she could, planting her atop a statue near the opening the other two slipped in through. Pinkie let out a 'nailed it~' as she turned around to see Applejack stuck on the ground beneath her.

“I'll be right behind ya! Make sure they don't do somethin' foolish!” Applejack asked. Seeing Pinkie nod, Applejack glanced again at the bodies of the knights around her. What are the odds that what's inside played a part in this? She thought, her ears low.

Looking back where her friends disappeared, she quickly ran back to the group of survivors tailing them. They need to leave the city, it isn't safe here, and we can't protect them while we're inside the palace!

Reaching them in quick order, she instructed them to travel to Lindblum, hopefully running into Cid's reinforcements on the way there. She knew the regent would shelter them. She asked them not to wait for her or her friends. The fear of them not returning weighed on her mind.

She never once believed anything about this endeavor was safe, and she had a feeling this dive into the palace was the most dangerous part of it. The Burmecians they saved now numbered above twenty. With those numbers the monsters of the mist shouldn't pose a problem to them on their trek to Lindblum. She didn't like sending them off alone, but she believed they were better off leaving now than later. And if the palace was safe and she was simply putting caution where it needn't be, they could catch up to the survivors quickly enough.

Driven by worry for her friends, she quickly sent the survivors off and returned to the palace entrance. Seeing that her form wasn't suited to hopping up the statue like Zidane did, she ran around the side of the palace, hoping to find a lower entrance or a breach in the wall.

She heard the sounds of clashing metal from within, and her hooves struck the cobblestones harder, and faster. Seeing a small break in the wall, she quickly jumped through it. Getting inside, she galloped to the source of the noise, hoping it wasn't as bad as she feared.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Zidane and Pinkie lying on the ground, still and unmoving, her stride faltering. Freya stood before Beatrix, and Applejack barely noticed the presence of the queen or the white stranger.

Freya charged the general of Alexandria as Applejack rushed to her friend's aid, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't too late to save them, and fearing that she was. Beatrix slipped past Freya's spear, and got in close, bringing her sword up, catching Freya's helmet, sending her helm flying. Freya fell past Beatrix, and didn't get back up. Beatrix looked to see the orange mare heading towards her friends and faced her.

“Beatrix, stop!” Applejack pleaded. She had talked with the warrior shortly after appearing in Alexandria, and she hoped the knight would stay her hand for her. Beatrix eyed Applejack with curiosity, and so did the queen, but it was the look the white stranger gave her that left an impression on the mare. He both looked surprised, and overjoyed, like her addition to the palace was more gratifying then winning all the blue ribbons at the rodeo competition.

“I see, so this rabble is with you?” Beatrix asked as she made a dismissive gesture to Applejack's friends. “What business do you have here, Applejack?” She asked as she took up a stance, her sword ready to strike if needed.

“My friends are not rabble!” Applejack then shook her head, “Was all this your doing!?” She asked as she indicated the ruins around them. While talking she cautiously walked to her fallen comrades, seeing that they were all still breathing, but they were in desperate need of healing. She noted that Beatrix was allowing her to get close to her friends.

“Not all of it, but I didn't play any small part in it. I guess I should have known you were around, considering the other pony here,” she said as she nodded to Pinkie.

“Why!?” Applejack asked with anger, “Why did you do this, what reason was there to kill so many Burmecians, to kill anyone!?” It made no sense to Applejack. All the villains she encountered simply wanted to take power at the misery of others, but Gaian villains killed. What sense is there in killin'!?

“Because it was what my queen wished. What more reason do I need?” She stalwartly replied.

She does it out of loyalty!? Then why does the Queen order her to take the lives of so many others?

“Enough chatter,” Queen Brahne interjected, “Slay the fool, we have a tree to burn!” she barked, and Beatrix prepared to attack Applejack, the conversation over. Applejack's anger quickly shifted to worry, her three friends fell to this single swordswoman.

What chance do I have against her?

“Now, let's not be so hasty, your Majesty. If you kill them all, then who will be alive to send the message?” The white man stated, making the queen and Beatrix hesitate.

“What message did you have in mind, Kuja?” The queen asked, failing to hide a small amount of annoyance.

“Why, what else then your might? Surely she is working with Equestria, if she's slain, how will they know you are someone best left alone?” Applejack eyed the man, his words rang with poison. She could tell that wasn't the reason he wanted her spared. The way he said 'Equestria' implied something, but Applejack couldn't pin down what it was.

Wait, how does he know about Equestria? Did Beatrix tell him?

“I told ya, I don't know how to get back to Equestria, I came here to help a friend, nothin' more.” She admitted, tossing away the opportunity to lie her way out of this situation. The man named Kuja appraised her, clearly amused she had tossed away his offer of salvation.

“Hmph, like we would take your word on that!” the queen declared, “I already know that you're a lair! Take her down, I want her to be interrogated. We're going to learn everything we can about Equestria from her. Let the pink one be the 'messenger'.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” Beatrix coldly said as Kuja looked pleased that the mare's would be spared.

Seeing the situation she was in, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle Beatrix. And try as she might, she couldn't think of a way out of it. A way to save her friends. A way to save herself. She had felt this feeling looming over her before, when she failed to earn the prize money to help repair town hall. Failure, and the shame born of it. It weighed down her sword, and made her poorly equipped to fight the general.

Beatrix attacked her, and she tried everything she could to defend herself, and her friends.

It wasn't anywhere near enough.

Her sword was broken. She lay on the ground, beaten and barely capable of moving. And yet, even at the most precarious moment of her life, where her friends lives hanged in the balance, she didn't feel the surge of power that she'd seen Pinkie and Zidane embrace.

No Trance fell upon her to save the day, and she couldn't help but wonder why. Am I simply too weak for Trance? She though as her eyes stung. Despite herself, she couldn't keep her tears in check. Is my desire to save them not good enough!?

Beatrix stood over her, surprised to see the mare crying. Applejack was the most dependable, most reliable pony in Ponyville, and she lay defeated, unable to protect her friends, unable to save them.

“Come on, show some dignity,” Beatrix said softly, so quiet that Applejack almost didn't hear it. As Applejack tried to glance to Beatrix, the twin jesters entered the palace. “Zorn, Thorn, send her to the castle. Lock her in the dungeon for interrogation.”

Twilight, anypony? Please, help my friends, please, save them. She quietly begged, hoping that the words echoing in her heart would bring about some miracle.

Applejack was stripped of her armor and hat, her possessions left in the rain in that ruined palace, and the twin jesters dragged her away. They dragged her to an airship that was settled behind the palace, she felt a spell wash over her as she was dragged aboard, and as her heart was still praying for her friends, she passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: An Apple's Impression
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't the first time Beatrix had seen a defeated opponent cry from their own weakness, but for some reason, it really left an impression on her this time.

Maybe it was the unbridled honesty behind those tears. Applejack wasn't upset at losing to her blade, she was upset at failing to protect the others. That really struck a cord for the hardened general, it reminded her of the days before she had lost her eye, when she was proud to protect, rather than proud to serve.

Watching the two clowns drag her away, she heard the sound of Kuja approaching the pink mare. See what the weapons dealer was up to, she was surprised to see him use a restoration spell, shortly followed by a sleeping spell on her.

“Since that hassle is done with,” Queen Brahne began, “let's move to surround Cleyra!” With a nod, Beatrix went to work, following her queen back to the ship.

Kuja didn't follow them, and she didn't care. She didn't like the man, his words were poison, and his power expensive. The queen parted with a great deal of the kingdoms wealth to fund the Black Mage army, and Beatrix was not happy with it.

Boarding their airship, the Red Rose, she saw the jesters put Applejack in one of the teleportation urns. The magic of the urn turned the mare into an orb of magic, and it flew off to a receptacle in Alexandira, and the jesters went in the urns too, following her. They would be in Alexandria in less than an hour because of that magic.

Encountering Applejack was an unexpected boon of this siege. With her in their custody, they could finally learn where princess Garnet was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack awoke in a strange place. She was standing in a field of twilight and stars. She was naked, her beloved hat gone, her armor missing. Looking around, she felt lost, just as lost when she left for Manehattan before getting her cutie mark.

“Uh, hello? Is anypony out there!?” She shouted into the stary landscape. Several of the stars twinkled in response to her voice, and everything shifted slightly, as if she had moved, without actually moving. After looking around for a couple minutes, she heard a light popping sound from behind her.

“Applejack?” Turning to the familiar voice in surprise, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Twilight standing near her in the suspended space. Her mane was a little messy, like she had just gotten into a scuffle. “Applejack!” Twilight shouted in joy as she jumped at the orange mare, giving her a loving hug.

“Twilight!? I, I don't understand,” Seeing her friend didn't wash away the shame of her failure, but it did light a spark of happiness. She immediately returned the hug, and in the comfort of her embrace, she began to shower Twilight with her troubles.

Once it started, there was no stopping, she told her everything that's happened over the last five days. Alexandria, the Evil Forest, the Black Waltz's, the Burmecian messenger, Gizamaluke's Grotto, Burmecia, everything that weighed on her heart.

Twilight never let go of her friend, she listened intently, and comforted her as best she could. If she was troubled by what she heard concerning the Burmecians, she hid it well. As Applejack calmed down, the she finally started to take things in, having already let so much out.

“Twilight, what's going on? Where are we? Is there a way fer us to come back?” She asked. After what's happened at Burmecia, Applejack was terribly homesick, she never had to deal with so much loss before. And she hoped she never would again, but her hope has failed her several times in the last couple days.

“This is the Realm of Twilight," Twilight explained, rolling her eyes at the name, "I gained my wings here. To elaborate, this is what lies between the space of a teleport, and it rests somewhere between both worlds. The fact that you're here means that you're under some slow teleportation magic.” She said with a slightly ponderous look, a look that suggested there was more to it than that, but Applejack probably wouldn't understand it. “Whatever the reason, it's given us a chance to talk, for me to help you,” her horn glowed as her magic briefly enveloped Applejack.

“Looks like there's some time left till the spell expires, so let me fill you in as best I can." She then gave her friend an apologetic look, "We cannot retrieve you, the means of returning to Equestria lies somewhere in Gaia. I'm sorry, I wish we could pull you back, but when we tried, we lost Pinkie Pie." She then smiled, "I'm glad you found her. We're so worried about the three of you.” She looked into Applejack's eyes for a moment, treasuring the very notion, before shaking her head.

“From what Discord learned after we accidentally sent Pinkie over," she continued, "some large ritual is at play. It's more powerful than all the combined magic of Equestria, and he called it Unified Fantasy. This ritual has connected Gaia and Equestria, but for what reason we're not sure.”

Her brow furrowed, “The connection is powerful, and it's getting stronger. The mist is from Gaia, though it hasn't gotten thicker in Equestria, it has spread to other areas. Magic between both worlds is now being shared between them. Because of that, equipment now grants power! It's fascinating, and a little frustrating that I now need to wear clothes to learn new spells for fighting!” She admitted with some annoyance, “Since Gaia's magic is now present in Equestria, I assume that Equestrian magic is also present over there.”

“Ya don't say,” Applejack replied, trying to take in everything her friend told her. She was still stuck on Gaia, and the means home lay somewhere there. Applejack had a sneaking suspicion that Kuja knew something about this. He wanted both ponies spared, there was a reason for it beyond what he told the queen. Thinking about Pinkie, Applejack remembered something she had mentioned. “Pinkie said that when we ended up in Gaia, someone else ended up in Equestria in our place?” Twilight nodded.

“Yes. Steiner, Vivi, and Quina. Like I said, the connection is powerful. When you were sent to Gaia, someone in Gaia who best matched you was sent to Equestria. I think the ritual sent Steiner over here when you were sent over there. We've been trying to get them back to Gaia. While we cannot retrieve you, I think there's a way for them to be sent back, if we manage that, then you should be returned in the process.” That was a promising prospect, but Applejack wasn't going to count on it, she needed to find a way back with Pinkie and Spike.

Wait just a darn minute, Applejack thought as something Twilight said stood out to her.

“You said 'sent'. Somepony sent me to Gaia?” She asked, wondering why anyone would send her to another world.

“That's my theory, it's the only one that makes sense,” Twilight stated, confident with her reply.

“And what about Spike?”

“I don't think he was sent, I think that was an accident. The magical residue that was all over Vivi looked more natural then fabricated,” Twilight said, matter-of-factly. “How is he?” She asked with a strong sense of concern.

“I don't honestly know,” she weakly admitted as her ears fell, “he ran off with princess Garnet. I hoped to find him headin' to Burmecia, but there was no sign of either.” Applejack then adopted a reassuring smile, “He's really taken a likin' to Gaia's magic, he can teleport just like ya can now.” She finished, getting a surprised look from Twilight.

“Spike can teleport? That's amazing!” She exclaimed, clearly proud of the young dragon.

“He can also summon fire and ice and lightning. He's taken the whole thing as an adventure, which makes me worry. He's still a baby dragon after all. He shouldn't see what Pinkie and I saw.” She said with a downcast look, which Twilight reflected.

“I hope this princess Garnet knows what she's doing. I'll be pretty cross with her is Spike is harmed because of her,” Twilight said with a dangerous tone.

“How is everypony holdin' without us?” Twilight seemed to consider her question for a moment before replying.

“Big Mac is managing the farm, and the cutie-mark crusaders are helping out as well.” She assured her friend, “Ponyville has been a little gloomy though, Pinkie really meant a lot to Ponyville. I'll also admit, things have been a little rough for me without Spike, but I'll manage, with Sunset Shimmer's, and everpony else's help.”

“Wait, Sunset Shimmer, the pony that stole yer crown, is back, and helpin' ya?” She asked incredulously. Before Twilight could answer, Applejack felt a strange sensation travel up her legs, and saw that her hooves were becoming transparent. She looked back to Twilight in alarm, who seemed to be drifting away from her.

“We're out of time! Applejack!” Twilight shouted, noticing her friend's change, “Don't give up. No matter how sad it is, how painful it is, how hard it is. Do not give up! We haven't given up, so don't you give up either!” She said, almost crying now that their time together was about to end. “Even if we're worlds apart, we're still here for you! We have faith in you, so don't lose faith in yourself! I promise, when you and the others return, we'll all be there for you, to welcome you home!”

Her words, they touched Applejack's heart, and the power of her friendship shattered the shame Applejack's heart was wrapped in. She needed to believe in herself. Anypony would have fallen to Beatrix, she would just need to become stronger. She would become stronger. She had friends to protect, and a path home to uncover.

As the Realm of Twilight started to fade away, Applejack yelled out to Twilight, assuring that they would indeed find the way. She had no intention of losing her way. She had a farm, a family, a town, and a group of the best friends a pony could ask for waiting for her. And she hoped that when she returned, she could introduce them to her new friends, Zidane, Garnet, and Freya. The last thing she saw as everything faded away was Twilight giving her a big smile, tears running down her cheeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'As you can see, Beatrix is a mighty warrior of terrifying skill. The blade she wields is enchanted to only be usable by a knight of her caliber, and her strength has led her to be, well, rude to others less skilled than herself, which is most everyone.'

'The teleportation urns were crafted by Kuja. He made a lot of nifty devices that Queen Brahne used to terrible affect.'

'The Realm of Twilight is used by us moogles to help with our mail delivery, though we had lost our connection to it shortly before Applejack appeared in Alexandria. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Lvl-16 HP 6/820 MP 26/54

AP 9/26

*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP

Author's Note

END OF DISC ONE
Oh, sorry, didn't mean to shout. :twilightblush:
You can do it Applejack!

Another thank you to you. You are awesome!

17. Sleepless City ~ Treno

Spike was in his own little world, carving Rarity's name into the Amethyst he had with the point of his tail. When the trolley lurched to an unexpected stop, his world ended up bouncing off the side towards the ground, to his extreme surprise.

Trying to teleport away from slamming into the ground, he instead slammed into the top of the trolley, and rolled off again in a daze, hitting the ground anyway. Leaving a small dragon shaped crater in the ground, he got up and dusted himself off.

“Spike! Are you alright?” Dagger asked in concern, the female trolley attendant was looking at the dragon in surprise, and then gave Dagger an appraising look. Spike stood rigid, worried she was going to call the guards.

Did I just blow our cover? Spike wondered.

“You said Spike, as in the Spike?” The attendant asked, “The Master Hunter of the festival?” She added with a hint of excitement, completely overlooking the fact the he had been riding atop the trolley.

Wait, do I have fans? He thought in surprise, That's awesome! He puffed his chest out and teleported next to the attendant.

“The one and only!” He admitted, and the girl's face lit up, wearing silly youthful grin as she turned to him.

“Can I have your autograph!?” She asked excitedly, “Name's Realm! Oh, Tina and Celeste will not believe this! This is so awesome!” She said quickly, and Spike couldn't help but nod.

It is awesome! He then considered her words a moment, Where have I heard those names before?

Getting his confirmation, she pulled out a small canvas, and with alarming speed, and impressive display of ability, painted a portrait of Spike right on the spot. Taking only a matter of seconds, she presented her finished work to Spike.

The portrait displayed him standing atop a defeated Zaghnol, fire and ice floating in his claws as he was striking a very inspiring pose. Wow! Did she use an ability like my teleport to do this!? Spike wondered as he signed it, giving it back to Realm with a smile, which she eagerly returned.

Dagger cleared her throat, catching Spike's attention. She motioned towards a rest stop nearby, and after bidding Realm farewell, Spike went to the rest stop with Dagger. They would have to wait for the trolley that runs down the opposite side to make it back up to the rest stop, till then they had some time to waste.

“Word travels fast,” Dagger admitted. Spike had proven himself to her several times, she felt it would be rude to treat him as a child, as everyone else had treated her. Having him by her side has kept her assured during their journey back to Alexandria. Once they take the trolley down, they'll be in her home nation, the nation she would one day rule.

“I guess I didn't need to hide around,” Spike admitted. “I've been missing out on handing out autographs!” he added, a hint of playful regret in his voice. Then he looked over Dagger, a little put off with how dirty she looked to fit her disguise. “You should clean up as soon as you can, it's weird seeing you covered in dirt like that,” which made the princess blush.

Her disguise had to look genuine, but Dagger was starting to think she had overdone it, she was getting strange looks from the others in the rest stop, and she felt it was because of how dirty she looked.

Dagger went to the washroom to straighten up. And while she was gone, Spike occupied himself by continuing from where he left off before falling off the trolley. He had already etched 'Twilight' into the Garnet, and was almost done with Rarity's. He figured by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain he'd be done with Rainbow Dash's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Apple doesn't Fall Far...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie sprang up, I'm totally awake! Looking around, she saw the soldier they had saved looking over Zidane and Freya. Her sudden movement caused him to draw his weapon reflexively as he stared at Pinkie wide-eyed. Her friends were drinking potions, and were also caught off guard by her sudden movement.

“We tried to wake you,” Zidane said, slightly baffled, “I guess your body finally felt like listening to us,” he added as he drank another potion.

“We're okay?” Pinkie quickly asked, concern evident until she saw that the three of them were 'fine'. “Of course we're okay!” Wait, somepony's missing! “Where's Applejack?” She said as she looked around, seeing Applejack's hat and armor sitting nearby. Where is she?

“Looks like somepony decided to be captured to spare somepony else,” Discord chimed in, his claws in shackles. She was happy to see they were all alive, but that news immediately dampened her mood.

“You okay Pinkie?” Zidane asked her, worried by the way she was acting at Applejack's absence. Am I? She thought on it for a moment, making a brooding face as she did so.

“Yep! I'm okey dokey,” she lied. “The bad guys captured Applejack, but she saved us!” Right? “Applejack is strong, she'll be fine.” She hesitated a moment before nodding to herself. “I can't stay here and cry when I can help. She'll be fine, and she'll be even better when we rescue her.” She nodded, taking comfort in her own words, “Won't shhheee be surprised!” She concluded with a smile.

Pinkie was putting on an act, she was worried, but she wouldn't let it show. Freya was as dower as ever, Pinkie needed to be absolutely bouncing with enthusiasm to balance things out. “Where do we go from here? Think they took her to that Alexadarianta place?”

“Cleyra,” Freya replied in realization, “Brahne's forces are heading to the great tree, Cleyra. They must have Applejack with her!” She got up and picked her helm off the floor. It had a large gash that made the helm useless, but it had spared her from a terrible wound. As Zidane and Freya collected themselves, Discord prodded the pink mare.

“Well, looks like you're starting to be your old self again." He then gave her a sly grin, "Or maybe you're something a little different now?” He was fiddling with a miniature of Pinkie, her hair not quite curly, but not quite straight. Pinkie felt that if it wasn't raining, her mane would resemble the figures. I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, I always have been, I'm just a little more of her now then I was when the mist first appeared she thought, no humor chasing the notion.

“So, how is the really long name Pinkie different from the short name Pinkie, or the long mane Pinkie?” He asked eagerly, curious of her thoughts on the matter. She thought on it as she gathered Applejack's things, taking extra care in gathering her hat and the broken sword. After safely stowing it away, she gave Discord her answer.

I'm a fun party pony Pinkie Pie, and a serious aggressive Pinkamena. They are both me, and I am them. There's a time for fun and smiles, and a time to protect and fight. I can be both, I don't need a switch to be myself. I am me, so I am no different. She answered, and Discord's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“No Pinkie, the correct answer was the way you carry your mane. You silly pony.” Pinkie blinked at him, surprised that he was right, and that she had missed that, then smiled.

Well, duh~ That goes without saying~ Her grin, perpetual again, widened. A thought came to her, Discord, how has the mist been messing with my head?

“I could answer your question, but I just did!” He said while cackling, spinning in the air as he snapped his fingers, making all sorts of strange things happen in front of the mare, surprising her.

Oh, I see. Well, at least I get to talk to somepony that can make it rain chocolate milk! Which immediately made all the rain falling from the sky change color, and licking it, it did taste like chocolate milk.

The mist was Discord, that's how it affected her, but she was fine with that. Maybe. Which made the draconequus scoff at her.

“Let's move it~” She said to her friends and the soldier that aided them, “We have a tree and an apple to save!” She gave them a determined look, hoping to dispel their worry with her enthusiasm. “Let's go make a party out of our victory~!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Dagger got on the trolley heading down, Spike got on top of it, pretty soon the two of them would be at Treno.

“Princess? What are you doing here!?” A voice from within the trolley asked, and Spike teleported down to see who was making the commotion. Dagger was talking to a man wearing a blue shirt and red bandanna who sort of looked familiar, but Spike couldn't place from where.

“Um, you're with Tantalus, Zidane's gang, right?” Dagger asked. Ah! He was one of the guys that was helping Zidane foal-nap Dagger!

“Yea, name's Marcus, but shouldn't you be in Lindblum by now?” Marcus asked as he noticed Spike, “Oh, hey there little guy.” Seeing him here reminded the dragon of something important, that he had almost forgot.

“First of all, I'm not 'little guy'. I'm 'Master Hunter'. Second of all, we're heading to Treno! There's something there called Supersoft, and we need to find it to cure Blank. Then we're heading to Alexandria.” Spike explained, hoping Marcus would be willing to help them. Knowing what city it was in was a good start, but the princess needed to reach Alexandria fast, and another set of eyes helping find the Supersoft would be a boon.

“Wha- What's wrong with Blank?”

“He was petrified when the Evil Forest turned to stone,” Dagger explained. Marcus appraised the two of them, and after a moment's consideration, went back into the trolley.

“If that's the case, I'll help. Blank is like a brother to me, Lindblum can wait.” He then hesitated as he turned to Dagger, “You don't mind if I join you, do you princess?

“No!” She said, in a tone that implied it wouldn't be a bother. “Of course not, you're welcome to join us,” She added eagerly, which made the dragon and Marcus smile.

The attendant had overheard everything, and he clearly didn't want to have any part in what was going on between them. In fact, when Spike absentmindedly went into the trolley, the attendant didn't bother stopping him. They all took a seat, and the trolley started moving down the mountain in short order.

“So did you say 'Master Hunter'?” Marcus asked Spike, looking impressed.

“The one and only! Zidane almost beat me, but I got to the biggest monster first, and with Freya and Applejack helping, we took it down!” He explained while waving his staff in the air for dramatic affect. Marcus chuckled a little as he turned to Dagger.

“So you're here to help Blank?” She hesitated as his forward question.

“I want to talk to mother, stop her from doing something terrible. I'm primarily on my way to Alexandria.” She answered, looking a little embarrassed that saving Blank wasn't her top priority. Marcus nodded, not bothered by it.

“It's alright, royalty responsibilities are demanding, I'm sure,” Marcus assured, dissuading her embarrassed expression. “So, where's Zidane?” He asked, putting Dagger back on the spot.

“We left him behind,” Spike said, a little disappointed, “the princess wanted to talk to her mother, no one was letting her. So we left Lindblum to do it ourselves,” he finished, answering Marcus's question before Dagger could. Anger quickly possessed her as she recalled the reason why they left Lindblum.

“We only did that because they were treating us like children!” She quickly added to Spike's answer. “I don't even care about him.”

“I uh, didn't ask if you cared about him,” Marcus admitted, making Dagger's temper instantly defuse.

“Oh,” she said, giving him a confused look, unsure of what she had just said. The trolley lurched to a sudden stop, surprising the three of them.

“Why the stop? We're not there yet.” Spike declared as he glanced out the window.

“It might be engine trouble,” the attendant suggested, avoiding eye contact with them. “Please remain seated while I check, I apologize for the inconvenience.” The attendant went outside, and immediately returned, “It's a demon! A demon with a pointy hat!”

...A pointy hat? Spike briefly wondered as he moved outside, followed by Marcus and Dagger. Spike and Dagger stopped when they saw that it was Black Waltz No.3, standing on the tracks, looking like he had recently crashed into a wall, and was barely walking. Using his staff for support, he came around the trolley and stopped when he saw the princess.

“Princess? I see, it's the princess.” He paused in thought he stared at her, determination lighting in his eyes. “Princess, I need to return you to the castle!” he said threateningly, he then jerked as he noticed Spike. “No. No no no. Why are you here!? Leave me be! I was the most powerful, but then you- and that house pet- No! Leave me!” he cried out, waving his hands in front of him as they looked upon him.

Spike did not like the Black Waltz, he destroyed all the friendly Black Mages on the cargo ship, and had almost done him and his friends in. But that didn't stop Spike from pitying him.

Black Waltz No.3 stood before them, broken, clinging on to a fruitless purpose, and afraid of the little dragon. Does he know that what he did was wrong? Spike's memory of taking it down with Tetra-Breath was a little hazy, but he was pretty sure he intended to teach the Black Waltz that what it had done was wrong. Still, he's here now. I won't let him take the princess!

“Why don't you just leave the princess alone?” Spike slowly asked, wondering if No.3 would attack or not. He shook his head in frustration.

“I was made to retrieve her, so I shall!” he declared as he gathered his magic. Marcus was quick to act, charging No.3 and attacking him, his blade catching the mage in the side, making him stagger as he let forth a burst of lightning upon the three of them.

Despite being wounded, his magic was still powerful, and Dagger was immediately staggered from the unexpected attack, but she quickly had a Cure ready to go, allowing them to recover from their wounds.

“Why!?” Spike asked in annoyed confusion, “Why fight us!? Can't you just choose not to take the princess!?” He yelled in anger as he took a deep breath, letting out a gout of fire, surprising No.3 with the new attack. He staggered back from the fire, but still stood.

“I- I fight because it is what I do!” No.3 replied hesitantly, gathering up another swath of lightning as Marcus snatched his staff from him, making his spell weaken as he lashed out at them again, with less powerful lightning striking them. Once again, Dagger's healing magic washed over them, and their victory was clear now to all of them.

Spike teleported in front of No.3, throwing a fireball right into his chest, sending him flying back, crashing past Marcus. Spike then teleported onto No.3, a orb of fire in his claws as he looked the broken and battered Black Waltz in the eyes, and the dragon hesitated.

Is this right? He thought, doubting his actions. He was born to take the princess. Born with a single reason. Is ending this right? Spike faltered, his pity for the Black Waltz redoubling. He abandoned his spell, and asked Marcus to stop his attack. Marcus backed off a little, his blade still drawn, as he looked to Spike in confusion.

“Why?” No.3 asked, “Why won't you finish me? I exist to return the princess to the castle. I have no purpose if I cannot do that!” His yellow eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Do you simply wish to torment me for destroying those dolls you seemed so attached to!?” He asked in anger, and Spike shook his head.

“Why not do something else? Have you even tried?” Spike asked, as if it was obvious. The Waltz flinched as he stared at the dragon, the gears in his head turning. He looked between Spike and the Princess, then it eyed it's staff, still in Marcus' possession.

“I, no. I haven't. But why would you let me? I destroyed those dolls, I tried to kill you and your comrades.” No.3 three was confused by Spike's actions, “Why not destroy me, like No.1 and No.2?”

“Because I can see, that would be wrong.” He did try to end us. He's mean, and heartless, but it was what he was made for, right? Spike didn't understand what it meant to be born for a single purpose, Shouldn't he be able to make his own choices? “I'm not like you, I don't look down on others. I don't fight others because they're in my way. I protect my friends, and fight monsters, and I have fun. Have you ever had fun?” His question left the mage speechless. His demeanor changed as he considered the young dragon before him.

“I'm a monster, I killed my own kind, why not vanquish me?” He asked, as if seeking to understand what Spike wanted of him. He's a monster? No, he isn't. Spike shook his head in disagreement.

“A monster doesn't think, doesn't talk, doesn't ask questions.” Spike's fought plenty of monsters since coming to Gaia, he was certain No.3 was not a monster. “You stopped fighting, right? A monster would have kept fighting.” The Black Waltz considered his words, looking troubled by how reasonable they sounded. Marcus and Dagger were giving Spike an odd look. Spike pressed on, feeling it was the right thing do to, as he asked the Black Waltz the question on his mind.

“Are you a monster?”

Black Waltz No.3 looked at Spike, the mage's thoughts flashing behind its yellow eyes. He looked again to the princess, then to Spike. With a sudden movement, it sent a blast of fire into the ground, knocking Spike off of him, and blowing dust everywhere, obscuring the area.

Spike teleported out of the cloud of dust, expecting an attack, instead he saw No.3 flying high, magic lifting his broken wings into the air. He looked at Spike, uncertainty obviously worn on his face, as he turned and flew off, leaving his staff, and the princess, behind.

Spike watched the Black Waltz flee, unwilling to pursue him. The dust cleared, revealing that Marcus and Dagger were fine, just covered in dirt. Well, actually, Dagger didn't look fine.

“And I just cleaned up,” she sighed indignantly as she saw that everyone else was fine. “Where did the Black Waltz go?”

“Looks like it left,” Marcus pointed out, “Should we have let it flee?” He asked as he gave the stolen staff to Spike, who was surprised to see the staff shrink down to match his size.

“I don't know.” Spike admitted, “Letting him flee felt right, so that must mean something.” Spike hoped his words had struck a cord with the Black Waltz, Maybe now he'll understand that what he did was wrong. Spike considered the mage's actions, a troubling thought coming to mind. ...did he want to be vanquished?

“Are you okay?” Dagger asked Spike as the three of them returned to the trolley, which then continued its decent down the mountain.

“Yea, I'm fine, just thinking. Thanks for asking,” Spike assured as Marcus appraised them.

“You know, I heard that Burmecia was wiped out by an army of those things,” he proclaimed, almost causally, and the princess look surprised, then downcast. “So, I guess that's part of those royal responsibilities?” She nodded.

“I'm going to Alexandria to talk to mother about that, get her to stop. I didn't know Burmecia was completely wiped out though.” She admitted as she looked out the window. Her nation was now stained, her mother had much to answer for.

The trolley lurched to a stop as they reached the end of the line. Spike put away the Ruby, now sporting 'Rainbow Dash' on it, and the party got off and went out towards the gate for Treno. As they got closer to the city, the sky became darker and darker, and Marcus informed the others that Treno is a city that is covered in perpetual night due to it being surrounded by the mountains. After traversing the plateau and taking out several monsters, they reached the Dark City Treno.

Walking into the city, Spike could see that it was divided into two circles, the inner circle comprised of shappy homes, the slums, while the outer circle had homes made of stone and marble, the nobles. Dagger took in the sights with wonder as Marcus addressed them.

“Baku should still be here, I'll see if he knows anything about the Supersoft, feel free to look around while I do. You'll find me at the inn in the slums, it'll be next to the orphanage.” Spike nodded, and turned to see that Dagger was nowhere to be seen! Did she go and wander off to look around? Hoping she would be fine, Spike started to look around as well, for the Supersoft, and the princess.

Wandering through the city, Spike passed a building specifically made for hosting card tournaments, which caught his interest. And before he knew it, he was swallowed up in the game, losing track of what he had come here to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Most Viscous Battle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was over, she had finally won, and the rush of that victory washed over her. Dagger remained composed in the face of her victory. It was a hard battle, with many foes, but she had conquered the demons and bested every last one of them! The face's of those she had bested glared at her as she walked up triumphantly and claimed what was rightfully hers.

“Sold! To the young lady up front! Her you go my lady~” The auctioneer chimed as he gave Dagger the Reflect Ring she had tirelessly bid for. She had read what the ring was capable of, and believed Spike would make good use of it. He deserved it after all the help he's given her.

She had hoped to find the Supersoft at the auction house, but it wasn't here. As she left, someone caught her eye in an overlooking box of the auction. Is that the strange man that's been wandering through my castle? She wondered as their eyes met. She felt a chill run down her spine, and quickly departed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike left the card arena with a slew of cards, most of them won from playing. That was childs play! He thought with a smile, none of his opponents had managed a win against him.

As he wandered from the arena, he remembered the reason he was in Treno and slammed his claw to his forehead. He ran through the slums, and after finding a ramshackled building labeled Seed Orphanage, entered the adjacent inn. As he entered, he hoped Marcus and the Princess had not been as distracted as he had been. He was the last one to arrive to the inn, they both saw Spike come in and welcomed him.

“Welcome back,” Marcus said, “Baku found our noble, Stratgo, the man that runs the monster duels. We're gonna steal the Supersoft from him,” he paused, expecting some objection from his company, but continued after seeing neither of them were against it. “Follow me, we'll sneak through the waterways.”

As Spike followed them, his eyes were drawn to something red on the wall. A wanted poster hung there, displaying a man with a head covered in long thick red dreadlocks. I wonder what his story is. Spike wondered as the three of them climbed down a set of ladders and stairs to a small boat, with Baku in it.

“Uh,” Baku began, “you do know that breaking and entering is against the law, right princess?” He asked, he was still going to do it, but he wasn't sure if Dagger understood what she was getting herself into.

“I need to make sure you don't steal anything else,” she replied. Baku and Marcus nodded, not considering that a problem, and they all got in the boat. As it moved, Spike looked around, excited to be sneaking underneath the city's buildings by boat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The White King
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How was Burmecia?” The auctioneer asked Kuja.

“It wasn't that bad,” he replied as he frowned, “Would have been better if I didn't have to see those vermin and the ugly elephant lady. They offend my senses.” His frown then turned into a smile, “Something wonderful came out of it however. There are more actors on the stage then the play has allotted, something I can take advantage of.”

“Sounds like an opportunity, Sir. Still, you must be tired,” the auctioneer said with concern.

“It's not over yet. The rest of the vermin must be done away with,” Kuja claimed.

“Will you be heading to Cleyra then?”

“Yes, I trust you will deliver them?” The auctioneer nodded.

“Certainly, I shall prepare them now.”

“By the way, did you see a pretty young lady in the crowd today?”

“A pretty young lady? One did stand out, she won a Reflect Ring earlier, I believe you were present at the time. Shall I arrange a meeting?”

“There's no need,” Kuja admitted as he smiled, “The canary I've been after, she flew into my cage of her own free will.” Which prompted the auctioneer to give Kuja a questioning look.

“Never would I have imagined running into you in a place like this,” Kuja said to no one in particular, “It must be fate. But you cannot rest your wings yet. Fly home to your mother, my little canary.” His face turned into a dark scowl as he pictured what was in store for the 'canary'.

I too, will welcome you home, with open arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the group sailed through the underbelly of the city's structures, Dagger looked lost in thought. Spike saw that something was eating at her and asked about it.

“Oh,” she flushed slightly, but answered Spike's inquiry, “I was thinking about how we got here, how Zidane and Cid were treating us like children. Now we're here, saving his friend, who saved you and Applejack. I don't know, I feel this is important, but so is reaching Alexandria as soon as possible,” she finished as she looked at the water.

“Well, for what it's worth,” Marcus began, “I'm grateful you're helping right now with Blank. We'll help you get back to Alexandria.” Marcus turned to Baku, “Any ideas boss?” And the leader of Tantalus thought quietly, then shook his head.

“One thing at a time,” he answered, “let's get the Supersoft first, then worry about that.” After a few minutes of silent sailing, they reached their destination and broke into the back door of a shop. Baku stayed with the boat while the others went inside to look for the remedy. Shortly after they started looking, the sound of someone approaching caught their attention, and they all moved to a corner out of sight.

“I can't believe I ran out of ink on a night like this.” An old scholar complained as he entered the room everyone was in. He wore thick glasses and a short top-hat. He also sported a long brown, well groomed beard. “I must find more and go back to the observatory.”

“Should I take care of him?” Marcus quietly asked Dagger, but she shook her head, for she recognized the scholar. She walked up to him, he stared at her dumbly for a moment before clarity struck him.

“P-Princess Garnet?” He stated in surprise.

“I've missed you, Doctor Tot,” Dagger said with a smile.

“It is you!” Tot affirmed, “What on earth are you doing here?”

“It's a long story. The short of it is that we're looking for Supersoft right now.” Dr. Tot considered her a moment, before nodding.

“I see. Go to my observatory, it's the biggest tower on the left side of town. I'll get this Supersoft for you.” Tot then looked around before motioning them to leave, “Now hurry, before Stratgo notices you three rummaging through his possessions.”

“Alright, let's head back,” Dagger insisted of the others, getting no complaint from Marcus and Spike, they returned to the boat. Filling Baku in, he asked that Marcus accompany them to see the doctor.

“So, who's Dr. Tot?” Spike asked curiously. Dagger looked to Spike with a smile as he reflected on a memory for a moment.

“He was my tutor. He knows a great deal of history. Though I didn't know he had moved to Treno.” She explained, and after stopping back at the inn, they headed to the tower. They found it unlocked, and they proceeded inside to see the doctor about the Supersoft.

Climbing the stairs to the top of the tower, they found a large chamber with a great deal of books and a very large globe of Gaia in the center. A ladder rested on the globe that could be climbed to go inside of it. As Dagger approached Dr. Tot, Spike decided to take a look inside the globe. A globe that you can go inside? That sounds awesome! Like being the center of the world!

“Ah, Princess!” Dr. Tot took notice of his guests, “Thank you for coming, and welcome to my humble abode.”

“This is your home?” Dagger asked, confused. The tower was of cold stone, it wasn't really a place suiting for living in. He chuckled lightly as he nodded.

“I traveled far to find a sponsor for my research, it ultimately landed me here, so here is where I live.” He then appraised the princess, “You've seem to have grown into a fine young woman, and I'm glad to see you again. Oh!” Remembering what they came for, he pulled a large chocobo feather out of his vest, “Here's the Supersoft you wanted.” He gave it to Dagger, and she entrusted it to Marcus.

“Thanks for the remedy. Now we can save Blank!” Marcus said happily. Dagger was looking at the large globe that Spike was trying to get inside, impressed by its size.

“This is a globe of Gaia, right?” She asked.

“That's right,” Dr. Tot said as Spike finally got inside.

Well, now I feel silly, I should have just teleported, the young dragon thought as he looked around, and he was greatly surprised by what he saw.

“Hey, Mr. Tot, why is the inside of this a map of Equestria?” Spike asked, it was the last place he would have expected to find a map of his home.

“What?” Dagger asked in surprise.

“I'm not familiar with any land called Equestria,” Dr. Tot admitted, “though I've always wondered about that map. Care to tell me what Equestria is?” He asked as the others joined Spike inside the globe.

“This is Equestria,” Spike answered, indicating the map. “Though there are no labels. It certainly looks like Equestria, just without the cities or towns. There's no Ponyville or Manehattan or Fillydelphia,” Spike continued as he appraised the map.

“Well, the map came with the globe," Tot informed them, "both are quite old. If my research is right, this globe use to belong to an interesting explorer named Ipsen.”

“What does this mean?” Dagger asked in wonder, and Spike was curious too. At Dr. Tot's insistence, Spike told him about Equestria, and that he was from there. Dagger then assisted in telling the doctor about the events that lead up to them trying to steal Supersoft.

“That's a very interesting tale, and quite troubling.” Dr. Tot admitted as he stroked his beard. “You're looking for a way back?” Seeing Spike nod, Tot continued, “In that case, I'll look more into Ipsen's travels, it seems he managed to find something about Equestria. Maybe by looking into his history, I can find out more for you.”

He then looked between the dragon and the thief, “You and your friend helped Princess Garnet, and I admit, I'm terribly curious about this.” He then eyed Dagger with a worried expression, before it changed to one of realization.

“That aside, there's another matter at hand. You need to see the queen, I have a means for you to get to Alexandria rather quickly.” That got a surprised look from everyone, and they shared a look of hope. “Follow me,” and with Tot's insistence, the three of them followed him down into the bowels of the tower. Reaching an underground tunnel, Marcus asked what all of this was.

“This is an old underground transportation system that was used before airships became prevalent. I've been keeping it maintained in case of emergencies,” he explained as they reached the bottom. The inside was barely lit, there was a large root-vine hanging from the ceiling, drawn off into a long dark tunnel. “Welcome to Gargan Roo, it travels between Treno and Alexandria.”

“So this leads to Alexandria?” Marcus asked, seeing Tot nod, he added, “In that case I'll go with you two, Alexandria is closer to the Evil Forest,” and he got no argument from the others, they welcomed the notion.

“So we just follow the dark scary tunnel?” Spike asked, not scared in the least, honest.

“Oh no,” Tot assured, “once you get the tunnel connection sequence running, you can call the gargant, and it will ferry you to Alexandria."

“Well,” Spike said, “that doesn't sound so hard, let's get going!” And for once, it actually wasn't that hard, which disappointed the young dragon. After flipping a lever and a switch, a large six-legged insect following the vine on the ceiling upside-down came into the tunnel, pulling a suspended cart behind it. Thanking Dr. Tot, the group hopped in the cart, and in short order were on their way to Alexandria.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Treno is under perpetual night because of its location in the mountains. It's a city based on wealth, there is no middle class, as the lower class and the upper class worked in their own ways to extinguish the middle class.'

'The card game Spike played was called Tetra master, its very popular on the Mist Continent! Also, Spike isn't skilled at the game, he was just terribly lucky.'

'Ipsen was an old explorer that traveled the four continents and all the small islands surrounding them. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Lightning Staff: Thundara, Poison

Feather Hat: ~~Bright Eyes~~, Add Status(mastered)

Raises Wind Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Silk Shirt: Thunder(mastered), ~~Cure~~

Property: Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Amethyst: Whining(mastered), Generosity, Ability Up, ~~Accuracy+~~

Lvl-11 HP 342/342 MP 18/86

AP 4/20

*Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (3) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

*Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Sorry about the previous two chapters being bumpy, I hope this one is a step up.
Thank for reading, and sorry if you read the old version of this chapter, it was the worst.:facehoof:
Once again, major thanks to OCisbestpony for help editing.:twilightsmile:

18. Eternal Harvest

Leaving Burmecia behind them, it didn't take long for the four of them too run into the group of survivors. The group had intended to seek shelter in Clerya, but at Freya's insistence, they followed Applejack's original orders, for Cleyra was not safe anymore.

They bid farewell to the soldier that had helped them recover from their defeat at Beatrix's blade, thanking him for the aid. Zidane, Pinkie and Freya then moved west into the desert beyond the rain, where Cleyra was rooted.

As they traveled though the misty sand, they found the sandstorm that protected the giant tree, and they marched through it without hesitation. The sand tore at Pinkie's robe, threatening to carry her away with it as they slowly made their way, shielding their eyes from the assault of countless grains of sand.

It took them half an hour to get through the tempest, and as they felt the winds die down, they found themselves in the eye of the storm. In the center of the storm was a large tree, as big as a mountain, it was so tall that it pierced through the mist at the very top.

“Now that. Is a really. Big. Tree~!” Pinkie exclaimed as she looked up towards the sky. She took a moment, and knocked the side of her head, causing sand to fall out of her ears as Zidane and Freya looked up towards their destination.

“Why haven't we run into any enemy soldiers?” Freya asked, clearly worried.

They should have been here right? That's what Freya said, so where are they? Pinkie wondered as she looked to the tree.

“Maybe they're having a victory party of their own~” Pinkie replied.

“They must be waiting for whatever that Kuja intends to do,” Zidane guessed as he looked to the others. “Let's hurry!” And he ran towards the tree, following a path made out of the tree's large roots. The others followed shortly behind him.

Entering the tree's trunk, they climbed through sandy chambers, fighting the monsters of the mist as they did. Recent footprints in the sand suggested that a number of Burmecians had recently taken this path, filling Freya with hope.

They fought large dragonflys, annoying the party with their gratting buzzes, short work was made of them. As well as some large worms and giant birds resting outside the trunk. The only thing that gave them problems were the sand golems.

The first one they encountered caught them all off guard, they had thought it was just a normal pile of sand. As it rose up, it blasted them with sand, which Pinkie's cannon absorbed. She returned fire with a blast of sand of her own, but it was like dousing a fire with fire, it didn't help at all. In the center of the golem was a red gem that was screaming 'attack this, you dunder-head'. However, when Zidane attacked the red gem, the golem counterattacked, knocking him back several paces.

In response, Zidane was covered in red and white lightning, his hair turned pink as he was filled with power, and entered Trance. Seeing victory before him, Zidane gave the golem a sly grin, knowing it now had no chance-

Right as Freya finished it off.

Trance really was unreliable at times. Zidane stood there, a little disappointed as the lightning wore off. Pinkie patted him on the back, “There there...” she said as she briefly wondered when her next Trance would be.

Moving on, Pinkie's eyes caught something in the sand that once composed the golem. There was equipment within, possibly belonging to some poor traveler, or the golem had plundered some forgotten stash. The equipment presented offered Pinkie a new robe and fork to use in her cannon, and a new vest for Zidane. Pinkie hesitated using them, but did so at Zidane's insistence, its former wearer no long having need of them.

Pushing morbid thoughts to the side, the three of them continued their climb to the top of the tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Canary's Cage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike, Dagger, and Marcus disembarked from the carriage the gargant had pulled, they had arrived in Alexandria. Walking out, they found themselves in a large abandoned underground area. The walls were stone brick, with statues riddled all along them.

“This is Alexandria?” Spike asked. He'd seen enough of the city to know that these statues didn't match with the city's look.

“This was used before airships,” Dagger affirmed, “it's abandoned now.” She then saw stairs leading up, her gaze following them. “It probably connects to the castle, or the docks.”

“Well, if this is Alexandria,” Marcus began, “then I'll split when we get out. You can talk to your mother while I get this remedy to Blank.” Dagger and Spike nodded to him as they moved through the abandoned area, and as they walked up to a staircase, a large gate sprang up from the floor in front of them, blocking their path. “What's this, whats going on?” Marcus asked as Dagger appraised the gate.

“Hah!” Spike began, his chest puffed out, “This'll be no problem for this dragon!” he proclaimed as he teleported to the other side of it. “I'll see if there's a switch or something to-” Before he could finish another gate sprung up behind the princess and Marcus, trapping them both.

“That one has pesky magic!?” Exclaimed a blue jester overlooking the trap.

“Pesky magic, that one has!” Affirmed a red jester from the opposite side of the cage.

“We'll have to deal with it,” replied the blue jester as he glared at Spike.

“Zorn! Thorn! Let us out!” Dagger ordered, “I wish to speak to my mother, immediately!”

“Take you to the queen, we shall. Like it or not!” Thorn replied.

“Bandersnatches!” Zorn shouted, “Take care of the purple one!” Two large dogs with ridiculously long ears came out at their command and attacked, the first one hitting Spike, caught off guard as he was sent flying hard against the wall.

Okay, this is bad! Another hit like that and I'm out! He thought in a panic as he let out a weak groan. Taking a deep breath, he let out a high piercing noise that made the dogs cower, and teleported out of sight while they were hampered.

“Away, he's gone!?” Thorn stated, annoyed.

“He's gone away!” Zorn affirmed as he glanced around the area.

“Take them to the dungeon, Bandersnatches, accompany us!” Zorn ordered, intending to get the princess locked away, and guarded from pesky dragons.

The purple dragon watched as the Dagger and Marcus were taken away from his high vantage point, and he quietly followed after them, teleporting to new hiding spots in his pursuit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Continuing their climb, they found themselves closer to the top than to the ground. Progress! The constant battle with the monsters had been taxing on the few remaining potions they had, but with the aid of Freya's healing wind, they were able to space out their resources, and gain some back from the monsters they slew.

Without Applejack to take the hits, it's mostly been Freya and Zidane taking the hits, willingly blocking attacks for Pinkie, which really struck a cord with her.

Ahhhh~. They're just like Applejack! Taking a moment's rest, she looked over her two newest friends, and they couldn't help but wonder why her smile was brighter than the norm.

“Something up?” Zidane asked, and Pinkie shook her head.

“I'm just happy~ I made some good friends so quickly after coming to Gaia. With Applejack gone-” She shook her head again as she continued to smile, “I'm just glad you're both with me.”

“Well,” Freya began, almost hesitating, “You're my friend.” Pinkie gave a quick nod, having known that from the start, “And I look after my friends. I'm a knight of Burmecia,” she then shook her head, “No, it's just simply how I am. I protect my friends.” She then gave Pinkie an aside glance. “Besides, you really can't take a hit.”

“Heh.” Zidane said, “Like Freya said, we're friends. And besides that, I wouldn't stand for it if I simply let a pretty face such as yours get knocked around by some monsters.”

“Ahhhhhh~” Pinkie let out as she tackled Zidane in a hug. “You guys are the best!” Zidane looked to her, caught off guard. She then let go before long, stretching her hooves as she looked down the path. “Come on! Let's finish this, we can rest at the top~!” Freya and Zidane shared a look, and nodded, and they moved on.

Working their way through the roots, sand, and monsters, they eventually reached the top, where the settlement was. Being above the mist, the section was separated from the monsters by a guarded ladder. When the group reached the settlement, they were greeted by a pair of formally robed Cleyrans.

“You are from Burmecia as well?” One of them asked, indicating Freya, and she nodded.

“We need to talk to the king,” she stated, hoping the king was here, “I'm Freya Crescent, we have a message of an imminent attack!”

“Oh, yes of course, right this way!” The one in charge said in alarm. “The king will want to speak with you immediate!” Hearing that, Pinkie caught the smile on Freya's face, and Pinkie got a smile of her own.

“Long live the king!” Freya exclaimed, happy the king was here, and safe, for now at least. She turned to her friends, “I'll talk with him, why not take a rest while I do?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Zidane admitted, the climb up had been tiring.

“I don't mind~ I wanna look around!” Pinkie said, looking around and taking in the green life within the settlement.

“This way, my lady,” one of the pair led Freya away, and other offered to guide Zidane and Pinkie around.

“I'd rather just take a look around, but thanks,” Zidane declined before Pinkie could accept, so instead she gave the guide a big grin, thanked her for the offer and followed after Zidane.

The settlement of Cleyra had a number of paths on the branches, and buildings as well, mostly painted white with steepled roofs of blue shingles. The settlement was lush and green, every building had some vines growing on it, and they all had gardens with a small assortment of flowers decorating them. Something that Pinkie thought was extra special, the buildings were made as part of the tree.

“Waiiit~ I wanna look around with you,” Pinkie admitted as she bounced to his side. “So Zidane, what do you do for fun!?”

“Oh, lots of things,” he said as he gave her a smile of his own. “Swindling crooked nobles, going on dates, playing Tetra master, helping friends-”

“Oh oh! We're on a date right now~” Pinkie proclaimed, surprising Zidane. “It's just the two of us, walking around taking in the sights! So, a date! Having fun?” She asked as she gave him her best grin. Zidane considered her for a moment, then he nodded with a smile.

“Well, how about that,” Zidane said, “Well then, my good lady, where shall we go?”

“That area looks like it has a good view!” She shouted as she bounced over to a gazebo that overlooked the sandstorm. Zidane followed her and looked out with her. From the gazebo, they could see all the way to the ground, and most of Cleyra. It was quite the view. Pinkie looked to Zidane, her smile shifting slightly as she took on a more serious expression.

“Do you think she's okay?” Pinkie asked quietly. Zidane thought on it before giving her an honest answer.

“I don't know, I was hoping we'd run into her before reaching the grotto.” He answered as he took on a worried expression. He saw the odd look Pinkie was giving him and realized she was referring to Applejack, not the princess.

“You're really worried about her,” Zidane said quickly, trying to cover his embarrassment. “I think Applejack's fine, she's a tough one.”

“Yea, she's tough, but now she's alone,” she replied as she let out a long sigh. “She probably isn't smiling right now.”

“She will, when we rescue her,” he assured, “So just keep being your silly self.” He added, with a grin.

“I know, I just wanted to talk a little about her while Freya was gone.” Having a serious conversation was out of the norm for her, and Pinkie felt uncomfortable with the notion. I guess blending both me's changed me. Pinkie thought as Discord moved in front of her.

“Well Pinkie,” Discord began, “I guess underneath all the smiles, is a serious pony that simply wants to see others smile.” She considered that for a moment before looking to him.

Are you the same?

“Hmm, I don't really know!” Discord said as he gave her a surprised look. “With all that's happened to me lately, I'm not so sure anymore.” He considered it a moment before giving Pinkie a smile. “Freya smiled. Hmm. I'll leave you on that, enjoy your 'date'!” He finished, chuckling as he vanished. Pinkie looked to Zidane, who was quietly taking in the breeze.

“She had a smile, you know,” Pinkie said, with a light smile of her own. “When she heard the king was here.” Her brow then furrowed as Zidane turned to her, “I don't think we should stay here, nopony should stay here. Pretty soon that tubby lubby meany queeny will do something mean to this awesome tree-house.”

“For now,” Zidane replied as he gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder, “let's not worry about things that cannot be helped. Freya's talking to the king about that after all." He finished, then changed the topic back to what Pinkie wanted to talk about, something that would make her happy. "So, the Festival of the Hunt was extra festive thanks to you, is that something you do in Equestria?” Pinkie appraised him with a shocked look.

“You don't know!?” I've been slacking! “I'm a certified super party pony~! I get all kinds of parties set up in Ponyville, it's not a day in Ponyville without a party!”

“Oh, you don't say. And Applejack is a farmer?” He asked, and from there the two of them spent some time in the gazebo, talking about a home that Pinkie hadn't realized she was homesick for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Knight of a Fallen Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya's thoughts concerning Burmecia weighed on her mind as she followed her guide to the tallest branch of Cleyra.

I've failed my people. She kicked the ground as she moved along, the fight against Beatrix playing in her head. Our enemy was right there! And I- We didn't stand a chance! On the highest branch was a chapel, where the king held up.

Reaching the ornate building, she hesitated at the door. Will he forgive me for my absence? For my failure? The guards at the door nodded to her, and she pushed down her hesitation, moving forward. Entering the chapel, she saw the king take note of her, and gave her a kind smile.

“Freya, thank goodness you're still alive!” He said, blowing away Freya's doubts as she gave him a quick salute.

The King! As long as he lives, Burmecia lives! and once again, she was smiling, her breast alight with hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Pony Pen
~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Shouldn't we use another cage?” Zorn asked, concerned with shoving the thief into the same cage as the Equestrian prisoner.

“A bad idea, another cage would be!” Thorn replied stalwartly. Zorn thought for a moment before agreeing with his twin.

“He is a thief. This cage will contain him,” Zorn admitted.

“Break out, he cannot!” Thorn finished as the guards moved Marcus into the suspension cage.

As Marcus was shoved into the cage, he was surprised at who his cell mate was, just as Applejack was surprised to see him. Unlike Spike, she recognized this man immediately. The thief and the mare stared at each other quietly for a moment. So did he get caught doin' somethin' he shouldn't, or is it somethin' else? Applejack wondered, Zidane had earned her trust, but that couldn't be said about the rest of the Tantalus gang.

“If you're here,” Marcus began, talking as if he was walking on egg shells, “does that mean Zidane is locked up too?” That was all it took to break the ice with the orange mare.

“No, they took me in,” she admitted, “Hopefully Pinkie's takin' care of him.” She then raised an eyebrow to him, “How'd ya end up stuck in here with me?”

“Walked into a trap while getting the Princess here,” he explained with a shrug.

“The Princess is here!?” Applejack replied in surprise, “What about Spike?”

“He's around, I think he's sticking close to the princess, hiding,” he answered.

Good, Spike can save her if something happens.

“So the queen isn't gonna let Garnet let us out, I reckon,” Applejack said flatly.

“Nope.”

Well, that explains why those two clowns suddenly decided to not interrogate me. She thought as she eyed their prison. It was a hanging cell suspended over a large fall. Maybe there's a way outa this...

As she wondered this, a flash of purple caught her eye, and she saw Spike hiding behind a pillar not too far away from the cage. He gave her a surprised smile, which she returned, adding a touch of relief to it. Well, if not the princess, maybe Spike can save us, instead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And that's how I got my cutie-mark!” Pinkie finished, smiling to Zidane, “Ooh! Next time I should tell you how Equestria was made~” She added after finishing the tale of her first party, prompted when Zidane had taken an interest in her detail of cutie-marks. Then a thought came to mind as he adopted a worried expression, addressing Pinkie.

“It's been too long,” he pointed out, “Let's go see Freya,” Zidane suggested, a hint of concern trailing through his voice.

“You're right, it has been a little long, let's go see Freya-meya,” Pinkie replied as she bounced away from the gazebo.

“You know she doesn't like that name, right?”

“Oh it's just a name, and it's a great name~!” Pinkie assured him as they went towards where Freya had gone too, the chapel at the very top of the tree. Or at least they would have, but a cry for help made them change direction in unison. Seeing a panicked Cleyran, they moved to find out what the commotion was.

“The ant-lion, it's attacking a child!” A robed Cleyran informed the duo.

“Say no more! Where we going?” Pinkie asked quickly, her smile still present as her brow furrowed.

“It's near the entrance to the town, to the right!” He informed them as they ran off.

“Right, we'll take care of it!” Zidane promised.

“Pinkie promise!” Pinkie added. Moving back towards the entrance, they found the path to the side and encountered the ant-lion. It was a terribly large insect with eight limbs and a pair of giant pincers. A young Burmecian's clothes were caught in one of its claw's, and upon seeing Pinkie and Zidane, cried for help, his voice laced with annoyance more than fear.

“Hang in there champ! We're gonna save you!” Zidane said enthusiastically. Pinkie felt her tail twitch, and the sound of someone landing behind her told her their friend had arrived.

“Is the child alright, Zidane?” Freya quickly asked.

She's so fast with all that jumping she can do!

“Yea, he's fine,” he replied with a deadpan expression.

“Like hell I'm fine!” the child replied. It looked as though the ant-lion wasn't even aware the child was stuck on its claw.

“That voice! Prince Puck, is that you!?” Freya asked in confusion,

“Freya? Where have you been!?” Puck asked, confused from the current state of affairs. The ant-lion suddenly noticed Puck on its claws and tossed him away in surprise, then charged to attack the trio as Puck landed behind them.

“Oh, it's on!” Pinkie declared as she whipped out her cannon and got the first attack in. She let out a jet of fire as Freya jumped up to spear the monster. The ant-lion took a deep breath and let out a strong gust of sand that blinded Pinkie and Zidane, knocking them down, weak from the gust. Freya landed on the monster, distracting it long enough for Pinkie and Zidane to get themselves up with a potion. As their foe cast a fire spell, Freya let out a spell of her own. A rush of healing wind surrounded the three, and they felt it reinvigorate them, making their wounds recover with her magic. Freya's magic negating the damage caused by the ant-lion's fire in short order.

“Alright Freya~! Lets kick some tail!” Pinkie shouted as she cleaned her eyes of sand. She loaded herself into the cannon and fired herself into the beast, crashing with a resounding thud, making it double over in pain as Pinkie acquired a bump on the head for her efforts.

“That mare is an interesting sort of crazy.” Freya said to Zidane as she jumped up for another attack. After clearing his eyes, Zidane joined the fray, and the three of them made quick work of the ant-lion.

Wow! I wish I had a healing ability like Freya~! That made the fight easy! Pinkie thought as Freya moved to Puck's side.

“Are you alright, your highness?” Freya asked Puck, who had been watching the fight with wide eyes, clearly enjoying the spectical.

“Yep!” He assured as he appraised the dragon knight. “So Freya, what's up?” He asked curiously.

“How are you here?” Freya asked, disregarding his question, “I heard that you disappeared upon leaving Burmecia three years ago.”

“Uh, yeah!” He admitted, as if there was nothing to explain.

“Well, let's go at once to the chapel to inform his majesty!” Freya suggested.

“My old man, huh?” Puck said with a sour expression. “Nah, I don't want to see him. Just tell him I said hi, okay? Later!” He said as he quickly ran off.

“That kid's got some fast legs~” Pinkie said as he disappeared from sight. “Freya, can we go with you when you tell the king about Puck?” Freya nodded as she watched Puck leave, and the three of them headed to the chapel.

First Garnet, and Cid, and now the King of Burmecia~! All kinds of royalty to meet! Pinkie thought as she followed Freya, a spring in her trot.

Climbing to the top, they entered the most regal building on the tree, and with Freya at their side, the guards let Zidane and Pinkie in as well. The King of Burmecia was talking to a robed rat-folk with a rather large hat. Seeing Freya return, the conversation ended and Freya told him about Puck.

“I see. So you saw Puck,” The King said with a hint of affection.

“As mischievous as ever, your Majesty.” Freya replied, which got a sad smile from the king.

“I haven't seen him in ages,” it was clear he missed his son, and was worried about him.

“I heard he left three years ago,” Freya said, looking for some confirmation on the belief.

“Yes, and yet, both of you returned to me in this time of danger. I am grateful,” he replied with a dower smile. The high priest of the temple walked over and addressed Freya.

“Freya, we're going to conduct an ancient ceremony to strengthen the sandstorm. It should keep the ones that attacked Burmecia away. We'd like you to help with the ceremony, surely a dragon knight of your skill would help the storm gain even more power.” Freya considered his words for a moment before adopting a look of recognition.

“You mean the one from the time when Burmecia and Cleyra were unified?” She asked, surprised to be asked for such a thing. “I understand.” She then nodded to the priest, giving him a smile. “I would be honored to help.”

She considered something a moment before turning to Pinkie and Zidane. “I was met with utter failure when trying to defend Burmecia, I will not allow that to happen here.” She said resolutely, making Zidane appraise her.

“You've changed, Freya. I didn't think you were so strong when I first met you. You're different from the young woman who was chasing after the one she loved three years ago.” She nodded at his words, taking them as a compliment.

“I could not protect Burmecia, and thus fulfill Sir Fratley's wish. Now all I can do is protect this beautiful place.”

“Yea, protecting Cleyra is the best thing you can do for yourself.” He replied, nodding to punctuate the sentiment.

“You're gonna stay here, Freya?” Pinkie asked, her voice lacking its usual bounce, and Freya nodded.

“I will protect this place. It will help me make up for Burmecia, so I'm staying.” Zidane nodded again, and Pinkie didn't say anything more, letting Freya have her peace.

Several maidens of the chapel moved into a formation, and Zidane and Pinkie moved to the side to not be in the way as Freya took position too. So Freya is gonna stay put, but I still haven't gotten her to smile! she thought in frustration. Her face must have shown her emotions, as Zidane reacted to her thoughts.

“We got her here,” he began, “where the king was, and that made her happy. So don't worry Pinkie, she'll be happy here, and that's what you wanted, right?” He pointed out, which surprised Pinkie.

He's right! And the realization filled her with joy. She took that joy and shared it with him, surprising Zidane with a hug as she whispered a 'thanks~' to him. She let go of him with a big smile that he returned as the ceremony began.

A Cleryan maiden started playing a harp, the harp's bow was shaped to resemble an elegant tree branch, and a smaller branch came out from the top of it with a small crescent moon dangling from it. A gemstone lay suspended in the moon, and as the maiden played, it started to glow. Freya and the four other maidens started to dance, beginning the ceremony to empower the sandstorm. They danced with a coordination that made the pony and the thief envious, and as they danced an energy started to fill the air.

“Well now, this is interesting.” Discord chimed in, having been quiet for so long, his voice made the mare flinch in surprise. “What an interesting magic. You can feel it too.” It wasn't a question.

Yea, it feels nice, but also intimidating, like trying to scale a mountain with just your hooves. She agreed. This dance was empowering the sandstone, and the gem in the harp glowed brighter as the dance intensified.

Suddenly, the strings in the harp snapped, and the energy in the air instantly died.

“Oh darn, I was enjoying that too.” Discord admitted as everyone looked at the harp with concern.

“This is a terrible omen.” The maiden that played the harp proclaimed. Pinkie then noticed a strong light radiating above the tree, and Zidane noticed it too.

Looking outside, they saw the light lash out at the sandstorm, wrapping around it and the tree itself. The light pierced through the twisting sandstorm, causing the rotation of the storm to die. The breeze died, the howling stopped, and countless grains of sand fell into the desert below. The tree, was now completely exposed.

“It's gone! Was this Kuja's doing?” Zidane asked in concern.

“This shouldn't have happened,” Freya began, then considered something. “He said he would display his power, was this what he had in mind?”

“I've never witnessed this before.” The head priest said, “The magic stone on the harp, it controls the sandstorm, it has for hundreds of years. I don't know how this can be!”

“This must be the first strike of the enemy's attack!” The king of Burmecia deduced.

“I fear you may be right, my lord,” The head priest admitted.

“If that's the case, then we gotta get everypony out of here!” Pinkie said, giving the others a hard look. “A tree is not a safe place to be when somepony wants to knock it down!”

“She's right!” The king admitted, “Gather everyone together. Cleyra cannot handle a siege, we're easy pickings for the enemy's airships. Let's prepare to leave!” The king ordered, the high priest didn't like the idea of fleeing the tree, but there was no other choice. Working to get everyone to safety, they moved to evacuate Cleyra.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'The sandstorm around Cleyra had been persistent for centuries, never once stopping. It made the tree almost completely isolated from the rest of the world.'

'Pinkie's ability, Fire Cannon, has a chance to cause heat. Heat is a terrible status, the victim suffers from terrible burns, and if they take any action before someone can cleanse their status, they will instantly fall.'

'Burmecia was more war focused then Cleyra, which was the major dispute between the two, as the Cleyrans wanted peace more than war! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

*Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide, Party Bomb

*Magician Robe: Auto-Potion, MP+10%

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl Up! Lvl-16 HP 553/643 MP 40/82

AP 2/21

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals Non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to Silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to Darkness.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

Yea, So. Chapters 18 and 19 were written as one chapter, but it was over 7k words long. So instead we have two chapters in a row staring Pinkie Pie, hope that doesn't bother anypony.

And then Pinkie learned Ultima Cannon, and the very stars trembled in fear.
Danke for reading!
And big thanks to my editor OCisbestpony!

19. Grieve for the Skies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Lion's Den
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wonder if mother will even listen to me, Dagger wondered as she sat in her bed room, looking out her window, taking in Alexandria. Why did she attack Burmecia? And why did she arrest us like this?

I must be sincere with her. She hasn't been herself lately, she adopted a ponderous look, actually, thinking on it, she's been acting strange since my birthday last year. The same day that white haired man visited us.

Maybe he had something to do with it. Back a Treno, that was him at the auction house, and the way I felt when he looked at me, the thought of it made her spine crawl again. Things began to change after he arrived in Alexandria. Dr. Tot left shortly afterwards, just what happened that day? The door opened, surprising the princess as Zorn and Thorn came rushing in.

“Queen Brahne summons you,” Zorn declared.

“Come with us,” Thorn added.

“What!? How dare you speak to me like that!” She had never liked the court jesters, but they had always treated her with some sense of respect, but not now.

“Quiet!” Zorn ordered.

“With us, you are coming, and that is that!” Thorn stated.

Dagger glared at them as she considered how to respond. What would Zidane say at a moment like this? Oh!

“Get away from me, you scumbags!” She shouted, realizing as she said it how awkward it sounded.

“What was that?” Zorn asked Thorn, “I do not understand.”

“Understand what she said, I do not, either,” Thorn admitted. They approached Dagger, and she took several steps back.

“Enough! Now come with us!” The pair said in unison. And they took Dagger to the queen. Taking her to Brahne's chambers, Dagger saw her mother sitting on the couch near the fireplace. Dagger separated herself from the jesters and approached her.

“Mother...” At the sound of Dagger's voice, the queen turned and gave her a loving smile.

“Darling, there you are. Where were you? I've been worried sick. Here, come closer.” Dagger hesitated, but came closer.

“Mother, there is something I need to ask you,” Dagger began, feeling as though she was walking on egg shells.

“What is it darling? I will tell you anything you wish to know,” Brahne assured.

“Did you- Is it true that you are responsible for the destruction of Burmecia?”

“Oh, well, no wonder you look so concerned,” the queen said in surprise. “That is far from the truth, Garnet. You see, those Burmecian rats have been plotting to destroy Alexandria for some time. I couldn't just wait for them to attack and destroy our precious kingdom. So I had no choice but to take the initiative.”

“Mother, is that really the truth?” Dagger asked skeptically.

“Of course, I would never lie to you.”

But you just did!

“I don't believe you!” She's caught her mother lying several times over the last few months, and she wasn't buying it now.

“Oh, darling, what's wrong? Why wouldn't you believe your mother?” As she asked that, the white haired man entered the room, having overheard the exchange, he addressed them.

“May I also play a part in this act?” He asked nonchalantly.

“Act?” Dagger asked in confusion as she gave him a cautious look.

“Yes, an act from a beautiful play. There is a knight on a white horse, and a beautiful princess. It is a tale of tragic love. Overcome by grief, the princess must sleep for a hundred years.” He explained as he approached the princess.

“You, you're the man from Treno.” And the man that's been making a mess of my kingdom, no doubt!

“It appears we were destined to meet again,” he said dramatically. “My sweet angel, come to me.” He approached Dagger, and she stepped back, but Kuja caught up to her, “I will take you to a world of dreams,” he said as he cast a spell on the princess.

“What.. are... you...” Dagger passed out as his magic washed over her, falling into a deep sleep.

He looked at her, sleeping in his arms. “She is beautiful, even in sleep.”

“Hmph. Impudent little girl,” the queen huffed out. “Zorn, Thorn! Prepare to extract the eidolons from Garnet!”

The queen and Kuja left the princess to the two jesters, and they took her to a separate room with a magical circle crested on the floor, laying her at its center.

“A belated happy birthday, Princess. Hee Hee,” Zorn laughed as the opportunity to please the queen had finally arrived.

“Sixteen years old, the princess has become. Draw the eidolons from her, finally, we can,” Thorn said. And they began to channel magic into the crest on the floor.

“Eidolons of eternal life,” Zorn chanted

“Eidolons of eternal struggle!” Thorn said in time with Zorn.

“Arise from the sixteen year sleep!”

“Depart after the sixteen year wait!”

They said as they continued to channeled magic into the circle. The sigils and lines in the circle started to shine, light illuminating the paths.

“Let there be light!” Zorn declared

“Let there be life!” Thorn proclaimed.

Their magic gathered and laced around Dagger, drawing forth the light from the circle, encasing her in radiance.

“The time has come!” Zorn assured.

“The time is now!” Thorn reinforced.

And the energy of the spell washed into Dagger, making her float into the air.

“Come forth!” Zorn ordered.

“Odin, warrior of the dark!” Thorn finished.

And the light of the spell burst out, and the eidolon sealed within the princess was freed, a gemstone forming above Dagger as Zorn and Thorn cackled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After having spent a number of hours evacuating, Freya couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

“I don't understand, we haven't seen any soldiers.” She stated, they had been helping with the evacuation, clearing out monsters from the trunk and protecting the Burmecians and Cleyrans. Freya was upset that they were abandoning the place she just swore she would protect, but Zidane persuaded her that it's not the place, but the people that's important. His words helped her, and she put everything into helping her people escape with their lives.

“Maybe they didn't expect for us to so readily abandon the tree,” the king suggested, “Had it not been the promise of Cid's aid, we would have stayed. We already lost one city and a great many lives, if we can spare another cities population, we can rebuild.” The only ones still remaining in the settlement at this point was the king, his personal guard, the high priest, a small contingency of soldiers, and Pinkie's group.

All of them minus the priest were outside the chapel as they conversed, and were surprised when a dragon knight landed in their mist.

The warrior wore tan and yellow padded armor and a wide hat that obscured his eyes. He seemed to be looking around for someone. His appearance shocked everyone, but a small number of them were shocked for reasons besides the fact of him landing in their midst.

“S-Sir Fratley!?” Freya asked, barely believing her eyes. “What? I- I've missed you so much!” She approached him, and everyone else moved to give her room.

She's smiling~! Pinkie thought as she witnessed the reunion.

“I began to search for you immediately after you left Burmecia. Where have you been all these years? To what corners of the world have you traveled? My dear Fratley, I climbed the highest mountains, only to hear rumors of your victories. I searched the deepest valleys, only to find your footsteps.” She turned her back to him, “But I never found you. And in the end, I heard something, something unbearable!” Sir Fratley appraised Freya before speaking up.

“I'm sorry," Fratley began, "but I believe this is the first time we have met." There was a terrible silence following his words, and Pinkie's blood ran cold as Freya turned back to him.

“What? What did you just say?” Freya asked in confusion.

“I'm sorry, but I cannot remember you for the life of me,” he said regretfully.

“You, you jest! You cannot have forgotten me! It's me, Freya! Freya of Burmecia!” He turned his back to her apologetically.

“I am sorry.”

“No, that can't be,” and she began to cry, making Pinkie's brow furrow.

No! This was her happiness! And she's crying. I'm not gonna let my friend cry!

“Now wait just a second here!” Pinkie ordered angrily. “Seriously? You don't remember your special somepony!? How could you forget!” He didn't reply, “Say something!”

“That's enough Pinkie,” Freya requested weakly.

“What?” Pinkie replied in confusion, turning to Freya. “But Freya~, you've been looking for him for a long time, right? Here he is!” The king of Burmecia approached Fratley and addressed him, trying to dispel the confusion in the air.

“Do you not remember me?” He asked of Fratley.

“I'm afraid not.”

“Then what brought you here, if you don't even remember your king?”

“I did!” Prince Puck declared, revealing himself from where he hid. “I ran into him during my travels, and you guessed it, he didn't know who I was either. Or even who he was. But when we heard that Burmecia was under attack, he felt the urge to return!” Fratley nodded at Puck's summation.

“Dragon knight.” Fratley said, “I was once called that. I wanted to protect Burmecia. I'm afraid all I remember of my former self was that I was a dragon knight.”

“Fratley...” Freya said painfully.

“I must go, there are refugees that need to be protected.” And he made to leave, but with a boom from the party cannon, a pink ball crashed into him, separating him from his spear as Pinkie tackled him hard.

“Oh no you don't! You're not leaving yet mister!” Pinkie held on tight as he tried to separate himself from her. He was strong, but Pinkie's determination was stronger. He's not leaving till I get a Pinkie promise out of him!

“Pinkie, stop!” Freya demanded. “It's okay, he can go.”

“NO HE CAN'T!” Pinkie shouted, making everyone freeze in surprise. Pinkie blinked in surprise as well, but didn't dwell on her actions. “Mr. Fratley, that knight in red over there, she's my super jumpy friend.” Pinkie said as she calmly looked into the powerful warriors eyes, he gave her his attention, feeling he was obligated to do that much.

“She's spent the last five years of her life looking for you, the most important person to her. And I'm sure, once upon a time, you cared for her greatly. You owe her, at the very least, a chance to be that person again. I'm not gonna let you make Freya-meya sad anymore. Even if you've forgotten everything, something may come back if you give her the chance. You will offer her that much, and I'll let go, if you Pinkie promise to give her that chance."

“Pinkie stop this, you can't-” Freya began, she was happy that he was alive, even though it hurt that he didn't remember her. She was interrupted by the hard look Pinkie gave her.

“Shut up Freya-meya. I'm the smile expert here, not you.” Pinkie said stalwartly, her aggressive side clearly shining through at this moment. “Pushing away what you want isn't going to make you happy. I'm giving you a chance to have that happiness again, don't you dare throw it away.” She said, her eyes locking with Freya's.

The dragon knight saw the fire burning in that stare, and balked at it. She knew her words wouldn't be able to put out that flame. Sir Fratley was silent during their talk, and when Pinkie looked back to him, he nodded, which almost made the mare cry out with joy. She let him go and told him to copy her, and the dragon knight did just that.

“Cross my heart and hope to... fly, stick a ...cupcake? In my eye,” he said, suddenly unsure what he was getting himself into with this pink mare. “I promise, to give Freya my attention. But that's all I promise.”

“I'm warning you, nopony breaks a Pinkie promise and gets away with it!” Pinkie claimed, giving him a hard look.

“I will keep my word,” he said, looking to Freya, “but right now there are Burmecians to protect, let's go Puck, we'll make sure the refugees make it to Lindblum safely, you all should leave as soon as you can,” he said, and prepared to leave, but moved to Freya and addressed her. “Freya, I'm sorry, I'll never be the person you once loved, but I'm willing to give you a chance, if you'll do the same.”

Freya looked at him in shock, unsure how to reply, Pinkie's words had clearly gotten across to the amnesia plagued warrior. Freya saw Pinkie standing behind Fratley, holding a big sign that said 'Do it~!'. So she nodded to Sir Fratley, and he nodded in turn. Picking up Puck, he, with a mighty leap, jumped over the edge of the foliage, and down to those who needed him below.

Pinkie hadn't been expecting it, and honestly had forgotten all about it when she attacked Sir Fratley, but now that it was there, it made her heart skip a beat. Freya was smiling at her, a genuine, honest, beautiful smile. And Pinkie returned it, and not just Pinkie, even Zidane, the King, and the other onlookers were smiling for her.

This. This is what I live for, do you see this, Discord?

“It really is touching, I think I might just cry! Shame I'm just a case of mist poisoning, maybe, so the real Discord won't enjoy this. Possibly,” he said with a smile of his own.

“What! How'd you get in here!”

Everyone's head turned to the source of the cry. It was the voice of the high priest, coming from the chapel. As they all moved to check it out, Pinkie noticed an airship coming out of the mist not far from the tree. Oh that's all kinds of bad news! Going inside, they found the priest on the floor in front of Beatrix, who was standing near the broken harp.

“Please, have mercy!” He begged of her.

Beatrix!? Very very bad news!

“Hmph, you pathetic rodents don't even understand the true power of this gem.” She swung her blade to the harp and severed the gem from it, catching it as it fell.

“Our magic stone!” The high priest cried out.

“Now that I have this jewel, I have no need of your city!” And she slipped past everyone, running outside.

“We'll get that back,” Zidane began, “We have a score to settle with her!” he claimed as he ran after her, Freya and Pinkie following behind. Heading outside, they caught up to the general. “Don't think you can get away!” Zidane shouted after her. She immediately stopped and turned around, giving them a cold look.

“Get away?” She laughed at the notion, “You're a bigger fool than I imagined, did you already forget what happened last time?” She eyed Pinkie, “Don't think you'll fare any better this time.” She said, looking at Freya and Zidane, which confused Pinkie.

Did she just exclude me from that? Two colorful orbs of red and blue whisped down into the area, when they touched the ground a Black Mage appeared at both spots. They stood and watched as Beatrix took up her stance.

“That magic, I think I felt something familiar from it,” Discord proclaimed.

Not now Discord, she's big bag news, and we're about to fight her again!

And then the big bad news attacked them. And to their credit, they fared better this time. Pinkie's potions were potent, and her new robe they found on their climb up allowed her to deftly use them on herself while attacked, keeping her from falling to Beatrix's blade. She spent more time supporting while Zidane and Freya fought Beatrix. It seemed to be an even match, well, considering it was three versus one, but then Beatrix got fed up with the stalemate.

“Enough of this.” She said as she brought her blade down, and a tempest of cuts and slices assaulted them, bring them to their knees. “Now, to rid myself of you and leave.”

Wait, if she could always do that, was she playing with us? That game wasn't fun at all! Pinkie weakly thought as the one of the Black Mages summoned another red and blue orb over its head. The mage jumped in and Beatrix did as well. The orb spiraled in the air for a moment before flying off towards the airship floating nearby, far above the tree. Pinkie quickly got the others on their knees, Freya's healing wind assisting as they saw the other mage summon the red and blue orb as well.

“Let's go after her!” Pinkie suggested, and Zidane and Freya agreed.

“If we can distract her again, I might be able to swipe the gem from her!” Zidane said, and they all quickly jumped into the red and blue orb before it whisped away. Flying through the air as a ball of magic, the three of them were able to see what was going on around them.

A large blue beam flew off from the nose of the airship, striking a point in the sky high above the tree, drawing their attention. From that point, the sky was washed in a black circle of magic, and from the center a large warrior riding a six legged horse appeared. He wielded a large spear, and as they galloped through the air, black lightning coursed through his weapon.

He hurled the spear down, into the tree. The spear cut through all in it's path, not being slowed in the least as the spear pierced all the way to the base. Shortly after the spear disappeared into the tree, a massive explosion erupted from the tree's center. All of Cleyra was wreathed in flames, and the settlement, and those still on it, were lost to the fire. The warrior rode off over the inferno, and disappeared in a flash of magic.

As the warrior disappeared, the three of them ended up in a magical urn resting on the airship. They all hopped out, and Freya knelt to the ground, shocked by what happened. Pinkie had no words to comfort her with, and neither did Zidane. So instead, she gave Freya a comforting hug.

We almost got toasted just now... Pinkie then glared, at no one in particular. Why did they do that!? How did they do that!? It was such a pretty place, and now Burmecia has no king. The pink mare thought sadly.

“Some people just want to see their enemies burn,” Discord answered, “I can't say I don't understand the sentiment. I guess somepony's gonna have to get together a motley crew of friends to take her down. Oh wait~” He said, and three large monochrome arrows pointed at Pinkie and her two friends. There was also three other arrows pointing at pictures of the princess, Spike and Applejack. Pinkie looked to her friends.

Okey dokey lokey, but one thing at a time, and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Dammit!” Zidane kicked the side of the rail in anger. “Just what was that!?” Cleyra was gone, and so was the king, and possibly Puck and Fratley, but at least its people were safe. Zidane looked around, and noticed someone was coming. “Come on, we need to hide!” Pinkie and Zidane helped their friend up, but she shrugged them off.

“I'll be fine, we did the best we could, right?” She asked, her sorrow turned to anger as she followed them to a hiding spot.

“I'm sorry Freya,” Pinkie said, and Freya frowned at her.

“Don't apologize Pinkie. I'll be fine, I just need a moment,” she insisted. From their hiding spot, they saw Beatrix come out of a nearby room and was greeted by a soldier.

“Welcome back, General.” The female soldier said with a salute.

“How is her Majesty?” Beatrix asked informally.

“She has eagerly awaited your return. I am certain she will shower you with praise for our victory. Your supremacy is without question. Steiner and his knights-”

“That is enough!” Beatrix shouted, annoyed with the praise.

“Forgive me General,” the soldier said with a salute.

“Tell her Majesty that I will report to her shortly.” The soldier saluted again and left to carry the message, leaving Beatrix by herself. “That was ridiculous. My troops alone would've been more than enough to take Cleyra. Why does the queen insist on using Black Mages and eidolons? “

“Well well, looks like we have somepony who likes to think out loud,” Discord commented as Pinkie mentally shushed him.

“I didn't train all these years so I could take a backseat to anyone,” Beatrix said, and another soldier walked past the general with a group of Black Mages.

“You three,” the soldier stated to the mages, “get on the teleportation urns and go to Alexandria immediately.” Beatrix watched as the soldier and the mages proceeded down to the urns.

“There's no difference between them and me. We're all just blindly following orders. My heart and my will mean nothing.” She stared at the mages, and her face adopted something close to regret, “I envy Applejack, she has no duty, no obligations to tie her heart. She follows her heart.” And after considering a moment, added, “She was in Burmecia, to help her friends.” She finished with a sigh as she looked to the sky, envy written on her face. She then left to report to the queen.

“Did you hear that?” Zidane stated, “Brahne's on this ship! Let's scrounge around and see if we can learn anything,” he suggested, and Pinkie agreed. Freya chose to stay put and hide, wanting to be alone for a little bit. Pinkie gave her a quick hug and promised that everything would be fine.

They may be gone, but we saved so many, that's gotta count for something, right? She hoped Freya would see it the same way as she followed Zidane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Loyal Heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The King is dead. Freya thought as her friends left her alone, she held no hopes that he survived that destruction. Burmecia lies in ruins. Cleyra is gone. She felt the urge to cry rising, but with great difficulty, she pushed the tears down. My vows. I've failed them! Every! Single! One!

'It's not the place that matters, it's the people.' Words Zidane told her earlier ran through her head, and she desperately latched onto them. The King may be dead, but all the refugees, they made it out in time! Freya briefly considered making a new vow to protect what remained of Burmecia, but instead hit the side of the wall she sat next to.

Why bother! I seemed to be curse to see my vows shatter before me! Fratley, my betrothed, doesn't remember me! I'm one of the last remaining dragon knights, and I've outlived my nation! She didn't fight the tears now, they came readily.

Just what am I suppose to do? She wondered for several moments as her eyes wandered over her surroundings, taking in the ship she was on. The ship that belong to the Queen of Alexandria. Freya slammed the wall again, her sorrow being replaced with anger.

That woman! What right does she have, to bring genocide to my people! A notion then crossed her mind that troubled her greatly. What greed is compelling her? Will she direct it too... Freya's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly imagined Queen Brahne bringing her armies, her Black Mages, to a sunny world that didn't know war.

A world called Equestria.

Princess Garnet. She's kind, if naive. She needs to take up the throne! The queen needs to fall! Seeing what needed to be done, she slowed down her breathing, and wiped away her tears. She hoped Puck and Fratley would be more than enough to look after the survivors as she continued forward, with her friends.

I may have failed my King, my nation. But they're still alive, even Applejack, I'm certain. She nodded to herself, a fire beating in her breast. She then closed her eyes, praying, to no one in particular.

Please, let me have this. Let me help them. Please... I don't want to lose anything else... Least of all, those that risked their necks for me, my friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sneaking through the ship, Pinkie and Zidane eventually reached an overlook above the platform the queen was looking from. They were close enough to overhear her talking with Beatrix, and they listened in, hoping to gleam something useful from the villains.

“Did you get the item!?” Brahne asked her general with impatience. Beatrix saluted the queen as she answered, presenting the gem she stole.

“Here you are, your Majesty.” There was no emotion in her voice, a mask to hide whatever her heart felt.

“Yes! This is perfect!” The queen let out a little laugh as she continued, “With this, I can finally- No, I need one more! I must get the last jewel!” Beatrix turned away from the queen in annoyance, dropping her mask as the queen wasn't even paying attention to her.

“Not even a word of gratitude,” the proud general muttered.

“Beatrix!" The queen ordered, "Go find the last jewel!” Beatrix turned around with a salute.

“Yes, your Majesty. By the way, how is the princess doing?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

“Garnet? We have drawn all the eidolons from her. She is no longer of any use to me.” The queen immediately claimed.

“What do you mean, your Majesty?” Beatrix asked with concern.

“Garnet has committed a crime. I shall have her executed for stealing the jewel.”

“What?” Beatrix asked, confused.

“Don't make me repeat myself! When we get back to Alexandria, I'll have Garnet beheaded! Now go! Find the last jewel,” the fat queen barked out.

“Your Majesty...” she replied, now unsure if her queen was in her right mind.

“She's going to kill Dagger!” Zidane proclaimed, alarmed and angry.

“We can't let that happen!” Pinkie said.

“Let's stop them-” Zidane said as he was about to leap at them. Pinkie grabbed him before he could make a move on the queen.

“Zidane, we'll lose if we fight her now. If they have her, fighting the queen won't fix that anyways.” She said, pointing out the big flaw in Zidane's intentions.

“So what, Pinkie, are you saying we should just stand here!?” Pinkie quickly shook her head as Zidane continued, “We need to get to Alexandria before the queen, it's the only way, we free her before the queen can execute her! But how?” He wondered.

“Why not use those urns the Black Mages used?" Pinkie asked, her spontaneously brilliant ideas being a boon to Zidane.

“Pinkie, you're a genius!”

“No I'm not, I'm a pony! Now let's go rescue a princess!” With that, they returned to Freya, and filled her in. To the mare's relief, she was indeed looking better.

“Well then,” Freya began, “if Pinkie's right, then we should move it. The queen will pay for what she's done, and Alexandria will need it's princess when Brahne pays that price!” With that affirmation, the three of them went to the teleportation urns, and Pinkie jumped in first.

“Yippeee~!” And she fell into a blue and red ball of magic and flew off to Alexandria. She had her friends to look after, and friends to save. If they had the princess in Alexandria as a prisoner, then Applejack is probably there too! She hoped as she was whisped away.

“Well, I guess here goes nothing, we're coming Dagger!” Zidane said as he followed suit, and Freya did as well. And the three of them flew off, with great speed, towards Alexandria.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Eidolons are summoned entities of terrifying power. The one that destroyed Cleyra was called Odin, who can destroy most anything in a single strike. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide, Party Bomb

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion, MP+10%

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl-16 HP 643/643 MP 12/82

AP 2/21

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals Non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to Silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to Darkness.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

Bye-Bye Cleyra:

So much Pinkie. So this Pinkie is going to be the Pinkie for the rest of the story, for the most part. I'd always taken Pinkie to be a normal mare beneath all the silly, just terribly insecure. And with her aggression of Pinkemena and her bubbling optimism and enthusiasm as the party pony, I feel this is where she would be with both of those blended together. Thoughts?

Once again, thanks for reading my crossover, hope you are enjoying it!:twilightsmile:
Another pic that's pretty close to what I have in mind considering her mane.

20. Extraction

"Right, let's get outa here," Applejack affirmed with Marcus as she watched the guards chase after Spike. The young dragon had stolen the keys from the guards, and gave it to the pair when the guards weren't watching. After which he lead them away in a hearty chase.

“I got something in mind for that,” Marcus said with a grin. “We'll swing this back to the landing, then we can open the gate.”

Applejack agreed with this plan, and the two began to swing the cage with their weight. Rocking back and forth, slowly but surely, they got the cage swinging. Unfortunately, it was taking a little too long for Applejack. As the caged reached the bottom of its swing, Applejack told Marcus to hold on as she applebucked the cage.

The impact sent the cage moving with great speed, immediately slamming into the pony as it swung with startling force right into the wall of the prison, violently lodging itself there. The frame was bent beyond use, the door hanging open from the destruction.

“Uh, sorry,” she said. She lay sprawled on top of Marcus, and got off him. They both got out of the ruined cage as the mare commented, “I guess we didn't need the key, now, to save the princess!” She said as she walked up to a decorative suit of armor and took the blade it had. Eyeing the blade, it didn't look like it could even cut butter, but she didn't have any better options.

“Good luck with that," Marcus replied, "you and Spike can manage, I got somewhere I need to be.” His words caught the mare off guard.

“What? Where!?” She angrily asked, annoyed that he was abandoning the princess.

“I gotta get this Supersoft to Blank,” he replied, surprising Applejack.

“Yer here to help Blank!?” She stated, her anger switching to unexpected happiness. “Fair enough. Best of luck to ya, and tell Blank sorry for me.” Marcus cave her a confused look, but nodded and offered his hand, and they shook, before parting to save their friends.

Leaving the prison, Applejack reached a flight of stairs, and upon reaching the top, wondered where she was, and how she was gonna find the princess. Where's Spike? I could use his help right now!

She was surprised when three red and blue orbs of magic landed right behind her, revealing Zidane, Freya, and Pinkie. What in tarnation?! The four of them stared at each other for a moment, completely caught off guard. Pinkie was the first to break the spell of surprise, by surprising Applejack with a tackling hug.

“Applejack!” She said sweetly, nuzzling her lovingly. “I'm so~ glad you're okay! Not that I was worried. I wasn't worried at all!” She assured with a smile, separating from her and looking composed as she did so, but gave Applejack a wink that only she could see. Applejack appraised the unexpected appearance of her friends, and gave them her honest impression of the situation.

“Oh boy!” Applejack stated with a grin, “Am I glad to see ya'll.” Things are really lookin' up now!

“You're not being a very convincing prisoner right now, you know,” Zidane said sarcastically as he crossed his arms.

“Here we were hoping to save you,” Freya said, “Guess we'll just have to settle for the princess,” she finished with a light smile.

“What are ya'll doin' here? What happened after Burmecia?” Applejack asked, and they filled her in. As they did Pinkie gave her back her armor and hat, and Zidane gave her a blade he had for her for this occasion.

"I'm sorry 'bout Cleyra, Freya. Wish I coulda helped." She said as she put her hat on, Freya gave her a small nod as Applejack then let out a long sigh. “Thanks Pinkie, that's so much better. Not havin' my hat makes me nervous.”

“Okay, that's enough of that!” Zidane said, breaking up the reunion with his urgent tone. “Dagger is in danger! The queen is going to execute her when she arrives, we need to find her, fast!”

“What! Execute her?” Applejack said in alarm, “Spike's in the castle somewhere,” she informed them, “if we find him, he can lead us to Garnet!” Then a thought came to mind. “Oh, Zidane, Marcus was just with me, he's headin' to the Evil Forest to cure Blank.”

“What?” He replied in surprise, “That's the best new's I've heard all day!” He smiled, then it turned into a frown as she shook his head. “Now, let's move!”

With that, they moved, wandering through the castle. They tackled soldiers blocking their way, but at the ponies insistence, they were not dealt fatal wounds. The soldiers worked in pairs, and constantly lost to the group of four, and Applejack couldn't help but find their bravery admirable. Fighting through the castle was making quite the ruckus, the commotion they were making eventually directed Spike to them.

“Whoa, you guys are here too?” He said, happy to see the other three, “Awesome!" He didn't seem to care for the how of it. "Now follow me, Dagger's past a hidden part of the castle in the queen's bedroom!” He informed the group as he led them there. Reaching the room, Spike immediately went over to a candelabra and pulled it, activating a lever that revealed a hidden door in the fireplace.

A hidden passage? What is this? The castle of the- Applejack shook her head, now wasn't the time for such silly thoughts.

“Good thing ya were with the princess,” she said to the dragon, “or we woulda never found that.” Her praise made the dragon radiate with happiness. They went down, deep into another underground hallowed chamber, Is this one of the grand towers? She wondered as they descended, following the dragon to the princess. Reaching the very bottom, they went through a double door. Inside the room, at the far end was Garnet laying on a magic crest on the floor. Zorn and Thorn were standing over her, and looked at the intruders with annoyance.

“What are you doing here!” Zorn asked as they approached the party.

“So meddlesome, you are! Mercy, no more!” Thorn declared as they attacked.

There have been many grueling fights Applejack has been through. When they attacked, she remembered the fight with the Black Waltz No.3, the fight with Gizamaluke, and the defeat at Beatrix's blade. What proceeded, was, by far, the easiest battle she ever partook in. They never got a single spell off, never tried attacking back. It was a one-sided beat-down. The jesters that created the Black Waltz's, and made Gizamaluke go mad, were weaker than a parasprite. They were quick to flee, what sense of dignity they had shattered.

“Damn you! We will get you for this!” Zorn promised.

“Matters not to us. Finished with Garnet, we are!” Thorn admitted.

“You are too late!” They declared in unison as they fled.

“Those pests are very well trained at fleeing,” Freya declared, glaring at them as they did so. Free of distractions, the party ran up to Garnet, seeing she was asleep on the circle.

“Dagger? Dagger!” Zidane said, trying to wake her, and having no success. “It's just like Pinkie was back at Burmecia!”

“What what about me?” Pinkie asked, confused.

“When we came too after Beatrix thromped us, we were unable to wake you,” Zidane explained.

“So then we just have to wait for Garnet to pop awake!” Pinkie declared.

“In that case, let's carry her outa here, the queen's still on her way, after all,” Applejack suggested. They followed through with that plan, Zidane picked Garnet up, while Spike gathered her possessions, that were stored nearby, and they moved. Going back the way they came, they intended to flee into the city. Reaching back to the queens chambers, they stopped at Zidane's request.

“I'd like to give Dagger a moment to rest,” he asked, carrying her up those stairs couldn't have been easy on the sleeping princess. No one refused, and Zidane placed her on the bed, Spike looked to her with worry.

“How long till she wakes up?” He asked.

“I'm not sure,” Zidane replied with a shake of his head, “If only I had gotten here sooner." He kneeled down next to Garnet, regret written on his face. "I'm sorry,” he finished, apologizing to her.

“Now look here Zidane,” Applejack began, “this wasn't yer fault. She ran off without countin' on us. Yer not to blame.”

“I'm the one that was suppose to protect her,” Spike admitted with regret, “it's my fault she's like this.”

“Hey now! It's not any of our faults!~” Pinkie declared, looking as though she was listening to someone who wasn't there. “You silly ponies. It was the queen and that white haired guy and the soldiers and Beatrix. Don't blame yourselves for what somepony else did!” Her outburst surprised Applejack.

That, wasn't a joke, or silly, or random. Oh, Pinkie... Applejack thought sadly, feeling regret over letting Pinkie come to Burmecia with her.

“Pinkie's right,” Freya said, making Pinkie's smile widen. “I wanted to blame myself for Burmecia, and Cleyra. But it wasn't my wickedness that brought destruction to my nation. I was late to it's aid, but gave everything I could to protect it, the enemy was just stronger. The princess is like this because the Queen and Kuja did this.” She finished with a hard frown.

“Your right, both of you,” Zidane admitted after thinking on their words, “but it doesn't make me feel any better.” He stated as he looked at Garnet with concern.

“There they are!” Zorn and Thorn said in unison, surprising everyone. “There is no escape!” Beatrix was at their side, looking at them with surprised respect.

“I have to hand it to you all,” Beatrix said to her enemies, “You've got to be the most persistent thorn in my side I've ever had to pull out.” Beatrix was smiling, a genuine smile, free of malice.

Is she complimentin' us?

"Looks like I'll be putting you down, again."

“Where do you get off!” Zidane shouted, “Being so high and mighty when all you and your queen are doing is cause mass murder!”

“Beatrix," Applejack chimed in, “yer doing what ya do because the queen told ya, did the queen tell ya to kill the princess, too?” she asked, demanding to know.

“Does the general of Alexandria also intend to kill its heir!” Freya asked, their demands putting Beatrix on the spot.

“As the general of Alexandria, what is your sworn duty!?” Zidane asked, “Isn't it to protect Dagger- Princess Garnet?” He said, indicating Garnet. Beatrix saw the princess asleep on the bed, and genuine concern lightened her features.

“So, it was true,” she said, looking as though a great weight was taken from her, “The queen really did mean to kill her.” She added with sad disappointment.

“Yer servin' a villain that wants to do away with her own daughter! Don't ya think there's somethin' wrong with that?” Applejack asked, and Beatrix nodded.

“There is something wrong with that. All this time, I've been mistaken. The queen, why?” She asked in confusion. She looked to Freya with a regretful expression. “And now I've done what can never be lived down." She looked up, hoping her words could be heard by the dead, "Citizens of Burmecia, please forgive me.”

“It's too late to seek forgiveness!” Freya angrily declared, it was her right to, no one stopped her as she approached Beatrix. “Many of my people are dead, thanks to you and your queen!” Freya looked like she was about to attack Beatrix, but she didn't draw her spear. “Still, you can save the princess.”

“Freya...” Zidane and Pinkie said sadly in unison, Pinkie gave her a light nuzzle, which Freya reciprocated with a small smile as she continued.

“You can let us go,” she continued, “send away the queen's hounds! As long as the queen rules, her daughter isn't safe in Alexandria. You are strong, we know that better than anyone, so lend the princess your strength! Help your princess!” Beatrix considered her words briefly, then nodded.

“I don't know if I can, but I will try.” She said as she overlooked Garnet. She then bent down and tried to dispel the sleep the princess was lost in.

“Won't she wake up on her own like I did?” Pinkie asked in confusion.

“No,” Beatrix replied, “I've seen Kuja's magic before, what he used on you was weak compared to this, she is set to never wake, but I may be able to remove it.” And to affirm that, she gathered the healing arts she possessed as a knight of the royal family, and attempted to dissuade the spell over Garnet.

“Irrevocable is the spell he cast!” Thorn declared, as Beatrix's first attempt failed.

“It is useless,” Zorn added as she tried a second time, failing a second time. She gathered her magic, and tried again, her brow sweating from the effort, and this time, she succeeded, to the jesters complete shock. As the magic began to dissipate, Garnet stirred. She sat up, grabbing her head as she took in her surroundings.

“Princess, are you alright?” Beatrix asked of her, kneeling before her.

“I'm a little dizzy, what happened?” The princess asked.

“Dagger!” Zidane exclaimed, happy she was awake.

“Alright! She's awake again!” Spike cheered with excitement.

“You're all here,” Garnet observed, slightly confused.

“What is all this ruckus!?” The voice of Brahne asked as she entered her bedroom, currently occupied with all sorts of characters. Zorn and Thorn were quick on the uptake.

“The Princess has awakened, your Majesty!” Zorn said

“Kidnapping the princess, they are, your Majesty!” Thorn added. Brahne took it all in as she stared at the intruders.

“Have you extracted all the eidolons from her?” She asked.

“We have, your Majesty,” they replied in unison.

“Then what are you waiting for? Take Garnet and throw her in the prison!” She coldly ordered.

“Yes, your Majesty!” They replied

“I won't allow that!” Beatrix said, blocking Zorn and Thorn. The queen turn around, bemused by her general's actions.

“Oh? Are you defying me as well?” Brahne asked.

“Your Majesty, it is my duty to protect the princess. I beg you, reconsider. Please do not harm the princess anymore.” Beatrix then quickly turned to the others, “All of you, leave here at once!"

“I'm staying!” Freya said as she joined her former enemies side. “Everyone, go. Now!”

“You two are joining forces?” The queen asked, “How amusing,” she turned to the jesters, “Get rid of them,” and as the queen started to leave, Garnet got her attention.

“Mother!” She cried out in desperation, hoping something of the woman who use to care for her remained. The queen hesitated a moment, briefly looking over her shoulder, then continued leaving, saying nothing else. The two jesters moved to block them from following the queen, and they summoned two Bandersnatches to their side.

“Freya! Please be careful!” Pinkie asked of her.

“Don't you worry. Let's meet again in Lindblum!” Freya declared.

Zidane moved to the candelabra and opened the secret door, urging the rest of his friends to flee. Applejack stared as the two knights began to fight the large dogs. They were staying behind to let the others flee. Blank being petrified in the forest flashed in her mind. She was torn between staying with them, or following the others. Her conversation with Twilight not that long ago directed her decision. Pinkie and Spike don't know, we need to stick together!

“Beatrix!” Applejack shouted, getting the knights attention, “Ya regret Burmecia? Make sure she returns to Lindblum, and apologize to all the refugees!” Beatrix nodded, Freya gave Applejack an easy smile as another pair of large dogs joined the fray. With the promise reassuring her, Applejack followed after Zidane, Spike and Garnet at her side. I helped Freya and Blank, and Garnet. Now I need to help Pinkie and Spike. We're all in this together, I will not be the pony that splits us apart, not this time!

“Freya,” Pinkie said, giving her a hard look, but honest smile. “You have a date to keep, so don't let my efforts go to waste, he's gotta be alive, 'kay~?” Making eye contact with the dragon knight was all Pinkie needed from Freya, and she chased after the others. The five of them descended into the castle, back down towards where they had found Garnet.

“Isn't this a dead end?” Applejack asked with worry.

“The passage to Treno is down here,” Spike informed them, Garnet agreeing with him, “though the gates may still be up. I'll see if there's anything I can do to lower them!” They moved with great haste, the entire castle buzzing with activity as they avoided a group of Black Mages. Reaching the bottom, they found that the gates to Gargan Roo were open. Everyone stopped when they noticed Garnet hesitate.

“Is it alright,” she asked of them, “leaving them like this? Letting them fight to protect me?”

“No offense princess,” Applejack said, masking her annoyance, “but it's not just you they're protectin'.”

“They're making sure we get away.” Zidane explained, “We stop now and get caught, and it'll be for naught. Beatrix and Freya want this country to be better, for their own reasons. You can make it better, but only if you're alive. Come, let's move forward.”

“They'll be fine princess,” Pinkie said, “Beatrix is super strong, and Freya is really fast, they'll be just fine. Have faith in them!” Garnet nodded at her companions words. And she moved forward. As they all passed the first gate, the second gate rose up suddenly.

“What the heck!” Zidane proclaimed.

“We need to move before-!” Garnet began as the gate behind them rose up, trapping them.

“They fell for it again!” Zorn declared with a grin. He and Thorn were standing over the trap, just like the last time.

“Really stupid, they are!” Thorn added.

“You bastards!” Zidane shouted.

“Bastards, we may be, but clever are we.” Thorn said with a smile, laughing in time with Zorn.

What, they think this rusty gate is gonna stop me? Applejack thought as she appraised the gate.

“Stand back everypony!” Applejack said as she applebucked the gate, sending a number of the rusty bars flying, making a sizable hole in it. “Now let's move!”

“Cheating, that is!” Thorn cried

“They're getting away!” Zorn stated as the group moved deeper into the old traveling system of Gargan Roo.

“Well, this place sure is spooky!” Pinkie claimed.

“So, this is Gargan Roo?" Zidane observed, "I've heard of it, first time seeing it.” He then noticed Dagger lost in thought, worry on her face. “You okay?” After a couple moments of silence he shook his head, “Forget I asked, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind.”

“Gee, ya think?” Applejack commented sarcastically.

“Here comes the gargant!” Spike said as the large insect came around, with the trolley in tow.

“That thing is huge!” Zidane said in surprise.

“It's bigger than an apple tree!” Applejack said, wide eyed.

“It's~ ginormous~!” Pinkie added.

“It's alright I guess,” Spike finished, unimpressed.

“Let's get going, we haven't the time to waste,” Zidane declared. Garnet was still lost in thought, “Dagger!” he shouted, prompting her to turn around.

“I, I don't know what to do anymore,” She admitted weakly.

“Oh come on!” Zidane exclaimed, “Why do you think the others stayed behind!? They didn't just stay to let us escape, they also stayed because they have to fight! Sometimes, you can't think everything out. You just have to listen to your heart.”

His words hit Applejack, she's been doing a little too much thinking as of late. Just listen to yer heart huh? I suppose I should have been doin' that from the get-go. Still, I'm here now, I ain't turnin' back! His words also reached the princess, and after considering them, she nodded and got in the carriage with the rest of them. Shortly after she got on, the gargant started moving through the cave.

“So this leads where again?” Applejack asked.

“To Treno, it's a city near the South Gate,” Garnet answered. With that said they sat in silence for a little bit. Applejack took this moment to inform the others about her conversation with Twilight.

“So we have to look for the way home. Well, at least Ponyville is alright.” Spike commented, the news making him smile.

“Nuh uh~! They need me back to liven up the place!” Pinkie proclaimed.

“Kinda wonder why Sunset Shimmer came back, not that I'm complaining!” Spike added. As they conversed, the gargant started to pick up speed. Before long it was going fast enough to make the others worry.

“Why's it goin' so fast?” Applejack asked.

“Uh, that's probably why!” Spike declared in surprise as he pointed out behind the gargant. A large snake creature was a little ways behind them, its colors allowed it to blend with the darkness, making it easy to miss, and it was chasing them.

“We're going too fast!” Garnet claimed, and suddenly the carriage swung violently as the tunnel turned. They zipped past a stopping station, too quickly to get off. “We just missed Treno!”

“Where does this end!?” Applejack asked, the cave started to turn more and more violently as they moved, rocking the carriage back and forth. “Hold on tight everypony!”

They made a sudden left turn, Pinkie and Zidane were almost knocked off, Pinkie grabbed Zidane, and Applejack tied Pinkie to the carriage with her rope. No one was able to save Spike, as he plummeted off with a cry. He teleported back into the carriage, but the momentum of falling made him crash into it, knocking his head hard as he slipped away, disappearing into the darkness behind them. The monster chasing the gargant paid the dragon no mind.

“Spike!!” The entire carriage shouted in unison. But he was gone, and with the speed they were going, jumping off to save him would inflict great harm.

“Stop! Ya darn bug!” Applejack ordered, but it didn't listen. “I said stop-” she moved to buck it, but a sudden lurch of the carriage knocked her off her hooves.

“There's light up ahead!” Pinkie informed them as the gargant raced forward. It quickly climbed up to the light, crashing the carriage against the rocks and sending everyone flying. The last thing Applejack saw as she hit the ground was the sky colored red from the sunset.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Zorn and Thorn actually have strong magic, but they need to cast it together to make it work, and being attacked repeatedly makes that very hard for them to pull off.'

'The double gate's that trapped the princess and the others were a defense made long ago to hamper intruders trying to get into the castle.'

'I went after Spike shortly after he fell, I could fly so I wasn't at risk of getting hurt going after him. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Mythril Sword: Armor Break

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

Iron Scabbard: Bird Killer(mastered)

Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Basic Barding: Hog Tie(mastered)

Leather Saddlebag: Hog Tie(mastered), Antibody(mastered)

Elem-Def: Earth damage reduced by 50%

Lvl-16 HP 34/820 MP 30/54

AP 9/26

*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Author's Note

Next chapter is about eidolons, so guess who's narrating next chapter!
This chapter brought to you by the "" key.
Also, I don't know about the rest of you, but the idea of Marcus reaching the evil forest, curing Blank, and running back in the same amount of time it took for Zidane to walk down those stairs, run back up, then run back down to be ridiculous. There will be an ATE early next chapter addressing Blank and Marcus.

Eiko being an alicorn is so meta!
Also, thanks again for reading, and also, that pic is awesome!

21. Queen of the Abyss

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Brahne's Greed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your Majesty!” Zorn declared with urgency.

The jesters moved to address the queen, but they were stopped by the guards. Being informed that she will not see them, any business they have will be given to the guard. The jesters shared a worried look, then told the guard that the queen's guests have arrived. The guard informed the queen, then returned to the jesters.

“Let the guests through,” the guard ordered. “You two are dismissed.”

“What does that mean?” Zorn asked, not familiar with the term.

“Queen Brahne is quite upset with you two for letting the princess escape with the pendant. You should go, now.” The jesters shared the worried look again.

“Whatever to do are we!?” Thorn asked.

“We cannot live without the queens backing!” Zorn admitted “We must first tell the guests to come in!” And they quickly moved to do so. Brahne sat in silence for a couple minutes, overlooking the city.

“What a view” A female voice carried energetically. A short woman with dark skin and a large axe walked up to the queen, brushing off the guard that got in her way. By her side was a tall man with light blue skin with a large red afro flowing back. They both approached the queen, and the woman addressed her.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” she said sarcastically, “your Majesty. I hear things aren't going to well.”

“Have you no manners?” Brahne asked bitterly, “This is what I get for hiring lowlifes.”

“I'm sure you didn't hire us for our manners, your Majesty.” Making the queen harrumph. Dismissing the guards, she informed the mercenaries of their task.

“You have two objectives. The first is to retrieve the pendant, a national treasure, from Princess Garnet. The other is to assassinate the orange pony traveling with them.”

“Who is that?” The red headed warrior asked.

“A spy from another country, Applejack." Brahne replied with a frown, "Who knows what secrets my general fed her before she escaped.” The axe wielder appraised the queen.

“I don't know what happened between you and the princess, but what should I do if I meet with resistance?” Brahne looked at her like that wasn't her problem.

“Just get the pendant back from that wretched girl!” She declared

“Wonderful. My axe is pleased to hear that. It won't take long.” The female warrior declared, prompting the other warrior to eye her with disgust. “Good day, your Majesty,” She said as she left. The red warrior moved to follow, but paused.

“Is it true that a boy with a tail is traveling with the princess?” He asked.

“Yes, that accursed monkey! I shall give you an extra reward if you take care of him,” Brahne added.

“I was right, I'll take care of your request after I finish him,” he said as he left. Brahne sat alone for a minute, considering what was needed to be done. A guard came up to her in a rush, divvying out a report.

“Your Majesty! The Alexandrian fleet has returned to home waters! Please prepare to depart on the Red Rose.”

“Ah, finally! We leave immediately!” She declared as she let out a sickening laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mother, why? Dagger thought as she stirred awake. Queen Brahne had once been a kind and loving mother, but now...

Dagger found herself to be the only one awake, a glow on the horizon hinted at either sunset or sunrise. Looking to her friends, she saw that the others were sprawled out around her, injured. Mois was nowhere to be seen, and looking back, she saw that the carriage was crushed beneath a pile of rubble that she assumed was once the caves exit. Getting up, she aided the others with her magic, and awakened them.

“Ugh, we made it?” Zidane asked, surprised they were relatively fine. “Where are we?” Looking around, taking in that they were at the bottom of a small canyon, and spotting a large root, he climbed the root up the side of the cliff wall, and upon reaching the top, got his bearings. “I can see Lindblum!” He declared in surprise, “It's still a ways away, but now we don't have to worry about crossing the border this time!” He climbed back down to the others, then remembered something.

“Spike!” His alarm reminded the others as well.

“He must still be in the cave! We gotta go help him!” Applejack declared.

“Not to be a party pooper, but I don't think we can,” Pinkie replied sadly, pointing to the cave-in.

“Like that's gonna stop us!” Applejack said as she moved to applebuck the rubble.

“AJ, Wait!” Zidane said quickly, making her hesitate. She followed his gaze and saw the rocks overhanging the cave. “That looks like it'll come down on you if you try,” he said, looking apologetic.

“Spike's a toughy, he'll be in that Treno place before we know it~,” Pinkie said, trying to cheer up the others.

“You're right,” Dagger claimed, “Treno is where he'd end up. We should go after him!”

“From where we are right now,” Zidane said, motioning to their surroundings, “we'd be better off heading to Lindblum and getting an airship to Treno. And while there you can talk to Cid,” he offered. Dagger nodded and looked towards where Zidane had indicated Lindblum was.

First Freya and Beatrix, now Spike. What happened to Marcus? She wondered as she worried over those left behind. As they prepared to leave, an apparition taking the shape of humbly dressed elderly man with a powerful looking staff appeared in the air near the party. They were naturally taken by surprise. Zidane and Applejack got in front of Dagger as they asked if the old man was friend or foe.

“Whether I'm friend or foe is up to you.” He said, “My name is Ramuh.”

That name, it's familiar. Dagger thought as she slipped past Zidane and Applejack, addressing Ramuh.

“I've heard your name somewhere.” Dagger admitted, “Oh! It was in a book about summoning magic. Are you actually Ramuh, the Thunder Spirit?” She asked curiously, and he nodded in kind. She had always felt the power to call upon summon spirits, eidolons, for as long as she could remember, but she was always afraid of that power. Her curiosity led her to reading on it, this was the first time she's ever conversed with one.

“Wait, a spirit? Are you somethin' similar to Discord?” Applejack asked, and Dagger noticed Pinkie make an odd look upon hearing the question. Ramuh quickly looked to Pinkie before nodding. “Well fancy that.” Applejack finished. Ramuh then turned back to the princess.

“Did you know that your summoning magic destroyed Clerya?” Ramuh asked Dagger, and she shook her head in surprise.

That happened!? How!?

“An eidolon follows its summoner's orders.” Ramuh explained, “And it responded to the orders of a woman filled with greed this time.”

No, Mother! She fell to her knees, almost unwilling to accept it. “I can't believe it. I was confined while Cleyra was destroyed.”

“It wasn't your fault,” Zidane assured her, looking upset that she was upset.

“Like I said, it was that big meany queeny,” Pinkie added with a frown.

“They knew,” Zidane explained, “that's why Freya and Beatrix stayed behind.”

“True,” Ramuh said, “you were not the one who caused the destruction. But I must ask you, what will you do now?”

Dagger thought on that. She's been relying on others over the last week, ever since leaving Alexandra five days ago, she hadn't accomplished anything for herself. When she sought out her mother with Spike, she ended up being captured, and now so many had fallen behind to free her. I'm too weak. I need to be stronger.

“If I were more powerful, if I could use summon magic.” She said to no one in particular as she turned to the spirit, “I beg of you, please help me!”

“And cause more destruction?” He asked skeptically, and she shook her head.

“No. I was afraid of my summon magic, but not anymore! I won't use this power in the same manner as my mother!” If I want to be stronger, I need to cast away my fear. The old mans form shifted to that of something more befitting a spirit of thunder. His humble look exchanged for a robe of power, his hair getting longer and flowing with electricity.

“Many years have passed since I last served. I must test to see whether you are truly fit to be my master.” He turned to indicate the direction they intended to travel, “Hidden in this canyon are five manifestations of myself. Each will carry a piece of the 'Hero's Story.' Collect all the pieces and tell me the story. If I find your telling of it satisfying, I shall become your eidolon.” Garnet looked to the others,

This will take up time.

“I'm sorry, I know we must hurry-” She started, but was interrupted by them.

“It's okay,” Zidane assured, “we can see you want, and likely need this. If your mother is using eidolons to get what she wants, we'll need that same power to counter her."

“Yea! We~ will~ help!” Pinkie declared, and Applejack nodded with her. Dagger looked at the others, and finally understood something. They weren't helping her because she was the princess of Alexandria, they were helping her because they were friends.

“Thank you, everyone.” She said with a smile. For Alexandria, and my friends, I will become stronger! Ramuh disappeared, and they set out into the canyon to find the pieces of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: On an Adventure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike moved to the entrance of the cave as the large snake dissipated into mist. It was the third one that attacked him, and was likely going to be the last. He found that using Thundara about three times was enough to take them down, and he had plenty of potions to handle their damage, although the magic the snakes used had been particularly annoying, especially that shrinking spell. Thankfully, it's effects were only temporary.

When he fell from the carriage, he had fallen into some underwater stream, and got lost in shot order. He probably wouldn't have found his way out if Mois hadn't followed after him. Leaving the cave behind him, he saw that they were below the mist, and couldn't make out where they were from here.

“So where's my friends from here?” Spike asked his moogle friend. She did a short dance and the pon pon on her head glowed red before she indicated a direction.

“I think that way leads close to Lindblum.” She stated, which caught Spike off guard.

“Wait, if they're close to Lindblum, does that mean we are too?” Spike considered that for a moment, then what Applejack said to him back in Lindblum came to mind. She still considered him a baby dragon. Spike suddenly felt a strong urge to prove her wrong as his brow furrowed. The princess will be safe with the others, I think its about time I showed them I'm not a baby anymore. He asked Mois which direction Choco was. When she indicated where, he wrote a short letter.

'I'm off to find treasure. I'll find you when I've found something to prove I'm not some baby dragon anymore. I'm the Master Hunter, and I intend to prove it.

-Spike'

He handed her the letter, and asked her to deliver it, and when she could, return to him. She saluted her hero and departed to follow through. Spike counted on his friends, he knew they would be fine without him for a little bit of time, but he wanted them to know that he would be fine on his own as well. Looking into the mist, he intended to do just that.

Spike started climbing down the mountain. He knew the monsters of the mist in this region, he was somewhere close to the Chocobo forest. The monsters in the mist around Lindblum were beneath him, so he ventured off to an adventure staring him, with Choco at his side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having spent half an hour looking through the canyon, they had found four fragments of the story, although two of the fragments sounded similar, the difference being the meaning of the ending.

The monsters were the normal affair, relatively easy to take down with the four of them. Large scorpions had a tendency to poison them, but they had plenty of antidote, and Dagger's magic to handle it. There were also Zaghnol's, which answered where Lindblum had captured one for the Festival. And there were bats, which Applejack had been extra violent in handling, to Pinkie's amusement.

Going through the canyon, Zidane and Applejack were caught off guard when they ran into a familiar moogle. Monty, the moogle they met in the Evil Forest, was residing in a tree with several holes in it. When he noticed the party, he greeted them warmly.

“Did the letter get sent?” Applejack asked, curious. She had already filled in Twilight, so she wasn't too concerned about the letter reaching Celestia.

“Terribly sorry, it hasn't been sent yet. Mognet, our mailing HQ, has been weird of late. I did talk to Artemicion, and he assured that when it was up and running again, he would take care of it.”

“Ah shucks, don't fret too much over it, we managed to send word home,” Applejack said with a smile. Bidding him a farewell, they continued on to the last piece of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Rats in the Underground
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcus was looking at the hole made in the gate.

“Yep, pretty sure this was Applejack's doing, she packs a mean kick,” he admitted, the kick to the cage still fresh in his mind.

“So, they got away just fine without us,” Blank said, masking his relief.

“Oh, that reminds me, she wanted to tell you 'Sorry' or something like that.”

“For what?” Blank asked, confused, and Marcus shrugged. Moving through the Alexandria underground, they prepared to leave, but something caught Blank's attention.

“Hey, Marcus, someones over here, and they look to be in pretty bad shape.” He said as he walked over to an unconscious burmecian in red armor, a spear laying on the ground next to her.

“Well, let's patch her up then!” Marcus declared, and they worked to do just that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Looks like you found all the parts,” Ramuh pointed out. “Although the story is only made of four parts. One of them doesn't belong, now, young lady, tell me the story.” He said, and the others looked to Dagger, she nodded and recounted the tale of a hero.

“Once upon a time,” she began, “thirty three small countries fought together against an empire. One day, a rebel troop visited a man named Joseph, who lived with his daughter, Nelly. Owing the troop, he was quick to accept their plea for help. They headed to a cavern in the snow field. With Joseph's help, the troop defeated the guardian of the Goddess Bell they needed, to enter the empire's castle. On their way home, they fell into a trap set by a traitor. Joseph gave his life to save his comrades. The troop left for the empire without telling Josephs daughter about the tragedy.” She recounted, then paused. There were two parts left, both were a different outlook of the ending.

One ending places Joseph as a hero, the other places his troop as nothing more than human for not telling his daughter of his fate. Does Ramuh want to hear about heroes, or humanity? She considered it hard, getting looks from her friends, Oh, I don't know. I guess I'll simply choose the one I prefer. She looked to Ramuh, a fire in her eyes.

“Although Joseph's death was not reported to his daughter, the manner of his death speaks for itself. This is the story of a true hero.”

“Hmm,” Ramuh considered, “let me ask you one thing. How come you chose the hero's ending?” She thought for a moment before replying.

“People follow a person who keeps on track.” She admitted, “That's why I think a hero, who acts in a straightforward manner is remembered for generations.” Ramuh stared at her, not completely convinced by her reply.

“I want to know what you think, in your own words.”

“Me?" She considered it for a moment, "I am away from my country, but I haven't forgotten about my people. I suppose I chose hero because I want to be that for Alexandria, a queen remembered for generations for what she did for her country.” She admitted, surprising herself with her own words. Ramuh considered her for several moments, making Dagger nervous.

“Your soul is very tense right now. Maybe you'll relax once I become your eidolon.” He said with an old smile. Dagger took up a smile of her own at his decision.

“Thank you!”

“There are many paths.” He said, “Remember that you alone choose the path on which you walk.” As he finished, his apparition disappeared, and in it's place hovered a green gemstone, that Dagger was drawn to, and picked it up.

Maybe now I can save my kingdom, with this power.

“Bound within precocious stones lies the power of the eidolons, seek out the others if you seek to use their power.” Ramuh's voice explained to her, and the others. Dagger nodded as she turned towards her friends.

“Let's go," she said, "we need to reach Lindblum, there's people to talk to, and friends to reunite with!” She proclaimed to her companions. She was then drawn by a look on Zidane's face. Their eyes met, and he let out a sigh.

“Hey, old man! You gone already?” Zidane asked the air.

“Somethin' wrong?” Applejack asked, Dagger walked up to him with curiosity.

“I just wanted to know why he made us play such a silly game. Heroic? Human? Those are just things people say after the fact. Why try to give meaning to the main character of the story by choosing the outlook?” Zidane explained.

“Hero or human?” Applejack stated, “Yer right Zidane, I don't think any of that mattered. Just imagine being Nelly in that story.” She said as she looked to the early dawn, a little forlorn. “She'd want to know what became of her father,” her voice was laced with sadness. Zidane looked at Applejack with surprise, he hadn't expected something like that from her. Dagger was also a little worried, Applejack looked sadder then seemed appropriate for the situation.

“I betcha he would have said yes to either answer!” Pinkie proclaimed, grappling her friend in a hug, defusing the air around the orange mare. Applejack nodded, giving her a smile as Ramuh's apparition appeared before them again, looking impressed.

“You're exactly right. It's not what the people say afterward. What's important is being true to oneself. Young lady, when you wished to learn how to use summon magic, your power returned to you,” he explained as he turned Dagger.

“Summoning magic can be used for good, or evil. You want to protect your people, I believe you will use my power for good. That's why I accepted you. I'll look over you, and see where your path takes you,” he then turned to the others, “And I hope you look after her as well.”

"Ya betcha!"

"No worries!"

"Never a doubt~!"

With that, Ramuh dissipated, and the four of them shared a silly grin. The group of friends moved forward, reaching the edge of the canyon, revealing the plains outside of Lindblum, the city far in the distance. As they stopped to take in the vista, Dagger broke the silence.

“I want to use my summoning magic to protect everyone. My people, my friends, Lindblum, Burmecia, everyone.”

“I know you can do it!" Zidane said with honest enthusiasm, getting a grin from Dagger in turn.

“I've seen that ship before!” Pinkie shouted out, glaring at the sky, changing the mood instantly. Everyone's eyes were drawn to where she indicated. In the sky, heading towards Lindblum, was the airship they saw at Cleyra.

“That's the Red Rose!” Zidane declared, and they all shared a look of terror.

“No! Not Lindblum!” Dagger shouted as she ran towards the city.

“Pinkie! Get Zidane!” Applejack ordered as she ran to Dagger's side. “Hop on princess, we'll move like the wind!” She got on Applejack and grabbed around her neck to hold on, Zidane did the same with Pinkie, and they bolted through the plain to the city, as fast as they could.

They saw lights flashing inside the city, explosions were going off as the city was bombarded from the sea. They could make out a large number of red and blue orbs entering the city, bypassing its defenses.

“They're sending Black Mages directly in with the urns!” Zidane declared.

“Ohhh, that nasty woman! She'll probably going to use a summon too,” Pinkie finished sadly.

“No! We're not gonna get there in time to help!” Applejack said, looking on in worry, before glaring at the Red Rose. “That villain! We need to find a way to get to her!”

Dagger looked on in frustration. She now had an eidolon to call upon, but she didn't have it in her to destroy her mother's ship. The Alexandrian naval fleet was bombarding the city from the sea, but as they were up high on a plateau, she couldn't see the fleet. Why! Now that I have this power, why can't I use it to save Lindblum!? She looked to the skies, wondering why they seemed so empty.

“Where's Lindblum's fleet!?” Dagger asked in a panic.

“They must still be assisting Burmecia!” Zidane said as the sky suddenly took on a red hue, making the party stop in awe.

A monster almost as big as the city, with a terribly large mouth, was summoned before Lindblum. It started to suck in everything near it, drawing large chuncks of the city into its maw. Buildings, people, everything winthin the maws reach was drawn up into it. The noise it generated made them quiver, it was unworldly and terrifying. Dagger looked away, trying not to picture all the people being pulled into the maw of that summon. A entire third of the city was swallowed up by the time the magic tied to dissipated, making the summon vanish without a trace. In the span of several seconds, a third of Lindblum was utterly annihilated.

They were too appalled to move, too shocked by the destruction for words. The battle was over before they could even finish their trek across the plains. Continuing on, and reaching the city, they found ruin none too different from Burmecia. Applejack had turned her despair into fury, as did Zidane. Dagger was quiet as they reached the city, still not believing that her mother had laid waste to it. Pinkie looked sad, but her mane hadn't changed. There was a fire burning beneath those sad eyes.

“Let's do what we can,” Zidane began, “and be careful, there may still be Black Mages and soldiers within,” he finished as they walked into the broken front gate of the ruined city.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'The place Ramuh was giving Dagger her little test is called Pinnacle Rocks.'

'Spike was hit by a status known as Mini, it shrinks you down and makes your physical attacks weaker, while taking more harm from physical attacks. Mini can be countered with another application of it's affects, as the second affect negates the first. Spike's magic was unaffected by being shrunk, and his teleporting made it terribly difficult for the snakes to harm him.'

'The summon that destroyed Lindblum is known as Atomos, a spirit of gravity the pulls on those caught in its field of affect. Kupo.'

~~~~~~

Dagger

~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Equipped*

Stardust Rod: Ability Up, Reflect, Float

Elem-Def: Shadow damage reduced by 50%.

Magus Hat: ~~Slow~~

Raises Ice Elem-Atk.

Mythril Armlet: ~~Bug Killer~~

Bronze Vest: Jelly

*Peridot: Ramuh, ~~Thundara~~, ~~Brotherly Shield~~

Lvl Up! Lvl-12 HP 414/414 MP 54/76

AP 4/19

*Chemist (4) - Double the potency of medicinal items.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Abilities:

White Magic:

Cure 6 MP - Restores HP of single/multiple targets.

Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO.

Scan 4 MP - Scan enemy to determine HP, MP, and weaknesses.

Panacea 4 MP - Removes Venom and Poison.

Shell 6 MP - Reduces damage from magic attacks.

Protect 6 MP - Reduces damage from physical attacks.

Silence 8 MP - Causes Silence, which disables magic in single/multiple targets.

Reflect 6 MP - Reflect magic attacks back onto caster.

Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air.

Summon:

Ramuh 22 MP - Causes Thunder damage to all enemies.

Author's Note

I've started working on what's going on in Equestria during this story, you can find it here.
So now that this chapters up, Ill work on 3 and 4 of Equestria, then 22 of this one.
Oh, hey Amarant, and Lani, fancy seeing you here.

Oh, Hey Ramuh, fancy seeing you here.

Oh, hey Red Rose, fancy-:trollestia:

Another thank's to my readers, for being awesome!

22. Lindblum

There were indeed, soldiers and Black Mages within. Though all the mages within were merely lifeless bodies. The Alexandrian soldiers were keeping watch, the city was taken, and occupied. Pinkie saw the looks on their faces, and it made her mad. The soldiers were smiling.

They took part in a whole-sale slaughter, and they were smiling. I don't like that smile, not one bit! She eyed every soldier they passed. No, not all of them. She noticed as they moved through the city, uninhibited, that only a number of the Alexandrian soldiers were smiling. Most looked dower, or outright terrified of what had been wrought of Lindblum. I guess the meany queeny didn't tell her soldiers to keep an eye out for us. Indeed, the soldiers never approached them, and they didn't recognized the princess, who had put her hood on to conceal her features.

Her anger didn't help much to stay her tears. Unlike Burmecia and Cleyra, she had partied here. She saw the alleys she had once decorated, filled with bodies and rubble. The homes of people she made smile, broken and burning. She walked past survivors, remembering their names almost as easily as those in Ponyville. And she walked past corpses of those she had once made happy, but now never again.

“Jeeze, no need to be so down Pinkie,” Discord started with a sigh, “Maybe you should be focusing more on the living instead. Otherwise, the party pony will just be the crying pony.” He pointed out, he didn't make her see anything out of the ordinary, only offering her his words. And she accepted his words, and started focusing on the survivors instead, closing the bodies out of her mind.

Many of the survivors recognized her, she had been the pony that livened up the Festival of the Hunt, after all. But there were no welcomes, no hearty greetings, only the quiet recognition of a nod as they all worked to find the pieces that remained of their shattered lives.

“This is just terrible,” Dagger admitted as she looked around. Gee, you think! Pinkie almost said out loud, but only a weak nod admitted that she had heard the princess.

“Just terrible?” Applejack asked in anger, “This is plain wrong, it's evil! Why would anyone wanna do this!?” she snapped, making Dagger flinch away. Seeing her flinch back, they both apologized and looked down. Just like the people of Lindblum, the ponies were not in the talking mood. Even Zidane had nothing to say, and he always had something reassuring to add.

“Tell you what,” Discord said, clearly not enjoying the atmosphere, “when you're ready to be a party pony again, just let me know, 'kay?” And with that, he winked away, but Pinkie knew he was still in her head.

Okey dokey lokey, sorry.

Wandering through the business district, they were coming close to where Spike, Freya, and Applejack had slain the Zaghnol. A familiar face caught Pinkie's attention. Artania was talking to several people around the small fountain near the smithery. The rest of the party noticed as well and quickened their pace.

“And I want you to allocate the soldiers to reconstruction.” He ordered, “Getting the citizens lives back on track is our top priority,” and the officer he talked to nodded and moved to carry out his order.

“Uncle Artania!” Dagger shouted in relief as they closed on him, prompting surprised from the minister. He quickly looked around, and not seeing any Alexandrian soldiers in the vicinity, responded to the party.

“All of you!? You're alright! It's so good to see your faces at a time like this.” He admitted with relief.

“Where is uncle Cid?” Dagger asked with worry, “Is he safe?”

“Yes, Princess, the castle was spared from most of the destruction, we've turned its lower levels into a shelter for the people while we work to rebuild.” He then frowned as he looked around at the ruins. “Lindblum is now under 'Alexandrian rule', but the regent is safe.”

“Thank goodness,” she let out, relief mirrored in her friends.

“It's good that he's okay, a man like him's a boon to Lindblum.” Applejack stated, looking a little happy. Pinkie's mood was lightened by seeing the minister, and hearing that Cid was well made her smile, but the smell in the air kept her smile small and modest.

“I shall take you to see him immediately.” Artania said, and they followed him to the castle. Walking past the lower floors, they saw refugees from the city grouped up inside, being handed out food, while the injured were being taken care of. Seeing the refugees reminded Pinkie of something important.

“Artania, the refugees from Burmecia, were they here when it happened?” She asked, hoping that wasn't the case, but still wanted to know if they had made it to Lindblum's lands safely.

“The Burmecian refugees have taken up residence at Gizamaluke's grotto until we all think it safe for them to return to Burmecia.” Artania explained, “Most of our fleet was supporting them when Brahne attacked Lindblum. We cleared out a region above the grotto for them so settle on, where some dangerous monsters had settled. They're safe now, and recovering,” he reassured as they climbed the castle.

Working through the castle, they were led to a balcony overlooking the ruined city, the large oglop that was Cid sat in a small, oglop sized chair, which almost made Pinkie snicker at, almost. Turning to the party, he was just as surprised as Artania had been to see them.

“Garnet!? I thought the queen had imprisoned you!” He admitted, relief in his voice. Artania bowed and left them, no doubt to handle the cities affairs.

“My friends rescued me,” she replied, indicating the others. Cid appraised them, smiling. His honest smile helped push away the last of the gloom that hung over Pinkie.

“Zidane, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done! ” He thought for a moment before continuing, “What of the others, Spike and Freya?”

“Freya and Spike fell behind,” Dagger weakly admitted, “Though Beatrix is aiding Freya.” She added with a downcast look.

“Beatrix you say?” Cid affirmed, “Then I don't think you have to worry about her.” Her friends nodded in agreement.

She really is strong after all, at least, stronger then all four of us put together. Pinkies brow furrowed at the memory, She kicked our flanks pretty badly. I should become stronger! To make sure we don't get our tails kicked again~.

“Spike can find his way to us,” Zidane assured, drawing Pinkie out of her head. “And with Freya and Beatrix working together, they should be just fine. We wounded up in Lindblum instead of Treno, but they'll be fine on their own,” he then looked out over the city. “I think Lindblum and the queen requires more attention right now.” He admitted, though he wasn't happy to do it.

“So, how did you reach Lindblum so fast?” Cid asked curiously, “I heard that you were captured very recently.”

“We rode a creature called a gargant,” Zidane explained, “it lead from Alexandria to Treno, but things went wrong and we overshot our destination.”

“Ah, the gargant, that would explain it,” Cid said.

“You knew about it?” Dagger asked.

“It's my job to know the land surrounding my country,” Cid replied, “there is an entrance to that cave system near Pinnacle Rocks close to Lindblum, is that where you ended up?” He asked, and got a nod from Zidane.

“Though it is my job to know, sometimes I lack foresight. I knew your mother was after the eidolons. But I underestimated their power.” He said as he looked over his ruined city in frustration. “Maybe I deserve to be cursed with this body.”

“You surrendered,” Zidane affirmed, “didn't you?” Cid nodded, “I'm glad you did. Cleyra was completely destroyed, at least Lindblum was spared that outcome." He admitted dowerly. Everyone was lost in thought following his words before Cid broke the silence.

“I've recently acquired more information concerning your mother's actions.” His brow furrowed as he continued, “A weapons dealer named Kuja is the man behind the recent string of attacks, he's been enabling queen Brahne.” Zidane, and the ponies shared a look of recognition, and concern.

“That man, Kuja,” Applejack said angrily, “What do you know about him? We encountered him at Burmecia with Brahne, he seemed to be happy to see us Equestrians, I wanna know why.”

“Well, that's interesting. I wonder what he knows about your circumstances.” Cid wondered a moment before coming back to the matter at hand. “Kuja has been supplying Brahne with highly advanced magical weapons. And since he seems to have some interest in Equestria, I can only speculate where he gets his magic from.”

“Supplying my mother with weapons?” Dagger asked, confused.

“That's right, the Black Mages are among these weapons. According to eyewitnesses in Treno, Kuja often travels to and from the northern sky on a silver dragon. That he does so often, and from the north, suggests that he has some sort of base of operations on the Outer Continent.”

“The Outer Continent?” Dagger and Applejack asked in unison. Ahhh~ I missed my chance to join in that. It would have been an awesome jinx!

“There are many unexplored continents in the world,” Zidane explained, “the Outer Continent is located north of our continent.”

“Wait,” Dagger said, realization written on her face, “that man I saw in the castle. He must have been Kuja! He is the one who's been corrupting my mother!” She accused angrily, and everyone shared a look.

“If we take down Kuja,” Applejack began.

“Then the queeny meany will lose her weapons provider,” Pinkie proclaimed with a smiling frown.

“And he won't be able to corrupt her anymore,” Dagger said hopefully.

“We need to find out where he came from,” Zidane said, looking contemplative, “see where he's getting all this technology from, in the Outer Continent.”

“You caught on quickly.” Cid said with a sly smile, “Remove Kuja, and Brahne loses her supply. That will be our cue for a counterattack. She needs to be removed from the throne.” He proclaimed, Dagger looked sad at his words, but nodded. “Challenging her right now will only result in more casualties. Without Kuja, it shouldn't be too difficult otherwise, as most of my fleet is still intact.”

“So we gotta find Kuja, and break his toys!” Pinkie proclaimed.

“Yes,” Cid agreed, “even if we defeat Brahne, if Kuja is left unchecked, he may simply find other clients to sell his weapons.” Dagger nodded with his assessment.

“I can make no excuses for my mothers behavior,” she admitted, eyeing the ruined city, “but I won't forgive Kuja for taking advantage of her!” She paused briefly, and hesitated as she added, “But first, we must rescue Spike and the others.”

“I'm afraid I cannot spare any soldiers to aid you. ” Cid said apologetically, “The soldiers I still have in my city must remain to protect and aid our citizens.”

“Our friends will be fine," Zidane stated, "and at the least we can wait here a couple days for Spike to find his way to us. With the city locked under Alexandrian rule, I doubt we can get an airship to Treno now.” He then nodded to himself, “Spike's a powerful little guy, he'll be just fine. Burmecia's best dragon knight, and the infamous general of Alexandria, how could they lose?” He assured, then smiled, “Besides, you have me to protect you!” He finished with bravado, and his words assured Dagger, and Pinkie took solace in them as well. He's right, we've had it rough, but we're still kicking~! With a nod, Dagger came to a decision

“After waiting for Spike a couple days, We'll look for Kuja.”

“Sounds like a plan, let's kick that bastards tail!” Applejack proclaimed, getting a surprised look from the others by her language. “Er, what?” She asked, missing the point. Zidane shook his head, smiling as he turned to Cid.

“Will you lend us the fastest airship in Lindblum?” He asked, “if it's a matter of getting it past Alexandria, you can say it was stolen.”

“Airships can only fly where there is mist, and the mist only exists on this continent. ” He admitted, “That means you can't cross the ocean on an airship.”

“Well, how about a seafaring vessel?” Applejack asked.

“Or that new ship that doesn't run on mist? The one I heard you were working on,” Zidane asked.

“It's not ready yet. And it's under Brahne's control.” Cid gave out a long sigh as he explained, “She gave us two conditions for surrender. One was the new airship, the other was to hand over the Falcon Claw, the royal pendant of Lindblum, over to her.”

“I can understand the airship,” Applejack stated, “but what would she need a shiny rock for?”

“Hey! As a former rock farmer, I~ take offense to that~!” Pinkie declared, not serious in the least. Cid eyed the ponies and shook his head.

“I have no idea what she wanted it for. And we can't use our boats because the harbor was also seized.”

“Well, we could always swim.” Pinkie admitted, completely serious. The conversation was pulling them all away from the ruin that lay below them, letting the pink mare's silly side sparkle through.

“I would advise against that.” Cid replied, having actually taken the suggestion seriously. “There is a way to get there, probably. In a swamp north of the castle is an old excavation site.” Pinkie's head shot up at that.

“Oh, oh! I know that one! I slept in it my first night here, really spooky place. The monsters there were different too, I had to sleep in a cell to make sure they didn't get me!” She admitted. And the next morning she woke up seeing Discord, but she didn't feel the need to tell the others that.

“Yes,” Cid continued, “it's rumored that those monsters come from the Outer Continent, there is likely a cave that connects the two land masses beneath the sea. It's certainly worth looking into.”

“It doesn't sound very reliable,” Zidane admitted, “you sure about this?”

“No, I'm not,” Cid declared.

“Well, I guess we'll find out. Not knowing is half of the fun, right?” Zidane added with a grin.

“Please, all of you, continue to protect the princess.” Cid said as he looked to her, “I will not bother trying to keep you again, I saw how well that worked out last time,” he added with a weak chuckle. “While you're all moving to stop Kuja, We'll prepare the counter attack.” Cid brought out a piece of paper and wrote a letter, and presented it to Zidane. “This will allow the blacksmith and store clerks still in operation to give you four priority, I'm sure you could use their services before leaving for a different continent.” Pinkie nodded at his aid, having more than just her cannon and robes would be good, she needed to be stronger. For everyone.

They all thanked him for the gesture, and left the regent to facilitate the reconstruction of his city. They headed back down to the business district, and shortly after doing so, a familiar moogle greeted them. Mois had a letter from Spike, and they eagerly checked it out. The contents of the letter informed them that the baby dragon was going to go on an adventure without them.

“Wh-What!?” Applejack exclaimed after reading it. “He's still a baby! He can't just go off alone in this dangerous world!”

“Applejack, Calm down.” Zidane said, then looked confused by her choice of words. He gestured to point out that they were getting worrying looks from the nearby soldiers.

“He's right AJ,” Pinkie assured, “Spike is going to be fine. I mean, he's the most fine out of all of us, right?”

“Huh? How do ya reckon that,” Applejack asked as she confronted the pink mare.

“He hasn't seen Burmecia, or Cleyra. When we saw the dead soldier when we were last here, he didn't understand what was going on. And now he doesn't have to see this." She said as she indicated the ruined city. “I envy Spike right now. He was having all the fun, without all the tears. “He'll be fine, so let him have his fun while he can.” She explained, and Applejack looked in her eyes, and her anger melted into frustration.

“I'm sorry,” she said, turning around and looking at the city, “I just wish we could do more. First Freya, and now Spike. I, I need a win, ya know. It's hard, to keep losing.” Her gaze fell to the ground as Pinkie approached her friend.

“Hey!” Zidane said, snapping Applejack out of the hole she was digging herself into. “None of that! We're going to find that Kuja guy, take him down, and make light of it afterwards, 'kay?” His anger then shifted to assurance, “They'll be fine, and we'll be fine. If you start believing that nothing good will come, then nothing good will. You want a win, then stick with me. We're going to win this.” His confidence was powerful, his words carried it through to his friends, and they took strength from them.

“I'm sorry,” Dagger said, looking to Pinkie and Applejack, “I'm so wrapped up in how I feel, that I didn't notice how you two were taking this.” She then smiled, trying to take a page from Zidane's book. “Who knows, maybe there's a way back to Equestria on the Outer Continent,” she offered in assurance. Applejack frowned, lost in thought from her words.

“I can't go back to Equestria, not with how things are right now.” She admitted, and Pinkie nodded in agreement.

“That Kuja is causing so many to be sad,” Pinkie claimed, “I wouldn't be able to smile straight if we returned home without saving our friends from him.”

“Really, you're fine with that?” Zidane asked in surprise.

“Well, yea,” Applejack declared, “A true friend, helps a friend in need. I'm not too sure about back home, but I do know fer sure that several of my friends here could use a true friend. Right Pinkie?” Applejack asked her.

“Right~!” She replied with a smile, then turned to the moogle, who had been patiently waiting on them. “Hey Mois, can you tell Spike that it's okay, and we hope to see him soon?” She nodded and began to fly off.

"Wait, Mois," Dagger asked, "Would you give this to Spike, it will protect him from magic. Let him know that I'm grateful that he helped me." She asked of the moogle as she gave her a small ring. Mois nodded again, and left to deliver their words and gift to the young dragon.

“Well,” Zidane said after they saw the moogle off, “if a true friend is going to be helping out, I suppose it's only fair to ensure they're properly equipped. Here.” He gave the two of them a large some of gil.

Wow!

“Yer givin' us yer share?” Applejack asked.

“I have more, remember, gaining a lot of gil is what I do,” Zidane explained as he looked over the city.

“Well, Thanks! This gil isn't going to spend itself, and we can pay a premium to help the city~” Pinkie proclaimed as she bounced off to where the shops that were still intact where. Let's try and turn this cities frown upside down! All the reassuring from Zidane had finally gotten to her, and if he could cheer her up, she had to try to do the same for everyone else.

“Now that's more like it!” Discord said as he reappeared in front of her, wearing a party hat. “Let's work some magic!” Pinkie bought some equipment, getting a blue hat, and a matching new robe. She spent the rest of her funds to buying what she's always wanted, smiles. She bought paint, wood, food, anything that could help the city. Scrounging out what she could get her hooves on, she had Applejack and Zidane help her with what she had in mind, and Dagger watched in wonder.

Applejack took charge of leading the citizens that were rebuilding. Applejack, Pinkie and Zidane took up a rhythm, and together they worked to repair several of the buildings in the business district. Applejack was the leader of the operation, putting the workers on the tasks they were best suited for. They focused on the quick work first, leaving buildings mostly destroyed as lost causes, they worked and worked through the day. While Applejack lead the team, Pinkie increased moral. In quick order she had managed to get the people they were working with smile again, and though she couldn't completely dispel the tragedy of what happened, she did instill hope.

When it all comes to ruin, sometimes all you need is a smile, and if not that, at least hope, to carry you on. She thought as she smiled from her efforts.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Alexandria didn't occupy Lindblum for long, as the queen was after the Falcon's Claw, they left as soon as her fleet was rearmed.'

'The Outer Continent has no nations, it is a mostly feral land, because of that the monsters there are stronger, less tame.'

'Though there isn't any mist there, monsters of the mist persist. But the reasons as to why are for a later chapter. Kupo.'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide(mastered), Party Bomb(mastered)

*Feather Hat: Bright Eyes, Add Status

*Silk Robe: Ability Up, Loudmouth, Cake!

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl-18 HP 760/760 MP 82/82

AP 0/25

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to blind.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Cake! 8 MP : Cures Trouble. Casts Haste and Regen to single target.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

Whole lot of no ATEs this chapter,

Another round of thank yous to my readers for being awesome!

23. Good Night

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Dragon and the Bird
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike took his eyes away from the river to look at the stone tablet Choco had dug up in the forest. Mene, Choco's moogle friend, called it a 'Chocograph', an old map etched in stone that revealed where treasure lay buried.

If I'm reading this old thing right, it should be around here somewhere. He wasn't too far from the chocobo's forest, and he was with Choco. They had spent some time digging around in the forest, and Spike was surprised and excited by all the things buried in there. From gil to powerful restoration items, finding treasure with Choco was proving lucrative. I wonder if this treasure comes from the same place as the gil and items monsters 'drop' when we slay them? He wondered as he once again eyed the landscape.

“Let's try around here,” Spike suggested. Choco chirped and pecked the ground, then shook her head. So she didn't feel any treasure nearby when she pecked the dirt. Well, if not here, maybe it's on the beach? Spike wondered as he looked off towards the sea.

Right before a certain moogle could get close enough to get Spike's attention, he and Choco sprinted off towards the ocean. The moogle let out a sigh and went after them as fast as she could fly. They stopped where the river met the sea, and they tried again.

“Kweeeeh~!”

All right! We're pretty close! And Choco moved to where she felt the treasure was, and started to dig. One large hole in the sand later, and they had pulled out a treasure chest. Spike couldn't stop himself and dove off Choco into the old wooden box. The wood was still sturdy, but didn't stand a chance against the dragon's curiosity. Opening it revealed two pairs of well made boots, as well as some healing items, and magic replenishing ether!

“This is officially awesome!” Spike joyfully declared. He was worried that the treasure would be old, musty and beyond useful, but that wasn't the case at all. Choco let out a cry of agreement as Spike looked back in the direction of chocobo forest. Before he and Choco could speed off to return and dig for more chocographs, Mois cried out to them.

“Oh, hi Mois!” Spike said, surprised by her quick return. “Let me guess, they want me to come back?” He asked with a frown.

“Nope!” Mois was happy to reply, “They hope to see you soon, and asked that you be safe during your treasure hunt. Pinkie and Zidane were very understanding about it, and they won Applejack around.” Spike was a little surprised by that. He had expected them to order him to join up with the party.

Being trusted to be alone made him happier than he realized he would be. “Here, the princess wanted me to give this to you. Said it will protect you from magic.” She added as she gave him a very fancy magical ring. “She also wanted me to say 'Thank you for helping me get to Alexandria'.” Now Spike was starting to feel guilty. He decided to avoid returning to prove a point and get them some treasure, but now he had treasure, and no point to prove, apparently.

“Um, where are they?” He sheepishly asked the moogle as he eyed the ring, feeling the power within it.

“Lindblum!” She replied with enthusiasm, though she didn't have the heart to tell him what became of the city. He thought for a minute before coming to a decision.

“Let's get to the forest as soon as possible. I want to dig up as many chocographs as we can before tomorrow.”

“Kweh?” Choco asked, having an idea of what Spike intended.

“Yea, tomorrow we're heading to Lindblum. Finding treasure is more fun when you can share it with your friends.” He claimed, remembering a certain fire ruby with a faint smile as they ran off towards chocobo forest, leaving Mois to catch up, unintentionally.

Spike was happy that they trusted him. He knew they found his power helpful, he simply wanted some acknowledgment. He was still homesick, and missed the others back home, especially Twilight, and though he may not be able to do anything about that, the least he could do was be with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Maybe after I show them what I found, they'll want to join me in some treasure finding! He thought, before realizing something, or maybe, they've already got another adventure in mind! Spike realized that if that was the case, he'd be left out because he refused to head back. He certainly hoped that wasn't going to be the case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was going to set soon. Applejack had something she wanted to take care of before it was too late, so she left the others to helping rebuild while she headed to the back end of the business district. She wanted to talk to Torres, the blacksmith. Reaching the smithery, she found someone else running the furnace. The young man noticed her and greeted her.

“Greetings, sorry,” he said, speaking out of routine, “but we cannot make anything for you. We're backlogged on building requests, but-”

“Where's Torres?” Applejack asked with concern. Oh please don't tell me he perished during the attack!

“Ah, I know that voice,” a gravelly old voice replied. Torres came out of the nearby home, his hands were completely bandaged up, and when she saw Applejack take notice of them, he said, “Ah, this? One of the Black Mages wanted to destroy my furnace, I persuaded them to do otherwise. But don't you worry about me. Did you happen to change your mind?” His question drew Applejack away from the dark place her thoughts were wandering at seeing his wounded hands.

“About my hat?” And he nodded. Applejack took off her hat. It was really looking rough. There were knicks in the rim, and slight burns from the fight's with the Black Waltz's. She looked at its worn state, smiling to herself. We're practically the same. Cut, burned, and scarred. It's been with her through so much, she never wanted to part with it. Her defeat at Beatrix's hands flashed in her mind. She needed to be stronger, tougher, more determined. If I want to protect the others, the least I can do is ensure I'm properly equipped to handle it. She looked to Torres, but she couldn't say the words she wanted too. She paused and took several deep breaths before saying what she needed to say.

“I want ya to- to make this, better,” She managed to get out. Her chest ached at the idea of changing up her hat. She saw it as an extension of herself, and choosing to change it meant changing herself as well. “Ya said ya can, though I can see yer injured. Can he?” She asked as she looked to the young man, who was looking to Torres. Torres considered Applejack for a moment before nodding.

“This hat is important to you. It's obvious, and I can respect that. I just wish I could work it myself.” He admitted as he turned to the young man. “Wayne, get out the mythril ring. Let's get to work!”

“But what about the backlog?” He asked with some concern.

“She was on the list before all this! Now get it going!” Torres barked out, then turned to Applejack, “Give me a moment, I have some of that armor I promised you.” He then appraised what she was wearing. “We can also do something about your other items, assuming you can afford it.”

“Is that also part of me being ahead of the backlog?” Applejack asked suspiciously. She did want better equipment, and understood it was going towards defeating Kuja, which was in everyone's best interests. But she still didn't like the idea of putting her possessions before others.

“Well, we've heard that you and your friends have been busting your... tails, fixing the buildings around here. It's the least we can do to bump you to the top of the list.” Applejack was thankful for his generosity, she hadn't wanted to use the letter Cid gave them for this situation. Considering his generosity, she didn't feel stingy with her funds. They already had plenty of healing items, so she gave him all of the gil she had.

“Do whacha can with that, an' keep the rest, 'kay?” She asked, and smiled at the surprise he showed. He nodded and he helped Wayne, who Applejack guessed was his son. She had basically given them everything she wore and asked them to make it better, and she knew it would take a while. Despite that, she stayed, keeping an eye on her beloved hat, and waiting to see what the craftsmen would do to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Dragon and the Wolf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya shattered the lock with her spear, much to Marcus's disappointment, the jail cell key he got from Spike earlier in his hands, still unused. The knight within stared at her, unwilling to leave despite freedom being offered.

“Well?” Freya asked, “Are you just going to sit there and wait for the queen to execute you?”

“Princess Garnet was saved,” Beatrix admitted, “but I betrayed the queen in the process, this is my punishment.” She sat in her cell, even without her armor, she held an air of strength about her, and dignity and pride still radiated from her. Still, the cell did not suite the former general.

“It appears she intends to sit and wait.” Blank commented, “A real shame, she's quite the looker.” His voice carried a mix of sarcasm, and concern.

“That's the former general of Alexandria your referring to,” Marcus commented, absolutely doubting that Blank had a chance with her. Freya had filled in both of the members of Tantalus concerning the events that transpired over the last few days as they helped her recover from her wounds. She remembered Spike mentioning Marcus when they went to save the princess, and since they saved her, it was the least she could do.

“That damn queen of yours has killed too many.” Freya declared, “And I am not letting her kill you too. You owe my people an apology, and you can't do that if you're dead.”

“And then what, be tormented by the survivors of Burmecia?” When the queen capture her, Brahne had Beatrix's armor and weapon removed, her title abandoned, and her deeds as a distinguished soldier abolished. Brahne had dealt her the greatest shame she could have, and it weighed heavily on her. Settling debts to the dragon knight was far removed from her intentions. She was a wounded wolf, waiting to be put down.

“Look, Beatrix.” Freya continued, “You say you've saved the princess? She isn't saved until the queen is removed from the throne. If the knight of Alexandria won't even ensure that, than your betrayal to the queen meant nothing.” Freya moved to Marcus and took the blade out of the pile of Beatrix's possessions he held and tossed it to her feet. The gem encrusted blade let out a low ring as it hit the floor, as if crying for its owner. “Die with honor, or save your kingdom, either way, take up your blade.”

Beatrix, the former general, and strongest swordswoman of Alexandria, eyed her blade. 'Save the Queen' the blade entrusted to the most noble, most capable of knights in Alexandria, an old blade carried by the kingdom's strongest for over eight hundred years, and it was kept with her possessions. The queen didn't even lock the blade away in the royal vault. The queen didn't see the sentimentality or symbolism of the weapon, like she once had. The queen only cared for power now, and Beatrix now knew that Brahne would be willing to sacrifice Alexandria itself for power.

“What are you waiting for?” Freya asked as she knelt down to look Beatrix in the eye. “Did you forget what Applejack said? You agreed to seeing me to Lindblum, and apologizing to my people. Are you going to make good on that, or not?” Her words reminded Beatrix of Applejack's tears after she defeated her, and the look she gave Beatrix after fleeing with the princess. The fire she had seen in the mare's eyes was born from not giving up, and if Applejack could manage that after such a crushing defeat, then so could Beatrix.

She eyed her sword. One day, Garnet would be the queen, and she would need a knight to keep her safe. With Steiner gone, there were none in Alexandria that fit the mettle besides her. Well, unless Applejack became a knight of Alexandria that is. Still, she knew what she needed to do. She swallowed her pride, and hoped that when the dust settled, it would be better off for it, as she grabbed her sword, and got up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She hoped they had helped themselves to her gil. For she was very surprised, and happy with the job they had done on her hat. It practically looked brand new, only with several additions. It sported a blue metal rim which made the hat significantly less flexible, and there was also a blue metal band around the center of the dome. That was just from the visible part, looking at the underside of the hat revealed how much effort had gone into it. The inside was lined with a metal frame that connected to the topside rings. The hat was now noticeably heavy, it was practically a mythril helm shaped like her hat.

Putting it on, the added weight felt awkward, and it weighed on her mane. It was rigid, but also amazingly sturdy, and she felt several abilities within that she was not familiar with. Then she saw, to her surprise, that her sword had been replace as well. Everything she had worn was replaced, which made her turn to the smiths in concern.

“Isn't this a bit much? Did my gil really cover all this?” She asked as she appraised the blade, it was cold, almost freezing to touch, it was made of silver metal that bore a blue-ish hue, mythril.

“Oh, it was more than enough,” Torres assured. “The worth of what we worked on was half of what you gave, so I figured giving you this rare blade my family has kept would be worth the remaining cost.” Applejack looked to him wide-eyed upon hearing that.

“If it's a family heirloom, ya should keep it,” Applejack was quick to reply. Family possessions should stay in the family.

“Now don't be that way," Torres chided. “We're smiths, we make weapons, but we don't really wield them.” He carefully picked the blade, presenting it to her, “I suspect this sword will be better for everyone in Lindblum while it's in your hands, erm, hooves. The sword is special, it can freeze your foes, slowing them down, or outright encasing them in ice.”

That's incredible! Applejack eyed the blade, such a weapon would be a boon to her, she couldn't deny that. Well, it would be rude of me to deny his generosity.

“Well, thanks!” She replied gratefully as she picked up the blade from him, seeing dew fall from the chill it generated, “Does it have a name?” A weapon like this has to have a name, it was an heirloom, after all.

“I've long since forgotten it's name, but I often refer to it as an Ice Brand,” Torres replied without hesitation.

“Well, In that case, Ice Brand will do just fine. Torres looked at the blade, nodding his head as he showed her how to put on her new armor. Graciously thanking him for his aid, she wished them the best of luck and returned to the others, feeling a lot heavier, but more secure. Her new equipment was riddled with new powers she couldn't wait to master, and she returned to the others smiling.

“Wow~! It's like your a walking tank!” Pinkie exclaimed when she saw Applejack, and the mare blushed at the compliment. Pinkie had been helping with the construction as much as Applejack and Zidane had, but Pinkie's efforts were spent on painting the repaired structures all manner of bright colors, and her new robe was a mess for her efforts.

“You're looking pretty sure of yourself,” Zidane admitted, giving her a sly smile, “glad to see it. A smiling Applejack is a lot better than a normal Applejack.”

“Well, pardon me if there isn't too much to smile about.” Applejack said with mock annoyance, “Shouldn't ya be gettin' some sleep fer tomorrow?”

“Right baack at you~!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Thought I'll be a little honest. I'm very sleepy right now~.” She said, giving her friends a light smile. They were happy with the work they did today, they had helped a good number of the people smile, despite the destruction around them.

“I think she's right,” Dagger said, appraising how tired her friends looked, “we should call it a night. We have an early day tomorrow.” Getting an argument from no one, they went to the inn and rested there. Dagger joined them as well, and they all got a good nights rest within the occupied city.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Applejack's new sword can freeze enemies! Enemies suffering from Freeze are frozen solid, and perish if someone breaks them while frozen. A terrible fate!'

'Spike always forgets to let me ride with him when he's zipping around on Choco!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

*Ice Brand: Mental Break

Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.

*AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!, Long Reach, Ability Up

*Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack, Counter

*Iron Barding: Add Status, Bug Killer

*Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider, HP+10%

Lvl-18 HP 1078/1078 MP 58/58

AP 0/26

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

*Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.

*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.

Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.

Author's Note

So basically it's a chapter about loot? Now that the party is about to leave mist continent behind, the story's city destroying ways get to take a back seat for a while. Which is nice.

Save the Queen

Ice Brand
Thanks again for reading my story, its a lot of words, so thanks!

24. Fossil Roo

With the coming of dawn, the Zidane and Dagger went to the castle to take the elevator to the Dragons gate, and Zidane took in the city as they did. Pinkie and Applejack were discussing something with one of the merchants and said they would catch up, so the two of them arrived at the castle without them. It infuriated Zidane, the way Brahne flaunted her power so callously. He was looking forward to taking down this Kuja, and the queen. He was tired of seeing all this destruction, and what it was doing to his friends.

Looking around, he took note of something. There are less soldiers now than yesterday. He began wondering if Brahne's troops were about to leave for somewhere else. Getting through the castle uncontested by Alexandrian soldiers, a Lindblum guard informed them the regent was waiting for them down below. So the two of them got on the elevator, and it started to descend. Zidane voiced his thoughts to Dagger, he rarely had a chance to talk to her alone.

“I wonder what Brahne intends to do next.”

“Zidane,” Dagger replied hesitantly, “Do we really have to go to the Outer Continent?” Zidane was taken aback by the unexpected reply to his comment.

“What's up Dagger?” He asked with concern, “You said you wanted to go and stop Kuja.”

“Yes, but what if,” she hesitated before continuing, “What if something happens, to any of you? What if I end up on my own? I... I don't think I'll be okay on my own.”

“You're worried about us?” He wasn't surprised, after what they had been through, “You're worried about me?” That was the notion that surprised him.

“What?” She replied quickly, almost losing her composure, “Well, I mean, um.” She nodded to herself, finding a satisfying answer to his question. “A princess needs her elite guards, you know. I'd be stranded without you all.” Zidane smiled at her reply.

“I think you just flattered me; elite guard, aye?” He teased, which made the princess appear indignant. “Sorry, I was only kidding.” He assured, not wanting to get on her bad side, “You'll be fine, you've got all of us.” Now it was his turn to be concerned, with her. “What about you, Dagger? We don't know anything about the Outer Continent, will you be okay coming with us?” If she's having second doubts now...

“I've made up my mind.” Zidane smiled at her stalwartness.

She would probably run off to the Outer Continent even if she didn't have us.

“I don't want my mother to commit any more atrocities.” Dagger added, “So I'm going.”

“Alright then,” Zidane said, doing what he does best, assuring his friends. “I'll protect you, and the others! Regardless of where we are on Gaia,” which got a smile from his companion.

“Thank you, Zidane.”

It was by this point that the elevator had reached the bottom, and they saw Cid standing there waiting for them. Getting off, they sent the elevator back up, no doubt it would reach the mid floor by the time their Equestrian companions needed it.

“So,” Dagger began, “Uncle Cid, did you come to see us off?”

“Indeed, and to give you this,” the large oglop moved to Zidane and handed him an old rag. Zidane appraised it, almost with disgust, wondering why the Regent of Lindblum would give him such a thing.

“It's just a rag...?”

“You big dope!” Cid chided, “It's not a rag! That is a national treasure of Lindblum! That is an ancient map of the entire world!”

Wait, this thing? And sure enough, he opened it up and saw the mist continent, as well as three other continents along with a large number of islands imprinted on it.

“Wow, thanks!” Zidane replied, almost apologetically, and Cid nodded in turn. He then turned to Dagger, and they both talked about what would happen after Brahne was removed from the throne to pass the time till Pinkie and Applejack arrived. Zidane appraised the map while they waited. I wasn't aware our world was so big! A few minutes later the elevator returned with his friends aboard, and with the party assembled, Cid addressed them.

“Be safe, all of you. Zidane, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, please protect the princess. We'll be ready when you deliver the good news.”

“Please take care of yourself, Uncle Cid.”

“I'll be fine,” he assured, “now go, before one of those foolish soldiers realize that the two ponies wandering around our city are enemies of Alexandria.” They nodded and left, bidding Cid farewell and leaving Lindblum behind, crossing the fields within the mist.

The few monsters they fought had no chance against them. All of them had resupplied and changed out their equipment, and they were much stronger than the last time they had gone through these lands. The new sword Applejack was wielding had caught Zidane's eye, she seemed to take extra care handling it, like it was something she was borrowing from another. They were all surprised when the blade froze a poor salamander, being shattered into mist shortly afterwards by Pinkie.

Having been there before, Applejack and Pinkie lead them to the marsh, and after arriving Pinkie led the group around. After following her directions for a couple hours, they found themselves before the opening of an underground structure.

“I told you it was right next to the purple frog~” She exclaimed, and there was indeed an amethyst colored frog sitting near the entrance.

How does she do that? He shook his head as he appraised the decrepit entrance. The well worn words 'Fossil R-' were etched above the stone entrance, the second word unreadable besides the first letter.

“So, this should lead to the Outer Continent,” Zidane affirmed with the others, hinting that once proceeding, returning would likely be cumbersome.

“We're gonna be on our own from here on,” Applejack pointed out.

“Welll~ No point turning around now!” Pinkie exclaimed, “Let's go explore the spooky caves that crosses beneath the ocean!”

With that, they all went down into the old excavation sight. Walking down old stone stairs, the area was illuminated by magic candelabras that seemed to burn eternally. Going down, the passed an old gate that caught their eye. As they appraised the closed gate, it opened, and the way they had come became blocked off as something before them move to engage them. A large purple metal monster with a lance that moved on wheels charged at them.

“What in the hay is that!?” Applejack cried out, as they all moved back in alarm.

“Whatever it is, it looks silly~!” Pinkie laughed out, It had clawed hands as well as a shield, its body parts were not actually connected, as if it was suspended pieces of armor willed by an unseen wearer. Pinkie didn't hesitate, she turned her cannon on it and let out a stream of fire, and Applejack charged it, and as if the matter was settled, the monster immediately perished.

“Well, that was a let down.” Zidane admitted, then noticed the monster wasn't turning into mist. The pile of metal twitched and got back up, preparing to attack them again. Zidane brought his doublesword down on it, making it fall still again. Everyone waited to see if it would get back up again, and it did.

As it started to get back up, Applejack tried something different. Her sword glowed as she used a sword technique. Zidane knew she was capable of them, as she had informed him as such, but this was the first time he's seen her use one. A blue light wrapped around her sword as she charged the metal monster, and when she hit, the light cascaded into its armor, infusing the metal with fractures as her magic shattered its wheels, which dispersed into mist.

“It worked!?” Applejack declared as the monster fell over, unable to pursue them.

Was that Armor Break? Zidane wondered as Applejack smiled at the monster trying to drag its way towards them. She proceeded to break what remained of the strange monster, and after shattering the final piece, turned to the others with a grin.

“I suppose I should try that more often.”

“Make use of what you can, right?” Zidane asked, and she nodded in reply.

“That was amazing Applejack!” Pinkie declared, “I didn't know you could do that~!” Then she gave her friend a sly grin, “I've got tricks you haven't seen too, 'ya know'?”

“Was that here when you-” Dagger's question was interrupted by the sound of metal grinding on stone, and everyone turned towards its source.

Is it another one of those monsters?

“Jeeze, that was a waste of resources.” An unfamiliar voice chimed in. A short female with dark skin and a large axe rounded a corner, approaching them. The party eyed her warily.

“I've been looking for you,” The attractive female warrior proclaimed, “Princess Garnet.”

“H-Have we met before?” Zidane asked, She's a pretty one!

“Quit trying to flirt with her!” Dagger whispered to him.

Oh, right, possible enemy. “Right, sorry.” Zidane replied as he scratched the back of his head.

“I'm Lani, and I don't know you.” She replied to Zidane, giving him a look that made him sag a little.

Wow, fastest turn down ever. She then looked back to Dagger.

“I'm under order by the queen to find you, princess.” No one was pleased by this news, and they didn't try to hide that fact.

“My mother?” Dagger asked, confused. “What does my mother want with me?” Her voice took an authoritative tone, “I am not returning to Alexandria.”

“Well, I have some bad news for you princess.” Lani said with a small smile, “It's not you I'm after.”

“What do ya mean?” Applejack asked, which got a glare from the warrior.

“The pendant, does that sound familiar?” Dagger reflexively grabbed the gem pendant around her neck. “Let's have it back. It belongs to Queen Brahne.” Dagger stepped back from Lani, shaking her head.

“Listen carefully, princess.” Lani said as she slowly brought her axe forward. “You escaped unscathed from that monster, but you're not gonna be so lucky with me. Hand over the pendant, right this minute.”

“Are ya the one that set that monster loose?” Applejack asked Lani, who gave her a sick grin, and nodded.

“Afraid that retrieving the pendant far outweighs the safety of the princess,” she admitted.

“And what do you mean by that?” Zidane asked dangerously.

“I meant exactly what I said. My orders don't include Princess Garnet's safe return.”

“What? My mother would never order that-” She was gut off by Lani slamming her axe into the ground, the blade easily slicing into the stone.

“Enough! Give me the Pendant! You're trying my patience!” She proclaimed, making Zidane scoff.

“And if we refuse?”

“You stubborn fools! It's just a pendant! Fine, have it your way!” She lunged at them, letting off a powerful blast of cold on Dagger as she swung her axe at Zidane, only for Applejack to take the hit instead.

“How 'bout ya worry over little ol' me instead of the princess!” Applejack declared as she throw a mug of frothy liquid at Lani, splashing her in the face with it. Lani's face turned red as she glared at the mare.

“Fine, I was hired to kill you anyway!” Lani replied as Applejack was covered by Daggers magic. As Zidane swooped in to attack Lani, she cast a spell on Applejack, and was surprised when it bounced off of a magical barrier that protected the mare, sending the spell back on the caster. She was struck by her own lighting as Zidane's attack connected, causing her to strike the ground in anger. She swung at Applejack, ignoring Zidane, getting a solid hit on her. Applejack crashed into the side of the cavern wall in surprise, the wind being knocked out of her as Lani jumped after her.

Zidane got in her way, getting hit in Applejack's stead, also being sent flying. She packs quite the punch! Zidane felt Dagger's healing spell wash over them, but then noticed both Dagger and Lani share a surprised look, as her healing had been deflected from the very magical barrier she had placed on Applejack.

Applejack was still wounded, and Lani became the new target for Dagger's spell, being healed from the harm Zidane and her magic had just inflicted. She smiled as she attacked Applejack again, but with a bang, she was sent back as a pink ball of pain crashed into her. Lani grabbed Pinkie by her mane and slammed her into the wall, making the pony squeal in pain. Leaving Pinkie stuck in a Pinkie shaped hole in the wall, Lani lunged towards Applejack before Applejack could drink the potion she had gotten out.

Lani swung high, and brought her axe down, to Zidane and Dagger's shock, squarely on Applejack's head. Applejack was crushed into the ground, and she lay still, unmoving. The magic that composed the frothy drink Applejack had splashed Lani with dissipated, and Lani turned to Dagger with a smile. Dagger glared at Lani as she prepared a spell. The aura off her magic was different from her normal magic, and Zidane realized what she was doing.

Lani charged Dagger, but Zidane intercepted her, taking another hit, and being sent flying back. As he skidded into the ground, Lani summoned lightning to strike Dagger, but it didn't connect. Her lightning was pulled towards a figure above them, and their eyes were drawn to the sight of Ramuh, overlooking the cavern floor, the lightning Lani summoned being drawn to his staff.

“What the hell is that!?” Lani asked as Ramuh threw his staff at her. She dodged it, and it landed into the ground behind her, standing upright. “Ha! You miss-” The staff pulsed with electricity, crackling into Lani, one pulse, two, three. Lani screamed in pain as a torrent of lightning assaulter her. Lightning struck her, and ground, the cavern walls, and the area was quickly obscured in a cloud of stone and dust. Then, in a blinding flash, the staff, and Ramuh, were gone.

That was incredible! And terrifying! Zidane thought as silence fell upon the cavern. The battle over, he looked through the cloud to find Applejack.

He found her where she fell, the ground around her head cracked from the blow. As Zidane kneeled next to her, fear started to poison his mind. He then noticed something that made his fear reel back. She was breathing. The blow to her head had made her smack into the ground, but the axe failed to cut through her hat. You lucky mare, I could kiss you! Letting out a sigh of relief, he drew out the phoenix down-

Something crashed into him, knocking him away from Applejack before he could aid her.

Quickly moving away from the form that plowed into him, he was shocked to see Dagger laying before him, unconscious. Acting on instinct, Zidane dodged to the left, avoiding a swing of Lani's axe. He had thought the battle over, but there she was, standing before him, partially obscured by the dust. He saw that she looked ragged, her armor was burned in places, and she herself sported a number of burns on her as well. She was far removed from happy.

I don't think she's going to just settle for the necklace at this point! He thought as he moved away from her, drinking a potion as he did. And now it's just me! Not good! Not good!

He jumped to the side, avoiding another swing, and seeing her second miss against him, changed tactics. She summoned a ball of fire and smashed Zidane with it, the blast knocked the dust away from the center of the cavern, and Zidane rolled to get the flames off as he tried to figure out what he should do. Get Dagger on her feet, or Applejack-

Feeling a slight mental tug, he whipped around and caught a small plate with a piece of cake on it, and felt terribly compelled to eat it. It was gone in an instant, and he really wished he had time to savor it. Suffice to say, a cornucopia of chocolate and vanilla would never compare to the cake he just ate.

Magic within the cake spread through him as he saw Pinkie Pie, standing next to her cannon, giving Zidane a scowling grin. Their eyes meeting, they nodded in unison, and worked against Lani, right as she let forth another ball of fire. The cake invigorated Zidane, making his woulds slowly close up, and increasing his speed. He was hit by the ball of fire, but shrugged it off, and in quick order was before Lani. The look of surprise on her face quickly turned to pain as he caught her with his double sword.

Lani jumped back, looking to be almost finished, she quickly glanced to Applejack, still unmoving, then the princess, her eyes falling upon the necklace. Her moment devoted to spotting her objectives cost her dearly. A large round bomb with balloons and streamerspainted on it crashed into her, slamming her into the wall, and crushing her against it as it's fuse died down.

Lani disappeared in an explosion of fireworks, confetti, and party noises. As the smoke and other assorted debris cleared away, Pinkie and Zidane saw that Lani wasn't there, and were on guard, then noticed her standing a little bit back from the way they came in.

“Okay,” Lani got out, leaning on her axe. “You're pretty good. Tch, what a drag. I'll let you guys go for now!” She declared as she quickly lumbered off. Zidane would have pursued her, but he had more pressing concerns, and Pinkie shared his sentiments.

“That was a lot closer than I'd prefer!” Pinkie declared angrily as she moved to Applejack, then a shocked expression showed on her face.

Wait, is she blushing?

“I mean, jeeze, and I thought Beatrix was scary~.” She said, regaining her bouncy optimism as she helped Applejack up with a red feather. Zidane did likewise with Dagger, and they all tended to their wounds. Applejack appraised her hat, then the Lani shaped hole in the wall.

“Why do we have to keep runnin' into foes stronger than us?” She asked as they prepared to move again.

“Well, we're heroes, right? So naturally, bad guys are drawn to us!” Pinkie reasoned out as they left the ruined segment of the cave they had battled in behind them.

“I'd rather they didn't,” Zidane added as he sighed. “We're going to run into her again at some point.” He affirmed, and the others agreed with him as they moved deeper inside. They entered a large tunnel, there was a thick root following the tunnel across the ceiling. Looking around, this place felt similar to someplace Zidane had recently been to.

“This kind of resembles Gargan Roo.” Dagger pointed out, just in time for a gargant to move down the root, ignoring them.

“That didn't look tamed.” Zidane observed, “I wonder if we can ride it?”

“It's worth a try~!” Pinkie shouted. They all moved up towards a raised platform, and waited for another gargant to cross their path...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Fell Behind
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They're underground!?” Spike asked, shocked at the possibility. “How far!?”

“To far to dig to, kupo.” Mois admitted, “They seem to be heading north, at a good pace.”

Well great! How am I suppose to catch up to them if they're underground!? Spike was north of the marsh, trying to follow where is friends were, but he was now unable to do that. The mountain range barred his path, and neither he, nor Choco could scale it in a reasonable amount of time.

“Maybe we should talk to Mr. Cid in Lindblum,” Spike suggested, “see if he knows where they're going.”

“Kupo!” Mois shouted in alarm, clearly not liking that idea. She then composed herself, “Let me talk to Cid, you can get working on those chocographs while I'm at it.”

“Mois,” Spike began, giving the moogle a funny look, then smiled, “That's a great idea!” Causing the moogle to let out a sigh of relief. “I promise I won't go underground until you return.” Spike assured, and the two smiled shared a smile, then Mois departed.

“Sorry Choco, looks like it's going to be a while until you can meet my friends.”

“Kweh~” Spike nodded in agreement.

Soon enough, once I find out where they're going. Is it Burmecia? He thought as he looked up, peeking through the mist to determine the suns location. He figured he still had a couple hours till sunset. Man, It's been a whole week since we arrived in Gaia. He briefly reflected on that fact before the smell of hidden treasure drew his attention.

“Guess we'll have to wait for Mois.” Then his grin grew wider, “In the meantime...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane stopped, almost in sync with the others. He felt something, a familiar sensation, it was emanating from somewhere nearby. They had been traveling through the cavern for two days now. It seemed the tunnel was constructed specifically for traveling between the two continents, as there was plenty of evidence to suggest it was hand made, still, it took time crossing through the ocean on foot, even if they were using gargants as shortcuts.

“You all feel that?” Zidane asked, noticing the way the others were looking around.

“Yea, I've felt this before, back at the healin' spring in the Evil Forest.” Applejack replied.

So that's why it feels familiar. He had also felt this presence back at the forest.

“I also feel it.” Dagger admitted, “It feels... serene.”

“It feels like that moment in the party where everyone's tired, but noponies up for leaving just yet!” Pinkie then pointed to a small crack that had a faint amount of light shining through. “I think we can fit through that! I betcha that's where the feeling's coming from~.”

It was a tight squeeze, especially for Applejack, who almost had to take her off to get through. On the other side of the crack was a fractured cavern that climbed up, revealing light at the top, sunlight. They slowly worked their way up, each helping each other through the steep climb, Applejack often acting as an anchor for the others. Zidane was the first to reach the top, ending up above ground, and squinting at the harsh sunlight after having been in the caverns for two whole days. Wow! There's no mist here!

After helping the rest of them up, they got a look around. They were on a small raised island, it looked like a shrine of some sort. In the distance, possibly two miles away, to the north was a mass of land, the Outer Continent. Zidane's eyes were immediately drawn to a pillar with a round tablet in it. It wasn't so much the pillar that caught his eye, but the tablet. The pillar it was embedded in showed signs of age, cracks and foliage growing on it. The tablet looked like it had been made very recently.

As Zidane moved closer to get a better look at it, he found he wasn't alone, as his companions were following suite. The round tablet had three weapons forming a thin triangle. The base of the triangle was a dagger, the left side was a doublesword, while the right side was a normal sword. In the center of the triangle was a round shield, a sun split into two different shades emblazoned on it. Zidane traced the dagger and doublesword with his hand, the stone was cold to the touch.

“I've seen something like this before!” Pinkie declared, her mirthful attitude temporarily displaced by shock. “It was in Equestria, when Steiner touched something like this,” she explained as she poked the tablet, “It's shape changed, and it bore...” Pinkie looked even more shocked, then apologetic. “Ohh, this was important, why didn't I think to tell you sooner.” She said, staring at Applejack.

“Tell me what? What is it Pinkie?”

“Back home, we got rid of the mist in the Everfree before I ended up in this world. We did it by touching one of these,” She indicated the tablet, “and it made the mist disappear when a crystal changed color. The tablet changed as well. It was two swords forming an 'X', with an apple resting on them. Steiner uses a sword, and so do you AJ.” She then looked to Zidane.

“Well,” Zidane began, indicating artifact, “this tablet has two weapons I use on it. So does that mean you know an Equestrian that uses a sword and shield?” Pinkie nodded in reply. “So what does it mean then?”

“Twilight said that Applejack switched with Steiner because of their similarities. So maybe you share some similarities with Sunset Shimmer?” Pinkie looked to the side, seeing something the others couldn't, and she nodded. “Although I don't know what that would be.” Silence fell over them as they thought on this new information.

“There must have been one of these in the Evil Forest,” Applejack pointed out. “If this is here, and they're also in Equestria, maybe we can get back with these somehow?” Applejack speculated. “Twilight said the way back to Equestria was on Gaia, this is the first clue I've seen of that.”

“When we're not too busy saving the Mist continent,” Zidane suggested, “we should take at look back through the Evil Forest.”

“It's so far away.” Dagger commented, looking south, seeing nothing but ocean.

“When we beat up the meany Kuja,” Pinkie said enthusiastically, “we'll just go back through here!”

“Well, let's not dally here,” Applejack insisted, “I recon there isn't much we can do about this tablet besides think about it, so lets get back down there and finish up. We're almost there.” Zidane looked at the tablet as the others returned to the cave.

That tablet is giving off magic of some kind, we all can feel it. Zidane knew, sooner or later, he would be returning to this spot, but for what reasons he didn't know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Blue Feathers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike's worry was changed to wonder as he appraised his chocobo friend. They had just opened another chest they found with a chocograph, only this one had some sort of sleeping spell in it. At least, that's what he assumed, as Choco passed out immediately after opening the empty chest. He watched as her feathers turned from yellow to light blue before his eyes. Just what's happening to her?

This chest was on the coast past the ruins of Cleyra. Spike met the Burmecian refugees trying to get here, and boy, where they surprised to see a baby dragon riding a chocobo. He convinced them he was a friend by giving them a good sum of the healing items his treasure hunting has given him. He heard rumor of his friends exploits from them, and he kind of felt left out because of that. Spike had a picture of how it must have been in his head, Zidane and his friends valiantly staying behind to ensure the people of Burmecia and Cleyra got away. As he daydreamed next to his sleeping friend, he noticed a certain moogle fly up to them.

“I... finally... caught... up!” Mois gasped out. Spike hasn't been staying in a single spot for very long over the last two days. He and Choco had been tirelessly working to dig up the chocographs on the Mist continent. There were several other graphs Spike had that suggested there were other continents, where the treasure was buried, but he didn't know how to get to them. Realizing that his actions led Mois running about after them, he gave her a small apology, which she accepted as she looked to the chocobo.

“Kupo!? What's with Choco!”

“I donno, but I think she's fine,” she looked happy in her sleep, and she needed the rest anyway. Spike let out a yawn as he addressed his moogle friend. “So what's the word? Where did our friend's go?”

“Oh, right.” And Mois told him about the Outer Continent, why his friends were going there, and the underground passage. Well, how about that! Spike doubted there were any more chocographs in the Chocobo Forest, but Mene had told him there were other chocobo sanctuaries out in the world where he could find more.

“Well then, after Choco wakes up, let's head after them, they got a head start on us, but we'll catch up!” He declared with a smile. Stopping some bad guy named Kuja huh? They did run off on an adventure! He's already found all the treasure the chocographs pointed to on this continent, even one near the Evil Forest, which he spent all of yesterday getting to. He had a respectable pile of goodies to share with the others. He still had two other graphs he was sure were on this continent, but they were around the small nearby islands, and Choco couldn't swim. Deciding they couldn't do much until Choco woke up, they set up camp and took a break.

He eyed the ring the princess had left him. He had already mastered its power, as well as all the others from his equipment over the last two days, and it was nice to not have to worry about enemy magic because of it. He put the ring back into the bag of mementos he was gathering, the ring sharing it's company with three gemstones with the names of his friends on them. Sitting there with nothing to do but wait, it didn't take long for the tired dragon to fall sleep as well, cuddling up with Choco as Mois watched them sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane and the others climbed out of the cavern, the Outer Continent side of the tunnel looked more natural than man made. They came out to a red rocky landscape, the air was dry and warm, and foliage was sparse.

“Well, this certainly looks like an invitin' place.” Applejack declared, sifting through the dirt, “Doesn't rain much here, the soil's ripe with nutrients.” Zidane was a little surprised by that assessment.

Right, I keep forgetting she was a farmer in Equestria.

“Well, we're here now!” Pinkie declared with a grin. “We crossed the ocean~! Without a boat! That is sooo amazing~!”

“But now that we're here, how do we find Kuja?” Dagger asked, looking to the others for guidance.

“Well, the old fashion way I guess.” Zidane replied, “With our eyes. Let's keep moving, maybe we'll find a settlement or something.” Dagger and the others nodded, and with that, they all ventured out into an unfamiliar land.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Crossing the ocean can be a harrowing trip for a moogle. We can fly over it, but that doesn't really help anyone we're traveling with. Mognet, where we process the mail we deliver, isn't on the Mist Continent.'

'Pinkie's cake gives Haste to her friends, it makes them move and attack faster, a strong advantage to have! Kupo!'

'Riding the garants was a real trick for the party, as the gargants run upside down on the roots the climb. Needless to say, getting the ponies to ride it involved ropes, tenacity, and a touch of crazy.'

'I really like Spike, but he has a tendency to forget things, like the fact that chocobos are much faster than moogles. Kupo.'

'You may be wondering what 'Trouble' is under Zidane's weapon. It's a rather nasty effect that's more debilitating against a large number of foes. Trouble magically wounds the target, linking their life force with their allies. If they're physically harmed, that pain will be shared with the others. Needless to say, it needs to be removed as soon as one can. An item called Annoyntment can cleanse the magic from its victim, and Applejack's 'Apple Toss' ability as well. Suffice to say, the party is in trouble if anyone is suffering from this curse.'

~~~~~~

Zidane

~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Expolda: Sacrifice, Lucky Seven

Add ST: Trouble

Bandana: Man Eater(mastered), Insomniac(mastered)

Mythril Armlet: Bug Killer(mastered)

Adaman Vest: Stone Killer(mastered), Bird Killer(mastered)

Elem-Def: Fire damage reduced by 50%

Power Belt: MP Attack(mastered), Counter, ~~Fira~~

Lvl up! Lvl-20 HP 969/1005 MP 0/85

AP 1/28

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Stone Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to stone enemies.

Undead Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to undead enemies.

Devil Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to demons.

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Man Eater (2) - Deals lethal damage to humans.

*Steal Gil (5) - Steal Gil along with items.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Counter (8) - Counterattacks when physically attacked.

*Protect Girls(4) - You take damage in place of a girl.

Alert (4) - Prevents back attacks.

Flee-Gil (3) - Receive Gil even when running from battle.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

*Bandit (5) - Raises success rate of Steal.

Abilities:

Steal: Action Command - Steal an item from the enemy.

Skill:

Flee 0 MP - Escape from battle with high probability.

Detect 0 MP - See the enemy's items.

What's That!? 2 MP - Allows back attack.

Soul Blade 6 MP - Draws out the hidden power of thief swords.

Sacrifice 32 MP - Sacrifice yourself to restore HP and MP to the other party members.

Lucky Seven 6 MP - Deals physical damage by luck.

Trance - Physical damage multiplied by 1.5, Gain access to the Dyne Skills

Author's Note

The distance between Qu's Marsh and Conde Petie is vast, no way was this trip under the ocean gonna take place in thirty minutes.
Let's see just how long it takes for Spike to catch up.
This summon brought to you by the element Thunder!

Hey wait, isn't the party bomb a Cheese Sandwich thing?

Also, thanks again for reading, just letting you know. You. Are. Awesome!:rainbowkiss::twilightsheepish:

25. Mountain Pass~Conde Petie

“I really don't think this is a good idea. Kupo.” Mois informed Spike, who had just finished tying a saddle to Choco. Spike appraised the moogle.

She may be right. This may not be a good idea. The three of them were on the northeastern shore of the Mist continent, past the lands of Burmecia, preparing for a risky venture.

“What do you think Choco, you up for it?” He asked his blue feathered friend. She chirped in agreement. “Well, that's good enough for me.” He turned to Mois, “You keep us on the right track, and we should be there by tomorrow.” Choco had an empowering dream when they opened the chest that turned her feathers blue. With the change, she could now swim, just as fast as she could run. She had also learned of a realm called Chocobo's paradise, and to find it, she needed to venture out into the world. Choco wanted to find this paradise, and Spike was more than willing to help her.

With the change, she could also dig in shallow waters for treasure, which Spike made quick use of. The final two chests he could get on the Mist Continent proved to be very kind to the young dragon. He now had a brand new staff with a unique set of spells within. His collection had grown ever since he was separated from the others, having purchased some new ones for rather cheap from the Burmecians. He had also acquired a new robe that made him quicker to use potions, which helped out when fighting alone. Actually, now I have too many items. I need to master some of these before I can move up.

Now intending to leave this continent behind to follow his friends, they were prepared to take a reckless action, riding Choco across the ocean. They had ventured into the underground passage the others used earlier, but couldn't fathom how to get Choco to ride the gargants, so they chose this alternative path. If Choco thinks she can do it, then I'm not gonna stop her!

With Mois guiding them, Choco dived into the sea, Spike and Mois secure on her back, and swam with great speed, into the field of blue. Spike was immediately soaked to the scales, but loved the feeling of the wind blowing past from Choco's speed. It wasn't too long after leaving land behind them that they also left the mist behind them, welcoming them with a view of the horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Where a Promise Begins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya and Beatrix walked into Cid's royal chambers, a number of guards watched the former general warily as Cid appraised them. Marcus and Blank had left the two of them to see the regent while they worked to help out in the cities reconstruction.

“Freya, Beatrix,” Cid began, “it is good to see you're both safe. Princess Garnet was quite worried about the two of you.” He then added, “So I guess you're no longer a General?” Beatrix nodded at his assumption.

“Regent Cid,” she began, “I must apologize for my queens actions. I followed her blindly, and in the end enabled her on this foolish quest of hers. Though my actions demand justice, I must ask that you stay any punishment you intend for me, as I still need to present my apology to the Burmecians.”

“Yes,” Cid nodded, “I will not argue with that. I may have been inclined to punish you, but you put the princess above the queen. I'd say you've seen fit to put reason over madness. Also, Lindblum is technically Alexandrian territory right now, so I really have no desire to return their strongest warrior to them in chains. ”

“Thank you, I am in your debt,” Beatrix stated as she bowed graciously. Freya stepped forward, she had expected to find the others in Lindblum, but now seeing its ruined state, feared for the worse.

“The Princess and the others,” she began, not masking her concern, “What has become of them?” Cid looked to her and assured they were fine, and informed Freya of the task they took up, as well as informing them that Spike was likely following after them. She considered his words carefully before replying.

“In that case, I will trust them to take care of Kuja,” She hesitated, she did want to go after them, and aid them in their fight, but she had other responsibilities to attend to. “I must see to my people.”

“Ah, just as loyal as I remembered.” Cid stated with a sad smile, “I am sorry my fleet didn't arrive in time to save Cleyra, but my troops are making sure your people are safe.” He looked past Freya briefly before continuing, “They've settled in Gizamaluke's Grotto until the queen's been removed from the throne, you can find them there.” Freya thanked the regent for aiding her people, and she turned to leave, Beatrix following after her. Freya stopped instantly, her heart skipping a beat as she stood face to face with someone she had been hoping to meet at Gizamaluke.

“Greetings, Lady Freya.” Sir Fratley said, hesitating a moment before asking, “Are you well?” She stared at him dumbly, before giving him a smile, trying to keep back her tears of joy. He may no longer be the same Fratley she fell in love with, but at least there was a chance for them to share happiness again, a chance she wouldn't let slip by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them were resting on a island between the continents. The sun was setting, and Choco was spent, put down that she tired out faster than she had wanted. Spike gave her a gysahl green, a green carrot, to cheer her up, and she recovered some of her enthusiasm. He looked back the way they had come, Mist Continent was out of sight, along with the mist it was obscured in.

The three of them appreciated the sun setting over the ocean. The sky taking on hues of red and purple, mirrored by the ocean, was breathtaking. The blue expanse circled around the island uninterrupted, and Spike sat in awe, never having seen such a sight before. His homesickness was far removed from his mind, and sometime tomorrow, he would be with his friends again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Root of the Matter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not too long after they had left the cavern behind them, they crossed through the bottom of a canyon. They saw a large structure, as big as the village of Dali, built atop a pair of roots that crossed the top of the cliff, and they had been looking for a way to reach it all day. The sun was setting, and they had finally found a way onto the cliff.

The monsters on the Outer Continent we a lot stronger than the one's on the mist continent, to everyone's surprise. They could only wonder why, since monsters were born and made of mist, as to how there were so many powerful monsters on the continent.

They fought humanoids, goblins not unlike the ones they encountered back in the Evil forest, but these goblins had magic that made them invisible. Only Pinkie's cannon was able to take them down during that state.

They also fought Zaghnols, and they had tackled enough of those to know how the manage them. There were also griffins, though they were far less majestic then the ones in Equestria. Pinkie had confused a griffin into using a healing wind on them, which Pinkie's cannon greedily copied. Pinkie was quite happy that she now had an ability that could heal her friends.

They were assaulted by the various monsters constantly, but with their combined strength, they overcame every battle, and in quick order, mastered the abilities their new gear provided.

“I think we should set up camp.” Applejack suggested, “It took us all day to get here, it'll probably be half a day till we reach that place anyways.” The structure was the only sign of civilization they've witnessed so far on this continent, and they were hoping there were people living there, otherwise heading there would just be a waste of time. Getting general agreement from the others, they set up camp next to a large root exposed from the ground.

“So. Like. Are giant trees common on Gaia?” Pinkie asked. “Cause these roots are everywhere~ and it's kind of strange!” She poked the root as she appraised it. “These don't look like they belong to the Cleyra tree.” She added as she scrutinized the root they camped near, “And they're also a different color.” The roots back where they came from looked like regular tree roots, only larger than life, these ones had a chalky, and at times silvery appearance.

“I'm not sure, this is new territory for me.” Zidane admitted. “I've been all over the Mist Continent, but never anywhere else.” He also appraised the root, “So there could be a big tree on this continent as well.” He unrolled the map Cid gave them, figuring out their location. “Well, it looks like this continent isn't as big as Mist continent. If we don't find anything at that place on the cliff, we can at least pass through it to see what lies on the other side of the canyon.” He offered, instilling new purpose in his friends as they prepared for bed, Pinkie taking the first watch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So how far do we have left?” Spike quietly asked Mois as he took in the sunrise. The soft cooing of Choco's snoring drowned out by the waves crashing against the shore. She needs all the rest she can get.

“Well, we should be at the continent in a few hours, from there it depends on the terrain. Kupo. When we hit the land, I'll check for where the others are.” Spike nodded at her intentions as he eyed the ring Garnet left for him. He had already mastered it, and the power within would be useful to the others. Soon, we'll be together again. Won't they be surprised. He thought with a smile as Choco stretched, waking up.

As Choco began to get up, a shadow blocked out the sun, and Spike's eyes were drawn up, to his surprise, and alarm, a very, very large monster was floating above the three of them. It smelled putrid, it's flesh dry and broken, bones were visible, it was a large whale, and it eyed them, before falling towards them! Choco and Mois scattered, and Spike teleported as the zombie whale crushed the small island they had rested on.

Spike fell into the water with a splash as he looked towards the monster. What IS that!? And why couldn't it have waited three more minutes! The monster looked towards Choco, then Spike, and went after the young dragon. The situation brought to mind an expression Twilight had once told him. 'For every rule, there is an exception'. This monster wasn't afraid of Choco, and now Spike was in deep trouble.

He teleported away from the whale as it crashed into where he had just been, and summoned lightning upon the beast. The lightning struck it hard, but the whale was even hardier than the snakes Spike had fought, barely registering as its molted skin crackled from the lightning. The whale turned to Spike and let out a low rumble, and Spike felt himself shrink as the whale swam up to him. This again!? Oh come on! The whale's maw swallowed Spike up, but he quickly teleported out, near Mois.

“Spike! Use a feather on it!” Mois commanded, only confusing the dragon.

“What!? A phoenix feather!? Why!?” He asked as he teleported away from the whale again. The monster was moving fast, and it was hard to swim and get off a spell at the same time, while avoiding it. With all this teleporting, it was just as hard to get to Choco at his current, shrunken size. If I can get on her, we can just flee!

“Just do it! Trust me!” Mois pleaded, and as the whale worked to swallow him again, Spike pulled out a red feather, and hoped Mois knew what she was doing. Letting himself be swallowed, he applied the feather to the zombie whale. The feather gave of a red glow as the magic within it activated, and the whale shivered, and suddenly disappeared into mist, exposing Spike to daylight again. He cough and moved to get away from where he just was, the inside of the whale smelled terrible.

“What? How'd that work?” He asked, confused that the large monster had been done in with a simple feather.

“That monster was an undead type, they perish if you use reviving magic on them.”

Undead? Eww, still, that's a very good thing to know! Choco swam over to Spike as the Mini affect he was suffering wore off. Ugh, that monster must drop a lot of gil! And now it's at the bottom of the ocean. Spike sighed at that thought as he looked to the others.

“Well, let's get out of here before another one of those show up.” He said as Mois got behind him on Choco, “I don't have too many of those feathers left.” Choco chirped in understanding, and they bolted off, continuing their way to the Outer Continent. Even the ocean has monsters, scary!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Trouble with the Ladies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party stood near the edge of the cliff, near the ramp onto the old arching structure. It looked almost like a ziggarat made from a long time ago, vines grew all over it, and it was a wonder that the structure hadn't collapsed into the canyon below it. The party hesitated when they reached the root supporting the structure.

“I'm kinda surprised we haven't seen any mist so far, considerin' the monsters.” Applejack admitted, breaking the silence in an attempt the break the tension.

“I think I can see smoke and movement from within.” Zidane pointed out, “This could be a village. Thought it sure is a weird place to call home if you ask me.” He added as he looked down into the long fall below.

“Maybe it was once a temple that was converted into a village?” Dagger offered. It really was just a single large stone building, composed of several tiers. “Or maybe it is a temple, and those inside live on the other side of the canyon.”

“I say, where there's people, there's a party waiting to happen!” Pinkie said with great excitement. “No Alexandrian soldiers to make things all sad, I say we check it out!”

“Pinkie,” Zidane said while shacking his head, “all you ever think about is parties.”

“Well,” Dagger added as she started crossing the root bridge, “all you ever think about is girls.”

“Uh,” Zidane said, caught off guard by her comment, “That's right! My mind is filled with thoughts of, you!” He replied, only to see that Dagger had crossed without them, leaving Zidane standing awkwardly in front of the mares.

“Dahhh~ You shouldn't have~” Pinkie said as she gave Zidane a big hug, which he was not expecting. Applejack just shook her head and followed after Dagger.

“Um, Pinkie,” Zidane started, unable to get out of her hug, “they're getting hrk-” She squeezed tighter to interrupt him before commenting.

“Oh Zidane.” She started as she looked sadly into his eyes. “Have you already forgotten the date we went on? Do you truly choose her over me?” She asked, looking more serious than Zidane's ever seen her. And suddenly he realized the position he was in.

“Eh heh heh, well, you see Pinkie...” Oh damn, how am I getting out of this one-.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie said as she immediately let go, rolling on the floor, laughing. “The- The look on your face!” She giggled out, “It was priceless~!” She added as she got up, still giggling, gave him a heartfelt smile, and bounced after the others, leaving Zidane standing alone, completely baffled.

“How did I end up in a group of girls like this...” he said as he shook his head, a small smile slipping through. Following after them, he saw Applejack and Garnet be greeted by small green men with short red mohawks.

“Rally-ho!” They greeted, and Applejack immediately replied the same to them, and Dagger copied her, and they entered the town together. One walked up to Zidane and Pinkie.

“Rally-ho!” The dwarf said with a wave, right in front of them. Zidane looked to Pinkie.

“What's up with these little guys?”

“Rally rally ho ho ho!” Pinkie replied to the short man, and he copied her, letting her through.

“Hey, wait for-” Zidane moved to follow Pinkie, but the dwarf got in front of him.

“Rally-ho!”

“Seriously?”

“Rally-ho's oor sacred greetin'!” The dwarf explained, as if it was obvious.

Wow, I didn't think I'd run into anyone with a thicker accent than AJ. Another villager, wearing a robe and hood came up and elaborated. Wait, that's a woman!

“If ye dinnae say Rally-Ho,” she explained, “then ye cannae enter Conde Petie, hametoon o' the dwarves!”

“Now hold on just a minute-”

“Rally-ho!”

“Rally-ho!”

They interrupted in unison. Zidane stood there dumbfounded for a moment. He clearly did not like the idea of saying the dwarven greeting, but his friends were already in the town.

“...Rally-ho” Zidane said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

“Rally-ho! Ye can pass!” And the dwarf in front of him moved out of his way with a smile. Zidane shook his head as he entered Conde Petie. He quickly ran into Applejack, who caught Zidane's eye, she concealed a smug grin as she approached him.

“They sell weapons and goods here, so we can resupply.” She informed, and Zidane did just that, along with Applejack. “I like this place," she admitted, "it's a lot like Dahli. Homely and full of hospitably. Only this time, no secret black mage factory.” She said as she gave him a big smile. “Oh, ya might not wanna talk to Garnet, she seems to be a little annoyed with ya at the moment.”

“Hey Applejack! Come check this out! They've got weapons!” Pinkie appeared out of nowhere and pulled Applejack along to a vendor, against her will. Zidane let them be and asked around to see if any of the dwarves knew Kuja. His search turned up fruitless. All he learned was that the dwarves wouldn't let outsiders pass to the other side of the canyon. Something about it leading to Sanctuary, where only newlyweds may venture. There was also something about a thief going around town, which surprised him.

But I haven't stolen anything...

Reaching the vendors, he found that AJ and Pinkie were still shopping. Actually, it seemed more that Applejack was arguing with Pinkie as to what her cannon is suppose to shoot, and Kaiser Knuckles was apparently where the orange mare drew the line. Something about 'shooting punches is beyond ridiculous'. As they argued, a Black Mage casually walked up to the vendor and bought some food from the dwarf.

It was so casual, in fact, that none of them noticed it was a Black Mage until it had started to leave, its purchase in hand. Applejack stopped mid conversation as she appraised the mage walking away.

“Ya have got to be kiddin me! There's a factory here too!?” She asked, as if the mage existed only to prove her wrong. That made the mage suddenly stop and look back, and seeing the ponies confused the mage, but when it saw Zidane, it turned around and fled. “Get back here!” Applejack cried as she chased after it.

“Get Dagger, fast.” Zidane asked of Pinkie, “Our lead is running away!” Pinkie let out a disappointed sigh, having wanted to do a party. But she saluted Zidane and zipped off while he chased after Applejack. They had a Black Mage to pursue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike could not believe his luck. When they got close to the Outer Continent, they had started looking for a beach to get on from, as most of what they saw was sheer cliff. One of the chocographs he had indicated there was treasure on the very beach they landed on. They found it, and inside, were twelve Peridots! As well as a lot of phoenix feathers and a pair of metal gloves. I... guess I didn't need to be stingy with those feathers.

He hadn't had anything better than ore to eat for some time, so the Peridots were a very pleasant surprise. And just like the other gems, he felt a familiar presence from this kind. ...Shining Armor? He thought the powers would only be tied to his mare friends, making this an unexpected surprise. Though it's been a while since he last played with Twilight's brother, the dragon was still fond of him.

“Kupo! They're not too far from where we are!” Mois said excitedly as her pon pon stopped glowing.

Did my luck increase when I left Equestria? He wondered as he gave Choco a sly smile.

“Lets surprise them with a grand entry!”

“Kweh!” And they were off, Spike's eyes forward.

There's a villain to defeat, an evil queen to dethrone, and treasure to share with friends. This adventure is going to be awesome!

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Choco is one of the few lucky chocobos to make the journey to Chocobo's Paradise.'

'Her feathers turning blue allows her to swim and find treasure in shallow water, but finding it in the deep ocean is still outside of her capabilities.'

'In addition to being destroyed by means of revival, zombie type monsters also take damage from healing magic. Mostly though, if you have the feathers to part with, most anyone can handle an undead monster, assuming it doesn't handle you first.'

'The dwarves are a nice people who keep to themselves, though I honestly have a hard time understanding them. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

*Oak Staff: Stop, Bio, Drain

Add ST: Slow.

Magus Hat: Slow

Raises Ice Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%.

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion(mastered), ~~MP+10%~~

*Peridot: ~~Ramuh~~, Thundara(mastered), Brotherly Shield

Lvl-18 HP 640/640 MP 98/98

AP 1/23

*Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (7) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Slow 6 MP - Slows a single target.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Stop 8 MP - Stops targets from taking any action.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Bio 18 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage and Poison to single/multiple targets.

Drain 14 MP - Drains HP from the target and transfers it to the spell caster.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Rainboom 14 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to multiple targets, Slows and Confuses.

Brotherly Shield 20 MP - Generates a powerful shield on the party that blocks a single attack.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Here, have a rag.

Mist continent is the one in the bottom right. Outer Continent is above it.
Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you've been enjoying it thus far!:twilightsmile:

26. Black Mage Village

The Black Mage couldn't run as fast as Applejack could, and it quickly found itself tangled in a bind summoned by Applejack that it couldn't get out of. Pinkie, with the princess riding her, caught up to see Zidane and Applejack questioning the roped mage.

“Well? Where's Kuja!?” Applejack asked as she stomped her hoof into the ground, causing the mage to flinch and cower, which immediately got Pinkie's attention.

It's scared? She thought as she was locked in place, the implications flashing through her mind.

“I wonder if it's a mindless monster,” Discord chimed in sarcastically. The image of a Black Mage being speared with a sword in a sad cave flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, she let Dagger off, and moved to Applejack's side.

“Stop it AJ, don't be a meany!” Naturally, Applejack looked to Pinkie, unsure of what she was referring to. Pinkie approached the mage, all traces of hostility replaced with with something more inviting. “Totally sorry about tying you up,” she stated, her words dripping with a level of friendliness that would make anyone take notice. “We just thought you were one of those bad mage's that makes everyone sad.”

“Applejack,” Dagger began, putting her hand on the mare's shoulder, “Let him go. He doesn't mean us any harm, we should show him the same.” Applejack hesitated, but after a moment, her rope dissipated, and Zidane moved behind the mage, his expression lacking hostility, but pragmatism.

“Hello! I'm Pinkie Pie,” she greeted him, a patented Pinkie smile poring over the mage, “And I want to be your friend!” And she offered her hoof to the wary mage, who gingerly took it.

“I- I'm Mr. 33.” He replied, his eyes warily taking in the others as his gaze looked to the possibility of escape. “You- you're not going to fight me?” He asked, his actions frozen under a layer of bafflement.

“Nu uh~ You're nice!” Pinkie assured, “And you can talk! And you ran instead of trying to shoot us with fireballs!” She nodded, a look of certainty shining through her. “All good things!” Mr. 33 eased up a little, no longer looking for an escape. “So, why can you do those things?” He looked to the others before replying, dropping his defensive posture.

“One day, I woke up, I was with others, but they were asleep. They walked, and did what they were told, but were not like myself. I left them.” Mr. 33 explained, a hint of regret trickling out. The party shared a look, unsure what to make of this.

“Well, how'd ya end up here?” His eyes quickly darted to Applejack, almost taking a step back before answering.

“I heard of others like myself, and came here to be with them.” Zidane nodded at his rushed answer, and looked to the mage.

“There are other Black Mages that have 'woken' up?” Zidane asked, “Can we meet them?”

“You see,” Pinkie chimed in, “We're looking for a big meany named Kuja,” her frown made Mr. 33 uncomfortable as she continued, “made a lot of bad days for a lot of people. Can you tell us where we can find him?” Mr. 33 looked between the four of them, the desire to flee evident, but a look of curiosity overpowered it.

“I- I don't know where he is. But Mr. 288 may know.” He considered them a moment more, “I can take you to him, at our village.”

“Oooh~ You'd do that for us?” she asked, and she resisted the urge to jump high into the air as she saw his affirmation. “That would be great! Thank you~!” Pinkie declared, once again giving him her patented smile, and she got one back. At least, she felt so, it was hard to tell with the Black Mage. He moved to guide them, away from Conde Petie, towards a large forest nestled in a large valley. As they traveled, Pinkie was drawn back to what she had done at Gizamaluke's Grotto.

Discord, is it bad that we've killed mages? Sounds like they're just sleeping when we fight them. Pinkie hid her worry from her friends, the image of a speared Black Mage kept flashing in her head. Killing them was wrong, they could think and have personalities too, and the realization slowed her pace. She cried when she slew the first Black Mages she had encountered, and that was when she thought they were monsters.

“You shouldn't get all bent out of shape,” Discord assured. “It's good that you're worried, and that you're sad.” He then poked her on the nose, which made her blink, “It means you care, and as that rodent said, it was them, or us.” He held his hand under his chin as he looked into the distance, “Well, I think she said something to that affect anyways.”

But- her reply was cut short. Discord harrumphed and got right in her face.

“Nope, we're not going to have any of that!” He said as he shoved a copy of Pinkamena into the party cannon, and fired her. Into the sun. “Stop moping!” His tone caught her off guard. “What's done is done, so focus on making these unsleeping mages smile!” His words played through her head, over and over, as she nodded, but as she was about to mentally thank him, her gratitude was interrupted by a realization.

Why are you still here? The poisonous mist was abandoned days ago, upon entering a transcontinental cavern. Shouldn't you have disappeared by now? He paused, and looked at her in surprise. Then, he put his hands behind his back, lightly kicking the dirt as he gave her a weak smile that made her pause, as he disappeared into mist. Discord? She no sign of the spirit as she looked around for him, and her breathing quickened as a familiar emotion started to take over her. Discord!? Her eyes dipped around, her heart beating rapidly, her blood running cold at the idea that he was gone.

“Right here, Pinkie,” She quickly turned around, oblivious to her surroundings as her eyes fell on her friend. Discord was kicking the dirt as he glanced at her from over his shoulder. “I'll admit, I'm glad I got a scare out of you. It means you care.” Happiness radiated from him.

So, you're not mist poisoning then? Pinkie let out a sigh of relief as she started moving with her friends again, giving them a reassured expression as Discord glided to her side.

“Well, I would be a lot less likely to take flack from you if you thought it was all just a bad case of misty blues.” She nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

So then, when I was sent to Gaia-

“A part of me got stuck on you when I tried to stop it.”

The idea that he tricked her, was overpowered by the fluttering in her chest. Even though only her eyes saw him, she had another friend by her side. He's always been there, helping to fight the ghosties. And as the memories of every hurt she witnessed on this world flashed before her, she came to realize something.

This whole time, she had a friend by her side.

“You're not mad?” His confusion born from her thoughts.

No, silly! You've helped me, even if it did mess with my head. He had given her the means to fight, and helped her through Gizamaluke's Grotto, and through so much more. She couldn't fathom what she would be like without him, but even considering the possibility made her step falter.

“Well, how about that,” he chuckled out, “Looks like I was worried over nothing!”

Discord.

“Yes?”

I'm glad you're with us. She hoped, with every fiber of her being, that he could feel the warmth she was feeling right now. I just wish the others could see you as well. Her thoughts made him pause, and his eyes fell to the others. He looked at Pinkie in a new light, and took on a ponderous expression before adopting a sly wink.

“I'll see what I can manage, so just you wait!” She mirrored the energy his words carried.

Okey dokey lokey! Her happiness at this moment was overbearing. No pony could contain it, so it washed over to her friends, looks of confusion masked by the mirth they received.

They traveled on back the way that had come, keeping the old forest in sight as they descended down into the valley. Pinkie conversed with Mr. 33, learning that he shared the responsibility of taking care of a chocobo egg with another Black Mage in the village.

As he went into how he had come to find the egg, they all stopped, mouths hung open as a light blue chocobo lept over them. With a purple flash, Spike stood in the midst of them, striking a pose born to inspire heroism. While the Black Mage had stumbled back, Pinkie had stumbled forward. Again, she was the first to act, and in a brief moment of confusion, she and Spike were on the ground, the baby dragon being almost smothered against her chest.

“Spike!? You decided to join us!?” She exclaimed, her heart flushing with joy. Spike tried to free himself from her, but he abandoned the notion and hugged back instead.

“Spike?” Applejack asked, her expression failing to mask her disbelief. “How'd ya get here?” There was a crack in her mouth, a small smile being hidden by her surprise. The dragon separated himself from his friend, and looked over the others, but Zidane spoke up before he did.

“Does it really matter?” He asked, giving the dragon a curt nod, and an assuring smile.

“Well, I'd like to know as well.” Dagger proclaimed, her emotions mirrored by the others, “Why did you decide to follow us?” The friends were all happy to see him, but confusion was the expression of the moment, leaving Pinkie out of the loop of bafflement.

“Well, you see...” And Spike told them about what he'd gone through over the last three days, and the motivations behind coming after them. And his friends reciprocated by filling him in on what they had gone through, and what they were intending. After catching up, Spike appraised the Black Mage.

“Hi! I'm Spike! I once met an number of others like you! Only, they never talked. But they did help us!” Then Spike's demeanor dropped as he looked to the ground, “They were really nice.” Despite the mood he was masking, his words seemed to make Mr. 33 happy. Trying to distract himself by his own thoughts, Spike's attention fell on his friends.

“Wow!” His eyes washed over Applejack, taking in the details of her armor, “Applejack, you look incredible! I don't even think the royal guards are as decked out as you are!” Applejack's face flushed as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Ah shucks, it's just armor Spike.”

“Armor that make's you look awesome!” He paced around her, getting a good look.

“Soo,” Pinkie began, releasing her curiosity, “Where's that blue bird we saw?” Spike was quick to turn to her attention.

“Mois is going with Choco to find something called a Chocobo's Sanctuary.” He explained, “With Mois at her side, she can find us when they find it. Then we can all find treasure together!”

“Well, I'm never apposed to finding treasure,” Zidane declared as his eyes gauged the forest before them, a hard look worn on his face. “But we should first address the matter at hand.”

“Oh, right!” Spike stated, masking his embarrassment, “We gotta take care of that first!” He then looked Mr. 33 over, “So this Mr. 288 know's where we can find Kuja? Well, let's keep moving then!” With that, they all went into the forest, following their guide within. Mr. 33 explained that the village was deep in the woods, where not even the owls dwell.

Wandering into the old woods, the dry, barren branches rattling in the wind, Spike shared his spoils to the others. Zidane and Dagger enjoyed a good deal of what he had plundered, but he caught Pinkie off guard when he offered her a ring. She eyed the ring for just a moment, before containing a grin trying to escape her features.

“Oh Spike, this is just too sudden!” She wailed as she got on her knees in front of the baby dragon. “I, I need to talk to Twilight, and my parents!” The distress in her voice only emphasized her exaggerated movements. “Oh~ I just don't know if it'll work out in our current situation~!” Pinkie proclaimed, feigning embarrassment. Unfortunately, her teasing was lost on Spike, however...

“P-Pinkie!” Applejack stuttered out, “He's not offering his claw in...” She hesitated when she saw the expression Spike was giving her, youthful confusion, and Pinkie tried her hardest to contain the powerful urge to say 'gotcha!'. Instead, she gave Applejack an expression that would make even her parents feel like they had wronged her.

“Well, how about you?” Spike asked as he turned to Applejack with the ring. Dagger and Zidane couldn't hide their mirth as the orange mare turned scarlet. Pinkie couldn't hold it in any longer, the pain of holding back becoming too much. She rolled on the floor, giggling, and Zidane and Dagger started to follow after her as Applejack stood there, unsure where her attention should be given.

“What's wrong Applejack?” Zidane got out as he held his sides, “I thought you knew he wasn't offering-” His sentence was smothered when his face was buried by rope. Applejack frowned at the others as she took the ring, and tossed it to Pinkie. Pinkie took a giggled breath to press the prank further, but the look Applejack was giving her gave her reason to pause.

Spike shook his head as Applejack freed Zidane from her own magic. He explained to Pinkie about the properties of the Reflect Ring, and that it was a gift from Dagger. Deciding it's power would be best shared, they agreed to trade the ring off once it was mastered by the wielder. Pinkie placed the ring in her mane, and still feeling the power within it, assumed that would suffice for 'equipping' it.

Traveling through the woods, they saw that the further they went, the less hooting they heard. Indeed, the forest became more and more still as they moved deeper within, until only the sound of dry leaves and twigs breaking underfoot broke the silence.

They fought a number of monsters as they moved, large owls with a penchant of telekinesis, and they combated the poisonous clouds summoned by large floating mushrooms.

They eventually reached a clearing of dried dirt, and Mr. 33 moved forward, motioning the others to stand back. Summoning his magic, the air within the clearing rippled, dispelling a barrier that concealed a swath of forest green with life, the sound of birds chirping poring over them. They followed after the mage, and shortly after passing the barrier, it sealed. Hiding the Black Mage Village from the rest of the world.

Reaching the small town, the buildings were round wooden huts, their roofs and buildings carrying a style representing of the mages themselves. The wood looked to be freshly cut, a light smell of sawdust sweetened the air. The roofs looked like steepled hats, and the sides of the huts had slits in the walls to make a smile and a pair of eyes, giving the homes a sense of personality. As they entered the town, a number of mages noticed them and quickly turned and ran.

“Heeeyyy~! Don't be scared! I just wanna be friends!” Pinkie proclaimed, her bouncing propelling her towards the mages. Mr. 33 followed her to assure the other mages, leaving the others behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Beneath the Soil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing Pinkie bolt off, Dagger and Applejack chased after her. Spike's curiosity compelled him, going off to take in the village, leaving Zidane alone at the town's entrance. Teleporting through the town, he was met with a better reception than the others, the mages were only concerned by humans.

He saw several shops, a large home that housed a chocobo egg, and a number of quivering mages that were apprehensive to talk to him, their attention drawn to looking out for the intruders. As Spike wandered through the town, he found a spot that demanded his attention.

It was a small clearing, a number of staffs were embedded into the ground with the hats and articles of mages placed upon the wooden markers. A serene breeze blew through the clearing, making the articles rustle peacefully. A mage with a staff, different from the others, hinting at great power, overlooked the area, and eyed the dragon as Spike approached.

“Well, hello outsider.” He causally greeted the dragon, as one would greet an old friend. “Are you with the humans that Mr. 33 brought here?”

“Yep!” He quickly declared, “I'm Spike, Master Hunter!”

“Well, greetings, I'm Mr. 288.” He then bowed to the dragon as he continued, “My apologies, but we're very wary of humans, the way they use us is, unsettling.”

“Is that why you're hiding out here in the forest?”

“Indeed, we escaped from Alexandria to settle here.”

“This is pretty far away!” All of them made the trek through that underground cave?

“Yes, because of the distance, there are no humans here, it's why we chose this place.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Spike said as he appraised the location. “So what is this place?”

“It's a cemetery.”

“A cemetery?” Spike asked hesitantly, something buried within his mind stirring from the concept, “So underneath the ground-”

“Yes, our friends are buried under here.” Mr. 288 Said, both quickly, and respectfully.

Spike looked at the cemetery, his thoughts falling silent as his eyes were drawn towards the markers. He understood what a cemetery was, but this was the first time he's witnessed one. Seeing it, something within him started to give way. His eyes pictured the dead mages buried beneath the soil, and imagined them being blown there by the Black Waltz. The dead laying there surrounded him with despair and sorrow, and it started to choke at him, making his breathing ragged.

“Why are there so many?” Worry washed over him as he considered the possibility that they had yet to face the true dangers of the forest. The village was young, and the thought of so many already having perished made him tremble.

“Because it's how we're made.” Mr. 288 replied, his voice carried a level of acceptance that made Spike envious. “We have a short lifespan. One day we're up and moving around, and the next, we're not.”

What? Just like that, they die? He saw his friends, one by one, stop moving and fall to the ground, lifeless, and his vision became blurry as his mind wandered towards a territory he had buried beneath him.

Death.

The fear he felt, the uselessness that made him angry with himself, when the princess was captured in the Evil Forest. The picture of the princess never being found clawed at him, and moved him.

Gaia was not Equestria. Here, death was around every corner. It walked the fields and attacked all that were too weak to stand against it. His trembling empowered his purpose, his will to attack. But it also held him back, a smile to never lighten his heart. So he buried the visions of death, under a layer of soil called adventure, smothering the notion under a lighthearted ideal. While he smothered the visions, his friends saw refuse in other means, which he envied.

Pinkie combated it with her smile, with her crazy enthusiasm. She placed herself above the tragedy that brought tears to her eyes, by looking for the smiles of others, and wrapping her heart in them, like a shield.

Applejack took it all it, her body assaulted by the tragedies, the despair, the failure. She stood bruised and battered, but she never fell, she took strength knowing that there were others she placed above herself. She would lay battered and broken, with a smile on her face, if she had succeeded in saving her friends.

Spike buried it. His eyes were closed to the thoughts that made him tremble. He held his eyes shut before all the death that lay before him, his heart quivered to see it. He had not felt the ravages of war as his friends have. Knew not the horrors of the eidolons, or the malice of their enemies. But he did know the blackness that was death, and it made him hesitant. He dared not stare at it, for the fear of it staring back.

Spike sat down, his legs weak as his thoughts assaulted him.

The blood on the floor, left behind by the Burmecian messenger, flashed before his eyes, but in the Burmecian's place was Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Zidane. Dagger. Despite the throbbing of his head, he could not dispel the image, his body trembling as the thoughts he had buried for so long threatened to break him. Their bodies lay dead before him, the utter helplessness of the prospect made his heart race. He knew there was no saving the dead, refuge was found in a distraction called adventure.

Adventure was the soil buried upon the anguish of death. Where that soil came from, and what it buried, flashed through his mind, almost making him scream out.

Tears started to fall down his cheeks, seeing his shame before him.

His enthusiastic trip through the underground facility in Dali, his warm interaction with the mages there. Distractions to smother being frozen in stone, Applejack and himself a lawn ornament for all time.

His shoulders shaking, the breeze failed to distract him from the continuing barrage.

Assist the princess with minor, nostalgic chores. Smother the sight of Black Mages falling into the mist.

Running away to aid the princess, to bury the blood underfoot, blood of a dead Burmecian.

Now openly weeping, he was left alone to his tears as the Black Mage looked on, wanting to help, but lacking the words to do so.

A card game, a quest for a cure, to wash away encountering a familiar, broken, confused foe, his claws almost covered in its blood.

Hunting for treasure on the back of a loyal friend. The prospect of a dead princess, her blood on his claws, laying on a magic circle of stone.

Crossing the ocean, tasting the salty air. Refugees without a home in a ruined grotto.

The storm of soil and death slammed into his soul, memories rushing past him, then he caught sight of Twilight. Twilight? He felt, in his mind, warmth radiating from the gem bearing her name, and that warmth filled him. And that warmth dispelled the storm. Clarity returned to him, his lungs raw, his heart throbbing, his head aching, his tears expended.

The cemetery. Such a simple, honest, respectful, peaceful symbol of death, had broken the soil, and he saw himself in a light he wished to bury. He had hid his fears, and now it all had come to him at once, leaving him ragged, weakened, and drained. He looked to his trembling claws, the fear that made him bury his terror of death slowly dying down. And the clarity he found himself within saw what drove him. His actions were motivated by something simpler than an ideal called adventure.

He didn't come to the Outer Continent to find treasure.

He didn't come out here to join a quest to defeat a villain.

He came out here to protect his friends, by offering his strength.

I, I came here to protect my friends? He dared not imagine what they had been through, for he knew it was worse than what he had seen. And yet, he sought refuse in that fact. I'm the Master Hunter. If they can manage, then I can too, right? His tired eyes fell back to the Black Mage at his side, still quietly overlooking the cemetery. His eyes fell upon the graves, and he saw the articles decorating them.

“Why do you cover the graves in their items?” Spike asked, his voice chalky and dry. The mage gave him a look that implied wisdom beyond years, and an expression Spike could only tie one thing to. Good will.

“To honor them, and to show respect,” turning back to the graves, he took on an expression Spike had never seen a Black Mage wear. Sadness.

“They were my friends, and I will never forget them, and someday, I will join them at their side. Until then, I shall walk for them, talk for them, and live for them. At least, that's how I see it. The others, they do not understand death.” His words made the dragon look up, strength lay hidden within those words, and Spike sought it out.

Live for them? Never forget them?

Spike began to tremble again, at the prospect of placing the soil back on everything he had protected himself from. He glared at his claws, the notion of crushing those memories underneath terrifying, smothering soil made his dying fear grown into something else. He closed his trembling claws, and no force would pry them open.

Those memories were to be known. He had buried them, and they could not be contained, so there was no point in burying them again. His chest ached, adding to the pain he was suffering, as he thought of Ponyville. Again, he felt the warmth from the gem, no, the gems in his possession, and he knew what he needed to do. He would no longer bury the tragedies he witnessed, he would face them, and not let them smother him. He would take refuse in a new approach, one that would not haunt him, and wear him ragged.

He intended to take the soil that was adventure, and plant the seeds of a brighter future within it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie didn't know why Spike was crying, but she could gander a pretty good guess. His pain washed into her, she understood the source, and knowing how painful those tears were, she embraced him from behind, making him flinch.

“It's okay Spike,” she whispered, her tears carried in her voice, “you've got all of us with you.” He felt cold to the touch, but her warmth radiated into him. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and her heart stopped at the connection. There was more than sadness in the stare, there was also a fire. A fire she knew, would never burn out. Spike looked back to the cemetery, his shoulders slumped as he took in a deep breath.

“I miss home.”

Three words. A sentiment that conveyed so much, that was shared by all three of the Equestrians. She could almost smell fresh cake greeting her as she saw herself there, the warmth of the sun, the smile of all of her Ponyville friends. Her heart ached as she kept her tears down.

“We all do, but we'll be fine, as long as we have each other.”

“Yea. I know. That's why I followed after you guys.”

“And that's why we worried about you,” she let go of him and faced him. “I'm glad that you're back. I know home seems so far away, but we have friends here too.” Her eyes now carried the fire his held. “And they need our help. So let's help our friends, and maybe, just maybe, everything will turn out alright.” He nodded.

“Let's move forward,” Spike amended, “eyes wide open.”

“Mr. 288,” a voice called out from above, bringing the two friends back to their surroundings. “Do you need me to remove the outsid-” The voice stopped as Pinkie eyed a peculiar Black Mage. It had broken wings that it was somehow flying with, and it was eyeing Spike in confusion, who was also looking to the mage, his claws slowly reaching towards his staff.

“Um, Hi there,” Spike greeted, as if walking on egg shells, “Black Waltz No.3.”

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hello Equestrian! Mois here to talk to you about Gaia!'

'I wish I had been with Spike at the Black Mage Village, that way I could have given him a hug. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide(mastered), Party Bomb(mastered)

Feather Hat: Bright Eyes, Add Status

Silk Robe: Ability Up, Loudmouth, Cake!

*Reflect Ring: ~~Reflect~~, ~~Distract~~, Auto-Reflect

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl up! Lvl-21 HP 905/905 MP 23/93

AP 0/25

Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to blind.

White Confetti 14 MP : Restores HP of multiple targets.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Cake! 8 MP : Cures Trouble. Casts Haste and Regen to single target.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

Obligatory song! I reaaaly hope I didn't alienate anyone with this chapter. :fluttershysad:
Major thanks to my good friends, Seiya and OCisbestpony for the help with this chapter! :twilightsmile:
I've put a lot of effort into doing 'show, don't tell' with this chapter. And I intend to carry that through all subsequent chapters. I hope it made a noticeable improvement to the chapter's quality.

27. Unfathomed Reminiscence

She saw Zidane talking to one of the mages, as if it was nothing, and Applejack crushed the envy rising within. The mage's eyes darted between the two outsiders nervously as he peddled the items hanging from the wall behind him. And after parting one to Zidane for some gil, they left the small shop. As the glow of the fading sunlight lightened her features, she turned to her companion.

“Zidane, how can ya talk to them? Just like that?” He eyed her, respectful consideration flashing through his eyes. They had fought the mages, over and over, and seen what they had done. She hesitated when she approach any within the village. Black Mages, slain by her hoof, constantly pestered her guilt.

“Because they're not the same,” he said with a firm nod, “We fought dolls, and these mages are anything but that.”

“That's because they were 'asleep'.” A saddening sound carried in her voice as she added, “Had we not killed them-”

“We didn't know, and we would have tried something differently if we had. We know now, and we can share this with Cid when we return to take down Brahne.” Moving through the village, he saw the guilt in her eyes, and pressed on.

“Look, you feel guilty, right? Can't you see that they do as well? They were used as puppets to end lives, and they woke up to that...” He quietly looked over the village, provoking the same action from her. “Once we remove Brahne from the throne...” His voice trailed off as they reached the cemetery.

We can free the others. Hope filled her heart, until she followed Zidane's gaze. What she saw commanded her body to move on its own.

She felt the cold handle of the sword in her mouth. Taken aback by how quickly she armed herself, her eyes saw a foe that had nearly sent her plummeting to her death. Black Waltz's eyes met hers, all other things were outside her notice, only it mattered. But her legs refused to move. Her heart held her back, seeing what her mind ignored.

Applejack blinked as she was called out. And the spell broke, and her mind saw what made her heart falter. Spike stood in front of her, Black Waltz's posture invited attack, Zidane's hand on her shoulder, Pinkie anchored between her and Black Waltz, and the chill of the blade in her mouth.

"Applejack! He's okay!" the dragon assured her, snapping something in the mare's mind.

Today's events were too much for her. Her sword fell to the ground as she exhaled, releasing her pent up emotions as well as her ability to defend herself and her friends. Today she had encountered a village more rustic than herself. She had met Black Mages who were friendly and... normal. She reunited with a friend, who's method of reaching them still fell outside her believability. And here, she once more met a foe who her friends were now defending. Defending someone she had never wanted to meet again. Heck, if Kuja appeared right at this moment offering cookies and an apology, she would take it to mark an end of a day of oddities.

Slowly, her breathing returned to her, and her emotions calmed as she looked to her friends.

“If it's the same to ya'll, I'm callin' it a night,” she replied, tiredly placing her blade in it's sheath. Lumbering towards the inn, she worked to put this day behind her, hoping the world would make sense come morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Royal Pardon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger's perplexed expression at Applejack's tired posture failed to be answered by the mare, so she walked on to the others, and hesitated when she saw the Black Waltz, who's eye's narrowed when they fell upon her.

“So, he's here too?” She began to suspect the reasons to Applejack's demeanor.

“Yea, but he's totally alright now!” Spike assured, hoping to her win over before she too left them. Not wanting to disappoint him, she moved to Zidane's side before the ragged mage.

“I am not!” No.3 indignantly claimed, “Foul whelp! Don't speak for others so quickly!” It looked to Dagger before shaking its head, “I still feel the urge to capture her. But I can ignore it.” It looked to the pair before him and bowed slightly, “Princess, Monkey, I, apologize,” he barely managed to express.

She had seen it hesitate when Spike talked it down last time. She wanted to accept it's apology, but the memory of his power causing her to pass out sealed her lips. The silence at her side told her Zidane's stance, and the Black Waltz didn't seem moved by the silence.

“Ahhh~ Come on!” Pinkie exclaimed, “Forgive and forget, right?” She asked as she gave a short aside glance to Spike.

Does she want us to do it for Spike? Dagger looked to Spike, her chest aching when she saw traces of sorrow dried on his face.

“It's not easy,” Zidane explained, “forgiving someone that tried to kill you.”

“Well,” Pinkie began, with a sly look, “a lot of things we do aren't easy, so why stop now?” Dagger looked to Zidane, and his face shortly adopted her expression, as she turned back to Black Waltz No.3.

“I cannot speak for my friends, but I forgive your attempts to capture me. You were doing what you were made to do, right?” She was surprised to find herself relieved after saying that, but it was short lived as a thought came to mind. She turned to the Black Mage overlooking all of them, he was giving off an air of authority, “What about the mages he destroyed?” The Black Mage had been ready for such a question, and quickly replied.

“He made his actions present to all of us when he first arrived, we accepted him regardless. He was asleep, as we were, he just woke up differently. Though we forgive him for what he did to the others, we do not speak for you, and I believe you are deserving of giving out any punishment you see fit.” Hearing that, the group of friends were all looking towards Zidane, the air growing tense, waiting on his words.

“Look,” he began as he scratched the back of his head, looking down, “I'll forgive you, if Applejack does. So, you'll have to wait till morning.” He kicked the dirt lightly as he look to the Waltz, “It wouldn't hurt if you learned our names too.” Dagger saw the sky turning to twilight, and now understood what Applejack had gone off for.

“Then it's a done deal~!” Pinkie proclaimed, bouncing around all of them.

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Zidane offered, “You saw the look in her eyes just now.” His words gave the pink mare reason to pause, as they all looked to where Applejack had gone off to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The haze of unconsciousness lessened as she felt the weight in her bed shift. Opening an eye, Applejack witnessed a young dragon quietly leaving the room. The sight slowly dispelled the drowsy fog over her, letting her take in her dark environment. She had gone to bed at the inn, pushing aside the question as to why an isolated village had need of one, and passed out shortly after removing her armor. Her aches and sores cried in joy when she landed on the soft, warm, inviting bed.

Her bed was the bottom one of two bunk beds. She assumed all four beds were occupied, as she felt lingering warmth radiating from next to her within the bed. Spike had shared a bed with her. Her heart warmed as she recalled the times she had done so with Apple Bloom.

“Hey, Zidane, you awake?” Garnet's voice quietly trailed through the room, had Applejack not been wakened by Spike, she would have never heard it.

“Trouble sleeping?” The reply came from the bed over her own.

“Well, it's about Spike, will he be okay?” There was a moment of silence, broken by his reply.

“I wouldn't worry too much. I think, seeing the cemetery and Black Waltz opened his eyes, and now he's trying to figure it all out for himself. He's tough, so I'm sure he'll manage, and if he doesn't, he has us to help him.

“Wouldn't it be better if we helped him first?” The following silence made Applejack eager for a reply. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she didn't want to separate herself from this conversation either. She hadn't noticed anything wrong with Spike, but then again, she didn't get a good look at him when she encountered the Black Waltz. After a minute of silence, Zidane replied.

“I think Pinkie's already taken care of that, she was nearby when he needed her, and she convinced us to forgive the Waltz. Besides, we're already helping him, and our other friends.” His words reminded Applejack of how lucky she was to not be the only Equestrian on Gaia.

Thank ya, Pinkie, for lookin' after Spike while I was bein' a stick in the mud.

“When you say helping them...”

“Yea, helping them find their home.” There was a note to his voice that made Applejack's eyes flush, and she quickly kept her tears in check as their voices fell silent, punctuating the noise of Pinkie's steady breathing, and the songs of the bugs outside.

“Zidane, when you said home-” Garnet was interrupted when Applejack heard a light chuckle above her.

“What's wrong, can't sleep?” he let out a tired, but affectionate sigh as he prompted, “How about a bedtime story? Let's see, once upon a time.”

“There you go again, teasing me,” Garnet replied, almost feigning indignation.

“Once upon a time, there was a man. A man who didn't know where he came from.” His narration carried a hint of longing, and loneliness.

“Zidane?” The princess asked, not masking her concern, but the story continued.

“This man had longed to find his birthplace ever since he was a small child. His birthplace, a place he only remembered in his dreams.

“Why?” She asked, but Applejack understood why.

“He wanted to know more about himself, maybe. About his parents, the house where he was born.” A sigh escaped as he continued the story, “One day, the man left the home of his adoptive father, and went on a quest to find the answer. His only clue was the blue light he saw in his dreams.”

“A blue light?”

“Yea. He thought it might be a memory of his home. An ocean, maybe?”

“Did he find it?” Applejack felt from the tone he was delivering the story, that he had not, but she still listened, failing to realize that she was holding her breath.

“Hey! You're jumping ahead. A lot of things happened along the way.” There was a light pause before he relented, “Alright, we can skip ahead. No, he never found it. How could he? His only clue was a colored light. So he went back to the home of his adoptive father. What do you think his father did when he returned home?”

“Welcomed him home?”

“No way! The father raised his fist and beat the son he had worked so hard to raise.” Applejack had to resist chuckling at that.

“Why?” Garnet asked.

I betcha it was because he was worried. Applejack thought as Zidane replied indignantly.

“I don't know. But you know what surprised him even more? The father smiled, after beating up his son! Can you believe that? He just gave his son a beating.” And though she couldn't see him, she could feel his smile as he concluded his story.

“But this is what the man thought when he saw his father smile. 'This is my home. This is the place I call home.'”

Home, it's so far away. Zidane made a new home, and is still searching for the original. He's spent so much time doing it. Will we be going through the same thing? Zidane spoke up, and she latched onto those words before her thoughts drowned her.

“The man is still looking for his birthplace, but he already has a home, and that's good enough for him.”

Should we start considering that option? her thoughts fell silent at the notion.

“You want to help the others because of that, um, story?” Garnet asked gingerly.

“I can't deny that it's part of the reason, but they're our friends. You know me, I'll go through hell and back for a friend.”

“Why is that?” She asked, her question mirroring Applejack's new line of thinking. She would do the same to help a friend, and wondered what his take on it was.

“I guess... it's just my nature.”

Just his nature? I guess we share that in common. Indeed, her nature was now demanding that she fess up to eavesdropping, so she spoke up.

“Well Zidane,” she smiled as she felt the bed shake from his reaction, “thank ya. It really helps. Fer all of us.”

“Did we wake you?” Garnet asked, an apology laced in her words.

“Now don't ya fret sugar-” she hesitated at her choice of words, then frowned at her hesitation. She's my friend before being a princess, and that's the honest truth!

“Now don't ya fret, sugarcube. Spike woke me, and I'm glad he did. I'm glad I heard that story.” Though it made her think of home, she was glad to know a little bit more about the strange man who's been helping them since crashing into a dark forest. Considering his story, she found it a little amusing. They had both left their homes to seek where they belonged, only to realize they had already had a home waiting for them. Applejack recalled her cutie mark as Zidane spoke up.

“Well,” he began, sounding composed, “if it made you happy, then it's all good. Let's get some rest, while we can.” He got no argument from the others, and they fell silent as Applejack wondered where Spike wandered off to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Moonlight
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike was surprised to see Black Waltz looking over the cemetery when he arrived. The blue glow of the moon shined over the unlit area, and the Black Waltz was unmoving, not noticing the dragon at his side, as they both stared to the moon.

“Are you really sorry?” The dragon's question made the mage flinch, and he looked down at Spike in annoyance.

“If she had tried to run me through, I'm certain I would have let it happen.” Spike had been worried Applejack would do just that, he had not expected her to drop her blade and leave them. Once again, his eyes fell over the cemetery, reminding him of the ebbing ache born from what happened earlier.

“Aren't you scared?” He was fine with perishing, and Spike couldn't fathom why.

“Not really, trying to do something different from what I was made to, that terrified me. I'm not the same as the others. I will dissolve into mist when I perish, there will be no body to lay beside them.” Spike looked over the graves again, keeping his sorrow in check as the mage continued. “I don't know if I share a short lifespan as they do, but the idea of being around when they're all gone, is unsettling.” Spike eyed the ground as he pictured such an outcome, and he nodded as he saw an implication from those words.

“So you're happy here?” His question made the mage briefly glare at him.

“I don't deserve happiness,” he then looked back to the cemetery, eyes falling on the moonlit markers, quietly rustling in the wind. “But, I do find my time here, enjoyable.” Spike made to leave, hearing words that helped banish the thoughts that had kept him awake.

“Thank you.” Spike heard on the breeze, unsure if he had actually heard it or not. His movement stopped, his mouth hanging open as he looked back, the silent shadow of Black Waltz's back greeting him. Spike brought out a staff he's had for some time, it's powers already mastered, and walked back up to the mage.

“This is yours, I think you should have it back.” The mage looked to the staff, then to Spike. He took the staff, and moved into the cemetery. Spike looked on in confusion as he planted the staff into the ground, joining the others in the field.

“This is no longer my staff, but my marker.” Those were the only words he was going to offer Spike, who simply shook his head with a shrug, and returned to his friends, tired from the days events, and feeling as though sleep would now welcome him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack woke up to feel a bundle of warmth next to her. Ah shucks, how am I gonna get outa bed without wakin' him? She had gotten more rest than the others, and took advantage of it by waking first. Being a farmer, she had plenty of practice waking up early. Carefully, and slowly moving from the bed without waking him, she succeeded, only to find herself at an impasse.

Her armor was stacked next to her bed. The pile was waiting for a solid breeze to knock the entire mess into an alarm that would put a rooster to shame. Settling with a sigh over a metal racket, she left the inn, taking in the light glow of the sunrise. Her hooves striking the ground the only noise breaking the rhythm of the morning ambiance. Luckily, the one she was looking for, was waiting for her far enough from the inn to not disturb her friends.

“Hello, Applejack.” Black Waltz No.3 greeted, making her stop, a chill running down her spine at the notion that he knew her name. She suddenly felt exposed in front of her former foe, but wasn't worried. She was stronger now than their first encounter, and though she was unarmed, so was he.

“Ya almost killed me,” she accused, her glare capable of melting ice. Her breathing increased as she saw his expression remain steady, prompting her to let out a short snuff of hot air, visible in the morning dew.

“So did 'ya',” He mocked, making her drag her hoof through the dirt as she hissed.

“Ya shouldn't have hurt my friends!” Her point was punctuated by the sound of a hoof slamming into the dirt, still, his expression was unchanging.

“You should have let me take the princess.” His voice carried a hiss of his own.

“No, I shouldn't have!” She took up a stance to attack him, she wasn't as forgiving as Spike, but it annoyed her that he wasn't shifting to defend himself.

“Aren't ya gonna fire yer spells? Fly up so I can't attack?”

“No, the old me would have. But I met a whelp that made me ask questions. Those questions killed the old me, he's dead, a marker and our memories his only witness.” His words carried emotion this time, which made her take a step back. She shook her head and took two steps forward.

“Ya think yer clever words will make me buy that!?” She charged him, moving to Applebuck him, but he didn't flinch, his expression unchanging again, and again, her movement was stopped.

She glared at him, wondering if he knew being defenseless was the best defense against her. She kicked the dirt and backed away from him, getting a change his is expression, confusion. Oh come on! I can't make him pay if he's lookin' forward to it! The look her friends gave her when she saw him last night flashed through her mind.

“Now ya look here! Ya almost made me fall to my death, destroyed a number of friendly Black Mages, and struck down my friends with yer magic!” Her own words summoned an image she had not been expecting. Freya, fighting by Beatrix's side, despite everything the general did to her and her people. She shook her head, breaking through the wall of hesitation as she tackled the Waltz, pinning him to the ground, with her standing over him.

“So don't think that ya can just expect me to buy that yer a good person all of a sudden!” Her words were not meant for him, but for the friends she left sleeping. Her friends now seemed to trust him, and she had faith in them. She couldn't trust him, but she owed her friends that trust. “Ya want me to punish ya!?” She saw the confirmation in his eyes, mixed with surprise that she was yelling right into his face.

She clubbed him three times in the side of his head, once for each of her friends. She then bucked him into a tree, that last one was for her. The wind was knocked out of him, but he was still coherent. She moved over him, her hoof aching, her breathing heavy.

“Consider yerself punished,” She curtly declared. “Don't threaten anyone else ever again, ya hear me?” Once again, her face at his, their eyes inches apart. She caught his slight nod, and it slowly dispelled her hostile attitude. She's seen enough of these mages to figure that lying was beyond them, that and her trust in her friends was enough for her to leave Black Waltz be. She stepped back, but thinking not to leave empty hoofed, she dug into him.

“We're lookin' fer a man named Kuja, would ya know him?”

“I, I-” his composed attitude was now completely gone. It was clear to the mare that he had not expected her to let him live. “I, yes, I've heard that there is a palace he resides in. It's past a place called Sanctuary by the dwarves. You should be able to get there by passing through their village.” He considered what he knew for a moment before adding, “Kuja once mentioned that there was a secret in this land, concerning the source of the mist.”

“Wait, ya talked to him?” She moved back into his face, and this time, there was fear in his eyes. And what's that about the mist?

“Not myself, Mr. 288 did, a couple days ago.” He quickly got out, and his emotions made her realized that she was practically bullying him, just like Mr. 33 yesterday.

“Oh, I see,” her voice hinting at an apology as she stepped away from her former foe. She took several deep breaths as she slowly let go of the mood she had built herself up upon. Then his answer played through her mind, dragging her mood towards the opposite spectrum. Wait, really!? Her expression lightened, the rest of her poor mood dispelled, Finally! We're gettin' somewhere! “Thanks for the info!” I need to get my friends up and moving, we gotta return to the dwarves! And she made to leave, but hesitated, “Black Waltz No.3, don't do anythin' bad, ever again, please.” Her plea was honest, and it made him look embarrassed, and his embarrassment eased her apprehension. I really don't want to see Spike bein' disappointment by him.

Reaching the inn, she decided to waken her friends, and get them going, in the most practical manor possible. She put on her armor.

“I'm awake!” Pinkie shouted, springing out of the bed fully dressed and composed as the pile of metal fell to the ground, helping break the others from their drowsy delirium.

“Come on everybody!” Applejack beamed, her enthusiasm a spell that infused the others with energy. “I know where we can find Kuja, so let's get a move on!” She declared, ready to tackle the day, feeling the confusion of yesterday falling behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hello Equestrian! Mois here to talk to you about Gaia!'

'Finding a Chocobo's Sanctuary is not easy! We ran/swam all over the coast and all the small islands and the desert and it was just too much! Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Ice Brand: Mental Break(mastered)

Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.

AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!(mastered), Long Reach, Ability Up(mastered)

Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack, Counter

Iron Barding: Add Status(mastered), Bug Killer(mastered)

Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider(mastered), HP+10%

Lvl-22 HP 1504/1504 MP 39/82

AP 1/29

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

*Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.

*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.

Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.

Author's Note

Gonna work on chapters 1-3 before writing 28, so delays ahead!
I'd like to hear your thoughts on how I handled BW3, and whether it would have been better to axe him in chapter 17 or not.
Chapter 28 should have absolutely no sad stuff in it! Wait, who's PoV is next chapter? **Checks flowchart that doesn't actually exist** That's odd, it's just a picture.

Thanks again for reading, and fee free to pester me with criticism, it'll help make the story better. :twilightblush:
Big thanks to Seiya for help editing. :twilightsmile:

28. Ceremony of the Gods

The blistering sun was high overhead as the group made their return to Conde Petie. Spike had held up the others, saying goodbye to the Black Mages took some time. Having spent so much time with Choco, his feet reminded him of the wonders of walking great distances, on rocky ground. The hot rocky ground.

“I think we should take a break at the town before movin' on.” Applejack suggested, glancing to Spike as she said so.

“No argument here!” Pinkie proclaimed as she rummaged through her possessions. “I need to get ready for the ceremony anyways~!” She pulled out the pair of disguise glasses and gave a small nod.

“What ceremony?” Spike asked, taking in the settlement built over the canyon as they got closer.

“Oh, you'll see soon enough~!” she giggled out. Her reply making the others share a concerned look. They reached the root bridge to the town, and began to cross as Dagger looked past the settlement.

“Last time we were here,” she began, “they weren't letting anyone pass to the other side.” Zidane nodded to her words before addressing the group.

“Well, I guess we'll see what that's about and try and work around it,” he affirmed as they finished crossing the root bridge. Walking into the shade of the structure, Spike let out a sigh, stopping a moment to take in a cool breeze.

“Rally-ho!” A small green man proclaimed to Spike, but not the others.

“Oh uh, Rally-ho to you too!” Spike quickly replied, enjoying the sound of the greeting. With that the strange dwarf let him pass. “Nice folks here.” Spike admitted to the others as they wandered through the settlement. Shortly after they entered, Pinkie ran off, giggling as she did so.

“Now where does she think she's goin'?” Applejack asked, taking a single step after her, before giving up on the notion. Her sentiment was shared with the others, as Pinkie ran off alone. Passing through Conde Petie, they talked to the twins at the other end of town, who were guarding the exit they sought to pass through. They were informed that in order to pass, they had to partake in a holy ceremony, and were instructed to talk to 'His Holiness'.

“Do you think that's what Pinkie meant, and that's why she ran off?” Spike asked as they moved to talk to 'His Holiness'. After looking for him for several minutes, they found someone matching his description leaving an area they had been blocked from for the last few minutes.

“Hey mister,” Zidane began, his voice lacking any note of respect. “Are you the holy guy?”

“Aye. Ah'm Father David,” replied the old dwarf with white hair and a very long beard. He wore old ceremonial garments and a square shaped hat that was much taller than it's width.

“We need to get past the village.” David's brow furrowed at Zidane's words.

“Hmph! Tradition states that only those who undergo the ceremony kin approach the Sanctuary.” Zidane contained a sigh as Spike wondered if it would be better to sneak past the guards.

“So, what's the ceremony then?” Zidane asked, humoring the dwarf.

“Well,” David began, scratching his beard as he appraised Zidane, “after a man an' a woman are blessed in holy union, they leave oan holy pilgrimage tae the Sanctuary.”

“Soo, it's basically a wedding and a honeymoon, right?”

Oh, a wedding! Spike thought as he nodded in understanding. Wait, a wedding!? He noticed his expression being mirrored by Applejack, but Zidane and Dagger didn't seem bothered by this information.

“Ah dinnae ken yir words, lad, but methinks ye understan'.” Dagger nodded and spoke up.

“So, we can go to the Sanctuary if we undergo the ceremony, right?”

“Looks like that's the deal,” Zidane affirmed, then adopted a sly grin, “What do you think? We can move forward, if we get hitched.” He said to Dagger, nodding enthusiastically, then abandoned his mischievous grin as he saw the look Applejack was giving him, “But there's no way-”

“Let's do it.” Dagger curtly proclaimed, no hint of sarcasm or humor in her voice or body language.

“What!?” All three of her companions replied in unison.

“Jinx~~!” They heard from a bubbly pink mare from somewhere within the settlement.

“Sae ye wantae be joined, eh? Aye ken doo anothe' ceremony er two. Mor', tae maerryeir.” He left to prepare, leaving them all looking at Dagger, eyes still wide open.

“Uhh, Dagger? What's going on?” Zidane stood there confused, but she provided no answer as she moved off after father David. He quickly followed after her as a troubling thought bubbled to the top of the young dragon's concerns.

“Wait, if those two are getting married to pass through...” Spike and Applejack looked to each other, and blushed in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Nuptial Joy
~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Now, hold on a sec,” Zidane said, making the princess stop next to a ramp that lead to an arc where a couple stood to be wed. This arc was shaped as a small blue boat, decorated with pillows and flowers, built suspended over a long fall, not unlike the settlement itself. In front of the arc was a podium that Father David stood waiting at.

“Dagger! Don't you get it? This is a marriage, m-a-r-r-i-a-g-e!” She knows what this means, right?

“No kidding,” she replied, her sarcasm almost going over his head. “We have to do it to go on, right?”

“Yea, but- But that's not reason enough!”

“Oh come on,” and this time, her voice carried the implication that Zidane was being juvenile. They both got on the arc, and a light shined over them as Father David began the ceremony.

“Speerits o' the moontain.”

“Speerits o' the wood.”

Uh, just, how did I get into this? Zidane wondered as he looked to Dagger at his side, seeing her calm and composed didn't help ease his bafflement.

“Watch ower this man an' woman as they being their journey.”

We gotta do this ceremony to get past this village... and only a guy and girl can have the ceremony. He shook his head, certain that there was more to this then he could see. Just what is she thinking? She's suppose to get angry and say 'no way' when something like this happens!

“In sickness an' in health.”

Of course we're just trying to get past this village. He reasoned, nodding to himself, then his eyes widened as a possibility came to mind.

“Have the strength to cairry ye through the trials.”

Could it be that she likes me? The more he thought on it, the greater his smile became. He felt his face flush as his heart beat quickened, and he nodded with certainty.

“An' the wisdom tae follow the path.”

Gotta admit, I was pretty deep last night back in the Black Mage Village. Maybe that's when she fell for me? He almost couldn't stand still, the mood he was building himself on going straight to his head. I'm such a stud!

“May the blessin's o' heaven be upon this man an' woman!”

A light shined brightly from overhead as Father David's words came to an end. Zidane turned to Dagger, who looked to him, concern growing on her face as she appraised his.

"Dagger! Now we're man and wife!" Zidane suddenly said, his voice overflowing with excitement. Suddenly, and without warning, he leapt through the air, shouting "Time for the kiss!" Dagger was surprised, but not surprised enough to warrant inaction. She quickly sidestepped his kamikaze smooch, causing him to land where she was, and fall flat on his face. She turned and left him, hiding a small smile as she departed the room. Zidane got up, looked around, and said to nobody in particular, "Playing hard to get, eh?" Rubbing the back of his head, he too left the room, his ego bruised as the air in his head cooled down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ceremony over, Spike and Applejack were allowed into the room. Only family members were allowed to attend, to their disappointment, Spike had been looking forward to seeing the wedding. The thought of marrying one of his friends has been nagging at him since the possibility was mentioned. It ate at him, and he was considering a way out. Maybe they could marry each other! Then I could just teleport to the other side of the guards, right? He liked the idea, but he really doubted they'd go for that plan.

“Happy fit!” A guard announced to the newlyweds as Spike and Applejack reached them, “Now ye need annoonce yer joinin' tae the twins at the other gate!”

“What!?” Zidane exclaimed, “You mean there's more?” Spike noticed that Zidane's face look a little injured, and couldn't fathom how.

“We have tae follow tradition, lad!” The dwarf replied, prompting Zidane to sigh as he turned to Dagger.

“Ah, well, time for us newlyweds to make the rounds,” he motioned off to where the twin guards were, bowing respectfully to the princess, “Dagger.” He finished with a grin.

“Remember, we're only married while we're here,” she affirmed. And just like that, it looked like Zidane was splashed with cold water, as he let out another sigh. If his other friends didn't have a certain ceremony running through their heads faster than a chocobo, they would have found his distress amusing.

“Bliss is so fleeting,” he said as he looked towards the sky, as if expecting to find paradise within it.

“So, uh, where's Pinkie?” Spike asked as he and Applejack shared another awkward look.

“Over here~!” Looking to the source, all four of them couldn't help but let their mouths hang open at the sight before them. Pinkie was in a white wedding dress, a veil covering her face, and to her side, was a handsomely dressed figure, wearing a buttoned tux that fit it's form perfectly. There was no mistaking those bemusing spectacles, that large nose, the plastic mustache, the hollow end of a large barrel.

Pinkie married her party cannon. She had exchanged her eternal vows to partying. Spike wasn't sure what was more baffling. Where she got the dress, or the tux for that matter, or the fact that it had actually worked.

“Well?” She asked as she motioned to her cannon, “Don't you think my husband look's handsome~!”

“I think ya cheated.” Applejack accused, getting a reaction from Pinkie that made Spike feel bad for Applejack.

“But- But-” She stammered as she was about to break into tears.

“Come on everyone, let's go talk to the twin and see what this is about.” Dagger interjected, hiding a smile as she walked past Pinkie, who looked at her surprised.

“D-Dagger, wait for me!” Zidane said as he chased after her, and Pinkie followed suit, her husband seemingly moving on it's own after her, leaving Applejack and Spike alone, and baffled.

“Soo,” Spike began, kicking the dirt. “Are we-”

“L-Let's get this over with, and never speak of this again!” Applejack very quickly spit out, then pulled her hat down to cover her face when she saw the look Spike was giving her. Spike wasn't sure if he should feel hurt, or relieved.

They both looked to Father David, and sighed in unison. It didn't take long for the Father to set up the ceremony for them, and very shortly, the both of them stood together on the arc as the Father recited the wedding ceremony. Spike's heart was beating fast, his face flushed as he quickly glanced to Applejack, then quickly looked away, his face become a deeper hue.

How did this happen!?

“Speerits o' the moontain.”

“Speerits o' the wood.”

I didn't travel across the ocean to become married to Applejack!? He quickly glanced to her again, and saw that similar thoughts were racing between her eyes, and they looked away when those eyes met.

“Watch ower this man an' woman as they being their journey.”

Okay, calm down Spike, calm down. Twilight should be fine with this, right? They're good friends after all! His thoughts failed to calm his heart, his face was starting to feel hot, hotter than when they had marched under the scorching sun.

“In sickness an' in health.”

Wait, if I marry Applejack, wouldn't that mean I'd be Apple Bloom's brother? He considered that idea both amusing and annoying. Wait! Then that would mean that Big Macintosh...!

“Have the strength to cairry ye through the trials.”

Wait, isn't this against the rules or something? Aren't I too young to be married? Argh, and who would be taking care of my bachelors party!? Zidane? His embarrassment was dying down as his thoughts chased after a tangent. Looking to his side, he saw Applejack looking at him again, and the fire in her eyes rekindled his embarrassment. What's with that look she's giving me!?

“An' the wisdom tae follow the path.”

Wait, is she taking this seriously!? Spike took a step back under that look, which made Applejack blink before giving him a kind smile.

“May the blessin's o' heaven be upon this man an' woman!” A light shined brightly from overhead, drawing his attention to her shining mane. He shook his head as Applejack bowed towards him.

“Spike, this is my vow.”

She IS serious!

“I promise, as long as we're together, I will protect you.”

Wait, what? His heart beat started to slow as comprehension hit him like a bucket of cold water. He blinked a moment before gaining some composure to reply.

“Wow. Thank's Applejack.” Wait, she does that anyways! His brow furrowed, “I mean, it's what you do-”

“No, that's not it.” Shaking her head at him, her eyes giving him a sense that her vow went further than that, “Spike, if you have a problem, or feel the need to cry, please, come to me, count on me.”

Where is this coming fr- oh. His shoulders slumped as he looked to the ground.

“Pinkie told you.” He wasn't disappointed that she had told her, but he still didn't like it. Her eyes were hard as she answered.

“Yes,” then her eyes softened, “we all know how it feels, to see those kind of things. So please, when ya feel the need to cry, come to me.” He shook his head as he looked up to her.

“Silly Applejack, boy's don't cry!” He proclaimed with his chest forward, donning a false smile.

“But friends do,” She said as she patted him on the head, drawing him close. Her words made his heart ache.

Friends. Yes, I guess friends aren't afraid to cry around each other. He stood there a moment, enjoy her warmth before moving back, looking her in the eyes, a fire of his own beating in his chest.

“In that case, you gotta do the same. I vow to be there too, if you need to cry, don't hold it in. Alright?”

“A swordsmare doesn't-” Her words died on her lips as she realized what she was saying.

“But...” Spike said, starting to mirror her words as comprehension dawned on her face. She lightly bopped him on the head as she let out a happy sigh.

“Right. Thanks Spike, I appreciate it.” She replied, her words conveying trust that he would follow through, as he trusted her to do the same. They shared a moment looking over each other, in a new light, under the radiance still showering upon them. After the moment passed, they noticed that they had been left alone. Not wanting to linger any further on the wedding arc, Applejack spoke up. “Let's get down and outa here, before Pinkie finds and teases us.” Spike nodded, then adopted a mischievous grin.

“When she does, you can count on me! I'll protect you from that, too!”

“Well, ya better believe I'll do the same!”

“THIEF!!”

The sudden cry made the two friends turn in unison, it was in the direction their friends left from. Acting quickly, Applejack scooped up Spike, and they moved with such haste that they were almost flying, towards the commotion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Generous Thief?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The twins moved away from their post after congratulating the pair of newlyweds. Pinkie's eyes followed them, eagerly awaiting to see a new couple heading their way. Ignoring Pinkie's troubling expression, Zidane turned to Dagger.

“Well, darling,” he respectfully said with a bow, a hint of hope riding his words, “Shall we?”

“THIEF!!”

The three of them, plus one well dressed cannon, turned in unison to the commotion. A small child with purple hair, a horn, a yellow bow, and a pink and blue shirt and yellow pants ran close to them before turning around. Dagger's eyes followed the child, a strange look of familiarity and confusion carried in those eyes.

“Mog, hurry!” The child demanded as she turned around and ran right past them. A moogle with a golden pon pon flew after her, being chased by the twin guards.

“Stop, thief!” The guards exclaimed as they ran past the party.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Applejack arrived to the shops near the edge of Conde Petie. Seeing the guards chase after a moogle, they shared a look, seeing the same memory play in their eyes. The sight before them reminded them of back when they reunited in Alexandria, chasing after a thief of their very own. They halted when they reached the others, and Spike hopped off his friend.

“Wh-What's going on?” Dagger asked, the composure she's carried since arriving briefly abandoned.

“I'm not sure,” Zidane admitted as he looked on with curiosity, “Let's take a look.” They didn't have to go far to reach the guards. They were at the other edge of town, the side they wanted to depart from. Just like the entrance they came in from, this side had a root bridge that anchored the settlement to the apposing cliff side.

“They got away...” one of the watchmen said with annoyance, and a hint of disappointment.

“Feuch!” His brother said as he kicked the dirt, “An' we cannae go any farther!” Spike looked between the two of them before looking towards the mountains beyond the cliff.

“Does anyone live out there?” The dragon asked.

“O' course no! It's forbidden!” The first guard replied.

“Och! Yon two thieves are always snitchin' food!” The other added.

“Ya don't say?” Applejack proclaimed, rubbing her chin as they looked to over the canyon.

“Ah'll catch 'em next time!” The first guard promised as they both returned to their posts. The distraction passed, Zidane turned around to greet his friends, then leaned towards them.

“So, did you two-” Zidane began, his grin radiating the promise of making sure he'd never let them live it down. He was however, interrupted by someone more capable of keeping to that.

“Spike and Applejack sitting in an apple tree~! K~I~S-” Pinkie began as she danced around the both of them, then froze in mid air. The silhouette of a clock appeared on her mid jump, and the clock froze, and so did she. She was stopped, by a certain dragon's magic. Spike walked up to her and tapped her with his staff, and Applejack gave the pink mare a grin of her own.

Bet she didn't see that coming! Spike thought as he grinned to his orange friend.

“Anyone else feel like suggestin' somethin' they shouldn't?” Applejack asked as she looked directly at Zidane. He was quick to shake his head.

“R-Right! Time to press on! Let's go show Kuja the old one two!” He 'bravely' proclaimed as he quickly moved down the root bridge towards their destination, leaving the rest of them behind. Spike, Dagger, and Applejack all shared a quick look. The big grin on Spike's face started making Applejack chuckle, which was then passed on to her friends, its infection proving unavoidable. And even though she was frozen in time, Pinkie was laughing too, with her pristine expression.

When the spell ended, Pinkie fell to the floor, chuckling. Applejack helped her on her hooves as Pinkie looked to Spike.

“That was a good one Spike! You sure got me~!” She moved forward, almost tripping over her mirth as she picked up a small, clear rope tied to her 'husband', and they all crossed the root bridge, towards their destination.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'I- I missed my chance!'

[The rest of the note's could not be finished on account of a crying moogle.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Oak Staff: Stop(mastered), Bio(mastered), Drain(mastered)

Add ST: Slow.

Magus Hat: Slow(mastered)

Raises Ice Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%.

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion(mastered), ~~MP+10%~~

Peridot: ~~Ramuh~~, Thundara(mastered), Brotherly Shield(mastered)

Lvl Up! Lvl-23 HP 789/789 MP 116/116

AP 1/26

*Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (7) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Slow 6 MP - Slows a single target.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Stop 8 MP - Stops targets from taking any action.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Bio 18 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage and Poison to single/multiple targets.

Drain 14 MP - Drains HP from the target and transfers it to the spell caster.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Rainboom 14 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to multiple targets, Slows and Confuses.

Brotherly Shield 20 MP - Generates a powerful shield on the party that blocks a single attack.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Oh goodness! I have been looking forward to this chapter for such a long time!
I can't help but smile when I read it! I really hope you enjoyed it too!

I certainly hope the Sparity reader's don't demand my head on a platter. :twilightoops:
Thanks to OCisbestpony for the help. And thank you, for reading this far into the Ninth Fantasy! You keep me going!

29. Ambush Attack

Pinkie eyed the new addition to her arsenal as they proceeded onto the mountain path. Having mastered the powers of her Mythril Fork, she was looking to try out a weapon she had bought at Conde Petie during their first visit. A pair of Poison Knuckles. It was a set of three purple blades tied to a metal rasp to be worn on a human's hand. In the place of a hand, she had strapped a miniature party bomb. She had naturally done this when Applejack wasn't looking, who had been opposed to the idea from the start.

As the party wandered down into the mountain path, Pinkie kept her eyes peeled, hoping something worthy of her 'Exploding Poison Knuckle Sandwich' would come their way. She assumed the knuckles wouldn't survive being used, but she was hopeful, for they had cost a decent number of gil. Discord almost got her to waste it on an imaginary monster, and boy, did she give him a stern thinking too.

The path itself was embedded into the side of a cliff that rose high, the side of a mountain. It was supposedly the other side of these mountains that they could find Kuja, as well as the source of the mist. Red stone laced with blueish gray vines and matching large roots decorated the path. Basically the same palette of colors they had been presented since first arriving on the Outer Continent.

Because of the colors, it was very easy for Pinkie to pick out the purples, pinks, and blues of a particular food thief. Who was stuck, dangling from a vine. Her eyes fell upon a pair of wings on the girls back, not having noticed last time, and as she got closer, she saw that they were a decorative part of her clothing. Oooo~ Did she make those herself?

“Would have been better if she used actually feathers.” Discord admitted as he savagely ripped open a pillow, sending feathers everywhere.

I expect you to clean that up~! Discord harrumphed as he snapped his fingers, making the pillow disappear, but not the feathers. Pinkie simply chose to ignore Discord for now.

“Well, fine! I see how it is!”

Shhh, trying to ignore you right now, have to keep things rolling, right? She thought with a smile as she looked back towards the girl, a little glad she was the first to spot her.

Then she noticed that the moogle with the golden pon pon was floating before the girl. Getting a look of the moogle, it looked smaller than the other moogles Pinkie has seen. Is that a moogle CHILD? Sooo Cute~! Her heart flushed, and ignoring the child with the horn, Pinkie bounced towards the moogle, intending to give it a hug. The rest of the party took notice of what Pinkie saw and followed after her.

“Hurry Mog! Or we'll get caught!” The young girl said, not noticing the company heading towards her. Mog, however, did, and froze when its eyes met Pinkie's.

“What's wrong Mog?” She asked as she tried to look behind her, but before she could get a look, the young moogle fled. “W-wait! Don't leave me here!” She yelled indignantly as she waved her hands and legs fruitlessly in the air. Her efforts to no avail, she gave up and let out a sigh. Before the others could get to her, Spike cut ahead by teleporting in front of the dangling girl, caught on a branch a couple feet above him. She hang there, dejected, seemingly unaware of the others as they gathered around her.

“Sigh,” she said aloud, “hanging here, on a branch. Betrayed by my own trusted companion.” She woefully cried out, almost on the verge of crocodile tears. “Is this how I meet my end?” She proclaimed dramatically looking to the sky, a fire in her eyes. “Mog! I'm gonna haunt you if I die here!” With her proclamation delivered to the heavens, she looked down, noticed Spike, and blinked.

“Am I hallucinating? Or is that a baby dragon down there?” She considered that for a moment, confused as she admitted, “I didn't know dragons could have babies.” Then she shook her head. “Wait, huh!?” Her eyes then took in the others, who were giving her a differing array of smiles from the display she had put on. Pinkie's and Zidane's were honest mirth, Applejack's and Dagger's were partially concealed in an attempt to be respectful. Spike wasn't smiling though, he was staring at her oddly, almost with a look of familiarity. The young girl, taking all this in, only had one applicable reaction to the situation.

“AHHHH!” She shrilled as her arms waved frantically again, finding new energy and motivation to free herself. “Help!! Mog!! Don't eat me! I won't taste good!” She then shook her head, to emphasize, “It's true! I taste awful!” Zidane shook his head as he turned to Spike.

“Whelp,” he said, “guess that settles it. You heard the girl.”

“Well, I guess I can settle for a few gemstone's instead.” Spike sarcastically admitted as he looked towards her.

“Quite a shame~!” Pinkie almost sang out, “I was soo~ looking forward to lunch!” She sighed and turned away from the girl, a spring in her trot. Pinkie walked up to a vine on the opposite side that the girl hang from, scrutinized it for a moment. Let's see, this should do it! She picked out a particular part of the vine, and gave it a light tug, then looked back at the girl with a smile. The girl, and Zidane, both noticed Pinkie's action and showed their confusion to the others.

“Whoa!” The girl shouted as suddenly the branch holding her gave, and she fell, right into Spike's arms, who almost fell over catching her. She was as big as he was, so the fact that he had managed without falling over made the dragon look impressed with himself.

“I-I gotcha!” Spike proclaimed as he looked her in the eyes, and that strange expression of familiarity showed on his face again. The girl blushed at him before he put her down on her feet.

“Th-Thanks.” She told Spike as she looked to the ground, holding her hands behind her.

“Are you okay?” Dagger asked as she moved to get a better look of the child, prompting Pinkie to look her over as well. The girl had short, purple-bluish hair, and in the center of her forehead she had a small horn, barely poking out of her hair.

Oooo~ Is she the unicorn variety of human? Pinkie thought as the girl turned to answer Dagger's question.

“Yeah.” She quickly replied as she looked over the others, concern changing to composure, before her eyes fell back on Spike.

“You're not hurt?” Dagger asked, not satisfied with her answer. The girl's brow furrowed as she turned on the princess.

“I'm not a child! I told you I'm okay!”

“Well, ya certainly look like a child.” Applejack affirmed, giving her a knowing, almost teasing smile.

“Are you kidding! I do have a name, you know! The name's Eiko! Shouldn't you introduce yourself before addressing a lady?” She said as she scrutinized Applejack and Dagger.

“But ya introduced yourself first-” Applejack tried to politely get out, caught off guard by Eiko's assertiveness.

“You got a problem?” Eiko interrupted as she glared at the mare. Applejack looked at her wide-eyed, and her brow furrowed as she took a step forward. Dagger, seeing where this was going, acted quickly and got in her way, interposing herself between Applejack and Eiko.

“I'm Dagger,” She said respectfully as she motioned to herself, then she motioned to the fuming mare. “And this is Applejack.”

“Yeah?” She replied, almost uninterested, getting a hard glare from Applejack. “And what about you?” Eiko asked of Spike, her tone changing to genuine interest as she ignored Zidane and Pinkie.

Well, isn't she just precious~! Pinkie thought, being honest with herself. Discord simply rolled his eyes as he shrank down to Eiko's size and started making a soundless fit where he stood.

“I'm Spike The Dragon, Master Hunter!” He replied as he puffed his chest out.

“Spike? Alright.” She said with a smile, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“These are all my friends,” he explained, motioning to the others, ending on the two left to be introduced. “This is Zidane, and this is Pinkie Pie.” Eiko looked to Pinkie with a small look of concern, and maybe fear.

Uh, did I scare her? Oopsy! Guess I need to fix that~! Pinkie thought as Eiko took in Zidane and gave him a light smile as well.

“So,” Zidane began, now that he had her attention, “Miss Eiko, why did you steal from the village?”

“I was hungry.” She replied curtly, as if that made it alright.

“Heh, fair enough,” Zidane amended. Applejack wanted to speak up, but the look Dagger gave her stopped her.

Ohh, Applejack isn't going to like Eiko anytime soon, is she? Pinkie thought as she felt her face adopt a worried expression, which she quickly changed back to her normal smile.

“You gotta eat, right?” Spike affirmed, his words coming across as wise beyond years. “So I guess you couldn't afford the food?” Eiko nodded as Dagger spoke up.

“Eiko, do you live nearby?” Eiko looked to Dagger, masking her annoyance.

“Yea, beyond this path.” She replied, indicating the direction the were heading. “Mog probably went home.” She added, her concern masked with hope. Dagger nodded as she looked to the others.

“Why don't we take her home, and we can give her some gil so she doesn't have to steal food.”

“That sounds like a super idea~!” Pinkie exclaimed as she moved next to Eiko and gave her a generous amount of gil. Eiko looked at Pinkie, shocked, and moved to give the gil back, but kept it at Pinkie's insistence. And for the first time, Pinkie got a smile from her, an honest smile, and Pinkie gave one back. “Friends?” Pinkie asked, quietly, and Eiko gave an eager nod. The exchange had been quick, and witnessed by only the involved parties, plus Discord. Zidane stepped forward as Pinkie took a step back.

“Yes, let's help her home.” Zidane affirmed, nodding with his eyes closed, a look of bliss on his face. “Anything for my lovely wife.”

“Oh, you two are married?” Eiko asked, a little surprised. Once again she eyed Spike, and Pinkie was starting to catch on as to why.

“Yup. We're newlyweds.”

“No, no. We're Just friends.”

They replied in unison, ending with Zidane's shoulders and head sagging as he looked hurt and dejected. He let out a sigh as he looked to his companions.

“Well, I guess that's better than nothing.” Pinkie opened her mouth, ready to spill the beans concerning Applejack and Spike, but saw the look Applejack was giving her.

Hmm, well, what the hay! Pinkie spoke up, throwing caution to the wind.

“Spike and Applejack are married too~!” She quickly declared, getting a scathing glare from the both of them.

“What!? HER!?” Eiko replied, looking between Spike, then Applejack. Applejack took a surprised step back, and tried to compose herself.

“W-what? Is that a problem?” She asked, looking hurt, then her expression changed from hurt to shock as she realized what she had just asked. “I-I mean no! We're not married either, we're just good friends!”

“Yep!” Spike quickly affirmed, trying to hide his blush, “Good friends!” He added as he and Applejack shared a sheepish grin.

“Oh. Well, I wanna be your friend, too!” Eiko declared as she moved closer to Spike, catching him off guard.

“Well, alright!” Spike replied, smiling, which made Eiko radiate joy.

“In that case,” Zidane began, amused by what just transpired, “Let's go see our new friend home then.”

“Yea! Then we can throw a 'making new friends party'~!” Pinkie proclaimed as they all started to move down the path, Eiko in tow.

Not far down the path, Pinkie's eyes noticed a statue on a stretch of rock above them. She recalled what Father David had told her concerning the ceremony, and decided to take advantage of it.

“Hey Spike! There's a statue up there!” She pointed off to a raised part of the cliff, where it was possible to reach by climbing the vines. “There's a stone inside it, if we get all four, there's a prize!” She explained, the others were looking at her incredulously, besides Eiko and Spike. Eiko was uninterested, Spike was very interested.

“What!? Awesome!” And just like that, Spike teleported up there, and in quick order he returned with a small blue stone in claw.

“What's this about Pinkie?” Applejack asked as Spike pocketed the stone.

“Well! Clearly somepony~ wasn't paying attention to the wedding ceremony~!” Pinkie declared, her voice ripe with victory as Applejack blushed. “There's more to the ceremony than standing on a boat and listening to some words! Father David told me all about it, because I asked him!” She nodded as she looked to the others, who were looking away from her bashfully.

“You see, the ceremony is a right of passage to those that were wed~! You gather the stones at the statues on your way to Sanctuary, and once you put them all in the final statue, you get the moon's blessing!” Her explanation over, she took notice of the silence, and the air of embarrassment from all but Eiko. Pinkie couldn't help but express her happiness. “I love you guys, I really do. You're so easy to tease~!” She said as she bounced off down the path, leaving her friends behind her, dumbfounded.

It wasn't long before they had encountered their first pack of monsters. Pinkie didn't find it worth the 'Punch-Bomb'. Or maybe I should call it the 'Slap-Splosion'? While Pinkie wasn't sure what she'd call her awesome new trick, she did notice something interesting, as did the others. Eiko was a very capable healer, Pinkie could even say her healing was more potent then Daggers. Her 'weapon' made Pinkie envious. She used a flute, her spells riding on the songs she played with it. Though she was an excellent healer, she didn't seem to have any offensive capabilities. Still, never hurts to have another healer~!

Continuing through the path, Spike found another statue and obtained a red stone. After climbing a ladder, they found themselves raised above the rocky cliff, revealing what lay beyond. As they all got to the top of the climb, the Equestrians all stopped in unison, the sight before them warranting their devoted attention.

It was a large tree. A tree even more grand than Cleyra. But that wasn't why the Equestrians took note of it. The tree was crystalline. A light blue, almost gray color, its tint going down into the massive swath of roots that surrounded it. The tree had no leaves, no sign of greenery of any sorts. It reminded them of the Tree of Harmony, but there was no sense of serenity radiating from it, indeed, there was nothing emanating from it, almost as if it was nothing more than a lifeless structure.

The tree had eight large branches, in each of these branches was a sphere bearing colors unlike the tree. Looking at them reminded Pinkie of the Globe of Equestria she saw at Twilight's library. Each sphere seemed to resemble a globe, though Pinkie couldn't make out any more details concerning these spheres from this distance, as they were easily a number of miles away from the tree. The last thing that her eyes were drawn to was a ninth sphere, built into the center of the tree's trunk.

“That looks just like-” Applejack began, shock evident in her voice.

“The Tree of Harmony!?” Spike interrupted. Pinkie stared hard at the tree, almost glaring at it. She felt as though she had seen something like it before, but couldn't place where. The idea that she couldn't remember frustrated her, indeed, looking at the tree frustrated her, so she pulled eyes away from it.

“We should check it out sometime,” she declared, burying her frustration behind false mirth, “but we got other things to do first~!” She reaffirmed, looking to Eiko, then the others.

“Wait,” Dagger interjected, “What's the Tree of Harmony?” Pinkie looked to Applejack, her eyes conveying that she didn't want to personally explain it. Applejack caught the look, and let out a sigh as she explained it to the Gaians. After sharing that, Zidane looked to the others.

“So, I'm guessing that's Sanctuary?” He asked, casting his gaze to the tree.

“It's a safe bet.” Applejack affirmed, “And I reckon it's another clue to us gettin' back home.” Eiko shook her head, looking between Zidane and Applejack. She looked like she wanted to explain something, but instead asked a question.

“So, you three are from another world?” Her eyes carried hesitant disbelief.

“Yep! Odd, right?” Spike stated, clearly thinking the idea was worthy of unbelief. “We're still trying to find our way back. Though I guess that sort of fell behind as we got more involved, huh?” His words made Applejack and Pinkie share a look before turning to the others.

“Now look,” Applejack began, “we do wanna get home, but not if that means leavin' things as they are-”

“You don't need to explain.” Dagger assured, “You're our friends. Once Kuja is taken care of... and my mother...” Her words trailed off as she looked to Zidane. He seemed to have a troubling thought on his mind, but kept it to himself. Pinkie, seeing the opportunity to dispel the mood, quickly pounced on it.

“It's all good! Friends help friends out~! So let's help out newest friend get home!” She declared as she continued down the path, giving the imposing tree an aside glance.

“That tree is trouble,” Discord proclaimed, floating by her side. “We both know it.” Pinkie nodded.

Like I said, once we take care of the other things first~. Discord nodded in agreement as they climbed the root down the other side of the mountain. As they reached a large open area, Pinkie noticed Eiko looking around with a troubled expression.

“Something wrong?” Zidane asked, who had also taken note of her worry.

“A giant lives in this part of the path-” Eiko's reply was interrupted when the ground shook with a loud THOOM, making all of them pause. “Though I guess it's a little obvious now...” She weakly added.

Pinkie then saw, from atop the cliff, a large humanoid with green skin. It had a crushed nose, mossy head, wore leather pants, and was taller than town hall. And when it's eyes fell upon the party, it glared at them, and it jumped down, making the ground shake and rumble underneath it. Almost all of them were knocked down, battered by the percussion. Pinkie felt the familiar sensation of picking up a new attack for her cannon, but had other concerns on her mind. Of the three that could heal, she was the first to act, as she whipped around her party cannon, and blasted her friends with white confetti. The flakes fell on her friends, and as they disappeared, their friends appeared rejuvenated.

Applejack sprung into action, the ponies, being quadrupeds, were not as easily knocked down by the giant's entry, making them the head of the counter offense. Her brow furrowed, she threw a mug of cider at the giant's eyes, making it take a step back and cover it's face before glaring at Applejack, who moved around to turn it away from the others.

As Pinkie got out the 'Knuckle Bomb', she noticed Eiko preparing a different kind of spell. Wait, is that summoning magic? Seeing her spell go off, a large blue, majestic wolf appeared from the earth beside Eiko. It let out a howl, and the rock face of the cliff cracked as a large fist of stone sprung forth from it, making the others stare on wide eyed as it punched the giant right in the gut, making it double over. The giant yelled in rage, bringing down it's own fist, shattering the rocky fist. Okay, how am I suppose to top a punch like that!? Pinkie thought, looking at the giant in indignation as the others abandoned their surprise, getting their heads back in the fight as Eiko's eidolon vanished.

One thing the giant had established by breaking the fist. It was easily stronger than Lani, which made Pinkie worry for Applejack. Her worry was well placed, as it turned and bent low to punch the mare, crushing her between the rocky cliff. Pinkie's heart skipped a beat as the giant pulled it's fist back, revealing her friend, still standing, in the crater of the impact. Applejack staggered, but she was still conscious. Spike, an attempt to distract it from his friend, struck the giant with lightning, which it didn't seem to register to the behemoth. Zidane followed up, letting out a taunting shout as he jumped high, slashing across the giant's back as Dagger covered Applejack in a spell of protection.

The monster stomped its foot, sending out another ripple of cracked earth, but this was different from its first attack, making Pinkie suspect it's first attack was simply a side affect of it's weight hitting the earth. The ground shattered, sending fractured rocks crashing into each and every one of them. When Pinkie was struck by the attack, she was sent flying, and for a moment, the world disappeared in groggy darkness.

When she came too, the area was a dusty mess, the flat path had been broken, jagged rocks and boulders lining the battlefield. Her head and body ached as she got on her hooves, and took in what was transpiring. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the slumped forms of Zidane and Dagger, scattered amongst the shattered stone. At the cliff face, stood the giant, who was slowly, consistently punching the same spot, the spot Applejack had been crushed in. Each punch was halted by a purple-pinkish barrier, that shattered after each impact. Before taking any other action, Pinkie first brought herself back to peek condition by drinking a powerful potion. As she drank, she made out that Spike and Eiko were in that constantly breaking barrier, along with Applejack, who were looking at the giant, fear evident on her faces. That. Won't. Do! Pinkie loaded the 'Party Knuckle Sandwich' into her cannon, and let it rip.

The three bladed bomb implanted itself into the giant's large rear end, making the giant stand straight up and turn around in angry pain. Pinkie gave it a sinister grin as the bomb went off, knocking the Giant down, landing on it's face. The others took the chance, and got out of the crater, splitting up. Eiko cast a spell, and Pinkie felt her hooves leave the ground, and looking to the others, she saw that Applejack was also floating. As Spike was preparing another spell, the giant slammed the ground with its fist, sending out another earthquake. Pinkie and Applejack moved quickly to get Zidane and Dagger off the ground as the rippled grinded the broken stones together.

They had saved their friends, but Eiko and Spike were hit by the attack for their efforts. No, that's not quite right. Spike had teleported next to Eiko, and got her off the ground, making Spike the only one hit with the attack. Eiko looked at him, shocked, as he staggered, but he wasn't out of the fight yet.

Indeed, Pinkie saw that the fight was now turning towards their favor, as Spike went into Trance. His clothes disappearing as he was wrapped in purple and green lightning. But he wasn't the only one to enter Trance. Eiko entered it as well, Spike saving her from the earthquake was the trigger, his selfless act moving her into the storm of power that was Trance. She was wrapped in light as white and purple lightning arced over her, her clothes changed color, to gold and silver, her hair turned golden as well as power coursed through her. Pinkie's surprise was overshadowed by Applejack's, and Pinkie caught something she didn't normally see from Applejack. Envy.

The giant turned to the pair of lightning children, in time for Spike to let out his attack. As Spike exhaled, his magic fired out like a breath attack, a gray miasma that seemed to disappear before it's affects became obvious. A large clock imposed itself on the giant, the area, the sky, the ground, everything. And the clock stopped. And so did the dust in the air, the falling debris from the mountain wall, the giant. Everything shifted into grayscale. Everything, that is, but Spike and his friends. I- I think this fight is over! Pinkie thought as Eiko's healing quickly brought Zidane and Dagger back up, and as Eiko worked to quickly heal the others and empower them with her floating spell, everyone else went to work attacking the frozen giant, causing as much harm as they could before time resumed.

Their attacks froze as soon as they went off, trapped in time, waiting for time to resume to annihilate the enemy. Zidane made easy work of stealing what possessions the monster had as a number of ensuing cuts filled the air. Before time resumed, a number of attacks where lined up to carve into the monster.

Pinkie got off four shots of her cannon, sending four streams of pain, sand, fire, water, and sound, all focused on the wound she had inflicted with her 'Boom Bomb Bottom Blast'.

A blinding array of lightning bolts from Ramuh's magic had formed a cage around the giant, waiting to seal it into mist.

Two gouts of Tetra-breath were ready to impact the giant in the face, a swath of lightning, fire, and ice.

For added measure, Applejack had tied the giant in place, and three Applebucks were waiting to connect. As they're attacks were lined up, Spike and Eiko's trances came to an end, signaling the conclusion of the battle.

Time resumed.

A torrent of noise, explosions, and all around cacophony of destruction occurred, blinding them all as a mushroom cloud of hot dust and sand blew out from where the giant stood. And when it ended, and the smoke cleared, nothing remained of their foe, nothing but a crater of where it once stood.

Though the battle had an alarming start, it's resolution left an impression on the party.

“That-” Zidane began as he looked over the crater.

“Was-” Spike interrupted as he looked over his friends, his grin evident to all.

“Awesome~!” Pinkie screamed out as she gave the dragon a hard hug. “You should stop time more often!”

“Next time I Trance, you can count on it!” Spike assured, and letting go of him, Pinkie quickly appraised the others. Eiko was looking at Spike and Pinkie fondly, Zidane was picking something up from the crater. Dagger looked relieved that they were alright, and was also looking to Eiko with a bit of curiosity. Applejack didn't look happy. In fact, Applejack looked disappointed, and it made Pinkie worry, but Dagger spoke up before she could address her friend.

“Eiko, was that an eidolon?” Eiko gave Dagger an annoyed nod, as if it was obvious.

“Yea, didn't you summon one as well?” She replied as her eyes narrowed on the princess, implying that Dagger's question had been stupid.

“Well...” Dagger replied hesitantly, prompting Zidane to speak for her.

“It's not particularly normal where we're from.” He explained, “Have you always been able to do that?” He asked, and as they conversed, the six of them collected themselves, and moved on, leaving the ruined part of the path behind them.

“Of course,” Eiko replied, pride seeping through her words, “My grandpa and everyone did it all the time.”

“What do you mean?” Dagger asked as they reached a fork in the road, just past the clearing they left behind. Spike started to head to the left, but Eiko spoke up, abandoning Dagger's question.

“No, that's not the way, Spike.” She said, almost soothingly, “That's the way to the Iifa Tree.” She then indicated to the path splitting to the right. “This is the way to my place!” She enthusiastically proclaimed.

“The Iifa Tree?” Applejack asked, looking off down the path, catching sight of the tree above the rocks. “So it isn't called Sanctuary?” Eiko looked at Applejack, dislike written on her face, as well as a hint of confusion.

“Huh?” Then comprehension dawned on her face, “Oh. That's what the dwarves call it. Everyone else calls it the Iifa Tree.” She explained nonchalantly.

“The Iifa Tree,” Applejack emphasized as she again looked towards the imposing tree, her brow furrowing.

“Come on, let's go!” Eiko said, almost stomping the ground at the party's immobility. They all nodded, and continued down the path to the right.

“She's pretty capable for someone her age, and pretty bossy too, a child worthy of chaos!” Discord happily commented, “Kind of reminds me of those three fillies back home.” Pinkie nodded at his commentary, pondering what the people Eiko lived with were like.

In short order, Spike got a hold of a green stone, and a yellow stone. And when they reached the path's end, there was a statue with four holes in it. Putting the stones in the holes, a part of the statue opened up, revealing a light blue stone within. When Spike picked it up, the stone turned white, and his eyes widened in surprise, as a look of familiarity washed over his face.

“A moonstone?” Spike asked, naming the rock as he turned to the others. Applejack eyed it before reasoning out what Pinkie had said earlier.

“That's what Father David must have meant when Pinkie mentioned the moon's blessin'.” Applejack nodded at her own assertion, “It's all yers, Spike.” she proclaimed, keeping her bad mood from poisoning her words, “Yer the one that got the stones after all.” She got a smile from the dragon, who held the stone tight, no doubt granting the dragon new powers.

Continuing down the path, they crossed a root bridge over a gap between two sections of land, separated by water, the ocean stretching out to both sides as they reached the new land mass, a large island connected to the Outer Continent via the large root.

In the distance, Pinkie could see a ruined village. Her eyes looked to the sky, the sun would be setting in a couple hours. Soon it would be night, and it looked like they would be resting at Eiko's home.

“That village, is that your home?” Dagger asked of Eiko.

“Mhmm, it's called Madain Sari.” She curtly answered, as the six of them made their way to the broken ruins in the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'...Sigh. Hello Equestrian, this is moogle notes. Kupo.'

'Pinkie's weapon attacks with her party cannon are not so much special abilities as they are different effects with each weapon type:'

'Swords, Double Swords, and Forks deal damage in a varying range, and are not destroyed on use. Spears pin an enemy, not unlike Applejack's Hog Tie, but the spear is destroyed on use. Knuckles do a lot of damage, and typically a status, but are also destroyed on use. Good weapons are pricy, and it's been some time since Pinkie's found a vendor selling spears. She also hasn't had much of a reason to use spears, since she is almost always with Applejack. She also hasn't had much success using staffs or Dagger's particular weapons. There are two other types Pinkie has yet to try, Throwing Weapons, and Knight Swords, but those are for a later chapter. Kupo.'

'Also, for some reason, only forks give Pinkie new abilities, must have something to do with being a party pony.'

'Spike's use of Tetra-breath caused Stopga, which pretty much spelled the end for the giant.'

'If you're wondering why Dagger and Eiko's eidolons don't seem as powerful as the ones used to destroy Cleyra and Lindblum, it's because they're holding back. The power of the eidolons is terrifying, and if they went all out, they would end up injuring themselves, or worse, their friends.'

'The Iifa Tree, an imposing article of great power that has been on Gaia for many, many years. You can count on the rest of them checking it out soon. Kupo.'

'Choco and I scoured this entire continent looking for a Chocobo Sanctuary, but we never found one. Though we did discover some locations that were of interest too the others. Shame it didn't matter when we reunited with them...'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide(mastered), Party Bomb(mastered)

Feather Hat: Bright Eyes(mastered), Add Status(mastered)

Silk Robe: Ability Up(mastered), Loudmouth(mastered), Cake!(mastered)

Reflect Ring: ~~Reflect~~, ~~Distract~~, Auto-Reflect

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl-22 HP 992/992 MP 18/102

AP 1/26

Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to blind.

Quake Cannon 14 MP: Deals Non-elemental damage to all foes.

White Confetti 14 MP : Restores HP of multiple targets.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Cake! 8 MP : Cures Trouble. Casts Haste and Regen to single target.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

I think I'm going to start to run out of applicable songs for the titles, especially in early disc three...
Oh hey! New party member get!

Click here if you can't see the adorable.
Wanna thank my editors OCisbestpony and Seiya for the aid!
And I want to thank you, Mr/Ms reader! For being all around awesome!

31. Iifa Tree

Applejack let out a sigh, quiet enough for no one else to hear. One thing her armor did not do well, was keep her cool. Once again, she mentally thanked Torres for Ice Brand. Even sheathed, it gave off a slight chill which helped her through these hot days on the Outer Continent. The group had just left the mountain path behind them, and they were now traversing through cracked and broken earth. It wouldn't be long till they reached where the ground gave way to the roots of the Iifa tree.

In the heat, she found her thoughts falling back to yesterday. Strength. Spike said I'm the strongest pony he knows, and I doubt he meant physically. So what does it mean to be strong? Her thoughts weren't troubled, she was looking to better understand herself and her place on Gaia. Spike and Zidane's words yesterday had assured her, and put her on the right path, but she still wondered what it meant to be strong.

Trance isn't strength, it's power, I can see that now. Power isn't the same as strength. Power enables you, make you more capable, my equipment grants me power, and enables me to defend my friends. But strength, it's different, I'm sure it is. When she had asked Spike if she was strong, she found she didn't even understand what she was asking of him. She knew she was strong, physically, her question had been asking for something besides that. Strong wasn't the word she wanted to use, but his answer still made her happy.

Am I strong because of my friends? She adopted a small smile, Heh. I'm sure Twilight would say so, but that doesn't feel- She almost stopped as it hit her. My friends. A dead Burmecian messenger flashed before her eyes. She chose to throw herself into a war, to help her friends. She fought foes she had no chance against, and she acted, to protect them. And when she failed, it hurt, more than any blow she had ever taken. Her brow furrowed as she came to a conclusion.

I act for them, but that isn't strength. She then shook her head, No, it does make me stronger, it motivates me to become stronger, but still. Strength is more than that. Spike and Pinkie and the others have each other just as much as I have them, yet Spike said I'm the strongest, so there must be somethin' more. She started to play the events of her time on Gaia through her head, looking to each incident that stood out, seeing if she could find something that indicated her strength. She couldn't find a satisfying answer, and scrapped her hoof against the ground in annoyance, in the process being reminded that the dirt was fertile, full of potential.

She blinked, thinking about the dirt reminded her of who she was in Equestria, Applejack the apple farmer, the bearer of honesty. She missed the orchard, her family, her friends, and putting in the work to keep the farm afloat. She worked and sweated for good, honest, noble reasons. On Gaia, all she did was fight. And as she looked at her Equestrian self, she started to see something that surprised her.

Despite everything she's been through in these last two weeks, she was still the same pony that was born and raised on Sweet Apple Acres.

I haven't changed? She shook her head. No. I have changed. I can fight with a sword, sorta. And I have all these new tricks and abilities. And, I've seen terrible things. Her ears dropped in remembrance of Burmecia, Things that have made me a little harder. I have changed, my coat is thicker, and I now have a metal shell, but my core, it's still the same! She had been through a great deal, but she remained true to herself. She was still proud, if sometimes defeated, and above all else, she was still honest, and noble. A true, dependable friend.

Her ears fell even lower in realizing this, as it made Pinkie's change more jarring to her. She looked to her pink friend, and her heart wept for her. Her eyes were drawn to Pinkie's curly mane, no longer the poofy mess it had always been back in Ponyville. Her core, it's changed. Her eyes started to sting at the thought that Pinkie was now different from who she once was. Lately she's been closer to her original self, but that mane was the evidence against Applejack assuming she would return to the old Pinkie. Gaia had been harsh to all of them, and it affected Pinkie the most. Her heartache compelled her into action as she trotted up to Pinkie's side, doing something she should have done over a week ago.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Applejack whispered, getting her friend's attention. “If ya ever need to talk, about the grotto or Burmecia, or anything else. I'm here fer ya. 'Kay?” Applejack wondered if Pinkie would make a joke of it, or solemnly nod. Pinkie looked at Applejack, a little surprised, and gave her a sad smile.

“Thanks Applejack, I'll be counting on you.” She whispered back, and Applejack knew what to do, she gave her a smile, and Pinkie's sad smile turned to a genuine one. Applejack let out a small sigh as she fell back into her thoughts.

So, am I strong because my core is unchanged? Or is my core unchanged because I'm strong? She tried to pick that notion apart, but as they got closer to the tree, she found herself distracted. Her eyes started to dart around, looking for unseen dangers, her nerves wound tight, ready to grab her blade in an instant. Wait, what am I so strung up fer?. It wasn't until they were closer to the tree, where the earth gave way into a field of large scattered roots that she was able to place the reason for her nervousness. Her self reflection was completely abandoned as a revelation struck the party.

The entire root system of the tree was covered in mist. It was flowing, away from the tree, following the roots into the cracked earth, right into the cliff face, its edge they were steadily approaching, but the mist didn't seep over into the broken land they traversed. Wait, this is the source!?

“There's mist here?” Garnet asked in surprise, shared by the others.

Is it seepin' into the ground? Applejack's brow furrowed as she turned to her friends.

“Well, I reckon that makes the Iifa tree the source of the mist.” She affirmed as she turned back to the tree, shaking her head that something so similar in appearance to the Tree of Harmony had such a sinister attribute.

“Huh,” Pinkie said, having been quiet since Applejack talked to her. “I thought the source was going to be a crystal.” She let out a sigh as she also glared at the tree. “Guess I was wrong, still, this tree is bad news~.”

Of that, we can both agree.

Continuing towards the tree, the party was drawn to a formation of rocks didn't look natural. Reaching it, they indeed found that the stones were arranged around a center pillar, bearing a large number of names etched upon it, grouped in pairs.

“This must be where the wedding thing ends,” Spike suggested, “The one the dwarves do. I guess we're officially done with that wedding ritual.” Applejack looked to Pinkie, a glare ready to be delivered to her oncoming teasing, but the glare wasn't needed. Despite Applejack's expectations, Pinkie seemed distracted, and wasn't her normal bouncy teasing self.

Huh? Isn't she gonna ask us to put our names on it?

“So,” Zidane began, “we're at sanctuary then. If there wasn't any mist, I'd find the name appropriate,” his eyes took in their surroundings as he added, “But this is just, unsettling.” As he turned to Eiko, Spike walked past the name engraved stone, and hit an unseen wall, sending a green ripple through the air as Spike fell back.

“W-what was that!?” He asked as Eiko helped him to his feet.

“Sorry,” she said, “that's the barrier the eidolon made by being sealed.” Eiko explained with an apologetic tone, “I was told it surrounds the whole tree.” Applejack walked up to the barrier and placed her hoof upon it. She felt her hoof being harmlessly repelled by the light green light.

“I guess the barrier is why the dwarves call it sanctuary.” Zidane said as he appraised the roots beyond the stone pillars. “Do you think there are monsters on this continent because of the mist traveling through the roots?”

“Seems like a good explanation to me~!” Pinkie replied with a nod. “I betcha the roots send the mist all the way to the Mist Continent! But why?” She asked, but there was no answer to be had from the others. Seeing the discussion at a standstill, Applejack got Eiko's attention.

“Would ya mind breakin' the barrier fer us?” Applejack asked of her, trying to mask her annoyance in having to ask Eiko for help in the first place. Eiko nodded, giving Applejack a smug smile.

“How do you break it?” Garnet asked, no doubt wondering as a fellow summoner.

“I'll ask the eidolon to return to being bound to crystal.” Eiko explained, pulling out a Sapphire, “All eidolons are bound to particular gemstones. Fenrir, my eidolon, for instance, is bound to Sapphires, while your Ramuh is bound to Peridots. When the seal drops, the stone corresponding to the eidolon here will gain its power again.”

“Wait,” Spike interjected, a little embarrassed. “Gemstones grant eidolons?” He started to pull out a small number of gems with names written on them.

Are those the ones he got from winning the Festival of the Hunt? Applejack wondered as Spike presented them to Garnet and Eiko.

“In that case, I should share these with you two.” Spike offered, and Garnet quickly shook her head, giving Spike a considerate smile.

“That's not necessary Spike, but thank you.” Garnet knelt before him, so they could see eye-to-eye. “Those are important to you, so you should hold on to them.” She nodded as she brought out her Peridot and gave it to him. “I'm fine with Ramuh, I don't need the gem anymore. The next time you get some more gems, just try not to eat them all.” Spike blushed as he nodded.

Guess Spike should learn not to eat every gemstone he comes across.

Eiko blushed as she also refused his offer, which Applejack found amusing, and a little heartwarming, which she immediately found annoying, though she couldn't place why.

“But yes,” Eiko continued, bringing them back to breaking the seal. “My horn allows me to communicate with eidolons, and wild animals.”

Ah. So that's how she can understand Mog. Applejack thought as Eiko nodded to everyone, then moved to where the barrier stood.

“I'll break it now. Watch closely!” She said enthusiastically as she puffed her chest out. She then turned to the barrier and started a little chant. Which Applejack couldn't help but find cute.

“Boom boom boom~!”

“Boom boom boom~!”

She spun around as she tapped the barrier, each 'boom' punctuated by a tap.

“By the light of our spirits~!”

“I call upon thee~!”

The air around her started to glow as she twirled before the barrier.

“Answer my call!”

“Wherever your soul may be~!”

And as her chant came to an end, the air before them shimmered as specks of green light quickly gathered from all around the tree into a point before Eiko. The specks shifted from green to red as they gathered together, before forming into a solid Ruby, forming in the palm of her hand. She turned to the others, a proud smile on her face.

“It's done!” She said as she quickly glanced at the Ruby. “We can go inside now.”

“Thanks Eiko!”

“You're awesome~!”

Spike and Pinkie shared their gratitude in unison, making Eiko blush as she looked to the ground, holding her hands behind her back as she nodded to them. Garnet looked over the tree before turning to Eiko, a little confused.

“Was that the spell to break the seal?” Garnet asked.

It did seem mighty simple. Applejack thought as Eiko shook her head.

“No, not really,” she admitted as she lightly kicked the ground. “All I really did was focus my thoughts into my horn.”

“Then why...?”

“Oh, that was just for show!” Eiko replied with a big grin, then looked at the ground, a little embarrassed. “The spell is actually much longer, but the eidolon asked me to hurry it up.”

“Well,” Applejack began, looking towards the tree, “since the way's clear, let's see what this tree has to do with the mist, and Equestria.” She then turned to her companions. “Let's try to get this done as fast as we can, don't want to get mist poisonin'.” She looked back to the mist, worry written on her face. “It looks thicker here than back on the Mist Continent.” The others nodded in agreement as she took the lead and went past the rock formation, walking on the nearest root anchored to the cliff's edge.

Traveling on the thick root, there was a perilous fall to either side, the bottom obscured by mist. All around, there were roots woven in a tangled mess, the mist drawn and following the ones below them as if guided by some unseen hand. Leaving the earth behind them, they saw that the mist did indeed feed into a honeycomb of caves embedded in the rock face.

As was expected with mist this thick, there were monsters. They fought against giant, many limbed monstrosities of gray and silver stone sticking from the roots like thorns that attempted to turn the party into statues with magic. There was also dragons without their scales, undead, brought low by the combined healing of Eiko and Garnet. And finally, they also fought zombies, which also fell to the healing magic of the party. It wasn't too long on their venture that they noticed something particular about the monsters here. They all had a crippling weakness that when exploited, destroyed them instantly. The monstrosities of stone would fall to sand and evaporate if the remedy to petrification, Soft, was used on them. And a simple Life spell from Eiko or Garnet took down any of the undead monsters. Spike brought this to the parties attention as the fighting became less dangerous.

“Maybe the monsters here are simply like this because they were sealed inside?” Zidane offered. They had no answer to why the monsters were like this, but they were not complaining, and truly, monsters of the mist rarely made sense.

As they got closer to the tree, the mist got thinner and thinner, until they were able to see the tree in all its imposing glory, from close up. Craning their necks to the sky, they were able to make out more details concerning the globe halfway up the trunk of the Iifa tree. As everyone's eyes were drawn to it, their movement came to a halt. That kinda looks like Gaia! Zidane pulled out the old map and looked back to the globe, confirming her suspicions. The globe was half embedded into the tree, the bark obscuring a portion of the globe. Despite its crystalline appearance, the Iifa tree was not opaque.

“Is that Gaia?” Pinkie asked, her eyes moving to the other globes higher up the tree.

“It sure is.” Zidane affirmed as he put the map away. “Just another mystery we can add to this strange tree.”

“What about the other eight?” Garnet asked as she indicated the other globes. Zidane sighed as he replied.

“Just another mystery.”

“Umm, I think that globe of Gaia is, like, in real time.” Pinkie pointed out, “I can see clouds, and half of it is lit and the other half is dark.”

“I wonder why?” Spike said as Applejack started moving forward.

“Let's keep movin',” She offered, “Maybe we'll find somethin' at the base.” And the party moved on, silently, as they were considering the possibilities and reasons concerning what they've found so far with the Iifa tree. It wasn't long before they reached the base, and to their surprise, there was an opening that led into a large hollowed out chamber within the trunk of the Iifa tree. The room had traces of sunlight leaking through parts of the crystalline wood, spreading the glow of daylight, illuminating the chamber. The floor of the room looked constructed, and in the center of the chamber was a circular dais that didn't seem to be completely connected to the floor around it. Okay, this is even farther from natural. Is this even a tree?

“Just what is all this?” Applejack asked as she took in the large room. “It looks mighty old, ancient even.” Looking up, she saw a gap in the ceiling that matched the size of the dais in the floor. Does it go up to the top? She moved to the dais and tapped it, but it didn't respond, and there didn't seem to be any means of making it move. Being this close, she saw that the dais was in fact not even on the ground, but floating over a pit, but the dais was sized to cover the hole almost perfectly.

“I'm surprised anyone would build anything in this mess.” Zidane commented as he took note of the dais Applejack was scrutinizing. “What with all the mist around.” He then turned to address Eiko. “Do you know anything about this place?” Eiko took in the place before turning to Zidane, quickly shaking her head.

“Nope, this is my first time inside the Iifa tree, it was sealed, after all.” Zidane nodded as he let out a disappointed sigh.

“I was hoping this tree would have something in common with Cleyra.” He said as he motioned around. “Cleyra had a path of sorts we could travel up. But it looks like the Iifa tree doesn't.” He then looked to the dais. “Well, let's see if we can figure out what's under this.” Zidane knelt down to try and pry his blade through the slit at the edge of the dais, and the dais glowed when he touched it, making him jump back in surprise. “Huh?” He composed himself as he scrutinized it. “That's strange. Looks like whatever it is, it still works.” He touched it again, and it lowered slightly.

Why is it responding to him? Is it made to respond to humans only?

“Is it an elevator?” He looked to the others, “Shall we check it out?” They all shared a troubled look, only Spike seemed eager to descend into the ominous tree of mysteries.

Well, what the hay, we need answers. Maybe we'll learn somethin' about Kuja or gettin' back to Equestria in this tree.

With the others agreeing, they all got on the dais, and indeed, it started to lower once Zidane got on it. They descended deeper into the tree, the wood slowing shifting from blue and gray to thicker shades of black. The elevator stopped at a large interior root, and they all followed it down. Tackling past more monsters, they eventually found another elevator that followed a spiraling path down a steep decent, and this one also only responded to Zidane. Riding it down, the shaft the path sloped down opened up, revealing a large, illuminated underground cavern, big enough to fit Ponyville inside. Light broke in through cracks in the ceiling, showing a scene they hadn't expected to find.

The walls of the chamber were woven root, in the center of the large area was a stream of mist falling from the roof. This mist was so thick, that it appeared as water. As the mist fell, a good deal of it was drawn towards floating black stones bigger than a carriage. The stones grew from the mist, and upon reaching a certain size, were dropped into the chamber's floor. What in Equestria is all this? Applejack's mouth hang open, her eyes darting as she took in the scene.

Looking down, she saw that the entire chamber floor was littered by the black stones, and mist that lingered onto the floor was absorbed into them. Roots coiled around the stones, as if suffocating them. She saw several white roots coil a stone, and become stained back as the mist within the rock was absorbed.

There were four points in the room where remaining mist was siphoned off towards raised platforms, and one such area was connected to the path the elevator was traveling down. Four siphons, that more than likely took the remaining mist into the tree's root system.

“So wait,” Applejack said, finally breaking the silence brought on by the scenery. “Is the tree makin' the mist, or feedin' off it?” Her eyes were on the roots taking in the stones. Maybe that's why the tree isn't blue and gray down here.

“It wouldn't make sense for the tree to feed off itself,” Garnet pointed out. “So far, it's looked like the alterations to the tree were for some design, so some semblance of purpose went into what we're seeing.” She nodded at her assumption, “Something else must make the mist.”

“So, the mist feeds the tree, and the rest is sent outside?” Zidane shook his head, his brow having been furrowed since entering the tree. “I don't like this, there are too many questions.”

It's like we just strolled into Gaia's biggest secret or somethin'.

“Huh?” Eiko asked, but it wasn't directed to the others. Mog flew out of her pocket, returning to normal size, and talked to Eiko. Mog seemed to only speak in 'kupos', so only Eiko could understand her. “You sure?” Mog nodded and returned to Eiko's pocket. Eiko turned to the others, taking on a ponderous look as she relayed Mog's message.

“Mog senses a great deal of life down here.” She said as she pointed to the floor of the cavern. “Moogles are faeries, so they can sense life. It's how they can track people they've met, and she says that there's a whole lot of life down here!” Applejack's eyes widened, her gaze falling to the cavern floor, now that Mog had drawn her attention to it, she felt it too.

She's right, I can feel it! Just like the dirt on the surface, only, greater. Like the ground is some sort of overgrown jungle, this place is saturated! Applejack wasn't sure if the others could feel at as well as she could, unsure if what she was feeling was common intuition, or a touch of that good old earth pony magic.

“I don't get it,” Zidane admitted, “there's nothing here but the mist and the monsters.”

“Well,” Garnet began, “We've never seen mist like this before, and it's not like we know what mist is.”

The princess is right! The mist is so common-place on the Mist Continent that I just ended up accepting it. I never got an answer to what it actually is! Applejack looked troubled by this as Garnet looked over the cavern, before looking back to the others.

“Kuja mentioned this place to the black mages, do you suppose he has some connection to here?”

“If he did," Spike began, "then what would be the connection between Kuja and the mist?” He asked, and Applejack helped him with that one.

“Ya'll remember that machine back at the Village of Dali? The one that took in mist to make Black Mages?” Zidane, Spike, and Garnet nodded, “That's the connection, Kuja uses the mist to make weapons, Black Mages. So, he must have a part in all... this!” She finished as she motioned to the entire cavern. As they all considered her words, Garnet looked down into the cavern before speaking up.

“Maybe we'll find some answers at the bottom, there must be a reason for having the elevators down here, after all.”

Not to long after saying that, they reached the end of the leafy elevator's track. It connected to a large stone structure a couple hundred feet across. They couldn't see the underside of it, but assumed they were standing on one of the four siphons on the cavern floor. The siphons had a flat top, like a nail sticking out of the ground. Where the point met the ground, was an open ring that the remaining mist was drawn into. Despite a good amount of mist being converted to stone, most of the mist was still being sent out through the siphons.

“So,” Zidane began, appraising the dead end they stood upon. “The remaining mist is sent out through the roots under this.”

“This place is strange,” Spike said, staying close to his friends, “It's more like a machine then a tree.” He then looked up, back the way the party came. “I wonder, what's in the upper parts.”

Trouble, no doubt. Applejack thought as she looked to the siphons, and she adopted a sly grin as an idea came to mind.

“If we can destroy these,” She began, “block the holes, then the mist will stop being sent through the roots. Right?”

“That sounds like a plan-” Zidane replied, but his eyes caught on to something. “Hang on, is that a control panel?” He walked over to a raised set of stones on the siphon, and the others accompanied him. It did resemble a panel, it had buttons made of stone, but nothing happened when Zidane touched them. “Well, that was a let down.” He then looked around again, “Well, if this is sending mist to the Mist Continent, then let's smash it!”

“Yea,” Applejack replied with a smile, “let's break this thing and get out of here.” She, and her friends wanted to rid themselves of this place, and were more than happy to make a mess on the way out. Applejack looked over the side, contemplating how to do that, when she noticed something moving in the field of black stone. Something big, and looking directly at her. “There's somethin' down there!” She announced as it started to move towards them. Oh horseapples! Did touchin' the 'panel' get its attention!? The party collected themselves and prepared for an attack as a large, hulking, jagged, monster of black stone and crystal landed on the platform near them, almost knocking them down from its landing. The creature wasn't as large as the giant, but it was still bigger then all of them combined. Two green gems in its 'head' took in the party, its body shifting to take them all in.

'So it wasn't Kuja'

“W-What was that! I could her a voice in my head!” Spike cried out, Applejack had heard it too, and saw that her friends were in a similar state of surprise. The voice had lacked any emotion, and its face was unmoving stone, unreadable.

“You just said Kuja!” Zidane proclaimed, poised to strike. “Who are you, and where is he!?”

'I am Mistcage'

'I do not know where Kuja is'

Its reply was quick, still lacking emotion.

“What are you doing here!?” Garnet asked, trying to imitate Zidane's threatening tone, and failing.

“Is the mist your doing!?” Applejack asked of it.

'I do not produce the mist. It is made to move forward the functions of the ritual, I merely alter its shape and store it, sending the rest of the mist through the roots'

Again, it replied quickly, and Applejack was starting to wonder if it was incapable of refusing to answer. He mentioned a ritual. Finally, we can get some answers!

“The ritual Of Unified Fantasy?” Applejack asked of it, toning down her aggression, but still poised for battle.

'Correct'

“Why!? Why send it to the other continents!?” Pinkie asked of it, no mirth or jolly in her question. The monstrosity turned to appraise Pinkie for a moment, which Applejack caught as odd.

'To contaminate the other continents with mist to stimulate the fighting instinct'

'This in turn leads to war, which leads to loss of life, which leads to the ritual tipping against Gaia'

“To cause loss of life?” Zidane asked, “Is that what Kuja is doing with the mist?”

Kuja. He's more than some mere weapons dealer!

'I cannot lie'

'Kuja used the mist to create weapons to aid in guiding the ritual'

'Weapons called Black Mages'

“Why? Why make them as weapons?” Spike asked quietly, who was overshadowed by a pink mare.

“What is the Ritual of Unified Fantasy!?” Pinkie asked of it, her aggression catching Applejack off guard. The monstrosity appraised Pinkie again, its attention now devoted to her.

'You should not be here'

'A seal breaker should not be here'

'You will be destroyed'

With alarming speed, it charged at Pinkie Pie, who's ears immediately fell. Applejack was ready, and got in its path. She placed herself before a living rock-slide, and to her credit, she managed to stop it from hitting Pinkie, but Applejack was still sent flying as the wind escaped her lungs. Dangit! Why couldn't he have answered her question first!?

“Eiko!” Zidane yelled out as he got behind Mistcage. “Be careful with your summon, or this hole siphon could fall with us on it!” Applejack started to rise as she felt a protective barrier wrap around her, followed by healing light, helping her lungs breath easier.

With a quick thanks to her two healers, Applejack got her rope to Hog Tie the monstrosity as Pinkie hit it was a fiery blast of her cannon. Quickly lassoing and tying down Mistcage, Applejack saw Spike approach it with a Soft feather. Will that work? She really hoped it worked, getting hit by an avalanche was not pleasant. When Spike used the Soft on the pinned creature, it yelled out as a large portion of its body turned into sand and fell off, leaving nothing but the crystalline parts of its body. It was harmed, but not defeated, and with the loss of bulk, it was able to slip out of Applejack's rope.

“Look out!” Garnet shouted to Applejack, looking above her. Applejack didn't bother looking, she quickly moved to the side. She felt something large crash into the spot she had just been standing. A large mist stone was now embedded into the battleground, and Mistcage smashed it. The fragments flew through the air at Mistcage's command, and in alarming haste, reformed the stone portions of its body before them.

Oh horseapples. Applejack's ears fell as the stone part of Mistcage's body started to shimmer.

'I have seen the end of my one thousand year life'

The shimmering stones vanished, and Applejack saw the tell tale signs of an oncoming spell.

'It does not end today'

As its spell washed over them, Applejack witnessed a vision, brought on by their foe's magic. She was clutching her chest, falling to the ground as her heart gave its final beat. As the world grew dark, she saw Mistcage break through a purple-pinkish sphere, bringing its entire form crashing upon Pinkie, who was lying on the cold stone. The last thing seen before darkness became complete, was Pinkie disappearing under a crushing tomb of jagged black rock.

Her heart faltered as the vision ended, and her chest cried out in pain as Applejack witnessed their doom. Its beating was now erratic, and she new that the vision would come true if the curse placed upon them wasn't dispelled. Quickly looking to the others, her fear was confirmed when she saw they were also clutching their chests. Unfortunately, Mistcage wasn't going to let it end just like that.

Once again, it lunged at Pinkie, and once again, Applejack intercepted it. With Garnet's protective shield, the blow was significantly less powerful, and she had completely stopped Mistcage in its tracks. The blow made her chest ache, she didn't have much time, but didn't know how to cure-

She felt a compulsion, an instinctual call. She had an ability to save her from her doom, from her friends doom. She's had it for so long, since crashing into a dark forest, and now, it was the remedy she and her friends dearly needed. She pulled out a yellow apple, and devoured it. Her instincts compelled her choice over her heart. She wanted to use it on her friends first, but if Mistcage could cast that spell again, and she was down from the first curse, then it was over for all of them. Feeling her own magic heal her, she felt her heart calm down, and the dread hanging over her vanished.

As Mistcage moved to try and attack Pinkie again, Eiko moved up to it, and used another soft feather on it. Its stone body once again turned to sand, leaving just exposed crystal. Before it could draw in more stones to repair itself, it, Applejack and Eiko, were trapped inside a purple-pinkish sphere of Spike's making. Mistcage was now closed out from his stones. Indeed, the barrier seemed to sever his control over the rocks on the outside, as the ones he had been pulling towards him fell away harmlessly. However, now it was trapped inside a cage with only two targets, and now Applejack couldn't use Apple Toss on her friends outside the barrier.

Break the barrier, or attack Mistcage-

Seeing Eiko clutching her chest, Applejack quickly, without even thinking, gave her a yellow apple. The pain on Eiko's face vanished as she ate the apple, and she moved to get behind Applejack as Mistcage looked between the mare and the shield.

“Thanks.” Eiko sincerely whispered behind the mare. If Applejack wasn't bogged down with worry for the others, she would have smiled.

'Your remedy is trapped in here with me'

To Applejack's shock, it stopped attacking, taking up a stance to intercept Applejack if she attacked the barrier. No! It only wants Pinkie taken care of! And if all her friends outside fall, she could only wonder how long would they last before their stopped hearts became permanent.

“Take down the barrier!” Applejack pleaded to her friends, but she saw her words fall on deaf ears, as Zidane, Garnet, Spike, and Pinkie Pie slumped down, each of them letting out a final breath. Why!? Why didn't they break it!?

Applejack didn't know how much time she had, but-

A large stone fist came up through the floor, catching Mistcage off guard as it crashed right into its body. The floor was now warped, but the barrier still held, the siphon didn't break and fall.

“Come on Applejack! We need to break this boulder!” Eiko proclaimed, a fire in her eyes, and Applejack took that fire in, and gave the child a stern nod.

I ain't gonna lose anyone! They had a boulder to break. As long as the barrier stood, Mistcage couldn't recover, so she went full out. She hog tied him as he attacked her. But his attack was pathetic compared to his other charges, and provoked a counterattack for his efforts, taking off a part of its body. Not so tough with half your body missin'! With him tied down, she got him with a solid Applebuck, causing its lower body to shatter to pieces.

'The ritual must not be altered'

Saying its emotionless words, it threw one of its arms at the barrier, to Applejack's surprise and horror. The barrier shattered, and almost immediately Applejack saw rocks within the cavern moving to converge on them. Mistcage was nothing more than an upper torso with one arm made of crystals, and Applejack gave it another Applebuck as another stone fist cracked into its face. The floating stones surged and shattered mid air, and Mistcage became nothing more than a pile of rubble.

The fight over, the barrier down, Eiko and Applejack didn't hesitate. Though Applejack was a little surprised that they both went to Spike first. She knew Eiko would go to Spike first, but she was confused that she herself had done the same.

Quickly changing course, she brought out a phoenix feather and stood over Pinkie with it, applying it to her. And for what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Come on, come on! Then the magic within the feather flared, and its warm glow enveloped her friend. Pinkie gasped in air as life returned to her, being welcomed by a fit of coughing, and Applejack started breathing again as she hugged her friend close. Knowing that there were others that still were in peril, the hug was brief, and as Applejack moved to Garnet, Eiko helped Zidane stir with her magic. Garnet recovered with the same pause as Pinkie did, and Applejack helped her to her feet. As Zidane was starting to rise, the cavern began to rumble and shake, keeping him from standing up as Applejack looked around alarmed.

No, it's not the cavern shaking, it's the siphon!

“Quick! The elevator!” Applejack didn't wait for her friends to act. She moved and scooped up Spike and Eiko. Zidane, quick on his feet, picked up Garnet, and Pinkie moved with them as they bolted off the siphon. Getting on the leaf elevator, it started to rise as the siphon crumbled behind them, clogging the hole it was built over. And further in the cavern, they saw the same happen to the other three siphons. Were they being held up by Mistcage's power?

As they reached the top of the cavern, they saw that the mist was starting to fill the bottom of the cavern at an alarming rate. With Mistcage gone, no more mist was being converted to stones.

“Okay,” Zidane said as he looked down into the cavern. “That was a little too close.” Applejack rounded on her friends, her relief now turning into anger.

“Why didn't ya'll pop that barrier!? I could have cured ya of that spell!” Zidane and Spike looked at each other, a little embarrassed.

“Well,” Zidane began as he scratched his head. “When I saw the barrier break its 'healing', I thought you could finish it off, with Eiko's help.” Spike nodded in agreement, leaving the orange mare speechless.

They had that much faith in me?

“O-Oh.” Applejack replied, looking to her hooves before raising to see Zidane eye-to-eye, “Well, next time, maybe you could count on me without leavin' me in the dark?” She asked, her voice ringing of a pleading apology. Zidane let out a small smile as he nodded, then looked down into the chamber.

“I think we've done enough here,” he proclaimed, “let's get out of here before the mist gets too high.”

“Agreed.” Applejack affirmed. With that, they worked to leave the tree behind them, the question of whether they had cut the mist off from the Mist Continent floating on their minds. Well, on most of their minds. The battle against Mistcage was playing through Applejack's mind. No matter how she looked at it, if it wasn't for Apple Toss, they would have fallen today, their quest coming to an end.

...Is strength luck? Would Pinkie be the strong one if she had a remedy to that doom spell? She looked to Pinkie, and as she considered that, her eyes widened as she was struck with an epiphany.

Wait, is that it? She thought about the other fights they had been, looking back on the strength of her friends. Each of them played a part in one victory or another, but none of them consistently contributed to each victory. Just as there were fights she had fallen, there were fights they had fallen. Strength isn't some catch all. Bein' strong doesn't make you capable of standin' against every challenge. Everyone has limits, no one can tackle everything. She then smiled as a fond memory, and an important lesson came to mind. A single pony can't harvest an orchard all by herself. Applejack shook her head with a smile. If Twilight had been here, this entire conundrum would have been so simple. No one is strong enough to tackle everything. But if they tackle it with their friends, then together, their weaknesses are covered, and truly, they are strong. Strength, is not being alone. Strength, is not fightin' alone. Applejack started to laugh, indeed, the answer seemed so simple in hindsight. No wonder Twilight's a princess. Spike says I'm the strongest, and it's because I live for them. My friends are everything to me. I work to protect them, because I love them, and with them at my side, I am strong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Trouble Above
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifty feet beneath the large globe of Gaia, in a chamber ripe with importance, stood Kuja, looking over a small magical projection of the Iifa tree's structure. His brow furrowed as he saw a shining pink dot leave out the base of the tree, then let out a sigh.

The actress missed her call, so it is down to me to raise the curtain for her. Leaving the room behind, he descended down, far down into the roots of the tree, to overlook the damage wrought by the 'heroes'. Reaching the leaf elevator, he saw mist too thick to see through halfway down, and chose to levitate the rest of the way. As he did so, he used his power over mist, and converted all the gathered mist into a large number of stones, clearing the way for Kuja to find what he sought. His eyes fell on a pair of green gems, and smiled.

Ah, there's the bit actor that threw off the star actress. Landing on the blackened stone floor, he walked up to what remained of Mistcage, and its eyes twinkled with magic as it saw Kuja.

'Kuja'

'A seal breaker is on Gaia'

'It must be destroyed'

“Yes,” Kuja started, his tone conveying false sympathy for the broken 'creature'. “It would be a problem if she went and messed up the 'Directors' plan's.”

'I require repair'

'My capacity to manipulate mist is compromised'

“Ah, about that.” He replied as a he gathered some of the mist poring into the chamber. “This play has too many bit actors, and it could use a new director as well. Don't worry, I assure you that your departure will be as cliched as your part warrants.” Kuja then gave Mistcage a sly smile. “'You've outlived your usefulness.'”

'What are you intending-'

Kuja released the hold on his magic, causing a large speared black rock to smash into the two green gems, crushing them. Kuja chuckled as he felt Mistcage return to the mist it was born from. Leaving the broken chamber, he returned to the observation room to see where his favorite actress was heading.

Once again in the room beneath the Gaian globe, his eyes briefly looked over the projection next to the Iifa tree display.

It was a projection of eight crystals, one in the center of a circle of the other seven. The crystal in the center was noticeably larger than the ones surrounding it, the crystal was black, and projected a small dark ring representing mist. The seven crystals surrounding it were all different colors, besides one. Each colored crystal, orange, light green, white, light blue, red, and yellow shimmered brightly, with no mist surrounding the six colored gems. The last of the seven on the outer ring was black, and had an aura of mist around it.

Turning his attention back to the Iifa projection, with a quick use of the controls, he saw that the pink dot had moved to the outskirts of the tree's roots. As Kuja considered his options, a chime rang from the gem projection. He looked to it, and saw the last black gem of the outer circle turn purple, giving off a matching pulse, dispelling the mist around it.

Well now, isn't that convenient. It must be fate, telling me my time to rise has come! He thought with a dark smile as he turned around to take in an object floating right below the globe of Gaia.

A large black crystal hovered there, bigger than the tallest of men. Mist pored from it like a waterfall, down into the depths of the tree. Across from it was a stone dais with an eight pointed star encrested on it, and floating in the air before the crystal, was a circular stone tablet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mist around the Iifa tree had dispersed by the time they returned to the rock pillars where they had started from. Reaching solid ground again, the party turned around. The tree looked less ominous with the mist gone.

“Wow, the air's so clear!” Eiko admitted as she took in the tree in awe. “The Iifa tree looks kind of pretty without it.” She then turned to the others, “Do you think this will clear up your Mist Continent?” Zidane nodded as he turned to his friends.

“I think so, though, it would disrupt travel via airships.” He then nodded again looking back to the tree. “Still, I think it best that the mist is gone.” Applejack agreed as she looked to the others.

“Do ya think that'll be enough?” She asked her friends, “I don't think we stopped the mist, just contained it.”

“Well,” Zidane replied, “the Mist Continent will be free of mist now, which will be enough. We still need to find Kuja and take care of him.”

“Right,” Pinkie affirmed, “and once we do, we can come back to this problem. That mist is tied to the ritual somehow.” Pinkie then took on a considering expression. “Why did Mistcage attack me? And what's a seal breaker?” Applejack looked to her friend, catching a glimmer of fear lingering from the fate she was almost dealt.

“I donno,” Applejack admitted as she moved close to Pinkie, getting a light smile from her, “but it might have somethin' to do with Twilight accidentally sendin' ya to Gaia. He didn't seem all that concerned with myself or Spike.” Spike nodded in agreement as he looked to the tree.

“I think we should stay here for a bit,” he suggested. “See if Kuja shows up.”

“That's a great idea!” Zidane exclaimed, getting a small smile from Spike. “Kuja's involved, so he's bound to check on the mess we've made.” Putting that idea into motion, they rested from the string of battles they had endured going in and out of the tree. Not long after they started, a moogle approached the group.

“Mocha?” Eiko stated.

From Madain Sari?

“Eiko!” Mocha replied with distress, breathing heavily from fatigue.

“What's the matter?” She asked with some concern. “Why did you come all this way?” Mocha then replied in a manner similar to the way Mog talked, leaving them all out of the loop.

“What!?” Eiko shouted in alarm, “Okay! I'll be there as soon as I can, go ahead of me and tell the others!” Mocha nodded and flew off with a kupo as Eiko turned to her new friends. “I gotta go back to the village!” And she started to leave, but Applejack spoke up.

“One sec sugar- erm, Eiko. What's wrong?”

“Someone stole something precocious from the village! It's an important relic to my tribe!” Applejack shared a look with the others, and they nodded in unison.

“We'll go with ya.”

“We're your friends.” Zidane added,, “And we help our friends when they need it.” He tapped his chest as he took on a determined grin, “We'll make sure your village is safe!” Eiko looked to them, taken aback by this, and she gave an honest smile that was reflected in the others. Then she shook her head.

“Thanks, really. But, what about Kuja?” Her question made Applejack look to Zidane, who also looked to her. They both nodded in unison.

It'll take time for Kuja to come here, he's probably still on the Mist Continent.

“Madain Sari isn't that far.” Zidane said, “Kuja can wait, your home can't.” With that, they moved, leaving the tree behind them to help their youngest friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hello Equestrian! This, is moogle notes!'

'I think Dagger should have taken Spike's offer concerning the gems. It would have spared her so much heartache.'

'Faeries isn't a common reference to us moogles, but it's true!'

'Choco and I were unable to get close to the tree when we were on that part of the continent, the barrier around it was still up at the time.'

'Mistcage used a status called Doom on everyone. Doom is a powerful curse that manipulates fate, bringing about your end after a short amount of time if you don't break the curse. While a stopped heart is the most common outcome, I've heard that there are other ways Doom could come about. Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Ice Brand: Mental Break(mastered)

Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.

AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!(mastered), Long Reach(mastered), Ability Up(mastered)

Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack(mastered), Counter(mastered)

Iron Barding: Add Status(mastered), Bug Killer(mastered)

Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider(mastered), HP+10%(mastered)

Lvl Up! Lvl-28 HP 2356/2356 MP 0/104

AP 0/32

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

*Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.

*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.

Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, blarg happened.
It would appear that this Iifa tree is a lot different from the original. I blame global warming.
The mist is different, yet similar to how it was in FFIX. Basically a great deal of Iifa was repurposed for this crossover, though I assure you the main elements of the original tree are still there. Also, I'm really looking forward to Memoria. But that's a whole 'nother disc away!
Thanks to Seiya for the input. And thank you, dear reader. Did you know that you're awesome? :pinkiehappy:
Wanna see an antagonist with a silly outfit? Well to bad!

32. Wall of Sacred Beasts

Pinkie had offered to let Spike and Eiko ride her on the way back to Madain Sari. After all the walking earlier in the day, they were eager to accept the offer. As they quickly rode back to the village, Eiko looked over Spike's shoulder to see that he was using the point of his tail to etch a name into the Moonstone he got yesterday.

“Spike, whatcha doing?” She asked, looking to distract herself from her worry over the village theft. He glanced to her before looking back to the Moonstone.

“For some reason, gemstones on Gaia remind me of several of my friends back in Equestria. So when I get a new stone, I write their name into it.” He then carefully pulled out the four gemstones he had, trying not to drop them from Pinkie's gallop. Twilight's Garnet, Rarity's Amethyst, Rainbow Dash's Ruby, and Shining Armor's Peridot. He then took the moment to explain each of those friends to Eiko as time passed.

“So, that's why they're important.” Eiko nodded as she she pulled out her light blue gemstone, the Sapphire, “Who does this remind you of?” Spike took the gem, curious and eager to find out. Holding the gem, he felt the urge to laugh. A feeling of unbridled happiness, and the urge to play around with others.

This is Pinkie's! Spike thought as he addressed the mare.

“Pinkie, this gem feels like you!”

“What? Reallly~! Whatsit do~!?” She eagerly asked, having heard everything the two on her back had talked about. Glancing over her shoulder she smiled as she saw the gem, “That kinda resembles my element~” Spike had noticed the similar color as well, and couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

“I don't know what it does. I'll try it out when we're not running!” He said energetically, then realized something as he handed the gem back to Eiko. “Thanks Eiko, I didn't think there would be gemstones for Pinkie and Applejack. I can't wait to see what AJ's is!” He finished with a smile, which got a small frown from Eiko as she looked to the gemstone.

“Spike,” She began, offering him the stone again, “I- I don't need it anymore. If you're going to keep it and put Pinkie's name on it, I'd like you to have it.” She put on a little smile, and she got one in return as Spike accepted the gem from her.

“Thanks Eiko!” And he gave her a small hug to show his appreciation, making her blush furiously.

As they moved through the broken earth, Spike pocketed the new stone. Once I finish the Moonstone, I can work on Pinkie's. Eiko wanted to talk to Pinkie, so they switched places on her back, letting Spike give his attention back to the Moonstone. It was obvious who it reminded him of, he felt a sense of love for everypony radiating from it, as well as a sense of playfulness as he finished etching Luna's name into the smooth white stone. The stone granted him a spell that inflicted Sleep on his foes, but there was another spell he didn't quite know how to use. When he had the time, he intended to try and figure it out.

Going back through the mountain path, they slowed down to navigate the terrain, allowing Spike to reflect on what happened earlier, clutching his chest, almost shaking when he recalled the fight with Mistcage. Something bothered the dragon more than the fight, however. They had survived it, thanks to Eiko and Applejack, but now the mist wouldn't reach the Mist Continent anymore, which meant no more Black Mages being born.

Yea, they were made to fight. But couldn't they have been made just for the sake of having new friends? Spike imagined Black Mage Village, empty and alone, an image that would now become a reality.

“Somethin' wrong sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she moved next to Pinkie, getting Eiko to glance over her shoulder. “Yer lookin' a little down.” Thanks to Applejack's forwardness, he was now the center of attention, not that he minded.

“It's just. There's going to be no more Black Mages now.” No one had an immediate answer to his words. They couldn't summon up any fitting words to assure the young dragon.

“I'm sorry Spike.” Applejack spoke up, breaking the silence. “I really am. I- I don't know how we could fix that. I suppose Kuja might have an answer,” she said with a frown, “But I honestly doubt he'd give us one we'd like.”

“Um,” Pinkie began hesitantly, “Would you like it if we threw a party of some kind for them?”

Just what kind of party would that even be? Spike wondered as he shook his head.

“I just, I just wish everyone could have a happy ending. They were dolls that woke up as people. It's sad that they have a short life span, it's sad that no more will be born. I don't want that to be the ending in store for them. I want to help them. They were nice to us, back in the village. Even Black Waltz was decent once I 'woke' him up.”

“Well, if you want to help them, then do it!” Eiko proclaimed, as if it was that simple.

“But how?”

“I don't know.” She quickly admitted, but gave him an assuring look. “You don't know how to get back home, but that doesn't stop you from looking, right?” She asked of him. Spike looked to her, her words helping him feel a little better.

“You're right. Better to look for a way then to do nothing. Thanks Eiko.” She smiled brightly at his gratitude.

“Doing something is better than doing nothing.” She added as they left the mountain path, and picked up speed towards the village.

Its amazing, that she can say things like that. Isn't she younger than me? Spike wondered as they reached the outskirts of Madain Sari, prompting Eiko to hop off of Pinkie, running ahead of them.

“I'm home!” Eiko proclaimed as they return to the ruined village. But there was no moogle to greet them. “I'm home!!” She repeated, as loud as her lungs could manage, which ended up hurting Spike's ears. Her cry was indeed heard, for shortly afterwards a string of moogles moved up the path to them.

“Mocha told me the news.” Eiko stated worriedly, “Is everyone alright?”

“Come. Now!” Morrison cried out, “Talk later! Kupo!” And the other moogles agreed with a kupo. And the moogles ran off, Eiko following after them.

“Hey, Eiko?” Applejack asked as they were left behind, leading to them quickly chasing after her.

Guess she isn't use to relying on us yet. Spike thought as they reached her home. They went past the kitchen down into the entrance of a pantry, where all the moogles had gathered. As Spike and the others entered the pantry, they found Eiko looking into an empty box resting on an altar. Her mouth hung open as she reached inside the empty container, as if to verify the facts.

“It's... gone! The precious stone that has been passed down for generations is gone!” Her eyes fell to the floor, appearing to be fighting back tears.

“My grandparents said-” She began as she turned and looked up to the others, “They said that we should take care of it because it's a symbol of the summoners' heritage.” Her expression made Spike's chest hurt, calling up a recent memory.

Is that what I looked like, before I broke down at the cemetery? Not wanting her to make the same mistake he did, he spoke up.

“Eiko,” he began assuredly, “if you want to cry, then cry. It helps, okay?”

“I-I'm not gonna cry!” She claimed as she stared at Spike, trying not to glare at him. “I'm a grown-up, and crying won't help one bit!”

“Alight.” Zidane interjected, before Spike could reply, “How about we start looking for clues then?” Applejack nodded as she walked up to Eiko with a light smile.

“We can all help ya. 'Kay?” Eiko looked between the five of them, and nodded. As they started to look around, Pinkie went outside to talk to the moogles, giving Spike a knowing glance.

Does she expect me to do something? Spike turned around and saw Eiko's back was to everyone, and she had hiccups.

“Is it- Is it my fault?”

She's blaming herself?

“Is it because I broke my promise and opened the Iifa Tree's seal?” . Her words reminded Spike of when he and Dagger were caught in Alexandria, and his inability to protect her. What Pinkie said back then came to mind, and he nodded, putting his claw on Eiko's shoulder.

“Eiko. It's not your fault.” She turned around to face him, she wasn't crying, but it was obvious she was holding it in. “It's the thief's fault, not yours.” “And besides, we asked you to break the seal. The bad guy is the thief, not you.” He finished, giving her a smile, and she gave him a sad one in return.

“Spike's right.” Applejack affirmed, “We'll find some clues, and get yer stone back, just ya watch!” Eiko hiccuped again as she looked between Spike and Applejack, and after taking their words in, she took several deep breaths, composing herself and ending her hiccups before giving them a nod.

“O-Okay!” Eiko proclaimed, brimming with renewed energy, her words laced with hope. Then she gave them all a fired up look. “I wasn't going to cry, you know.” She then stood tall and composed. “After all, I'm a grown-up, and a lady!”

“We know, Eiko.” Zidane said. “But if you feel like crying, just cry.” Eiko shook her head, then adopted a contemplating look before looking back to her friends.

“I'm gonna go pray to my grandparents, I'll be right back.” She said as she left them alone in the pantry. Spike didn't know what a clue looked like, but he pored his eyes over the scene of the crime as Zidane approached Dagger.

“If you need to, you can cry too, Dagger.” He said with a playful smile. “My shoulder's always available.”

“Yea, thanks.” She sincerely replied, smiling to everyone.

Huh? Are Zidane and Dagger close? Spike considered that as she turned to Zidane.

“What about you, Zidane? What do you do when you need to cry?” He contemplated her question a moment before speaking up.

“Oh, I get real clingy when I'm sad!” He opened his arms wide, as if he was about to hug someone, his gesture directed towards Dagger. She stamped her foot down as she glared at him.

“Hey, cut it out. I'm being serious!”

“Hey, I was being serious.” Zidane replied as he scratched his head, looking a little hurt. Applejack chuckled a little, and Spike almost did the same as a memory came to mind.

“Zidane,” Applejack began, “you were pretty down the one time I've seen ya sad.” She gave him a smug grin.

Is she referring to-

“Back when we saved Dagger from Zorn and Thorn, in the castle.” Zidane looked at her in surprise before looking embarrassed, his face flushing.

“Um,” he began as Dagger gave him a confused look, “well-” He was interrupted by a loud scream from outside, snapping all of them to attention.

“That was Eiko!” Spike proclaimed in alarm, teleporting out of the pantry.

“Damnit!” He heard Zidane say as they followed Spike outside. “The thief was still here!” Mocha moved before them, in a state of panic as he spoke up.

“Eiko's been kidnapped by a girl with a large axe! Kupo! Pinkie went after them, they were heading towards the Eidolon Wall!” Hearing more than enough, they all ran off to rescue their friend. Spike got ahead of the others with several teleporting shortcuts, and met Pinkie at the wall.

“Pinkie! Whats up!?” He asked her, they and a number of moogles were standing outside the wall, and Pinkie turned to Spike, and he almost stepped back from her expression.

Pinkie frowning is always scary!

“When we came to this land, we fought a mean lady with a big axe called Lani. She's scary, and she's inside with Eiko!” Pinkie explained as she nodded to the Eidolon Wall, and as she finished, the others caught up. Spike turned to the others, a fire in his eyes.

“I'll take a peek inside!” He said, not waiting for their input as he teleported up on top of the broken dome, and peered inside. Lani was standing in the center of the room, holding onto Eiko from the back of her clothes, holding her out at arms length as Eiko swung around, trying to free herself. In Lani's other hand was her large axe, poised to strike in an instant.

“This is no way to treat a lady!” Eiko proclaimed indignantly, more annoyed than afraid.

“What's this wing ornament on your back?” Lani asked, clearly bored. “It makes you so easy to pick up.” She added as she shook Eiko a little.

“My grandpa gave it to me! Get your grubby hands off it!”

“Oh shut up.” Lani replied in announce. “Just be still until they get here.” Seeing more than enough, Spike teleported back to the others.

“Lani's waiting for us!” He exclaimed, almost in a state of panic. “And I think she wants to hurt Eiko unless we do something for her.” Zidane nodded with a frown as he looked to Morrison.

“Was Mog captured too?” He asked the moogle, and Pinkie moved behind Morrison and gently pushed the small moogle out for all to see.

“She's right here. Be nice Zidane.” Pinkie said as she looked towards the wall worriedly.

“Mog,” Zidane began as he knelt towards her. “I have a plan to save Eiko, but I need your help.” Mog quickly shook her head. “I promise, you won't be in any danger.” Mog shook her head again, prompting Morrison to speak for her.

“It's no use. Mog's always been a coward.” He explained as she gave them an apologetic look. Zidane nodded as he turned to the others.

“Well, we got to do something. Lani has a hostage, so handling this will be tricky.”

“Well,” Applejack began, stamping her hoof down. “Standin' out here ain't helpin' anyone.” She looked to Spike. “Sugarcube, go back up top. If things go south, help out. She's never seen ya before, so ya can get the jump on her.” Spike gave her a nod as he teleported atop the roof, and quietly looked on as the others ran into the room. Eiko wasn't struggling anymore, she was passed out, which turned Spike's worry into anger.

What did she do to her!?

“Well, looks like my prize decided to show up.” Lani said as she glanced between Applejack and Dagger.

“What have ya done to Eiko!?” Applejack shouted, looking ready to jump at Lani.

“She was too energetic, so I put her to sleep with some sleeping weed.” Zidane shared a glance with Dagger as they all eased up a little.

“Sleeping weed, eh?” Zidane said. “Then she's probably sleeping well.” His words caused Dagger to blush. Dagger shook her head of the memory and stepped forward, cautiously.

“If it's my pendant you're after, then leave the others out of it!”

“No can do.” Lani replied with a sly smile. “This is way too convenient to pass up! Hand over your pendant, and I'll hand over the girl, you follow?” Lani's eyes widened as she noticed something was off about Dagger.

“What happened to the pendant you wore last time!?” Spike's was also surprised as he saw that Dagger wasn't wearing her royal pendant.

When did she take it off? Zidane stepped forward, looking fairly smug.

“I have it.” He said with a small smile.

“Well, what good is that?” Lani asked in annoyance as she brought her axe closer to Eiko. “Now, cough it up already!” Zidane glared at her unspoken threat.

“First, tell me something.” He began as he pulled out Dagger's pendant. “Was it you who stole the village stone?”

“Queen Brahne is after the royal pendant, and I just happened to find another jewel just like it in this village!” She looked genuinely happy as she continued, “She'll no doubt give me a bonus for it! I'm glad I came all this way looking for you. Now, hand it over!” As they talked, Spike saw his shadow become swallowed by something bigger, and turning around in alarm, he stood rigid as he took in the figure before him.

A large, muscular man with light blue skin, wearing a green sleeveless shirt and matching pants looked down to the dragon. His eyes were obscured by a large head of red dreadlocks, and he had a red pointed beard. Despite the dreadlocks, Spike could tell he was looking at him.

The man brought his large hand to his mouth, motioning for Spike to remain quiet as he moved next to the young dragon, slouching down to take in the scene within the Eidolon Wall. Something about the man's presence kept Spike from acting, as if he was radiating an aura that implied that he would cause Spike no harm. Who is he? Is he one of Eiko's friends? I feel like I've seen that head of hair somewhere before.

Not quite sure how to react to the sudden appearance of the stranger, Spike's eyes fell back to the scene before them, taking this tall stranger's appearance as a good omen. Zidane had just finished whispering something to the others, and was now approaching Lani.

“Hold on!” Lani cried out as she glared at Zidane, making him stop. “You're plotting something, aren't you? Stay right there.” Zidane glared at her as he kicked the ground.

“You, Applejack!” Lani said as she pointed at the orange mare with her axe.

“What?”

“Bring me the pendant! And remember, do as I say if you value this brats life!” Applejack glared at her, then moved to Zidane's side. The two of them shared a nod as he handed her the pendant.

As Applejack approached Lani, the girl started to laugh, gripping harder on her axe. Wait, she's going to- Spike thought as he prepared to teleport, but was surprised when the large man next to him threw himself towards Lani. He's fast!

“Look out!” He shouted in a deep voice that could only stand equal to Big Macintosh. Lani saw him flying towards her and abandoned Eiko, avoiding the man landing upon her. Eiko was caught by Applejack as Lani put some distance between the red warrior and the others. Spike stood on his perch, his eyes glued to the turn of events.

“I donno who ya are,” Applejack said, smiling at the newcomer, “but ya got my thanks!” She then handed Eiko over to Dagger, the brooding warrior having no words for Applejack. As the warrior looked towards Lani, Spike sensed an aura of anger radiating from him.

How is he doing that? It's like I can sense his emotions, as apposed to seeing them! No longer in Lani's custody, Dagger stirred Eiko awake.

“Huh, what's going on?” Eiko asked as her sleep was dispelled, then realization dawned on her as Dagger helped her stand up. “Where's that old hag!” Eiko cried out as she looked around, glaring at Lani as she spotted her.

“W-Who are you calling a hag!?” Lani replied indignantly.

“You!” Eiko replied without hesitation.

“So, the tables turn!” Zidane proclaimed as he drew out his doublesword. “Now, hand over the jewel you stole!” Lani ignored Zidane as she glared at the warrior that ruined her day.

“What are you trying to do, Red!?” She asked of the scarlet warrior as she pointed her axe at him. “I thought you're suppose to be the number one bandit!” Her comment made everyone's eyes fall to him.

“Wait. I've seen him before!” Dagger proclaimed. “I saw him on wanted posters in Treno!”

She's right! At the inn where we met Marcus, his face was on the wall! 'Red' glanced to the others, his aura shifting to something more neutral.

“I'm not here to help. I just want it to be fair.”

“What are you talking about?” Lani asked, still angry, and now confused. His aura flared as his attention fell back to her, making Lani take a step back.

“Leave the jewel, and get out of here.” It was an order, not a request. Spike felt that he wouldn't be able to refuse if that had been directed to him.

“W-What!? We're partners on this job! You're suppose to help me get the gem and kill the orange pony!” Spike looked to Applejack in surprise, she had failed to tell him that part. 'Red' shook his head as he motioned to Lani.

“I don't work with hostage taking scumbags. Now, get lost.” He then took up a fighting stance, “Or, would you rather fight me?” Lani glared at him as she tossed the jewel at his feet, which he deftly kicked up and caught.

“Mark my words Red! I'll collect the bounty on you someday!” With that, Lani jumped on one of the pillars, and then onto the roof. She looked at Spike in surprise, then took up a dark grin, but it vanished when Spike teleported away from her to another side of the roof, sticking his tongue out at her. She glared at him, and fled. Looking back down to the others, he saw 'Red' take up a fighting stance towards Zidane. His aura was no longer anger, but it was still hostile.

“Now, fight me!”

“Just a second here.” Zidane said holding his blade back, confused. “What's going on?”

“I told you. I'm not here to help. I just want to level the playing field."

Well, that sure is kind of him. But why Zidane? Shouldn't it be Applejack?

“Fair enough.” Zidane said as a cocky grin stretched across his face. “Let's do-”

“Wait just a second sugarcube.” Applejack interrupted, getting in between Zidane and the man. “It's my job, no, its my wish to protect each and every one of ya. If he wants a fair fight, then I should fight him.” She then gave Zidane a smug aside-glance. “Ya'll probably just steal his things, and that ain't fair.”

“No, I'm fighting him.”

“No thanks AJ, it's between the two of us.”

They both said in unison, making the mare frown.

“I'm not gonna let ya get yerself killed fer this.”

“Oh, and you think I'll let you do the same?” Zidane snidely countered, looking worried for her. His concern made her smile, before she covered it with a stubborn frown.

“Look here Zidane. I don't want to Applebuck ya, but I will if yer intending to stick to yer apples. I'm fightin' him, no ifs, ands or buts about it.” Zidane folded his arms as he raised an eyebrow at the mare.

“Stick to yer Apples?” He stated, causing Applejack to roll her eyes at him.

“It's a figure of speech sugarcube. So whatsit gonna be?” Zidane looked to the man, then back to Applejack, sighing as he gave her a reluctant nod. 'Red' took a step forward, confused by this turn of events. Spike teleported down next to Pinkie, who was watching the entire affair, along with Dagger and Eiko, with mixed concern and curiosity.

“I have no quarrel with you.” 'Red' admitted, pointing to Zidane. “He is my opponent, not you.”

“As if. Ya were hired to kill me, so I'm the one yer gonna fight. Besides, ya ain't gonna get a fair fight unless yer fightin' me.” Then she gave him a hard look. “I won't let anyone harm my friends.”

“How is that fair?” He scoffed, “When I best you, then I'll just have to fight him anyways, wounded.”

“Look,” Zidane began with a smile. “If you win, you can have the pendant, and you can fight me after my friends heal you up, sound good?” Dagger and Eiko looked to Zidane in surprise, but Pinkie and Spike saw where he was coming from.

There's no way Applejack will lose!

The warrior looked between Applejack and Zidane in confusion. His aura fluctuated before calming, as he turned towards Applejack. His aura flared up, not with anger, but with determination, he slid on a pair of fist swords, bladed claws similar to what Pinkie used on the giant yesterday. He took up his stance, directed at Applejack as she drew her sword. Feeling the pressure in the air, the others stepped back, giving them more room for their duel.

Show him what your made of, AJ!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Fierce Duel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack stared him down. He was radiating a fire that only her mind's eye could see. She knew he was going to give her everything he had, but she wouldn't falter. She was strong, and she channeled it through her stare. The air felt tense between them, as if it would ignite from their burning determination to win.

Applejack blinked, and the fight began, as she suddenly saw him almost flying towards her, his claw forward to rake her neck. She knelt down, her hat deflecting the blow as she pushed into him, slamming into his chest. They both staggered back from the impact, Applejack cradling her head and neck, Red holding his stomach. The moment was short, as they both ignored the pain and will of their bodies, and lunged at each other again.

This time, Applejack had her sword ready, and she swung towards his torso, but he caught her blade between his claws, a small amount of chill seeping into his weapons as he abandoned one of his claws to grab at her while the weapons were locked together. He grabbed her by the neck, his large arm easily grasping around it, Oh horseapples! She thought he was going to choke her, and she moved to get away from him. Planting her hooves in the ground, she pushed back, intending to throw him over her, and was terribly surprised when he threw her in the direction her hooves worked her towards.

He used her own momentum, and added it to his strength, sending her crashing into one of the pillars, making it crumble from the impact. Ow. Applejack coughed as she quickly rolled out of the way of the collapsing pillar, scooping up her sword in the same motion. When she got up, she saw Red charging towards her flank, and she dropped low as he ran right into an Applebuck.

He was sent into a pillar opposite of the one she crashed into, and it collapsed from the impact. Applejack crushed two small voices trying to get her attention in her head. One thinking about how Eiko won't like the mess, the other suggesting she heal. This is a fair fight, I won't cheat! Her determination and pride overpowering her pragmatism, she charged after Red as he rolled out of the rubble, his weapons ready for the orange mare.

She brought her blade around, and again he caught it in his claws, but she was ready this time. She let go of her blade and brought her head up, right into his own, she felt the impact reverberate through her helm as their skulls collided, and he was sent staggering back. Applejack smiled until she saw he had her sword. Her eyes widened as he pulled it from his claws and threw her blade at her.

With terrifying strength, her blade cut through the air, Applejack knelt down to the side, making her blade hit her helm, sending the blade flying high, and knocking her hat off, and rattling her senses. Shaking her head to collect herself, she felt two large hands grasp her head, and looking forward, she saw Red bring his head down, headbutting her, and they both staggered back again. Unable to see, she sensed an oncoming attack and jumped high, feeling the air beneath her shift. As she landed, she wiped the blood from her eyes as she took in her opponent.

He was just as injured as she was, and had blood trickling down his forehead too. He still had both of his claws, while Applejack lacked her sword, seeing it several paces behind Red. He was staring at her, both of them glaring, waiting for the other to move, both of them not intending to fall for the others tricks again. As she took in her foe, waiting for him to twitch, a strange realization came to mind.

Am, Am I smilin'? She was surprised that she was enjoying this. It was the first time she's fought someone on even footing, in a fair fight. The fact that they were both giving it their all only made it more thrilling. They were throwing themselves at each other, and she found it exhilarating. That's strange. I know nothin' 'bout this guy, and yet... She lowered her aggression, making Red hesitate as she spoke up.

“Gotta say, yer pretty good.” Applejack complimented, surprising Red. And yet, I like him. We're fightin', he's tryin' to kill me, and yet, that doesn't bother me. He looked to her, appraising her before replying.

“You're putting up a better fight than I thought.” She sensed something from him, an aura of satisfaction. He glanced to her sword, and rolled over to it, tossing it over to her. “I did say a fair fight.” She eyed her sword as it landed before her, Is that it? Is it because he insists on bein' fair? Yes, that has to be it. I find that respectable, honorable, and I don't want to disappoint that notion. Looking from her sword to him, she smiled as she raised an eyebrow.

“Heh, alright then. Let's do this, fist to hoof.” And she slid her sword away as Red looked to her, then chucked his claws to the side. She smiled at him, then charged. He lunged at her, and seeing her chance, planted her forward hoof into the ground and pivoted on it, swinging herself around and bringing her hind legs forward, waiting to deliver an Applebuck. As her legs fired off, she saw him slide by the attack, dodging it by a fraction of an inch. Her's ears fell as he brought his large fist down on her back, smashing her into the ground, making her cry out in pain.

Sensing another hit oncoming, she rolled into him, surprising him with her direction, knocking him down as she staggered up. Horseapples! That buckin' hurt! She rubbed tears from her eyes as she limped away from him. Not good! My hind legs don't feel right! Despite her condition, fear was far removed from her thoughts. Fear for her life, that is. She didn't want to lose, or suffer what that would entail for her friends. Her eyes watched Red, he looked to her, poised to charge her, but he didn't move. What's he waitin' fer?

She tried to stand tall, but her back cried out, and she struggled to stay on her hooves as Red's posture became more open.

“This fight is over.” He stood tall as he abandoned his battle stance. “Your name is Applejack?” He asked of her respectfully. She heard her friends call her name, but she closed them out, it was just him, and her, at this very moment. “I won't forget it.” He then crouched low, preparing to finish her. Ya think ya've won? I still have a trick fer ya! Applejack gave him a smile, her brow furrowed, as he charged forward.

Applejack drew on an ability she rarely used. An ability she gained from a blade. It was the most basic of abilities for a swordsman, an ability that becomes stronger the more wounded your are, Minus Strike, a power that takes strength from burning desire. As Red reached Applejack, she braced her hind legs and brought her forward hoof to connect with his punch. As they connected, he felt her pain, transferred through the contact, and her magic made it real, causing him to grunt in agony.

Not expecting such an attack coming, his own attack faltered as he crashed into Applejack, her planted hooves keeping her from moving as his movement came to a halt. She bit back crying out as lightning coursed down her spine, and in his moment of confusion, she separated herself from him, rolling around him and taking the opportunity to Applebuck him into the far wall.

The Applebuck, in hindsight, was a bad call. Applejack collapsed to the ground as the pain in her back redoubled from her sudden exertion. Fighting to not pass out from the jagged pain coursing down her spine, she rubbed blood and sweat from her eyes as she saw that Red lay where he crashed. He was still breathing, but unmoving, making her certain that the fight was over. Despite the pain in her back and skull, she was still smiling.

And with the battle over, the world seemed to return to her, all at once. She noticed she was surrounded by her friends, Eiko and Dagger were working a healing spell, and she felt the pain in her back melt away as she turned her smile towards them.

“I'm sorry I scared ya'll.” She admitted, she didn't really hear their words through the fight, but she guessed the fight didn't do their nerves any favors. “Thanks fer not buttin' in. Can ye help him too?” She asked as she got up, nodding to Red. She felt someone small hug her, and was surprised when she saw it was Spike, her face flush as he looked to her.

“That was amazing Applejack,” he said excitedly, “you both looked so cool! I mean, it was kinda scary, but still cool!”

“I'll say! You were glowing~!” Pinkie admitted as she joined in the hug, putting Applejack's hat back on the orange mare.

“Ahh shucks, thanks ya'll.” She wasn't sure if it was from her friends warmth, or the rush of the fight, or the boost to her pride the victory brought, but Applejack felt satisfied. The most satisfied she's ever been since ending up on Gaia.

“That was a great fight Applejack,” Zidane admitted, then adopted a smug smile. “I could have taken him.”

“Yea, sure,” she replied as she rolled her eyes, with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Dagger's healing magic fell upon 'Red', he stirred, and looked to Applejack, who stood before him.

“I... lost?” He shook his head, looking to Applejack. “Why did you heal me?” He then glared at them. “Well? Go ahead. Finish me!”

“Can ya stand?” Applejack ask offering her hoof to 'Red'. He looked at it, confused. “Well, take it. And give back what isn't yers.” Realization dawned on his face as he got up on his own, and pulled the gem Lani had thrown at him. Applejack grabbed the gem and turned to Eiko. “Over here sugarcube.” Eiko quickly moved to received the gem from her. As Applejack gave it to her, Eiko looked up to her with a smile.

“Thanks Applejack, I'm glad you won.” Then she glared at the mare. “But did you have to make a mess of the Eidolon Wall!?” She asked, prompting Applejack to blush and force out an apology. Having given them what was taken, 'Red' spoke up.

“Now. Finish me!” He asked, almost pleading.

“No.” Applejack sternly replied as she turned back to him, “Do ya really want to die?” Applejack asked sadly, her tone making him look taken aback. “I ain't gonna do it. Ya wanted to fight fair, and ya gave back what wasn't yers. I wouldn't even think of killin' ya.”

“Yea,” Zidane began, “you're barking up the wrong tree if you want someone here to kill you. She's sparing your life, and I would have done the same.”

“So what, you want to banish me then?” He asked, still confused by the way the one he intended to kill was treating him.

“Ya can leave, we won't keep ya.”

“So then, you're trying to trick me?” His accusation made Applejack stomp the ground.

“No! Ya dunder head!”

“Then why? I tried to kill you! And I still want to kill that man.” He pointed out as he looked to Zidane, “So why are you letting me go?”

“Because I want to.” She replied as she held her hoof to her chest, “I'm doin' what my heart feels is right, and lettin' ya go, feels right. We got back what was stolen, and ya scared off Lani. So as far as I see it, there's no more quarrel between us.”

“What is this, caring for an enemy so quickly.” 'Red' folded his arms as he shook his head in disappointment. “I can't believe I lost to someone so soft.”

“She isn't soft.” Spike quickly interjected, “She's strong!” He looked to Spike, seeming to take his words in as he looked over the others. Seeing that they were not going to change their minds, he leapt up out of the Eidolon wall as Lani had, and was gone. Applejack looked where he departed for several moments before turning to Eiko, letting out a sigh.

“Eiko, I think ya should keep that with ya. Lani might come back fer it when yer away.” Eiko nodded at her suggestion, and moved to leave, but stopped and turned to Spike expectedly.

What? Did I miss something? Spike thought as she sighed.

“Well?” She asked of the dragon, who tilted his head in confusion. “Are you gonna leave me behind while Lani is still around?” Catching the hint, Spike shook his head and moved to Eiko's side as they left the Eidolon wall behind them, the rest of his friends a short distance behind them.

Leaving the wall, Spike saw all the moogles cheer for him and the others, and they flew off ahead of them to Eiko's home. In short order all of them were back at the pantry the gem had been stored in. Eiko looked to the altar, the gem in her hands as she turned to the others.

“Hey, guys. Let me ask you something.” She looked back to the empty box as she continued, “My grandfather told me not to leave the village until my sixteenth birthday. But I really want to go with you all. I really do. You know, beyond the Iifa tree. Do you think it's okay if I leave the village?”

“Well, ya've already saved out tails, twice.” Applejack admitted as she appraised Eiko. “Yer more capable than a number of adults I know. So I'll agree with ya, it that's what yer lookin' fer.” Zidane nodded as he spoke up.

“Eiko,” he began in a dry, monotone voice, “come with us. Forget what your grandpa said.” His words prompted no response from Eiko who was looking at the gem in consideration. Zidane leaned down next to her. “It doesn't matter what any of us say." He said with his normal tone, "You've made up your mind already.” Zidane then looked to Applejack expectedly.

“What?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“Well,” Pinkie chimed in, “Wouldn't some words of wisdom from an honest apple be pretty good right about now~” She sang out as Applejack blushed.

“Err, um.” She quickly composed herself as she stood tall, and approached Eiko. “Look sugarcube, let me tell ya somethin' about honesty. It isn't just about tellin' the truth to others. It's also about bein' true to yerself.” Eiko took in Applejack's words, thinking on them a moment before nodding.

“I see. So I shouldn't lie to myself. I want to go with you, I feel it's important, more so than staying here.” She then nodded as she looked to the small jewel. “So, I'll go with you, and I'll wear this as an earring. It will be safer with all of us, than sitting in a dusty box.”

“Eiko.” Dagger spoke up. “I think Mog wants to talk to you.” The small moogle walked into the pantry, eyes on the ground in shame, yet again. Mog's eyes met Eiko's, and she shied back from them.

“What?” Eiko began innocently, “You think I'm mad at you?” She asked sweetly. Mog approached her as Eiko stamped the ground. “I'm furious! You went off without me, again!” She then looked to her friend, a little disappointed. “You promised me you wouldn't! What would you do if you went off and got into trouble!?”

“Kupo...” Eiko let out a sigh. As they talked, Spike noticed Dagger quietly leave.

Is she going back to the Eidolon wall?

“Oh well.” Eiko said as she let go of her anger, letting out a soft sigh. “Thank goodness we're both alright.” Spike caught Pinkie's glowing smile as she spoke up.

“Your always nice to Mog.” She pointed out, “It's so sweet~”

“Well, yea. We're best friends after all!” She then puffed her chest out. “We were born on the same day, and we've always been together!” She then indicated the ribbon on her head. “This is our friendship ribbon! Mog gave it to me!” She then looked to her best friend.

“Mog, do you have the ribbon I gave you?” Mog turned to her and nodded with a kupo. Mog pulled out a striped pink and white ribbon. “This is the one I gave Mog. It's too big for her now, but once we're both sophisticate ladies, we'll wear them together!” She then looked to Spike, sheepishly. “And maybe then, Spike, you'll dance with me?” Spike didn't reply, looking at Eiko in confusion.

What, like a dance party?

“Um. Well.” Eiko began, a little embarrassed Spike didn't reply, “I, I think I'll get some dinner going!”

“Ya mind if I help?” Applejack asked, getting a surprised look from Eiko. “I'm mighty good with apples, but I can manage with other foods too.” Eiko nodded as they all left the pantry behind, looking forward to the coming evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Greetings Equestrian! This, is moogle notes!'

''Red' is also called Amarant, who's from Treno, and that city is not kind to the lower class. Kupo. Though he is wanted there, no one in Treno bothers attacking him, because of how strong he is.'

'My friends have become quite strong since reaching the Outer Continent, Amarant is stronger than Lani, and Applejack beat him one-on-one! Suffice to say, Lani isn't a physical threat anymore.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Oak Staff: Stop(mastered), Bio(mastered), Drain(mastered)

Add ST: Slow.

Magus Hat: Slow(mastered)

Raises Ice Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%.

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion(mastered), ~~MP+10%~~

Moonstone: ~~Shell~~, ~~Beast Killer~~, Sleep, Dream Walk

Lvl-28 HP 1128/1128 MP 143/143

AP 2/29

*Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (3) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

*Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Sleep 10 MP - Puts single/multiple targets to sleep.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Slow 6 MP - Slows a single target.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Stop 8 MP - Stops targets from taking any action.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Bio 18 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage and Poison to single/multiple targets.

Drain 14 MP - Drains HP from the target and transfers it to the spell caster.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Rainboom 14 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to multiple targets, Slows and Confuses.

Brotherly Shield 20 MP - Generates a powerful shield on the party that blocks a single attack.

Dream Walk 6 MP - Allows you to look and interact with the dreams of others.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Would you believe me if I said Applejack is done with being mopey?
What did you think of Applejack's duel? And do you think Zidane could use some work in the character department?
Also, here's Red. He has really big hands.

33. Memories of that Day

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Forgotten by Legend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As she landed, Freya planted her spear into the stone, cracking the earth beneath her as she stopped to catch her breath, taking in her surroundings. She stood upon the peak of the mountain range looking over the lands of Lindblum. The air was clear enough for her to make out the city itself, far, far away on the horizon.

She stood upon the rim of a valley, the mountain ranges that separated the three great nations surrounded this isolated haven. The mountain barrier was too high for most to climb, and for airships to reach, making this valley the most untouched location on the Mist Continent. Putting her back to Lindblum, she looked upon the small valley, briefly considering leaving this venture and returning to Fratley back at Gizamaluke's Grotto. She shook her head and frowned, a little disappointed she was faltering now that she had come this far.

This is where he awoke, without his memories. This is where the man I loved died, losing everything but his loyalty towards Burmecia. Something here must be the cause! Her resolve was renewed as she glanced to the mountains to the northwestern edge of the valley, picturing her home beyond. Pushing aside the growing sadness at recalling recent events, she took her spear, and jumped down towards her destination.

She didn't have to venture far inside before she started to feel a strange presence within. For some reason, it brought her thoughts back to leaving Beatrix at the grotto. Beatrix had slain most of the Dragon Knights, and no action would earn her forgiveness from that in Freya's eyes. Still, Beatrix betrayed her queen for the better of all the nations of the Mist Continent. She betrayed her queen, to stay loyal to her nation, and it's princess. Despite her dislike of the knight, Freya still respected her, and had spoken for her when a small number of Burmecians demanded her head. It helped that the Cleyran refugees took her side.

Burmecia and Cleyra. They had kept to themselves for several centuries, and now, they were together again, thanks to the ravages of war. Well, at least something good came out of that heinous conflict. The race of the rat-folk has never been closer, and their cultures and ideals were mingling in the close quarters of the plateau above Gizamaluke's Grotto, now referred to as the Burmecian Plateau.

Freya stopped, a little confused as she looked around the valley cautiously. Why am I thinking this now? Haven't I spent enough time on these thoughts? She once again felt that presence in the air, something intangible, yet powerful, and also dangerous. Something about it compelled her thoughts, and that troubled her. Feeling out, she followed it to where it felt stronger, and before long, found herself before a disquieting clearing of stone.

Centered around a cavern opening easily fifty feet wide, almost two dozen discarded weapons dotted the area, most of them being the weapons used by Dragon Knights, spears and lances. The weapons were of all sorts of quality and make, some looked to be discarded without a second thought, while others were planted in the ground, or laid to rest with a touch of respect and pride. What made Freya glance around, her heart racing, was the complete lack of evidence concerning the fate of the weapon's wielders.

Her nerves tense, she slowly made her way to the cavern, compelled to leave the weapons where they lay as she passed them. A large stone, as large as herself, stood before the entrance of the cavern, drawing her attention. As she moved closer to it, her eyes fell to a familiar spear, almost as if it had called out to her.

It had been five years since her eyes last fell upon it, but there was no mistaking the spear Sir Fratley used when they were together. It stood there, planted in the ground, as if a marker for its master. Despite her desire to take it and return it to him, the pressure in the air compelled her to leave it where it stood, as if taking it would offend some greater power.

Her eyes again looked to the stone, words were etched on it. It took her a moment to fully read it, not for it's length, but the style it was written was old, an ancient Burmecian style that she had to read over several times to completely understand the message.

'If ye seek thy strength, ye must match it.'

'If ye seek thy power, ye must hold thine ties close.'

'To wield thy lance, thou must discard thy own.'

'If ye not hold these words true, then lose thyself to my might.'

She scrutinized the message, feeling as though she had heard those words before. She cast her gaze within the cavern, not daring to take another step further. Adjusting her eyes to the dark within, her breath caught as she saw what lay within.

A large white dragon, still and unmoving, but not dead, lay slumped on the cavern floor. It was larger than any monster she's ever faced, the cavern's entrance just large enough for such a beast to manage through. Embedded in the dragon's skull, was a lance, a light amount of mist trickling out where lance and beast connected. It wasn't the dragon that had caught her breath, even if it was impressive and intimidating. It was the lance. It was the source of the presence within the valley, a sacred presence that demanded respect.

The lance appeared to be made of black metal, the point of its blade rimmed with decorative flame. It looked like something dark and malicious, yet it gave off a sense of sacred pride. Dutifully staying where it's master left it, waiting for the day another like its wielder to come along, and claim it as their own. If it found them worthy.

Freya felt like she had just wandered into an old legend, and stepped away from the cavern, having her answers, and not willing to take the same risk Fratley took when he came here. That spear, and the dragon. Are the old legends of Kain true? An old story passed between Dragon Knights of Burmecia, Kain was known as the greatest Dragon Knight, who slew the Mist Dragon, mightiest of the monsters of the mist. No, there's more to the story than that, right? She was certain there was more to the legend, but couldn't recall it.

Her eyes fell to Fratley's spear again, and her heart ached. If the weapon found him unworthy... She looked to the cave, then to all the abandoned weapons. The lance stripped them of their memories. Why? That lance was the reason she lost her Fratley, but she couldn't feel angry at an old legend. The ones that came here, made the choice, as Sir Fratley had. Her eyes looked back to the lance as hope started to lighten her heart. If I possessed that weapon, would I be able to return Fratley's lost memories?

Feeling the glow of the setting sun, she looked to Fratley's spear one last time before leaving the sacred place. I need more answers. She did not believe herself to be stronger than Fratley, so she believed she would share his fate if she tried to take Kain's Lance, at least, as she was right now. That spear, with its power, I could follow my vows! I can ensure my people will have a safe future, within the walls of Burmecia! That thought becoming a burning fire in her heart, she left the valley behind, and worked her way back to the Burmecian Plateau. Moving with great haste, she noticed something quite odd concerning Linblum's valley.

Is it my imagination, or is the mist getting thinner?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Memories Unlocked
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger sat in a small boat. Nestled under Eiko's home, Dagger took solace on the old and ragged vessel harbored inside a small cove. The sound of Dagger singing her childhood song reverberated off of the stone walls. Seeing Applejack fight Red reminded Dagger of Beatrix and Freya staying behind to let them escape, and it troubled her, leading her to separating herself from the others, and finding comfort in her song.

She tensed as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and her song died as worry that it may be Lani washed over her. How careless of-! But she stared wide eyed as she saw that it was Zidane, walking to her with that happy little grin he tends to wear when addressing her.

“Zidane-” She began, quickly composing herself.

“It's okay.” He assured, “Keep singing, cause it's our song, right?”

Our song? I suppose he's the only one I've shared it with. Dagger thought as Zidane looked around, impressed with their location.

“I'm kinda surprised you found this place.” He walked up to the boat as he smiled. “You've got the talent of a bandit! How about you and me team up? We'll call ourselves, 'The Betrothed.” He said with a light smile. Dagger chuckled as his little joke.

The Betrothed? Oh Zidane. She shook her head as she looked to the sly thief, a small smile on her lips.

“My talent's up to snuff, but that name isn't.” She curtly replied, prompting him to scratch his head sheepishly as he grinned at her.

“You're really something these days.”

“If I am, I must've gotten it from you.”

“Not really. It's all because you made the effort to learn.”

“No, it's because you stuck with me. Without you, I couldn't have made it to Lindblum, much less seen a whole new continent.” She then sighed, looking out to the sea. “Everything I tried to do on my own was a total failure. I couldn't stop my mother, and at times, I almost lost hope. You helped me so much.” She then shook her head, “And it's not just you.”

“Yea.” Zidane fondly replied as he leaned against the cavern wall, “Applejack, and Spike helped us get to Lindblum. Then we all helped you escape Alexandria. We really wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for the others. Pinkie, Freya, and even Beatrix helped us.”

“Freya, Beatrix...” She looked to Zidane, her heart heavy. “I haven't forgotten. I want to believe everyone is alright. But sometimes, I just, can't.” Zidane got on the small boat with her as she talked, releasing the rope, letting it drift out into the grotto, the area lit by the sunset.

“I hope I can live up to the hopes of everyone who has helped me.”

“You don't have to feel so responsible, Dagger.” She looked at him, almost appalled that he could say that.

I will be a queen one day, I must be responsible!

“But I do!” She said as she stood up, making the boat shake. Zidane simply shook his head.

“Nobody wants you to feel that way.” Dagger blinked at him.

They don't?

“And they didn't do it all for you, either. Each of them are following their own path.” Dagger tilted her head as she looked to him.

“Their own path?”

“Yes. Freya and Beatrix follow the path of loyalty and duty. They fought for you as an extension of that. Applejack follows the path of a guardian, she wants to protect everyone around her. Spike walks the path of the adventurer, he wants to see the world, with his friends at his side, and Pinkie's path is full of smiling faces. Even Eiko has her own path, one she's just started walking. She doesn't want to be alone, she wants to step forward, and broaden her horizons with us by her side.”

Dagger nodded as she saw what he meant. So, the path I walk is to protect everyone, like Applejack? Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, all the nations, and their people. Yes, that's the path I follow, and freeing my mother of Kuja is only a part of that. Dagger nodded to affirm her thoughts, then looked to Zidane.

“Well, what about you?” What path is he following?

“Huh?”

“Why did you come with me?” Our journey has been so dangerous, surely he could have chosen a safer path. Zidane considered those words a moment, a look of familiarity coming to mind.

“Hey, that's Ipsen's line.” Dagger blinked at him. Ipsen? The man that had a map of Equestria?

“The old explorer?” She asked, and he nodded, not surprised she knew about him.

“Ipsen is a character from a play.” Zidane then frowned as he corrected himself. “Well, not quite. He was a real-life adventurer, I think the play is based on his journey.” He then turned to her and summarized the story:

'Ipsen and his good friend Colin worked at a tavern in Treno. One day, Ipsen got a letter. The letter was so wet from rain that most of the writing was illegible.'

'The only part he could read said 'Come back home.' Nowadays, we have airships and stuff, but back then, it was really hard to travel.'

'He didn't know why he had to go back, but he got some time off, gathered his things, and set out on his journey home.'

'He walked a great distance through the mist. Sometimes he was attacked by viscous monsters, but he made it, because his friend Colin was by his side.'

'And then, after much time on the road. He had to ask Colin something.'

'Why did you come with me?'” He finished. Dagger looked to Zidane, he had paused, as if wanting her to ask him the end of the story. The boat had slowly drifted out into the grotto during his narration, and seeing that he wasn't going to finish it, she spoke up.

“Well? What was Colin's answer?” She asked impatiently. He looked to her with a smile.

“Only because I wanted to go with you.” She looked at him, surprised, his words were not what she had been expecting, indeed, hearing them made her heart ache.

He came all this way, risking his life with us, just because he wanted to?

“Zidane. I...” She fell silent as she couldn't find the words she wanted to say to him. Then she looked around, at first confused, then alarmed. There was a melody being carried on the wind, the same melody she had just been singing.

“Dagger?” Zidane asked worriedly.

“Can't you, can't you hear the song?” Zidane craned his neck, and his eyes widened as it hit him.

“Huh!? Yea, it's the same song!” Dagger stood up, rocking the boat a little as she tried to look around.

“Home come? Who's singing it!?” Her song had no place in Alexandria or Lindblum, and someone here was singing it. As she looked up towards Madain Sari, she saw the light of the sunset bathe the Eidolon wall. Her breathing quickened as her minds eye cast the wall ablaze.

“The sunset... It makes the Eidolon wall look like it's on fire!” A sense of deja-vu washed over her as she began to feel lightheaded. “I've seen this somewhere before...”

“What? Where?” Zidane asked, looking to her in concern. He moved to help her stand as she looked up to the ruined village, her vision shifted from what here eyes were seeing, to what her eyes had once seen.

Madain Sari, bathed in flames, several tempests of wind and water ravaging it. The ocean waves violently stirring under a dark and cloudy sky. And, within the clouds, over the village, was a large red eye, overlooking the destruction. Her buried memories played before her, on a small boat drifting away from the doomed village, as it was thrown about in the ensuing storm. And as she took it all in, she felt darkness take her as she passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Her New Friend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, you feeling a little better now?” Discord asked his pink friend as she wandered through Madain Sari. “You were pretty grumpy back at the tree.” She looked down, her ears dropping as she let out a sigh.

Sorry about that, I just, I don't know. I felt irritated the closer we got to it. Sorry. She was feeling a little down, though her friends only saw her irritation when she addressed Mistcage, Discord had been the one to suffer the brunt of it.

“Heh, what are friends for!” He said with a sarcastic chuckle.

If Kuja doesn't show up tomorrow, we're gonna have to take a look at the top half of the tree.

“Whatever do you mean?” He asked innocently as he moved in front of her.

You saw it, I bet that elevator thing goes up, as well as down.

“Well, I guess there's no hiding anything from you. Are we going to be yelling at each other in comical fashion again?”

I- wait, was it funny~? Pinkie asked, hope in her thoughts. She didn't really think so, but if Discord says it was funny-

“Oh no, it wasn't funny at all. You almost made me cry.” He added as he pulled out a crying handkerchief. She looked to the ground again, ears low.

Sorry.

“Now Pinkie, cheer up. Look! I'm smiling!” She looked up to see him pointing at a large sign that said 'I'm smiling!' in Discord arranged letters, and he got a laugh out of her for his efforts. “If you're down, you should talk to Applejack, she's there for you and all that.” He added, almost dryly.

Yea, but you've been helping me all this time, and you're kinda in my head, so your quicker to the punch than her. Pinkie then nodded to herself. Next time I'm feeling down, I'll go to her instead~!

“Fine, see if I care.” He said in a pouting manner.

She saw red- “Well of course you see some red, it's only all over the place!” Discord commented as they both spotted the warrior Applejack fought, sitting on a pile of rubble, facing the sunset.

Oh! Idea~!

She pulled out the pair of claws Red had left behind. Having picked them up when she got Applejack's hat, she was hoping to run into Red sometime soon to return them. Watching Applejack duel him started off scary, but her worry melted when she saw the smile Applejack had from the fight. Let's see if we can make a new friend!

“Just be careful- Oh who am I kidding! Do what you do. I'll be watching, with popcorn!” Discord exclaimed, a bowl of popcorn in hand. Considering it wiser to not sneak up on the man that can throw ponies one-handed, she made her presence known as she walked up to him.

“Heeyy~ Whacha dooin'~?” She asked as she climbed the rubble to him. He didn't look towards her, but she felt as though he was appraising her, so she gave him her biggest 'I want to be your friend!' smile. Suddenly getting the strong impression he didn't want to talk to her, she immediately ignored it and moved to his side.

“Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. And you dropped these!” She said as she slid him his weapons, which got his attention. Alright! Attention obtained~!

“Why are you returning these?”

“Because~ I want to be your friend!” He shook his head in some mix of wonder and annoyance.

“I don't understand you people. I tried to kill your partner, and now you want to burden me with friendship?"

“Friendship isn't a burden!” Pinkie quickly replied, feeling hurt.

“Friendship is just a nice word. It's people taking mutual advantage of each other until one no longer has a use for the other.”

“No. It isn't.” Pinkie resolutely replied, sad that that was how he saw it. “You don't even know what friendship is.

“What would you know?”

“More than you, apparently~!” She said in a mocking tone, getting a sense of hostility from him. “I know what friendship is. And it looks like you've never had a true friend. So I guess that makes me your first~!” She said as she gave him a big smile.

“I don't want your friendship.”

“Too bad~! You're getting it anyways.” He looked to her, contemplating the situation he was now in, then looked back to the sunset.

“So, if I'm wrong, then was is the friendship you speak of?”

“Well, I guess it's a little different for everyone, but for me?” Pinkie put her hoof to her chin as she thought a moment. “Well, that's easy! Friendship to me is making others smile, and I love to make my friends smile! When I see them smile, I get a smile, and that's so precious to me.”

“Pinkie,” Discord chimed in, “If you're going to quote your song, you could at least quote it right.”

Silly Discord, you can't quote yourself! I'm just saying what sounds right!

“Hmph.” Red began as he shook his head, “Just like I said. For you, you make others smile because it makes you happy. Friendship is nothing but a tool to satisfy your life.” Pinkie stared at him, not sure how to respond to that. “It just so happens that your kind of 'friendship' works towards benefiting the other. That's not how I've seen it, you are the exception, not the rule.” She stood there for several moments, considering his words, before speaking up.

“As if~! My friends love to make each other happy! And even if you were right, which you're not~, it still makes my friends happy! Doesn't that make me a friend worth having?” She asked, exploiting a hole in his argument. “So, let's be friends!” He didn't respond to her, neither affirming or denying the notion, which was more than enough for Pinkie.

“Sooo~ Whatcha dooin'~?” She asked again, hoping she'd get an answer this time. She felt something in his aura give in as he looked to her.

“Thinking.”

“About?”

“What to do next.”

“Ooo~ Have a party?” He paused to appraise her, and seeing she was serious, shook his head.

“Why?” He asked.

“For being alive~! What more reason do you need!” Then her words flew off unhinged as she went into more detail. “I can get the cake going and Zidane can help with decorations while Applejack makes apple-snacks then when its all set up we can dance and sing and eat tasty things and it will be great and all my friends-” She faltered as for a moment she imagined all of her friends at this hypothetical party, Equestrian and Gaian. Her ears momentarily dropped before she shook her head. “And my friends will be there and we'll all be happy~!” She finished, giving him a smile.

“Yea, no.”

“Okay.” Pinkie said as she got in front of him, casting her shadow over him, “If not a party, then how about joining us?” Pinkie wasn't sure if it was her words, or the way the sunset looked with her standing in front of it, but Red was taken aback.

“Why?”

“Because.” She answered, holding her hoof to her heart. “You don't know what it means to have a true friend. If you join us, you will.” She finished as she gave him a beaming smile. His aura changed to annoyance, and a hint of reluctance.

“I have no need for such a thing. But, I will consider it.” That was more then enough for Pinkie, as she bounced to his side, parking herself right next to him and sitting down as she looked up to him. He didn't seem bothered by her proximity, after all, he can throw a pony with one hand if he wanted to.

“Red, are you really the number one bandit?” She asked curiously, wondering if Lani was being true. “Bandits are bad people, and you don't feel like a bad person. A little dangerous, but not bad.” He nodded, as if she had hit the nail on the head.

“It's a label, something I didn't ask for. Take from it what you will,” he then glanced down to her. “Why are you sitting so close?”

“Because I said I'd be a true friend, and you look like you could use one right now.” He looked at her, a little confused, before looking off to the setting sun.

He looked like his whole world was shaken when we let him go. Why? Is Gaia really such a place for that to be odd? She wondered as they sat there, twilight falling over the sky. She stayed with him for a number of minutes, till she felt his aura shift to something more agreeable in her eyes. I think, he's figured out what happens next.

“Well,” she began as she got up and stretched, “since you're not gloomy now, I'm gonna go back to my other friends~!” He looked at her, a little surprised. “Feel free to join us when you want to, I'll be waiting for you.” She claimed as she gave him her token grin. “See you in the morning~.” With that, the pink mare bounced off, towards Eiko's home, leaving the Red warrior alone, certain she had made a new friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were all gathered around the table in Eiko's home. Zidane had just brought Dagger back, and had asked to others to come. Dinner sat on the table, but it got cold as the others looked to the princess with worry. Dagger looked pale, like she had seen a ghost, and as most of them gathered, Zidane looked to them, traces of fear and concern still etched on his face.

“Where's Pinkie?”

“Here I am~!” She proclaimed as she bounced into the room, looking very happy with herself.

What's gotten into her? Spike wondered as he looked to Dagger, concerned for her as well.

“What's up?” Pinkie asked as she noticed the worried looks, and Dagger looking out of sorts.

“Dagger passed out not too long ago.” Spike explained, “Zidane was with her, he carried her here, all kinds of scared.” Zidane let out a sigh, not bothering to dismiss the claim as he turned to Dagger, who was slowly drinking a glass of water.

“Are you feeling better?” She nodded as she took a few deep breaths before addressing the others.

“I, have no memory of my early childhood.” She admitted, looking into her empty glass. “I never really thought about it. Besides, nobody ever told me...” She looked around before taking a another deep breath.

“I was raised in Alexandria, but only from the age of six or so.”

“Six?” Spike asked, confused. “So where were you till then?”

“Until then, Until I turned six, I must have been here, in Madain Sari.” She got up, and motioned the others to follow as she slowly led them outside. Following her, she took in the ruins as moonlight illuminated them.

“I still can't remember everything. Some things are like they're shrouded in fog. But I do remember one thing. About ten years ago, an unbelievably huge hurricane hit this village. But that's as far as I remember.”

She looked out to sea as she continued, “That day. I, I was with my true mother on a little boat, far from the village.” The turned to Eiko, “There's a boat under your house, it was just like the one in my memory. It all came back to me when I heard a song I thought only I knew on the boat.”

“A song only ya knew?” Applejack asked. Spike knew what song she was referring to, but the others had never heard it.

“Yes.” Dagger affirmed, “A song I've known my whole life that no one on the Mist Continent knew.”

“I see,” Zidane said, “that song is from Madain Sari. So that's why nobody else knows it.” They reached the Eidolon Wall, the rubble of the two pillars had been collected and removed by the moogles after the fight, making the damages of the duel less apparent. As they went inside, Eiko turned to Dagger, speaking up.

“I was singing that song earlier, my grandpa taught me it.” Her brow furrowed in thought, “How did you get to Alexandria?” Then her voice took on an envious tone, “How come you got to be a princess? And why don't you have a summoner's horn?”

“I don't know. But maybe Doctor Tot can tell me, I've known him as since I was six.” She then looked to the wall, a little forlorn. “I want to know more about the lady who protected me from the storm as the boat lurched about in the waves. My biological mother, who died on that boat.”

Poor Dagger, Spike thought, Her real mother is gone, and her adopted mother doesn't care about her anymore. His heart suddenly sank, and he began to feel tears burn his eyes, and with Applejack at his side, he let his tears quietly flow. Applejack comforted him, unbeknownst to the others. He knew now that it was better to cry then to bury it, now he just needed to figure out how to make it all better.

“I use to pray here, every day.” Dagger said as she looked to the wall.

“You too?” Eiko asked in surprise. Dagger nodded as she turned to Eiko, smiling.

“I'm so happy I remembered, at least this much.” With a nod, Eiko moved around Dagger with a big grin.

“Dagger!” She proclaimed, leaning towards her, hands on her hips. “Welcome home.” She said sincerely.

“Heh, glad to be back.” Eiko put her hands behind her back as she looked the the ground blissfully. “What is it?”

“I just realized that I'm not alone anymore. Yea, I definitely have no more doubts now. I'm going with you.” She nodded as she looked to the starry sky. “I'll be breaking my promise to grandpa, but I want to go. Besides, I should be honest with myself, right?” She added as she gave Applejack a big grin.

“I don't know what the future holds,” Dagger admitted, “But I want to finish what I came here for.”

“Heh, so do we, sugarcube.” Applejack said as she moved to hide Spike's drying tears.

“Yep. Let's all go. Together!” Zidane enthusiastically added.

“Come on Dagger!” Eiko said as she moved to the pile of incense, motioning Dagger towards her, “Let's pray together!” Dagger nodded in agreement as she moved to Eiko's side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were overlooking the ruins, prepared to depart for the Iifa tree. All of the moogles were with them to see them off. Eiko looked over the village longingly before pointing towards her home.

“Grandpa, I'll be back soon!"

“And when she come's back,” Pinkie added, “she'll have a bunch of happy stories to tell you~!”

“Is yer best friend comin' as well?” Applejack asked, which got a nod from Eiko. Almost as if on cue, Mog and Morrison come along the path and approached Eiko.

“Lady Eiko,” Morrison began after giving her a small bow. “Don't forget that you'll always have a home here, and don't let our memory become a burden. You must always be lighthearted and free.” He then nodded, “Thoughts of the Eidolon Wall will always lift your heart. Kupo.” She nodded to him with a smile, giving him a brief hug, catching the moogle off guard. Mog said something to Morrison before returning to Eiko's pocket. Several of the moogles then moved in alarm as the red warrior approached the group. Spike noticed Pinkie's smile widen, as if someone had reminded her it was her birthday.

“What is it?” Applejack asked curiously, “Did ya want a rematch?” He stared at Pinkie briefly before looking between Zidane and Applejack.

“The victor lives, the defeated die.” He said as he pointed to Applejack, “Those are the rules. Your actions yesterday were strange to me. It's always been that way to me.” He quickly glanced back to Pinkie before looking back to Applejack. “Why didn't you kill me?” Applejack sighed, clearly fed up with this topic.

“Are ya really that unhappy that I was kind to ya? I was only returnin' the favor.”

“Kind?” He shook his head, “I'd rather die as a warrior than live as a beggar.”

“Well then, come with us.” Zidane pitched, getting a nod from Applejack, while Dagger turned to him in surprise.

“Zidane?” She asked, not understanding he reasons.

“You too, huh?” He asked of them, getting a confused look from all but Pinkie.

“If ya follow us, maybe ya'll understand. Besides, yer a good fighter. We're tryin' to take down someone who's brought about a lot of death, and we could use an extra hand.” He stared at them, his antagonizing aura changing upon hearing that. He glanced to Pinkie again before nodding.

Did Pinkie talk to him yesterday? Spike wondered as it looked like she wanted to cheer at the top of her lungs.

“Very well. I'll follow you until this man is dealt with. I'll find out what it is that makes you strong.” Applejack blinked at him, then adopted a smug grin.

“I'm strong because of my friends, If ya don't have any, it's no wonder ya lost to me.” He looked at her, doubting her words. Applejack simply shook her head. “What's yer name?” He folded his arms as he looked to her.

“Some call me the Flaming Amarant.”

“Fine, Amarant it is then.” Applejack said curtly. “Now, let's see if Kuja's gone and returned to the tree.”

Well, I wasn't expecting us to make two new friends on the Outer Continent! Kuja doesn't stand a chance against us! Spike thought with a smile as they all headed out, to the tree of questions and mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Greetings Equestrian! This, is moogle notes!'

'The Ruby Eiko got now has the summon Carbuncle hidden within. A summon lacking offensive power, it grants the party a protective barrier, as well as an additional affect, depending on what kind of gemstone Eiko has when she summons him. Carbuncle is quite cute, you'll be seeing him soon. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Oak Staff: Stop(mastered), Bio(mastered), Drain(mastered)

Add ST: Slow.

Magus Hat: Slow(mastered)

Raises Ice Elem-Atk

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%.

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion(mastered), ~~MP+10%~~

Moonstone: ~~Shell~~, ~~Beast Killer~~, Sleep, Dream Walk

Lvl-28 HP 1128/1128 MP 143/143

AP 2/29

*Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Ability Up (3) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

*Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Sleep 10 MP - Puts single/multiple targets to sleep.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Slow 6 MP - Slows a single target.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Stop 8 MP - Stops targets from taking any action.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Bio 18 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage and Poison to single/multiple targets.

Drain 14 MP - Drains HP from the target and transfers it to the spell caster.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Rainboom 14 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to multiple targets, Slows and Confuses.

Brotherly Shield 20 MP - Generates a powerful shield on the party that blocks a single attack.

Dream Walk 6 MP - Allows you to look and interact with the dreams of others.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Things! Talking heads! Stuff!
Final party member get!
Thanks to OCisbestpony for the unexpected discussion on friendship and love. And also for helping with this chapter.
And once again, big thanks to you dear reader, I hope I didn't disappoint you this chapter.:twilightsmile:
Next chapter...
I've been looking forward to the next one since Pinkie joined Gaia. It'll be a thing, that's for sure.

34. Unforgotten Face

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Antagonist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the Iifa Tree, under the globe of Gaia, were several dozen black pebbles floating around the man in white, Kuja. Mist poring from the crystal flew towards the stones, making them grow to the size of apples as Kuja's eyes caught a glimmer of something, bringing a smile to his face. The pink dot had returned to the Iifa Tree projection's area of affect. Not losing focus at the task at hand, he moved to overlook the projection. Well, this truly is quite the fortuitous day!

He pulled out a gray stone and tossed it to the ground, willing the form within to take shape. The stone burst apart into a shimmering field of silver mist, and it all collected and condensed before becoming a dragon with silver scales. The dragon was twenty feet long from head to tail, large enough to ride. It let out a tired roar as it looked to Kuja.

“Silver Dragon, circle the base of the tree until I call you back. Go!” The dragon flew off at his command, leaving the Iifa tree through a gap beneath to globe to the outside. The time for the curtain call has come! Before long, I'll have everything I need, and then I can free myself from his shadow!

With his power over mist, he gathered the stones, and sent them out towards the sea, where they would wait for his call. With a simple spell, he levitated outside, flying towards the tree's base as he took it in, a sly grin on his face.

Oh, how I've longed for this day. The day I might finally cast away this mask to reveal my true self. Now I don't have to look after the Iifa Tree anymore! And soon, I'll finally give that elephant-lady her just reward. He looked to the tree, stifling a chuckle. The tree is so beautiful! Its beauty becomes the great mother tree that lives amongst the stars! Spotting an overlook where he could watch the path to the elevator, and the sea, he landed. Now, to watch the drama unfold!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie stayed close to Amarant's side as they approached the root cluster of Iifa. He had given up keeping her away halfway through the mountain path, understanding that Pinkie had a peculiar sense of stubbornness. He had been quiet, despite her efforts, which bothered her more than anything. Eventually, he spoke up about it.

“Why do you insist on pestering me?” He asked of Pinkie, getting the attention of Applejack, as the others were busy discussing the finer points of eidolons.

“Because I want to see you smile!” She then gave him a sly grin. “Have you even met me~?” He stared at her blankly.

“I think you'd have better luck making a rock smile.” Discord commented, tapping Amarant's hair with a hammer, making the sound of hitting a rock in the process. Amarant scratched his head, where Discord tapped him, as he appraised Pinkie.

“That will do you no good. Any smile I'd give would be a lie.”

“Well~ If I can see your aura smile, that would be great too~!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Your aura always seems to be laughing.” Amarant declared, folding his arms. “Though it is weaker today.”

Ohh, that's not fair! It's because of that darn tree! She then noticed Applejack raise an eyebrow at Pinkie's annoyance.

“That reminds me.” Applejack began as she drew closer to Pinkie. “Why were ya so high strung when we were here yesterday?” She asked with a note of concern.

Ahhh~ She got me! Pinkie let out a sigh as she looked from Amarant to Applejack.

“Something about the tree makes me all frizzy and grouchy. I don't know why.” A thought came to mind, and she grabbed onto it in an attempt to change the topic, looking to Amarant.

“So, you can sense auras? You seem to be a very aura based person, if you know what I'm saying~.” He nodded as he looked to the others.

“I've trained to sense the presence and intents of others. It's proven a very useful for tracking down my targets.” That notion sent a chill up her spine.

Ooo~ scary!

“So what?” Discord asked indignantly, “I don't give off an aura?”

It doesn't seem like he can sense you~.

“How disappointing!”

There there- As Pinkie started to console Discord, she noticed that they had reached the wedding pillar they entered the root system from yesterday. Amarant looked around, taking in the unfamiliar scene as Zidane glared out towards the tree.

“There's a little mist leaking out of the base,” he explained, “but it doesn't look like its flowing through the roots anymore.” Zidane then turned to the rest of the party, looking a little disappointed. “I guess Kuja isn't here yet, or he would have fixed it. Right?” He got a nod of agreement from most of his companions.

“Mist?” Amarant asked, looking out to the tree as well.

“Oh, right~” We didn't tell him! “We broke a pile of rocks that made mist go to the Mist Continent.” Pinkie explained nonchalantly, as if it was the easiest, stress-less, totally safest endeavor they've ever taken. She caught Applejack roll her eyes, before giving Pinkie a small smile.

“Really?” Amarant asked, radiating surprise, “No more mist? You did this?” He asked of Pinkie, who shook her head. “We did this!” She exclaimed as she spread out her forelegs to indicated everyone. “Well, actually, it was mostly Applejack and Eiko~.” His aura shifted, and Pinkie got the impression that he was impressed by that. We impressed him? Bonus points~! Pinkie grinned to her friends before she caught sight of something, and her grin changed to a frown.

“I see something silver flying around the trunk.” Pinkie squinted her eyes, and suddenly a pair of binoculars were placed before her. Looking to her side, she saw it was Discord holding the binoculars. Oh! That's so much better, thanks~! And getting a better look, she saw that it was a silver dragon flying around the base.

“Kuja!" She exclaimed in surprise. "Big-bug-guy Cid said he was seen flying a silver dragon, well, one is flying around the tree!” She added as she pointed it out.

“If the dragon's there,” Applejack began, “he must be as well!” She looked to her friends, a fire in her eyes. “Let's get a move on!” She cried out as she moved to the roots, the others quickly moving after her. Traveling through the twisting root path, they soon saw that in order to reach the base the dragon was now hovering near, they'd have to take an unfamiliar path.

Switching roots, it wasn't long before they found themselves at a dead end of sorts. They could reach the area they could now see Kuja at by crossing a gap, but it would take more than a hop, skip and a jump for Dagger and Eiko.

“It'd be nice if I could teleport others.” Spike admitted from the other side of the gap, giving them both a proud, and sheepish grin. He then looked behind him, Kuja was within sight, a hundred feet away, and the small dragon took on a determined look as he brought his attention back to the others.

We're almost there! Pinkie thought, matching Spikes look. We crossed an ocean to tackle that man, and we're almost there! Applejack looked to Kuja, then to the obstacle in their way.

“I guess I can manage both of ya, one at a time.” Applejack suggested as she looked from the gap to Eiko and Dagger.

“What's the problem?” Amarant asked, a little confused, and annoyed. “Why not just fight Kuja yourself?”

“We gotta face Kuja together.” Applejack proclaimed as she addressed the warrior, now mirroring his annoyance. Zidane turned to him as well, nodding his head.

“Myself, Dagger, Applejack, Pinkie, and Spike, we all have a score to settle with him, so we're gonna fight him together.” Amarant shook his head, his aura shifting to disappointment.

“How did I get beaten by such a wimp?” He then pointed to Applejack. “Remember this, 'He who hesitates is lost.'” Applejack looked at him, a mix of annoyance, and concern.

“Well, Amarant, maybe ya should try 'Ya can't do everythin' by yerself.' Ya'll be doin' yerself a favor if ya take our word fer it.”

“Whatever,” he responded, unconvinced. “That reliance on others will kick you in the tail when something goes wrong.”

“Oh yeah? Smarty-pants!?” Eiko said in a condescending tone. “How would a loner like you know!?”

“Oh shut up. I don't need to tell you my story.”

“Well, that's fine.” Pinkie said as she got close to him, making his hostility waver. “We don't need to know everything to be true friends. Still,” she added as she turned to the others, “Don't we have a big bad evil guy to fight?” Pinkie then smiled when he felt Amarant's aura cool down.

“Yer right,” Applejack admitted, moving to Eiko's side, “come on, sugarcube, yer first. We need to move before he decides to stop doin' whatever he's doin' at the tree.” The conversation over, and with Applejack's strength, they were all able to make the jump and continued towards Kuja, who was a short distance away, overlooking the sea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Way of the Strong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuja's eyes were taking in the sea, spotting several vessels in the distance making towards the Iifa Tree. While he was happy that this day had finally arrived, he was also a little relieved.

The weak lose their freedom to the strong. He thought, his brow furrowed. Such is the way of the strong. And it is the providence of nature that only the strong survive. He looked to the Silver Dragon, then the Iifa Tree.

That is why I needed strength. I learned of powers that would even daunt him. Over ten years ago. The man Kuja feared, and loathed, was quick to stamp out threats to the ritual. Ten years ago, not too far from this tree, he had acted to do just that, and Kuja had witnessed fear in that man's eyes when he did it.

Ten years. Such a long time. He then smiled as he felt out the stones scattered upon the beach half a mile away, dispelling his bothersome worries. Now, my forces are ready to strike! Ahh, the suspense is terrible! He heard the sound of hooves striking the crystalline roots, and turned to see the heroes not too far from him, approaching.

And, they're finally here, with our star, ready to play her part. I think I'll humor them for making sure she made it this far, as a reward, for 'saving' Gaia. He then looked back out to the sea one last time before turning to the heroes. And after that, the elephant-lady will show up, and I'll be done with this place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuja and the dragon were perched upon a higher root then themselves, but that didn't stop them from approaching him. There was no hesitation, they had come to the Outer Continent for him, and now that he was before them, they were going to bring him down. As Kuja turned to appraise them, Dagger stepped forward and spoke up.

“Kuja. My name is Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. I wish to ask you something. Was it really you who persuaded my mother to start the war-” Kuja cut to the chase, interrupting her.

“The war that threw the entire Mist Continent into chaos?” He asked with an innocent smile.

“You!” Spike exclaimed, glaring at Kuja, his anger flaring at Kuja's disconnected attitude. “You made the black mages to fight and hurt and, kill.” Spike finished weakly, uncomfortable with the word, before glaring back to Kuja. “Why did you do that!?”

“Goodness,” Kuja said, appearing taken aback, “it appears the princess has quite the vocal little dragon.” He then gave Spike a condescending stare, “Adorable.” Kuja then let out a sigh and folded his arms, as if being blamed for something outside his control. “I don't have the power to make such things.” He then looked to Dagger, “I simply gave your mother, a little recipe.” He then put a his hand up, counting off his fingers as he listed off the recipe.

“First, you begin with a broth of mist, add a touch of memories to give it shape, and boil.”

“Then, pour genuine black magic into a mixing bowl and heat to-”

“That's enough ya darn villain!” Applejack interrupted as she stomped her hoof. “We don't care to hear yer gloatin'!” Kuja looked hurt by her words.

“But I'm not done telling you how to make soulless toys out of the dregs of the dead!”

Wait, what are they made out of!? Pinkie wondered, he eyes wide with the horror of the implications.

“Dregs of the dead? You mean mist?” Zidane asked, confused, sharing in Pinkie's expression, as were the others. Kuja shook his head, feigning annoyance.

“First, you don't want to listen, now you start asking questions? Oh bother, but you're not ready yet!”

“Why you-” Dagger began, cutting herself off out of anger. “Don't you feel anything!? You've taken the lives of so many!” She finished, throwing her arms down in frustration.

“Spare me the lecture.” Kuja replied, looking to Dagger in a condescending fashion. “Lives come and go all the time. What's the big deal?” His eyes glanced to the sea, and he took up his smile as he looked back to his audience. “Speaking of warmongers, why, what about that mother of yours, Princess? She said that she won't feel alive until she has everything!” He placed his hand over his chest, feigning pain.

“It breaks my heart to see such greed!” His expression shifted to annoyance. “The war was my fault?” he scoffed, “No, no! Your mother wanted it! All I did was give her a little push!”

“Liar!” Dagger exclaimed, “My mother was sweet and kind. You changed her!” Pinkie sadly noticed she was alone in her outburst, as Dagger was the only one that had any love for her mother. Kuja folded his arms, raising an eyebrow to the princess.

“I no more changed her than the tree changed the Mist Continent.”

Hey! The tree instigated conflicts on the Mist Continent! Pinkie thought as she glared at Kuja, getting her cannon ready as Applejack stepped forward, slamming her hoof into the 'ground'.

“Stop mockin' us! Ya know about Equestria! Why did ya have the queen spare us back in Burmecia!” Kuja never dropped his smile as he turned to Applejack.

Ohhhh~! It looks like he only has one setting! Big-bad-evil-jerk!

“What a strange question.” He responded, “Clearly because of my generous and kind nature.” Kuja stated as he cast a sly grin to Eiko and Amarant, prompting both of them to adopt a moment of confusion.

“Yer full of it!” Applejack declared.

He knows about Equestria, and is the cause of the death and sadness on Gaia. He must know about that ritual!

“Kuja!” Pinkie shouted in anger, getting a surprised look from her friends, including Amarant. “You know what Unified Fantasy is! Don't you!?” He let out a relieved sigh, as if waiting for that question to be asked. Then his pompous attitude redoubled as he addressed Pinkie.

“Ah, a droll story about unity that's played out eight times now. But why tell you when you can see for yourself, my star actress?”

With his words delivered, a blue spell circle with an inlaid triangle with strange runic symbols etched within was summoned beneath Pinkie, Amarant, and Eiko. They looked in alarm, and tried to move away, but the circles followed them, as if stuck on them as Kuja continued.

“Of course, it would be poor form of me to send you off with out some supporting cast!” The three circles bounded from the ground, wrapping the three of them in cones of runic letters and light, and for a moment, Pinkie was blinded by that light as she felt the ground beneath her shift, the air change in smell and temperature, and when she could see again, she found herself someplace else, with Amarant and Eiko at her side.

They stood within a chamber inside the tree. The walls were made of blueish gray crystalline bark, small slits in the bark let in a weak breeze, and daylight. Fifty feet above them, big enough to be a ceiling, was the globe of Gaia, and being this close, Pinkie could tell it was very detailed, almost life like. The room spanned out in a circle, the three of them standing near the edge, the room being about thirty feet across.

“Where are we?” Amarant asked as he looked around, his aura radiating confusion, and caution.

Kuja separated us!? Pinkie thought in concerned frustration. How are we suppose to fight him if he can do things like that!? Pinkie looked around as she wondered, something in the air was making her mane tingle, and it only worsened the mood being near the tree had brought upon her.

Looking about, her eyes fell upon an object at the rooms center. A large black crystal, mist poring from it like a waterfall. It was a crystal! I knew it~! And now that her eyes were upon it, she felt as though this was the source of her irritation, but wasn't sure why.

“There's something malicious in that gem.” Amarant declared as he looked to it, taking up a battle stance.

“I don't like this place.” Eiko declared, looking to a set of devices near the crystal that projected images of other crystals, and the Iifa Tree. “We need to get back to the others!” Pinkie nodded in agreement.

They'll need help if Kuja can teleport his enemies!

Looking around, she spotted a hole in the floor, and taking a closer look, assumed it was the elevator shaft, as it matched the size of the dais they rode yesterday. Sure, just leave a hole in the ground. This place was designed with safety in mind! She thought with annoyance, and a hint of bemusement.

“I don't know how we're going to get out of here- “Pinkie admitted as she turned to the others, her words dying as she appraised them. Something about them was, off, and as she took that in, she noticed that the strange source of her irritation was gone. Oh, this can't be good. Her ears fell as Amarant and Eiko's eyes were locked on the crystal, Amarant's aura was fluctuating violently, and Eiko fell to her knees, starting to cry.

Pinkie started to move towards her friends as Eiko reached out, placing her hands on something only she could see, a dark purple aura gathered around her as she spoke.

“Grandpa, please, don't go.” She almost choked out, “Please don't leave me.” Pinkie's heartbeat quickened as she moved to Eiko's side, unsure what magic was at play, but she intended to break her from-

Something large and powerful crashed into Pinkie, sending her flying, and crashing into the projection of the Iifa Tree, destroying the device as the world momentarily faded in a flash of pain and surprise. Fumbling a potion to her mouth, almost dropping it from the pain, she separated herself from the wrecked device. She appraised her attacker as the healing power of the potion worked it's magic, her eyes widening in surprise.

Amarant was charging towards her, his aura laced with the same purple edge as Eiko, his fists clenched, his intentions written on the attack looking to collide with Pinkie. She wasn't Applejack, she couldn't take a hit like her, nor was she like Spike, she couldn't teleport away from the danger. She was, however, like Zidane, light on her hooves. She crouched under Amarant's attack, and rolled away from him, her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to get some distance from the possessed warrior.

Amarant had power, and speed, Pinkie wouldn't be able to get an attack off with her cannon against him, even if she wanted to. He was her friend, her most recent addition, and she promised to show him what a true friend was. She believed that fighting back, would go against that wish.

“Pinkie! The crystal!” Discord proclaimed in alarm, and following his gaze, she saw that it was radiating the same dark purple glow as her two friends. Her eyes fell to the round tablet before the crystal, and it all came back to her.

Back in Equestria, the day before she was accidentally sent to Gaia, she and her friends went into the Everfree to find the source of the mist. It was a crystal not unlike the one before her. It was protected by an unseen barrier, but when a friend touched the round tablet floating in the air before the crystal, the gem changed color, and stopped producing mist.

Right now, this crystal wasn't just possessing her friends, it was poisoning Gaia. She glanced to Amarant, who was looking at her, waiting for her to act. I need to reach that tablet! Pinkie looked between Amarant and the crystal, and in a quick motion, loaded herself in her cannon, and blasted towards the tablet. Amarant moved into her path, catching Pinkie off guard as he raised his fist to meet her face.

Bringing her forelegs before her as a shield, they collided, her legs smashing against her nose, sending pain flying through her whole body, and bringing on tears as she slumped into the ground past Amarant. As she tried to collect herself, she felt a large hand grasp her by the neck, and toss her away from the crystal, towards Eiko. She hit the ground and slid to a stop before the child, and hitting the ground after smashing into Amarant had proven to much for Pinkie. The world started to grow dark as she looked into Eiko's crying eyes.

“No, don't leave me, Grandpa!” Eiko proclaimed as she slumped over Pinkie. Eiko summoned forth her magic, and worked to heal Pinkie. Though her magic was for an illusion, it still aided the pink mare, and Pinkie felt the darkness washing over her fade away. After being completely healed by Eiko's desperation, Pinkie got up, looking between her two friends. Had the crystal intended for Eiko to save me? She thought as she saw Amarant stand before the crystal, guarding it from her.

“Was this Kuja's plan? Send you here to fight-” Discord began, but was interrupted by Pinkie's worry.

Not now Discord. I need to save them! Pinkie looked back to the strange dark purple magic wrapped around them, frowning. Ahh!? She thought in annoyance. What would Twilight do? She's really into this magical stuff! Not knowing what she should do, Discord spoke up for her.

“She who hesitates is lost.” Pinkie looked to him, a little surprised as he gave her a light grin. “And you can't do everything by yourself.” He moved close to Pinkie, giving her a kind smile. “They're both right, you know. So, get to work, Pinkie.” She looked from Discord to Amarant, then to Eiko, realization dawning on her face. She then turned to Discord, giving him a sad smile, but a determined look.

She moved closer to Eiko, and hugged her, hoping her warmth and affection would flow into the child. As she held Eiko tight, the purple aura wrapped around the Pink mare, and she was dragged down into Eiko's despair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Ruby Light
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eiko knelt before her grandpa's bed. The sheet before her soaked with her tears as her guardian lay before her, taking ragged breaths that were steadily growing further apart. Noo. Eiko thought, desperately pleading to her eidolon, her ancestors, not to take her guardian, her remaining family away from her. Please, help grandpa! I- I don't want him to be gone! I don't wanna be alone! Several moogles were in the bedroom with her, but they were not her family, their were not part of the summoner tribe, and they wouldn't be able to fill the hole in her heart when her grandpa passed on.

No! He's going to be fine! Just fine! Right!? She desperately asked no one in particular as his eyes opened up weakly. She moved forward, grasping his hand tightly.

“Don't leave me, Grandpa!” She pleaded as he looked to her. He started to cough as she took in his sad eyes, making her tears redouble as she tried to heal him. Why? Why can't he get better from my magic? Is it too weak! Am I too weak!? She hated herself, he was going to die in front of her, because she was weak.

Something in the air shifted, the memory wavered as an outside force placed its influence upon it, and Eiko, in her despair, didn't notice the waver, as her grandpa opened his mouth, desperately trying to say something.

“What? What is it grandpa?” Eiko asked as she moved closer, so she could hear his words. As he opened his mouth, a dark purple aura radiated from him, but she was blind to its presence as her beloved grandpa spoke.

“Why couldn't you save me?” Eiko's heart skipped a beat as she looked to him, shocked, and horrified. He was glaring at her, she had never seen him angry, and as she stood on, his words looping in her head, he let out his last breath. “Poor... Eiko...” and his form stilled as Eiko continued to look to him, her heart and mind screaming at her incompetence.

Grandpa's right! I couldn't save him! What good am I!? I can't call myself a healer! Not even a summoner! She stepped away from the bed, as if in a daze, the moogles were gone, the sky outside was cast in darkness as she looked out to the balcony.

'You are cursed.' A disembodied, deep baritone voice cried out from everywhere. Eiko looked beyond the balcony, seeing nothing out of place, almost as if she was in a dream, she heard the voice, and thought it normal, a voice echoing her thoughts. 'Your family was the last of the tribe, and each and every one of them are now dead.'

As his words washed over her, she then felt as though she was being held in a warm embrace, and she took comfort in it. 'But, they didn't leave you alone. They're simply waiting, where all things wait, in the realm beyond life.'

The sky shifted from darkness to something more pinkish as Eiko moved towards the balcony. I see, she thought, if I don't want to be alone, I just need to join them. She looked down over the edge, a weak, false smile on her face as she eyed the rocks far below. And as she looked, she felt her face become wet with tears, which confused her. I'm crying? Why? Soon, I'll be with grandpa and the others, then I won't be alone. She wiped her tears away, she had no need of them. She started to lift herself over the balcony-

“NO!” The sudden, unexpected voice that didn't belong caught the child by surprise, causing her to drop away from the balcony, whip around, and see a pink pony standing at the balcony's entrance, looking tired, and sad. “No, Eiko. You're not alone.”

I-I'm not? She looked to the pony, confused. Who is she?

'Everyone is alone.' The unseen voice assured. 'It is a simple fact. We are born alone, blind to the world, we live our lives alone, seeking others, but never understanding others, and we die alone, our thoughts washing into eternity unaccompanied by the thoughts and desires of others. She is alone, just as you are.'

“Shut up!” Pinkie exclaimed at the voice. “I'm not alone, and neither is Eiko. She has Spike, Zidane and Dagger, even Applejack!” Eiko looked at the pink mare, confused, as she walked closer to Eiko. Eiko quickly glanced over the balcony before looking back to the mare. “And, she also has Pinkie Pie.” The pink pony stopped moving, sitting down and spreading her forelegs open to Eiko.

Seeing her expression, Eiko was reminded of the warm embrace she felt earlier, and took a compelling step towards the mare. Stepping forward brought up a memory this place had sealed away. She was reminded of hanging from a branch, an orange pony, two humans, and a heroic young dragon looking to her.

Eiko took another step, and saw the orange pony, and the valiant dragon at her side, as a giant stood before them.

One step further, and she witnessed a dinner for several guests that went horribly wrong due to the machinations of an oglop.

Her next step faulted as she recalled a barrier around a great tree, and a voice that spoke to her when that barrier vanished.

My master! A young, almost childlike voice cried out. You and your friend are in danger! Call me! As if answering the voice, the balcony they stood upon broke beneath them, sending the pink pony and Eiko falling. The mare stretched out, reaching for Eiko, grasping her and holding her tight as they plummeted. Eiko felt a smile greet her face, despite the situation they were in, as it all came rushing back.

This mare, she's Pinkie Pie! She recalled as Pinkie's warmth flowed through her. She's right! I'm not alone! And her eyes lit up with the fire of that fact.

“Carbuncle!” Eiko cried out, calling forth the eidolon that had sealed the Iifa Tree to their aid. And immediately, before reaching the rocks beneath, a ruby light washed over the environment, shattering everything like glass, everything, but Eiko, being held close, in Pinkie's embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie and Eiko came too in unison, both bathed by a protective red light as they saw a small emerald green critter, having the face of a rabbit, but the body of a fox, sporting a ruby gem in the center of its forehead. It stood with it's back to them, Amarant in front of it, his fist stopped by an unseen barrier. His attack halted, Amarant, still radiating the purple aura, leapt back and kept himself between the others and the crystal.

“Thanks.” Eiko whispered as she gave Pinkie a hard hug, which Pinkie softly returned. “I know I'm not alone, but for some reason, staring at the crystal made me forget that.” Pinkie nodded as she wiped Eiko's tears, who was surprised that her cheeks were wet. “Um,” She began, a little sheepishly, “would you mind not-”

“I won't tell the others.” Pinkie assured, placing her forehead upon Eiko's “After all, your a grown-up, and grown-ups don't cry, right?” Pinkie asked, getting a smile from Eiko. “Well, grown-ups cry too, so don't feel bad.” Pinkie then turned to appraise Amarant. “Now, I'm guessing a hug won't quite work on our newest friend.”

“Then we just have to beat him up?” Eiko suggested. Carbuncle turned to Eiko, and she nodded at a dialogue shared between the two of them, which made Pinkie realize something.

Discord! She talks to her eidolon just like how I talk to you!

“Well, fancy that-” Discord was interrupted when Carbuncle looked directly at him, and Discord gave the small eidolon a slightly uncomfortable smile. Carbuncle jumped into the air, and in a flash of red light, vanished. Eiko turned to Pinkie with a light smile.

“Carbuncle will protect me from the crystal. So I can help you without worry. You fight, I'll heal!” Pinkie gave her a small apprehensive nod, not entirely sure if fighting Amarant was the right answer. She looked to him, and an idea came to mind, and her ears dropped, as it was a particularly painful idea.

Oh, horseapples. Discord looked at her, surprised by that thought, and what spawned it.

“I'm gonna try reaching out to him, and he isn't gonna like it.” Pinkie admitted as she looked to Eiko. “So please, don't attack him with your other summon. And lot's of healing too if you please~!” Pinkie finished as she gave her a sheepish grin. Eiko nodded worriedly as Pinkie valiantly walked up to Amarant. You can do this Pinkie! Just... Uh... Hope it works! She thought as she eyed her possessed friend.

“Soo, how's the purple aura working out for you?” Pinkie asked causally as she approached. “Personally, I think it meshes with your hair, and I know a pony who'd agree~!” His aura didn't fluctuate, and indeed, as she got closer, he attacked her. Pinkie gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as his attack reached her, knocking the wind out of her as she was sent flying past Eiko, who was already preparing a healing spell. Owie~!

Pinkie got up, coughing from the attack as she saw Amarant heading towards Eiko, and fear clenched Pinkie's heart as she tried to cry out. Eiko turned around in time to see a large fist zip right past her, making her freeze as the large warrior stood over her, his aura fluctuating. He missed!? Thank Celestia! Pinkie got in her cannon and fired herself towards the crystal, bringing about the intended affect of getting Amarant away from Eiko, his aura still fluctuating. Was that miss more than luck?

As Pinkie crashed into the ground, Amarant was upon her before she could get up, holding her down with one arm, he grasped her by the neck, and tossed her causally in the air. Before she could hit the ground, he reached out, making her mind momentarily blank out from the pain as he caught her by the neck. This time, he was holding her so she could see his face. With them being face to face, he started to squeeze, and her air was cut off, unable to speak, and breath, as he choked her.

N-No! How am I suppose to talk to him like this!? She desperately thought as her body demanded air. She felt healing magic wash over her, but it only helped ease the pain in her body and neck, it didn't spare her of her growing need for oxygen.

“Don't use words! He senses auras Pinkie! TRY!” Discord cried out, fear evident on his expression.

Despite the lack of air, her flaying hooves, and the tears running down her cheeks, she compelled herself to do what she always did. She forced herself to give him a smile, her emotions poring out as she radiated an aura of her own, seen only by the one trying to kill her.

This isn't how true friends treat each other.

With that will, that thought being projected, she felt her will wash over the rest of her body, her hooves stopped flaying, and her movement went limp as she gave him a sad smile, and closed her eyes, letting darkness overtake her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Troubled Past
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kindness is wasted on the strong. He had spent his whole life, living around those words. He had long forgotten where he learned them, but something about them always compelled him. He held no respect for his betters, and growing up in the dirt of society, there were plenty that were considered his betters.

One day, when a job went wrong, he had almost fallen, but was saved by a child. Someone weak had saved him, and died in his place. It was an act of kindness, he was strong, and the child had shown him kindness. He never wanted it. It was a waste.

Still, he worked to ensure that would never happen again. He took any job that would make him stronger, any task to take down anyone that considered themselves the betters of others because of their stature. And while he had gotten stronger from it, he found no use for the monetary rewards. Despite always completing his jobs, and getting paid, he was always poor, and if you asked him why, he would never tell.

Kindness is wasted on the strong, and he became strong, so that the kindness he showed to others, wasn't wasted, even if it was never understood, or appreciated. He became strong, so that those weaker than himself wouldn't have a need to be kind to him.

Now, despite being buried in a haze of antagonism and hate, he still felt those words call upon him. The child healed his enemy, and he had almost struck her down, an act there was no forgiveness for, by his or any others eyes. That was the first mistake the aura that had infused with his own had taken.

And now, his foe lay dying in his grasp, and she was smiling to him, radiating her kindness. A kindness called trust, and something he didn't understand. Friendship.

He had intended to kill this foe's orange friend, and the monkey who framed him, and yet, she still wanted to be his friend. She wanted him to smile, she wanted him to be happy.

She had stood before him, unwilling to fight back. He knew she wouldn't win. No, he would have known, but the aura possessing him clouded his vision, compelling him to strike someone weaker then himself. He was a proud man, who would never stain his fists with the blood of one that refused to fight him, and he saw her aura flare up as she stopped struggling, a message carried through the voice of her soul.

'This isn't how true friends treat each other.'

He hesitated, her insistence at being his friend was still outside his comprehension, and now he saw that she was willing to trust her life to him, out of that desire. And once again, just like after being spared by the others, he didn't know what to do.

'He who hesitates is lost.'

He let go of the mare before she passed out, and she unceremoniously fell to the ground, chocking desperately for air as he turned towards the black crystal. He didn't like being compelled to take any actions other than his own, and would free himself of what ever was so weak as to manipulate others to do their dirty work.

There are no foes for me here, begone! He then took up a fighting stance, Or do you think to take me on? He asked of the malicious presence that had take up residence within his aura. The presence wavered at the fire beating in his breast, it's hesitation proving to be a mistake.

BEGONE! He proclaimed, his aura flaring with his rage, casting out the presence that dared make him attack those weaker than himself. The malicious presence stubbornly stuck to him for a moment longer, before being dispelled by the warrior's strength.

Free of its taint, he looked down to see the pink pony looking up to him, smiling. His aura shifted to concern as he appraised her neck, and his concern remained as he saw white magic attend to the growing bruise. He then blinked in realization, and moved a step away from her. I'm concerned for her? He thought in surprise as he looked away from her. Hmph, good thing she was weak, or she would be dead. He ignored the irony of that thought as he knelt down and helped her to her hooves, basking in the smile she gave him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You're a damn fool.” Amarant declared as he helped Pinkie up, his words making her blush.

“I'm inclined to agree,” Discord added as he slapped a jester's hat on her head.

“Ahhh~, thanks for helping me up~” Pinkie teased, Eiko approaching them as Pinkie rubbed her neck. “So, I'm guessing that you also think true friends don't, um, try to kill each other, right?” Amarant gave an almost absentminded nod as he looked to the crystal. Pinkie looked to it was well, it wasn't radiating the dark purple glow anymore, but it was still spewing out mist.

Pinkie looked back to the hole that was the elevator shaft, then to the crystal. Think I should touch the tablet? She asked Discord, It'll probably get rid of the mist, but...

“But you think that may be why Kuja sent us here.” Discord finished, summoning a small doll of Kuja, “I mean, why else would he send us to this important place, right?” He added, taking on a contemplative look as he stabbed the small doll with a large needle. “It may be he sent the three of you here just so the crystal will make with the bad things, which it did.”

He then ripped the doll to shreds as he looked to Pinkie. “I don't know, and neither do you. My scheming instincts tell me he sent us here to mess with us. But I'm not sure if we've gotten past that, or if it's still ongoing.”

'To mess with us?' I could have told you that, silly~! As Discord harrumphed at her thought, Amarant went to one of the gaps in the wall that let light and air in, peering outside.

“Huh,” he began, sounding interested in what he saw. “Look's like there's a fight going on, and there's mist everywhere.”

“What?” Eiko asked as she quickly moved to his side, jumping up to try and see through the crack he peered through.

“You mean between the others and Kuja!?” Pinkie asked in alarm, also moving to his side, and letting Eiko on her back as they all looked outside.

Out near the sea, was a fleet of ships flying the Alexandrian banner, the ships were in combat against strange monsters of the mist Pinkie didn't recognize. There was mist around the battle, and she saw that when one of the monsters perished, another, smaller version of itself was made in its place from the mist.

“Does that fleet belong to Dagger's mother?” Pinkie asked as Discord granted her his binoculars again, getting a better look of the ships. She spotted the large queen, the bow of her ship had a number of black mages that seemed to be gathering magic. The monsters of the mist were decimating the fleet, it was clear that Kuja would win this battle. “Ohh~ Why is she here now!?” Then a terrible thought came to her mind.

If a whole fleet can't beat him-

“Then the others are in big trouble!” Discord finished, and in unison, they both looked to the crystal. “When the crystal in the Everfree turned colors, the mist was-”

“Instantly destroyed!” Pinkie finished aloud, getting a confused look from Amarant and Eiko. Her brow furrowed, she knew what she had to do. As she walked towards the tablet, Eiko got off her, and Discord moved in front of her.

“Pinkie, if this is a trap-”

“Discord. Our friends are in big trouble right now. What am I suppose to do?” She asked as she turned to him. He looked to her, having no answer. He let out a sigh as he nodded his head.

“Well then, fingers crossed.” Discord finished as he did just that, letting Pinkie move forward. Getting closer to the tablet, she saw a mural on it that jogged her memory. It was a mural of the Iifa tree, and she once saw this mural on the tablet back in the Everfree.

So, that's why the tree looked familiar. She thought as she let out a sigh.

“Pinkie?” Eiko asked, concern lacing her words. “What are you doing? That crystal is bad.”

“I'm gonna dispel the mist. I think.” She explained as she gave them both her brightest smile. “So, here goes nothing~!” She reached out to touch the tablet, and immediately upon contact, it started to glow pink, the same color as her coat. It glowed brighter and brighter, and she saw the mist poring from the crystal start to die down. Then the crystal started to glow too, its black hues taking on a pink shine. She looked until the light became to bright to look at, as when the change reached its peek, a wave of pink light pulsed out in all directions, traveling through the walls of the tree as if they weren't there.

Looking away from the crystal, she saw the wave pass through Eiko and Amarant, who briefly shimmered white and yellow respectively. Why did they- Pinkie felt a malicious presence, but when her eyes fell to the source, she felt it flee from them, somehow leaving through the cracks in the wall.

“Look!” Eiko pointed up to the ceiling, adding on to Pinkie's pile of distractions. Looking up, Pinkie saw the globe of Gaia slowly being washed over by the pink wave, which she watched in awe. For a second, she through she saw a glimmer of blue light when the wave passed through the mist continent, and as she strained her eyes to make out any other glimmers, the entire globe was covered by the pink light, before fading.

“The mist, it's gone.” Amarant observed, as he looked outside, his aura taking on a surprised color.

Pinkie looked around, and nothing seemed out of place, other then the fact that the black crystal was now radiant pink, and the mural of the tablet had changed. Instead of a picture of the Iifa Tree, it was now her party cannon centered in the circle, firing off a fork and three balloons towards the left.

Well, that wasn't so bad~! Pinkie thought with a smile as her eyes fell on the projection that wasn't destroyed, the one with the eight crystals. She now saw that the one in the center was now a bright pink, and gathered a guess as to what that meant-

The ceiling glowed, drawing everyone's attention as the globe of Gaia pulsated, then turned dark, the sphere becoming completely blank for several seconds, before colors returned, revealing a new globe in it's place.

“That's-” Discord began, confused.

“Equestria!?” Pinkie exclaimed, as the walls of the Iifa Tree started to glow with power.

“What's going on!?” Eiko asked as the tree started to shake, Pinkie moved to her side to protect her, as she could only wonder what was transpiring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Ceiling Above Iifa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mois asked Choco to stop. She felt something powerful emanate from the unnatural crystalline tree, and it made her pon pon tingle in an uncomfortable manner. A large pink wave of light spread out from the tree, traveling out at an amazing speed, instantly dissipating the clouds that were gathered around the sea beyond the tree, revealing a fleet of smoking ships as the light passed through the moogle and chocobo.

“W-What's going on!? Kupo!?”

“Kweh~!?”

The two of them had finished searching the continent, and found some treasure for the others, but were unable to find a chocobo sanctuary. Now that they were on their way to reunite with Spike, they found their destination, to say the least, surprising. As Choco started to move again, blitzing towards the tree's root system, the globe in the center of the Iifa Tree glowed, and in short order, it's appearance changed.

As Mois appraised the change, Choco came to a stop, as the entire tree started to shimmer. The new globe in the center glowed white, while the eight globes in the higher branches each glowed their own color. Light blue, light green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and white. The new globe in the center pulsated, the pulse traveling up the tree like a dividing stream, the light striking each of the colored globes, making them shine bright as all eight of them sent fourth beams of colored light to a point high, high above the tree, above the clouds, and beyond.

The eight points unified into a rainbow, and struck an unseen mass high in the sky. The rainbow washed over that mass, revealing a new moon, larger than the original, much larger. And as the moon only had varied shades of blue, this new moon had lots of different features, blues, greens, sandy colors. It was a whole different world, and Mois had seen the features of this world before. Inside a globe of Gaia, back in Treno.

That world was Equestria.

As the world was revealed, the rainbow ended, and the tree stopped firing the many lights into the sky, but, it still shimmered, its power still in motion.

Mois and Choco appraised the addition to the sky in awe, and a touch of horror. Equestria was now taking up a large portion of the sky, and Mois could only wonder, just what her friends had gotten themselves into.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie watched as the newly formed globe of Equestria was washed by a rainbow light, mirroring the way the pink pulse had traveled over Gaia. It circled the world, and she could only wonder what it meant. Hearing the sound of Discord snapping his fingers, she looked to him. He gave her a shrug, as if it wasn't his doing, then she noticed that Eiko and Amarant were completely still, unnaturally so.

“Well well,” Discord said, only it wasn't the Discord at Pinkie's side, as she turned to see another Discord standing before the crystal, giving her a sly grin. “If it isn't the number one party pony! We should catch up!” He then looked to the other Discord and frowned. “I'm Alpha, you're No.1, sounds good to me?” He asked of the Discord Pinkie had been with since arriving on Gaia.

“Very well, Alpha, I have no problem being No.1.” No.1 replied as he gave Pinkie a wink, then leaned close to her. “It'll help you, right?” She gave him an absentminded nod as she wondered what was going on.

“Alright No.1, let's get back in one piece so we can save the day!” Alpha declared as he donned a red cape, which billowed in the wind as his chest gained a giant crested 'D'.

“Pinkie,” No.1 began, “I'm still here, when I become whole again, I won't change, I'll still be your Discord, understand?”

“Um, Right! I think I get it~. But how did, um, Alpha get here?” Pinkie's eyes widened at the implications. “Does that mean we can return to Equestria now!?” She asked excitedly, almost hopping in the air from the energy such a notion instilled her with.

“The connection between the two worlds in now complete.” Alpha Discord proclaimed as he moved to Pinkie. “I want to check out this place first before sending you and the others back, but first.” He reached into her mane, making No.1 scoff.

“Maybe you should ask first before feeling out some other mare's mane!” He said in mock indignity before disappearing as Alpha pulled a claw of his out of her mane.

Has that always been there!? Pinkie wondered as Alpha appraised the claw.

The inside of her head suddenly felt a little less noisy, and already she was missing the constant commentary on her thoughts as she looked to Alpha, her ears dropping as she gave him a weak smile, who was taken aback by her expression.

“Oh~.” He began apologetically, “I'm sorry Pinkie, give me a moment and I'll be the Discord you know, okay?” He asked of her, and she gave him a weak nod. He then popped off his claw, as if it was some sort of toy, and screwed on the one he pulled from her mane. His eyes flashed as he was connected to memories the shard of chaos had witnessed, then reeled back, flying across the room as if he had been struck hard in the head, crashing into a heap of summoned wooden crates.

“My goodness! You all have really had it rough!” Discord admitted as he looked to Pinkie in shock. “Well, don't you worry my dear Pinkie.” He assured as he puffed his chest out, a small crackle of dramatic thunder emphasizing his might. “I'm back in action! 100% pure chaos right here!” He thumped his chest, and he got a chuckle out of her, which made him smile. “So, let's see what this tree is about, and how I can tear it down, 'kay?” He asked, giving her the smile she's come to love.

“Right!” She said aloud, giving him her best grin, then looked to Eiko and Amarant, still frozen. “Sooo~ What about-”

“They'll be fine,” he interrupted, “I just accelerated time for the two of us so I can make out what this tree's doing before it does it.” He explained as he pulled out a magnifying glass and looked over the bark of the tree, then he ripped off a piece and bit into it, immediately spitting it out. “Bleh! That's pure unity! That's even worse than harmony!” He shook his head as he looked around, his eyes falling to the projection of the crystals, and finally, the large pink crystal in the room. Taking it all in, his ears dropped, and then his shoulders followed suit. “Oh phooey. Looks like this is a bad day to be Discord.” He admitted as he turned to Pinkie.

“Discord?” She asked with some concern. He sighed and took a deep breath as he kneeled before her, seeing her at eye level.

“Pinkie. This is where you and I say goodbye.” Pinkie blinked, his words not quite registering, tilting her head in confusion.

“What?”

“This, is where we say goodbye, with a smile on our faces, and a song in our hearts.” She heard his words, but her mind wasn't quite clicking the pieces together. Her heart, however, did, and Pinkie was surprised when she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

“What? Huh?” She wiped the tear, looking at her wet hoof, then to Discord, and the pieces began to click together. “No.” She began, taking a hesitant step away from him. “No no no! Why?” His words were starting to hit her, and her chest began to ache at the prospect of saying goodbye. “Don't you mean 'see you later' or 'hast la vista' or 'catch ya next time'?” She hoped he was playing a particularly mean prank, but he shook his head, his sad eyes crushing her hope as her tears pored.

“Why?” She weakly asked, “Was it because I touched the tablet-” He put his claw on her mouth, shaking his head.

“Why I must go isn't because of that, I need to save our friends on Equestria, and it'll take everything I've got.” He looked up to the globe above them before looking Pinkie in the eyes. “I'm sorry, but we won't be seeing each other again. No more parties with yours truly, no more interesting sight gags, no more-”

“N-No more cotton candy rain-clouds?” She managed to get out through her tears.

“Well, I wouldn't go that far.” He said with a light smile as he pulled off his claw again, and with a small snap of his thumbs, it turned into a golden necklace, his detached claw turning to gold, which he placed around her neck.

“This will keep you safe, but it'll only work once, so try not to rely on it.” He looked into her blue eyes, his caring look striking her core, assuring her. “Stay safe. I can't travel with you anymore, I can't be there when you cry anymore.” He then knelt down, hugging her. “But, this one time, I can comfort you, this one, last, time. So please, be safe, and be strong, and keep smiling. Okay?” There was a long pause as she quietly cried into his shoulder. she wanted to give him what he wanted, she wanted to smile for him, but she didn't want to let him go.

“Discord.” She got out, gathering some composure for him. “I'd not be here right now if it wasn't for you. How am I suppose to-”

“Your friends will help you. You know it, and now, so do I.” He pushed her back so he could look her in the eyes again. “I'm glad, that I got to meet you, Twilight, Fluttershy.” He said with a smile she knew, but didn't expect to see, a loving smile. “Now, give me a smile. One for the road. Okay?”

She wiped her tears, and gathered herself. Come on Pinkie, he wants a smile, we- we can cry after he's left to save the others. Taking in several deep breaths, she pushed down her sorrow, begging her weak emotional self to stay composed for this one wish. He saved her, in the swamp, and in the grotto, and now, he was going to save her cherished friends.

She looked to him, giving him one of her best, and he gave her one back, as he kissed her on the forehead, surprising her as he gave her a little wink, and disappeared in a flash of light. She stared blankly at the space he once occupied, before sitting down, her legs feeling heavy.

For several moments, she sat there in silence, time still frozen as she slowly looked to the others. Having pushed down her emotions, she now found she couldn't cry, even through she wanted to. Her eyes gingerly fell to the memento around her neck, and she felt a power within it. Drawing it out, she summoned forth something that made her heart quiver.

A chocolate-milk cotton candy rain-cloud. That- That dummy! He- Then she saw, on top of the cloud, was a swirl of whipped cream, with a unexpected cherry on top. Seeing that made it all the more real to her, breaking the wall she had propped before her emotions.

I-I'm never going to see him again? That thought was punctuated by the silence of being alone in her own head, and all the pain her heart felt on the Mist Continent, failed compare at the aching in her breast, as she fell to the ground, cradling the necklace in her hooves, as she wept her heart out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: To the Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The place between both worlds, the Realm of Twilight, looked a little different now that there were two worlds visible within, not that Discord really cared. He willed himself towards the sleeping form of Twilight, and with a small snap, composed a letter for her. Considering these were going to be his last words as himself, he felt it prudent to check his spelling and word choice, lest he offend the Princess of Friendship.

'~~My dearest student, Twilight Sparkle.~~ As if! Oh goodness, can you imagine? Me? Calling you a student? I honestly can't see how Celestia can keep a straight face writing such sappy junk!'

'Look Twilight, I've got some bad news, and some even more bad news. I know what the Ritual of Unified Fantasy is, so open up your royal gray matter for this lesson!'

'Unified Fantasy is a contest between two worlds. The rules are quite ~~interesting~~ boring and ~~play a big part in what's going on~~ not worth mentioning at this point. Suffice to say, when the contest ends, the losing world is turned into mist, and absorbed by the winning world.'

'Thanks to... events. The contest has come to an end, Gaia won. Equestria will be broken down into mist soon, that's where awesome old me comes in. I am going to buy you some time. There is a way to make Gaia lose, ~~which is actually pretty easy~~ but I doubt you'd care to hear it.'

'Pinkie, Applejack, and Spike are ~~excellent~~ ~~fine~~ ~~doing okay~~ in a bad spot. When you next see Pinkie, please tell her ~~to go make a party for all the eidolons~~ that I'm sorry for lying to her. I truly am. And please, help Fluttershy, she needs you right about now, so I suggest leaving once you're done reading this ~~needlessly wordy~~ letter.'

'Now, there is a way for both worlds to be saved. I'm sure of it, I mean, why else would they try to separate you girls? I'm sure you and the others will manage something.'

'And now for the even ~~worser~~ ~~terribler~~ ~~catastrophiccer~~ badder news. This ritual has already successfully ended eight times. The ritual is powered by the combined magic of eight worlds. Eight worlds, eight Unified Fantasies. Still, despite that, I ~~believe~~ ~~think~~ ~~hope~~ trust you and the others can insure that ~~the ninth fantasy~~ this will be the ~~final fantasy~~ last one.'

'~~Yours truly~~ Sincerely, the Spirit of Chaos himself, and your friend.'

'Discord.'

Nodding to himself, satisfied with the letter, scratched out words included, he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder, hitting Twilight in the head, causing her to stir. As she looked to him, rubbing the fatigue from her eyes, he gathered every once of his magic, his being, into a single snap.

Before he snapped his thumbs, he hesitated as he heard the sound of two weeping mares. One with a pink coat, another with a yellow coat, crying tears for him, that only he could hear. And he adopted a sad smile as his eyes met Twilight, who was looking at him in surprise, as he snapped his thumb, his smile shifting as his power worked to give as much time as possible to his friends.

His body went rigid, as the magic that made up the spirit of chaos dispersed, and he faded away, wearing a happy smile as he became one, with the stars.

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide(mastered), Party Bomb(mastered)

Feather Hat: Bright Eyes(mastered), Add Status(mastered)

Silk Robe: Ability Up(mastered), Loudmouth(mastered), Cake!(mastered)

Reflect Ring: Reflect, Distract, Auto-Reflect

*Discord's Memento: My Gift(mastered)

Prevents One-hit KO. Expended on use.

Lvl-27 HP 1442/1442 MP 130/130

AP 1/30

Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

*Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to blind.

Quake Cannon 14 MP: Deals Non-elemental damage to all foes.

White Confetti 14 MP : Restores HP of multiple targets.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Cake! 8 MP : Cures Trouble. Casts Haste and Regen to single target.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Discord's Gift 0 MP: Summons a cloud that is both delicious and cushioning, if messy.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note

You... Probably hate me now. Sorry.

35. Immoral Rhythm

Spike saw the runic spell-circles appear beneath his three friends, and felt something familiar radiate from them as he stared wide-eyed. Teleportation magic!? As the spell formed a cone around each of them, he ran towards Pinkie, as did Zidane. Spike jumped and teleported, trying to knock Pinkie from the spell, but as he felt his claws touch her, she vanished, as did the others. No!! He crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop as he looked where Eiko, Amarant, and Pinkie once were, his heart racing as he looked to Kuja.

“Kuja! Where are they!?”

“Give 'em back!”

“Kuja!!”

Zidane, Applejack, and Spike cried out, their anger in sync with their words. Kuja gave them his sly smile as she shook his head.

“It would be rude of us to interrupt-”

“Give us back our friends!” Spike cried out, interrupting Kuja, who looked at him with a hint of genuine annoyance. Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you, jerk! Spike thought sarcastically as he glared back at Kuja, who simply scoffed at him.

“Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself?” Kuja asked as he pointed to the sea, adopting his smug smile. Everyone but Zidane turned from Kuja, eyeing the ocean. There, beyond the beach several miles away, was a fleet of low and long wooden ships bearing red sails. Each ship had a double barrel cannon turret on the forward bow, and from here, Spike could make out black mages standing on the deck. No, he thought as his heart sank. Not black mages! I don't want to fight them! From what he saw, there were at least twenty ships.

“W-What the hay!?” Applejack stammered out, more surprised by the unexpected fleet than Spike.

“That's the Alexandrian fleet!” Dagger proclaimed in alarm, prompting Zidane to look away from their foe to take in the fleet.

Brahne's come here? Spike wondered as he looked to the princess, fear written on her features. He then glared back at Kuja. What's he got planned? And what did he do with my friends!? Kuja's arms were folded, seeming to bask in the situation he was in.

“So,” Kuja began, drawing the eyes of the others. “The curtain rises!” He proclaimed as he raised his arms dramatically. My friends came here to take this man down, and end his weapon selling. Now he's taken them! We'll make him pay! Spike pulled out his staff as Kuja talked, preparing a spell for when Applejack made the call. Kuja motioned to Dagger with a smile.

“This is just perfect, my little canary.” Kuja then motioned towards the fleet. “Behold! The truth of your mother! She isn't satisfied with just one continent!” He put his had over his head as he shook it in disappointment. “You mother's stupidity is only matched by her ugliness. Which is actually quite impressive.” Come on Applejack, what are you waiting for? Spike wondered as he looked to his friend, who seemed reluctant to start the battle.

Kuja looked down upon them, the air tense with the desire for battle, making his smile grown wider. “This is just wonderful, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.”

“What are you talking about!?” Zidane asked, his knuckles white on his doublesword. Wait, this man's been planning for us? Why? And why Pinkie and the others? The princess, I can understand, but Pinkie? Spike wondered as Kuja continued.

“All the actors have taken up their posts, now the story will play out, with me standing on top.” He made a sweeping motion, indicating the tree and the fleet. “And you four, are a part of the audience.” He finished with a light bow. “So we begin with Act 1: 'Gifts' of the World.” He finished as he gave them a sly smile.

“As if, you're going down!” Zidane declared.

“We're not lettin' ya get away!” Applejack said before readying her blade, taking up a battle stance. Spike teleported above Kuja's roost, getting a casual glance from the man in white as he looked over the others.

“Mist is a wonderful thing,” Kuja began as he pulled out a black stone the size of an apple. “It can take any shape witnessed from the memories of the worlds, even in its pure form, it can be condensed, and made use of by those with the power.” He divvied out as he played with the stone in his hands.

“Huh?” Zidane asked as Spike wondered what the villain was up to.

“I can make monsters with magic, you fools!” Kuja then tossed the stone at Spike's friends, Zidane attempted to knock it away from them, but it exploded into mist before his blade connected. “Come forth, my mistlings!” Kuja declared with a light chuckle as the mist that obscured the area came to life and took form. Not good!

As the mist dispersed, the party found themselves face to face with four insectoid creatures of black chitin and a humanoid form. They had small, green and emerald wings, and green bug eyes. They were over seven feet tall, and bulky. What!? They almost look like-

“Changelings!?” Applejack finished, as the mistlings leapt forward to attack. As Spike prepared his spell, he saw Kuja get on the silver dragon and fly towards the sea. Spike's eyes darted from the mistlings to Kuja, and shouted out in frustration as he prepared a spell for the monsters.

Zidane dodged the one that swiped at him, and Spike witnessed the failed attack easily claw through the bark where Zidane had stood. As Zidane bound around behind his attacker, Applejack took a hit for Dagger, and to Spike's relief, the mare didn't seem bothered by the impact. She then parried the attacks of the other two mistlings, and with their attacks momentarily avoided, the party began their counterattack.

Applejack used her Round-Up! ability, seeming to suddenly be in four places at once as she bucked each mistling into a cluster between them all. Though it wasn't the first time he'd seen her use this ability, he was still impressed by it. So cool!

With the mistlings clustered together tightly, Spike pepper bombed them with a Thundara, and with the combined damage of Zidane's bladed assault and Dagger's eidolon, the mistlings were destroyed.

“Cht- That was simply annoying-” Zidane began as he looked back to Kuja, then looked dismayed as he saw that the villain had fled. “That coward!”

“He's over there!” Spike claimed as he pointed off towards the sea, where they spotted Kuja. As he got close to the fleet, it seemed as though the ocean suddenly exploded with mist, lightly obscuring the ships as the fleet fell under siege by newly spawned mistlings. The flash and thunder of cannon fire could be witnessed by the party, as the battle between Kuja and Brahne began. As the others looked on, Spike teleported to their side, wondering worriedly what had become of Pinkie, Eiko, and the tall stranger, Amarant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hah,” Kuja scoffed as his dragon weaved to avoid cannon fire. Foolish Brahne, your cannons are useless against the monsters of the mist! He let out a light chuckle as he saw two of the ships explode from the harm his mistlings inflicted. Using the mist from the mistlings that perished in the blast, he created more. His army was limitless as long as he had mist, which he had planted more then enough for this task. Kuja looked to Brahne's ship, his laughter dying.

But even a fool like you knows that there is only one path you can take, right? He looked to her, his brow furrowing in impatience. “Stupid elephant-lady! Why do you hesitate!?” He waited for his moment, but it wasn't readily available.

“Very well,” He said as he let out a sigh. “I'll make the first move! I'll give you a clean target. You can't miss!" He then looked over the terrain, and found a suitable spot for her. "Silver Dragon, descend!” Following his command, Kuja descended to the beach, frustrated with anticipation, as he gave the fleet a cold look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dammit!” Zidane proclaimed as he kicked the tree. “How are we suppose to find the others!?” Applejack nodded in annoyance as she glared at the man that separated her friends from her. Just what is he up to!? She wondered as Spike spoke up.

“A moogle! We need a moogle!” He exclaimed, looking back towards the mountains where the path to Madain Sari was. Applejack and Zidane shared a surprised look before Applejack turned to the young dragon.

“Yer right sugarcube! We can find Pinkie and Eiko with the help of any of the moogles at the village!”

“What about Amarant?” Spike asked, surprising Applejack as she took on an almost ashamed expression. Oh, yea, I guess he's with us too. She thought before shaking her head, looking to Spike.

“Uh, he's more than likely with them.” She said as she rubbed her head, “If not, Mog can help, maybe?” Spike nodded as he looked back towards the fleet. So, Kuja and Brahne are gonna fight? Less work fer us if ya ask me! She thought as Zidane spoke up.

“I don't think Brahne has a chance against Kuja,” he coldly proclaimed, as already a small number of the ships were lost to the mistlings.

“Well, let's get a move on, they're probably in big trouble-” Applejack began, but saw Dagger shake her head, looking to her pendant, before looking back to the battle. Princess?

“I, I can't go with you.” Dagger explained as she held her hand over her heart. “I'm worried about the others, but...”

“What's wrong?” Spike asked of her, she looked to him, then to Zidane.

“What is it Princess?” Applejack asked, failing to hide her impatience. Wait, is she worried about her mother? Ah tarnations!

“I, I can't let anything happen to her.” Dagger admitted, worry etched into her face. “But, I want to help save our friends too. Madain Sari is so far away, and she's right there.” she finished as she cast her eyes towards the fleet. “And the soldiers, they're just following orders. They have families back home, we have to help them!”

“Dagger?” Zidane asked, his brow furrowed. “She stole your eidolons from you. She started a war! And those soldiers took part in it!”

“I still don't want her to die!” She proclaimed, making Zidane's frown deepen. Spike and Applejack shared a somber look, then nodded. Dagger's right, Applejack thought, about the soldiers. They need help, though I don't know what we should do about the queen.

“Dagger!” Zidane shouted, approaching her, his annoyance now full blown anger. “She didn't care one bit whether you lived or died! You don't have to call her mother anymore! She isn't even your real mother in the first place.”

“She's my only mother!” Dagger replied, her worry replaced with anger, directed to Zidane. “I don't care if you don't understand!” She looked from him to the roots of the tree, looking for something. “Eiko told us earlier that there was an eidolon sealed near the tree. Maybe I can use it to save mother!”

“Wait, she did?” Applejack asked in confusion. Did I miss somethin'?

“You were talking to Pinkie back then.” Spike explained, still worried for his friends as he brought Applejack up to speed. “Eiko said that Carbuncle, the eidolon that made the barrier around the tree, had made that barrier to seal the failed summon.” Spike looked contemplative before looking back to the mare. “She said it was close to the sea, in a shrine.”

Huh, why didn't Eiko say there were two eidolons here sooner? She wondered as Zidane turned to face Dagger, a determined look on his face. Oh Zidane, ya gotta let it go, the princesses has that look on her face, there's no changin' her mind.

“Dagger-” Zidane began, his anger abandoned during that small reprieve.

“Zidane,” Applejack interrupted, “I'm with her on this one.”

“Same here.” Spike agreed, “Yea, her mom's done a lot of bad things, but, they're family, and we can't let those soldiers...” Spike shook his head as he looked to Zidane. “We have to make sure they make it back home!” Spike's looked ready to cry, almost prompting her to move to his side, but Spike kept his tears down. Zidane scratched the back of his head as he looked to the three of them.

“What about the others?”

“I don't know.” Applejack admitted, looking to her hooves, “I'd say split up, two of us to the eidolon, two fer the village, but somethin' tells me that's a poor plan.” Zidane nodded in agreement.

“The shrine is closer.” Zidane affirmed as he cast his gaze over the root system. “Let's move.” After searching for a few moments, he pointed to a patch of roots near the sea. “Over there!” Seeing it, Applejack let Spike on her back as they all moved down the roots towards it. “Let's hope our friends can hold out for us.” Zidane added, and Spike looked to the thief, giving him a smile.

“It's Pinkie, Eiko, and Amarant! If they're together, they should be fine!” He proclaimed, putting on some bravado as they moved closer to the sea, the sound of cannon fire breaking over their hurried footsteps.

“Yer right sugarcube.” Applejack said as she gave him a small smile. “Let's not do somethin' that'll lead to us needin' to be rescued by them!” Her bravado reinforced Spike's, and together, they managed to dispel a small amount of worry from the party.

Several minutes passed as they moved through the roots towards the shrine, when suddenly the world around them flashed pink. Applejack looked behind to see Zidane and Dagger flash red and light purple respectively. The colorful glow didn't last long, but something about it made her feel nostalgic, and for a second, it reminded her Twilight, back in the realm between worlds. Looking back towards their destination, she saw a wave of pink light moving away from them, stretching out to the horizon in all directions.

W-What was that!? She thought as she glared back up to the tree, seeing the globe in its center go blank.

“Just what was that?” Zidane asked in confusion as he also looked behind him to the tree. Applejack's eyes widened as she saw the blank globe change to the place where most everything precious to her was.

“It's Equestria!” Spike proclaimed, a little happy, then his mirth turned to confusion. “Why?”

“Did Kuja do that?” Dagger asked as she looked towards the battle, Applejack matching her actions. She spotted the silver dragon, and it's rider perched near the beach, overlooking the battle a distance away.

“I don't know, maybe-”

Then the tree started to glow as light pored from the Equestrian globe to the other eight globes above, cascading into a rainbow towards the heavens. They looked in confused awe as the rainbow revealed another world hidden high above, becoming a ceiling that covered most of the sky above them.

“W-What's happening!?” Spike asked as he held onto Applejack, as the roots were starting to shake. Zidane moved to Dagger's side to help her as they all looked at the tree as it shimmered.

“It's gotta be Unified Fantasy!” Applejack proclaimed, her ears low as she saw her home imposed on the sky above, centered over the Iifa Tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuja had his mistlings cease attacking to let Brahne bathe in the majesty of the tree. He smiled as the cannon fire died down, all eyes to the heavens. He looked to the tree as it glowed brighter, taking in the new Equestrian globe centered at it's core.

So, my star actress complete her big finish, before Brahne even! Marvelous! Kuja thought with a wide grin, applauding the pink mare as he looked to Equestria in the sky. Now, become mist, and show that man what his schemes are worth! He cast his arms towards the sky as the tree's glow hummed and brightened, his eyes open wide, ready to witness a world's end.

Wait, the tree is humming? He looked to the glowing tree, a little confused it was making noise, then he suddenly heard the booming sound of someone snapping their fingers. It was, naturally, hard to avoid hearing, as it reverberated off of everything, making the water shiver, the ground tremble, and the clouds scatter.

As the snap died down, it's echo bouncing off the terrain, the tree made a sputtering sound, its brilliance flicking in time with the sputtering, before the tree gave out a pathetic popping noise, its radiance dying out, reverting to its normal state, its magic gone.

“What!?” Kuja asked out loud, glaring at the tree, then Equestria. “That's not part of the act! How!?” He stood there thinking a moment, considering the explanations, before coming to a conclusion, re-adopting his smile.

“I see, it must have been one of Equestria's eidolons. Well done Equestria, well done!” He said as he looked to the world in the sky. Why rule one, when I can have both? If the eidolons are mighty enough to affect the Iifa Tree, then my choice wasn't wrong! He looked back to the smoking fleet, and almost without warning, his mistlings continued their attack.

Well, Brahne, you're up! Though, I doubt you can top that performance- He was interrupted as he felt a presence moving towards him, a powerful, malicious presence.

Several of Kuja's mistlings started to turn on the others, making Kuja let out a sigh as he focus his attention on the presence. How foolish. With his power over mist, it was a simple affair to convert the essence of the one that possessed the crystal into a mist stone. Levitating it towards him, Kuja appraised the stone as he regained control over his mistlings.

The stone resembled a gem more than a rock, it fit the palm of his hand, and was mostly black, with streaks of red and violet laced within. Despite being contained, Kuja could feel the emotions of the one trapped within, seething with hatred for the man in white.

“How silly, as if an old memory sealed in crystal could harm me.” He addressed the stone, then glanced up to Equestria. “Despite that, I think I'll do you the service of returning you home.” Kuja imagined the havoc that would bring to Equestria, and chuckled a little. “Once I'm done here, I'll return you to my dear little sister, I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to see you.” Kuja then looked back to Brahne, having his mistlings go easy on her ship.

Well, Brahne, I'm waiting! He thought as he pocketed the hateful gem, looking forward to what was coming next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What was the snap?” Spike asked as he looked to the tree, relieved that it stopped doing whatever it was going to do. “It kinda reminded me of Discord.” And mentioning Discord reminded him of their missing party members.

“I can only guess.” Zidane admitted as they continued to the eidolon shrine. “There's so much going on! It's frustrating not knowing! If Kuja gets close to us, we're gonna beat some answers out of him!” Zidane proclaimed, getting no argument from his company.

Almost at the shrine, Spike cast his gaze back up to the tree, hoping his friends were doing okay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Kind Aura
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He looked on, confused, as one moment, the pink mare was looking around in confusion, and the next, she was in a small ball on the floor, crying. He heard a loud sound, someone snapping their fingers, that made him take up a defensive stance, looking around for the source. As he looked, the glow of the bark hummed, flickered, and died, and in the silence that followed, the mare's tears seemed to redouble.

“Pinkie?” The child asked in concern, walking towards the mare. He saw her aura start to share the same hue as the crying pony, but it paled to compare to the pony's intensity.

What's going on? Why is she sad? Her aura always flared with an impressive amount of intensity, and this was no exception.

“Pinkie? What's wrong?” The child repeated. He understood the mare's color, but not the cause of it. He had seen this color before, and he found it, bothersome, to look upon. Still, he stared upon it, feeling as though it would have been wrong to look away.

“She's lost something important.” He explained, “Something that can't be replaced.” The child's aura became confused as she looked to him.

“D-Discord.” One word, it was all the mare could manage, making the child's breath catch. She held her fist to her heart, then leaned close to the mare, giving her a hug. He watched as her aura took in some of the mare's, thinning it out, helping the mare with her sorrow.

“Pinkie. You said grown-ups cry too.” She said as she petted the pony's mane. “I'm sorry.” She whispered as the mare weakly returned the embrace. “I'm so sorry.”

He stood on, seeing the exchange between the two. They were both weak in his eyes, and now, their auras were a bothersome color. He didn't know what this 'Discord' was, and he didn't care, her aura was a bothersome color, and he had no intention of looking upon it any further.

He moved to them, his movements unnoticed by the pair, as he turned his back to them, and sat down, his back touching the mare's. Whether she noticed or not, he didn't care.

He sat there, and expanded his aura, embracing theirs, and taking in their color. He sat there as the pink one sobbed, and the child comforted her. He sat there, and let his very presence assure them, help them, strengthen them.

They were weak. But he found that admirable. He saw it, as potential. And his aura wavered as he realized, he wanted them to become stronger. So, he sat there, and let his aura give them strength, and before long, the sobs died down, the comforting words trailing off, as in silence, they all took solace, in each others presence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane appraised the shrine as they approached it. It was built upon a large stone platform twenty feet across, with a large serpentine statue standing from the middle, it's long tail extending from the body and wrapping around the edge of the circle. Its body had lines trailing down its sides and spine, and its head resembled a spear. The head was positioned as if looking down, towards the ground, low enough for Dagger to rest her own head against.

I don't see why we need to do this. Zidane thought as he looked to Dagger, seeing the hope etched on her face. But I hope this will make her happy. Zidane then looked to the Alexandrian fleet. Brahne will answer for what she's done, I hope Dagger understands that.

“I can sense the eidolon's power.” Dagger said as she pulled away from the statue, a smile born of relief on her face. “Now, Now I can save my mother!” She placed her head back upon the statue, whispering to it, begging for its aid.

As she begged, prayed, she gave off a light purple glow, and the statue took it in. The lines glowed with power, tracing down its body, all the way down to the tip of its tail. As its tail was lit by magic, a pair of ethereal wings became illuminated, attached behind the eidolon's head, giving it a majestic appearance.

Zidane took note of the purple glow, as it was the same color as the magic that had washed over her when the pink wave passed them. As the eidolon's power radiated out, Zidane felt a chill run up his spine, and looking to the others he saw they felt something similar as well. So, what is this eidolon capable of? He wondered as Dagger stepped back from the eidolon, looking dismayed, a gem in her hands. What's wrong!? He moved closer to Dagger's side as she cried out.

“No!” Disappointment ringing out as she shook her head. “I can't save my mother with this eidolon!”

“Dagger! What's wrong?” He asked with concern as he moved to her side.

“It didn't work!?” Spike asked, alarmed. Dagger shook her head as she looked back towards the sea, there were only seven ships left, one being the flagship. She then looked to her friends.

“No,” She affirmed, “I have it. But, but... It's Leviathan, an eidolon that washes foes away with a terrible tidal wave.”

“Leviathan!?” Spike exclaimed, casting his glance back up to the new world in the sky before appraising the statue, looking impressed.

“I, I don't know what to do now.” Dagger admitted as she looked back towards the sea. Despite the mist being dispelled by the pink wave, there were still a small number of mistlings attacking the remain ships, and Kuja seemed no worse off for it regardless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Gets the First Laugh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brahne looked over her fleet in dismay. She didn't think one man was capable of this much. Just a little longer! Then I can- A soldier quickly moved to her side, addressing her.

“Your Majesty! The black mages have completed their preparations! We've also prepared the re-purposed cargo ship! It's ready for departure at a moment's notice!”

“Hmph! Now that our mages are ready, we won't need the lifeboat!” The queen boasted as she glared at Kuja.

“Finally, that insolent whelp will taste my power! Black mages! Grant me your magic!” She ordered, and felt their power channel towards her, and with an eager glee, she brought that magic upon a Garnet in her hand, the very one extracted from her daughter.

“Come!” She beckoned, holding the gem out before her.

“Draconic Seedling! Bahamut, King of Dragons! Slay the fool before me!”

The Garnet flared as the sea before her ship formed into a large ring of fire. And after a moment, a large form burst forth from the ring, out into the sky, flying low to the sea at great speed, making the water wake beneath its wings. The King of Dragons, brown, majestic, muscular yet slender, with a pair of large horns, flew high, it's attention falling upon Kuja and his silver dragon, who stood on the beach. Kuja looked up to Bahamut as if it was the second best thing to happen all day.

Bahamut took in a deep breath, his mouth lighting with a terrible glow, as his power fired forth, raining down upon Kuja several flares of fire that washed the area in destruction, Kuja disappearing in a wash of fire and devastation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow.” Spike said, looking at Bahamut wide eyes, smitten by his majesty and power. “None of the dragons in Equestria are as slim as him! And he's so fast!” Spike's worry for Dagger didn't stand a chance against the spectacle of an eidolon, especially when that eidolon was the King of Dragons.

“Amazing!” Dagger proclaimed, almost as impressed as the baby dragon. “Now we can win! And mother won't die!” Spike heard the crackle of thunder, and was driven to the source in confusion, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky since that loud snapping-

Above the Iifa Tree, a dark cloud grew, almost as if summoned by some unseen force. The clouds rolling above the tree were black, casting a dark shadow over the whole of Iifa, and in short order, the rest of his friends noticed it as well. The cloud grew out, spreading over a good portion of Iifa's root system, but despite its size, Equestria could still be seen around the cloud's edges.

“What's that darn tree up to now!?” Applejack asked, fed up with everything happening today.

“Kuja! He's still alive!” Zidane declared, getting the others to look to the sea, spotting Kuja flying out of the fiery mess caused by Bahamut, on the back of the silver dragon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuja looked back at the mess Bahamut had caused, the fires still burning strong. He felt something slide down his face, and wiping it away, he saw blood on his hand. His surprise turned into his typical smile as he looked to the King of Dragons.

“Blood.” He chuckled a little as he glanced back to his hand, impressed. “Excellent! Bahamut! Power, mobility, you truly are the best! You even hurt me, a little.” He then cast his gaze to Brahne, adopting a smug look.

And you, Brahne. Your tragic role in this drama now comes to an end! I'm sure you'll enjoy the second act from your soul's hellish prison, since the stage will be your former home! He then cast his gaze to the sky, seeing beyond the dark cloud above the Iifa Tree, his eyes seeing something invisible to all others.

And the final act will take us away from Gaia, and I will kill my nemesis, with my own hand! He pictured it in his mind's eye, the look on that man's face as he ended him. The picture made him chuckle, imagining what it would feel like, to finally be free of that man's shadow.

Everything, is going according to plan. He then looked back up, this time, his eyes falling upon Equestria, then to the black, red, and violet malicious gem in his possession. One way, or another.

He summoned his magic, raising his arms to the dark cloud, calling forth the entity within. From the center of the cloud, above the tree, a large, red eye appeared. Hidden in the clouds, it had the appearance of the eye of a monster, and at Kuja's call, it let forth a wave of purple and pink energy, casting its magic down, directly onto Brahne's fleet, and Bahamut, who was moving to pursue Kuja. Kuja was washed in it as well, but was unaffected, as he saw it make the enemy soldiers on Brahne's ships cradle their heads in pain.

Washing over the targets, the cannon fire immediately stopped, and no longer seeing a need for them, Kuja dispersed the mistlings. He brought them together into a large mist stone, drawing it to him as he watched the black mages he had graciously given the queen the recipe for fall down, lifeless.

The power of the eye influenced the King of Dragons, altering its perspective, and after a brief, fruitless struggle, it answered the call of a new master. It, like all eidolons, was a puppet to its master, and now, the master it answered to, was currently flying on the back of a silver dragon.

Kuja smiled.

“Annihilate Queen Brahne, and her adorable fleet.” He commanded, as he directed the silver dragon to remove them from this place, not even gracing the queen with witnessing her demise.

And so, the curtain falls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack watched in awe, and worry, as the light that washed over the battlefield ended, the dark cloud it originated from dispersing. She thought she saw something red within the cloud, but with the tree still towering over them, she couldn't make it out. Argh! Just what the hay is goin' on!? Applejack spotted Kuja flying away from the fleet, giving her a focus for her frustration. That damn coward! He should come back here and fight us-

There was a loud explosion from the shore, and they all saw one of the remaining ships become swallowed by fire. Bahamut had turned on its summoner, and with another blast, another ship was swallowed up. They all watched in horror, as one by one, the rest of the fleet was destroyed, the last ship being Brahne's, suffering the same fate of all others.

Dagger fell to her knees, looking at the destroyed fleet in dismay, horror, fear, and underneath it all, a small glimmer of hope. As Zidane moved to her side, Bahamut, its task done, flew towards the sky, dispersing into streams of blue light, as the summoning ended.

“Dagger, I, I.” Zidane's brow furrowed, Applejack knew how he felt, she wanted to assure the princess, but didn't know what to say to help. Applejack shook her head. We just can't stand here! 'He who hesitates'! The mare thought as she turned to her friends, moving to Dagger and Spike's side.

“Spike! Dagger! Get on!” Applejack declared, getting surprised looks from them. “Move it! Let's get to the shore! There's bound to be survivors!” Dagger looked to Applejack, gratitude written in her eyes, as they moved to get to the shore as swiftly as they could. As they moved, Applejack caught something separate itself from the wreck of Brahne's ship. A smaller vessel, a ship unto itself, unharmed by Bahamut's assault, was heading to the shore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The First Step is the Hardest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We can't linger here.” The man declared, “Let's move.” He got up, surprising Eiko with how close he had been to her. Why was he sitting so close- Wait!

“Pinkie isn't in the condition for that, stupid!” Eiko declared as she glared at the loner.

“She needs to move. Start now, or start later.” He then pointed at Eiko, “But I'm going now.” He then put his claws on as he moved over to the elevator shaft.

“Fine! Go! We don't need-” Eiko began, but Pinkie got up, surprising her, and turned to the brute.

“Please... Don't go.” She weakly asked, making him stand rigid as he looked to her. He then scratched the back of his head as he turned his back to them.

“Follow, and I won't. Get on your hooves, and move.” Eiko felt something from the man, an unspoken promise. 'Move, or you'll be left behind.' Eiko frowned at him, not understanding how he was able to radiate sensations like that.

Pinkie nodded, and moved over to his side. Her steps were heavy, and Eiko was afraid she'd fall over, so she stood by her side, and helped her reach the rude warrior. He looked back to Pinkie, and nodded.

“Was that so hard?” He asked of her, and she looked up at him, she was emotionally drained, but his words still somehow got a small smile out of her. What? How did he do that!? Eiko wondered as she appraised the man, starting to look at him in a new light.

“Stay still,” He said as he picked up Pinkie, like a rag doll, and tucked her under his arm. She didn't seem bothered by it. Eiko looked to him, alarmed at his strength, as he knelt down. “Neck.” He commanded, and Eiko understood, and grabbed him around the neck, holding on tightly.

“Why are you helping?” Eiko asked. He glanced over his shoulder to her, then jumped down into the elevator shaft, making Eiko's heart almost jump out of her chest. Sparks rained down upon them as he used his free arm to drag his claw through the shaft walls, slowing their fall, but not by much. Oh no no no nonononono! Eiko panicked as she picture them hitting the bottom, and cast her floating spell on the three of them, greatly reducing their falling speed.

“Hey, Pinkie?” Eiko began, after composing herself. The idea of this man making Pinkie smile before her was bothering Eiko. She wanted to help her friend, and she could now see, that this man was doing just that, in his own, strange, rude way. Not hearing her friend reply, she continued anyway, as they slowly slid down the shaft.

“That place, where you saved me. That, was...” She frowned, she didn't want to bring this up, but she felt it would help Pinkie, so, she took a deep breath, and shared her most personal memory with her. “That, was the memory of my grandpa dying.”

“He, he was old. His body was weak.” She felt her chest tighten as she took a deep breath. “It, was bound to happen sooner or later. Still, I tried to save him, with my magic. It didn't work. And I felt so bad, so ashamed. I, I hated that I couldn't save him.” She felt herself become teary eyed, but didn't force it down. Not this time.

“He told me, that he was proud of me. Glad, that I could use that kind of magic, since I was so young.” She hoped the man carrying them didn't mind the tears on the back of his neck as she continued.

“I wanted to save him, but he saved me instead. So you know what I did, after he was gone?” She asked, hoping Pinkie would respond.

“What?” She asked quietly, her voice laced with genuine curiosity, and empathy.

“I practiced. I wanted to be better. At everything. Healing, summoning, I read every book the village still had, and I tried very hard.” Eiko paused for a moment, reflecting on that time, it was rough, and she always felt a little lonely, but, she was never truly alone. “I don't think I would have managed, without Mog helping me.” Her comment getting a quiet affirmation of approval from the moogle in her pocket.

“Pinkie, you said I'm not alone. You're not alone either. You lost someone important to you, it hurts, I know. We know. We're here for you, to help you through, so please, try to smile. You're not the same without a smile.” As her words hung in the air, the shaft suddenly widened, and they fell into free-fall as they reached the chamber where the elevator dais was. The base of the tree. After landing softly from Eiko's magic, the man put Pinkie down, and Eiko let go of him.

Eiko looked to her pink friend, who turned around, giving her a light smile. And Eiko gave her one back.

“It hurts, you're right.” Pinkie admitted as she looked to the golden necklace she had. “But when both of you are at my side, it hurts less.” She then walked up to Eiko, giving her a kiss on the forehead, to Eiko's surprise. “Thank you.” She then walked up to the man, who looked at her, his aura radiating caution.

“Amarant.” Pinkie said, and though Eiko couldn't see it, she felt Pinkie giving him a small smile. “Thank you, for being my friend.” And she nuzzled his arm, which only worked to confuse the warrior.

“I do not understand what you mean. Seeing your aura that color was simply bothersome.” He then looked to her, then nodded to the exit. “Can you move on?” Pinkie held her hoof over her heart as she looked up to him.

“I don't know. I, don't want to. But my friends want to see me smile, and I want to see them smile. So, I'll try, but, I can't do it alone.” She admitted as she looked to Eiko, then back to Amarant, and her smile grew.

“Nonsense." He sternly replied, "You were strong enough to get down here, you're strong enough to move on.” He then started towards the exit. “Let's go.” Pinkie followed behind, her body still weak, but her spirits raised. Eiko looked to the warrior's back, and had to wonder who this man was. Amarant. I don't get it, how is he helping her like that?

He had almost killed the both of them when he was possessed, and yet, somehow, they ended up being better off with him at their side. Well, if Pinkie thinks he's worth her friendship, then me too! With that thought, Eiko moved up to his side, a small spring in her step as she gave him a smile.

He looked at her, a little confused, before shaking his head.

“How did I end up with these weirdos.” He asked, getting a small chuckle from Eiko, which was mirrored by Pinkie.

Eiko's eyes then widened as she spotted something completely new and mysterious. A moogle was riding a large blue bipedal bird towards them, crying out for Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie waved to the moogle. Seeing a small fire in the mare's eyes, Eiko felt that Pinkie would be just fine, with time, and the comfort of her friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger ran over to her mother's side. Her heart pounding as she saw the woman who had taken care of her for as long as she could remember, lay dying on the beach. The queen was spared annihilation of Bahamut's rampage by taking shelter on her vessel's large lifeboat, but she was still maimed by the heat of the dragon's flames, and Dagger's magic, and the healing items they possessed, could not undo the damage caused by the King of Dragons.

“Mother!” Dagger cried out, her heart becoming heavy with accepting there was nothing they could do for her. And there, at her mother's side, she started to cry.

“I can hear... my daughter's.... voice.” Brahne got out, her voice sounding separated, as if she wasn't completely aware of her fate. She weakly looked to her daughter, clarity washing over her as she saw her tears.

“Yes, mother!” Dagger got out, “I'm here! Right here...” Brahne looked to her, taking a ragged breath as she smiled.

“I am... empty now. Free... of that... terrible greed.”

“Mother...” Even with everything Brahne had done, Dagger still loved her, she didn't want to lose her. Brahne reached out, cupping her daughter's face in her hand, and Dagger held her hand close.

“I haven't... felt this way... since I saw that play.... with you... and your father.” Brahne reached over with her other hand, letting go of a great weight, as she dropped two crystals before her daughter that resembled the royal pendant. She started to chuckle lightly, then coughed violently before falling silent. After a minute, she looked back to her daughter, her eyes filled with sorrow, for what she had done to her child.

“I led... Alexandria... down... the path... of ruin.”

“Mother-” Dagger whispered desperately, seeing her breaths growing weaker by the second.

“The people... will be... happier... with you... on... the throne...” She finished, with a smile, as Dagger felt the strength within the arm cupped to her cheek give way, and the queens breathing stilled. And in the glow of the sunset, the princess wept for her mother, now an orphan twice, losing the parents that she was born to, and the parents she was raised and cared by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them watched Dagger cry over the death of the queen, Spike and Applejack sitting side by side, the young dragon crying, but taking comfort in the mare's presence.

There was no love for the queen by any of the others, but the Equestrians were sad for their friend, and even Zidane was down as well. He had no encouraging words for Dagger, and he looked frustrated for it.

As the sun set, the light reflecting from Equestria became more and more obvious, it would be a bright night under its light, and they couldn't help but wonder, in the glow of the fading light, how all of this had happened.

The three of them looked to the sound of approaching footsteps, and let out a collective sigh of relief as they saw the others approaching, following a particular moogle and blue chocobo.

They shared a small, grateful reunion, and brought each other up on the events that occurred, and they found their moods no better off at seeing their most enthusiastic member grief stricken. They had all been played by Kuja. He had led Brahne to her death, and tricked Pinkie into losing a dear friend, and now Equestria lay in the sky, and they didn't know why, but they all agreed, it wasn't for any good reason.

Consoling Dagger, and Pinkie, they all boarded Brahne's large lifeboat, and set sail, their destination, Alexandria. The man they came to take down got away, so they left, defeated. As they departed, they also took Dagger's mother, so she could be buried with her husband.

Pinkie, Dagger, Eiko, Spike, and Applejack all rested together, keeping each other company, as Amarant looked on, saying nothing, but respecting the silence their emotions brought on. Zidane stood separate from them all, piloting the vessel, as he glanced to Equestria, certain, that there was more ahead of them, and fearful, of what could be lost in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie's Note:
~~~~~~~~~~

'I miss him. Even after everything we've been through, I still miss him.'

'It was hard, being a happy pony without him. There were times where I'd stumble, and expect him to help me up, but when I looked, he was nowhere to be found, reminding me of what I lost.'

'But I did move on, holding him close to my memories. He helped me, saved me, made me laugh, made me cry. We were once enemies, and it ended with us being the best of buds, and I will never forget that.'

'He was selfish, rude, compulsive, and always forgot the whipped cream. He was also my hero. And now, he's more than that. He saved Equestria, he was everyponies' hero, it's because of that, I can forgive his lie.'

'I loved Discord, I just wished we could have spent more time together, I wished the old magical ritual of another world hadn't torn us apart.'

'No, that's not quite right. We were brought together because of that ritual, so I guess it was only natural that it tore us apart.'

'I, don't even know what I'm trying to say at this point. I guess, I just miss him, and I regret not having more time with him, but that I'm fine now.'

'Heh.'

'On some nights, when I look up to the stars, I can feel him, smiling down on me. I never failed to return that smile, no matter how gloomy I was. Feeling the stars smile upon me, always cheered me up. I moved on, because I know he's watching, and I want to make sure that when he sees me, I'm smiling too.'

Author's Note

Merry winter holiday~!
And have no worries, there's a reason that Discord tag isn't getting removed from my story. :scootangel:

Big thanks to you dear reader, you keep this story rolling.
And props to Seiya for the help with content. Wanna thank OCisbestpony as well.

36. The Prelude pt.1

Dagger disembarked from the small vessel, Beatrix following behind her. They had landed on a small island, centered in a lake behind Alexandria castle. The princess approached the marker, the tomb of the Alexandros family. A wreath of roses rested upon it, a gift from the people of Alexandria, who still loved their fallen queen, despite her erratic behavior before her end.

Dagger's eyes looked over the wreath. Roses were Brahne's favorite flower, and the notion that Brahne was still loved by her people made Dagger's heart ache. There were no words spoken, Dagger looked on in regret, and Beatrix's head was low in reverence, letting the princess pay her respects in silence. So much has happened, Dagger thought as she resisted itch to cry, So much has changed...

“I just can't believe this.” She weakly began, “Any of it.”

Unified Fantasy, Kuja, my eidolons being used to destroy Lindblum and Burmecia, the Iifa Tree, Equestria, Applejack, Spike, Pinkie Pie... Dagger thought, briefly reflecting on all that happened since she her birthday, almost a month ago. There's so many questions, and I need to start finding answers!

The sun's warmth fell upon her, the smell of the morning breeze filling her lungs as she turned around, taking in the castle. The light reflecting from the castle's large blade lit a path of shimmering water from the castle to the island. She then looked to the northwest, away from the castle, and beyond the mountains.

Breaking over the mountain range, was a new feature to the sky. Equestria. It never moved, it's position locked above the Outer Continent. Part of the world was bathed in light from the sun, showing a world covered in gray, with several patches of color breaking through the world on the horizon. Beatrix took in the scene with Dagger before speaking up.

“It's been over a week,” she admitted, “and we still don't know how this came to be.” Dagger's brow furrowed as she considered what Applejack had said, the words Twilight had told her.

“Unified Fantasy...” She then turned to Beatrix, determination swelling up from within. “We need to find Kuja, and get him to talk.” In two days, she would be coronated queen, and after that, she was intending to hunt that man down. She hesitated a moment, before clearing her head, a fire in her eyes. “What remains of our armada?”

“Two ships.” Beatrix quickly replied, “The royal life-boat, The Blue Narciss, which you lent to the young dragon, and the Red Rose. However, with the mist gone, the airship is inoperable.” She curtly added, making Dagger frown.

How are we suppose to deal with him with just one- She then shook her head again, The entire fleet fell to him, one ship or two won't make a difference. She then let out a sigh as she glanced back to the grave again. Mother... I'll protect everyone. I'll do everything I can to be a great queen. So please, be at peace. And with a light, but sad smile, turned from the grave, heading down the steps to the boat to return to the castle, her general a step behind her.

“Where's Applejack?” Dagger inquired as she glanced to Beatrix, “I thought you two were sparring today.” Beatrix shook her head.

“She's likely still asleep. She wanted to look for something in Evil Forest today, and should return tonight, if not tomorrow.” Dagger nodded as she considered her words, recalling the shrine they had found while crossing to the Outer Continent through the underground tunnel.

That shrine. Dagger thought as they boarded the boat, Pinkie said that the tablet and a crystal were involved with removing mist. Ever since the pink wave washed over Gaia, there hasn't been any sighting of mist. She looked back to Equestria as they moved across the lake. One tablet on that small island near the Outer Continent, one inside the Iifa Tree, and supposedly, one in the Evil Forest. Just how many of them are there? She thought over it a moment, before letting out an annoyed sigh. I truly hope Applejack finds something useful in that dark forest.

“Your Majesty.” Beatrix began, kneeling down before Dagger, regret etched on her face. “I'm sorry for what befell your mother. I played a part in it, and I should have acted to end it sooner-” Dagger shook her head as she placed her hand on Beatrix's shoulder, giving her a kind smile.

“You don't need to apologize, not to me. We both tried to stop her, and failed.” She then helped Beatrix to her feet, surprising the general. “Beatrix, I must now carry the burden of ruling Alexandria, alone. Will you help me, in my time of need?” Beatrix immediately saluted Dagger, giving a resolute nod.

“Certainly!”

“Thank you.” Dagger replied as they reached the castle. After Beatrix helped her off the boat, Dagger looked past the moat that separated the castle from the city. Spike is searching for treasure, Applejack is searching for answers. What are the others up to? Dagger stood there a moment, her eyes to the city as a sad thought crossed her mind. Will I... Be able to continue traveling with them when I become queen?

Before regaining her summoning power, all she had done for the others was heal their wounds, and be a damsel that needed to be saved. Now, she had power to fight, as well as heal. But that power was turned against her mother, and now she feared to use her eidolons on Kuja. That vile man. He used us, he used Pinkie!

Dagger looked back to the castle, hiding her frown. If I must stay here, if I can't go with them, then I should help them with everything Alexandria has! She was already lending half of her fleet to Spike, and she felt there was still more to give. She turned to Beatrix, determined to aid her friends any way she could.

“You and Applejack have been sparring the last few days. How's it going?” Applejack wanted to get stronger, and Beatrix had been eager to accept her offer as a sparring partner.

“She's tough, solid even, more so than me.” Beatrix admitted, “However,” she added, taking on a note of superiority, “her sword play is just sloppy. She'll never be as good as me-” She then winced as her weight seemed to shift, making Dagger turn to Beatrix with a confused look. “It's just, swords were not made to be carried in one's mouth. She'll never reach the same skill a master such as myself-”

She winced again as the belt her sword was sheathed to snapped, and 'Save the Queen' fell to the stone ground. With a startlingly loud , several of the cobblestones cracked when the sword landed. Beatrix stepped back from the blade, more annoyed than surprised, while Dagger looked at the blade, shocked.

“W-What happened?” Dagger asked in concern as she looked over the general.

“The holy blade has been, strange, since that pink wave of light passed over the Mist Continent.” Beatrix admitted, then looked on wide-eyed as Dagger bent down to pick up the blade, picking it up effortlessly.

“Wow! It's so light!” Dagger proclaimed in surprise. I knew the holy sword was a national treasure, but I wasn't expecting this!she thought as she offered the blade back to its wielder. Beatrix stared at it a moment before looking back to the princess.

“I suppose it's possible for Applejack to match me at swordsmanship.” Beatrix calmly admitted, “She's made a lot of progress in the last few days, quickly learning several of my techniques.” Beatrix then nodded to herself. “She's stubborn, and determined, it's worked in her favor considering I don't hold back during sparring.” She then carefully accepted the blade from Dagger, and let out a small sigh when Dagger let go, the blade easily held in the knight's grasp.

“So what's the problem? Why did it...” Dagger looked back to where the sword fell, a clear indent was visible in the stone from the blade's landing.

“The blade... seems to get heavier when I'm... not entirely forthright.” Beatrix explained as she looked to the castle, avoiding Dagger's gaze.

Has Unified Fantasy done something to the holy blade? Dagger thought as she looked to the sword as Beatrix sheathed it into her now broken belt.

'Save the Queen', the holy sword that belonged to one of the Warriors of Light. Four heroes who saved Alexandria, its queen, and its people, when the mist first appeared on the Mist Continent. Heroes who's names were lost to time.

And now, the holy sword has changed, because of some greater magic. But why? Dagger's eyes widened as a possible answer came to mind. Were the Warriors of Light involved with Unified Fantasy!? Dagger turned to Beatrix, and seeing the princess' alarm, stood at attention.

“Beatrix. Find Dr. Tot, I need to know everything concerning the Warriors of Light.” Beatrix gave a swift nod as she headed to the castle. Dagger considered the implications behind this as she followed, lost in thought.

The mist was being sent to the Mist Continent through the Iifa Tree's roots, which means the tree has been around for at least eight hundred years! Dagger stopped as she entered her castle, daunted by the scale of the problem before them. Unified Fantasy summoned Equestria above the Iifa Tree, and that tree has been around since before the founding of my nation!

Dagger shook her head as she continued to her chambers. If it's been around for so long, then why is this all happening now? As she entered her room, she looked to the window, Applejack, Spike, her heart wavered a moment as she thought of the pink mare, and Pinkie. Everything seemed to fall apart when they arrived, on my birthday. But, that wasn't the beginning of all this, Dagger then nodded to herself. That was the beginning of our journey, that was the beginning of for us, and our interaction with this powerful ritual.

She then sighed as she sat down, eyeing her royal gown as she thought about her friends. Applejack and Pinkie affirmed that the ritual is unifying Gaia and Equestria's magic. Mistcage said that the mist was used to supplement the ritual. And Kuja implied that the mist had something to do with the dead. Rolling what she knew in her head, a suspicion started to eat at her. Unified Fantasy. Is it trying to unite our two worlds?

'A droll story about unity that's played out eight times now.' Kuja's words played in her mind as eyes widened in realization. The Iifa Tree's branches, eight globes! Gaia and Equestria in the trunks center! Unified Fantasy unifies worlds! Why!? Her alarm reminded her of Discord, someone only Pinkie could see, that Dagger had always been a little skeptical about. Now, after what had happened at the tree, she didn't doubt that Discord was real. She heard the snap of his magic, she saw the tree's magic sputter out.

He saved Equestria from Unified Fantasy. Whatever unifying the worlds entailed, his action to save Equestria, and the seemingly sinister nature of the mist, could only affirm one thing to the Princess. Unified Fantasy unified the worlds in a malicious manner. That ritual. It needs to be destroyed! Before it can complete it's ninth cast! Her anger then shifted to worry.

But then what? If we destroy it, what happens to Gaia and Equestria? Will magic return to where it came from? Will my Equestrian friends be returned home? As she looked out the window, she saw Equestria on the horizon, and feared what would become of the two worlds in the near future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Home in the Sky
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike yawned as he double-checked his map, before looking up the long, high mountain face before him. He was south of Treno, near the sea, with Mois and Choco at his side. Choco was eagerly digging up a spot a chocograph they had found in a lagoon east of the Mist Continent had indicated.

Up there is Treno, and beyond, Alexandria. He thought wistfully as he rolled up the map, putting it away. He wondered how his friends were doing while he was away. Two more days till the crowning. One more place to look into, then I can show my friends all that I've dug up! He thought with a smile as he looked to the horizon.

As his eyes looked to the south, he took in Equestria. He felt a touch of homesickness as he saw its strangely red moon breaking the horizon in line with it the world it followed. Twilight, Rarity, they're so close. He thought with a heavy heart as he looked back to his feathered friend. Seeing that Choco was still occupied with digging, Spike opened his collection of gems, glancing over the Garnet and Amethyst longingly before seeking to take another look at three he had found the several days ago.

When he had found the gemstones, he had once again been surprised at finding who they were tied to, but afterwards found it understandable that he had found all three in the same treasure chest. A Diamond, an Aquamarine, and an Emerald, each reminding him of a certain little filly, desperately searching for their cutie mark. Each gemstone didn't grant him a new power, but a new passive ability, and during his time out exploring the other continents, he had gone through enough battles to master each of them, as well as other abilities from his new gear.

He levitated the three gemstones out from his collection, smiling at the Diamond which granted him that power. The glow born of his magic was white, and focusing on the gem, he was reminded of Sweetie Belle. Of the CMC, Spike always considered Rarity's little sister to be the most reasonable of the three, and holding the gem in his magic, he could almost imagine it singing. This surprised Spike, as he never really saw Sweetie Belle as the singing type.

He then rotated the gems in his magical grasp, the Emerald shined before him, the name Apple Bloom etched into it. A stubbornness and bravery radiated from the gemstone, reminding him of not just the filly, but also of Applejack. The gemstone granted Spike the ability to use two restorative items at a time, sometimes getting unexpected results in the process. It had really helped the dragon when he was fighting monsters, healing his injuries while also recovering from status effects had been a great boon fighting alone.

Looking to the Aquamarine, Choco let out a happy chirp as she unearthed the treasure chest. Spike flew himself over to her, using the power granted by Scootaloo's gemstone. He felt determination and pride radiate from the stone, and it seemed to radiate happiness whenever he was flying while carrying it. Of the CMC, she was the one he felt he had the most in common with, which he found sad, as they didn't interact that often. As he placed the three gems back with the others, he landed next to Choco.

“Kwehh~?” She asked quizzically as she eyed the closed chest.

“Yep, same as the others,” Spike quickly replied. “Let's get it to the ship! We'll open it with the others soon!” Spike realized at some point during his week of treasure digging, that he would be cutting it close to returning to Alexandria in time for Dagger's crowning. He levitated the chest as he got on Choco, and Mois joined as well as they bolted to the ship Dagger was lending him.

Not wanting to miss the crowning, he had adopted the habit of opening the chests on the ship as it sailed to the next destination, on the off-chance that a chest made Choco fall asleep like it had back when her feathers turned blue.

Returning to the royal lifeboat, The Blue Narciss, he asked the crew to head towards the Iifa Tree, giving them back the map he was borrowing from Zidane. The Iifa Tree... One last stop, and we can return to the others. Spike thought as he looked to Equestria, hoping he'd find something useful at the tree where everything went wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet looked over her robe, laying on her bed next to her royal gown. The robe had been with her since leaving Alexandria several weeks ago, and she found that she's grown fond of wearing it. Now, she wasn't certain if she'd ever be wearing it again, her eyes looking to the royal gown she had worn on her birthday. It was a large white gown, with hints of light blue weaved through the fabric, that had been passed down the family line for several generations. Looking back to her robe, intending to put it away, she picked it up, and was surprised when she felt weight in one of the pockets.

Moving to the table near her bed, she pulled out two gemstones and placed them on the table, her eyes widening in surprise, then she blushed in embarrassment. The Falcon Claw, and Cleyra's gemstone. I had forgotten about these!

The Falcon Claw, royal pendant of Lindblum, passed through the family line, not unlike Dagger's own gemstone. Cleyra's gemstone, some power within was used to protect Cleyra with a sandstorm from outside enemies for over five hundred years. And her mother sought, and acquired both of them.

Eyeing the two stones on the table, she was surprised by how similar they looked to her royal pendant, and pulling out her necklace, she lay all three gems together. Dagger looked at the gems in wonder as she saw that they were all three pieces of a greater whole. Moving the gems together, they formed a perfectly round white gemstone, bigger than a clenched fist. There was a small piece of the whole missing, however, preventing the stone from being complete.

My mother attacked Cleyra and Lindblum for these. So many lives lost, for this? Was this suppose to be another weapon for her to use? Some unknown eidolon, perhaps? She considered this a moment, then let out a sigh as she rubbed her head. All the unanswered questions were giving her a headache.

She looked to the Falcon Claw as she put her royal pendant back on. I need to return this to Uncle Cid. Then, looking to the other gem, she paused in confusion. Zidane said the King of Burmecia was caught in the blast the destroyed Cleyra. So who am I suppose to give the gemstone to? She then sighed again as she looked back out the window.

Zidane... Ever since returning to the castle, Dagger hasn't seen much of her friends. What's he doing right now? Why hasn't he visited? She looked again between her traveling robes, and her royal gown.

Spike, he once told me about a pony named Twilight Sparkle, a princess who went out to tackle the problems that put other ponies in harm's way. Can I be like her? After spending time with the others, I, I don't want to sit still in my castle while they go out, risking their lives for me!

But, I can't leave Alexandria unattended! She glared at the two pieces of conflicting garments, as if they were the source of her dilemma. Maybe... Beatrix could manage the kingdom while we hunt Kuja?

There was a knocking on her door, which startled her from her thoughts.

“Your Majesty,” Beatrix's voice called out from beyond the closed door, “Dr. Tot would like to speak with you.” Dagger nodded to herself, and asked them both to enter. Dr. Tot entered first, with Beatrix behind him.

“Princess Garnet,” Dr. Tot began as he gave her a low bow, “I'm deeply sorry for what befell your mother. You have my most sincere condolences. If I had stayed at the castle, maybe Queen Brahne wouldn't have been poisoned by that man's temptation.” Regret briefly flashed on his face as he pulled out several gemstones, presenting them to the princess.

“These stones contain your power, which your mother forcibly-” He then shook his head. “Well, that is all in the past.” She accepted the gemstones, feeling a part of herself locked within them. She held the Sunstone, Topaz, and Pink Opal, feeling the power of their eidolons sleeping within. She was glad that their power hadn't been used by her mother, but sad that Cleyra and Lindblum had suffered from her other eidolons. Moving those thoughts aside, she looked to her old teacher.

“Thank you, Dr. Tot. I trust you'll be staying here, to help me, moving forward?” Dagger asked of him. He gave her a kind smile as he nodded.

“It would be my pleasure, Your Highness.” He then looked to the gown, resting on the bed. “You'll be queen in two days. You may want to get use to wearing your gown.” He suggested as he bowed to her, “Would you like me to tell you what I found out considering Ipsen?”

Dagger had almost forgotten about that. The link between Gaia and Equestria, found by Ipsen, a possible means of traveling between both worlds. She briefly reflected back on what occurred in Treno before shaking her head.

“I want Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie here for that.” Dagger affirmed, getting a nod from Dr. Tot.

“I understand, then, I'll look into the Warriors of Light as you requested, so please, rest for now.” With that, he left Dagger and Beatrix alone. Dagger looked to her general. A good number of things were bothering her, but there was one problem that could be readily addressed.

“Beatrix, I'd like to see Zidane. Can you bring him?” She asked hesitantly. Beatrix looked at her, surprised, then cleared her face of emotion.

“Your Highness, now is not the best time. And... I don't think it's proper for you to keep the company of a rogue from Lindblum.” Dagger's brow furrowed at her words, shaking her head as she took a step towards Beatrix.

“After everything he's done for me, that doesn't matter!” Dagger then blinked in surprise at her outburst before looking apologetic. “I, I just want to talk to him,” she weakly added.

“Your Highness...” Beatrix didn't want to refuse, but it was clear to Dagger that she didn't like the idea. Dagger let out a sad sigh as she looked to her.

“I know, it's okay.” She assured as she looked to her traveling robes again, her heart aching at the possibility of putting them away.

There was a knock on the door. Beatrix opened it, and Dagger could see to whom she spoke. It was a guard. The two shared a brief exchange, then the guard left as quickly as she came.

“Your Highness,” Beatrix began, adopting a small smile, “it would seem Freya Crescent is here to request an audience, and access to the Royal Library.” Dagger looked to her, surprised as she adopted a smile of her own.

“Yes, let her in! I want to speak with her!” Freya, I'm glad she's alright! I need to talk to her about sending aid to the Burmecians! Dagger happily thought as she glanced back to her robes and gown, before heading out to meet the dragon knight, Beatrix following behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Greetings Equestrian, here's Moogle Notes!'

'Gaia and Equestria are locked in place over each other, anchored over the Iifa Tree. Most of the Outer Continent and parts of Equestria get little sunlight because of the proximity, Kupo.'

'The gemstones Spike and Garnet have account for almost the rest of the remaining gem types on Gaia. There's only one left! I wonder where it is? Kupo!'

~~~~~~

Dagger

~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Equipped*

Healing Rod: Healer(mastered), Cura(mastered), Life(mastered)

Lamia's Tiara: Clear Headed(mastered), Confuse(mastered), Float(mastered)

Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%

Magic Armlet: Clear Headed(mastered), Silence(mastered)

Silk Robe: Ability Up(mastered), Loudmouth(mastered)

*Topaz: Ifrit, ~~Fira~~, ~~Applebomb~~

Lvl-30 HP 1390/1390 MP 159/159

AP 0/30

Auto-Reflect (15) - Automatically casts Reflect in battle.

*Healer (2) - Restores target's HP.

*Chemist (4) - Double the potency of medicinal items.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Body Temp (4) - Prevents Freeze and Heat.

*Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

*Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

Locomotion (4) - Prevents Stop.

*Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

Abilities:

White Magic:

Cure 6 MP - Restores HP of single/multiple targets.

Cura 10 MP - Restores a lot of HP of single/multiple targets.

Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO.

Scan 4 MP - Scan enemy to determine HP, MP, and weaknesses.

Panacea 4 MP - Removes Venom and Poison.

Stona 8 MP - Removes Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Shell 6 MP - Reduces damage from magic attacks.

Protect 6 MP - Reduces damage from physical attacks.

Silence 8 MP - Causes Silence, which disables magic in single/multiple targets.

Reflect 6 MP - Reflect magic attacks back onto caster.

Confuse 8 MP - Causes Confuse, which makes single/multiple targets erratic.

Blind 6 MP - Causes Darkness, which hinders accuracy of physical attacks.

Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air.

Summon:

Ramuh 22 MP - Causes Thunder damage to all enemies.

Ifrit 26 MP: Causes Fire damage to all enemies.

Author's Note

Oh hey, I guess I'm back now! With a new cover, new blurb, edited chapters, and a new chapter! Tally-hoe!
So, I didn't add nearly as much as I did in my last round of polish.
I restructured the first two chapters, and did some heavy editing to the first twenty, they were a real mess!
I added an ATE in chapter 5 to introduce Pinkie and Freya earlier.
The two Cleyra chapters have more reflection for Pinkie and Freya.
I flushed out minor/nameless characters to add more Final Fantasy references, which I'll quickly list here to spare you looking for them, as they'll be coming up again in later chapters.
Two guards in Alexandria who greet Spike: Tina and Celeste
The Tram Attendant that got Spike's autograph: Realm, she painted his portrait.
The Noble the Supersoft was acquired from was called Stratgo.
One of the major cities has an place called Seed Orphanage.
And that sums up the big things!
The reason I added more FF references is because FF9 is a love letter to all the previous games in the franchise, and though I won't touch all of them, I wanted to add some love for them as well. Hints of this include these added NPCs and Freya's quest for Kain's Lance. Hope you enjoy it!
We're back to the 'regular' update schedule! Sorry for the wait, and thank you for your patience!
Also, ehem. **End of the Second Disc!**
Major props to YOU!
I also want to thank OCisbestpony and Seiya for the help with editing.

37. The Prelude pt.2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Friendly Concern
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whole Tantalus gang, minus it's leader, was gathered in a small pub within Alexandria. Zidane sat at one of the tables, sitting low in his chair, his chin on the table, an untouched drink to his side. Marcus, Blank, Cinna, and Ruby, Tantalus' lead actress, shared worried looks as their eyes fell back to the unusually glum rogue.

“Well Zidane?” Ruby began, running her hand through her gray hair, “We ain't seen each other in ages! Why the sour puss, partner?” Zidane didn't move, making no motion to signify that he heard her. Marcus and Blank shared a look.

“What happened?” Marcus asked.

“Maybe Dagger dumped him.” Blank suggested as he folded his arms. Zidane flinched at his words, getting a nod from Cinna.

“Bingo.” He said, as Ruby stomped the ground, throwing her arms to the side.

“Oooh! This isn't like you at all, Zidane!” Cinna, Blank, and Marcus shared a worried look. None of them cared to see Ruby lose her temper.

“H-Hey, Ruby!” Cinna began, almost desperately, “I heard you started a mini-theater.” Ruby turned to him, surprised, then gave Cinna a heartwarming smile.

“That's right, darlin'! My plays are a hit!”

“Cool!” Marcus interjected, “Let's go watch!”

“Yeah!” Cinna affirmed. Blank sighed, making to leave, the others looking to him in confusion.

“Sorry,” Blank began as he glanced over his shoulder, “I made a promise I gotta keep. I'll be at the theater later, so break a leg!”

“Well, if it's a promise, I reckon there's no helpin' it!” Ruby affirmed as Blank left, then looked to Marcus and Cinna. “Alright, cowboys! I'll show ya what I've got goin'!” she exclaimed as Cinna and Marcus left, leaving Zidane behind. Ruby looked to the others before looking back to Zidane.

“Zidane, you ain't comin' are ya? Well, that's awright, darlin'. Come on over whenever you want.” She then looked back to Cinna and Marcus, who were waiting for her outside the pub. “Let's go, boys!”

Zidane, being left alone, tilted his head, glancing to the untouched mug next to him. Dagger, are you cozy on your throne already? He wondered as he sat up, looking out the pub, where his friends had left. Damn. I, I feel like I can't start my day without her! I guess, I've really fallen for her. He then slammed his head on the table. Good one, Zidane. Went and fell for a girl, and she's a princess! He slammed his head into the table again as he thought of his friends.

Those guys... I wish they would just stay out of it! It's not like they understand how I feel! And as if to punctuate his thoughts, he slammed his head into the table once again.

“Well, that's one way to get smashed.” The deep, hearty voice of Baku rang out from behind Zidane, making him jump in his seat. “Gwahaha! Zidane! Long time no see!” Zidane sat up in his chair, turning to Baku, who was giving him a hearty grin, which slowly melted as he took in the rogue. “What happened? You look pathetic!”

This is exactly what I need! Zidane thought as he adopted a smile.

“Boss! Let me join Tantalus again! We can steal treasure together, just like old times!” Baku stroked his beard as he considered Zidane.

“Treasure, eh? There ain't much treasure lyin' around in this world, boy.” He gave another hearty laugh as he gave Zidane a stern look. “Besides, a Tantalus always gets what he sets his eyes on! That's our rule number one, remember!?” He then frowned at Zidane. “You've been sixteen for some time now, you ain't got an excuse not to know! So, it's clear you don't get it! Hmph, you got no right to join us.” He folded his arms as he gave Zidane a belittling look. “You understand what I'm sayin'? If you can't even capture a canary, you ain't got what it takes to join Tantalus!”

Zidane looked to him, surprised, as he fell back into his seat. Baku left, letting out another hearty laugh as his words danced in Zidane's head. Zidane looked back to the exit of the pub, thinking of leaving, perhaps going to Treno. Instead, he slammed his head on the table again, as he let out a long sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack's mouth stung as once again her blade was sent flying. Beatrix stood before her, lowering her sword as she watched the mare's blade land next to an apple-tree behind her. Applejack stomped the ground as she glared at the blade.

“Why!?” She asked as she looked to her sparring partner. “Why can't I keep ya from knockin' it away?”

“Because,” Beatrix began as she ran her hand through her hair, making it fly back dramatically in the breeze, “I'm the best swordswoman around.” It was true, she had all the blue ribbons in Equestria resting on her sword to prove it. “You cannot best me.”

“Tch.” Applejack shook her head as she stood up, giving Beatrix a smug smile. “I could best ya if it were applebuckin'!” she proudly stated as she applebucked the tree near her sword, making all the apples fall neatly into a basket at the trunk.

Beatrix simply sighed as she turned to the rest of the trees in the orchard. With a deft swing of her blade, all the trees before her swayed in a torrented gust, knocking all the apples out, and gathering them up in the breeze before landing in a pile at Beatrix's side. Applejack's mouth hung open, almost falling to the floor, before looking back to the knight.

“Silly Applejack.” She said as she messed with her hair again, “When you're the best swordswoman, you're the best at everything.”

“Don't worry Applejack!” Apple Bloom shouted, appearing next to mare, who looked to her with a valiant gaze. “I'll show this swords-whatever not to mess with the Apple family!” Apple Bloom then charged Beatrix, who stood ready for her.

The filly pulled out a Zap apple, pulled the stem off with her teeth, and tossed it at the warrior, who nimbly cut the apple in two. The two halves flew off behind her as she brought her blade towards the charging filly.

Suddenly, the two apple halves exploded, catching Beatrix off guard as Apple Bloom started to shimmer and radiate power, crackling with yellow and red lightning as she entered Trance!

“Oh come on! Even Apple Bloom gets Trance before me!? She doesn't even have her cutie mark!” Applejack exclaimed. Then, as if on cue, she noticed Apple Bloom's flank shine with a brand new cutie mark, crossed lightning representing Trance!

“Now that's just not fair!” Applejack proclaim as she got on her hooves.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom cried out as she got behind the stunned swordswoman. “It's time!” She said in Pinkie Pie's voice, which Applejack found odd.

“Time? Oh! Right!” Applejack got her sword, and moved to aid her sister. They needed to defeat Beatrix, or they'd lose the farm to the Flim-Flam Brothers!

“Applejack!?” Pinkie's voice sang out from the trees, adopting her face and colors as the orange mare lost her balance. “Wake up!-”

Suddenly, Applejack didn't feel too good. Her eyes opened with great effort, seeing Pinkie standing over her with a mostly happy grin. Applejack groaned as the pains and aches of her body returned to greet her, and in her attempt to shield herself from the sensation, reflected on the strange dream that she'd just had. Ughh. Okay, not mixing magical cider with magical cake ever again. She promised to herself as she got out of bed.

Her body voiced its complaints as she put her armor back on, Pinkie getting dressed as well. Applejack had been sparring regularly with Beatrix since their return over a week ago, and Beatrix was not one to hold back. She had picked up several sword artes for the practice, and felt like she was more competent with a sword than the average swashbuckler, but she still wasn't able to best Beatrix.

Well, what'd ya expect? She thought to herself as she sighed, She's been doin' sword fightin' a lot longer then me. I ain't gonna best her anytime soon.

Still, she did take some pride from their bouts. She fared against Beatrix now a great deal better than their first fight back in Burmecia. She was stronger than the pony with the shattered blade in a rainy city, and that gave her reason to hope that she would soon be on the same level as her sparring partner.

Her armor set, she looked to see that Pinkie was ready and waiting for her. She was giving Applejack a smile, but something about the smile was a little off. It was subtle, something only a good friend would notice. Pinkie was still down about Discord, and Applejack began to fear that there was nothing she could do to remedy that. Not that she would be stopped by fear, or doubt.

Applejack had been thinking long and hard on how the help Pinkie. From what Applejack had gathered, Pinkie had Discord with her, at all times, ever since appearing on Gaia. Trying to imagine it, Applejack saw that if someone was in your head at all times of the day, everyday, for an extended amount of time, then you'd get use to never being alone.

Pinkie, of all ponies, had an intimate connection to the spirit of chaos. And now it was gone, and whenever Pinkie was alone, it showed. Applejack had seen, several times, the look on Pinkie's face when she was all by herself, alone with her thoughts. And it made her heart ache.

Applejack, however, believed that Pinkie needed to get used to being alone again, and for the last few days, had been easing her into it. Now, today, Applejack was going to go to the Evil Forest, alone, leaving Pinkie here to manage on her own. As they both left the inn, Applejack turned to her friend, her family, and gave her a warm smile.

“Pinkie, ya sure ya'll be fine with this?” Though it had been Applejack's idea, it had bothered her how quickly Pinkie accepted being left alone for the whole day.

“I'm sure.” She calmly stated, a flash of worry lighting her features as she looked Applejack in the eyes. “I need to be sure. I, I can't be like this anymore. Nopony likes a sad party pony. I'll be fine, so go find some answers.” She then nodded to herself. “I'll- We'll be waiting for you.” She gave Applejack a light hug, which was reciprocated.

She then backed away from Applejack and crossed her hoof over hear heart, then stuck it over her eye. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Applejack nodded, reassured by the pinkie promise as she mirrored the promise herself.

“Right then, ya have fun now, ya hear!” Applejack ordered as she moved off to where she was suppose to meet Blank.

“You can count on it~!” Pinkie proclaimed, giggling lightly. Applejack glanced back to her, and couldn't help but feel that there was something sad behind that giggle, but she assured herself.

Small steps. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Friendly Shadow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He watched from an alley as Applejack left Pinkie. He still didn't understand friendship, but he did understand that her name was well worth acknowledging, as well as Eiko's. Applejack had bested him, her name was naturally something to be remembered. But Pinkie and Eiko...

He didn't understand why, but he's found his attention focused more on them than on the one that bested him, or the man that framed him.

Focusing on Pinkie, her aura looked well, though it dimmed slightly as she was left alone. However, it still held a mirthful radiance as she looked around, considering her options.

Where ever she went, he followed, and when he wasn't, she was usually with one of her 'friends', or with Eiko. He found it odd. He wanted to see her aura radiate with the same hue that it shined the day she talked to him in that ruined village. He didn't understand why, but assumed it was related to how he found it bothersome to see her aura a dim color.

Looking as though she was struck by an idea, she started making a checklist, and moved off, bouncing to the rhythm of a song of her own making. She was singing about how this was going to be the 'second best coronation day ever!' making him pause in confusion. Scratching his head, her hue brightened as he followed after her, wondering if she still needed another to lean on, or if she had finally built up the strength to stand by herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yo! What took you!?” Blank asked, frowning as he appraised Applejack, hands crossed as he let out an annoyed sigh.

“Err, sorry.” Applejack responded, her ears falling a moment as her face flushed. “I kinda overslept. So, shall we head out?” Blank nodded, and together, they worked towards the city's southwest gate. They walked together in silence for several minutes before Applejack looked to him, a slight spring in her gate.

“So, just wanted to thank ya again fer-”

“Oh for crying out loud Applejack, five times is more than enough!” Blank said, hiding a blush as he looked away from her. “I get it, you're thankful I saved you and Spike from the petrifying forest. Look, you don't owe me anything.” She looked to him, a little taken aback. “I just did what I wanted, so stop thankin' me for it.”

“Uh, I was actually gonna thank ya fer showin' me the path you and Marcus took to get to the Evil Forest.” Her clarification only made him more flustered, and Applejack found herself unable to get another word out of him, to her amusement. At least, that held true until they had left Alexandria.

“Hey, Blank.” Applejack began, almost hesitantly as she gave him a sidelong glance, “Ya and yer crew are thieves, right?” Blank looked to her, appraising her a moment before letting out a sigh.

“That we are. Actors and thieves and scoundrels, that's Tantalus.” He matched her sidelong glance, seeing her eye the ground, looking conflicted. “If it helps, we do things the way Zidane does things. He was taught by Baku, so it's only natural.”

“The way Zidane does things? Ya mean helpin' people out at the drop of a hat?” Blank chuckled a little as he shook his head.

“Well, not all of us are that selfless. Look, it's complicated. Growing up in Treno, in the slums, is no picnic.” He then sighed as he kicked the dirt, “You either steal, or get robbed. That's life in Treno, if you're not rich.”

“Well... Can't ya just leave?” Applejack asked, a little sad that the conversation was as down as she suspected.

“Well, that's the thing. Where do you go when you leave? Alexandria is separated by monster ridden lands, and you need a gate pass to cross the South Gate. To leave Treno, and reach someplace safe, you need gil. And not many can tackle monsters like we can, so it's either steal, or get robbed.” He said as he gave Applejack a sly, but hollow, grin.

“I- I'm sorry.” Applejack began, “I shouldn't have asked-”

“Jeeze, you're so uptight!” Blank then looked to Applejack with a smile, “It's not your fault, I mean, you're from another world!” He then laughed a little, “Well, I don't mind pity, especially from a pretty dame such as yourself.” Applejack's eyes widened as she recalled what he said to her back on the wreck of the Prima Vista. She felt her face flush as she glared at his compliment. He took in her reaction, and couldn't stop himself, as he let out a hearty laugh.

“Sh-Shut up! Stop laughin'!” Applejack ordered, causing Blank to double over in mirth. Applejack turned away from him, getting some distance from-

Mindlessly slaying an approaching monster as she got some distance from the laughing rogue.

“Hey now!” Blank cried out as he collected himself, and moved to catch up to her, “Hold your chocobos!” After a short sprint, he took in a quick breath before giving her an apologetic smile. “I was just getting even for your question, 'kay?” Applejack appraised him, still a little flustered as she gave him a small nod.

Continuing on, a couple minutes later Blank had led her to the ridge, and the small, hidden pathway down the cliff, towards the dense foliage below. The mist was gone, but the pink wave that dispelled it didn't get rid of the monsters that were already around.

Applejack looked to the forest, knowing she'd be fighting what lay within. However, she was armored, and was now resilient to the nasty tricks the plant life used. Indeed, she doubted she'd have any trouble going in alone, and Beatrix had affirmed as such when she shared her idea with her.

“So,” Blank began, “You sure you wanna go alone? All those plant-bugs are still down there...” Applejack gave him a thankful smile before nodding.

“I think I can manage.” She turned to Blank, about to thank him again, then stopped herself, instead giving him a casual smile. “I'll see ya later. Tell Zidane not to bother Pinkie too much fer me.” Blank nodded, and they both tapped each other, fist to hoof, before parting.

Applejack looked down the sprawling path that hugged the cliff face, and briefly wondered if she could manage hopping down the slope. Heh, if I were Freya maybe! It certainly wasn't going to work with all her armor weighing her, so she started her long climb down, into the valley of trees and mist, minus the mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Tourist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow! Eiko thought in awe as her gaze climbed towards the heavens, feeling smaller than usual compared to the stone behemoth before her that was Dagger's castle. What a big house! Her eyes widened as she walked to the front door, a door that could easily fit herself and all the moogles of Madain Sari standing side by side.

Dagger must have a ton of moogle friends!

Eiko had separated herself from Pinkie for the day at Applejack's request, keeping some distance to help her friend get better, or something like that. Applejack assured it was for the best, so she went along with it, trusting the mare.

Naturally, all by herself, with Mog at her side, she explored Alexandria. When she first arrived in the city, she was almost overwhelmed by how many people where here. Now, people were a dime a dozen, she was use to it. The castle, however...

I wonder if there's an Eidolon Wall in here!? She wondered as she entered, hoping she would find something neat, or at the very least, run into Dagger.

Shortly after entering, however, her stomach made quite the noise, that immediately demanded her attention. Her hunger reminded her of the fate of all the gil she had, and she started considering other options inside the castle.

It had come to her surprise that there were a number of people in Alexandria who lived lives not too dissimilar to her own back in Madain Sari. People without a gil to their name, living in broken homes. When she met these people, she felt herself parting with the gil Pinkie had given her shortly after they first met, as well as the gil she had gained from the monsters they slew together.

She didn't regret giving those poor people her gil, but it didn't change the fact that she was hungry now, and unable to purchase any food. I hope Dagger doesn't mind if I rummage through her pantry! she thought with a light grin. Old habits die hard, and she gained an objective as she wandered the castle, looking for food to swipe.

As she looked through the castle, she briefly wondered how Spike and Applejack were fairing. She suspected that Spike was having the time of his life, which made Eiko smile. She then sighed as she considered Applejack. Well, hopefully she's having the time of her life too. She admitted to herself, with only a smidgen of sarcasm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack was having the time of her life. Wolves bounced harmlessly off her armor. Plants tried to poison and blind her fruitlessly. Everything perished in a single swing, as if Icebrand was a hot knife cutting through butter.

She was galloping through the forest, and despite how much stronger she was compared to the denizens of the woods, they still came for her. She knew that if she was a certain pink mare, she'd be singing right now.

After all the fights on the Outer Continent, and her rough training under Beatrix, this wholesale one-sided slash-fest was a welcome change of pace. It was so invigorating that she didn't even notice the ache her legs were giving after the harrowing climb down. It felt so rewarding that she failed to pay attention to where she was going, and after passing through some thick underbrush, ended up in a clearing.

Full of the insect-like plant monsters.

All of them.

In unison, they all turned and noticed the mare, as she came to a stop, her mouth open at the sight, her sword falling unceremoniously on the dirt. Huh, I wonder I can get 'em all with my blade? She wondered as the monsters let out a unified cry and moved to ensnare her.

She picked up her sword, fire in her eyes as she charged forward. She plowed right through the ones in her way, looking to reach the center of the small clearing, at the small circle of sunlight at its center. Effortlessly forcing her way there, she couldn't help but laugh that these were once a threat to her and her friends.

Standing at the center, all the monsters moved and started to pile on her, and she let them. Gripping her blade hard, she gathered her magic as she swung it forward, calling on an ability she learned from Beatrix.

Climhazzard.

Ice Brand's cold blade instantly turned white hot as Applejack swung into the nearest monster, and upon striking, the heat from her blade burst out into an orange cascade of energy, washing through all the monsters in the clearing, annihilating them. Ice Brand immediately readopted it's cold chill as the power dissipated, a sudden quiet falling upon the clearing. Applejack sheathed her sword as dew started to form on her armor, the air now being thick with mist, and steam.

She looked around, seeing no movement as the mist slowly faded away with the breeze. Smiling to herself, she trotted out of the clearing, heading to where she believed the Prima Vista had crashed, or the spring they had rested at when looking for Garnet.

Wandering through the forest, her power trip died down as less and less monsters presented themselves to her, and her mind started to wander along with her hooves. She happened upon the Prima Vista before the spring. What remained of it.

A small amount of foliage had started to grow over the wooden husk of the ship she had doomed, and looking upon it reminded her of the deed. That's right, she thought as she let out a sigh, I owe Baku and the rest of his gang an apology. Oh horseapples. Looking over the wreck, she felt the urge to wander through it.

Going through, she was reminded of how it all felt. The crash, the first battles in the woods, the poisoning and blinding. All of it had an edge of danger, one misstep and it would be the end of her and Spike, as well as Zidane. Now, the monsters were no threat to her, the mist was gone, and they were all still alive, well, and growing stronger by the day.

She reached the room they had rested in while waiting for the antidote to clear their poisoned bodies. The memories summoning her desire to return home, which was now replaced with a desire to find answers, and defeat the man in white.

She did not forget Kuja. She would never forget Kuja. She shook her head, feeling her temper starting to rise. Not now Applejack, save it fer the next time we see that man. Thinking of Kuja put her mind back on track. She took one last look over the wreck as she left, heading off to the nearby spring.

Finding the small trunk that was dripping water, she found it looked no different from the last time she had been here. And indeed, that serene feeling permeated the air.

That was her reason for being here. There was one of those tablets nearby, she was certain of it, as it felt exactly like the one they had found on an island near the Outer Continent.

Though she could feel it in the air, she couldn't find any trace of the tablet, or anything resembling a shrine. She appraised the spring, thinking on it in hopes of finding answers, the apples in her head turning. The water comes from underground...

She recalled what happened when they rescued the princess, and wondered if perhaps she could find the shrine in an underground cavern.

Heck, we were in cave when we found the other one! That thought moving her forward, she ran off to where they had slain the large plant monster. The vines that made up the area were now long dead, and in the center, where the monster had been rooted, was an opening in the floor, where the plant-bugs monsters had once crawled out from.

Hopping on down, she found that the cavern was sufficiently lit enough for her to wander through. Not wanting to get lost, she marked her way as she moved through the cavern, light poring in through cracks in the ceiling.

Heading in the direction she believed the spring was, it wasn't long before she felt the serene sensation again. Passing a bend in the path, she saw light ahead of her, orange light. Cautiously moving to the source, she found a fairly wide chamber that seemed to shimmer, as if the entire chamber was distorted. She'd have thought her vision had gone funny if it wasn't for the tablet floating near the back wall.

Unlike the walls of the cavern, it wasn't distorted, and it was the source of the orange light. She stood there a minute, considering the safety behind entering a distorted room. She then let out a sigh. I ain't gonna find answers by just standin' around. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped forward, entering to odd room. To her relief, nothing really changed, and her eyes fell back on the glowing tablet.

Keeping her focus on it, to keep herself from getting a headache from the strange looking cavern, she approached it. Getting close enough to touch it, she saw two swords crossed on the circular tablet to form an 'X', with an apple resting over the blades. Looking at the tablet made her feel slightly dizzy, and she staggered back a step as she tried to keep her balance.

'Greeting's and salutations, Applejack!' An energetically deep baritone voice called out from the cavern, making her instantly draw her sword as she looked around. She didn't see the source of the voice, but she noticed that the walls had stopped shimmering, the walls no longer being distorted. 'Oh come now, what good will that do you against a phantom?' It cheerily asked. She looked around before cautiously sheathing her sword.

“Okay, who are ya?” Her eyes darted around in worry as she started to hope that coming alone wasn't about to bite her in the flank.

'I'd prefer Chaos, but that's a little too similar to a particular Equestrian eidolon, so I guess that's out of the question.' Applejack could feel the presence considering something before whatever it was smiled.

Wait, how can I tell it's smiling!? She wondered as it spoke up.

'Yes, you can call me Deathguise, the Amalgamation.'

“And what are ya?” She didn't sense a hostile intent from this presence, but it still unnerved her, especially with a name like that.

'Heh heh heh,' he heartily chuckled, 'Applejack has come for answers. And it is answers she will get. However, I already answered one, give me an answer in turn, and I'll answer the rest of your questions, honestly.'

“And how do I know ya-”

'Silly Applejack, you're about to ask another question!' he practically boomed out in his deep voice as she felt the presence get close to her, as if leaning in to share a secret. Applejack looked to where it was, seeing nothing, and yet, still feeling as if it was right next to her.

'If you had to choose between saving Gaia, or Equestria, which would you pick?' He asked nonchalantly as her eyes widened. 'Do keep in mind, choosing one dooms the other.' Deathguise then fell silent as Applejack stood there, dumbfounded.

Choose one, at the cost of the other!? She hesitated a moment, briefly considering saving Equestria, before shaking her head, almost aiming to buck herself for hesitating as she glared at the presence.

“I'd save both of 'em!” she valiantly replied. Her answer was met with a tense, awkward pause before Deathguise burst out in belittling laughter.

'Oh, that's rich! Save both! Oh Applejack, you should do stand-up! Seriously! You're a riot! I'd say you even-' suddenly the cavern shifted, the walls changing color as Applejack found herself standing in a familiar grotto, over the corpses of several Black Mages.

'Killed it!'

Applejack stepped back from the bodies, her eyes wide as she saw the wounds inflicted by her blade. She almost tripped as her breathing quickened, and the friendly, if shy mages of Black Mage village flashed in her mind as-

The cavern shifted back to normal, the bodies gone, and the air was quiet for a minute as Applejack steadied her breathing. She pushed down her regret as she worked to compose herself, before glaring at the air, her anger snuffing out her fear at this seemingly reality warping phantom.

'What's the matter? Feeling a little regret?' He said smugly, then let out an exaggerated sigh. 'So, despite how ridiculous your answer was, I still found it to be the most preferable.' Applejack's mood shifted slightly at his defeated tone, a little confused.

'So, what am I?' He stated, his voice taking on a sinister note, 'I am Chaos. Deathguise. I am the darkness comprised of eight worlds, formed in mist, watching through the mist. I have witnessed eight worlds perish to Unified Fantasy, becoming nothing more than the vapor you've been fighting this last month. I have taken in all that is dark and unholy of those eight worlds into myself, making me, me. I am the all seeing, the watcher of memories,' his voice then shifted to something far less sinister, 'and the winner of two E.V.I.L. Awards: Most Cryptic Monologuer and Best Tertiary Villain!'

Wh-What the hay!? Applejack thought in annoyance, Is he tryin' to intimidate me, or make a fool of himself!? She stood there in silence, expecting him to say more. Since he didn't, she thought over his words, disregarding his nonchalant, joking facade. Or at least, she hoped it was a facade. In fact, as she considered his joking nature, she assumed he was simply messing with her.

“Yea, right!” Applejack exclaimed as she glared at him. “And I'm the Alicorn Princess of Applebuckin'!” He chuckled lightly, and just like that, Applejack's hat fell off, and her armor suddenly felt terribly tight across her back.

'So it would seem!' He affirmed as Applejack went cross-eyed, spotting the new horn on her head, and feeling some new appendages attached to her back trying to free themselves from her constricting armor.

“Th-That's not funny! Change me back!” He shoulda called himself Chaos! He's almost like the old Discord! She let out a sigh as she felt the wings and horn disappear, donning her hat as she looked to where she felt Deathguise's presence. If he's as strong as Discord... and what he's sayin' is true... Applejack then paused as a thought crossed her mind. And from it, a small fear for Pinkie's happiness was born from it. Is he Discord?Applejack took a deep breath, hoping that wasn't the case as she looked to him.

“Discord, is that you?”

'Hmph. Such a silly pony. And a cruel one!' he replied in mock despair. 'It would be so easy! It'd be so much fun to mess with you right now! I could tell you exactly what you don't want to hear!' he then let out a sad sigh. 'But I did promise to be honest, and an ethereal immortal amalgamation of all bad things has standards to keep to. No, I'm not your Discord.' Applejack let out a sigh of relief as he continued.

'Discord, at one point, would have been a perfect addition to myself. But, when he could have easily saved Equestria by forsaking Gaia, he chose to give you all a chance to save both. So he's no long villain material. For shame!' Applejack considered pressing that subject for Pinkie's sake, but she had a bigger issue she wanted to address, and she dearly hoped this Deathguise would give her an answer she needed. She looked to where she felt him, a fire in her eyes, and she could sense him smiling at her.

“What's Unified Fantasy?”

'Heh, right to the point, that's Applejack for you!' Deathguise then cleared his throat, adopting an almost scholarly persona, 'Unified Fantasy is a ritual shared between two worlds, a contest. The loser is turned into mist, for the winner to absorb. Matter, magic, life, crystals, souls, everything is handed over to the victor.'

Applejack stood there in stunned silence as she absorbed his answer. The weight of this fact, the scope of it, seemed beyond her, as if it wasn't even real. But, she saw Equestria appear in the skies of Gaia, she had no choice but to believe its scope. His words played in her head again as she realized what the eight globes on the Iifa Tree represented. Gaia and Equestria are fightin' each other?

“H-How?” She weakly asked. She felt him take on a contemplative stance as he appraised her.

'I assume you mean “How did this start?” in reference to Gaia and Equestria?' Applejack nodded, 'The master of the ritual wanted to take vengeance for his world, Terra, and set up Gaia to lose the Ninth Fantasy. He pitted Gaia against Equestria, hoping to infuse Equestria with everything Gaia had, making his vengeance come to fruition.'

Applejack frowned slightly, finding that answer to be more than useless to her. No, it's not how it started I need to know. She looked back to him, composing herself so she could get better answers from him.

“How do I stop it?” She could feel him smiling at her, his mirth radiating out, as if asking that question had made his day.

'Destroy the tree, and the ritual moves on to the next world the master chooses. He'll no doubt choose Gaia again, but Equestria should be fine.' He paused a moment, considering something. 'But if you want to be more thorough, destroy the core. Although, the tree is a lot easier to destroy than the core.'

Applejack briefly considered those options, and didn't shy from the harder one. That ritual destroys worlds! Makin' it pass on Equestria is not enough, it needs to be destroyed!

“How do ya get to the core?” He chuckled at that, and she felt as though someone had patted her on the back. She was starting to wonder if he really was a combination of all the bad things of eight worlds. He seemed far too... happy, for that.

'Find the castle named after an old explorer. Within are eight mirrors that will open the way to the realm between. Pass the eight trials. Destroy the control system, then the realm of memories will open. There, in the deepest, oldest memories of eight worlds, the core can be found.'

Realm of memories? Eight trials? Applejack paused a minute to devote his reply to memory before looking to where she felt he was.

“What are these trials?”

'My my, being so productive Applejack, so productive...' The cavern shifted again as Applejack saw eight figures standing before her, people, that she knew. 'Eight trials, eight faces of myself, each must be tackled by the appropriate element.' He explained as she felt her eyes being drawn to a likeness of herself, standing rigid, unmoving as Deathguise happily listed off herself, and her friends.

'Applejack, the Honest Knight. Prideful, stubborn, and afraid of the truth.'

What? What truth? She worriedly thought as she felt him appraising her.

'She will face Deception, and find that truth can be just as deceiving as lies.' Her eyes were then drawn to the likeness of Freya, Deathguise's attention shifting to the Burmecian.

'Freya Crescent, the Loyal Warrior. Aggressive, cold, never finishes a duel, and so quick to separate herself from what's important to her. Treachery is her foe, and she may find herself impaled on her own spear before defeating it.' Her attention was then drawn to Spike, and her breath paused as she took in Deathguise's words.

'Spike the Dragon, the Innocent Magician. Young, naive, short attention span, and looks like a dragon! Corruption will assault him, and it's possible his innocence, or should I say, purity, shall fade when he walks away from that encounter.' Then he moved onto Amarant, not giving Applejack a moment to worry for Spike.

'Amarant Coral, the Kind Introvert.'

He's kindness!? My flank he is! Applejack scoffed.

'Jaded, aggressive, prideful, arrogant, unsociable, and stupid. I mean, really? He doesn't know what friendship is!?' Deathguise then cleared his throat, annoying Applejack by how flippant he was. 'Ehem. He will fight Cruelty, and from it, he will finally get what his heart of hearts most desires.' Applejack tried to look to where she felt Deathguise in confusion, but he shifted her gaze on to the princess.

'Garnet Til Alexandros the Seventeenth, the mouthful-' she felt as though Deathguise was shaking his head as he continued, 'I mean, the Summoning Princess. Prideful, see's herself above others because of her role as princess, and doesn't realize it. She has yet to fully embrace her element, and yet, she will face the trial. She will fight nothing, as Isolation will be her opponent, and in the silence of her own heart, she may hear nothing but futility.'

Applejack adopted an assured smile. Hah! Garnet will be just fine! No doubt- her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Eiko shifting in front of her.

'Eiko Carol, the Generous Healer. Rude, young, naive, boisterous, ambitious. She will find everything of herself to offer Greed, and maybe even her life.' Not missing a beat, Zidane shifted before her.

'Zidane Tribal, the Lost Hero. Keeps his insecurities to himself, and avoids the help of others, even good friends.'

What? Zidane's like that? Applejack wondered as Deathguise continued.

'Indolence may stay his hand, striking his strength down as he abandons the quest.' He seemed to consider something before finally, she found her eyes drawn to her dear friend and family member, Pinkie.

'Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Indulging Fool. Reliant on others for happiness, emotional, random. I'd like to say that Sorrow will be her foe, but she seems to be fighting that constantly as of late, will there even be a foe for her to fight? I wonder...'

He fell silent as everything he said bounced around in her head, and she didn't fail to see the similarities. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and I guess Summoning counts as Magic. She then considered Spike and Zidane, Innocence or Purity fer Spike, and... Resolve? Drive? Pushing on? She reflected on how Zidane acted, and she saw that whenever they were standing still, he'd take the first step.

In the evil forest, he gathered them first to save Garnet. He lead them above the mist to Dali. Thinking on it, she had been following Zidane through most of their adventure, only recently moving forward, taking charge, with him along side her.

“Soo,” Applejack began, “on Gaia, there are eight Elements of Harmony?”

'Goodness, and here I thought we'd be here all day waiting on you to put that together!' He then let out a tired sigh as she glared at him. 'I really hope this is the final fantasy, I don't want to do that all over again in the Tenth Fantasy. There will be nine heroes! Ugh!' He bemoaned, making Applejack raise an eyebrow.

“Yer sayin' the number goes up each-”

'Not important!' He quickly interrupted, 'Now look here, little lady. If you're dead-set about saving both worlds, then defeat my eight faces. Then defeat me, and then, maybe, you'll be able to handle the ritual's core.' He then lightly chuckled as she felt him getting further away from her.

“Hey, wait-”

'Oh, one last thing. If you want to save both words, it goes without saying. If any of you eight die, that's it. Game over for you, and Gaia.'

“What, Gaia?” She asked, a little alarmed, and annoyed that it seemed the time for answers was over.

'Yes, finding those mirrors is the only way to ensure Gaia survives. Though, I guess you could kill yourself, or one of your friends to let Gaia lose, and save Equestria. Options!' He then chuckled heartily as the cavern started to glow brightly, and as she was washed in light, she heard his parting words.

'So yea, no pressure.'

Closing her eyes to the light, she opened them to find herself lying on a rocky path. She got on her hooves, rubbing her eyes as she took in her location. She was on the cliff path that led to the Evil Forest. Looking to the forest, she started if wonder if that was some cruel dream her mind brewed up-

She noticed, on the ground before her hooves, was a small note written in the dirt. She frowned as she read it, her doubt being dispelled almost immediately.

'Who's a silly pony? Who's a silly pony? Who is? You is!'

'-Deathguise.'

Looking at the words, she let out a sigh of annoyed relief. If all that had been a dream, then she assumed that meant he wasn't as strong as Discord. Eyeing the path, she saw monster tracks leading up to where she was left, and a good amount of her armor had mud and dust rubbed all over it. She had been dragged to the cliff.

So, eight mirrors in the castle named after the old explorer. She considered how much she should trust this Deathguise, and immediately assumed not to trust him one bit. Still, when it came to destroying the ritual, what he told her was the first real lead in that regards. Eight trials... With everything he had told her, she didn't know what to worry about more, and as her mind chased the answer for what to place her attention on, she face-hoofed.

Ahh tarnations! I didn't ask about Kuja! Shoot! She kicked the dirt in annoyance as she looked up the path. She abandoned the writing with a shake of her head as she bound upwards, to the city where her friends were. She had answers, and more importantly, she, they had two worlds to save, and they needed to know.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hello Equestrian! Welcome to moogle notes!'

'Ohh~ Those nobles in Treno make me mad! Why do they get to have all the gil, while living above the poor and unfortunate!?'

'Deathguise... I guess being made of all the bad things, and watching eight worlds be turned into mist made him a little off his pon pon, if you know what I mean. Kupo!'

'He makes destroying a large crystalline tree, or destroying its core, sound like a simple affair. Scary! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Ice Brand: Mental Break(mastered)

Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.

AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!(mastered), Long Reach(mastered), Ability Up(mastered)

Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack(mastered), Counter(mastered)

Iron Barding: Add Status(mastered), Bug Killer(mastered)

Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider(mastered), HP+10%(mastered)

Lvl-32 HP 3004/3224 MP 0/132

AP 1/35

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.

*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.

Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.

Charge! 10 MP - Causes staggered allies to attack.

Thunder Slash 24 MP - Deals Thunder damage to a single target.

Climhazzard 32 MP - Deal Non-Elemental damage to all enemies.

Author's Note

What!? Another chapter so soon!? Must be like, an apology for the month long delay! Enjoy! Next one is in a few days! Probably...
Major thanks to you, for reading along, and I'm hoping you're still enjoying it!
Wanna thank Seiya and OCisbestpony for their input!

38. The Prelude pt.3

Eiko was in a small storage room near the royal balcony. Unused armor and crates littered the corners, a table and several chairs stood in the room's center. She sat at the table, a hefty plate of assorted foods resting in front of her, and scattered paper decorated the table.

The castle's pantry had been so large that she had gotten lost while rummaging through it's contents, twice, but she still pilfered herself a glorious meal, and got it to this side-room without notice. As she reaped her rewards, sharing with Mog, she found her mind wandering to her new friends.

What's with Zidane, why hasn't he visited Dagger? Don't they like each other? Eiko considered them to be a perfect pair, and was curious as to why Zidane was suddenly keeping his distance from the princess. I should ask him when I'm done! She affirmed, nodding to herself as her thoughts wandered to her favorite pony.

Pinkie... she spun some food on her plate as she considered the pink mare. She wanted to see her smile. Her true smile. Though she had only seen it for two days, those days stood out to Eiko. They were the days where she made new friends, the days where her loneliness came to an end. Even though it happened over a week ago, she was certain she would never forget them. And one thing that stood out, besides a particular dragon, was Pinkie's smile.

Her smile seemed like magic, it was contagious, honest, and brimming with hope. Since Equestria appeared, however, there's been no sight of that golden grin. Eiko felt her eyes itch for a moment, and she shook her head as she rubbed them. Her eyes dry, she took a deep breath as she glared at her meal.

Applejack better be right about this... Eiko didn't like being so far from Pinkie. By chance, Pinkie had witnessed her greatest sorrow, as Eiko had witnessed hers, and Eiko shared her sadness with her, to help Pinkie over hers. Eiko hadn't been alone in that effort. Thinking of the other one made her frown as she poked a piece of meat on her plate.

Amarant called us weirdos, but he's the weird one! We're friends, and he doesn't even see it! She's watched the estranged warrior for the last week. He kept his distance from everyone, but was never too far away, especially from herself and Pinkie. A thought crossed her mind, an insight she hadn't considered before.

Did he once lose someone too? She thought over the possibility for several moments before nodding to herself. The notion made sense to her, and would explain his actions. As she considered that, she traded some food from her plate to Mog's. Does he need someone to watch him? Maybe Pinkie and I should return the favor. Considering that option, she let out a sigh as her mind drifted to her other friends.

At least Spike and Applejack don't need looking after... her thoughts then trailed off as the rest of her plate was cleaned off, staring at her plate, feeling quite full. Her eyes then widened as a troubling thought assaulted her. With Spike away, that means no bonding between him and Applejack. Doesn't distance make the heart grow fonder?

She suddenly pictured Spike and Applejack running into each others embrace when he returned. She shook her head of the picture with great haste, Not good! She sat there a moment, considering how to prevent that mental image from becoming reality, and took in a sharp breath after a moment's thought.

Oh! I know! She adopted a small grin as she pulled over a quill and ink. I'll write him a love letter! Bringing the paper before her, a fire burned in her eyes, its radiance comparable to the suns. I'm gonna write the most romantic letter ever written!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Gaian Egghead
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving the Burmecian in the library, Dr. Tot wandered through the castle, the topics his princess and the dragon knight were interested in dancing in his head.

“Eight hundred years ago, the mist appeared.” He began, thinking out loud as he barely payed any attention to his whereabouts. “Now I know, it was the Iifa Tree, and this ritual's doing. But the monsters of the mist, they were more dangerous back then, they almost extinguished life on the Mist Continent.” He nodded to himself.

“Four warriors, later called the Warriors of Light, left from Alexandria to tackle this problem, and after fighting an entity known as Chaos, the monsters became weaker, more manageable. The heroes became legend, their names lost to time. Their artifacts dwindled away as well, now, only the holy sword Beatrix wields remains.” As he spoke to himself, a pair of guards gave him an odd look. He passed them, completely oblivious.

“So, Chaos is part of the ritual?” Not finding an answer within his reason, his mind moved onto the Burmecian's reason for coming to the library. “The Mist Dragon, Cecil and Kain. Over six hundred years ago, the Mist Dragon came, from someplace outside the Mist Continent, and the mist grew thicker with her arrival.”

“Burmecia was the most affected, as they live in the mist. The King of Burmecia formed the Dragon Knights to take down the Mist Dragon. Kain Highwind proved to be the mightiest of the knights. He, along with Cecil, his old friend and adoptive brother, as well as several other heroes, slew the Mist Dragon.” He smiled a moment as he pictured the battle, before his smile faded to a frown.

“However, due to the thickening of the mist, Kain betrayed his companions, under the affects of mist poisoning. Supposedly, he climbed the greatest mountain on the Mist Continent to purge himself of his guilt and poisoning. However, what became of him afterwards has been lost to time.” Dr. Tot let out a sigh, disappointed with the book keepers of ages past.

“Chaos, Mist Dragon. No such calamity has afflicted our continent since. Well, not until Kuja came along, that is. Some force has been trying to put us down, for over eight hundred years. And yet, heroes rose up, and prevented it from happening.” His thoughts momentarily reaching a stopping point, he found himself near the royal balcony, a little confused how he had wandered there.

“Hey!” A young voice called out, making him turn to it's source. His attention fell to a small child, with light purple hair, wearing pink and yellow clothes. She had a horn on her head. “You look like the bookish type!” she proclaimed, catching him off guard by her sudden proclamation. He chuckled at her observation as he nodded to her.

“What gives you that impression?”

“You really want me to explain?” The child asked him as she raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yes, I'm very curious.”

“Where should I start...” she speculated as she started pacing around Dr. Tot, looking him up and down. “First, your beard!” She began as she quickly divvied it out, counting up on her fingers. “Second, your nerdy hat! Third, your thick glasses! Fourth, you think out loud! Fifth, you smell like books!” She then nodded to herself, “All signs of a nerdy philosopher!” He was taken aback by how forthright she was with him, and let out another chuckle as she looked to him, confused.

“You don't hold back, do you?” He asked as he took notice again of the horn on her forehead. She appraised him a moment longer before adopting a requesting stature, looking to the ground as she held her hands behind her.

“Hey, are you a writer?” He nodded at her question as he stroked his beard.

“Well, yes. I did make my living as a writer for a while.” At hearing that, she looked to him, adopting a smile.

“Will you help me write a letter?”

“A letter?” She quickly nodded.

“Yea, a love letter! I tried one, but I don't think it'll make the cut...”

“Hmm.” Considering he was now free, he saw no reason to refuse, and nodded, making her smile brighten. “I'll gladly help, if you think I'll be of assistance.”

“Okay! Follow me!” And she quickly trotted off to a small room to the side of the hall. As he followed after her, his mind started to wander again, the focus, being the child.

“That girl has a horn. That horn...” instead of his mind diving into a tome, he found himself digging up old memories he had nearly forgotten.

“I had completely forgotten about it until now.” Or maybe completely forgotten...

“I'd never been as surprised as I was that day. Ten years ago, a ship drifted ashore after a storm. Inside the ship was a woman and a young girl. The woman had perished. But the girl was still breathing.” He had stopped moving as he narrated his own memories aloud. The girl he had been following looked out of the room to him, confused.

“I was quite surprised, when I saw the girl's face, because the girl, looked exactly like Princess Garnet, who had just passed away.” He then shook his head, “Well, almost like her, there was an exception, the girl had a horn.” He had always wondered where that child had come from. “A human with a horn...” He then let out a sad sigh.

“And the king, he ordered the horn be removed. Afterwards, he and Brahne chose to raise the child as Garnet.” Dr. Tot looked up, realizing the child he was following was waiting for him impatiently down the hall.

I wonder, is she related to Princess Garnet? He thought as he went into the storage room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Shadow of a Smile
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane left the inn, hoping some fresh air would clear his mind. Taking in the late morning sun, he briefly considered the idea of leaving Alexandria for a while to help distract himself from Dagger, then frowned as he realized the fresh air wasn't helping.

Before he start considering rash actions, he noticed Pinkie traveling down the road, shooting festive decorations all over the area with surprising ease and practice. He recalled the message Blank passed onto him from Applejack several minutes ago, and scurried into a nearby alley so Pinkie wouldn't notice him.

As she passed, he could see that she was looking better. She wasn't the same pony he met in Lindblum, but closer to how she was when they were at Cleyra. He smiled to himself, he found her resolve admirable, and enviable. He then frowned as he once again pictured the distance between himself and Dagger, now that she would be queen in two days, and shook his head.

“You should leave her alone.”

The deep, demanding voice instantly put Zidane on edge as he backed away from Amarant, his daggers drawn in favor of his double-sword. “You want to fight?” Amarant questioned, crouching low, nimbly putting on his claws, his aura inviting Zidane the first strike. Zidane took in his expression, sighing, un-surprised at the warrior's open hostility to him. Zidane simply shook his head as he sheathed his blades.

“I wasn't going to bother her. Applejack asked me not to, so I won't.” He then appraised the tall man, “What are you doing? You following her?” Zidane asked with a raised eyebrow. Amarant actually hesitated, surprising the rogue.

“I'm making sure nothing goes wrong.” Hearing that, Zidane gave Amarant a smug grin.

“What could go wrong?” Zidane asked, sure of himself. “She's been down before, but she has us, and because of that, she's trying to pick herself back up.” While Zidane was certain of this, Amarant was quick to shake his head.

“You never get over losing someone.” Zidane looked at him, surprised.

“That's pretty telling, for someone who doesn't understand friendship.”

“Tch, I don't understand friendship, it's not an aura, it's not something I can easily see. A person that's lost another, that's easy to see.” He then pointed to Zidane. “You may understand friendship, but I understand loss. It is a bruise that never heals, and you'll never know when you'll rub up against it, and be reminded of it.” Zidane frowned at him, offering no words against his. He folded his arms as he appraised the warrior before him.

He radiated hostility, towards Zidane, and no others. Always when Zidane was nearby, he felt that man's anger directed at him. Just what is his beef with me? He won't tell me! Is this how it's going to be between us? Zidane saw something in Amarant when he dueled Applejack, beneath his hostility, his awkward interactions, was someone good. He helped Pinkie and Eiko, even though Amarant didn't understand why. Zidane suspected, that if it wasn't for him, Pinkie would still be with Applejack right now, unfit to be left alone.

“Amarant.” Zidane cautiously stated as he looked up to him. “What is Pinkie to you?”

Zidane felt something about the warrior waver upon hearing the question, and he looked to Zidane, confused. They stared at each other for a number of seconds before Amarant scratched the back of his head. He looked like he was about to say something, then simply folded his arms as he let out a small sigh.

“Whatcha two dooin'~” the bubbly voice of Pinkie asked out from behind Zidane.

Seriously! How are people sneaking up on ME!? Zidane thought as he quickly turned around, giving her a broad, concealing smile.

“Hi Pinkie, fancy meeting you here!” She took in his smile, giving him a look that told him she wasn't convinced.

“...Were you two worried about me?” She asked, her smile losing some of its enthusiasm as she looked between them. Zidane quickly glanced to Amarant, and saw that the man was seriously considering the question.

“I'm simply watching to see if you're strong enough to stand on your own again.” Amarant replied, his aura unwavering. Zidane nodded as he turned to Pinkie, giving her an honest answer, that didn't answer her question.

“I just happened by when Amarant decided to strike up a conversation with me.” He then nodded to himself as he smiled to her. She smiled back as she looked between them.

“Thanks,” she said, confusing Amarant, as Zidane gave her a small nod. She started to turn around when she paused, and looked over her shoulder to Zidane. “Zidane. Applejack told me you've been avoiding Dagger. You should see her. She misses you.” She then parted with a small smile, blowing more decorations down the street as Zidane looked on. After she was out of sight, he turned back to Amarant.

“I see what you mean. She was less than bubbly just now.” Amarant looked to Zidane, made a dismissive gesture and left, wandering down the back alley as Zidane looked on, shaking his head at the man's actions. Left alone, he considered what Pinkie said.

He didn't like the idea of others looking out for him, it irritated him. He had to admit to himself, he didn't want to listen to what Pinkie suggested. Even though she was having a rough time right now, he felt a strong urge to brush off her words, and go elsewhere.

Zidane frowned at himself. He wanted to ignore Pinkie's idea, but he also didn't want to disregard it. He kicked the cobblestone as he looked in the direction Pinkie had left, then the way Amarant left. Affirming that he was alone, he folded his arms as he leaned against the wall.

I ... should see Dagger. But...

He hesitated as he looked back to the way Pinkie had left. He didn't want to see Dagger by himself, he didn't think he'd be able to handle it.

Applejack and Spike are gone. Pinkie's to be left alone. Amarant is out of the question. So that leaves Eiko ... Didn't she say she was going to explore the castle today?

Zidane considered that for several minutes before nodding to himself. Leaving his indecision behind him, he abandoned the alley, heading to the castle to find his youngest friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It's finished!” Eiko proclaimed proudly as she held the letter above her. “Spike will fall in love with me the instant he reads this letter!” she then turned to Dr. Tot with a beaming smile. “Thanks, mister!” Dr. Tot chuckled lightly as he nodded his head.

“It was my pleasure, my lady,” he said with a bow. Eiko nodded and gave a light bow in turn as she moved to leave the small storage room, her original letter, and her new, better, sure-to-win-his-heart letter in hand. She paused at the doorway, her eyes widening in realization as she turned back to the doctor.

“I almost forgot to tell you! I'm Eiko!” She then stood proud and tall, “And I'm from Madain Sari!” She then nodded to him as he gave her a contemplative look, “I hope to see you again. Bye bye!” And she turned and left, a spring in her step.

Letters in hand, she felt it was time to track down one of her friends, and moved to leave the castle. As she strolled along, she considered what to do with her original letter. It would be a waste to just throw it away...

Feeling a little giddy, she looked over both letters again, her heart feeling warm when she read the one the doctor helped with. Yea, the new one is definitely gonna work! She thought as she pocketed the letters, failing to notice that she had dropped both of them instead.

Entering a large, two floored lobby, from the second floor, she started her way around the side to the spiral staircase that lead to the first floor, to the front gates. Before she reached the stairs, a soldier she'd seen before came around the corner of an adjacent hall, and they both stopped in unison at the sight of each other.

Eiko's seen this woman spar with Applejack. She's heard the stories of the battles they had with this woman. She knew what the general of Alexandria did to a nation called Burmecia. She understood from the novels she read back home the scope of this woman's actions. The general was surprised to see Eiko, then smiled as she approached her.

“How'd someone your age get in here? You can get in a lot of trouble, wandering into the castle alone.” She offered Eiko her hand, bending forward in an open gesture. “Here, I'll lead you back to the city, I'm sure your parents are worried about you.” Now it was Eiko's turn to be surprised. The warrior seemed completely different from the woman she saw fighting Applejack, different from the stories she'd heard. And yet, Eiko took a step back, giving her an unfriendly glare.

“I don't need the help of a killer.” Eiko defiantly replied, making the warriors unpatched eye open wide in surprise. Her face swiftly shifted from surprise, to sadness, then to a cold mask that showed nothing. That was the face Eiko had seen when she fought Applejack, a cold face lacking any warmth.

“You still shouldn't be here.” She stated as she abandoned her welcoming hand, “This is the castle, commoners can't be allowed to-”

“I'm a friend of Dagger!” Eiko quickly declared as she leaned towards the general, “Which makes me better than a commoner!”

“Dagger?” She asked, then realization dawned on her face as she looked to Eiko in a new light. “Oh, you're a friend of Applejack.” She affirmed as she looked to the side. “My mistake, do as you wish. I'll inform the princess you're here, Ms...”

“I don't need help of a killer! Besides, I was just leaving anyway.” Eiko was about to turn to leave, ending the conversation there, but a notion crossed her mind. Applejack fought this woman to become stronger. She was also the general of Alexandria, and personal guard of Dagger. How can Dagger and Applejack stand working with her? She wondered as she turned back to the woman.

“How can Dagger and Applejack stand working with you?” She asked, making the warrior look taken aback. She looked to Eiko, considering her for a moment before nodding to herself.

“Because I'm strong.” Eiko's eyes narrowed at her answer.

“Killing others makes you strong? If that's strength, then I don't want it, and neither would Applejack!” The warrior's eye narrowed in turn.

“Sometimes, killing is the only answer. That man, Kuja, he helped guide the Mist Continent into it's current state, are you saying he's undeserving of death?” The warrior had abandoned treating her like a child, much to Eiko's satisfaction. Still, her question did make Eiko hesitate. Briefly considering it, Eiko found that though she had never considered such a thing, she knew she wouldn't kill him, despite what he's done. She nodded to herself as she looked back to the general.

“I'm saying I wouldn't kill him!” the general sighed as she shook her head.

“That's because you're simply a child. This Kuja caused one of your friends to lose someone important to her.” Eiko looked surprised that she knew that, “I don't doubt your companions would kill Kuja if presented the chance.” Eiko immediately shook her head.

“Pinkie wouldn't!” saying that, her other friends flashed before her eyes, and she realized something. “And because Pinkie wouldn't, Amarant wouldn't. And Dagger, and Zidane!” Indeed, Eiko saw that if Pinkie asked to spare Kuja, the others would follow. They might bicker, and argue, but they would follow Pinkie's wish.

Eiko felt her chest ache slightly when she realized it wasn't limited to Pinkie. If any of them spoke up for Kuja, he would be spared. She had truly been blessed with good friends. Her smile, however, was short lived as she heard the general let out a sigh.

“That man is a villain. I'm certain, Applejack would slay him, if he tried to harm any of her friends.” Eiko didn't have an immediate comeback to that. In her eyes, Applejack was noble, strong, kind, stubborn, and protective.

But...

“Spike wouldn't let her.” Eiko admitted, looking to the ground as she said it. She then looked back up to the general. “And neither would I, or Pinkie!” The general folded her arms as she looked to Eiko.

“If Applejack's company will not kill the man that compelled my queen to cause mass murder, then I will.”

“Oh, like you're one to talk! You helped Dagger's mother cause mass murder!”

“I was following the orders of my queen.” She stalwartly replied, almost as if she had practiced it. Eiko raised an eyebrow as she leaned up towards her.

“So? Did you like doing it?”

“Yes, I took pride in serving her. Even if she didn't care for my efforts.”

“So you were fine killing all those people!?” That specification made the general hesitate as she looked down at the blade sheathed at her hip.

“No, I wasn't.”

“Then why did you not kill them!?”

“I would have gone against-” She quickly began to reply defensively, then stopped as she realized the truth of her defense. She would have gone against her queen, and yet she had ended up doing that regardless.

“Moogle got your tongue!?” Eiko mocked as she stuck her tongue out at the general.

“I, I don't need to explain myself to a child!”

“Applejack wants to be strong, stronger than you!” Eiko declared, giving her a sly smile. “Applejack's already stronger than you. She would never do what you did.”

“Hmph, she's yet to prove her strength to me! And now I doubt I can trust her to manage Kuja.” The warrior looked to Eiko for a moment longer before blinking, almost confused as her shoulders sagged.

She let out a tired sigh, and for a moment, Eiko saw a great fatigue hang over her, but it passed as quickly as it appeared. “Yes, you're definitely a friend of Applejack. Her friends seem to have a knack of making me lose my composure.” She let out another sigh as she approached Eiko.

“Child, what is your name?” Eiko considered not giving her an answer, but considering the woman could ask Applejack later, decided to concede her name.

“I'm not a child, I'm a gown-up! And the name's Eiko!”

“Eiko. Burmecia and Lindblum require justice for what my queen did to them. Kuja has yet to pay his dues, and his dues are worth his life.” She then nodded to herself, “If Applejack cannot do it, then I shall.” Eiko sought to get her riled up again, but saw a fire in the warrior's eye that made her pause.

The general took that opportunity to disengage from her, leaving Eiko alone as the general of Alexandria walked off, a ponderous expression on her face. Eiko watched her go, now wondering what she was trying to accomplish by pestering the person Dagger and Applejack were relying on.

Losing herself to trying to figure that out, she continued on to leaving the castle-

She tripped over the carpet's edge, sending her rolling towards the balcony's railing. Before she could even register that she had tripped, she had slipped through the guard rail's bars, and found herself in free fall for a moment, her heart practically jumping out of her chest.

She jerked suddenly as her fall immediately halted, seemingly in mid air, the air being knocked out of her lungs as she gave out small coughs. After composing her breathing, she noticed that she was now stuck. Her wing ornament on her back spared her from falling to the ground ten feet below her.

It had gotten caught on a large stone statue, and try as she might, she was unable to shake herself loose from the part her grandfather's gift had caught onto. Looking around, she no sign of the general, or anyone else for that matter. Mog let out a weak kupo as Eiko let out a tired sigh.

“Mog, do you think this is grandfather's idea of a practical joke?” Mog had no answer to lift Eiko's mood as she was left hanging, waiting for some passerby to come along and save her.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Dr. Tot studies history! Being Garnet's former teacher, helping children comes naturally to him.'

'It's kinda scary, how much the Mist Continent has been affected by the Iifa tree. It even has it's name because of that tree! Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~

Eiko Carol

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Lamia's Flute: Float(mastered), Stona(mastered), Silence(mastered)

Lamia's Tiara: Clear Headed(mastered), ~~Confuse~~, Float(mastered)

Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%.

Mythril Armlet: ~~Bug Killer~~

Survival Vest: Locomotion(mastered), Antibody(mastered), ~~Mug~~

Fairy Earrings: Level Up, Body Temp(mastered), Regen

Raises Wind Elem-Atk.

Lvl-30 HP 1230/1230 MP 133/133

AP 0/25

*Auto-Regen (10) - Automatically casts Regen in battle.

MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

Body Temp (4) - Prevents Freeze and Heat.

*Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

Locomotion (4) - Prevents Stop.

*Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

Abilities:

White Magic:

Cure 6 MP - Restores HP of single/multiple targets.

Cura 10 MP - Restores a lot of HP of single/multiple targets.

Regen 14 MP - Gradually restores HP.

Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO.

Panacea 4 MP - Removes Venom and Poison.

Stona 8 MP - Removes Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Shell 6 MP - Reduces damage from magic attacks.

Protect 6 MP - Reduces damage from physical attacks.

Haste 8 Mp - Increases targets speed.

Silence 8 MP - Causes Silence, which disables magic in single/multiple targets.

Reflect 6 MP - Reflect magic attacks back onto caster.

Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air.

Summon:

Carbuncle 24 Mp – Casts Reflect on all party members.

Fenrir 30 MP - Causes Earth damage to all enemies.

Trance - Allows use of Double White Magic.

Author's Note

Oh no! Cliffhanger ending! What are we to do!?
So, is this what you'd call a fluff chapter? I don't really think so, but what do I know?
Dr.Tot Is probably the most shameless mode of delivering exposition ever, in the game it's practically like he's talking directly to the player!
Here's the part where I thank OCisbestpony and Seiya for the help!
And this is the moment where I get on my knees and kiss the very ground you walk upon, oh great reader! Thank you!

39. The Prelude pt.4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Persevering Party Pony
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, sugar, yer a friend of Zidane?” Ruby asked the pink mare as the two of them stood outside of Ruby's mini-theater. The theater was housed in the bottom floor of a small shop, nestled away in one of the many alleys of Alexandria.

“You betcha!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically, then looked to Ruby inquiringly. “So, you're all like, a merry band of actors and thieves?” Seeing Ruby give a proud nod, Pinkie pressed on, “So then, maybe you all should put on a play for Dagger- I mean princess Garnet! I bet she'd totally like that!”

“Ya really think that'll fly? Well, gosh, I suppose-” Ruby was interrupted when she caught sight of Blank heading down the alley, her brow furrowing as she turned to him. “Where in tarnation have you been! And don't tell me its fer that promise! Baku told me you returned hours ago!” Blank suddenly looked put on the spot, and blushed lightly, which Pinkie took note of as she gave him a smile.

“Thanks for helping AJ, Blank~!” Pinkie said, getting a nod from the red headed rogue. Using Pinkie's gratitude as a distraction, he slipped past Ruby into the theater, who looked to him, wanting to ask him something, but unable to get it out.

“So, since you're Zidane's friend, and I'm Zidane's friend, that means we're both friends!” Pinkie declared, getting a bemused look from Ruby.

“Sounds right to me! Wanna watch us perform? On the house!” Pinkie briefly considered it, then regretfully shook her head.

“I still got so much to decorate! But you can bet I'll wanna see later!”

“Well, alrighty then.” Ruby turned, about to enter the theater, when she stopped, considering something before looking back to Pinkie. “Ya mind helpin' Zidane? He's got some heart-ache, and he won't take any help from us!” Pinkie's brow furrowed, and gave Ruby a stern nod. "Oh thank you! I really 'preciate it!" Smiling to her, Ruby left, leaving Pinkie alone.

Well, now Pinkie is in a pickle! Pinkie thought as she wandered down the alley. Applejack wants me to be by myself, but is it okay to not be by myself if it's to help a friend? Pinkie considered that for several moments. She really wanted to talk to one of her friends right now. Seeing how Ruby looked to Blank, somehow reminded the mare of how lonely she now felt. When Ruby asked for help, she found she couldn't say no.

Her ears shot up, as a simple solution presented itself to her. Oh! I know! I'll see if he's gone to the castle, like I suggested! If he goes, then I don't have to help him! Then, she wouldn't disappoint Applejack, who's been by her side for as long as she could since the Iifa Tree. Thinking to herself reminded her of the silly, distracting commentary that was no longer present. She felt a wave of loneliness wash over her as she appraised the necklace, his memento, around her neck.

Discord...

He was the only one that knew of the serious pony hidden beneath the silly, and with him gone, Pinkie found herself unable to bear that fact. Fulfilling the promise she made to Applejack near the Iifa Tree, she told the mare about her hidden self. Pinkamena, buried beneath countless smiles, surfacing in the face of the dangers offered by Gaia.

Thanks to Discord, Pinkie was both the bubbly party pony and the straight-maned pony that grew up on the rock farm. She showed everyone the party pony, and held the serious pony to someone she couldn't hide it from, Discord. Now, Applejack knew, and she kept Pinkie's serious side, her personal secret, to herself, a gift Pinkie truly treasured.

Starting to feel tears come on, she then shook her head of them, adopting a smile, and blew more festive decorations down the street, any onlookers none the wiser. Come on Pinkie. We can do this. Let's make everypony smile! She assured herself, trying to ignore the ache in her breast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya let out a sigh as she left the royal library. Another dead end. Her brow then furrowed, Damnit, guess I need to go to Treno. Her search for a complete copy of the legend tied to Fratley's amnesia had turned up dry, again.

The library in Burmecia was razed when it was attacked, and the information she came upon in Garnet's castle only had cursory info concerning Kain's legend. That means I need to find some stuffy noble that has a copy, and buy it off them! Freya groaned at the prospect as she headed down into the lobby. Before she found herself too lost in thought, the crumbling of paper brought her back to where she was.

Looking down, she saw a pair of folded letters laying on the carpet. Picking them up, she saw 'To Spike' written on the side of one of them, and assumed they were both for the young dragon. Did Princess Garnet write these? After considering the notion for a moment, she pocketed the letters. Well, I can deliver them for her. It's the least I can do after what she's done.

Shortly after returning to Alexandria, Garnet had issued orders to send aid to the Burmecian refugees, along with the message of peace between the three nations. News of Brahne's death was celebrated by Freya's people, yet Freya herself found little joy in the queen's demise, which had surprised the dragon knight.

Continuing on, she reached the lower lobby, looking to lose herself in thought again. Kain, he betrayed his comrades because of mist poisoning. Is there some trickery at work concerning his lance? What if- Her thoughts were interrupted when her gaze was drawn to something pink.

Hanging from the arm of a statue, was a small girl wearing a pink and blue shirt and yellow pants, with short purple hair, and a horn. As Freya took her in, the child was also taking her in. Both were quite surprised by the unexpected encounter, and simply stared at each other for several moments before breaking the silence.

“Do you need help getting down?”

“Well, don't just stand there. Help me!”

They stated in unison, both going wide-eyed upon hearing the other. Freya then gave her a small grin as the child blushed. After moving around to get a look at how the child was caught, Freya made a short hop, surprising the child as Freya swept her up and freed her from her perch. Landing softly, Freya kneeled down, and the child gingerly put her feet on the ground. The child turned to look up to Freya, a little embarrassed.

“So, uh. Thanks! I'm Eiko Carol, from Madain Sari!” Eiko then took in Freya's features, “Are you a Burmecian?”

“Heh. I'm Freya, and yes, I am. And you're welcome.” Eiko's brow furrowed at hearing Freya's name, as if she had heard it before, but couldn't place where.

“Well, I heard what happened to Burmecia. Sorry 'bout that.” Freya was a little surprised that this child could apologize for such a thing.

Isn't she a bit young to understand what she's apologizing for? Freya thought as she shook her head.

“No one your age has any reason to apologize for my people. Still, thank you.” Freya then considered something, “So, are you a friend of the princess?” Eiko gave a quick nod.

“What about you?” Freya considered the question for a moment, before nodding in turn, making Eiko put her hands behind her back as she gave Freya a cute smile. “So, we have a friend in common! That makes us friends too!” Freya chuckled lightly, and nodded.

“Well then, Eiko, I need to find my friends, interested in helping me?” Eiko considered it for a moment, then nodded.

“We can look for my friends too, while we're at it!”

“Sounds like a plan, are they in the city?” Eiko nodded, and with that, they both moved, side by side, to the exit.

“So, what're your friends like?” Eiko asked, with genuine curiosity.

“What are they like?" Freya considered that for a moment, and found herself smiling as she reflected on them. "Well, one's a big flirt that tries to hit on any pretty face he comes across.” Freya's brow then furrowed as she adopted a sly grin, “And another likes to think she can best me at fighting monsters, heh, she sure tried.” The Festival of the Hunt felt so long ago to Freya, but she remembered it well.

“And well, the last one, she was very annoying. But, she won me over after she helped me reunite with my...” Freya found herself blushing, and Eiko looked at her eagerly, “With my betrothed.”

“Ahhhh~” Eiko let out as she gave Freya a sweet smile, “You're lucky! Sounds like you've got great friends! Just like me!”

“Do tell.”

“Well, there's the princess. She's nice and considerate and she's a summoner! Just like me!”

What? What do they summon? Freya wondered as Eiko went on, uninterrupted.

“And then there's my hero~!” She said as stars lit her eyes, then she shook her head. “But he's not in the city right now.” She nodded to herself, “Then there's this big guy, doesn't say much. We're friends, but he just doesn't get that. He's been a big help to another friend of mine...”

Eiko looked dower for a moment, making Freya pause. They had reached the moat, the boat was on the other side, and slowing working its way across to pick them up. As they waited, Eiko looked to Freya, realizing the attention her expression was drawing, and shook her head.

“My friend, she's been sad all week. It hurts, seeing her like that. She was always happy before... well...” Freya gave Eiko a sad smile as she put her hand on her shoulder.

“You don't need to talk about it. I understand,” Freya said, leaving the rest of Eiko's sentence unsaid. To Freya's surprise, she saw recognition in Eiko's eyes. She's pretty sharp for someone her age. Eiko looked to Freya, considering something before giving her a smug grin.

“My friends are better!” Eiko proudly proclaimed, and Freya was taken aback by the declaration, and wouldn't take it standing up.

“Oh? I'll have you know my friends helped me fight a powerful general, a great guardian of the grotto, and we took part in a daring rescue!”

“Well, I helped my friends break an old seal, climbed into a large and scary tree, fight a giant rock monster, oh! And we fought a hill giant that we totally blew to bits!” Freya looked at Eiko, unsure if she was telling the truth or not, as the boat arrived. Eiko, taking Freya's silence as a sign of victory, continued giving Freya a smug grin, as they boarded.

As Freya started to think of a way to one-up her comment, Eiko seemed to realize that she was missing something, and looked back to the castle in alarm.

“Freya, mind waiting for me on the other side?” She asked as she got off the boat, turning to the knight. “I dropped something, I'll go get it real quick!” Freya nodded, and seeing that, Eiko quickly ran back to the castle as the boat started taking her to the other side. As Eiko ran off, Freya realized that she not only technically lost to a child, but that she had just tried to one-up said child.

Heh. Freya shook her head with a smile as she waited to reach the other side of the moat, her thoughts drifting to her missing friends. Still. Just where are they? I'd at least expect Applejack to be around the castle, or Pinkie out and about making a ruckus. Her eyes then widened, Did, did they find a way back home? Freya now found herself torn. If that was the case, she was happy for them, but sad that she hadn't been given the chance to say goodbye. Perhaps I should have asked Garnet...

Her brow then furrowed. Where's Zidane! I need to know what happened! Disembarking from the boat, she looked back to the castle, not seeing Eiko waiting on the other side just yet. Moving up the small dock, looking for a better view of the city, she paused when she noticed a tall figure with red dreadlocks walking towards the dock. Something about the man radiated power, and a small amount of hostility, and when her eyes fell on him, she stopped. He stopped as well, and they both appraised each other for a moment.

What? What does he want? Something about the man set her off, adding to the poor mood thinking of Zidane had put her in.

“What are you staring at?” Freya asked as she slowly reached for her spear.

“Hmph,” the man began as he crossed his arms, “Just a rat looking for a fight.”

“Hah!” Freya spat out as she brought her spear out, “Try me!” the man nodded as he adopted a pair of clawed blades.

“I don't go looking for trouble, but I'll fight back if trouble finds me!” Something about the man radiated off of him, a welcome invitation. No longer hostile, but something closer to excitement. Freya gave him a sly smile.

I could really use a good fight! She thought, then she lunged towards him, thrusting her spear forward.

With starling strength, he grabbed her spear, instantly halting her attack. Bringing his other hand to punch her, Freya let go of her weapon and ducked beneath his swing, sweeping her legs under him, tripping him. He lost grasp of her spear, and Freya reclaimed it, hopping several feet back, her legs crying out in pain as she landed.

Damn! Kicking him hurt! What's he made of!? Freya paced around him as he spun back to his feet, also appraising her. This time, he made the first move, lunging towards her.

Freya jumped over his charge, bringing her spear down on his exposed back. To her surprise, he managed to parry her attack with one of his claws, as if sensing the coming, unseen blow.

It didn't take too long for Freya to figure out the logistics of this duel. He had power. She had speed. Realizing that, she adopted a smug grin as she dodged a coming blow. As long as I avoid his grasp, this fight's as good as mine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Onlookers
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two Alexandrian guards looking over the dock stared on as the red and green warrior fought. The two combatants moved so quickly that it was difficult for one of the guards to follow, so she simply looked to her friend with a small smile.

“Well, Celeste, they're disturbing the peace. Aren't you going to arrest them?” Celeste looked to her friend as if she was mad.

“I don't feel like signing up for an early retirement, thank you very much!” She then gave out a small sigh, “And besides, one of them is a Burmecian. After what our forces did...” She then shook her head, “If you wanna stop them, Tina, go right ahead.”

“I ... think I'll just watch.” Then Tine's brow furrowed as she looked back to the two fighters, “Or, at least try too.”

“Wow,” an unexpected voice stated from behind them, dragging their eyes away from the spectacle, “I kinda want to paint their portrait.”

“Realm!?” The two guards stated in unison.

“It's been so long!” Tina admitted as she gave the South Gate attendant a hug. “Did you come for the coronation?” She asked her friend, and Realm gave a small shrug, then gave them a grin as she pulled out a portrait she had painted several weeks ago.

“Well, the cable cars can't run without mist, so I'm out of a job. Still! I ran into the Master Hunter while working. It was awesome!” Celeste and Tina took in the portrait, always welcome to see what she drew. A small dragon, clothed in robes and a wizardly hat, standing over a fallen monster, fire and ice summoned in his claws.

“Hey, isn't that-” Celeste began.

“Spike!?” Tina interjected, recalling the purple dragon they met outside the gates of Alexandria several weeks ago. “So, that's where the little guy's been!”

“Oooo~~ Did someone say Spike!” A bubbly voice rang out from behind them, and they all turned to a pink pony dressed in a blue robe and hat, splotched in paint. “Wow~ What an awesome picture!” The pony then looked to Realm, giving her a big smile. Something seemed off about the smile to Tina, but Realm took her words in and returned a smile of her own.

“Spike's a friend of mine,” the pink mare continued, “he's just the most amazing dragon ever~! This one time-” she was interrupted when her eyes fell upon the two combatants, all but forgotten by the soldiers and tram attendant.

“Freya?” The pinkie mare asked allowed, surprise dominating her features as the others shared a confused look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knicks, cuts, bruises, sprains. Both combatants sported superficial wounds. Neither have been able to land a solid blow on the other. And Freya was enjoying every second of it. And she could tell that he was too.

They lunged at each other again, a fire in her eyes, his aura matching her radiance. They passed each other, sporting new cuts as Freya pivoted, using her spear to quicken her turn. She was in the zone, and nothing was going to break her out of it, short of passing out, or winning.

“Freya?”

No, not even the voice of a dearly missed friend was going to distract her as she jumped high, putting her weight behind her spear as she landed down towards her foe.

“Freya~~!!”

Not even the annoying shrill of said friend screaming out in joy would detract her, as her foe caught her spear as she came down. The ground underneath him cracked as he stood unflinching. Freya staring at him wide-eyed as he swung her spear in his grasp. He let go of the spear, sending her flying back. She caught herself on the side of a building, and jumped towards him. Not even the sound of a party cannon firing a pony was going to-

Wait-

Freya's climatic duel came to a crashing end as a ball of pink and blue collided with her in mid air. The force of the impact caused one of the letters to fly out of Freya's clothes, and the wind was knocked out of her as both she and Pinkie ended up crashing into the moat.

Freya and Pinkie both surfaced at the same time, Freya desperately taking in air, while Pinkie let out a heartfelt giggle, helping Freya back to shore as the warrior collected herself. The dip in the moat had washed away the fire that had been driving Freya moments before, now simply replaced with confusion.

After getting out of the moat, Freya looked to Pinkie, not sure if she should be happy, or upset that her fight had been interrupted. Pinkie decided for her, surprising the dragon knight with a firm hug.

“P-Pinkie?” Freya asked, suddenly feeling as though something was off about the friend she was now happy to see. She could feel the mare's shoulders trembling, prompting Freya to recall how they had parted. She, She must have been so worried. Freya adopted a warm smile as she returned the hug.

“Freya, I'm glad your okay.” Pinkie got out as she shoulders stopped shaking. “Like, really, really glad. So glad, I'm crying. It's funny, right?” Freya gave a small nod, that Pinkie felt more than saw.

“I'm glad to see you too, Pinkie... Heh, I was starting to worry that you returned to Equestria without saying goodbye.”

“A-As if!” Pinkie proclaimed as she separated herself from Freya, rubbing her eyes before giving her a wide smile.

“Pinkie, Freya, you okay!?” Eiko's voice called out, and Freya saw that the boat was just returning, and the small child was using some sort of spell to float over the water towards them.

Wait, so Eiko is friends with Pinkie-

“So,” the voice of the man Freya had been dueling began, also drawing the knight's attention, “This Burmecian is a friend too?” He asked to Pinkie, who quickly nodded.

“Hey, Freya?” Pinkie asked as she composed herself, helping Freya to her feet, who was surprised that the big man and Pinkie were acquainted.

“Yes?” Freya asked, trying to block out her surprise and focus her attention where it needed to be.

“Is your schedule clear for that biiiig welcome back party I promised you?” Freya immediately recalled the promise Pinkie made to her outside Burmecia, and gave the mare an honest smile.

“Well, the rest of my people are at the Grotto, but I wouldn't mind a small party, just for us.” And that got another hug from the mare, and they both shared a moment of pure mirth.

“Freya?” Another unexpected voice drew the knights attention. Zidane stood back a bit, taking in what was going on. “Well I'll be,” he began as he adopted a slightly smug grin.

“Hey, Zidane!” Pinkie began as she got up, leading Freya to him, the others following. “Looky what I-” Then Pinkie's eyes widened as she took in someone behind Zidane.

“Freya!?” The orange mare asked as she looked from the gates, seeing nearly all her friends gathered together near the moat. “Aren't ya a sight fer sore eyes!” Applejack quickly trotted up to join them, whatever poor mood she just had, dispelled by all the friendly faces.

“Hey, AJ! Looky what I~ caught!” Pinkie proclaimed as she pushed Freya forward, who looked completely flustered as she looked between Zidane and Applejack.

“Well," Freya began, trying to sound composed, "looks like we have some catching up to do-” She was caught off guard when Applejack gave her a fierce hug.

“Yer darn right we do, you silly oaf! Glad yer okay!” Applejack heartily let out, and before she could abandon the hug, Freya found herself pinned between two mares. Zidane started to laugh as he saw Freya desperately try to free herself from the pony sandwich, only to become more exasperated when Eiko joined the hug with a big grin on her face.

“Best glad-to-see-you-hug ever~~!!” Pinkie declared as Freya resigned herself to her fate, all while Zidane stood laughing, and Amarant looked on, his aura giving off a content color.

And afterwards, they all sat before the moat, oblivious to onlookers, as they shared the stories they had made since their parting, when they were last in Alexandria together. All with a smile on their faces. Amarant nodded to himself, satisfied, the aura Pinkie radiated, shined brightly, for now, free of loss.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'I always seem to be somewhere else when all the hugs are divvied out... Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya Crescent

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Partisan: Lancer(mastered), High Tide

Gold Helm: ~~Mental Break~~ Reis's Wind(mastered), Clear Headed

Thunder Gloves: Devil Killer, Add Status

Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Raises Thunder Elem-Atk

Mythril Armor: Jelly, Cover(mastered)

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%

Emerald: ~~Haste~~, MP+10%, White Draw

Lvl-25 HP 1675/1675 MP 98/98

AP 0/30

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Distract (5) - Lowers enemy's physical attack accuracy.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Undead Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to undead enemies.

Dragon Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to dragons.

Devil Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to demons.

Man Eater (2) - Deals lethal damage to humans.

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Cover (6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

*Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

*Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

Abilities:

Jump: Action Command - Jump high, becoming untargetable for a time, before spearing your foe.

Dragon Magic:

Lancer 10 MP - Reduces the enemy's HP and MP.

Reis's Wind 12 MP - Casts Regen on all party members.

White Draw 36 MP - Restores MP of all party members.

Trance - Increases attack power, and Jump attacks all targets and doesn't end until Trance ends.

Author's Note

One big happy reunion!
Major thanks to you, and all the other readers, who are almost as awesome as you!
Thanks to Seiya and OCisbestpony for the yadie-dahs

Just me talking out loud, pay me no mind:
Back in college, I don't recall what class it was, I learned of a concept that I've found myself drawn to concerning Pinkie. The idea that we, as people, wear different masks for our social bubbles. Like, the person I am at work is different from the person sitting in front of the computer, or different from the person that interacts with my parents. A mask for friends, close friends, family, strangers, lovers. It makes me wonder, what does it mean, to be you, to someone else? To be who you are, without the masks, to another person.
I feel that someone that know's who you are, without the mask, and cares about you, is very precious, important, someone to hold on too.
I'm of the mind, and it's just my silly opinion, that when Pinkie saw the sonic rainboom, she gained her very first, and likely only mask. The smiling party pony.
Or maybe I'm just letting my own headcannon and thinking stuffs run loose.:applejackunsure:
Well, either way, I hope it's adding to the story, and not detracting from it.
I'm curious, what do you think about this? Are the masks we wear for real, or just some social/psychological nonsense we as people made up to make our lives easier?
And if you do believe in this masks idea, how many people do you trust with your true face?
You don't have to answer, as I said, just me talking out loud...
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

40. The Prelude pt.5

Zidane stood separate from the others as they filled Freya in. As time passed, he looked to the castle, his arms crossed as he resisted the urge to tap his foot. He then frowned at his own impatience.

Aaahhh! Just what have I gotten myself into! he thought in annoyance. He was use to chasing pretty faces, but it was different for Dagger. For the first time, Zidane had fallen for another, and he wasn't handling it very well, considering said other was a princess.

“You should have said you were friends with Zidane and Pinkie!” Eiko declared after Applejack had finished filling Freya in on their adventure on the Outer Continent. Hearing his name pulled him out of his head, and he saw Freya give Eiko a look, as if suggesting those words applied to the young summoner just as well.

Zidane sighed to himself. Look at me! Freya's back! And I'm stuck in my own problems! Zidane shook his head and tried to refocus on the ones he cared for in front of him. Seeing a lapse in the conversation, he took the opportunity to catch Applejack's eye. He then saw her quickly glance to the castle, then back to him, and he nodded. I guess she found something, we need to talk to Dagger.

“So, how about-” Zidane began, but was cut off when Pinkie let out a loud gasp, the mare clearly coming up with a brilliant idea.

“We should totally see Dagger~!” Pinkie then quickly gave Zidane a knowing smile, “Let's go see her~!” And then Zidane watched in amazement as she ushered the others onto the boat, including Amarant. Zidane glanced to Applejack again, and they shared a smile as they got on the boat too.

Beating both of us to the punch. Good one, Pinkie. Zidane thought bemusedly as they started to cross the moat.

“Did you find anything?” Eiko asked Applejack as she gave the mare an appraising look.

“Oh boy, did I. Garnet needs to know, we all need to know. This concerns all of us- no, not just us, but everyone on Gaia!” Zidane's brow furrowed, seeing that the time for resting and avoiding the princess had truly come to an end.

“What is it?” Freya asked.

“I'll tell ya when we see Garnet. I'm gonna have to repeat this to Spike tomorrow night, and it's a lot to take in.”

“Spike's returning tomorrow?” Pinkie asked, getting a nod from Eiko and Applejack.

“He said he'd be back the night before Dagger becomes queen.” Eiko affirmed.

“Oh, oh!” Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced up and down, “We can do the party tomorrow night then! A pre-coronation-seeing-friends-again-party~~!”

Zidane nodded, taking in his friends interactions as he appraised Pinkie, then himself. Seeing Freya seemed to do the mare a lot of good, there wasn't any trace of the gloom that's been over her for the last week, and Zidane was happy for her for it.

Dagger... She's going to stay behind and look after Alexandria. Is this goodbye? Zidane thought as his brow furrowed, being dragged back into his troubles. Aaahhh! What am I suppose to do? I want her to go with us, but she's better off looking after her kingdom-

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Pinkie put her hoof on his shoulder. She was giving him one of her golden smiles, and with it, he couldn't help but be pulled away from his doubts. A thought occurred to Zidane, and he adopted a sly grin.

“Hey, isn't Pinkie suppose to be spending the day alone?” He asked in a teasing manner.

“That's what Applejack said!” Eiko affirmed as she stood close to Pinkie.

“Applejack smapplejack~!” Pinkie declared, “Freya's here, and I'm feeling better than ever!” Applejack rolled her eyes before disembarking, the boat just finished it's crossing. “And besides, it's time for the big important info dump Applejack has for us!” Freya shook her head at the way Pinkie phrased it, before turning to the others.

“Princess Garnet seemed busy ealier,” Freya admitted, “We may have to wait before we can talk to her.”

“I really doubt that.” Applejack affirmed as they entered the castle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Your Own Boss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger let out a sigh as she returned to her bedroom, walking over to her bed and falling unceremoniously on it. She'd gotten the tedious paperwork involved with getting a coronation together, and was done being a responsible princess for the day. She then groaned to herself as she realized she'd be dealing with the nobility tomorrow.

Taking in her room, she saw the gemstones Dr. Tot had returned to her on the table, as well as the Falcon Claw and Cleyran gemstone. And once again, her eyes fell to her travel robes, and her royal gown.

Alexandria was a mess. Her mother made sure of that. The princess has been spending the entire week trying to fix what she could. She accomplished all the needed leg-work, now all that was left was getting back the liberties her mother gave to the nobles to spare herself the tedious work of running the kingdom.

Treno's current state was a byproduct of Brahne's negligence, and Dagger wasn't going to be making any friends in the nobility tomorrow. But, she wasn't worried, she had been preparing for such tasks expected of the queen for as long as she could remember. Dr. Tot and her father made sure of that.

A knock on the door pulled her away from her moment's respite. Hearing that it was Beatrix, Dagger got off her comfortable bed and composed herself, bidding the general enter. Beatrix saluted her as she informed that Applejack had returned with important news, and that she brought the others.

Zidane's here!? Dagger thought as she adopted a smile, surprising Beatrix.

“Let them know I'll see them in the banquet hall, have the cooks get a feast going!” She then considering something a moment before nodding. “I'd like you and Dr. Tot to attend as well.” She immediately ordered, which surprised Beatrix even more. She then adopted a smile of her own, and saluted to Dagger, leaving to carry out her orders.

One last time, Dagger looked between her robe, and gown, and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Isn't this a bit ... much?” Applejack asked as she eyed the stream of food being placed on the long table. Zidane wanted to make fun of her comment, but instead sat at the table, quietly eyeing the food, seeing it as another piece of evidence for the distance between him and the princess. Freya, however, was more than eager to mock the pony.

“Aren't you friends with a princess back in Equestria?” Freya asked with a smug smile, getting a look of surprise from the pony. “Shouldn't you be use to this sort of treat?”

“If only for my parties~!” Pinkie added, giving Applejack an aside glance. “Whatcha gotta say that we can't eat over. Is it really bad?” Applejack nodded, making Freya's grin disappear as she also eyed the food before them. “Oohh~ Don't be like that! If it's bad news, then good food makes it go down smoother~!”

Pinkie then noticed an empty seat next to her and looked around in confusion. “Come on over~” She declared, patting the empty chair as her eyes fell to Amarant, who was standing at the edge of the room with his arms crossed. “You can sit next to me!”

“I'm fine here.” He stoically replied before looking to Applejack, “Does this concern Kuja?”

“Yes. I think.” Applejack replied, giving a slightly unsure look. “That aside, it certainly concerns you, and the rest of us. Garnet too.” And as if on cue, Zidane could hear the sound of the princess approaching, the patter of her boots recognizable to the rogue as he turned to the door.

He was quite surprised to see her wearing her travel robes. When she entered the room, she gave everyone a bright smile. Not as the princess of Alexandria, but as their friend. Zidane couldn't help but grin, hope lighting in his chest.

Maybe, it'll all be alright... Zidane thought as Beatrix and Dr. Tot entered the room, shortly after Dagger. Dr. Tot sat at the table, while Beatrix took her place near the princess.

“So,” Dagger began as she took a seat at the head of the table, “What did you find out?” Applejack looked over her company, clearly bothered that Spike was away, but still, after taking in a deep breath, addressed them.

“Well...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Taking Stock:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I wonder if Applejack found anything in the Evil forest.” Spike spoke out, getting Mois' attention. She considered his words as she looked over a pile of opened chests, organizing the contents within.

“Well, if she doesn't, maybe we'll have some luck!” She assured as she quickly glanced in the direction the Blue Narciss was traveling.

The ship wasn't too far from the Outer Continent, and Spike presumed they would be there in a couple hours. Looking to the sky, the sun was peaking out from under the horizon. The Equestrian horizon, presenting the evening sunrise.

Equestria loomed over the Outer Continent. Most of the day was shrouded in it's shadow, with light gracing the land for about an hour after dawn and before sunset. Spike saw it once, it was if the Outer Continent had two sunrises and sunsets, for when the sun vanished behind Equestria, or revealed itself near the end of the day, the sun burned red around the world's rim. Despite the foreboding looking up to Equestria instilled in him, he still fell in awe to the new spectacle that was the beginning and end of the day for the Outer Continent.

I wonder how the dwarves are taking this? Or the Black Mages? Spike really wanted to check on both, but he wouldn't have enough time too.

Return to the Iifa Tree, search it for two hours, and leave for Alexandria. He thought to himself again, making sure he stayed on track. Spike didn't want to be late to the coronation, and he also had a good amount of gifts for his friends. He eyed the pile of treasure chests again. Gems of all kinds, powerful looking weapons and armor, and gil. A plethora to provide the others when it was time to continue their pursuit of Kuja.

“Hmmm.” Mois began as she counted the chests. “I think we missed one, kupo!”

“Missed a chest?” Spike had thought they had opened all of them, and the idea that there was still one more mystery to open started to excite the young dragon.

“Yep! Kupo! We didn't open all of them! I'll go track down the last one! It's bound to be on the ship somewhere! Kupo!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was quiet around the table. No one was eating, they were all too busy digesting what Applejack had told them. I suspected something big was going on since running into Applejack and Spike. Zidane thought, But not this! Our world is on the chopping block! His brow then furrowed, Deathguise, and old castle, mirrors, realm of memories, the core, elements and bearers of harmony... Looking to the others, he saw that no one was up for asking her questions, just yet, so he decided to go first.

“So, what are the Elements of Harmony? And how are we Gaia's bearers?” Applejack looked to him, a little surprised she hadn't told them.

“Well, the Elements of Harmony are crystals that my friends and I used to save Equestria several times. The crystals themselves don't work on their own, only working when all their bearers used them, together. I was honesty, Pinkie was laughter.”

“So,” Freya began, “does this mean Gaia has these Elements of Harmony too?”

“I'm ... not sure.” Applejack admitted as she adopted a considering look. “Deathguise didn't say outright, but implied it, and I didn't think to ask,” she admitted as she looked to the ground.

“It's okay Applejack,” Dagger assured, “it was a lot to take in. I'm just glad we finally have some answers.”

“...Why us?” Freya asked Applejack, looking troubled that, suddenly, the weight of two worlds rested on their shoulders.

“I donno, and I really wish I did. For my friends and myself, it was a part of our destiny. Maybe it's the same fer ya'll?” She answered with a shrug.

“...Applejack,” Dagger began, “your friend, Twilight, she said that magic between both worlds was becoming shared, right?” Applejack nodded, “Maybe, when the pink wave washed over Gaia, Equestria's magic mixed with ours. I felt a strange sensation come over me when the wave hit.” Zidane nodded, and Eiko and Freya shared a look of recognition.

“When the wave hit,” Applejack said a she looked to Dagger, “You and Zidane were washed with a colorful light-”

“Eiko and Amarant were the same...” Pinkie interrupted, who suddenly looked dower upon mention of the pink wave. Eiko immediately put her hand on the mare, which helped dispel the short lived gloom over Pinkie, as she looked to Eiko with a smile.

“Well,” Freya began, “I did feel a strange sensation when the wave passed over me.” Dagger nodded as she looked to Applejack.

“So, maybe we became bearers when that happened?” The princess asked, and Applejack nodded.

“I mean, that makes sense to me.” Applejack said resolutely, getting an odd look from Eiko.

“You ... seem pretty together, Applejack.” Eiko admitted. “I mean, saving the world. That's big!” she then adopted a weak smile, “But I'm not scared!”

“Welllll~” Pinkie began as she patted Eiko on the head, easing the child's nerves, “Applejack and I have done it before! It's no big deal, really!” Silence followed her words for half a minute before Dagger spoke up.

“I guess ... this means it will be a bit before I settle down on the throne.” Dagger admitted, her voice lacking disappointment, which Zidane took notice of.

“I think the coronation should still go as planned.” Beatrix quickly affirmed, “Afterwards, you may wish to consult with Regent Cid on this matter.” Dagger nodded to the council before looking to Freya.

“Will the Burmecian Plateau manage without you, for a time?” Freya considered the question for a minute, before nodding, then looked over the others, still a little overwhelmed with the turn of events.

“I can see loyalty,” Freya began as she held her hand to her chest, then looked to Applejack, “honesty,” then Pinkie, “and laughter. But could someone help me with the others.” Before the others could respond, Amarant scoffed, getting everyone's attention.

“Deathguise is full of it,” he proclaimed, “Kindness?” He shook his head at the very notion, and many of the others shared that sentiment, “It's all just a distraction from Kuja.” They all fell silent to his suggestion, before Eiko shook her head.

“I see kindness.” Eiko admitted resolutely as she looked to Amarant, who gave a weak shrug, “And I can understand generosity.” She added as she blushed lightly, avoiding the stares of the others. “I think what that monster said fits. Still, aren't I a bit young for this?”

“I thought you weren't scared.” Applejack said with a smug grin, getting a frown from Eiko.

“Right, right." She replied as she rolled her eyes. "Well, it's clear to me that you all need my help for this anyways!” Eiko then looked to Zidane. “So, Dagger is magic, what are Spike and Zidane?”

“Deathguise said that Zidane would fight Indolence.” Dagger started, then quickly looked to Dr. Tot, who caught her expression.

“I do believe the opposite of that would be Diligence.” Dr. Tot suggested, adopting a contemplative look, “And perhaps the young dragon represents Purity? Eight elements, pieces that represent harmony, I think those two would fit into that motif.” He then nodded to himself, continuing on without noticing the others.

“Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Diligence, Purity, Magic. One of those doesn't fit. Magic is more of a neutral term that could work towards harmony or chaos. Perhaps Magic is a placeholder for something more encompassing...” He thought, then noticed the looks the others were giving him and gave an old smile. “Oh, don't mind the ramblings of an old scholar.”

“So,” Zidane started, “The eight of us need to save two worlds...” Freya looked to Zidane, then shook her head.

“Well, the idea of saving Gaia and Equestria is a bit big for me.” Freya admitted as she looked to the others. “Burmecia, and my friends, that I can understand. I know what I need to protect.” She affirmed, nodding to herself. “When do we head out?”

Zidane looked to Dagger, and saw she was looking at him. His eyes met hers, and the very last of his doubts vanished. There was a fire burning in those eyes. He now knew that he was going to help her reach the end of her path, regardless of where his own path took him.

“After the coronation.” Zidane stated, “We can find this castle, and the mirrors. Kuja can wait, this is bigger than him.”

“No.” Beatrix and Amarant said in unison, surprised everyone, including the speakers. Beatrix looked to Amarant, who simply shrugged, and she continued. “He's part of the problem. He's just as involved as the rest of you. He is not someone who should be ignored. I wouldn't be surprised if pursuing him lead you to this castle.”

“She's right.” Applejack added, which surprised the general. “The tree, and what happened there, was all Kuja's doing. We can get answers from him. And maybe, we can even make him stop this entire ritual. Kuja and this castle both lead to saving Gaia and Equestria. We'll see which we can manage first.”

“I was thinking about Kuja earlier.” Dagger admitted, “I saw him in Treno, at the Auction House, back before I was captured. It's possible the nobles in the city know something.”

“Princess,” Beatrix began, “you're being coronated in two days. The people are worried, what with a new world and moon appearing in the skies, they see it as a poor omen. It would be best if you stayed in the city, until the coronation is completed. If you go to Treno, someone is bound to notice.” Dagger's brow furrowed as she looked to the others.

“I'll go to Treno,” Zidane began. “I know a guy who can fill me in on what the nobles know.” Thinking of Treno brought on a good idea considering one of his friends. “Pinkie, I think you should come with me.”

“Me??” She asked is surprise.

“There are a lot of frowns in Treno, maybe you could work you magic while I'm over there?”

“If Pinkie's going, I'm going!” Eiko declared.

“I think I'll go too.” Freya added, “There's something I want to look into as well.”

“Well,” Dr. Tot started as he looked to the others, “if you're intending to go to Treno, I'll have to accompany you. I know where this castle is, I just need to double check the old globe at home. And we can use Gargan Roo to get to Treno in short order.”

“Wait, you know where it is!?” Applejack said, matching the others surprise.

“Yes. It's Ipsen's castle. A castle named after a old explorer could only refer to him. The castle in question is on the Forgotten Continent. The reason I need to check the map, is because the Forgotten Continent has no beaches, it's surrounded by steep, rocky cliffs. With any luck, I can find the where Ipsen made landfall. You see, the ocean waves crush ships against the cliffs, thus the Forgotten Continent has been left untouched by all but the explorer.”

“If that's true,” Eiko began with a smug tone, “then why's there a castle on it?” Dr. Tot simply shrugged in response as he looked to Applejack.

“That castle may have a means for you to return home, as it's implied in Ipsen's records that he journeyed to Equestria through a long abandoned castle.” Applejack looked to Pinkie, wide-eyed at this news, and they both shared a brief hopeful smile as Dr. Tot looked to Dagger.

“Then, after the coronation,” Dagger said as she looked to her friends, “We'll return to the Outer Continent.” That got a confused look from all but Pinkie and Applejack. “The Black Mage's said that Kuja resides in a palace beyond Sanctuary, the Iifa Tree.” Recognition dawned on Zidane's face as Pinkie and Applejack nodded.

“So, we go back, and storm the palace~! That'll show that big meany~!”

“Don't ya need to talk to Cid?” Applejack asked.

“He'll be here for the coronation. We'll talk then.”

“In that case,” Freya started as she got up from the table, “I need to collect my things before heading to Treno. We should leave soon, night is upon us.”

“Oh~! I need to get some thing together too if I'm gonna be bringing the smiles!” Pinkie declared as she got from her seat, nodding to Eiko, who smiled as she hopped on the mare's back. The three of them thanked Dagger for the meal, though little was eaten, and left the hall. Zidane got up as well, but before departing, caught Dagger's eye.

“Zidane,” She began, quietly, “I'd like it if we could talk, after you get back.” He was surprised, but quickly hid it as he nodded to her, giving her a sure look.

“You can count on it, I'll tell you all about how I wrestled the answers to Kuja's nefarious deeds in Treno, just you wait!” He said with a smug grin, getting a smile from Dagger, making Zidane feel as though he was king of the world.

Bidding her and Applejack a 'see you later', he left, not surprised to see Amarant following Pinkie ahead of him. Thinking of what lay before him, he couldn't help but smile.

It's been a while since I last dug up some dirt on the nobles, this should be fun! It wasn't the task he was looking forward to, but the embellished retelling he would deliver to Dagger on his return. Feeling energized, he gave up walking, and instead ran out of the castle to the moat, passing Freya and Amarant. As he passed Pinkie, they both shared a pure smile, both of them looking forward to tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Only the bravest of moogles wander in the Forgotten Continent. The monsters there are strange, and there are places there that defy sense! The Forgotten Continent is the longest continent, residing to the west of the Mist Continent.'

'Around this time, the dwarves abandoned Conde Petie, migrating to the eastern side of the Outer Continent, which received more daylight then the home nestled so close to the Iifa Tree. Most everyone else would have left ealier, but the dwarves are quite stubborn. Kupo!'

~~~~~~

Zidane

~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Rune Tooth: Lucky Seven(mastered)

Add ST: Poison.

Ritual Hat: Counter(mastered), Bright Eyes(mastered), Undead Killer(mastered)

Mythril Armlet: Bug Killer(mastered)

Brigandine: Ability Up(mastered), ~~Return Magic~~

Black Belt: HP+20%(mastered), Beast Killer(mastered), ~~Demi~~

Lvl-30 HP 1764/1764 MP 124/124

AP 1/34

Auto-Reflect (15) - Automatically casts Reflect in battle.

HP+20% (8) - Increases HP by 20%.

Distract (5) - Lowers enemy's physical attack accuracy.

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Stone Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to stone enemies.

Undead Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to undead enemies.

Devil Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to demons.

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Man Eater (2) - Deals lethal damage to humans.

*Steal Gil (5) - Steal Gil along with items.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

Counter (8) - Counterattacks when physically attacked.

*Protect Girls(4) - You take damage in place of a girl.

Body Temp (4) - Prevents Freeze and Heat.

*Alert (4) - Prevents back attacks.

*Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Flee-Gil (3) - Receive Gil even when running from battle.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

Locomotion (4) - Prevents Stop.

Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

*Mug (3) - Damages enemy when you Steal.

*Bandit (5) - Raises success rate of Steal.

Abilities:

Steal: Action Command - Steal an item from the enemy.

Skill:

Flee 0 MP - Escape from battle with high probability.

Detect 0 MP - See the enemy's items.

What's That!? 2 MP - Allows back attack.

Soul Blade 6 MP - Draws out the hidden power of thief swords.

Annoy 4 MP - Cause Trouble to the target.

Sacrifice 32 MP - Sacrifice yourself to restore HP and MP to the other party members.

Lucky Seven 6 MP - Deals physical damage by luck.

Trance - Physical damage multiplied by 1.5, Gain access to the Dyne Skills

Author's Note

Three more parts, and then we dive right into the fire! Also, part 6, Spike!
Talking heads! I really hope these chapters don't feel like they're dragging on.
Man, Zidane has a lot of passive abilities. It's like he's suppose to be the main character of a game or something.
The help, it came from across America. I recognize it, Seiya! OCisbestpony! Thank you!
The Readers, they came from all across the world. To them, I thank as well!

The Hypothetical Game:
A very believable source tells you that you and seven of your friends need to live, if any of you die, earth blows up. How would you react? What would you do?
Try and convince the government?
Go on an epic quest to not die?
Learn Kung-fu?
Tell your people that it was a good run, see you on the other side?
Hold the world hostage?

I would try to ignore it and go on with my normal boring life, trying to finish at least this story before it all ends. Then the others would end up dragging me into whatever crazy plan they cooked up, and I would begrudgingly follow them, hoping it doesn't end in tears.

41. Slew of Love Letters

Spike took in the final sunset, the sky being painted in all manor of colors. Seeing the sky like that reminded him of his conversation with Applejack over a week ago, and he felt his chest ache. He then shook his head, trying to distract himself from the sensation as he appraised a particular gemstone from his treasure pile.

It was an Emerald, and a fairly large one at that. Most gemstones he's found were as big as a single claw, this particular Emerald was as big as his hand. It was also cut into the shape of a four-pointed diamond, and now that it was getting dark, he noticed that it seemed to give off a small glow.

He felt no new powers from it, and was really considering eating the tasty looking treat. However, looking at the gemstone, he couldn't help but be reminded of a certain Fire Ruby, and a certain mare. With Rarity suddenly appearing on his mind, Spike was now starting to feel conflicted.

Ever since leaving Alexandria a week ago, he's found his thoughts drifting towards Applejack more often then Rarity. His heart would start to beat faster as he thought of the armored mare, as he once did for Rarity. Spike shook his head as his mind started to wander towards Applejack again.

No! Come on Spike! Rarity is waiting for me, I, I can't be distracted... Yet, he still found himself thinking about how Applejack's been looking out for him, and how she's come to rely on him. Not as an adorable cutesie-wootsie-assistant, but as a friend on equal standing.

The young dragon let out a conflicted groan as he looked to Equestria. He then looked back to the large Emerald, trying to use it to distract himself again from the self imposed problem, and was struck with an idea.

Oh! I know! I should give this to Eiko! He recalled that Eiko and Dagger learned eidolons from gemstones, and felt that Eiko would appreciate the Emerald more than the princess. Thinking on it, he was now very certain she would love it. Nodding to himself with a smile, he put the gem away, but not before noting that it matched Applejack's eyes. He let out an annoyed sigh, and coming up with a better idea, pulled out the Garnet with Twilight's name on it, and feeling closer to home with it in his claws, he let his mind wander towards the sky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun had set several minutes ago, and Eiko couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. She was sitting on the castle side of the moat, at the dock's pier. The pier itself was on a lower level from the castle grounds, separated from the castle by several feet of stairs and a water fountain. She had been expecting Pinkie or Zidane to be here, waiting for the others, but it appeared she was the first to arrive. So she sat there, kicking her feet over the side of the dock, her shoes inches from the water as she let out a sad sigh.

I can't believe I lost the letter that the nerdy philosopher helped me write! Her brow furrowed for a moment before she let out an annoyed sigh. Guess I'll just have to write it again, it was pretty short. She then looked over the water, the moonlight reflecting on it. Still, I lost the other one too. She felt conflicted on the second letter, she didn't like it as much as the one she had help with, but, she had written it for Spike. I kinda wish I still had it.

“Blank... There's no one here...” an unexpected voice stated from above Eiko's perch, making her jump in surprise, prompting her to look around and see who was talking. Peaking over the corner, she saw two suspicious characters talking near the water fountain.

“Well Marcus, that just means I'm early.” The man called Blank proclaimed with a nod. He seemed to be very happy about something, and Eiko couldn't help but wonder why.

“Maybe...” Marcus reluctantly said as he gave Blank a cross look. “Still, I wonder, just who wrote you that love letter?”

Love letter!? Eiko thought, wide-eyed, as Blank bashfully scratched the back of his head.

“Well, just read the letter! I bet she's beautiful!” Eiko was so engrossed with their conversation that she failed to notice Zidane arrive by the boat, quietly moving next to her, sharing in her stealthful peeping.

“Really?” Marcus asked, still doubtful, “You sure you didn't write it yourself? I mean, you caught the letter falling from the floor above you, right?”

“I'm telling you, she was too shy to hand me the letter herself! And if you don't think I'm a ladies man, you're wrong. Chicks are really into someone as good looking as-”

“Someone's comin'!” Marcus stated in surprise as he turned to the sound of someone wearing heels approaching. “Good luck man, guess you were right!” And Marcus ran down the stairs. He then stopped when he saw the two innocent observers, and Eiko was even more surprised to finally notice Zidane. Zidane made a 'quiet' motion to the two of them, giving them a sly grin. Eiko took up Zidane's grin, her heart racing at witnessing a romantic rendezvous.

Not missing a beat, Marcus adopted Zidane's smile, and joined the pair as they mischievously spied on Blank. Eiko saw a woman with gray hair wearing a light blue bandanna and dress approach Blank, looking quite surprised.

“Blank, I didn't expect ta see you! The letter-”

“R-Ruby!?” Blank asked in complete shock, and from the corner of her eye, Eiko saw Zidane and Marcus adopt the same look. Seeing both of their silly, shocked faces, perfectly mirroring Blank's, made Eiko cover her mouth, concealing her grin.

“Look ... darlin', I really didn't think ya had it in you.” Ruby said a she adopted an embarrassed smile, “I'm really glad to see ya here tonight.” Blank looked like he was put on the spot, caught completely off guard for this encounter. She moved closer to him, a look in her eyes that made Eiko's heart beat faster. Eiko tried to lean closer, to better hear the conversation, and saw her company was doing the same. “Blank, after what I heard 'bout the Evil Forest, I was so, so-”

“Who's out there!?” A familiar mare cried out from the castle, making Ruby look to the source in shock. Blank was too flustered to assure that it was just a friend, and Ruby grabbed him by the hand, pulling him along with alarming force, causing a letter to fall from out of his pocket, as they ran down to the dock to hide. They took up a spot behind the double stairs opposite of where the three onlookers were peeping from. When Ruby noticed Zidane and Marcus, her face matched her namesake, and Zidane and Marcus shared a very sheepish, and concerned look. Concern for themselves.

The sound of hooves striking cobblestone drew their attention, and no one felt particularly keen on being caught in ... whatever wrong they assumed Applejack would have thought they were in. Eiko saw the orange mare appraise the castle courtyard before letting out a sigh, moving close to the fountain.

“Darn it, we don't need anyone snoopin' around the castle. Not right now.” Applejack admitted as she looked over the moat, failing to catch sight of the five individuals hiding from her.

Of the five, only three of them were worried of being found. Eiko and Zidane shared a light smile, enjoying seeing the nervousness wracking the other three. Ruby wasn't keen on the notion of being found out by somepony she's never met, and Blank seemed to be completely terrified about being caught.

“What's this?” Applejack asked as she picked up a letter resting next to the fountain, reading it's contents.

“'When the night sky wears the moon as its pendant, I shall await you at the dock'...” Applejack looked over the letter, the apples in her head turning as she looked to the moon, high in the sky. “Wait... Is this, a love letter!?” She stood there for a moment, looking over the letter again, and she started to turn red. “Did, did somepony leave it here, fer me!?”

Looks like my letter turned up! Eiko thought as she held her mouth shut, keeping her surprised amusement contained-

“Ah, Applejack, you came.” Freya's voice trialed out through the night. Eiko's stifled laugh instantly died as she looked to Zidane, wide-eyed, who looked back to her, mirroring the expression, and they both quickly peeked over to see Applejack looking to Freya, looking completely baffled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Y-you were waitin' fer me!?” Applejack asked as Freya approached her. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is! Applejack mentally pleaded to nopony in particular.

“Was it wrong of me to assume?” Freya asked, stopping a pace from Applejack.

“I-It's just, well, huh?” She left me the letter!?

“Applejack. I've had something on my mind as of late. I want you to hear me out.”

She did!

“Y-Yer serious!?” Applejack took a panicked step back as Freya took a step forward. Freya looked confused as she looked to Applejack.

“I'm quite serious. It's only you. I can't trust any other.”

“Freya, this is just, too sudden! I mean, I'm a mare! And what about Fratley!?” Freya tilted her head, looking a little surprised by Applejack's reply. Applejack thought she heard bubbles coming from the fountain, but giving it her attention was far removed from her flustered mind.

“Applejack, whether you're a mare or not doesn't matter!” Freya stated, almost seeming disappointed, “Its simply because you are you! And Fratley ... he had his chance, and he failed. So, will you hear me out? Please?” Applejack took another step back as she put her hoof over her face.

“I can't believe I'm goin' through this, again!” She took in a deep breath, trying to compose herself as she looked to Freya, “Look ... Freya. I'll tell ya what I told Dash. I prefer guys!” Freya now looked more confused then ever, but still pressed forward.

“Applejack, 'what you prefer' doesn't matter to me! It needs to be you! Will you please hear me out?” There was a fire in Freya's eyes, making Applejack falter. Freya was now close to Applejack, so close that the mare looked terribly uncomfortable, and uncomposed.

“O-Okay! I'll hear ya out!” Applejack said, then very quickly added, “Cause we're friends! And I want us to stay that way!” Freya gave her a wide smile, and she grabbed Applejack's forehoof in her hands, making Applejack's coat change to a color matching the apples on her armor.

“This is very important to me. So I'm happy that you're giving me the chance to get this across...” Freya looked Applejack in the eyes, and Applejack didn't look away, she seemed locked in that gaze, and held to it, giving Freya a firm, if terribly uncertain nod.

Okay Applejack, you can do this. Just say no! She's tough, she can handle it! Applejack assured, but seeing that fire in Freya's eyes made the mare doubt her planned reply, as Freya spoke the words Applejack was dreading.

“Applejack. Will you help me obtain Kain's Lance?”

“Sure thing, sugarcu-.” Applejack quickly answered, then blinked, clearing having expected Freya to have said something else. “Wait, huh?” The confusion spreading on her face started making her blush again. “Ya, ya want me to help ya find a lance?” Applejack asked, clearly double checking for her sanity's sake.

“Yes, it's very important,” Freya's brow then furrowed, “and very dangerous.”

“I, I see!” Applejack affirmed as she let out a very big sigh of relief. “That's good! Very good! I'll be glad to help ya!” Applejack affirmed, composing herself as if nothing had happened. I glad nobody else saw that, least of all Spike-

The bubbling in the fountain reached a crescendo, and a pink and blue and wet ball of laughter sprang from it. It was a pink pony, wearing a snorkel mask, which was quickly discarded. Freya looked to Pinkie in surprise. Applejack felt her coat start to change color as the laughing mare slowing walked closer to them.

“Applejack you-” Pinkie began, but was interrupted by her own laughter, exhaled heartily as she held her sides. She struggled to get out a message between her chuckles, “I- I just can't- wait to tell- Dashy~~! I- didn't think it would turn out th- this great~~! B-Best prank ever~!!”

“P-Pinkie!?” Applejack exclaimed, “You aren't gonna say a darn-” she was then interrupted by the sounds of several others finally letting lose, and the mare turned a deeper shade of scarlet as she came to understand just how bucked she was concerning what just happened.

“Would someone care to tell me what's so funny?” Freya asked, only prompting another fit of giggles from Pinkie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He appraised the letter in his hands again, and wouldn't have bothered coming to the rendezvous, if it wasn't for the happy glow coming from the dock. He hopped down from his perch, sensing Pinkie and the others nearby, clearly enjoying themselves.

He walked upon a scene that he could only guess at. The Burmecian's aura was confused, while Applejack's aura gave off an intense desire to be somewhere else. The man couldn't help but find something amusing in the red tint Applejack's coat was currently adopting.

He could also sense Eiko, and several others, including the monkey. Though, to be honest, he didn't need his ability to sense auras to notice them, as they were laughing quite loudly.

Pinkie took notice of him, and her laughing immediately stopped. Her aura didn't change, so the man was wise to her, she was still filled with mirth, and clearly was adopting some sort of plan to make a fool of him.

She adopted a very suggestive look as she approached him, looking to him almost wistfully. An act, he saw, as her aura still radiated her mirth, shining brighter then he's seen since he first met her. He felt an urge to adopted that aura, but abandoned it, instead giving the mare his attention, who was clearly seeking it.

“Oh~ Amarant … I didn't think you would come~!”

So, the letter was her doing. He thought as he folded his arms.

“I heard a commotion, so I came.” He replied, prompting a sly grin from the mare.

“Amarant~, Was that really why you came? I wouldn't mind, you know, if you an I were, well...” She let her sentence hang in the air as she looked to him, her aura betraying the suggestive look her eyes carried. “So, what do you think?” She asked as she got even closer to him. He could tell she was trying to make him adopt the same aura Applejack had, and wasn't going to have any of it. “Amarant~~ What am I to you?” She asked sweetly, batting her eyes at him.

He took in a moment to appraise the auras of the others. The monkey seemed to be wise to Pinkie's ploy, but all the others were quite confused by the mare's shift in attitude. The man scratched his head as he actually considered her question, recalling the rogue asking it earlier in the day.

“I simply like to see your aura as it is right now.”

“Ohh~ Amarant, just that~? Why not be with me?” She asked, trying to press her act, her aura wavering as doubt started to enter it. The man scratched his head again as he turned his back to her.

“You can do as you wish, I won't stop you.” He proclaimed, getting a very surprised shift in her aura. She was now just as confused as the others, and sensing that, the man's own aura took up a mirthful color, and he adopted a smirk nobody could see as he left the pink mare, heading to the castle.

“H-Hey~! You can't do that!” Pinkie declared as she bounced to his side, looking at him, her head tilted in confusion. “What did you mean?”

“Do as you wish, and I won't stop you.” He repeated, making the mare stop, looking to him, her mouth hanging open. He moved several paces before stopping, turning back to the mare. “Coming?” Pinkie looked at him for several seconds, her aura shifting between happiness and confusion.

She jumped in surprise when Eiko put her hand on her, and looking to the child, Pinkie quickly adopted a smile, and her aura shifted back to its mirthful color, as she gave the man a happy nod.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Pinkie! She found Eiko's letter after Freya lost it, and made some copies of it. She's quite the prankster! Kupo~!'

Author's Note

Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!

The next chapter will be coming out tomorrow, see everyone then! Here's thanks to you, Seiya, and OCisbestpony, because you're all awesome!

Mister: What a turnabout!

Alterad: Right you are Mister!

Mister: Welcome back folks, to the NF-G Grand Prix! I'm Mister.

Alterad: And I'm Alterad! And boy, the last hour of the race sure was something!

Mister: To those that just missed out, in the 41st hour of the race, the Mk2 payload salvaged by the 'Amarant Pie' was deployed! Sinking several other vessels in a stunning display of weaponry!

Alterad: Indeed, the 'AppleDash', which has been lagging behind since the start of the race, was sunk, along with the 'AppleFreya' and the 'AppleTrix'.

Mister: Don't forget about the 'AppleBlank', Alterad.

Alterad: With this, the only ships remaining with the apple flag are the 'AppleSpike' and the 'AppleDane'.

Mister: The 'AppleSpike' has been a favorite of many since the race's early hours. However, it has recently come under constant fire from the 'EikoSpike' since the ship caught up in the 29th hour.

Alterad: Man, such a small ship, with little support, and yet, that ship has some serious fire-power!

Mister: Shame it accidentally lost its payloads, the LV-L7R Mk1 and Mk2. It was the Mk2 that sunk most of the Apple ships, and we can only wonder when the Mk1 will show up!

Alterad: We can only wonder. For a recap of the standings, we have the 'Zidane Dagger' in first, followed by the unexptected upstart 'Amarant Pie', which is currently tied in second with the 'Eiko Pie' and 'Carol Coral'.

Mister: Ever since Tropical storm Iifa, those three ships have been sailing close together, you think they may be forming a fleet?

Alterad: I can only guess! Tied for 3rd is the 'AppleSpike' and the 'EikoSpike', and I can bet you my left horseshoe that one of those ships will sink by the end of the race!

Mister: Now for some other bit of news. It appears the 'Sparity' has started to take on water, odds of it finishing the race seems slim. Also, the 'Freya Fratley' sails strongly, making a steady recovery since hurricane Cleyra, just reaching 4th place!

Alterad: With the lead the 'Zidane Dagger' has over the others, it's likely to cause moral to fall on the 'Zidane Pie' and 'AppleDane'.

Mister: Wouldn't surprise me if they both fell out of the race-

Alterad: Just a second, Mister. We've just gotten word on a weather development. It appears tropical storm Alexander has moved up to a category two hurricane!

Mister: Oh no! Not another! This race has sailed through too many storms as it is!

Alterad: Well, it's all part of the race, let's hope all the ships get through, stronger then when they entered.

Mister: Indeed, may Celestia watch over them. This is Mister.

Alterad: And this is Alterad, hoping to see you at the finish line!

Mister: To the victors, happiness!

Alterad: And to the losers, glory! Till next time, stay safe everypony!

42. The Prelude pt.6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Addressing a Letter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, Pinkie, where'd you find my letter?” Eiko asked as she pried her eyes away from the gargant. After they all boarded the carriage, Pinkie turned to her, looking confused. “That was your letter? Huh. I found it at the dock! Where Freya-meya and Amarant were doing their fighting thing~!”

Freya appraised the two they converse, her eyes widening in recognition. She felt for where she pocketed the notes, and found just one. She appraised the second letter, about to return it, but hesitated when she noticed that the ink was terribly smudged. The letter didn't fair well to Freya's dip into the moat.

“Yea, that was my letter! And there were two, actually. Do you have the other?” Eiko then frowned as she saw Pinkie shake her head.

“Well, here~!” Pinkie said as she gave Eiko a letter, “This is the original~!” Eiko smiled, taking the letter in hand, tucking it away, then double checking that it was soundly in her pocket.

Freya considered what to do with the now ruined letter in her possession while the others talked about the shenanigans the other letter had spawned. Hmm, I could re-write it. The writing isn't too smudged. Freya then nodded to herself. The letter was ruined while in her possession, it was her responsibility to fix it. Then, she'll deliver the letter for Eiko. Wait ... is Spike the dashing hero she referred to when we first met? Believing that to be the case, she concealed her smile as she nodded to herself, now certain to deliver the letter for her.

That problem off her chest, she reflected back to the prank Pinkie had set for the others, and the unexpected turnout that flustered Applejack. She felt herself smiling at how silly it all was. She then nodded to herself, glad that Applejack was going to help her with the lance. However, now Freya wasn't certain of when they would have the opportunity to retrieve it. Still, she felt certain, if not sooner, but later, she would tackle that legend, and hopefully, recover Fratley's memories in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride to the Iifa Tree had brought worry upon the young dragon as Equestria's features became more apparent. The entire world was blanketed in gray. A persistent, foreboding gray, which Spike presumed to be mist. That was, besides large circles that were clear of the mist, and where the terrain was high, such as the Rainbow and Neighagra Falls.

With night having fallen upon the open sea, Spike found his attention drawn to something revealed by the darkness of night on Equestria's surface, lights.

In the center of the mist-free circles, was a radiating point of light. He wasn't sure how many of these clear areas there were total, but from where the ship sailed under the ceiling of Equestria, he was able to make out four. The sources of light were bright enough to taint the misty edges of the circles with color. Drawing on his knowledge of Equestria's geography, relentlessly forced upon him by a certain mare, along with the help of a spyglass, Spike was able to place each point of light he could see.

A light blue light shined from where the white and blue city of Cloudsdale floated, dying the city blue in the night. A white light shined on the coast, casting it's light over the city of gray steel, Manehattan. A red light centered on a dry, rustic land, Appleloosa. And an orange light shined brightly over the fields, orchards, and homes of Ponyville. Is his searching of Equestria's features, despite his best efforts, Spike couldn't make out where Canterlot was, which shouldn't be shrouded in mist from its height.

“Kweh~?” Choco asked, startling the young dragon and drawing him away from the building dread in his gut. Looking to the chocobo, he saw her standing next to a closed chest, Mois sitting on it.

“This is the one, kupo. It feels empty though!” Spike looked to the chest, then to Equestria, nodding to himself.

Twilight and the others, they'll be fine. Worry about what I can fix! Though his worry wasn't completely dispelled, he looked to the chest, certain of what its 'contents' were.

“Well Choco, ready?” Spike asked his feathered friend, and she let out a hearty cry as she sat next to the chest. Spike moved to it, and opened the chest with a swift swipe of his claw. Lifting the lid, a gray cloud flew out of it, enveloping Choco, who fell asleep almost instantly. I knew it!

It was just like the chest they had opened near Cleyra, when Choco's feathers turned blue. Moving to Choco's side, he looked out to sea. Certain they were a couple hours from the Iifa Tree, a curious idea came to the dragon. Looking to his sleeping friend, he felt an opportunity to call upon the power granted to him by Luna's Moonstone. Summoning up his magic, he placed his claw on Choco, and felt the world melted away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike found himself standing on a small planet, about the size of Twilight's castle. It floated in a sea of stars, and high above him he saw Equestria and Gaia, alarmingly close together, as well as each of their moons. Not seeing Choco, he moved a little, and after a small stroll on the planetoid, found himself standing before a very large and lucrative throne.

On the throne sat a very big, very fat chocobo, wearing a very decorative crown. To the fat chocobo's sides were four other chocobos, each a different color. Choco was standing before the large chocobo. The four other chocobos were light blue, like Choco, as well as red, dark blue, and gold. The fat chocobo ignored Spike as the dragon moved to Choco's side, who looked at him in surprise, but gave him a happy chirp.

“Choco,” the fat choco began, it a high pitched voice, “you are one step closer to finding a home. And the companions you seek, are closer now then when you began.” The chocobo gave Choco a warm smile as he waved his wing, covering Choco in red light.

As the light poured over her, her blue feathers started to change red. Her wing feathers grew longer, and she seemed to grow heartier and sturdier as well. “Now, you can traverse mountains as easily as plains and oceans. Go forth Choco, we patiently await your return home...”

Choco let out a loud and happy cry before slowly disappearing, leaving Spike alone in the dream world, to the dragon's confusion.

“Young dragon,” The fat chocobo began, “You, and the moogle, have aided Choco on her journey, and I can see, in your heart, that you shall continue it with her.” He then looked to the heavens, towards Gaia and Equestria. “I see that the skies of Gaia have changed. Allow me to grant you this boon, as a sign of gratitude, and my token of aid in this growing crisis.”

The chocobo waved his wing again, and he started to glow with power. Then, the four chocobos to his side started to glow as well, as a great deal of magic was summoned before the young dragon. Spike thought he saw the stars in the sky shift slightly, and he heard the sound of a door unlocking, and opening from behind him. As the glow the chocobos gave died off, Spike heard the sound of hooves striking the ground from where he heard the door, which prompted him to immediately turn around.

Princess Luna was standing before him, not two paces away, looking a little surprised, and amused.

“Well, this is a most unexpected encounter. Well met, Spike.” Luna said, giving the dragon a royal smile.

“Princess Luna!? But, how!?” Luna looked past Spike to the large chocobo, who gave the princess a small nod. She gave the fat chocobo a light bow, before looking back to Spike.

“The king here has opened the door to the Realm of Twilight. Come Spike, though there is much I'm sure you wish to talk about, I know of one who needs to hear from you more then I.” She said worriedly as she nodded Spike to the open doorway.

Giving the princess a puzzled look, Spike went through the door, being washed in light as he did so. As the light began to clear, he heard a parting message from Luna, which made his heart skip a beat.

“I must say, it is lucky for both of you, that Twilight chose to go to bed early tonight.”

As the light gave way, revealing his location, his eyes widened in surprise, his heart aching as he looked around. He was standing next to his bed, Twilight's on the opposite side of the room. The air smelled of wood and books. The walls and floor being the familiar wood of a certain hallowed out tree.

Golden Oaks Library.

Spike didn't care that it was just a dream, he was happy to be home. Standing there for several moments, he took in the location, a small voice in his head reminding him that he would never see this place again, outside of dreams and memories.

Hearing the sound of turning pages, Spike looked down from the loft into the main library. His heart almost cried out when he saw his most favorite, most beloved pony. All the better, after having been apart for over a month, he found it very fitting that he happened upon her while she was surrounded by a pile of books. And, he also found it a little funny that she dreamed of reading books, but that notion was immediately pushed aside for something more important. He surprised the mare, by teleporting into her, giving her a fierce hug.

“Twilight!!”

“S-Spike!?” She replied, looking at him in complete surprised, and as if being awoken with clarity, adopted a sad expression. “Oh, just, another dream...” Her ears fell as she tried to separate herself from-

“Twilight, it's me! Yes, this is a dream, but I'm not! Just ask Luna!” Twilight looked at him, confused.

“Luna? But, she's been missing since...” She looked to Spike again, adopting a contemplating look as Spike felt her magic briefly wash over him. Her magic fading, she took on a surprised look, and tears started forming in her hope-filled eyes. “S-Spike?” She staggered out, hesitating, fearing that it wasn't true. “It's really you?” Seeing her about to cry, Spike felt himself started to feel teary-eyed, but he held them back, for only a moment.

“That's right! You're one and only number one assistant!”

“Oh! Spike!” She brought him close in an embrace, and he returned in kind. Now, the tears came forth. Tears of happiness that they were together, and tears of sorrow that it would be short lived. They held each other for several minutes, letting a month of worried separation get its share of mending between them.

Spike was the first to regain composure, which he found surprising. Is something wrong with Twilight? He wondered as he appraised her. He was now noticing that her mane was a mess, and that all the books she was looking through were empty. As she started to gather herself, he saw that there was more to her sorrow then their temporary reunion. Seeing Twilight like that reminded Spike of his conversation with Applejack in Madain Sari.

“Twilight?” He asked as he put his claw in her shoulder. She looked to him, unsure what he was intending “Is something wrong? Wanna talk about it?” She looked at him, conflicting answers dancing behind her eyes, before she gave a weak nod.

She took in several deep breaths, regaining some of her composure, as she started to tell Spike about everything. Everything that's happened since he vanished. What's been lost, the battles she's been through, and her burden as the sole leader of Equestria. Spike eagerly listened, being there for her, as Twilight had for Applejack, several weeks ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Welcome to Treno
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Convenient tunnel.” Amarant declared as they left Gargan Roo behind them, entering Dr. Tot's tower.

“To be honest, I was expecting that to be more eventful.” Freya stated, helping Pinkie up the ladder, who looked to her with her golden smile.

“It kinda was,” Pinkie started, “last time Zidane and I went threw~ We crashed!” Zidane simply shook his head with a smile.

“Guess that large snake monster was taken care of.” He stated as he looked out of a window, taking in the dark city for a moment, his brow furrowing. I wonder what's up. The slums seem more active tonight. Taking that in, his eyes then fell to a large structure parked outside the city, and squinting his eyes, he made out that it was an airship. “Is Cid here?” He wondered out loud, prompting Pinkie to look out the window with him. Before she could comment, she noticed Eiko give out a tired yawn, prompting Pinkie to look to the others.

“We should probably call it a night, and do all the things we came for tomorrow~!” Amarant appraised his company before nodding, heading down the stairs of the tower. Pinkie watched him go, a mixed look worn on her face that Zidane couldn't make out. Before anyone else could leave, Dr. Tot approached Eiko.

“If possible, miss Eiko, I'd like to talk to you tomorrow, about Madain Sari.” Eiko looked to him, considering for a moment before nodding.

“Freya,” Zidane began, “could you show them to the inn?”

“You're not coming?”

“I'll be along shortly, I just need to talk to an old friend first.” Freya nodded, and with Pinkie and Eiko in tow, they left the tower, heading to the inn next to the orphanage, calling it a night to prepare for the eventful day ahead of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow,” Spike began, feeling his chest ache for Twilight. “That's … a lot to take in.” He then looked to Twilight, brushing the tears from her cheeks as their eyes met. “Twilight, have you told the others?” She broke eye contact with him, making him frown.

“Spike, I'm, I, I can't tell anypony. I need to be strong, look strong, for everyponies sake.”

“Twilight. You need to tell the others. I, I can't help you, once this dream ends. They need to know. They're your friends, and your the Princess of Friendship! So stop keeping it all bottled in!” He then nodded to himself. “Promise me.” She blinked as she looked to the dragon, a mix of confusion, surprise, and a hint of pride on her face.

“Spike, you've ... changed.”

“I have? Pretty sure I've helped you with something like this before. Though, last time, you didn't listen.” Spike said as he folded his arms, raising an eyebrow to her. She looked at him blankly before blushing, with a smile.

“Yea, I won't be making that mistake again. Okay, I Pinkie promise, I'll talk to the others.”

“Twilight." Spike began, looking her in the eyes, a fire beating in his chest. "We're all going to pull it off. Getting home, getting rid of all the bad guys, we'll do it. We're all still kicking after all we've been through. And I don't just mean all this, I mean everything! Right?” Twilight nodded, and Spike gave her a toothy grin, and she adopted a smile for it. Then, an idea came to the dragon, but wasn't certain if it would work, considering they were in a dream.

“Hey, Twilight, I want you to hold onto these, for me.” Spike said as he presented his bag of gemstones. As she took it in her magic, Spike frowned, the bag felt lighter then it should have. She opened the bag, and pulled out an Ore. And looking into the bag, they both saw there was nothing else within. Spike let out a sigh as he took the bag back, letting Twilight keep the gem.

“Stupid dream. Can't get anything right.” Spike begrudgingly said as Twilight appraised the Ore for a moment, her eyes looking from it to Spike. She then gave him a very heartfelt smile.

“Thanks Spike! I'll treasure it! Count on it!” She declared as she gave him a loving hug, Surprising the young dragon. He quickly abandoned his surprise for happiness, and returned the embrace. The held the embrace for several moments, until Spike started to feel a light mental tug, giving him the impression his time in the dream was almost up. He separated himself from her, fighting the itch in his eyes as he took her in.

“Twilight, I gotta go now, and you should wake up too. There are things we gotta do, right?” He asked as he looked her in the eyes. He saw them waver a second, and for a moment, he thought she was going to cry. Instead, a fire lit behind her eyes, and she nodded to him, then kissed him on the forehead.

“We're all waiting, and we'll be ready, for when you all return home.” Spike's heart wavered for a moment, before he steadied it with the desire of looking strong in front of her.

“I'll be sure to bring plenty of treasure when we do!” He said with a toothy grin, as the dream slowly faded away, the last thing he saw being the Ore in Twilight's possession, briefly shimmering green and purple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike's eyes shot open, and he quickly sat up, surprising Mois and Choco. Bringing out his bag of gemstones, he found that all of them were accounted for, including, to his disappointment, the Ore he had first learned his fire breath from. Putting the gems away, he looked out to the shore.

The Blue Narciss had reached its destination. The wrecks of the rest of the Alexandrian fleet lay on the beach, and half a mile away, the Iifa Tree stood, partly illuminated by its own magic in the night. Looking to the tree, Spike saw that the bottom half of the tree was glowing more than the top half.

His eyes then widened as they traveled to the sky. The orange glow coming from Ponyville above, was centered exactly on the large tree. Spike could almost imagine that orange glow floating above Twilight's castle, and his brow furrowed in worry.

Well Spike. We've both got a lot on our plate, so let's get moving!

“Let's go.” Spike sternly declared, catching the moogle and chocobo off guard. He mounted the bird, now red, who looked at him in concern. “Oh. I had very good, a sad dream, but a good one, I'm fine.” Spike assured with a smile. “Let's get this done, so we can return to our friends.”

Choco nodded as Mois sat behind Spike, and with a 'Kwehh', Choco bounded off the boat. All three of their hearts skipped a beat, Choco's small jump was in fact a very, very big jump, the kind of jump that would impress a dragon knight. As they almost reached the ground, Choco spread her wings out, and their landing was cushioned.

Choco looked to the others in surprise, then gave them a hearty grin, as she leapt again, to the Iifa Tree. The ability to traverse mountains, huh!? Spike thought as they quickly reached the tree. Reaching the tree's base, where the opening to the elevator was, Spike looked up the tree before nodding to himself.

“Right,” Spike began as he flew off of Choco, getting a jealous look from the red bird, “I'm going to take a look inside, I'll be back as soon as I can. When I do, we leave.” Getting a nod from his companions, he started to ascend, towards the globe of Equestria built into the tree.

One thing Spike liked about flying, besides, well, everything, was the fact that it was silent. While Spike wasn't worried about the remaining monsters around the Iifa Tree, he was worried about possibly running into Kuja, or another heart-stopping-rock-monster. Spike then smiled to himself, the notion of this adventure involving stealth suddenly made the dragon paint himself as some sort of super spy.

Reaching the globe, he floated around until he saw a gap that let him look inside. It wasn't too hard for him to find the gap, as the crystal within glowed a bright pink light, clearly illuminating the chamber. Seeing that there was no one inside, he teleported within.

Floating over to the crystal, the two displays Pinkie had mentioned caught his attention. One with eight glowing crystals of different colors matched what she had told him. However, she also told him that the second one had been destroyed by an 'incident'.

An opaque image was now floating above the now intact device. It was a globe, and upon taking a closer look, Spike saw that it was of Gaia. It had eight points of light on it, which, after appraising for several moments, made Spike's eyes widen in surprise.

Right where the Iifa Tree would be, was a green dot. The other seven lights were all on the Mist Continent. Orange and Purple in Alexandria, and the others in where he presumed Treno was.

Are, those my friends? Spike wondered as he looked away from the projection, his eyes falling towards the elevator shaft. Keeping that thought on mind, but not wanting to linger, he went down the shaft.

All the way down.

Reaching the large underground cavern, he saw there was something new here as well. In the center of the chamber, held by a mass of roots, was a large black rock, bigger than the Blue Narciss. The roots were slowing draining mist from it, and Spike instantly knew that was bad. Is this feeding that glow I saw outside?

Appraising the area, he saw that there was, indeed, no one here but himself. Looking back to the rock, an idea came to mind. The tree! Discord- Thinking of Discord made Spike's chest ache, and he wanted to bury that pain, but he didn't push it down. He let the moment linger, letting the ache slowly ebb away, before continuing his train of thought. Discord, he did what he did to stop the tree. So, If that rock is feeding the tree, I should destroy it! Spike nodded to himself, his fists clenched tightly, as he flew closer to the rock.

Calling upon the ability Pinkie's gemstone, the Sapphire, had given him, he summoned up a miniature party cannon, just his size. Well, here goes nothing! Drawing on his magic, he channeled one of his new spells, Demi, through the cannon, and fired.

A black ball shot out from the cannon, the cannon disappearing as the ball zipped over the black rock, stopping in mid-air over it. The ball pulsed with red energy as Spike flew away, the gravity near the ball shifting violently. The rock was pulled away from the roots, snapping them, and as the rock was pulled towards the orb, Spike saw the rock start to distort.

A large crack split down the middle of the rock with a loud crunch. The crunch was so loud that not only did it hurt the dragons ears, but it also knocked a great deal of dust and dirt from the walls and ceiling of the chamber. Proceeding the noise, the rock exploded into mist, catching the dragon off guard as the entire chamber was quickly enveloped. Not caring to stay any longer, and hoping that would suffice, Spike got his tail out of there. As he left, he drank a magic replenishing Ether, as using the mini-cannon was quite taxing to his magic.

When he reached the mid-point of the elevator, he flew out of the tree's base, reuniting with Mois and Choco in short order.

“Find anything good, kupo?” Mois asked as they got on Choco.

“I globe that seems to be tracking me and my friends, and a big rock that I went and smashed. Let's return to the others.” Mois nodded as Choco sprinted off. After several leaps, Spike asked Choco to stop. He could hear a sound in the night that demanded his attention. It was a deep thrumming noise, and it was coming from somewhere in the sky, somewhere north of the tree.

That noise. I've heard it before... Spike wracked his brain over it for several moments as the sound grew louder, then softer, as its source got further away. Spike's eyes opened in realization, then confusion. Ah! That's the sound an airship's spinning-things make! But wait, I thought airships couldn't work without mist? Looking to the source of the noise, he found it too dark to make out the ship, but he was certain it was heading towards the Mist Continent.

Hoping, whatever it was, that it wasn't trouble, they continued down towards the Blue Narciss. As they passed Leviathan's shrine, Spike looked back up the sky, and was suddenly struck with a troubling thought. Is it just me, or does Equestria seem bigger then a week ago?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Those Two Guys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blue moon shined brightly over Alexandria, all were asleep, the only thing stirring in the night, were rats. A pair of rats, one wearing red and white, the other in blue and white jesters garbs.

“No one is here!” Zorn admitted as they entered town's square, lined with festive decorations, thanks to a certain mare.

“Is no one here, really?” Thorn asked, giving Zorn a skeptical look.

“Yes!” He replied in annoyance.

“Sure you are, about that?” Thorn asked again, making Zorn's face turn red, matching Thorn's garb.

“That is enough!” Zorn declared, getting a sigh from Thorn.

“Now, we do what?”

“We are going to ask Princess Garnet if we can return to the castle.” Zorn affirmed with a nod.

“Return to the castle? Can we really!?” Thorn asked excitedly.

“I will not know until-” Zorn began, but saw someone coming, and grabbed Thorn, dragging him around a statue in the center of town's square. “We must hide!” From their hiding spot, they saw another pair of red and blue rats entering the square. Street rats.

“Look's like no one's here. You sure you heard something, Marcus?” The man with leather pants and red hair asked the man in blue shirt and shorts.

“I thought I heard something.” Marcus let out a sigh as he turned to his companion. “So, Blank, about Ruby-”

“Not right now, man.” Blank replied as he let out a very long sigh. They started walking around the square, and the two jesters moved around the statue as the two rogues moved, to stay out of sight. “I guess, this is about the only thing we can really do for Zidane...” Blank admitted as they continued their stroll around the square, keeping an eye out.

“Keep up the night watch and preserve Alexandria's peace.” Marcus affirmed, “Yea, I think so too.” Blank then stopped, looking to the moon, and the two jesters held their breath as Blank looked to Marcus.

“It's such a peaceful night. It's almost scary, how quiet it is.” He folded his arms as he looked to the castle, the large sword at its center bathed in moonlight. “Well, let's finish our rounds.” Marcus gave him a swift nod as they both left town's square. For several moments, the two jesters stood there in silence, before they started breathing again.

“That was close! Too close!” Zorn admitted as he abandoned the hiding spot. He then looked to Thorn. “Now what?”

“Stay here, we cannot.” Thorn admitted regretfully as he looked to where the two rogues departed. “Those meddlers here, we must avoid! Freed the orange pony, they did! Leave Alexandria, we must!” The two jesters shared a nod, before departing the city, fleeing into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Greetings Equestrian! Not many notes this time!'

'Fat Chocobo, the king of Chocobo's, his gift to Spike proved to be a real boon! Especially later on, for everyone, including Choco!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Oak Staff: Stop(mastered), Bio(mastered), Drain(mastered)

Add ST: Slow.

Magus Hat: Slow(mastered)

Raises Ice Elem-Atk

Magic Armlet: Clear Headed(mastered), ~~Silence~~

Magician Robe: Auto-Potion(mastered), ~~MP+10%~~

Moonstone: ~~Shell~~, ~~Beast Killer~~, Sleep(mastered), Dream Walk(mastered)

Lvl-33 HP 1516/1517 MP 154/176

AP 2/32

*Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

Body Temp (4) - Prevents Freeze and Heat.

Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

*Ability Up (3) - Doubles the amount of Ability Points earned from battles.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

Generosity (6) - Lowers the price of items by a small amount.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

*Telekinesis (3) - You can lift things, with your mind.

*Double-Brew (3) - You can use/combine two medicinal items at a time.

*Flight (3) - You can fly as fast as you can run.

Locomotion (4) - Prevents Stop.

Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Fira 12 MP - Causes moderate Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Sleep 10 MP - Puts single/multiple targets to sleep.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzara 12 Mp - Causes moderate Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Slow 6 MP - Slows a single target.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Thundara 12 MP - Causes moderate Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Stop 8 MP - Stops targets from taking any action.

Poison 8 MP - Inflicts Poison to single/multiple targets.

Bio 18 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage and Poison to single/multiple targets.

Drain 14 MP - Drains HP from the target and transfers it to the spell caster.

Demi 18 MP - Amount of damage depends on the target's HP.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of physical attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Whining 4 MP - Causes enemies to flee. You get no rewards from fleeing enemies.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Rainboom 14 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to multiple targets, Slows and Confuses.

Brotherly Shield 20 MP - Generates a powerful shield on the party that blocks a single attack.

Dream Walk 6 MP - Allows you to look and interact with the dreams of others.

Mini Party Cannon 2 MP - The next ability you use is BIGGER! but costs more MP to use.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

To spare you several months of wondering, Twilight woke up with an ore next to her.

And after gathering two cups of sugar, an ancient spanish cannon, a chicken-sized safety helmet, and a 10mm camera, I was able to make my offering to the gratitude gods!
They have allowed me to thank you, good reader, for still reading, and saying the comments that bring a smile to my face! It seems the gods are even allowing me to thanks Seiya and OCisbestpony for their aid with the chapter, as well!

43. The Prelude pt.7

The man with the red dreadlocks looked to the moon. In Alexandria, the sun was now rising, but in Treno, it was always night. Feeling a bothersome presence approaching him, he took up a hostile stance, turning to the blond rogue.

“You're up early.” The rogue observed, ignoring the hostility the man was projecting towards him.

“And?”

“Oh, just... Nevermind.” He scratched the back of his head as he let out a sigh. “Look, Amarant. I wanted to thank you.” The man faltered a moment, not understanding where this was coming from.

“For?”

“For looking after Pinkie. Applejack may not have noticed, but I do. You helped her, back in the Iifa Tree,” he then nodded in assurance, “Eiko told me. And, you've been looking after her since, so I just wanted to thank you.” The man scratched the back of his head as he appraised the man that framed him.

He's showing gratitude for Pinkie? After having spent a over a week with these people, he's noted the friendship between them. The friendship that clashed with his notion on the matter. He still didn't understand it. He watched them make each other smile, and watched the worry for each other, but he didn't understand why. Does he think I...

“I didn't do it for you," the man declared resolutely, "and I didn't-”

“If you say you didn't do it for her, I'll call you a liar, straight up.” The rogue declared, a fire in his aura, and the man glowered at him, crossing his arms as he turned away.

“So, you're saying that I did it for her.” The man considered that, thinking about Pinkie. He didn't like to see her aura tainted by sorrow. He didn't like to see anyone's aura tainted by that depressing color, but Pinkie, he was more drawn to her than any others. In Treno, and now on the Mist Continent in general, there were plenty with sorrow tainting their aura.

He thought of when he and Pinkie first talked, after his defeat by Applejack, and nodded to himself. I'm simply making us even. He affirmed to himself. He then recalled when he saw her happy, truly happy, yesterday, and reflecting on it, he noticed that he had adopted a smirk, to his confusion, which made his brow instantly furrow. Now's not the time for this, it's pointless. This time a time to act.

“Kuja needs to be hunted down. I-” he paused for a moment, then faced the blond rogue, “we need to be ready.” The rogue nodded, giving the man a smile.

“I talked to an informant, Shadow, last night, he should have some answers for me soon.” The man scoffed upon hearing that. “What?” The rogue asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Just surprised. I would assume Shadow not to take to you, since you're close to the Princess. Too close.” The man stated, making the rogue's aura fluster as he blushed. Hmph, his emotions are too obvious.

“Yea yea, Shadow is super loyal to protecting the crown. It's okay, him and I go back, he trusts me.” Zidane's brow then furrowed, “I think.”

“You go back? What? One, two years?” The man asked mockingly, appraising the young rogue.

“Did ... you just crack a joke about my age?” The rogue asked, clearly taken aback, and a little bemused. He then shook his head. “Look, there are other things I gotta check out. Will you stay with Pinkie and Eiko? Treno isn't the kindest place for them to wander around unaware.”

“Then why invite Pinkie?” The man was certain Eiko would have stayed in Alexandria if Pinkie had as well.

“Because Treno could use someone like her, even for a day. And it'll make her happy, helping the slums.” The man considered that for a moment.

“So, you think to wash away her grief with happiness.” The man appraised as he folded his arms, neither supporting or condemning the idea. “I intended to watch them regardless, I didn't need your pleading.” The rogue gave him a sly grin, nodding to the man's words before leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A Blade is a Heavy Thing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack and Beatrix stared each other down, swords drawn in the middle of the training field. Once again, Applejack was ready to charge, and Beatrix was ready to take her. That's how it always started, to Applejack's annoyance. Beatrix always waited, and Applejack was always quick to oblige, standing still and wasting time just wasn't something she did.

Always being the aggressor in these sparring matches, she's picked up on some of Beatrix's defensive habits in combat. Certain she'd get the general this time, she charged, initiating their third bout this morning. Beatrix stepped to Applejack's right, as she always did, and Applejack swung to the right, her attack parried as the mare turned towards her opponent. This time, it was Applejack's turn to parry as Beatrix made a riposte. Their blades met, and Beatrix was knocked back half a pace from the force of Applejack's defensive blow.

Applejack was stronger, physically, but Beatrix was more experienced. She charged Applejack, bringing her sword down in an overhead swing, and Applejack moved to dodge, stepping to the side. She noticed the typical expression her opponent gave when Applejack did something wrong, and it made the mare falter for a moment.

Oh horseapples! I overstepped! Indeed, now she was too far to get a good counterattack against Beatrix. Applejack spun around, parrying a blow she felt was coming, the ring of metal hitting metal sounding very satisfying as Beatrix's holy blade struck Icebrand. Applejack quickly followed-up the attack, stepping towards her momentarily off balanced foe. She brought her sword to the side, and saw Beatrix shift slightly, causing Applejack's blade to bounce harmlessly off her armor. Well, almost harmlessly, she saw Beatrix wince from the blow, but otherwise remained composed. Still... a hit's a hit! She assured to herself, better understanding her blunder earlier.

A small amount of movement to defend against an attack. That's what Beatrix had been expecting Applejack to do earlier, instead of overstepping the dodge.

Beatrix then counterattacked, her swing coming in too close for Applejack to dodge or parry, and she felt the blow connect with her armor, a good amount of the force being sent into her side, wincing from the blow as she slide back several feet. Still on her hooves, sword in mouth, she looked to Beatrix.

Beatrix was now breathing just as heavily as Applejack was, which brought a smile to the mare's face. They both eyed each other for several seconds before Applejack broke the spell, charging forward again. Before reaching Beatrix, the general shifted her sword slightly, reflecting the light of the sun directly into Applejack's eyes.

Momentarily blinded, Applejack followed her intuition, parrying to the right, feeling her blade connect with Beatrix's. Then Applejack felt lightning run down her blade, coursing into her body, making her drop her sword in pain as she staggered back, almost stumbling over, looking to Beatrix as her eyes readjusted. The general halted her attack, the bout over.

“That was a dirty trick,” Applejack accused, her brow furrowed, “flashin' my eyes like that.” Beatrix nodded with a sigh as she sheathed her sword.

“Applejack, Gaia's future counts on you and the others surviving. My 'dirty trick' would have cost you your life. Kuja will not hesitate to use such methods; and neither should you.” Applejack considered those words as she downed several potions. She then shook her head.

“I, I ain't gonna fight dirty. Not now, or ever. Besides, I won't be fightin' Kuja alone, and any time he wastes figthin' dirty 'gainst me is time fer my friends to make him pay fer it.” Not to Applejack's surprise, Beatrix looked disappointed by her reply, but she didn't press the issue.

“That aside, something's been on my mind since yesterday." She then looked to Applejack, her stare demanding the mare's full attention. "Applejack, can you promise me, when the opportunity presents itself, that you'll slay Kuja?” Applejack blinked at her request, and felt her stomach turn as the notion played out in her head.

She didn't like Kuja. To say that was an understatement. But slaying him was outside the window of things she wanted do to him. She suddenly found herself thinking of Black Waltz No.3, and her brow furrowed.

She considered the monsters of the mist to be just that, monsters. She felt nothing when she slew Black Waltz 1 and 2. Now, she pictured ending No.3, and she shivered. No.3 had changed, he wasn't a monster anymore, now that she saw him that way, she couldn't stand the notion of killing him.

So, what makes a monster? Is Kuja a monster? She considered it for a moment before shaking her head. Kuja was a man, a villain, but a man all the same, just as Zidane was a man. She doubted she could bring herself to slay Kuja, regardless of what he's brought upon all of Gaia. And that realization, filled her with dread.

Does the will to, kill, make one strong? If that's the case, then, I don't want that strength! She wouldn't be able to look at her friends and family in the eye back home if she did that. The Black Mage's she slew in the grotto and Burmecia still haunted her. Maybe Kuja deserved it, but Applejack had a feeling, that if it was her blade that ended him, the core that remained unchanged since ending up on Gaia, her core, would be broken.

“I, I can't promise that.” Applejack admitted, avoiding Beatrix's gaze. After letting out a disappointing sigh, Beatrix left, saying nothing to Applejack, who looked to the general.

If, it's to save Gaia and Equestria, I'll do it. She admitted to herself, troubled at the notion. But, I truly hope it doesn't come to that. Sighing to herself, Applejack looked to the castle, and after sheathing her blade, headed off to talk to Garnet, hoping to find some reassurance on this subject.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“...You didn't have to come.” The man declared as he entered a particular shop in Treno, Pinkie at his side. After splitting up with Eiko and Freya, who were heading to Dr. Tot, Pinkie tracked down the warrior, and refused to leave him alone.

“Why not? I wanna watch~!” Pinkie replied, not giving him an inch. “You said to do what I want, so that's what I'll do~!” she added as she gave him a smug grin. He resisted letting out a sigh as he asked the attendant to get the owner. Seeing the man, the store attendant quickly left to do just that, his aura showing fear as Pinkie and the man were left alone.

Many people feared him, especially in Treno. He had a large bounty on his head, but it didn't stop him from strolling through the open streets. The thugs of Treno have long abandoned trying to cash in the man's head.

“Well, Amarant, this is an unexpected surprise.” A crodgy old voice stated, its owner coming into the room. An elderly noble with little hair left on his head, dressed in red regal garments appraised the man, then Pinkie as he adopted a sly grin. “And you brought a friend too. Quite unexpected indeed.” The man felt the smallest of urges to correct Stratgo, and chose to ignore it.

“I went to the Outer Continent.” The man proclaimed, knocking the smile off of Stratgo's face. “And I'm here to fight. As many as you can offer.”

“Oh~?” Pinkie asked, looking to him, confused. “What are we fighting?”

“I am fighting monsters. You want gil, to host a large feast, party, whatever. Well, he pays those that defeat his monsters.” Stratgo nodded at the man's explanation, getting a nod of understanding from Pinkie. She looked to the man, concern lightening her aura, getting his attention. “What?”

“You don't have to-” Pinkie began, but the man quickly shook his head.

“I would have come here regardless. You didn't need to come. Still, you're here, which is fine.” Stratgo looked between Pinkie and the man, readopting his smile.

“Well,” Stratgo began, turning around, beckoning them to follow, “let's get to talking, then you can fight my latest finds.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Grasping at Shadows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane was waiting in a small dock underneath a noble's home. He didn't have to wait long, as a figure garbed in loose concealing clothes appeared nearby, greeting the blond rogue.

“Well Zidane, after snooping for a bit, I've decided to spare you the cost.” Shadow stated as he leaned against a supporting pillar.

“So, you found something big?” Zidane asked, prompting Shadow to shake his head.

“What I found isn't going to help you much. The mansion that hosts the auctions belongs to a man simply named King. This man perfectly matches your description of Kuja. He regularly stayed at the mansion for half a year, but hasn't been seen since Cleyra was leveled.” Zidane nodded, his brow furrowing. “The people he associated with, and the auctioneer, knew little of his origins or capabilities. At the most, he was simply known as a weapons dealer.”

“That's still news to me, why's it free?” Zidane asked, and he saw Shadow's brow furrow as he looked to him.

“Because he killed our queen.” He then let out a sigh, “Honestly, what you've told me on the man was more than anything I've gotten on him in the last six months he's lived in Treno.” Zidane considered that for a moment before looking back to Shadow.

“So, what's up with Treno? It seems more, alive, than usual.” Shadow nodded, motioning to the buildings above them.

“The dirty nobles are gone. They left yesterday by caravan to be in Alexandria for the coronation. Only a small handful stayed behind. Many rats are itchin' to cause a mess while the cat's are away.”

“I see. That's good to know.” Zidane considered that for a moment, then handed Shadow a decent amount of gil, getting a confused expression from the cloaked man. “Someone named Pinkie Pie will be hosting a party of some sorts later on for the slums. I'd like you to spread the word,” Zidane's brow then furrowed, “and make sure no one gets any funny ideas.” Shadow looked into the bag, appraising the gil before nodding, and with that, Zidane made to leave.

“Zidane.” Shadow said, his cautionary tone catching the rogues attention, “Don't wind up dead chasing Kuja. A man who can bring about ruin to two nations without breaking a sweat is someone you don't screw around with.” Zidane nodded, and left Shadow alone.

Well, so much for delivering a grand tale for Dagger. Zidane thought with a sigh. I guess coming here was a waste of time. Zidane thought, then corrected himself. Well, for me anyway... As he returned to the streets above the waterways, he recalled the airship he had gotten a glimpse of yesterday. If that is Cid, I suppose I should track him down. I can at least fill him in on what's going on, for Dagger.

Nodding to himself, he walked past the Card House. As he passed it, he noticed a tournament was going on. He wondered why such a thing would be hosted the day before the coronation, as he proceeded towards the city gates, to fill in the leader of Lindblum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Tell Me the Story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I see,” Dr. Tot said as he looked over his large globe of Gaia, a book in hand, “So you're the last of your tribe.” He looked to Eiko, giving her a small, considerate nod. “I'm sorry about that.” He added as he looked back to the globe, his brow furrowing.

“It's okay,” Eiko said passively, before adopting a smile, “So, whatcha looking for?” Dr. Tot sighed as he looked back to the young summoner.

“I was trying to find Ipsen's landing, but he didn't seem to mark it on the globe. I have no idea how your suppose to get to the castle, short of flying.” He put the book down, leaving his large globe in contemplation. “Just how did Ipsen get there?” Tot asked nobody in particular as Freya let out an annoyed sigh.

“Mr. Tot, there are no books here concerning Kain's legend.” She proclaimed as she started putting books back where she pulled them from. The doctor appraised Freya for a moment before he started pacing again, his eyes wandering to Eiko's earring.

“Hmm...” He said out loud as he stared, making Eiko raise an eyebrow.

“What?” She asked. Dr. Tot's eyes opened wide as he realized he was gawking.

“My apologies, Eiko. May I ask, where did you get that gem?”

“This? This is the sacred stone of my tribe!” She declared proudly.

“Tot...” Freya said impatiently, making him turn to her. “Do you know anyone in Treno that would have a copy?” He nodded as he fixed his glasses.

“You'll want to talk to a noble named Stratgo.” Dr. Tot informed, “I wouldn't be surprised if he had a copy of the legend, he does love anything concerning unique monsters, such as the Mist Dragon.”

“I see,” Freya said, giving him a small smile, “thanks again, Dr. Tot.” With that, Freya started to leave, and Eiko strolled after her.

“Thank you again, young lady.” Tot said to Eiko, prompting her to turn around with a smile as she addressed him.

“If you have more questions, feel free to ask anytime, I love talking about home!” Dr. Tot nodded as the two left, and Eiko turned to Freya, giving the warrior her smile.

“So, you're chasing down an old legend to save your betrothed? That sounds so romantic! It's like something a hero in a story would do!”

“Heh, I'm no hero.” Freya admitted, her failures starting to bubble up at those words, and she quickly pushed them down as she looked to the child. “Do you want to find Pinkie? I intend to visit this scholar.” Eiko considered that for a moment before shaking her head.

“I'll go with you! You can tell me about that story you want to find!” She then nodded to herself. “Pinkie's with Amarant, so she'll be fine! Nothing bad's gonna happen to her while he's around!” She adamantly declared. Freya looked to Eiko, considering her words for a moment, before nodding.

“He does seem to take a liking to her.” With that, the two of them traveled through Treno, assured that Pinkie was going to be just fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Blue Light
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie had watched in awe at Amarant's fighting. Stratgo had a caged room set aside for fighting monsters, and Amarant had just finished his fight against the second. It was a large green bull with a single eye on its head, like a cyclops. It was called a Catoblepas, and it had given Amarant quite the challenge.

With the monster's defeat, Amarant left the cage, being handed a generous amount of gil by Stratgo. Pinkie quickly healed Amarant's bruises with her potions, getting a grateful shrug from the man.

“So~~, I wanna fight the next one!” Pinkie declared, getting a skeptical look from Amarant.

“This isn't a game.” Amarant quickly stated.

“Actually, it is.” Stratgo interjected, “I've got the monsters under my spell, they cannot cause lethal harm to their opponents.”

“Seee~, it's a game~!” Pinkie affirmed, “So let me play!” She wanted to see how she fared on her own. The last time she fought a monster on her own was the day she reunited with her friends.

“Alright, young lady,” Stratgo began, “The next monster I have is called an Amdusias. It can fly, will that be a problem?” Pinkie shook her head as the old man adopted a smile, “Alright, get in the arena and show us what you're made of.” Pinkie nodded, giving him a fiery glare, then paused when she caught Amarant's look.

“Be careful.” He asked of her, making her heart skip a beat. She gave him a hard nod, determined not to disappoint him, as she turned to the caged arena, and entered.

Alright Pinkie. We can totally do this! This party pony is tough on her own, just you watch! She thought to nopony in particular. As she waited inside the arena, she heard a metal grate open, and looking to the closed bars the monsters were let in from, she saw her opponent.

It had a body similar to a muscular horse, which Pinkie found surprising. It's skin was purple, it had no fur. On it's head was a long horn, as long as one of its legs, and its yellow mane was composed of bladed barbs standing on end. The Amdusias had a long, serpentine tail, and four bat-like wings. Its red eyes met Pinkie's, and it glared at her, tapping the ground with a forward hoof several times, waiting for the bars to fall.

Pinkie got her cannon ready, and with a metal , the gate opened, and the Amdusias charged forward. Pinkie rolled to the side, avoiding its horn, only to get cut by its surprisingly sharp wings. Bouncing away from the monster as it started to turn around, Pinkie called on her magic, summoning forth some cake, and scarfed it down. Feeling the affects of her ability kick in, she saw as things around her seemed to slow down, and the cuts dealt to her started to heal up.

The monster whipped around, and she easily dodged it under the affects of Haste. Bringing her cannon to bear, she hit it with a stream of water, slamming it against the arena's walls. Pinkie smiled as it crashed to the ground, then her eyes widened as it started channeling a spell.

She felt the tingling sensation she's come to associate with her learning a monster's ability, as the Amdusias fired off its spell. From its horn shined a white and blue light, and Pinkie was caught in a moment of awe. Holy light bloomed forth from the monster's horn, filling the arena with its serene glow, quickly surrounding Pinkie. Her awe was immediately replaced with worry as the light closed in around her, blinding her as the light struck her very being.

The holy light poured through her, bringing to light every wrong, every terrible, despicable, evil deed she's ever done-

The light faded, and Pinkie stood there, surprised to feel completely fine after the attack. Not only fine, but even rejuvenated. In fact, she felt that, including a new spell for her cannon, she had also gained a new ability from Holy. The monster, and her two spectators, seemed just as surprised as she was. In fact, Pinkie was fairly certain that the monster's mouth was hanging open from sheer surprise.

Pinkie considered the distracted monster a moment. Holy caused no harm to her, and now she was curious if the same was true to the monster, as she brought her cannon to bear.

A light-blue light, radiating holy life and all good things, fired from her cannon, sending forth countless beads that flew out and circled around the Amdusias. The beads closed around the monster, and it let out a cry as it was swallowed by a white explosion, a billowing cloud of holy energy radiated out from the blast, momentarily blinding Pinkie.

When she could see again, she saw the monster. Charging her. Its horn half a pace ahead of her. The horn was lined up to skewer the mare. Still under the affects of Haste, Pinkie jumped up, just in time to avoid the horn, but only the horn. The two equines crashed into each other, and Pinkie was sent smashing into the caged wall of the arena, the air knocked out of her lungs.

She felt the healing magic of her cake start to heal her, as she rolled to her hooves. Pinkie cradled her chest, wincing in pain as she saw that the monster was just as staggered as she was. Turning towards her, it lowered its head as it beat the ground with a forward hoof.

Oh no! You're not charging me again! She mentally proclaimed as her brow furrowed. Getting her cannon, she fired off another Holy, and felt the last bit of her magic drain away, making her eyes widen in surprise as the monster was caught in another holy explosion.

Not risking getting hit again, Pinkie bolted to the side, her eyes peeled, hoping she wasn't in for another lung crushing charge. As the light dispersed, the monster stood there, on its last hoof, looking around, confused. It then cast Holy again, but in its confusion, caught itself with its own spell, and when the explosion of light died down, nothing remained but mist.

The fight over, Pinkie adopted her usual smile as she drank a potion, satisfied, and proud that she managed the monster on her own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something about Pinkie changed when he told her to be careful. It had drawn the man's attention. Her pink aura, always wearing a smile, shifted to something he's only seen from her once before. When he fought her in the Iifa Tree. The fire in her eyes when she nodded to him only reaffirmed his suspicions. The Pinkie he was looking at now, was taking this battle very seriously.

Thinking on it, this was the first time he's truly seen her fight. The monsters they fought at the Iifa Tree were too out numbered by her friends to pose a threat. For the first time, he saw Pinkie in a light similar to when they first talked. Now, she was as not just a weak pony, but something more. He watched her fight, not daring to look away. He felt his brow furrow when the monster collided into her, his anger flaring towards the beast.

He cared for her. What? He thought as he realized how his aura flared towards the beast. Confused by his own emotions, his aura shifted, its target falling to the source of his confusion, Pinkie.

His brow furrowed as he appraised her. He had wanted to see her get stronger, but he hadn't realized that there was another side to her, a strong side, that she had kept hidden, which she was now thoughtlessly putting on display.

The man watched as the monster was caught in its own spell, signaling the end of the fight. Stratgo nodded to himself, his aura showing that he was pleased by the battle, but what for, the man was unsure.

“You should have told me she used blue magic.” He said as he gave the man a side glance. “I wouldn't mind teaching her a few things.” He stated as Pinkie joined them, her aura returning to its mirthful color, giving the man a very satisfied grin.

“Totally had it~!” She stated smugly as the man crossed his arms, his aura now radiating disappointment, making Pinkie's aura falter as she looked to him.

“What was that?” He asked as he pointed to the arena, “You were different, just now.” His voice carried an accusing tone. He now saw her bubbly self as a facade, and wasn't amused. She caught on to his implications, and took a step back, her aura now flustered.

“I- Well- That was-” Her brow then furrowed, seeming to think on something before nodding to herself. “That was me, fighting to win.” She said sternly, not backing down as she looked to him. “I, I wanted to show you that I could do it. And I lost track of me when I did...” She finished as she looked to the ground, rubbing her forehoof over the other. She then glanced to Stratgo, who was appraising the two of them with interest.

“Can we talk about this later,” she asked, looking up to him with honest eyes, “Please?” The man's aura faltered at those eyes, and the unspoken promise that the talk would be very soon, so he nodded, and she gave him a smile. Something about this smile was different, it wasn't the silly ear-to-ear grin, but a small, considerate, and thankful smile.

“Well,” Stratgo began, “since you've both gotten that out of the way, here's your reward.” And he presented Pinkie with another large sum of gil, which she eagerly took, distracting her from what just transpired. “Young lady, are you perhaps interested in learning more blue magic?” Stratgo asked, getting a surprised look from Pinkie, which quickly turned into her typical grin.

“That's monster magic, right?” She asked, getting a nod from the old man, which in turn got a smiling nod from Pinkie.

The man looked on as Stratgo and Pinkie spent half an hour with each other, Stratgo teaching Pinkie several new abilities. Pinkie conveyed her gratitude before she and the man left the old monster scholar, returning to the streets of Treno.

“So,” Pinkie began, “we still have four or five hours till we should be heading back! Let's buy all the awesome food we can, and get a party going for everyone~~!” The man nodded, hiding his uncertainly that this plan would go as Pinkie expected it to.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Greetings Equestrian! Mois here to tell you how it works!'

'Pinkie's good nature is shared between most ponies of Equestria, making them heal from Holy type damage, or simply not take damage from it at all; just like how fire can't harm Spike because he's a dragon! However, it also means ponies are more susceptible to Dark type damage. So they gotta look out for those kinds of attacks! Kupo!'

~~~~~~~~~~~

Amarant Coral

~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Poison Knuckles: Spare Change, Counter

Add ST: Poison

Ritual Hat: Counter, Bright Eyes, Undead Killer

Bone Wrist: Add Status

Raises Earth Elem-Atk.

Brigandine: Ability Up, Return Magic

Germinas Boots: Alert, HP+10%, ~~Flee~~

Lvl-30 HP 1822/1822 MP 94/94

AP 1/30

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

*Undead Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to undead enemies.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Counter (8) - Counterattacks when physically attacked.

Alert (4) - Prevents back attacks.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

*Return Magic (9) - Returns magic used by enemy.

Abilities:

Throw: Action Command - Throw a weapon at an enemy.

Flair:

Chakra 4 MP - Restores HP and MP of one Party member.

Spare Change 0 MP - Causes Non-elemental damage to the enemy by using Gil.

Author's Note

I always found it funny that Amarant's very first ability leaned healed others.

Strago's reference wasn't suppose to be as involved as it became. I blame Pinkie.
I also blame Pinkie for the Holy Element not harming her. I reached that part of the battle, and simply couldn't picture a spell meant to harm evil harming any of the mane six.
And once again! I wanna thank you! And OCisbestpony. And Seiya. And especially Zule~!!
Hmm, it would appear that the only PoV missing in the party line-up is Pinkie.
Oh hey! One part to go!

1. The Place I'll Return to Someday

Where can she be? It's not like her to be late! Spike wondered worriedly as his eyes scoured the interior of the Sweet Apple Acres barn. The others were intending to leave for Canterlot to talk with Celestia about the moon turning red, and the eerie mist poring from the Everfree. However, Applejack never showed up, leading to a missing pony search. Rarity was going to help Spike sweep through the orchard soon, so he moved to leave the barn.

As he did, he felt a familiar sensation, closing his eyes out of reflex as the world glowed a white light. He fell over as the sensation of being unexpectedly teleported washed over him.

Ugh, did Twilight teleport me again? I wish she'd ask before doing that. Spike thought, annoyance chasing his thoughts. He got on his legs, rubbing his eyes, the world still white around him. Huh? Twilight's little hops usually take just a second to clear up.

He stood rigid as his eyes finally took in his surroundings. He stood on a beaten path outside a large unfamiliar city, a couple minutes walk away. The buildings were similar to Ponyville's, but these buildings seemed to have an unnecessary love of chimneys and curved roof tiles. They were also clustered together, smooshed side by side, closed off, giving the feeling of being uninviting. The entire city was also wrapped in a defensive wall of stone, and near the back end of the city, towering high, was an impressive castle.

The non-equine figures guarding the gate into the city caught his eye. They resembled him in some respects. They stood on two legs, and had arms. Wait, humans!? Am I in the other world? Considering the possibility, he quickly noticed he still had his claws and let out a sigh of relief. Being a dog isn't all that fun, he thought as his eyes roamed the countryside, eagerly absorbing all they could.

Off beyond the city was a range of mountains that wrapped in both directions, forming a natural wall behind the city. He was surprised to see a large valley not too far behind him. At least, he assumed it was a valley, as the entire basin was covered in mist, and Spike was certain it was the same mist that has had everypony in a panic for some time now. He didn't know how deep the valley was, and was perfectly fine with not knowing. Casting his vision to the sky, his worry started to grow as his suspicions were confirmed. The moon, it was blue, as apposed to red.

This isn't Equestria! he thought in alarm, is this part of the other world? As he looked around, he crossed his arms and looked to the ground. Should I wait for Twilight to come find me, or check out the city? His thoughts were interrupted by noticing a pair of items littered on the dirt path before him.

One was a small stick, as long as he was tall. It had a rounded head, like the wood had been bent into a closed finger, while retaining its wood-like shape. It looked more like it was grown into that shape than carved, giving Spike the impression that the staff was mystical. Beneath the bend was a small coil of cloth, right were one would grasp the stick from.

Oh, this looks cool! he thought as he picked it up, and he did indeed feel something magical about the staff, though he couldn't place why.

The other item was a small piece of paper, and it kind of reminded him of the gala ticket he had received from Celestia a while back. Checking the ticket, he saw it was for a love story called 'I Want to Be Your Crow'.

Ugh, a love story, I'll pass on that, thank you, he thought with disgust. Looking at the ticket he no longer wanted, he acted on a whim. Getting his pencil out, he wrote a letter to the princess on the back of it.

'Dear Princess Celestia, this is Twilight's number one assistant, Spike, and I'm lost! I think I'm in the world beyond the mirror. The mist seems to be here as well.'

'I think Twilight was teleporting me to Canterlot, but I'm at some other large city instead, and she isn't with me. Please send help if you can.'

'-Spike'

Finished, he rolled up the ticket and breathed fire on it, burning it with magical fire to send it to the princess. The ticket had other plans, such as wafting in the wind, unharmed.

He looked at the ticket, confused, and he breathed his greenish flame on it again, with more vigor this time. The ticket's pristine condition seemed to be mocking the young dragon. His grip on the staff tightened in frustration. Why won't you burn! Spike felt a strange sensation travel from the staff into his arm, and the ticket instantly burst into red flame.

He jumped back, his breath caught in his throat as he eyed the conflagration. Did I actually do that, with my mind? For a moment he didn't notice the fact that his letter was burnt to ash, or that he had no way of calling for help.

He stared at a small cluster of grass, and tried it again, feeling that sensation from the staff as the grass was burnt to a crisp. He jumped up in joy, unable to contain the unbridled emotion. I can't wait to show Twilight! His joy was put to work demonstrating this new power, defacing the countryside and leaving burnt patches of grass in his wake.

His glee was short lived, as his eyes were drawn to something moving towards him from near the cliff. It looked like a large spider with a pair of large antenna and a really large lower body. The monster was easily bigger than a pony. It's heading right for me! His legs refused to move as he tried to process the monster's hostility.

With startling speed, the spider plowed into the dragon, still confused, knocking him back several feet. Spike gasped and moved out of its way as it tried to spin a web around him. Not good! In a moment of dread, Spike willed it to burn, and the creature let out a hiss as it was caught in a fireball.

When the smoke cleared, the monster was gone, a small pile of round metal pieces in the spot it once occupied. Spike stood there silently, looking over the pile, his side sore, his breathing heavy. Just what in Equestria was that!? Spike winced in pain from the monster's attack, and looked back to the city.

Now realizing what the wall was for, he moved towards the city, leaving the round metal pieces that sort of resembled bits behind. He saw safety behind those walls, and it motivated his movement, as the fire he summoned up to defeat the monster seemed to call upon some sort of fortitude he was unfamiliar with, and he felt that he couldn't bring forth any more fire until he rested.

So not only am I not in Equestria, but there are monsters too! Just great! He would harrumph if he wasn't too busy running. Ohh, I hope Applejack is having a better day then me! He thought as he ran as fast as his short legs could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: An Apple Far from its Tree
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This day is the worst! Applejack thought with a frown as she looked upon the unfamiliar city, Alexandria. Letting out a sigh, she moved from the window, continuing on to the princesses' chambers, her steps echoing off the marble floors down the old, majestic stone hall. She spotted her destination, a large pair of red double doors with a single guard in front. The guard wore metal armor, had a buckler and sword strapped to her side, and she wore a domed helm that easily concealed her face.

Reaching the room, the female guard nodded to the mare. Most of the guards Applejack had encountered in the castle were female, and the mare suddenly appearing after a flash of light an hour ago in the center of the castle had caused quite an incident. The memory made her cheeks flush as she knocked on the door of the one that kept Applejack from being thrown into the castle prison right on the spot.

“It's Applejack, yer highness.” The mare informed, before the occupant could ask who it was, getting a raised eyebrow from the guard. Oh shucks, I did it again, didn't I? Applejack wasn't use to being extra formal to royalty, which was expected in this castle.

“Come in.” A soft voice replied, and not waiting for the guard, Applejack went into Princess Garnet's quarters. Her eyes took in the princess, making her stop mid-step. She was wearing a white, cumbersome looking, but still fairly pretty and magnificent dress. Garnet herself had long brown hair, light skin and brown eyes, and was just a smidgen taller than Applejack. “Is this about earlier?” She asked as she turned to the mare, radiating concern and worry.

“Yea, about that.” Applejack began, rubbing the back of her head as she glanced out the window. “I first wanted to thank ya fer speakin' fer me. I mean, just suddenly appearin' in yer castle and what-not is bound to make anypony right suspicious.” Applejack then looked to Garnet, who was eyeing the mare with patience and respect.

“I was just wonderin', if perhaps, ya could...” Applejack sighed as she shook her head, forcing out the words. “If ya could help me get back home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike stood before the gates of the city nervously as two guards looked over him. One of them gave him a kind smile, and pulled out a small vial, making her partner give her a bothered look.

“Hey there little guy,” The female guard began, her warm smile melting the dragon's worry away. “You look a little rough, drink this potion, it'll fix you up.”

Not questioning her good intentions, he took the vial, quickly downing the concoction. He felt magic born of the drink immediately wash though him, making his aches and pains disappear, surprising him with how fast it worked.

“Wow! Thanks!” Feeling a lot better, he gave his full attention the guard who aided him, giving her a toothy grin. “I'm Spike!” he then glanced into the city, “Would you mind telling me where I am?” They both gave him an odd look, provoking him to add, “I'm not from around here.” From absolutely nowhere around here. He added, to himself.

“Well Spike, I'm-” the guard with the warm smile began, but was interrupted by her female companion.

“You know that potion was for us, for an emergency, right?” Her companion commented, looking a little distressed by her companions actions. “Biggs is gonna throw a fit!”

“I'll just tell him Wedge lost it.” She quickly, and deviously replied. She then looked back to Spike, blushing as she rubbed her neck. “Yes, well. I'm Tina, and my friend here is Celeste, and you're at the southwest gate of the capitol, Alexandria.” She then frowned a little. “Of the nation of the same name.”

“Alexandria?” Spike replied. “Do you know where I can find Equestria from here?”

“I, can't say I've heard of that place.” She stood and pondered for a moment before looking to have an answer for him, motioning Spike towards the path into the city. “You can try asking the merchants in town square. Many have come from far and wide for the Princesses' birthday, so you're bound to find someone who knows there.”

There's a princess? Here!? His eyes quickly fell upon the large castle at the back of Alexandria, and he was struck with a plan. Aha! I can talk to the princess, and she can help me get back to Ponyville! With almost a skip in his step, he thanked Tina and Celeste, and moved into the city.

Considering his exposure to royalty, he didn't think it would be odd to go right up to the front gates and ask to talk to the kingdom's princess. As he walked through the city, he saw not just humans, but other human-like creatures inhabiting the place. There were rat-folk, penguins, and hippos with human features populating the city. All of them moving about their busy lives, not even giving the young dragon a second glance.

No wonder I wasn't bothered for being a dragon. Finding his way through Alexandria, he passed by the market and found the gates to the castle. Much to his dismay, the guards in front of the gate did not let him inside.

“I'll have you know I am Twilight, the Princess of Friendship's number one assistant!” They didn't seem impressed. “Please let me through, I have an emergency!” He asked of the guards, but they wouldn't even answer him. They simply stood watch, and made sure no one got through.

Looking past the gate, he could make out the spires of the castle. It had several small towers, and four large towers that were spread at the points of a square, in the center was a very large blade that reached into the sky, as if trying to cut the heavens. The blade itself reflected the sky, its size made it thicker, and taller than the towers surrounding it, and Spike could only wonder how that blade had been forged.

Looking away from the castle, he went back the way he came, kicking the cobblestones as he did so. Spike briefly noticed a small rat-kid watching him, but payed him no mind as he considered what to do next.

Well great, how am I suppose to talk to the princess if I can't get in? He thought as he wandered to the market he had passed. As he did so a large ship flew overhead, overshadowing a good portion of the street. Spike looked at it in wonder, it reminded him of a blimp with a ship hanging under it back in Canterlot.

This boat, however, was bigger, it had several large spinning propellers swinging lazily in circles. Spike craned his neck, unable to see more of its features as it flew over towards the castle. Okay, this Alexandria place is pretty cool! Big castle with a large sword, and awesome flying ships!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: We are Thieves!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several figures stood in a poorly lit room on the ship passing over Alexandria. Surrounded by a large number of spare parts, a round bellied rat-folk with a purple beard and mustache took in the others. He stood before a round table with several figurines on it, and appraised his company.

“Right! Here's the plan!” he began, motioning to the other four. “Tantalus, the infamous band of daring thieves,” He then raised an eyebrow, as if wondering if the others needed be affirmed on this, “Which is us. Is headin' to the Kingdom of Alexandria.” He said, motioning to the toy model of the Alexandrian castle to the others.

“Our mission!” he continued, “to kidnap the heir to the throne, Princess Garnet!” He then looked to the man in the back of the room. “Cinna?” The small man with a crushed gray top-hat, scruffy brown beard, and smelled of engine oil, stood up, turning to the company.

“I'll take it from here, so listen up!” Cinna then pulled out a small toy model of the Prima Vista, the very ship they were flying upon. “Our ship's about to dock at Alexandria. And when it does, we're gonna put on our costumes, and perform 'I Want to Be Your Canary,' the most popular play in the kingdom!”

He then looked to the man with a red bandanna, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and short pants. “Break a leg, Marcus! 'Cause you're playin' the lead!” Marcus nodded as he stood up.

“Leave the actin' to me!” Marcus declared, “Of course, the real kidnappers'll be Blank and Zidane!” He said as he looked to a man with red hair, wearing loose leather clothes with animal furs, and another man who had short blond hair, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and pants. The blond headed man also had a tail, and he nodded in unison with Blank at Marcus' proclamation. Blank pulled something from his pocket as he looked to the others.

“I'll distract the audience from backstage with these little buggers.” Blank explained, showing a large orange and yellow insect with a preference for bouncing around. It made a noise as Blank actively shivered. “I can't stand oglops,” he admitted as he pocketed the bug. “But I'll manage, so don't worry about me.” He then looked to the man with the tail, “And that'll be your cue, Zidane!”

“Right! That's when I kidnap Princess Garnet, right?” He asked as he looked to the leader of the Tantalus gang, the man with the purple beard, Baku.

“You bet!” Baku replied enthusiastically as he pulled out a small doll labeled 'Princess Garnet', “You're gonna kidnap the most babe-ilicous beauty in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Pst, hey you, shrimp,” Spike's thoughts on getting inside the castle were interrupted as his eyes fell on the young rat-folk who eyed him earlier, who he noted was shorter then he was. The rat-kid looked poor, sporting light brown fur and wearing a ragged light blue shirt with tan overalls. Despite his poor attire, the kid seemed brimming with confidence and authority.

“You're the one that wants to go inside, right?” He asked Spike, who nodded, wondering where this was going. “You wanna go into the castle? I'll help you in if you become my slave! Well, whaddya say?”

“Your slave!? No way!” Spike quickly refused, wide-eyed.

“Oh, um,” the rat-kid looked around, a little embarrassed before turning back to Spike. “How about assistant then?”

Assistant? I think I can manage that. Still, really? Slave? Spike nodded as he looked back to the castle. I really need to get inside and talk to the princess! Assuming it was a temporary agreement, the child led Spike down an alley. He stopped at a ladder near a signpost and asked Spike to carry it for him.

“This is gonna be awesome,” the kid affirmed, “this way shrimp, we gotta get that to the roof!” and Spike was pulled along by his enthusiasm. It was clear to him at this point that they were probably gonna sneak into the castle, which didn't bother him. He enjoyed the last time he had done that, and carried the ladder with a smile on his face.

Following the rat-kid up to the roof-tops, the entire affair started to feel like an adventure to Spike. They walked across wooden planks suspended precariously between buildings, getting closer and closer to the castle. When they reached the last gap, they used the ladder they acquired to bridge the gap between the roof and some scaffolding attached to the castle wall. And in one quick motion the two of them were in the castle.

“Alright, we're here!” the kid proclaimed, then turned to Spike, “Ahhh darn! I forgot!” He shook his head, a little embarrassed before composing himself. “I'm Puck! What's your name?” I guess we should have done that sooner. Spike thought as he smiled to Puck sheepishly.

“I'm Spike, pleased to meet you!” he said as he took in the area. The ship he saw before was docked at the castle, resting in an artificial lake seeming made for this purpose. The ship itself had a stage built into it's deck, facing an audience of wealthy looking individuals. It looked like a play was about to start, and looking to Puck, Spike saw that the rat-kid carried a look of expectation, his eyes locked on the stage.

“Wait, you wanted to see the play?” Spike asked, surprised and confused that someone about his age would like to see such a thing.

“Well yea! It's the best play in Alexandria!” Puck declared as they moved around behind the seats the wealthy looking individuals were sitting in. “You should stay and watch the beginnin' at least!”

Spike shook his head. I need to find the princess and- his thoughts were interrupted by the explosion of fireworks as the stage came to life, music blaring as the play began, instantly drawing his attention, and making him momentarily forget the reason he came here.

The audience cheered and applauded the opening of the play, as a large man with a purple beard, wearing kingly garments, walked to the center of the stage. He looked to the audience, spreading his arms wide as the cheering died down. He bowed down before addressing everyone, his voice booming and deep.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo.” The speaker eyed his audience, giving a moment of dramatic pause.

“When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king!” He then motioned towards a platform above Spike, making the dragon look, but he couldn't make out what was on the platform.

“And now,” the speaker continued, “Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet.” He then motioned towards the wealthy individuals in front of Spike, and the audience of people watching the play from nearby roof tops.

“Noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents 'I want to Be Your Canary'!” He then bowed as the audience applauded, and Spike found himself captivated, joining in the applause as the music boomed up, and the man moved to the left side of the stage.

The doors in the stage's center opened up, revealing three actors of different colors. A man with red hair and leather stood tall, speaking up.

“Bereft of father! Bereft of mother!” he declared, his eyes afire with anger as he shook his head. “Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!” He declared as a short man with a scruffy beard took a step forward.

“Fortune hath escap'd thee!” the short man cried out worriedly, “For what end shalt thou live?” The man standing between the two actors, a man with blond short hair, wearing blue, stood tall, a sword drawn.

“For the sake of our friend, let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!” the man in the middle declared, and his two companions turned to him with a nod.

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

They declared in unison as all three of them charged onto the stage. This is a love story!? Spike wondered in amazement as he eyed the weapons the actors had, they looked real, and Spike could only wonder what he would have missed had he ran blindly into the castle. Spike's eyes widened as he realized that he wasn't actually looking for the princess right now.

Ah man! He really wanted to see what happened next, but he tore himself from the play, looking to the castle. Twilight is probably worried about me, I should look for the princess. Garnet was it? He thought as he looked up to the balcony above him. Is she up there? He wondered as he bid Puck a 'See you later,' Puck looked at him, a little disappointed, but wished Spike good luck.

Leaving the play behind him, he ran into the castle to find his ticket home. Well, Spike thought, at least I don't have to see the romantic parts of that play, either. He admitted to himself, brightening his mood as he lost himself in a maze of stone and marble.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hello Equestrian, I'm Mois, a moogle, and I'll be your guide for the Gaian chronicles of The Ninth Fantasy.'

'This is where I'll be explaining some workings of Gaia's magic to you, as there are many things on Gaia that are not on Equestria.'

'As I said, I'm a moogle, and moogles such as I are responsible for chronicling history of the nations, as well as helping with communication between everyone through our mailing system. You'll see more of us moogles in later chapters. Kupo~'

'Now then, what to start with? Well, how about the beginning with Spike? During the opening stages of the Ninth Fantasy, several individuals were transferred between Gaia and Equestria. All transfers happened in pairs, Spike was switched out with Vivi Ornitier, dumping the quiet black mage in the barn at Sweet Apple Acres.'

'The ticket Spike burned was a fake ticket for the play 'I Want to be your Canary', a tragic love story that is a favorite to the Alexandrian royal family. The Prima Vista, the theater ship that flew over Spike, is performing the play to celebrate the princesses' sixteenth birthday.'

'Beneath is a bio, usually for the narrator the chapter focused on, in this case that would be Spike. It will show his physical and mental stamina, as well as equipment, abilities and spells. I'll go more into abilities next chapter, while chapter three will cover how items interact with them. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Mage Staff: Fire

Lvl up! Lvl-2 HP 82/82 MP 4/52

AP 15/15

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lightening up any party.

Author's Note

I just might love MLP:FIM and FFIX, maybe just a little. Spike and Applejack are best pony.

Also, here's a picture of Alexandria castle, because it's awesome.

And just a quick thank you to my readers, and my friend OCisbestpony for helping me with editing. :twilightsmile:

8. One Problem Settled...

Applejack disembarked, the others a step behind her. They were inside an enclosed dock, large enough to house airships bigger than the cargo ship. The sound of machines and metal striking metal could be heard from somewhere within the dock, echoing through and carrying the noise to them.

A pair of guards approached them as Applejack was taking in the interior, but the guards stopped when they saw how ragged the cargo ship looked. Their armor was more decorative than the armor of the Alexandrian soldiers, and they wore white clothes over the metal, with slightly steepled hats. To their sides, Applejack saw that they both carried a long hammer as their weapon. Seeing the guards pause in confusion, the princess walked up and addressed them.

“I am Princess Garnet Till Alexandros XVII,” she proclaimed with authority as she gave a small bow, “I wish to speak to Regent Cid, immediately.” The guards looked to each other before looking at her incredulously.

“Royalty would never fly on that battered hunk of junk!” One of the guards proclaimed, “Nor would she keep company with such a motley group!” he added, nodding matter-of-factly.

“Who ya callin' motley?” Applejack asked indignantly. She took a moment to look herself over and realized the truth of it. Her new armor, which was uncomfortable to wear, was covered in burns, and she saw that Zidane and Spike's clothing were in a similar state. Ahh shoot, we do look motley!

Lindblum is a big city, she hoped she could find someone to help her with the armor. Chocobo armor wasn't made for ponies, it fit awkwardly around her chest and didn't protect her sides. Still, the power it granted her had saved her life.

“I assure you, I am the princess,” Garnet affirmed, politely disregarding the slight made against her companions.

“I'll need to see some proof then.” The guard in charge of the pair asked, walking up to her. Garnet nodded as she pulled out some sort of gemstone attached to a necklace she was wearing, and the guard was surprised to see it. “This looks just like the Falcon's Claw! But it's different, there are more ridges on-”

“What's going on here?” An authoritative voice rang out as a noble looking man approached them. He had long gray hair tied into a ponytail, and a matching beard went with it.

“Ah, uncle Artania!” Garnet happily exclaimed, greeting Artania, who was surprised to see her.

“Garnet! It's been so long!” He said, mirroring her smile. He then dismissed the guards, “Come, Cid has been expecting you.” He moved off, and Garnet followed after him, as confused as the others were that they were expected.

Following Artania, he led the party to an elevator, and they took it up. On the climb he pleasantly informed the others that the elevator connected to three levels of the castle. The bottom level leading below the mist, to the harbor and the back gate. The highest floor, where they were heading to, lead to the royal chamber and conference room. As they climbed, Zidane asked the princess about the regent.

“Uncle Cid?” she replied, looking a little embarrassed for not informing them. “He's very wise, he always thinks ahead.” She considered something a moment before nodding to herself. “He can be... eccentric, but he's very dependable. He and my father were best friends...”

She let her sentence fall off, considering something. “I wonder if he will even listen to what I have to say.” Applejack frowned at her doubt. Well, she thought, he better! Considerin' what we went though to get her here.

“Don't worry,” Zidane assured, “we're not leaving until he does.” Having said that, they arrived to the top level, and followed Artania to the royal chamber. Applejack's jaw dropped as she took in the castle's interior.

The floor was made of marble, as were the stone pillars, the glass was stained with colors and murals, and this is just the hallway to the royal chamber! The aesthetics reminded the mare of Celestia's castle, instilling a light sense of homesickness. When they reached the chamber, Artania spoke for the group, informing the Regent that Garnet was here to see him. The room, however, was empty.

“Uh, where's the Regent?” Applejack couldn't help but ask, Garnet nodded, she wanted to know where Cid was as well. Then to everyone's surprise, a large orange and yellow bug called an oglop hopped onto the throne. It had a particularly suave mustache, and wore small red noble garments.

“Greetings! ” It heartily proclaimed.

“That's a big oglop!” Zidane pointed out, his eyes wide as Applejack snickered.

“It kinda looks funny, dressed up like that,” she commented.

“You didn't tell us the regent was a bug, Dagger.” Spike said, sleepily, shaking his head in an attempt to stay awake. Applejack looked to the tired dragon, smiling lightly. She was also tired, but her pride wouldn't show it. The days events had been taxing, and soon it would be nightfall.

“I didn't know.” Garnet admitted, looking at the oglop in confusion. “That mustache, it's defiantly Cid. What happened to you, uncle?” She asked with concern. The bug let out a long and tired sigh as it confirmed her assumption.

“Yes. Greetings, all . I am Cid Fabool, Regent of Lindblum.” Cid then looked to Garnet, “I've been expecting you since this morning. I hoped it was you when I heard that a nearly destroyed cargo ship had docked. I'm delighted to see you again, Garnet. You have truly become a fine lady.” He then looked down to his body, sporting a sheepish grin, “I, on the other hand...”

“Half a year ago,” Artania explained, continuing where the regent left off, “someone snuck into the castle and attacked the regent in his sleep. By the time the guards arrived to his aid, we were already too late. The regent was transformed into an oglop, as you can see, and his wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted.”

“My goodness!” Garnet replied, taken aback by the story, and worried for the missing lady. Zidane's brow furrowed as he spoke up.

“Whoever pulled that off must have been pretty skilled, like me,” he commented. I certainly hope that wasn't the case. Applejack thought, raising a eyebrow as she appraised her roguish companion.

“Uncle Cid,” Garnet interjected, “I'm glad you were expecting me, I wanted to talk to you about my mother.”

“Can't say I'm surprised by that,” he replied as he folded his arms, “but I'm sure that can wait till tomorrow. You all look a little... ragged. And it's almost nighttime. Why don't you all get some rest for today?”

Applejack looked over her company, Zidane and Garnet didn't look too bad off, if a little tired, but Spike looked like he was going to fall asleep on his feet. She was also tired, she had been unable to get proper rest last night, for some reason she just couldn't sleep straight. She supposed that the mist probably made her restless.

“Thank you,” Garnet began, “but there is a matter I wish to talk about right now, my mother can wait till tomorrow, but I don't want to keep these two waiting.” She said as she indicated the Equestrians. “Spike and Applejack here hail from the kingdom of Equestria, and seek a way to return home. Had they not accompanied us, we would not have made it to Lindblum. Could you aid them?” Cid looked between the two Equestrians, contemplating the request.

“I've never heard of this kingdom, but I shall have my best scholars look into it. If you two return here this time tomorrow, I will have an answer for you.” He then gave them both a warm smile, “Thank you for protecting Garnet. I'll aid you as best I can.” He said humbly, catching the mare off guard.

“That's mighty generous of ya yer majesty. Thank ya!” She said, bowing to him, which made him chuckle.

“Please, think little of it. You have done both Alexandria and Lindblum a great service.” He then looked to Zidane, "You're with Tantalus, yes?" Zidane nodded, giving a deep bow, "Thank you for seeing the princess here safely." Cid then nodded to himself as he walked up to Zidane. "I'd like to talk to you in the morning concerning what's become of the theater ship." Zidane looked at him in surprise, then took on a determined look as he nodded. Does Cid know about the kidnapping? Applejack wondered as she looked to Zidane.

With that, the meeting with Cid was concluded, they were led to some sleeping quarters, one for each of them, and they all called it a night. Applejack slept like a log, happy that the odds of returning home have increased.

A nice, peaceful, uninterrupted, and comfortable rest later, she woke up and got her things together. She didn't need to see Cid till the evening, so she was going to look around, see what she could find to cure Blank, and address her armor. Leaving her room, she found that Spike wasn't in his, and the princess was gone too.

“Looks like sleeping beauty finally woke up,” Zidane's voice rang out from behind, making her jump as she turned to him, being greeted by his smile. “And she didn't even need a kiss,” he added playfully. Choosing to ignore his comment, despite it making her cheeks flush, she approached him.

“Where's Spike and the princess?” She wasn't worried, but she was curious. Zidane nodded as he started moving down the hall, and Applejack followed.

“Garnet went to talk to Cid, Spike insisted he be with her, said he'd get rusty if he didn't attend to his 'assistant duties'.” That's somethin' ya can get rusty at? Applejack wondered as she looked to him.

"Whatcha talk about with Cid?" She asked curiously, assuming the meeting had already taken place.

"He wanted to be filled in on how we got here. So I filled him in." Zidane quickly answered as he looked over her. "So, what's your plan?"

“I'm gonna look fer a cure fer Blank.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Alone?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, and she hesitated. She almost blurted out 'yes', but her friends taught her to accept help when she needed it. She didn't know her way around Lindblum, she could definitely use his help.

“I'd prefer to handle it myself, but I'll end up gettin' lost. If yer willin', I'd appreciate the help.” She asked bashfully, not use to asking for help right out the gate.

“Anything for a friend,” Oh dear, we're friends? she thought in surprise as he pulled out a sack of coins. “Here, let's pool our gil together and see what we can do with it.” He suggested, preventing the mare's line of thought from going off the rails.

They pooled their gil together, and she was surprised that he had a great deal more then she did. Where did he get all this!? Did he have this much before we started slaying monsters in the Evil Forest? Zidane, ignoring her surprise, said, “You can use half of it to replace your gear. Do you wanna look for the cure first, or talk to a blacksmith about your barding?” He considered her armor for a moment before finishing, “We can probably refit it so it better suites you.”

“Blank first. Then the armor.” She immediately replied, and he nodded as she followed him back to the dock where the cargo ship was parked. He continued past it down a flight of stairs to an outdoor landing with a small blue carriage-like airship parked nearby, a taxi. Thinking about the gil he handed her, she asked about it. “So uh, where did you get all this, it looks like a lot.”

“Selling things I swiped from the monsters we've fought. It's something I do, I steal from my enemies as I fight them. I'm so practiced that you've never noticed,” he said with a proud grin. She was at first annoyed at the prospect of him stealing, but calmed down when she considered it was just from the monsters they've slain, at least according to him. So, in addition to what the monsters 'drop' when they perish, there's also the items Zidane steals from them. It's no wonder he wasn't bothered givin' me so much gil!

Getting on the small airship, it moved to carry them to the business district. Flying over the city, she saw many other taxi's and airships moving throughout Lindblum, gingerly flying between the districts, which stood as raised sections of the city. Taking the city in, she once again found herself comparing the city to Manehatten. While there were no especially tall buildings besides the grand castle, the city was clustered, and full of activity.

Before long, the taxi reached its destination, and Applejack continued to follow Zidane through the district he led her too. After walking past a large number of stalls selling a variety of things, from food to children's toys, they ended up in a small closed alley with a forge at the back.

He had led them to a blacksmith. Applejack's brow furrowed as she glared at Zidane. He caught her look and put his hands up defensively.

“I know you wanted to look for a cure first, but since there's two of us, let's tackle both at the same time.” He then motioned to himself with a proud smile, “I know this city like the back of my hand, Applejack, so I'll ask some people I know about it. In the mean time, you can talk to Torres here about your armor. 'Kay?”

She wasn't happy with this, she wanted to help Blank, but before she could argue with Zidane, he continued, “I'll need help getting to him now that the forest is petrified, you can help me with that. I'll get the information, you'll get lost or pay someone for bad info.” He then abandoned his light smile as he looked to her, making her take a step back at his serious expression. “Trust me on this AJ, for looking for information, I'm the right tool for the job. You worry about getting yourself equipped.”

W-Why is he so sense-able!? It's down right annoyin'!

“Fine,” she admitted, annoyed that she never even gotten the chance to fight back. “I'll be around here, so don't ya keep me waitin', 'kay?” He gave her a resolute nod and left her at Torres' shop.

Walking up to the old man, dressed in a heavy vest that protected him from the heat of his craft, she addressed him. “Pardon me, any chance ya could help me with some armor?” She didn't know how long she would be in this world, but she thought it best to be well protected while here. The old man eyed her barding, and asked her to remove it.

“Ah, yes. Chocobo barding isn't the best fit for you. It also doesn't cover much,” he said after appraising her form.

“I'd like some pony bardin' if ya have any,” Applejack asked of him respectfully, “or I'd be willin' to make due with ya re-sizin' this to fit me better.”

“Ain't got 'pony' barding, but I wouldn't mind making something new, but that'll take a few days. Fixin' it to fit you better, however, should only take a few minutes.” With that she gave him the armor and haggled down his asking price. A couple minutes later he returned the barding, it was a little smaller and clean again. Putting it on, she found it fit nice and comfortably.

“Ah, that's so much better!” It now felt more like heavy clothing now, as apposed to awkward plates of metal slung over her chest.

“I can do more than re-size armor you know. I can reinforce your hat, synthesize your blade, re-buckle your scabbard. As long as you have the materials and gil that is."

“What do ya mean, 'reinforce' my hat?” She asked, wondering what his intentions were regarding it.

“Give it a metal rim at its edge and around the headrest. Make it more than just an aesthetic piece of armor.” Applejack didn't like the idea of modifying her old hat, and quickly passed on the idea.

He considered her a moment before nodding to himself. “Tell you what, I'll just work on a mythril ring and an iron set of barding for you, and next time you're in Lindblum you can buy them off me. Time has a way of loosenin' pockets.”

Applejack wasn't going to refuse the idea, and after he got some measurements from her, she bought a replacement scabbard and saddlebag from him. She was surprised when he took pieces from some old armor on his work bench and integrated it into the gear she purchased from him. Was that what he meant about synthesizin'? She wondered as she got her new equipment together. Her business with Torres done, she thanked him kindly and stood near the store, waiting for Zidane to return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Garnet's Worries
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet had separated herself from Spike so she could talk to regent Cid in private. Occupying the dragon with taking care of her travel robe, she sat in the throne room with Cid.

“So, how's the queen,” Cid asked of her, “is she still as vibrant as ever?”

“Yes,” she replied, then let out a sad sigh, “but since father died, mother has been acting very strangely.”

“I'm not surprised, they loved each other a great deal. ”

“We haven't spoken much lately, also, a suspicious man has been prowling around the castle. I think he's involved in my mother's change in behavior,” she paused for a moment, lost in thought. “I don't know what's going on anymore, I fear she has something terrible planned. I've tried to tell everyone, but no one's taken me seriously. They think I'm distraught over losing father.” Cid nodded as he gave her a light smile.

“I can see why you're so eager. I'm glad that you came to me for help.” Garnet returned his smile as she nodded.

“At this point, I think you're the only person she will listen to.” Garnet admitted, “When the theater ship was coming for the play, I decided to sneak on board to come here. I didn't expect the crew to kidnap me though.” Cid chuckled a little at that, getting a confuse look from the princess.

“That was my doing, I'm old friends with Baku, I asked him to apprehend you.” Garnet was taken aback. “I once promised your father to look after you should anything happen to him. I've known about the disturbances in Alexandria for some time. To avoid war, I used Baku to get you. I'm glad you were in the mood to be kidnapped.” He added as he gave her a kind smile. Garnet considered his words before reflecting on what she had seen at the village near the Ice Cavern.

“At Dali, me and the others saw a machine that was making Black Mages, seemingly dolls that can use powerful magic. They were being shipped to Alexandria, I think my mother is intending to use them for war.” Cid's brow furrowed at that as he shook his head.

“We won't let a war happen.” He then looked out the window, seeing something in the distance only his eyes could see. “As long as I have my airship fleet, she wouldn't dare make a move against Lindblum.” He then turned back to Garnet, re-adopting his smile. “Don't worry, everything will be fine.” Garnet took solace in his words, thinking about the possible implications of her mother's actions.

“I'm very sorry, uncle.” He had worked to free her from her mother, and it cost his friend Baku his ship.

“Now now, don't be so formal, I'm helping you as your uncle, not as the regent of Lindblum.” She smiled at that, glad that she still had a family member she hold a reasonable conversation with. Thought he wasn't her uncle by blood, they shared a bond that was just as strong.

“Thank you so much,” she repeated, her gratitude radiating from her.

“Hey, Princess!” Spike said as he entered the royal chamber, “I finished cleaning your robe!” He proudly admitted as he presented it to her, and she could have sworn that the fabric was sparkling.

“Looks like your new assistant has returned,” Cid said with a lighthearted chuckle. “Go see to him, these Equestrians interest me. Having good relations with another nation is never a poor idea. I'll see you tonight at dinner,” he said as he dismissed the young princess.

“Thank you again, Uncle Cid.” Garnet said as she gave him a low bow, which he returned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Less than half an hour later, about the time Applejack's impatience was about to get the better of her, a rat-folk fell from the sky, and landed next to her.

Applejack stumbled over in surprise as she took in the warrior. She wore a red vest and a matching tall helm, and was easily a head taller than Applejack. The rat-person appraised the mare, and then apologized.

“I did not mean to startle you, my little pony, I'm simply here to pick up a new spear. My apologies again.” She said as she went over to Torres. Applejack blinked at her as what she said repeated in her head, and she noticed something off about it.

“Um, excuse me, but have ya met another pony besides me?” Applejack was under the impression that ponies didn't exist on this world, just as many of the races living here were not in Equestria. And this rat-folk referred to her as a pony right from the get-go.

“You'd be the second.” The warrior admitted as she turned back to Applejack. “You seem better equipped for battle than the other.” Another pony? Alright! Applejack thought as she adopted a bright smile, Finally somethin' to work with! The rat-folk then nodded to herself, noticing Applejack's expression as she approached the mare, “I'm Freya, Freya Crescent.”

“Name's Applejack,” she quickly replied, “mind tellin' me where ya met this pony? Did ya get a name? What'd they look like?” She then shook her head, slowing herself down so she could explain herself. “I've been separated from my friends, maybe the pony you met is one of them.” Finding another pony wasn't the same as finding Equestria, but it was a step in the right direction, even more so if it was a friend. Freya's expression seemed to become more considerate after hearing Applejack's explanation.

“The pony I met had a pink coat and messed up hair. I saw her in the marsh early yesterday, she was a strange one. I first thought she was a monster, but when she told me otherwise I was quick to agree. Most monsters don't try to make you laugh, or talk for that matter.” Pinkie! Applejack's mirth couldn't be contained as she let out a light chuckle.

“That's Pinkie alright, she's a friend of mine.” She then gave Freya a serious look, “How do I get to the marsh?” She asked, alight with energy, Freya looked at her and softly smiled.

“It's below the mist, a few hours from the city. I can take you there, as long as we're back by tomorrow afternoon.” She then nodded to herself, seeming to affirm something to herself. “I wouldn't mind helping someone reunite with a friend.”

“I don't want to inconvenience ya,” Applejack said honestly, not expecting her to offer personally showing her the way.

“It'll give me some practice for the festival.” Freya admitted as she accepted the spear Torres' assistant brought her. “We should go now if we want to be back in Lindblum at a reasonable time.” Applejack considered it, she didn't want to bother Freya, but it would make reaching Pinkie easier if she had a guide. Leaving now however meant leaving Zidane and Spike alone for a small amount of time.

“Mind waitin' a few minutes? I'm expectin' someone. I'll tell him where we're going when he arrives and then we can head out.” Freya nodded at her request, and the pair waited. Zidane arrived a few minutes later, and was surprised to see Freya, who was also surprised to see him.

“Long time, Zidane. Friend of yours?” She asked him, indicating Applejack. He gave her an eager nod before speaking up.

“Freya! It's been a while, almost three years now, right?” He nodded to himself then looked to Applejack, “Yea, she's my friend, you're already acquainted?” They nodded in turn.

“Zidane,” Applejack began, “I'm sure one of my friends is in the marsh nearby. Freya's gonna take me there, can ya look after Spike, make sure he talks to the regent tonight, and tell him I went to get Pinkie Pie? We should be back late tonight.” At least she assumed so, a few hours to get there meant a few hours to return. She was trusting Zidane to look after her friend, and she felt her trust was well placed. I hope Spike doesn't mind too much, though I'm sure it'll be just fine once I return with Pinkie!

“What, you don't want me to come with you?” Zidane said, masking his surprise by acting hurt.

“You'd just get in the way,” Freya replied, giving him a snarky grin.

“I wouldn't mind agreein' with Freya,” Applejack quickly replied, Which made Zidane wince, giving her some payback for the way he talked to her earlier, “and besides, ya still need to find a way to cure Blank while we're out, Mr. 'Right Tool for the Job'.”

“Whoa, whoa, okay I get it, I'll stay.” Zidane said as he put his hands up defensively, making Applejack and Freya to share a chuckle. Zidane sighed as he looked to them, “Let's walk and talk, you'll be heading down to the back gate of the city, will they let you out?” Freya nodded, “Alright then.” He then considered something as he took up his typical grin. “So, Freya, you're here for the Festival of the Hunt I take it?”

“Indeed,” she answered with a nod, “I've been wanting to see how my skills fair up against the other competitors, you in?”

“Eh, I think I'll pass.” He then gave the mare an aside glance, “Applejack, you should join in. It's a festival where they let a bunch of weak monsters loose in the city and let competitors slay them for points. The one with the most points is the Master Hunter and is given a reward of their choice.”

“So a monster slayin' competition?” Applejack said, a little surprised. “I might be for that. Is it safe? Lettin' monsters loose in the city?” Sounds right dangerous to me.

“The areas it takes place in are evacuated before hand,” Zidane assured, “the festival's an old Lindblum tradition, so it must be safe. Relatively speaking.” As they talked, they made it back to the airship taxi, and took it to the castle.

“So how are things going with your search?” Zidane asked Freya, and she immediately looked downcast for it. “Oh, nevermind, sorry I asked.” He quickly got out as he scratched the back of his head. Reaching the castle, they took the lift down. It seemed his question had killed the mood for chit-chat, because nothing else was said on the lift. When they reached the ground floor, Zidane saw the pair off as they took a tram that led to the back gate.

“I'm assuming your armor isn't just for show?” Freya asked the mare with a raised eyebrow.

“A-nope, I've fought a number of mist monsters since arrivin' here, and they seem pretty weak, as long as ya aren't overwhelmed.”

“Good, hate to have to do your share of the fighting as well.” She said coolly, giving Applejack another smile. The look Freya gave her was familiar, it was an expression she saw often on Rainbow Dash's face. A look of playful competition, and while Applejack hadn't been expecting it, she found reassurance from it. Mirroring the look, they went through the gate, and out into the mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Lindblum is divided into three districts. The Business, Industrial, and Theater districts, with the castle being the center point of Lindblum, the grand castle. It's the most populated city on Gaia, and also the most advanced. Home of the mist engine, Lindblum is in the middle of transitioning over to steam engines, which don't need mist to work, neat!'

'Torres is one of a number that can synthesize items, mixing parts of two things together to make something stronger!'

'Cid, the Regent, is not only in charge of Lindblum, but also runs the development of steam engine research. He's already completed one ship that flies on steam, but it was stolen the same day his wife was abducted. Kupo.'

'As Cid said, Lindblum has a formidable airship fleet. If Lindblum ever came under a greedy souls rule, that fleet would make good work at conquering the mist continent.'

'Freya hails from Burmecia, the nation of the rat folk, known as Burmecians. She was trained as a dragon knight and is a master spearswoman with incredible jumping prowess, which she uses to deadly affect. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Iron Sword: Minus Strike

Applejack's Hat: Applebuck(mastered)

*Iron Scabbard: Bird Killer

Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Basic Barding: Hog Tie

*Leather Saddlebag: Hog Tie, Antibody

Elem-Def: Earth damage reduced by 50%

Lvl-9 HP 454/454 MP 36/36

AP 4/21

*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP

Author's Note

Sharing a chapter with a boss wasn't nice, so she gets this one all to herself!:ajsmug:
Also, Party member get!

Oh, and here's one for New City Get!

Big thank you to you, and OCisbestpony for the help! :twilightsmile:

11. Hunter's Chance

Spike stashed away the Kupo nut the shop keeper had given him along with the party supplies. Mois clearly wanted it, but insisted Spike hold onto it, and hide it from the light of day.

“It's, um,” she began as she fidgeted in the air, “It's something that we moogles share, between each other,” her fur turned red as she looked to Spike, “And I have no one to share it with. So you should hold onto it, some moogles are bound to help you in exchange for it...”

“Well, if you say so.” Spike said with a nod, “I think I got everything we'll need, so let's go find Zidane.” Spike eyed the doorway, then shifted the large stack of boxes through it. Despite the precarious stacking arrangement, he had no trouble keeping the pile from falling.

Party supplies were not the only thing Spike got, he also purchased a small number of potions. He intended to participate in the hunt, and would be ready to tackle the monsters on his own. Following Mois, they ran into Zidane not too long before sunset, who had been looking for Spike.

“Hey Zidane!” Spike managed to get out from behind the pile of goods, “How's the princess?”

“She's fine! She seemed worried about a lot of things, but I think I successfully took her mind off of it,” He replied, a small spring in his step. “So, did you want to wait for the others down at the Dragons gate? We can practice fighting monsters together while waiting for them!”

“We can? I'd like that, but won't we miss them if we're busy fighting monsters?” While Spike was scared of the pain involved with fighting monsters, he didn't shy from combat.

“I can keep an eye out for them,” Mois interjected, “If you'd like. Kupo~” With a nod from Zidane and Spike, they dropped off the party supplies in Spike's room.

In short order, the three of them made their way to the Dragon's Gate, and were soon out in the misty valley beneath Lindblum. They wandered near the base of the city's gate, vanquishing any monster that came their way.

The practice allowed Spike to master his teleporting, and finally switched over to the Ore. Being able to breath fire again was refreshing for the young dragon, even if it couldn't sent messages. It's not my green breath, but red is cool too! I wonder if other gems let me breath other types of fire? He wondered as the two of them were taking a break.

“This way! Kupo!” They heard from their moogle companion. Zidane and Spike shared an excited look, and moved to reunite with their friends. Spike saw Pinkie, her usual bubbling self, and ran to her first.

“It's my favorite green and purple dragon!” Pinkie said as she tackled Spike in a hug. Spike, wanting to catch her off guard, teleported out of the hug, ending up on her back, hugging her in turn. She let out a loud gasp as looked to him. “Spike! That's just like Twilight! Sooo~ Awesome~!” She said as she rolled on her back, getting the dragon back in her hooves as they laughed.

“Pinkie!” Spike cried out in joy, “I couldn't wait to see you! How'd you find her, AJ?” he asked as he appraised the other two. Applejack had a small smile on her face, but Spike didn't recognize the person she was with. She kind of reminded Spike of Puck, back at Alexandria. She was giving the baby dragon a strange look that made the young dragon look to her in concern.

“You're friends with a dragon?” She asked, clutching her spear tightly. “Is it safe?” Applejack noticed her stance, and moved in front of the rat-folk, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Well of course Spike is safe, don't ya worry!”

“Yeeaa~ He's our good friend and Twilight's like, favorite dragon!”

“Pinkie," Applejack began flatly, "he's the only dragon we're friends with.”

“Exactly, which makes him our favorite dragon!” Pinkie replied, as if Applejack had missed the point entirely. They all talked had shared several laughs as they returned to the city. As they got on the elevator, Applejack looked to Spike.

“So, did Cid find anythin' about Equestria?” Spike looked to Applejack in surprise, slowly giving her a sheepish grin.

“Uh, I forgot... I was so excited that it slipped my mind!” His grin melted as he looked her in the eyes, “Sorry.”

“Well shoot. It's okay sugarcube,” she gave him a kind smile, “I don't blame ya.” She then toggled the elevator to take them to the top floor, just in time for them to pass the middle tier of the lift's climb.

“So,” Zidane began as he looked to them, “who here is going to be in the Festival of the Hunt tomorrow? I certainly am.” Before anyone else could reply, Pinkie got in front of him, wide eyed.

“There's a festival!? When is it!? What is it about? Can I help? Can I? Can I? Can I~?” The pink mare asked of everyone, making Zidane look taken aback. Freya rolled her eyes in tandem with Applejack, which Spike noticed, getting a chuckle from the dragon. Zidane composed himself as he reflected Pinkie's smile.

“It's a festival about fighting monsters, and I don't see why you can't help-” Zidane was interrupted by the change in Pinkies expression, her face went very still as she stared off into space, he head tilted to the side in thought.

“It's a party, where you fight monsters?” She asked, which got a nod from everyone else on the elevator, not sure what the problem was.

“Okay~” she said after a moment of considering, “we're going to have so much fun~” Pinkie finished unenthusiastically, which got a confused look from her company.

“Well, I'm gonna be in it!” Spike admitted as he puffed out his chest, “I can show the monsters a thing or two, and maybe get a prize!”

“Now sugarcube,” Applejack began as she shook her head, “it's gonna be right dangerous. I think ya should just watch.” Zidane sighed as he took Spike's side.

“Don't be a stick in the mud, Applejack,” Zidane interjected, “Spike can take care of himself. And besides, if things turn sour, he can simply teleport out a there, right?”

“Right!” Spike declared as he gave Zidane a thankful grin.

Zidane had his back, but that didn't mean Spike was going to let him win tomorrow. Applejack frowned at the notion, but didn't press the issue, deciding to put her faith in him. She's seen how the monsters fared against the dragon, and they didn't fair well.

“All right then, ya just be careful, I don't wanna regret letting ya participate.”

“Don't you worry AJ, I'll be fine!”

“So are we all in?” Pinkie asked, and seeing no one suggest otherwise, her grin grew wider. “Oh oh! Best festival ever~! I'll be cheering for all of you, but it wouldn't be any fun if I just stood and watch, so we'll be participating too!” She then gave them a sly grin, “Try not to lose~”

Her words spurred them on, and all five of them gave each other a determined look. Tomorrow, they were going to play a game of monster slaying, and there was only room for one on first place. Their eyes darted to each other, not daring to let themselves be the losers. This elevator had room for just one victor, and not a single one of them would-

*Ding*

The elevator reached the top floor, popping the balloon of building competition they had all been glaring at each other with. They all shared a sheepish grin as Applejack addressed a nearby guard.

Applejack and Spike were late for the conference with Cid, but they were still allowed into the royal chambers. Freya, Zidane and Pinkie were allowed as well with Applejack's request.

Entering the room, they found that Garnet was with Cid. Spike introduced Pinkie to them, while Zidane introduced Freya. Freya and Pinkie were both surprised to see that the regent was a big bug.

“Yes, well these things happen,” Cid began, getting straight to business. “Greetings knight of Burmecia, and fellow Equestrian.” He then let out a regrettable sigh, “Unfortunately, my scholars were unable to gleam anything about your land, or I guess at this point , your world.”

“Oh! Oh! That reminds me. I have good news, and not so good news~” Pinkie said with a small smile.

“Yer gonna spill the beans on how you ended up in the marsh?” Applejack asked, and at hearing that, Garnet and Cid shared a look of intrigue.

“Well Duh~” Pinkie then sat down and took up a sophisticated air as she addressed everyone, “When you two disappeared, somepony else appeared in your place! A short little shy fellow named Vivi and an armored silly willy called Steiner.” That name brought on a look of recognition from Garnet as the pink mare went on without a pause.

“When we found them we all talked about Gaia, and Twilight was like,” she slapped on a fake unicorn horn and acted like Twilight as she said, “We can try using magic to send you two back, that should get us Spike and Applejack back, we'll just reverse the spell that brought you two here,” she abandoned the horn as she continued, “And everypony thought it was a great idea, but Twilight's magic wasn't strong enough, so we ended up in Canterlot and all the princesses worked together to cast the spell, Discord helped too, and it worked! Only, it didn't,” she finished with a frown.

“What went wrong?” Cid asked.

“After it happened, Discord told me it was a one way trip, that when the princesses tried to force them back, the spell stuck to somepony else! And guess who the lucky mare was!” She answered with a large grin.

“Wait, this Discord told you this after it happened?” Zidane asked, seeing a gap in the events. Spike was curious of this as well. If the spell sent her here, when would she have had the chance for Discord to explain it to her?

“He told me yesterday,” her mane deflated slightly as she continued, “I've been seeing him ever since yesterday, only he isn't really there, and he knows things. I think he tried to save me from the spell, but something happened to him when he did.”

She let out an uncharacteristic sigh as she looked to her friends. “To be honest, I'm not sure if he's really Discord, or if I've gone coocoo or something,” she thought for a moment before her mane regained its vitality, “But that's okay, I wouldn't have made it through the marsh without him, so it's all good~” She finished with a smile. Zidane considered her words before commenting.

“If you can see thing that aren't there, you might have been in the mist for too long. Stay in the city for a few days and you should get over it.” Pinkie seemed pleased by this as Applejack followed up her last comment.

“So I guess the good news is yer here and the others are tryin' to get us back, and the not so good news is that we're gonna be stuck here fer a while,” she divvied out. She's right! If the magic of all the princesses wasn't enough to fix this, then we're probably going to be stuck on Gaia for while! The dragon thought as Pinkie nodded at Applejack's assumption.

“Hmm, the Princess told me of your royalty." Cid explained, "If the greatest powers of your land were unable to bring you back, then I'm not too sure how we can help you. However, I can offer you a place to live, and other support as well if you ask. With what's going on these days however, I'm afraid that's all I can do to help, you'll have to do the leg work yourself, my apologies.” Applejack nodded as she turned to him.

“Well, we thank ya for yer support. Have any suggestions on where we should look fer answers?” He considered her question for a moment before nodding.

“You can try Burmecia or Alexandria for answers, they would know more about magic than us. We're more concerned with technology.”

“If that's the case,” Zidane began, addressing the Equestrians, “I recommend we go to Treno first, I believe we can find Blank's cure there.”

“Really?” Applejack asked excitedly, “Then it's settled, we'll head to Treno after tomorrow's festival! Sound good to everypony?”

“Sounds super~!” Pinkie answered, bouncing up and down. Spike didn't think Pinkie knew of Blank, but assumed she was fine with anyplace if she was with her friends. Considering that notion brought a smile to his face.

“Sounds like an adventure!” Spike heartily replied.

The truth was that neither of them were happy with the idea of being stuck on Gaia, but their friends were working to get them back, so the three of them might as well make the most of it. At least, that was Spike's take on the situation. He suspected that Applejack was infatuated with the idea of saving Blank, while Pinkie was just being Pinkie. Yea, most of my friends aren't here, and I miss them, but Applejack and Pinkie are! And so is Zidane and Garnet. This world has monsters, so there's lots of adventure! And for once, I won't be left out!

“Well then,” Applejack said, “we should get some rest fer tomorrow.” She then turned to Cid. “Thank ya, yer Majesty, fer lookin' to help us out. We'll try to find some way to turn ya back to normal while we're lookin' fer a way home.” She promised, getting a grateful nod from the regent.

With the meeting over, they all went their separate ways to prepare for tomorrow. Zidane and Freya returned to town, while the others returned to the rooms the regent had given them, with Pinkie adopting Zidane's room. She was quite happy with the supplies Spike had given her, giving him another tackle hug for his consideration. And with the days affairs settled, they went to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The five of them stood before a guard overseeing the entries of the festival. They came as a group, and there were a small number of other warriors looking to participate as well. Everyone in the overseeing area were well armed, and many were looking to the others, bravado lighting their features. The guard, now ready to address them, did so.

“Each of you will start off in a different location in the city, which will be determined by lottery. You will be tracked, as will your kills. Tougher monsters give more points than weaker monsters, so bear that in mind. The hunt will go on until all monsters have been slain.” He pulled out a small board with paper on it as he looked to them. “It usually ends within a quarter of an hour, so be quick. Each entry is free to specify their own reward. What would you like, should you gain the title of Master Hunter?”

“I want gems, as many as I can get!” Spike answered first, beating the others to the punch.

“I wanna see everypony smile~!” Pinkie said, and the guard wrote it down, but wasn't quite sure how to accomplish that if the pink mare made first place.

“I want gil, all the way!” Zidane chose, a simple prize with a great deal of use.

“I would like an accessory, perhaps a Coral Ring.” Freya humbly offered.

“Ah shucks, a prize?” Applejack didn't have an answer and thought on it for a moment, “I guess I'd settle fer a mighty fine blade.” She wanted a practical prize, no surprise from the dragon there.

“Very well then,” the guard started, “draw your lottery and head to your starting position, the monsters will be let loose in half an hour, good hunting!” The group all nodded in unison as they each drew their lot and left to their starting spots.

Spike was starting in the Business district, which worked for the dragon, as he hadn't explored the other districts in his time in Lindblum. No one else joined him on the taxi to that district. Wait, I'm alone? Awesome! I can take on all the monsters before anyone else! It seemed luck favored the dragon today.

They were told what kind of monsters to expect, wolves called Fangs and giant squirrels names Mu's. Both were monsters Spike's fought before, and honestly, after dealing with the Ice Cavern, those monsters were beneath him. There was also some bird monsters that should be of similar danger. The big prize however, was the Zaghnol, a giant bull-like monster that offered the most points.

He still had some time till it started when he arrived at the business district, so he took another look around. However, It wasn't too long after he started exploring that the bell rang out. W-what!? Shouldn't there still be fifteen minutes left? Oh well! He thought as he rushed to find his targets, the hunt had begun.

Intending to make the most efficient use of his magic, Spike ran around, drawing the attention of all manner of monsters too him. They came from walled off alleys and carriages, opened when the bell rang, and now the street was littered with monsters.

He was caught off guard by the number, but wasn't worried. As a group of monsters gathered around him, he waited till the last possible moment before teleporting out of their reach. Standing atop a nearby carriage, he carpet bombed the group, taking out three Mu's and two fangs. A large announcement rang out over the city.

“Spike the Dragon leads with 65 points!”

“All right! This'll be easy!” The dragon claimed as he moved on to the next group to corral.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: A-Mena's Party
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It is a party~~!! Where we fight the monsters~~!!” The pink mare sang out, her hair limp as several fangs chased her around the square. One of the Mu chasing her let out a sigh, adopting Discord's eyes and beard as it spoke up.

“I really don't think this exercise was exactly what your psyche needed right now.”

“We can party and fight at the same time~ What's wrong with that?” The pink mare asked, she then broke into singing a rhyme as another pair of monsters joined the train chasing her.

“The itsy bitsy misties running up the spout.”

“Down came the rain,” she brought her cannon to bear on the pursuing monsters and let out an jet of mystifying water.

“And washed the misties out!”

“Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,” finishing that line, another pair of fangs rounded a corner and bolted towards the mare.

“Now the itsy bitsy misties ran up the spout again!” She fired another volley as she finished her song, clearing them out as well.

“Very charming dear, you make my heart a flutter.” Discord said almost wistfully as he appeared in front of her, poking her nose, which she could actually feel! “But the problem here, is drawing the line. I'm pretty sure you haven't recovered from the mist exposure.”

“Well Duh~! After all, you're still talking to me!” She sarcastically replied as she loaded the broadsword into her cannon. Hmm, maybe I should use the fork? She wondered as Discord moved in front of her.

“Well, if you're gonna stick to your cannons than I guess that's how it'll be. Just don't expect things to turn out well if Pinkamena starts throwing your parties for you.” He chided as his hair went limp, and the pink mare was shown a scene of Discord sitting at a table having a party with a bucket of turnips, a sack of flower, a ball of lint, and a pile of rocks. The sight made the mare pause, her hair slowly poofing up.

“That isn't fair Dittzy-Cord,” she admitted, glaring at the apparition only she could see.

“Well Pinkie, if you want to see others smile, maybe you should avoid fighting when you don't have to. A party pony willing to sour her hooves with violence isn't very authentic.” Pinkamena wasn't happy with his words, and neither was Pinkie.

“Discord,” Pinkie began, dropping all pretense for silliness, as it was just her and her imagination talking here. “This is a party, where I fight monsters. It's a perfect blend of both of me. You think this is bad for me?” Discord changed into a sign that read 'Mostly Yes!'.

“It promotes you being violent when you don't need to be. Wouldn't you get more smiles if you did something besides slaying these paltry monsters?” He asked as a Mu ran up to Pinkie. She unenthusiastically turned her cannon on it, and Discord made a 'bang' with his finger as she fired, destroying the monster.

Pinkie let out a sigh, Why do you have to make sense when all of me was having fun? He gave her a sheepish shrug as she put her cannon away and separated herself from the monster hunt.

Discords words bounced in her head. There were better ways for her to lighten this party, so she'll let the others have fun kicking flank in her place. Pinkamena isn't her true true self. She shouldn't live to make that side of herself happy, but to make her friends happy.

She shook her head, making her mane regain all its poof. Getting out of the hunt, forfeiting her participation, she put her original party plan into motion as she bounced out of the area of conflict, singing a song about how this was going to be the 'Best Festival of the Hunt, ever!'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Or maybe not,” Spike said with a frown as he heard Zidane taking the lead with 72 points. Spike moved to corral the rest of the monsters in the Business District, thankful that they were fairly unintelligent.

As he moved, he heard other names and their points being called out. His step faltered when he heard that Pinkie had forfeited, and hoped she was okay. Thinking of Pinkie also made him aware that Applejack and Freya didn't seem to have that many points, and he couldn't help but wonder why as he took out the patch of monsters chasing him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Between a Sword and Spear
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Spike the Dragon is in the lead with 141 points!”

Freya heard the announcement, but it didn't register. She had started in the Industrial District, along with Applejack. Neither had been willing to leave the other alone, and it didn't take to long for them to lose track of the goal of the hunt.

Shortly after the hunt began, Applejack took out a Fang before Freya's jump could land and destroy it. Because of that, the two of them have been at each others kills, decimating their point total. It didn't matter to the dragon knight, or the mare. They were keeping count of their kills, and right now, Freya was in the lead.

“Don't think ya've won because of yer fancy jumping!” Applejack called out as she took down a Mu, evening the score. Freya could easily abandon this feud by jumping off to another district, but to her, that was the same as admitting defeat. They were locked in a personal competition, the prize no longer mattered to them, they simply wanted to best the other. Freya smiled as she saw Applejack pause to catch her breath.

“You're starting to look winded Applejack,” she heartily pointed out, giving the mare a smug smile, “maybe you should simply step down and save yourself from getting injured.” Applejack charged towards her, and Freya's eyes widened in surprise.

“And maybe ya should pay attention to that Sparrow!” Sparrow? Freya wondered as the mare slipped past her and took out a Sparrow that was about to attack the red warrior. As it dispersed into mist, Applejack turned back to Freya, sporting a smug grin of her own.

“Now I'm in the lead, still think I'm winded? At least I'm not being distracted by 'winded' competition!” She mocked as they shared a fierce, but friendly glare. Eyeing her next prey, Freya jumped, and Applejack moved to reach the monster first as they continued their personal game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where's the Zaghnol? I gotta get an edge against Zidane if I want those gems! Spike thought as he teleported to the top of a tall building. He still had a good amount of magic left, and he wanted to use it to take down the top monster.

A bolt of lighting spired from the sky towards a part of the city, immediately drawing Spike's attention, and he teleported quickly to its source. Those gems are as good as mine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Scheming Royalty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet looked on from a royal balcony, amazed that it had breathtakingly good view of the city. She was using binoculars to take in the events, and found herself almost completely engrossed by the entire affair.

She wasn't sure why the strange pink mare quit the hunt, but the other four had her enthralled. Spike's tactic was proving capable, but Zidane was fast, and knew the city well, he rushed through alleys and sliced right through the monsters in his path without missing a beat. Applejack and Freya weren't winning, by any means, but the way they interacted was incredible. It was clear to the princess that everyone was working their hardest to win, in their own way.

They're doing everything they can to win, its amazing to watch! She thought with a smile as she pulled her eyes away from the festivities, a little regretfully. It's time for me to get moving. I hope this works, I'd hate to miss out on seeing who wins only for my plan to fail. She dismissed herself from the balcony, telling Cid she would return shortly, as she ran off, to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Zaghnol was bigger than Spike had anticipated, and fast, And to top it all off, it can use magic! Teleporting got him away from the Zaghnol's horns, but not from its magic, and Spike was finally taking damage from the hunt.

Spike fired off Blizzards and Fire, choosing to avoid Thunder, considering the monster seemed to enjoy that particular element. He couldn't keep teleporting while sticking to the offensive, and when he tried to take down the monster from the safety of a rooftop, it tried to break down the building, and it almost did.

I don't want someone to lose their home! That thought in mind, Spike fought it on the ground, and was getting pummeled for it. Despite the beating, the monster wasn't looking too good either. Before its next attempt to throw Spike in the air connected, an orange blur got in its way and was heaved instead.

“I got ya covered sugarcube!” She said as she got back on her hooves, shaking off the affects of being tossed around, “Ya'll be just fine eh?” She said teasingly as she wrapped the Zaghnol up in her rope. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and charged the beast, and when Freya fell from the sky to spear it, she was electrocuted for it.

“Confound you!” Freya cried out as she jumped away from the beast, her armor sizzling. Spike and Applejack both gave her a concerned look, but she caught their worried looks and gave them an assuring grin. “Let's end this!” She proclaimed.

“Only one monster left!” The announcer cried out, “That's right! The hunt is almost over! With Zidane in the lead with 185 points!”

I don't think so! Spike thought as he shot a breath of fire over the monster. The monster struggled to get free of the rope, to no avail, and instead fired lightning on everyone. Spike fell over, almost down for the count.

At least, that would have been the case. He caught a yellow apple that was tossed his way, and took it down in three bites, giving Applejack a thankful grin as he felt rejuvenated.

He then took another deep breath and let out a jet of red flame, and this time, when the fire flared out, the Zaghnol dispersed with it.

“And that's it! The hunt is over! Our winner is... Spike the Dragon at 195 points!”

Spike stood there, his mouth hanging open as he looked up to the castle, I won? I won!? Me, Twilight's number one assistant, won a competition against warriors! Silly little me!? Best. Festival. EVER! He jumped up, cheering in victory, the sound of explosions overhead making this moment all the more awesome to the young dragon.

A mass of fireworks lit the sky, and confetti fell from everywhere as a new voice replaced the announcer's. Freya and Applejack shared a look and smiled before moving to Spike and congratulating him.

“Let's give it up for the hunters everypony~!” Pinkie exclaimed over the entire city, “They kicked some serious tail~! So let's celebrate their hunt!” And another round of fireworks went off as cheers cried out from the entire city.

“And let's give it up for Spike! The Master Hunter of this years Festival of the Hunt!” The original announcer proclaimed, with renewed enthusiasm.

“Everypony, get your party on!” The pink mare proclaimed as some music started playing out over the city.

Looks like Pinkie got her prize anyways. Spike thought as he smiled, and all of Lindblum fell into the festivities, invigorated by the party ponies fireworks and enthusiasm.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Spike earned the lion's share for being the first to fight the Zaghnol, which was what allowed him to win the competition!'

'Lindblum has been hosting the Festival of the Hunt for almost as long as the city itself has been around, which is a really long time!'

'Freya and Applejack might have won had they not started next to each other, but that's the way the Kupo nut crumbles. Just so you know, Applejack got more points, but Freya got more kills. Take from that what you will, kupo!'

'And lets not talk about Kupo nuts, its pretty embarrassing for some moogle that's single to talk about them. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

Mage Staff: Fire(mastered)

Feather Hat: ~~Bright Eyes~~, Add Status(mastered)

Raises Wind Elem-Atk

*Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody

Silk Shirt: Thunder(mastered), ~~Cure~~

Property: Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%

Ore: Flame Breath

Lvl-9 HP 180/244 MP 7/67

AP 11/18

*Add Status(3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Dragon Scales(0) - You take no fire damage.

Abilities:

Black Magic:

Fire 6 MP - Causes Fire damage to single/multiple targets.

Thunder 6 MP - Causes Thunder damage to single/multiple targets.

Blizzard 6 MP - Causes Ice damage to single/multiple targets.

Friendship's Magic:

Spike's Flame 0 MP - Green and harmless warm fire. Perfect for lighting up any party.

Teleport 2 MP - Increase chance of attacks missing Spike for short duration.

Flame Breath 8 MP - Causes Fire damage to a single target. Cannot be reflected.

Trance - Can use Tetra-Breath, mixing three Black Magic spells into a breath attack. It cannot be reflected.

Author's Note

Every dragon has his day!:moustache:

Thanks for reading, as usual!:pinkiehappy::moustache:
And as usual, thank you OCisbestpony for the aid!

15. Kingdom of Burmecia

Freya hesitated as the others approached the front gate to Burmecia. The gate was open, signs of a recent battle were everywhere, but the army that brought this destruction was nowhere to be seen. The soldiers they had saved from the grotto stayed back at the party's insistence. They would clear the way if needed, and the soldiers would watch their backs. Seeing Freya pause, Zidane addressed the dragon knight.

“What's the hold up?” After all the need for arriving as soon as possible, it was strange for her to stop at the front door. Freya looked at the city she grew up in. She left her home five years ago to find her beloved. She had dreamed of returning here with him by her side. Now, it all lay in ruin.

“It's been five years, I- I've been away for so long.” She said weakly as she looked over her city, “Not a night went by when I didn't dream about home.” She couldn't bring herself to return alone, she had been avoiding Burmecia, for so long. “I can't believe I'm here,” she whispered as she knelt down, weighed down by her regret as the rain washed away her tears. The home she dreamed of, was nothing better than a grave now, a marker for the country named Burmecia. Looking at the ruins, she shook her head, and brushed her eyes. She was here now, she needed to act, not wallow in regret.

“I, I'm no longer the selfish child I was five years ago,” she got on her feet, a fire in her eyes, her heart beating with the determination of a warrior. “The time has come to serve my kingdom, as a Burmecian dragon knight, once again!” Her home lay in ruin, but it could be avenged, and there were survivors. There must be survivors! she thought as Zidane nodded, along with the ponies.

“I'll help, with all I've got.” Zidane assured.

Freya marveled at her companions. Zidane, Applejack, and even Pinkie, they risked their lives to help save her people. They understood the risks, and it was painful for the mares, and yet, they persevered. Even now, they saw the fire burning in Freya's heart, and they took that fire upon themselves. Truly, Freya had managed to surround herself with good people, even if by chance.

Some sort of solidarity radiated from Zidane. He was upset, and sad at what was happening around him, and his companions, but he never let it drag him down, he never let it stay his stride. His insistence to help Freya, in and of itself, helped her greatly. She wouldn't have made it to Burmecia without his encouragement, and even now, he was pushing her forward.

“We came all this way,” Applejack began, with a kind smile, “and we'll keep goin' till yer people are safe from this 'war'.”

The orange mare was something of a knight in training, Freya couldn't help but feel some sort of kinship with her. She was proud, noble, and honest, the elements any aspiring knight would need, and she had it in spades. Though her sword work was sloppy, her heart was in the right place. She sought to protect her friends, and even more.

She would have helped me, even if I hadn't helped her find Pinkie.

“I know asking for a smile right now would be pushing it,” Pinkie said, “but I won't give up! I'll give all of me and offer it to making you and your people smile, Freya-meya! I'm gonna help save all we can, and make a biiiig welcome home party when your schedule is clear for it! So let's do this thing~!”

Pinkie was an oddity, and Freya hoped that Applejack was closer to the norm for ponies. Ever since she met the mare, she was unable to pin just what kind of pony she was. She was constantly shifting between an aggressive fighter, an overbearing party maker, and a sad, on the verge of tears pony. Despite the sadness Pinkie has displayed, she still tries to make the others smile.

Freya couldn't offer her what she wanted, but the others had. For Freya, that was good enough for the strange pony. It would probably take a miracle to make me smile so soon after this, but I hope she's the one that gives it to me, should it happen. She at least deserves that. Freya thought to herself. She found Pinkie annoying, but she respected her aid, and her means of finding happiness.

“Let's go,” Zidane said as he entered the city, the others in tow. As Freya followed, she looked again at the ruin in front of her, and despair started to chip at the fire burning in her chest. Just what can I do for my kingdom? She then shook her head, This is not the time for such thoughts.

Wandering through the city, they made their way to the palace. The city was riddled with monsters, and there was no sign of any survivors, only the remains of the victims welcomed their search. Freya felt a stab of guilt as she saw her pony companions doing their best to avoid looking at the fallen.

They shouldn't have been exposed to this. They should have stayed safe and happy in their own world. Just what brought them here? She wondered as they passed a wrecked home to the royal palace. One of the balcony doors opened to reveal the blue jester Freya attacked earlier. Seeing them instantly summoned up her anger as she glared at them.

“It is them again!” He shouted in alarm, and another balcony door opened, revealing the red one, to no ones surprise. The two might as well be one person with two bodies.

“Most persistent, they are!” The red jester said.

“Black mages!” They shouted in unison, and a pair of Black Mages came out of the building, jumping down and attacking the party. Once again, the four of them made short work of the Black Mages. All the battles between leaving Lindblum and now had empowered the group, nothing was going to stop them. With the mages dispatched, the group looked back at the pesky jesters.

“The general will punish you for this!” The blue one claimed, glaring down at the party.

“Yes! Very scary, it is, when the general gets mad!” The red one assured as they fled into the room the balcony was connected to. Freya jumped up to the balcony to pursue them, but they had seemly vanished, the room was a dead end.

What trickery is this! Those scum! Freya thought as she glowered over the room, as if it was to blame.

During her glowering, she noticed a wounded soldier in the room. Moving to his side, he gave her a bell that unlocked the Protection gate, without provocation. His wounds were grave, and she found it worth parting with the healing Elixir Zidane had 'acquired' from Gizamaluke to save his life. Drinking the rare concoction, his wounds were sealed immediately as his eyes opened in surprise. Thanking Freya, she directed him to the other soldiers from the grotto. They had finally saved someone in Burmecia, and she hoped he wouldn't be the last.

Moving on to the Protection gate, which separated the palace from the city, the group encountered a dragon monster known as a Ironite. Before it could be dispatched, it had let loose a breath of fire on everyone. It wasn't as harming as the monster had hoped, and in fact, Pinkie thought to show it up by returning the attack with that versatile cannon she uses.

Shooting out a large gout of fire, the Ironite was burnt into mist, and Pinkie let out a whoop with its defeat. They reached the gate shortly afterwards, and Freya used the bell, which granted them entry.

The palace is just up ahead... Freya thought as she looked up the staircase waiting for them on the other side of the gate. The others began to ascend, but halted when they saw Freya stay behind, turning their attention to her.

“Zidane,” she began, “Burmecia's royal palace is beyond these steps. It... must be in ruins, just like everything else. I, I can't bear to see it like that,” she admitted as she eyed her feet apprehensively.

“I understand,” Zidane said as he moved to her, a sad expression on his face, “but we can't go back now. We have to find out who's behind this. We have to move forward.”

“I get how ya feel sugarcube,” Applejack said, “but we gotta keep movin'. Sittin' still in the mud isn't gonna do anypony any good.” Pinkie nodded in agreement.

“Look, these two have been down since we arrived,” Zidane said as he looked over his Equestrian friends, “they're troubled too. But we have to face reality, we need to see what's become of the palace.”

“Let's go, together.” Pinkie began as she put a hoof on Freya's shoulder, “We can do it if we do it together~,” she solemnly assured the dragon knight. The two were looking down, but it wasn't as bad as when they entered the grotto, the fighting was a good distraction from their emotions.

“You guys,” Freya started, fighting the sting in her eyes. “I'm sorry I let you accompany me here. I said I wasn't that selfish child anymore, and here I am, being scared to move forward, while you two have been scared since we left Lindblum. Thank you.”

She surprised them by giving them both a very short hug, she would never be able to repay them for their kindness, but her affection was at least a start. “You're right Pinkie, let's go, together.” She was the knight of this group, she needed to be strong, even now, even if her heart broke from what lies past the long climb before them.

“Someone's coming!” Zidane said in alarm as the sound of footsteps approached them. The group lowered their guard when they saw it was a small group of Burmecians. A soldier, a mother, and two children. The soldier caught sight of the dragon knight and was overcome with surprise.

“F-Freya!?” He asked in confusion.

“Dan!? It's good to see you!” Freya exclaimed, her mood changing for the better seeing that someone she knew survived this destruction.

“Damn, I haven't seen you in years! Where have you been!?” He asked, his voice laced with concern and worry. He then shook his head, “This isn't the best time to talk. We need to get out of here!”

“Back a ways is a small group of fellow soldiers,” Applejack informed, “they'll protect yer kin.” Dan nodded to the mare and moved past the group, and realizing he wasn't being followed, turned around to address Freya.

“You're not coming with us?” He asked, “The place is swarming with Black Mages!”

“I need to see who's behind this,” Freya claimed, then her eyes suddenly widened. “The king! Do you know what's become of him?” Dan shook his head.

“I don't know, I didn't see him at the palace.” He then gave Freya a quick salute, “I'm leaving with my family, you should go as well.” With that, Dan and his family left. Freya considered his words a moment before turning to the others.

“I am a dragon knight of Burmecia. I will protect my home and my king at any cost. I've spent too much time chasing a ghost, when I should have been here when all this happened.” She then turned around, looking up the climb. “Let's go to the palace, see what we can learn.”

Freya saw her friends give her an assuring nod, each of them giving her a smile. Yes, they're my friends. I'm lucky to have them. She thought as she began the climb.

Reaching the top, they found themselves on the palace grounds. Decorative stone paths and murals lay damaged, marred, scorched. Scattered through the ruins, they found more survivors, and directed them to the others. They also found a moogle that was helping the survivors, and after obtaining new weapons from the moogle, they directed it to join the others behind them.

Pinkie got a new slew of 'ammo' while Freya got a stronger spear made of mythril. Zidane got a double sword, a weapon with two blades, one on opposite sides of the handle. He chose it over his daggers because it was less flimsy, and he was certain he needed something sturdy for what lay ahead.

Reaching the palace courtyard, its state was revealed to all. Half of the palace was collapsed, the forty-foot tall statues standing guard in a ring around it were crumbled under destructive attacks. The remains of several Burmecian airships littered the area. Smoke was billowing out of the palace as Freya took in the scene in shock. Zidane continued forward, breaking the spell that fell over her, and she followed after.

Climbing to the palace gates, the group came upon a grisly scene. At least twenty dragon knights lay before the gates, all were slain by a blade, no evidence was present to suggest the Black Mages had a part in it. Zidane took it all in, eyeing the ruins and the bodies.

“This... is just terrible," he admitted as he kicked the ground, his voice laced with anger, "I'm sorry Freya, but by the looks of this, I don't think the king made it.” Freya couldn't deny the strong likelihood of it being true, and the thought of it brought her to her knees. “I don't know what to tell you,” he said weakly, “we can only hope he escaped during the chaos.” Freya sat there, thoughts running through her head faster then she could catch them.

Where is the king? Could he have gone to Lindblum? Cleyra? Where are the rest of the dragon knights? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices. Somewhere within the palace, someone was talking. Hope that it was the king, or anger that it was the enemy, she didn't know which compelled her, as she quickly jumped up atop a statue to a platform she could get into the palace from.

“Freya!?” Zidane and Applejack asked in alarm.

“There's someone inside the palace. What are you waiting for!? Get up here!” She replied. Not waiting for her friends to catch up, she went inside the palace and when she noticed it wasn't Burmecians talking, jumped down to the palace's ground floor, took cover behind a decorative statue, and listened in. Shortly after getting into position, Zidane joined her side.

“Who's that?” Zidane asked as the looked into the center of the palace. In front of the throne was a large blue skinned woman, next to her was a female soldier with a silver eye-patch. “Isn't that the Queen Brahne and her general?” Freya could almost feel the fur on the back of her neck stand up as she stared at Brahne.

“I knew that wicked queen was behind all this!” Freya said, anger hissing through her words.

“What do you mean, 'you knew'?”

“I heard rumors that Brahne had set her sights on Burmecia before the festival began. When the messenger came to Cid, I knew she was behind it.”

“The queen...” he said as he took in the woman next to Brahne, “That woman standing next to her must be Beatrix.” Freya looked to Zidane in surprise.

“She's Beatrix? The cold blooded knight who knows no mercy?” Freya had heard that name before. The day Sir Fratley left Burmecia. He left to become stronger, stronger then Beatrix. Now he was gone, along with her nation.

That woman! She's taken away everything that's made me happy! Freya thought as her anger shifted over to the general.

“Are you alright?” Zidane asked, concerned by her expression.

“I'm fine,” she lied, “I was just thinking about the past.” Zidane considered her a second, giving her a sidelong glance before nodding.

“Fratley? You still can't get over him, huh?” He said enviously, then noticed someone approaching the queen and general, “Well, that's a new face.” Zidane admitted as he took in the stranger.

The man had long white hair and a strangely revealing get up; a white robe, he wore no pants, and yet wore metal greaves. His attire almost looked like something a noble would wear, but it was far too outlandish. They both quieted down as they worked to listen in on the schemes of their enemies.

“I find this rain quite pleasant,” the mystery man admitted, taking in the rain with a sadistic smile as he said it. “It feels as though the raindrops are blessing our victory.”

“This truly is a great victory for us!”Queen Brahne declared, “Kuja, your Black Mages made this entire conquest so simple. Now if only we could find the King of Burmecia!"

The king is still alive! Freya thought as Brahne continued, unaware of the observers.

"We must take care of him once and for all, and prevent these rats from ever rising up again.” She turned to Beatrix, “What's taking so long!?”

“I don't know, your Majesty.” Beatrix cooly replied, “I've ordered Zorn and Thorn to search the perimeter, but there's been no word so far. I will join them and lead the search right away!"

“You're wasting your time,” Kuja interjected.

“What?” Beatrix asked as she turned to Kuja in annoyance.

“Rats often look for new homes when they sense an earthquake. They probably moved to the sandy tree house by now. So you see, it's too late. The king has already turned tail and fled.”

“Sandy tree house,” the queen reasoned, “surely you don't mean Cleyra!? It'll be quite difficult if they escaped there.”

Freya let out a sigh of relief, If the king fled to Cleyra, he should be safe for a while.

“Cleyra.” Beatrix stated, “Unless we can get through that sandstorm, it will be impossible to attack them.”

“Sneaky little rats!” The queen stated with disgust, “Kuja, what do you think? Surely, with your powers there must be something you can do.” Kuja smiled to her as he gave her a small bow.

“Of course, your Majesty. I will present you a marvelous display of my power. I am certain that you will be most pleased.” He then turned to Beatrix, “I was wondering if you would gather your troops near Cleyra. I'm certain those filthy rats will retaliate in full force, and my Black Mages may not be enough.”

“Tch, sounds like we have trouble,” Zidane whispered to Freya.

“That sinister man, Kuja, where did he come from?” Freya asked.

“Never seen him before, but it sounds like he's the one giving Brahne the Black Mages." Zidane then looked to Freya, "They're going to Cleyra, What's it like?”

“The people of Cleyra are originally from Burmecia, they severed ties with us over a trivial matter. We're currently at peace with them, Cleyra itself is a very large tree shielded by a sandstorm.”

“Psst, sorry I'm a little late, Applejack will be here as soon as she can.” Pinkie surprised both of them by sneaking up on them, she was wearing a thief disguise and seemed to enjoy playing the role of sneakster. “Oooh, are they the bad guys~?” She asked whimsically, giving the queen and her company a very genuine glare. Zidane and Freya nodded, then noticed a Burmecian soldier enter the room, who moved to threaten the queen.

“That fool!” Zidane said as he got up and moved to stop him.

“Oh no! This is not a party you interrupt!” Pinkie declared with concern, following Zidane.

“What is that soldier thinking!” Freya asked as she followed after her friends. Throwing themselves into the midst of their foes, they arrived right as Beatrix was threatening the soldier, who was suddenly looking reluctant to fight. “You'll have to deal with us first if you intend to slay him!” Freya nodded to the soldier, and he reluctantly fled as he thanked the dragon knight.

“Heh,” Beatrix scoffed as she turned to them, “I've never been so humiliated in my life. Looks like there's still a knight and her squires left.” She then glared to Freya, “I'll have you know, dragon knight, that I single-handedly took out your fellow knights, well over a hundred of them, in fact. To me, you three are nothing more than insects.” She drew her sword, and with startling speed, attacked them.

Beatrix went for Freya first, but before her strike could connect, Zidane got in her way, taking the blow instead. He was knocked back, but was still on his feet, barely. Pinkie saw the state he was in and prepared to give him a potion, but Beatrix intercepted her and destroyed the potion.

No! This woman is even going to take my friends from me! I won't allow it! I cannot allow it! Freya thought as determination, born from her loyalties to her nation and her friends, filled her. Her armor crackled with blue and white lightning as it changed into a full set of plate armor, covering the knight perfectly.

Beatrix saw Freya go into Trance with a look of surprise, and a hint of respect. Freya briefly noticed the man named Kuja giving her a peculiar look. The queen and the man stood back while the fight was going on, and honestly, with how dangerous Beatrix is, Freya knew attacking them now would come at a price she wasn't willing to pay. Her friends lives.

Freya jumped into the air, her spear divided into several copies as her power fed into it, and she fired off the copies against the general of Alexandria. Beatrix was on the defensive, none of Freya's blows connected, but it gave Pinkie the chance to heal Zidane, and before Freya's trance could end, they rejoined the assault against Beatrix.

With the power of Trance, and the combined efforts of Zidane and Pinkie, they were able to harm Beatrix, but she had healing magic of her own. She healed her own wounds, and as Freya felt the power filling her start to die down, Beatrix struck Pinkie with a sword slash of thunder and lightning. Pinkie was sent sprawling back, crumpling to the floor, unconscious.

“Pinkie!” Zidane and Freya shouted in unison.

Zidane went to her aid while Freya landed in front of Beatrix. She wanted to summon Reis's Wind, a healing technique hidden within her new weapon, but she doubted her foe would give her the chance. So she lanced at her instead, but Beatrix deftly dodged her attack. She returned the attack in kind with a strike of lightning. Freya managed to duck under it, avoiding the blow, spinning around and swinging her spear wide at her opponents legs. Beatrix stuck her sword in the ground, into the spear's path, blocking the attack. Pining Freya's weapon with her foot, Beatrix shocked the dragon knight with her magic, sending Freya back. Beatrix kicked the spear at Freya, and then charged Zidane right as he brought Pinkie back up.

Zidane dodged her attack, jumping up and behind her, bringing his double sword down on her. She parried his attack without even looking. His blade caught against hers, she let her lightning run through her blade, into his. She pushed him off as he passed out from the shock to his system.

Pinkie rounded her cannon on the general, letting out a gout of fire. Beatrix blocked what she could with her blade, and running through the fire, kicked Pinkie away from her cannon, sending her flying back, hitting the ground, unconscious.

Freya's anger and determination was now being replaced with fear.

Beatrix was too strong. She stood there, already taking out two of her foes, without so much as a scratch. Eyeing Beatrix, Freya feared that they were going to die here. As Beatrix turned to her, she felt a strong urge to take a step back. A rational urge, and a primal urge, to flee for ones life. Instead, she took a step forward. He friends were on the ground, in peril. She wouldn't run away, she wouldn't even dare consider it. She charged Beatrix, and the general gave her a respectful look.

“How noble,” Beatrix said, impressed that the knight would still be willing to fight, when there was no chance at victory. As Freya's charge brought her weapon into Beatrix's reach, she suddenly jerked it left, hoping to catch Beatrix off guard.

Beatrix blocked the slice with her gauntlet and pressed into the spear's handle, approaching right up to Freya, whipping her gem encrusted blade up. Freya felt a lash of pain as her helm was knocked off from Beatrix's blow. She fell to the ground in pain, her vision becoming weaker as she started to pass out.

No! Not like this, please, I... need to save... The last thing Freya noticed as she blacked out was the sound of hooves, beating frantically against stone.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya Crescent

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

*Mithril Spear: Reis's Wind

Mythril Gloves: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody(mastered)

Bronze Armor: Bird Killer

Property: Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%

*Germinas Boots: ~~Alert~~, HP+10%(mastered), ~~Flee~~

Raises Earth Elem-Atk

Lvl up! Lvl-16 HP 0/771 MP 15/63

AP 0/24

*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster.

*Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Abilities:

Jump: Action Command - Jump high, becoming untargetable for a time, before spearing your foe.

Dragon Magic:

Lancer 10 MP - Reduces the enemy's HP and MP.

Reis's Wind 12 MP - Casts Regen on all party members.

Trance - Increases attack power, and Jump attacks all targets and doesn't end until Trance ends.

Author's Note

Don't you just love cliff hangers? Well I don't! Damn me!
While I was looking for one of these.

I was thoroughly surprised to find this! AWESOME!

Poor Freya, at least we can take solace in the fact that I'm thanking you for reading this.:facehoof:
OCisbestpony! I send a 'thank you' in your general direction!

30. Ruins of Madain Sari

Eiko had a spring in her step. Through a strange toss of fortune, she had been abandoned by her best friend, left for dead, insulted by two outsiders, and almost crushed by the giant she always ran from. Now she had three new friends, would never have to worry about that giant again, and one of her new friends was a dashing hero. Eiko let out a sweet sigh as she imagined him reciprocating her feelings, then shook her head.

One thing at a time, Eiko! We need to win him over, and keep him away from that orange, smelly, thing on four legs! Eiko gave a quick glare to the orange mare, who caught her stare. Eiko didn't shy away; she wore her dislike for the pony on her sleeve. Why can't she be more like Pinkie? Generous and kind and fun!

Walking past the outer rubble of her hometown, she turned to the others behind her. Spike and Zidane were taking in the ruins, Spike with wonder, Zidane with concern. Pinkie's eyes were to the sky, lost in thought, which made Eiko curious. Still, she had guests to entertain, and asking what was on Pinkie's mind seemed like a loaded question.

“Spike, Zidane!” She said excitedly as she motioned to all around her. “This is my home. Madain Sari!”

“You live here?” Zidane asked skeptically.

“Well, why not?” Spike asked defensively. “I know plenty of dragons who'd live in a place like this.”

“Ya do?” The tin can asked skeptically, then frowned at the look Eiko gave her. Eiko noticed Zidane looking to Dagger with concern, which got Eiko's attention. Dagger was looking at the ruins, a little confused, but then a surprisingly calm expression wash over her.

“Dagger?” Zidane asked. She shook her head as she turned to Eiko.

“What happened here?” Dagger asked as she looked at all around her. “This place is in ruins.” And it truly was. Many structures that at one time were multistory buildings were nothing but piles of rock. There was only a small number of standing structures visible, a small number. The entire town had the same tones of red stone, no signs of greenery, even this close to the sea.

As they all appraised the ruins, a group of moogles came out of hiding, crying 'Kupo' to the party. Eiko addressed the moogles in turn. After naming each and every one for the newcomers, she looked around, seeking out a missing moogle.

“Where's Mog?” The moogle with the golden pon pon was nowhere to be seen. Did... she get lost? She thought with some concern. Eiko looked over the moogles as the rest of the party took in the scene. No, she wouldn't get lost- Oh, I know! She's scared. Oh Mog.

She sighed for her friend as she took a deep breath. “MOG!” Eiko shouted, demanding that the friend that abandoned her show herself. Mog revealed herself from where she hid, and shamefully flew up to Eiko.

“Kup! Kupo...?” She asked with some concern, and Eiko shook her head with a smile.

“No, I'm not mad. But don't ever leave me behind again, okay?” She asked as she pet Mog on the pon pon. Mog nodded with a kupo, and with that, all the other moogles dispersed. Eiko turned to the party, but paused when she saw Pinkie Pie. Pinkie looked as if she wanted to bolt off and chase after the moogles. And indeed, before Eiko could address if she was okay, Pinkie had loaded herself in her cannon, and fired herself off beyond the rubble nearby, after the moogles that had just left, leaving her friends behind.

W-what was that about? Eiko found Pinkie to be fun, and liked her, but sometimes Pinkie was just...random. Eiko turned back to the others, with Dagger and Zidane sharing the same look of confusion, and only Spike and the orange one were unfazed by Pinkie's actions. Eiko shook her head as she moved into action.

“Spike! Follow me!” She demanded enthusiastically as she ran off, a number of her moogle friends accompanying her. Getting an unexpected lead from the others, she and her moogle friends stopped next to a working fountain.

She turned and asked her moogle friends for help. “Can you guys clean the house before the others get there? I want it to sparkle for our guests!” Her friends nodded and left to do that as the others caught up to her. Eiko asked Mog to stay with her, Mog nodded and shrunk down and flew into one of her pockets as Eiko turned to address the others.

“Whoa! Did that moogle just shrink!?” Spike asked in surprise.

“Yep, Mog always stays with me.” Eiko explained matter-of-factly, and as if on cue, Mog flew out and returned to normal, gave everyone a quick Kupo, and then returned to Eiko's pocket.

“Well, that must be handy.” Zidane admitted as he scratched the back of his head, a little overwhelmed by the goings on of this ruined village.

Okay, enough dallying! Let's learn more about my hero!

“Now Spike, you sit over here!” Eiko demanded as she dragged the poor dragon over to a bench near the fountain. “Tell me more about yourself!” She 'requested', putting the dragon on the spot. Zidane and the others shared a look and shrugged as they took a seat for themselves.

“Uh, well, okay!” And to Eiko's surprise, and joy, he told her all about himself. At first, it started off with some boring hosh-posh about being an assistant to some unicorn. Then, things got interesting when that unicorn became a princess. Then, Eiko became more smitten as he started to recount his adventures in Gaia. He really is a hero! And the way he protected me from the giant~!

“Wow.” She said at the end of his story, almost in a daze, “I've never met anyone like you before.” Her compliment made Spike blush as he looked around, and then looked a little concerned. Eiko looked as well, Zidane and Dagger were still nearby, listening in. Nothing seemed out of- Oh, the orange one is gone. Her bliss was shattered, just like that, which annoyed her.

“Where's Applejack?” Spike asked Zidane, who simply shrugged.

“I suppose she left to go think.” Zidane offered, “Or find Pinkie, I'm not sure which.”

“Spike,” Eiko began, masking her worry, “is it true that you and her are just friends?” Spike was quick to affirm that. Eiko was skeptical, but she was also hopeful, and hooked herself on his answer. One of the moogles came up to them and addressed Eiko.

“It's all cleaned up! Kupo!”

“Thanks, Mocha!” Eiko replied happily and then turned to Spike and Zidane. “I'm gonna start cooking dinner! You have to come eat at my place later, okay?” Eiko moved towards one of the few standing structures near a waterfall, but quickly turned around to add, “I'll call you when the food's ready. Don't go too far!”

“I'll be nearby, wouldn't miss out on a free dinner!” Spike proclaimed.

“We'd like that,” Zidane added with a nod, “we'll be waiting.” Eiko nodded as she ran home to begin putting her plan in motion. She was going to win Spike over with her cooking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Sword of Doubt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack sat before her sword, embedded into the ground. The edge of the cliff several yards ahead of her, the ocean stretching out to the horizon. Her ears were low, as she struggled with her concerns. Zidane had once said to 'listen to your heart', well, her heart ached, it didn't have anything uplifting to tell her. Dew seeped from her sword, Ice Brand, as recent battles replayed in her head.

Her sword shattered at the hands of Beatrix, her determination and pride broken under the rain.

Being crushed under Lani's axe, the world growing dark as her friends continue the fight without her.

Being trapped between a cliff and a giant. Saved by her youngest friend, and by a child who clearly hates her.

Eiko.

Even she went into Trance! Applejack thought in frustration. Zidane, Spike, Pinkie, Freya, and now a child we just met! If it takes powerful emotions to bring about Trance, then why hasn't it happened to me? Am I not good enough? Strong enough to go into Trance? I'm certain I would be able to protect them better if I could tap into that power!

She glared at the ground, as if it was the cause for all of this. It's not fair! I've fought, I've gotten my tail handed to me, and I've seen terrible things! She slammed the ground, as if to emphasize her feelings. So, why is it the first child we come across on this continent can do what I can't!?

She sat there for several moments, her breathing slowing as her anger started to burn itself out. Her anger died as she pictured the worst possible thing. One of her friends, lifeless and unmoving, and still she stood there, unable to Trance, unable to save them. She looked up from the ground, and was surprised when her eyes fell upon her sword.

In it, she saw her reflection, and in her mind's eye, she saw a mare split in two where the metal bent down its center. To the left, was the farmer, smiling with her original hat, eyes full of life and hope. To the right, was the swordsmare, battered, crying, and wrapped in heavy armor in an attempt to protect herself and her friends. She was a farmer, and a good, reliable friend, and being a swordmare was proving to be neither of those. She looked away from her blade as she fought back the itch to cry in frustration.

Twilight's words ran through her head. 'Don't give up’; 'Don't lose faith in yourself'. Her words moved her beyond her defeat at Beatrix's blade. But it was hard, so very hard for her to free herself from the doubt that planted her blade in the ground. Her pride was her folly, each loss in her eyes dragged her determination down, and now she sat here, before the sea, working herself into a depression of her own making.

Maybe... I'm simply not cut out for this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Dagger's Feelings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dagger was wandering through the ruins. Something about the location felt strange to her, and it fed her desire to look around. A village of summoners. She thought, reflecting on what Eiko said. I once read about them in a book. A tribe that possesses the power to call forth eidolons. Dagger, having the eidolons her whole life, had naturally looked into what was known about them in her castle's library.

Eidolons. Knowing that I had eidolons inside me didn't bring me any joy, I was always scared of their power, at least, until recently. She thought as she glanced out to the sea, where she saw Applejack sitting near the cliff. Looks like Applejack's lost in thought too.

Dagger nodded as she gazed to the sun setting on the broken city. I can understand why. She saw Burmecia, it must have looked something like this place. Nothing but rubble and traces of having been something grand. Thinking about Burmecia drew her thoughts to her mother, which made her adopt a sad frown.

Mother. She imprisoned me, and used the eidolons she stole from me as tools of war. She moved on, leaving Applejack to her thoughts as she felt out the hollowness inside her heart. A place where the eidolons once resided was now practically empty, Ramuh alone couldn't fill that void.

I thought I would have to kill my eidolons if they were going to be used for war. But, now that they're gone, I feel like I've lost a piece of myself. She let out a sigh as she reached a broken section of the city, water pouring from a waterfall into a steam towards the sea.

Why am I thinking all this now? She hadn't put too much thought in her eidolons since reaching the Outer Continent, and looking around again, she figured the cause for her thoughts. This place... it feels familiar to me, somehow.

As she turned to take in the sunset, she saw Spike heading off to where Applejack was, which made her spot something strange. Wait, is that pile of rocks following him? And is that a pink tail? Dagger shook her head, and looking again, saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe it's just Pinkie Pie. Up to something, no doubt. She couldn't help but smile as the notion distracted her from her self-reflection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Spike's Vow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike had been looking for Applejack since Eiko left to start cooking. He liked Eiko, but he was worried about his orange friend. He noticed her poor mood since the fight with the giant, and has been seeking to ask her about it. After spending half an hour looking, he found her, sitting near the cliff facing the sea, with her sword before her. Spike intended to shout to her enthusiastically, but his voice caught in his throat when he saw the look on her face. It was a look of self-doubt.

Spike collected himself, and instead of teleporting next to her, he walked up to her, his footsteps making her aware of his presence. She looked to him, and the weak smile she gave him almost made him falter.

“Oh, hey Spike... did ya need somethin'?” She asked, her voice lacking emotion, making him frown, prompting him to dive right into the heart of the matter.

“Yea, I need to help a friend. I made a vow to her, and that's bigger than a Pinkie Promise. So here I am. You look like you want to cry.”

She turned to him, a little shocked, and opened her mouth to refute that accusation, but couldn't bring herself to lie. Spike awkwardly moved to her side and sat next to her, hoping his proximity wouldn't make her uncomfortable. He was sitting in her shadow, the sun was setting to the left, casting the sky before them from the broad range of yellow and orange to the dark hues of the coming night. After sitting together in silence for a minute, Spike gathered his words. Sometimes, simply asking if something is wrong is all it takes to help.

“Hey, Applejack, what's wrong? You wanna talk about it?” Applejack glanced to him, clearly not wanting to answer. Instead, she took in a deep, almost painful breath, and let it out.

Just as she had with Twilight in the field of stars, she let her doubts be known to one of her dearest friends. She poured her heart out, her reflections in her sword cried while she did so. And Spike listened, quietly, letting her get it off her chest. Her final words concerned her doubt in being a worthy companion to the party, which got a rise from the dragon at her side.

“How can you say that?” He asked, a little shocked and upset, “You're our friend!” Spike then imagined what would have happened if the giant had punched anyone but Applejack, and his brow furrowed as he reflected on her words. He turned to her, and she almost shied away from his gaze.

“You're the toughest of us!” He declared, letting his own emotions at her self-doubt pore out. “None of us would stand after being hit by that giant, but you did! You're a bearer of harmony, and Ponyville's most dependable pony! What's gotten into you?” Applejack was taken aback by his outrage, and stammered out a weak rebuttal.

“I-I can't even enter Trance! Doesn't that say somethin' about me?” Her words did not dispel the dragon's anger, in fact, it kept his fire burning strong.

“Yea, you can't do Trance! Doesn't mean you're useless, or that you're not 'worthy of us'! Or that we don't count on you!” He shook his head as he let out a frustrated sigh, his tone changed as he let go of his anger. “Come on Applejack, just because you haven't, doesn't mean you never will.”

She looked at him, doubt still evident on her face. He reached out, grabbing at what he could to assure her. “Maybe there's some sort of trick to it. Maybe it takes a certain kind of emotion to trigger Trance?” He offered, doubting the integrity of his own words. However, it must have been enough, as Applejack blinked, and some of her doubt changed out for confusion.

“What did ya say?” Her curious tone caught him off guard.

Wait, was this really all about Trance? Was she down because Eiko went into Trance? Spike wondered as he recounted his words for her.

“Uhh, that maybe it's a certain emotion?” His words raced in her thoughts, at least, that's what Spike assumed, as it looked like she was considering something before addressing him again.

“Spike,” she began, her voice ripe with curiosity, and hesitant hope, “what did ya feel when ya were fightin' the Black Waltz? The first time.” She had been hanging over the edge at the time, and didn't completely witness what led to his Trance. Spike reflected on that event, a good amount of that battle was hazy to him, but he clearly remembered the moments prior to Trance.

“I was upset that he had,” he hesitated a moment, “killed the Black Mages, and I didn't want to believe that he had the right to kill them. I wanted to show him how wrong he was. I really wanted to show him that his actions were terrible. It made me feel, stronger, and before I knew it, my equipment disappeared and I was breathing out my spells.” Applejack nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer, her brow furrowed in thought.

“Pinkie went into Trance at the thought of the last thin' she saw bein'... Discord's sad face. She wanted to see him smile, and that desire brought her into Trance. It's different from yers.”

Wait, is she on to something here? Then her eye's widened in realization.

“And Zidane! He went into trance not when he was in danger, or to prove a point, but to protect someone important to him, the princess!”

Applejack's poor mood was completely dispelled by this point, replaced with hopeful enthusiasm. “Spike, yer right! It is different! I must have simply not felt my trigger!” Her eyes fell back to her sword, and her growing mirth popped like a balloon. She frowned at her blade as she looked back to the dragon.

“Still, it's not enough. I- I still need more than that.” She hesitated before she moved around in front of Spike. She stood before him, her tears dried, looking open and honest to the dragon, who was surprised by the weakness she was openly showing him. “Spike,” She hesitated again as she forced out her question, “am I strong?”

Spike had to resist the strong urge to face-palm. “I mean, ya know. Strong?” She emphasized, either unable to find the appropriate words, or unwilling to say them. Spike let out a sigh as he looked her in the eyes.

Well, at least it's an easy question to answer.

“AJ, you're the strongest pony I know.” And he smiled, for his answer had gotten her to blush. It was clearly not the answer she was expecting.

“W-well, being strong isn't enough.” Applejack affirmed as she pulled her sword out of the ground with her tail, and sheathed it. “I need to be more skilled. I need to learn how to fight with a sword. Properly. I can do more than takin' the hits for everyone.” Spike nodded as an idea came to mind.

“Maybe you should ask that Beatrix woman for help? Assuming she's alright, and willing.” Applejack put some serious consideration into his words before shaking her head.

“By then, it'll be too late. We'll be done with Kuja, and I won't need to-”

“Just because we'll be done with that jerk,” he interrupted, “doesn't mean our adventure will be over.” Spike pointed out, “We still have to find our way back home.” She looked at him, a little dumbfounded that she had forgotten that fact, and she let out a sigh as she nodded in agreement. As she made to leave the cliff, returning to the ruined town, she turned her head over her shoulder, nodding for Spike to follow.

“Thanks, Spike.” She almost whispered as he came beside her.

“Think nothing of it.” He said with his chest puffed out.

“No, I mean it. I'm glad ya were here to help me. I'm no good to anypony if I can't even lift my sword.” And she gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat. Her smile, for a moment, reminded him of Rarity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: But Who Watches the Watcher?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie watched her two friends return to the ruined town, a little happy she had listened to Discord's suggestion. She was disguised as a pile of red rocks, which had proven to be quite good, considering she hadn't been noticed by her friends.

“I told you they would be fine!” Discord proclaimed, always happy to be right. “Those two have been together from the offset, so it's only natural that they'd end up supporting each other!” His words made sense, and it did turn out okay without her.

Then, she noticed a parallel from Discord's words. Wait. Are you speaking from experience? Discord looked at her, surprised as a giant hammer hit him in the head, turning him into a large nail.

Applejack and Spike were stronger together. She could see how they helped each other. Spike looked to Applejack for guidance. He returned to them when he realized she was fine with him looking after himself. And in turn, he helped her self-esteem through all the hardships she's taken on.

As those two were fine because of each other, Pinkie was fine because of Discord's support. Then, her brow furrowed. What have I done for him?

“Silly mare, you've done for me what you always do. Make others smile. And if it's one thing I really do enjoy, it's smiling!” And that got a smile from the pink mare, giving Discord a great big hug, to his surprise, as she bounced off to see what Zidane and Dagger were up to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eiko's home was practically sparkling. It hadn't been this clean in months, and as she turned to take it all in, a smile welcomed her face. She turned to her moogle friends, and shared her mirth with them.

“Thank you so much for cleaning!” She really meant it, and kept on expressing it, “You guys did a great job! A clean house worthy of hosting my hero, Spike!”

She nodded with satisfaction before she adopted a sharp look. “But, here's where the real challenge begins! Spike and that mare aren't dating, yet. And I'm going to keep it that way!” She declared as she looked back towards the ruins, picturing a wedge shaped like her getting between those two. “I have to get between them before they really fall for each other!”

“So, I'm gonna cook lots of yummy food and show Spike what a good homemaker I am!” I'll be better than that walking suit of armor, at least!

“Kupo!” Mocha began, giving Eiko a skeptical side-glance, “It might work, if you were capable of cooking good food.” Momatose nodded in agreement as he spoke up.

“Eiko screws up a lot when she cooks. And we don't have much food in stock right now...” He added, looking over their paltry supply.

“I know, I know!” Eiko admitted, letting out a sigh as she fire herself up. “That's why I can't screw up!” She looked to her friends, giving them a sheepish grin. “I would appreciate it if you all helped.”

“N-no!” Mocha pleaded, fighting back flashbacks of her previous cooking escapades.

“I, I'm sleepy! Kupo!” Momatose said, letting out a yawn that wasn't fooling anyone. Eiko glared, not in the mood to be teased about this.

“You're all gonna help!” She paused a moment after realized she yelled at her friends. “Please?” She begged of them. “I'm going to cook my specialty. Rock-fisted potato stew.”

“Well, if it's that. It should work out.” Momatose said, nodding his head.

“But...” Mocha hesitatingly began, “the last batch you made tasted so bad, I thought my pon pon would fall off!”

“So,” Momatose added, giving Eiko the benefit of the doubt, “just stew?”

“How about fresh fish to go with it?” Mocha suggested, Eiko nodded in agreement.

“Fish sounds good.” She affirmed, “So our menu is rock-fisted potato stew and barbecued fish!” Her dinner plan set up, she had her friends get what was needed, and they dispersed as she looked up to the sky, her enthusiasm changing into pleading hope, as her eyes started to tear up.

Grandpa. She thought as reached out with her heart, hoping he could hear her. I... don't wanna be alone anymore. Please... help me do this right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Wall of Sacred Beasts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie spotted Zidane and Dagger heading towards a large dome like structure with a collapsed roof, and looking closer, it seemed they were following a moogle. Not wanting to be left out of this interaction, she bounced up to their sides.

“Hi guys! Whatcha dooin'~?” She asked enthusiastically.

“Zidane told me about the Eidolon Wall,” Dagger explained, “and we wanted to take a look.” At this point, the three of them reached the dome. Pinkie had already met the moogle guarding the place.

Indeed, she had met all the moogles, and even hugged a number of them to their surprise and annoyance. They're so soft! And it's fun to play with their pon pons! The moogle guarding the wall was Morrison, who looked to them with a greeting.

“Hello outsiders, and Pinkie. Kupo.”

“Hi Morrison~!” Pinkie rang out, “Dagger can summon just like Eiko, and we were wondering, can we check out the wall?” He nodded in reply, bidding them to follow him inside.

“I didn't know your friend could summon as well. Kupo. Eiko wanted me to show you our most sacred sight. So please, come in.” As they walked within, Pinkie felt a strange energy in the air, it felt, nice, and familiar.

“Oh-ho! I remember this sensation!” Discord chimed in as they took in the place. There were broken pillars set in a circle, and in the center of the circular room was a pile of burning incense. “This is the feeling that we felt back at Cleyra.” His comment got Pinkie's memory going.

Oh! When Freya-meya did the dance! That's right! And then that time with Ramuh! While Pinkie and Discord were having their moment, Morrison divvied out information of the location, almost like a tour guide.

“The Eidolon Wall has been protected by Eiko's summoner tribe for generations, so letting outsiders inside was frowned upon by the other moogles. But, we love Eiko, so we allowed this exception.” The room had murals on the wall, a number of figures, beasts, strange shaped beings of power depicted upon it. It gave a sense of power, and serenity, which matched the feeling in the air that Pinkie and Discord were feeling.

“The Eidolon Wall is a collection of paintings.” The moogle continued as the three of them took in the murals, “The summoner tribe painted all the eidolons they found during their research.”

“These are all eidolons that exist?” Dagger asked, a little surprised.

Wow, there are so many! Pinkie thought as Morrison nodded to Dagger, with a kupo added on top. Pinkie would have found the gesture cute, but was just as absorbed with the murals as Dagger was.

“These eidolons are very interesting.” Discord commented, looking over the murals with a magnifying glass. “I feel some sort of kinship from them. That Ramuh could see me, I wonder if Gaia's eidolons are similar to what me and Celestia and Luna are to Equestria.”

Pinkie quickly pulled her eyes from the wall to her friend. What do you mean? Discord shrugged at her question.

“Not too sure, but it feels right. Maybe I should sit down and chat with Ramuh about it sometime.”

You can do that? She asked, a little skeptical.

“Don't know till you try.” He said as he moved out of the way so Pinkie could take in more of the wall. Morrison spoke up after giving them a moment to take in the paintings.

“This is a holy place for the summoner tribe.” He explained, “Lady Eiko comes here every day to pray and burn incense for her ancestors.” As Morrison talked, Pinkie's eyes fell on an eidolon that Dagger had also taken notice of, a figure they didn't recognize, that seemed different from the others. It was a large figure, larger than all the others. It seemed to be made of stone, its body parts made of buildings, it stood on four legs, and it had large white wings.

“What's this one?” Dagger asked as she appraised it, but Morrison simply shrugged. Their eyes lingered on it before Dagger's attention was drawn to another. “There's Atomos, the eidolon that destroyed Lindblum,” she said with a touch of regret. “And that one there is Bahamut, the Draconic Seedling.”

As Dagger looked to the paintings, she seemed to be overwhelmed, and fell to her knees. Pinkie, being close, moved to help her from falling to the ground, and Zidane came to their side in alarm as he asked what was wrong. They both saw the pained expression on Dagger's face, and took a guess at her troubles.

“Don't worry,” Zidane assured, before Pinkie could, “you'll get them back. All of them.” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and Dagger took comfort from her friends as they stood by her side for a couple minutes. Morrison looked on in concern, but didn't act when he saw that everyone was fine. Dagger looked to Pinkie and Zidane, and then back to the murals.

“I want to look at the murals for a while longer.” She stated, getting a nod from her friends. Pinkie moved away, leaving Zidane with Dagger.

“Okay,” he said with a small smile. Pinkie, seeing that Dagger was going to be just fine, walked up to Morrison, and asked him just what eidolons were.

“They are spirits bound to the world. Each representing some form of power or element. Eidolons were seen as the guardians of Gaia by the people of the summoner tribe. Which was why they put their effort into researching the eidolons, and how to summon them.” Pinkie took all this in, turning to her 'imaginary' friend.

What do you think, Discord?

“I think that it would be hilarious if the princesses and myself became eidolons! Oh, just think of it! The three of us as guardian forces! Esper's defending the Equestria! Mighty Aeons that can raise and lower the celestial bodies!” He said with a cackling grin, really, his grin was cackling.

“'Celestia! I summon you to clean my castle!'” He said with a snicker, which Pinkie mirrored.

Discord! I summon you to make cotton-candy-chocolate-milk-rain-clouds! He looked at her in surprise, and then nodded.

“At once, my master!” Discord proclaimed with a salute as the area was stuffed with pink clouds that only the pink mare could see as she let out a light giggle.

If only there was whipped cream!

“What do you take me for, someone who's completely perfect?” Discord asked, rolling his eyes, getting another lovely giggle from his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time passed quickly as Eiko worked to get the stew ready in time. There was an oglop skittering around the kitchen, and try as she might, she couldn't scare it away. She heard a commotion from the dining room, and looked to see that Spike, Pinkie, and the other pony were all there, appraising the prepared fish on the table, the mares with looks of worry. Did Mog let them in? Well, we're just about done anyways!

“Welcome! Spike, Pinkie!” She exclaimed, making great efforts to ignore the third one. “Please, take a seat.” As they did so, Zidane and Dagger arrived as well, and they all took a seat at the table.

“You sure made a lot!” Zidane exclaimed as his eyes hungrily took in the meal.

“I had help!” She said happily as she looked to her moogle friends, who agreed with a kupo in unison. In short order, the rock-fisted potato stew was ready and on the table.

“Well, let's eat!” Spike exclaimed as Pinkie and the other mare shared a look. Pinkie did her the favor and brought their concern to everyone's attention.

“Um, we don't eat meat~.” Eiko looked at Pinkie in surprise, then embarrassment.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” She replied as she looked to the ground, “I didn't know.” She looked to the stew, glad she hadn't added any fish to it like she had intended. “Well, what about potatoes?” They nodded, and Eiko let out a sigh of relief as the ponies got the lion’s share of the stew, while the others had the lion’s share of the fish. Spike was fine either way, and seemed to enjoy the fish, making Eiko more than pleased.

“This fish is great!” Zidane exclaimed, and then he looked to Eiko, curiosity on his face. “Hey, Eiko, where are all the other summoners? Are they hiding underground somewhere?”

“Underground?” Eiko asked, and then looked a little downcast. “Yeah. They're all underground, sleeping the eternal sleep.” Zidane blinked, the implications going over his head.

“What?” He asked, and Pinkie poked him, hard, and when Zidane's eyes met hers, he caught on to Eiko's meaning.

“I'm the last survivor of my tribe.” Eiko solemnly admitted, “I've been living with moogles ever since my grandpa died last year.” The noise around the table died down from her words.

“I'm sorry,” Dagger said, her words sincerely feeling for the child. Eiko took in her words and put on her best smile as she turned to her guests.

“Oh, don't worry about me. I'm really happy here.” Then she took on a considering posture as she looked to Spike. “I'm like a beautiful young heroine in turmoil. Don't you think?” Spike looked at her, confused.

“What?” He asked, caught off guard by the change in tone of the conversation.

“You know why I'm here in this village?” Eiko said dramatically as she reached out to the sky with an arm, towards Spike. “It was to meet you, Spike. My beautiful shooting star.”

“W-what the hay!?” The tin can proclaimed, moving away from her bowl in disgust. Eiko's posture slumped as she turned to the orange nuisance.

“What is it!? Don't interrupt me!” She proclaimed, stomping her foot.

“There's an oglop in my stew!” Eiko blinked.

What?

“An oglop?” Zidane asked.

“Eiko,” Spike asked, an accusatory tone in his voice, “did you put that in her stew on purpose?”

W-what!? No! I didn't do it! She wanted to say just that, but considering how she's treated the orange pony, she doubted they would believe her.

Of all of them, why her stew! Why not Pinkie's? I could have apologized then, and they would know I was being honest! She felt tears trying to make a case for her, but she forced them down as she fed them a hastily made lie.

“D-don't you know that oglops are a Conde Petie delicacy?” The silence following her words informed her of the facts. No one was buying her story. Spike looked at her, disappointed, as did the others, only Pinkie seemed to be giving her some slack.

“Um, you sure you don't want the fish?” Zidane asked of the mares.

“I don't know about Applejack,” Pinkie began, seeing that Eiko needed a friend right now, “but this stew is amazing~!” She proclaimed as she quickly scooped out oglop bits out of it.

Ooh. It's all ruined! Stupid oglop!

After dinner was finished, everyone thanked Eiko, for the fish, and as they dispersed, she approached Spike, before he could leave the dining area.

“Spike, I swear, I didn't put the oglop in there to get at the orange pony.”

“Her name is Applejack.” Spike pointed out as he considered Eiko a moment before nodding. “Well, if it was an accident, then it was an accident.” His reply almost made her heart jump out of her chest.

There's still hope!

“But, could you please be a little nicer to her? She's an important friend to me, and I want my friends to get along.” And like that, her heart slammed back into her chest as Spike gave her a small smile and left. She stood there, his words playing in her head as Zidane moved to help her with the dishes. Pulling herself from her daze, she moved to clean up dinner.

“Hey, Eiko,” Zidane began, bringing the dishes to the kitchen with her. “Do you know anything about the Iifa tree?”

“Um,” his words pulled her out of her bubble of self-pity as she looked to him, “what about it?”

“We want to check it out, and it's probably on the way to us finding Kuja.”

“The bad guy you're after?” They did say it reminded them of a tree back on... Equestria was it? Eiko nodded as she turned to Zidane. “Well, Iifa is sealed with an eidolon. So you can't get in until the seal is broken.”

“Sealed?” He considered as he appraised her, “Did you seal it?” She quickly shook her head.

“No, not me. It happened before I was born. My tribe sealed an eidolon that we failed to summon behind a barrier at the Iifa tree. It's our custom to seal a failed eidolon where we summon it.”

“An eidolon you failed to summon?” Zidane considered that for a moment before nodding. “Eiko, will you break the seal for us?”

Break the seal!?

“What? No way!” She exclaimed, surprising him.

“It's not like we're gonna do anything bad.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I'm sure we can handle it on our own.” Eiko shook her head.

“What? Just break through the barrier? Are you crazy!?” What is he gonna do, throw a really big rock at it?

“You won't do it?” He asked, almost begging her to aid with the seal. She considered his words, and what it would entail if she said yes.

“...No.” She finished weakly, Zidane sighed as they finished with cleaning, and with that, he left, and after a minute, Momatose came to Eiko, informing her that the others were getting ready for sleep. Eiko considered Zidane's request as she looked to the moogle, and nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eiko sat on an overhang attached to the kitchen. The sun set long ago and the others were asleep. Well, that wasn't true. The orange mare- Applejack was looking out over the night sky in front of Eiko's home.

She could see her in the blue moonlight, she was without her armor, only keeping her hat with her. And while she stared, Eiko kept being drawn by the look on her face, a look Eiko didn't quite understand, a mixture of sadness and longing. So, I guess I'm not the only one being kept awake by our thoughts. Eiko considered as she let out a sigh.

I want to go with Spike. Join in his- no, their adventure. But, that would mean leaving home. She was the last of the summoner tribe, and the idea of leaving Madain Sari behind felt wrong to her.

Who would pray at the wall? Would grandpa be lonely if I left? As she considered these things, she heard someone leave her home, and looking towards Applejack, saw that Zidane was awake, who was surprised to see the mare awake as well. Eiko put her thoughts aside as she quietly cast her floating spell and got closer to listen in, her curiosity drawing her over.

“Trouble sleeping?” Zidane asked, a hint of concern riding his words. “What's bothering you?” Applejack looked to him, she was holding her hat in her hooves, and sat it on a rock next to her as she answered his question.

“I had somethin' on my mind earlier,” she then frowned, “somethin' quite foolish in hindsight, and Spike helped me clear it up.” She let out a long sigh as she looked to her hat, “Which only made room fer somethin' else to eat at me.”

She then looked back to Zidane. “Seein' the Iifa tree reminded me of home. I'm just feelin' homesick, nothin' fer ya to worry about.”

Is that what her expression meant? Eiko wondered as Zidane replied to Applejack's assurances.

“Oh, well, I doubt I could cure that anyways, not right now at least.” He said with an apologetic shrug. “Well, try to get some rest; we've got an interesting day ahead of us.” He suggested, smiling as he started to leave.

“Wait,” she asked, and he stopped and looked to her, a little confused. “Zidane, in the last tough fights we'd been in, ya'd fallen.” She flat out stated, making Eiko frown.

“Doesn't that bother ya? I've... gotten real out of sorts because of that. So, why are ya just fine?” Zidane considered her question a moment, giving her his full attention.

“I guess it's just my outlook. Yea, I dropped, and almost died when we fought that giant earlier. But we made it through, right? We've been in a number of tough battles, and we've made it through them all. And we're stronger for it.”

Zidane shook his head, “No, that isn't quite the answer you're looking for.” He stopped and considered her question again for a minute before addressing her again. Eiko listened on baited breath, she was curious as to why he was so carefree, considering what had happened during that fight.

“The way I see it, what happens, happens. I keep going, not losing my stride, regardless of what occurs. If I let the 'what ifs', the 'almost happens', slow me down, then I'd trip, and fall.”

“So that's it, then?” Applejack asked, annoyed with how easy he made it sound. “Ya don't let worry weigh ya down? How can I do somethin' like that? I don't want to burden any of ya anymore with my worries or doubts. So, how do I do that?” She asked of him, a hint of desperation in her tone.

“Well, Applejack, it all comes down to a choice. Either you choose to worry over what can't be helped, or you don't.”

It all comes down to a choice? Leave my home, or stay? Eiko thought as Zidane continued.

“Me, I want to protect the people I'm with.” He waved his hand towards Applejack, then back to Eiko's home. “You, Dagger, Pinkie, everyone. It doesn't matter whether I can, or cannot. As long as I'm moving forward, following what I believe, I'm certain I'll never be disappointed of the outcome.”

“And yea, maybe one day, I'll fail, or I'll drop, and never rise again. And it won't be fair, but that's how life is. And that's how I choose to live it.”

His words hang in the air for several moments as Eiko and Applejack took them in. He's right; I should follow what I believe. She looked over her home, it was alive right now, and clean, because she had guests today, and once they left, she would be alone again.

Yes, she had her moogle friends, but they were not enough to fill the loneliness in her heart. I don't want to be alone anymore. So, I should go with them! Eiko concluded as Applejack spoke up.

“Heh, ya sure are somethin'. So, I just gotta follow what I believe, make a choice, and hold no regrets.” Applejack smiled, and Eiko realized that the smile she had, mirrored her own. Applejack put her hat on as she turned to Zidane. “Thanks Zidane, I think I've got my answer.”

Eiko moved to leave them alone, having the answer she was looking for as well, but her eyes were drawn to Applejack. There was a look in her eyes. A fierce fire, this time, and seeing that look drew Eiko back to the fight against the giant. She had seen that look before, when Applejack stood in front of Spike and herself, as a shield against the giant, as it constantly pounded on Spike's barrier.

Eiko, in a moment of clarity, now understood this pony. She understood Applejack, and the notion of stealing Spike from her became more daunting. Applejack was strong, reliable, and courageous. Eiko had no doubt, even if they both hated each other, that Applejack would stand before her, and protect her from anything that aimed to harm her. H-how am I supposed to beat that?

Eiko had no intention of letting her have Spike, but Applejack deserved respect, especially from her. She puts her friend's safety above her own, how can I simply ignore that? Eiko was drawn to selflessness, and to her good fortune, she had recently found a number of individuals that had that in spades.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eiko rushed to the entrance of town, wishing the best of her moogle friends, Mog hiding in her pocket. The others were going to leave soon, and she had overslept because of her indecision last night. Her moogle friends were very understanding and happy for her, and promised to look after Madain Sari while she was gone.

Seeing the others gathered at the edge of town, she moved to the side to catch her breath, and started to climb the rubble. She wanted to catch them by surprise. With a spell, she started floating, and hovered her way up the rubble as she got close enough to overhear them.

“Everyone,” Dagger began, “I'd like to come back here when we can. When I first saw the Eidolon Wall, I was scared. But, looking at the murals inside, they calmed me. I want to see more.”

“Well,” Applejack said, “I don't see any reason not to return here after checkin' out the Iifa tree.”

“Thank you.” Dagger replied as she considered something for a moment, “are we coming back here for Eiko?”

“She's only six years old.” Zidane explained, “She acts tough, but I think she's lonely.”

He saw through me? He really is a sharp one! Eiko thought as she peeked out from her hiding spot.

“I haven't seen her since yesterday; I thought she would see us off,” Spike stated, sounding a little disappointed.

Did he want to see me~!? Then she noticed Pinkie looking right at her, a smile on her face, naturally.

“Maybe she's waiting to surprise us! Right~!?” Pinkie exclaimed as she raised a smug eyebrow at Eiko.

“Ahh, Pinkie~!” Eiko pouted as she got out of her hiding spot. “You ruined my surprise!”

“Eiko?” Zidane asked, confused that she had been hiding. Eiko got down from the pile and turned to all the others.

“You can't break the seal of the Iifa tree without me.” She proclaimed, grabbing onto the ticket to this adventure.

“So, you're coming with us?” Spike asked.

“Would you rather I didn't?” Eiko asked sheepishly, her hands behind her back as she lightly kicked the dirt. She still felt bad about last night's oglop incident.

“Oh. No, that's not what I meant.” Spike quickly assured, “I'd like it if you came along!” His words struck Eiko, right in the heart.

“R-really!?” She exclaimed excitedly as Spike gave her an aside smile.

“You want to join our adventure, right?” He asked, getting a very energetic nod from the young summoner.

“Dagger, Pinkie, let's have fun~!” she said as she shared her mirth with them both, and then turned to Applejack. They both frowned immediately, but to Applejack's surprise, Eiko abandoned her look for a more apologetic expression. “Applejack, I'm hoping we can be friends. Just, just don't get in my way, okay!?” she asked of the mare. Applejack opened her mouth to reply, but Eiko cut her off. “Come on, let's go!” she said as she rushed past them, first to leave Madain Sari, with a spring in her step.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'E-Eiko!? No, you cannot write this chapter, or any chapter! You'll alienate the reader!'

“Oh, come on, it's not like anyone likes your style anyway!”

'K-kupo!!'

[The rest of the notes could not be finished on account of two small individuals tearing at each other.]

~~~~~~~~

Eiko Carol

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Golem's Flute: Auto-Regen, Cura, Life

Lamia's Tiara: Clear Headed, ~~Confuse~~, Float

Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%.

Glass Armlet: ~~Steal Gil~~, Antibody

Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%.

Silk Shirt: Cure, ~~Thunder~~

Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%.

Sapphire: Fenrir, High Tide, ~~Mini Party Cannon~~

Lvl-21 HP 687/687 MP 93/93

AP 1/20

*Auto-Regen (10) - Automatically casts Regen in battle.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion.

Abilities:

White Magic:

Cure 6 MP - Restores HP of single/multiple targets.

Cura 10 MP - Restores a lot of HP of single/multiple targets.

Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO.

Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air.

Summon:

Fenrir 30 MP - Causes Earth damage to all enemies.

Trance - Allows use of Double White Magic.

Author's Note

This ended up being longer than I thought it would be. :twilightoops:
This chapter brought to you by the letters: A T E.
Did you think I should have split this chapter in two? Also:

Big thanks to my readers, you guys are awesome!
Big thanks for GMZ_Casper for the help with editing this mess. :twilightsmile:
Also a thank you for OCisbestpony for the aid with this chapter.