Chapters Final Fantasy XIV: Equestria
It was a dark moment for Equestria on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration. Nightmare Moon had returned after one thousand years of exile, just as the old legend had stated. The land was threatened to be smothered by eternal night, doomed to a cold fate. But six brave ponies ventured forward into the Everfree Forest to search for the Elements of Harmony , the only thing that will allow them to defeat Nightmare Moon. Through trials and tribulations, these brave young mares found the elements and bonded with them, using their powers to banish the darkness of Nightmare Moon and restore her to her old self, Princess Luna. But unknown to the heroes, shadows had been observing them.
Hidden in the trees of the Everfree Forest, just outside of the Castle of the Two Sisters, two humanoid beings had been observing the confrontation. They wore black robes with a grey thorn-like pattern on the edges of their clothing while also donning red masks that covered most of their faces barring their mouths.
The tallest robed figure began to speak with deep masculine voice. "So, Nightmare Moon has fallen. It appears your thousand year long gamble has failed." He turned towards the other figure with a dissatisfied look on his face
"I apologize Lahabrea. Had I known that the Elements would have played a part in her downfall, I would've taken it upon myself to destroy them." The female bowed before this 'Lahabrea' with revere. "Give me another chance. I can right this."
"No." Lahabrea replied, turning away from her and putting his attention towards the six ponies celebrating their victory with Princess Celestia and Luna. "You have spent enough time planting the seeds of chaos here in this land. Although it is rich in aether, it is hardly worth investing in it. Even with its connection to Hydaelyn, I doubt we can gather as much aether here as we have in Eorzea." He turned towards the cloaked female once more. "You are hereby ordered to return to the Chrysalis for further instructions, Mitron. "
She looked up at her leader with a defeated expression that was responded with a scowl from him. Unable to keep looking up at him anymore, she turned away and disappeared in a flash of darkness.
Before departing himself, Lahabrea looked once more at the ponies. The sight of them celebrating made him want to just blast all of them to void. "My plans with Garlean general and Ultima Weapon are far more fruitful than this multi-colored bile." And with that, he too disappeared in a flash of darkness. The two Ascians left Equestria alone, letting the ponies live out there 'pathetic' lives.
One Year Later...
Mitron stood in a dark room, gazing over an old map in a language that isn't written in Eorzean on a desk. A man in a robe similar to hers but white approached Mitron from behind. "Still obsessing?" He spoke plainly.
Mitron nearly jumped in surprise and turned to face the man known as Elidibus. "Emissary! To what do I owe the honor?"
Elidibus began pacing around the room, circling around her. "I have come to bring news to you and your fellow Ascians. Igeyorhm and Lahabrea have fallen."
The Ascian looked at Elidibus with disbelief. Two of the most powerful members, one of them being their leader, have been killed! "H-how? I have heard Nabriales was gone, but Lahabrea! Both he and Igeyorhm had powers beyond our own. Who could have achieved a feat, let alone being able to eliminate us on the spot!"
"The Warrior of Light has grown too strong. She defeated them even as they attempted the eighth Rejoining. Her power borders on the realm of gods. She cannot stay in Eorzea any longer, lest we have her thwart our plans even further."
'The Warrior of Light', Mitron thought. She had heard the tales of a Miqo'te gifted with the Echo running around and slaying primals. She has even defeated the mighty Bahamut, ruining his resurrection. Mitron looked at Elidibus with worried a look on her face. "What are we going to do then?"
"I need the Warrior of Light out of our hairs. It is unlikely for any of us to defeat her head on as she is right now. For us to proceed with Lord Zodiark's revival, we need something to distract her." Elidibus stood across from Mitron. He raised his hand and pointed his finger at the map. "I know you've been sneaking into this land, disobeying Lahabrea's orders, but I think it's time you started to show your admiration for this place to others. Bring her here, and make sure it has her attention."
Mitron looked at Elidibus, shocked, which soon turned into a sinister smile. "Oh, I can offer more than that. A lot has transpired in our absence and this world is ripe for the picking with its aether. I can assure you, Emissary, that I can extinguish the Light."
"All that matters is that she is kept busy. How you go about it is up to you entirely." And with that, Elidibus disappeared before her. Mitron was once again left to her own devices.
"Finally, I can return to my magnum opus. Lahabrea, for a leader, you were definitely a poor one. Too stupid to notice potential when it's right in front of you. I no longer have to prove anything to anyone. O, vaunted Warrior of Light. I hope you are ready to face utter chaos!" Mitron couldn't control herself. She let out a hideous, chaotic laughter that echoed through the halls of the Ascian headquarters.
Author's Note
Well, time to bust out some of my ideas for stories. The prologue was short and sweet, but it was meant to help set up some elements I had in mind. This is my first story and some constructive criticism would be great. If I make any mistakes with the FFXIV and MLP lore, let me know since keeping it all together is kind of taxing. That being said, the title of the prologue is a reference to the Ascian's main theme, as you can see. Originally I was going to have this be a re-telling of the Manipulator fight, but I decided against it.
Final Fantasy XIV: Equestria
Inside an ancient aetherochemical reactor, a legendary battle was taking place. A miqo'te archer, donning a fancy green ball suit, was fighting eleven gigantic knights and their equally large 'god-emperor' . The knights ganged up on her, casting large spells that engulf the area in fire and ice, swings from their axes that tore up the ground, and sword slashes that stretched across the entire arena with the intent of eviscerating their opponent. But the archer dodged, countered, and even weakened their attempts to annihilate her. It was inconceivable that this one individual was giving them a fight they did not expect with their godly powers. A fight that seemed like they were about to lose.
After an attempt at crushing her with the might of an incantation that summoned meteors, they all withdrew to the side of their king. The knights teleported next to their king, and every one that was summoned, a blast of magic smacked their opponent, pushing her back while also charring her skin and fur. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by all eleven knights plus their king. The leader of the 'Knights of the Round', Thordan, brought his blade up, raising it towards the heavens.
A blue planet lit up behind the 'God King', shining with the King's sword as the knights sent all of their power into him. Thordan looked down at his small opponent and from behind his helmet, he shouted with a crazed smile. "By my right, you shall meet your end! Warrior of Light!" And with that, he brought his sword down, unleashing a torrent of holy energy. This was the Ultimate End. No mortal could survive a blast that can shatter dimensions.
The arena lit up in a glorious light that blinded even the knights. King Thordan knew that he had won the battle and was prepared to make a speech at the end. With a wave of his hand, the light of his holy attack shattered so he could speak to his knights proper. But as soon as he did that, his body was struck with fear. Before him was the miqo'te, now donning a full suit of armor with shield and sword in hand. Her body was enveloped in a brilliant golden light that matched the color of his 'ultimate end'.
The Warrior of Light looked up at Thordan with an intense glare in her eyes. "Impossible!" Shouted one of his knights, Sir Zephyr, as he began to take steps away from their small but powerful opponent.
"She still lives? What sort of trick is this?!" Ser Charibert shouts while pointing his finger at the miqo'te accusingly.
Without uttering a single word, the Warrior of Light's body glowed for a second, changing her armor into something that resembled the iconic armor set of Ishgard's dragoons. She pointed her lance directly at their king. "This is for Haurchefant you pious bastards." Her body was suddenly surrounded by a blue flame. The spirit of the wyrmking, Midgardsormr , erupted behind her and aimed his hatred at King Thordan. Before the knights could jump in, the miqo'te leaped high into the air, carried by the spirit of Midgardsormr, and crashed down upon their 'God Emperor' with an explosive impact. The flames that erupted from her attack spread across the entire arena, striking a fatal blow to the already weakened knights of the round. But their king took the brunt of the blast, now having a giant hole in his chest with the dragoon crouching down behind him. The king, with all of his might, turned around and raised his sword at her, ready to strike her while she was recovering.
But he couldn't. The sword slipped out of his hands and landed behind him as he fell on his knees. His knights collapsed onto their backs and disappeared in a flash of light, noting their demise. King Thordan's form shrank down and reverted back into his original form: The Archbishop of Ishgard, Thordan the VII. He knelt down, keeping himself up with his hands as he bled profusely from his chest where the Warrior of Light struck him.
" How... how can this be? A millennium of prayer and the Eye's power... and still you stand!" Thordan stated has his fingers clenched towards his palm, attempting to dig into the metal of the floor he was bleeding on. He looked up at the miqo'te, who reverted back to her archer outfit, glaring down at him with anger that can set a man on fire. He stared at her face and felt a deathly chill come over him. "Who-what are you!?" He questioned his adversary, only to finally give in to his wounds and collapse on the floor, disintegrating into aether. The miqo'te looked on , satisfied that the realm is safe once more and that she managed to avenge a very dear friend of hers.
But before she departed, she heard a familiar voice. " Hear....Feel....Think. " She turned around and saw herself floating in the aetherial void, surrounded by nothing but space. The miqo'te looked around for any signs of the Mother Crystal, but she didn't. Instead, she saw 6 floating objects that looked like gems carved into a certain shape: An apple, a butterfly, a lightning bolt, a set of diamonds, balloons, and a purple star. A female voice, one that she didn't recognize, echoed around her as she gazed at each object, "Honesty. Kindness. Loyalty. Generosity. Laughter. Magic."
As soon as whatever entity finished speaking, something caught the corner of Warrior's eye. A familiar hooded figure floated in the abyss. An Ascian, a near immortal being that has been plaguing Hydaelyn since the beginning, stood before her in a similar fashion Lahabrea did when she first arrived in Eorzea. 'This is a vision.' The warrior thought to herself as she glared at this new Ascian. And like Lahabrea, it revealed its sigil to her, one she has not encountered yet. Just then, the six gems floated beside the warrior and 'stood' next to her as if they were allies. She felt many different emotions running through her soul before she drew her bow and let out a battle cry. The Ascian charged her while the warrior and the gems stood their ground, ready to strike. Everything faded to white.
"Hey old girl, are you awake yet?" A familiar but slightly aggravating voice was heard. "Hey, Colleen old girl, it's time to get up."
A miqo'te lying in a fancy bed, covering herself with a big comfy red blanket, struggled to wake up from her already comfortable position. She lazily opened her eyes, her vision blurred for the moment before everything became clear. The first thing she saw was a young elezen man with a coy smile. "Emmanellain?"
"Ah, so the old girl is finally awake!" He happily replied to her stating his name.
Colleen rubbed her eyes for a moment before she realized that Emmanellain, one of Count Edmont de Fortemps' sons, was in her room while she was half naked. Her face turned beet red as she realized this, letting out a shrill scream that caused the young lord to fall onto his butt in shock. The Fortemps house guard ran inside, along with the eldest son of the Count, Artoirel, to see what the commotion was. "Lady Noriko, are you al- oh Seven Hells Emmanellain! We asked you to wake her, not bed her!"
"I did nothing of the sort! I knocked on the door and she wouldn't stir! So I undid the lock and tried to wake her again until she screamed like a Siren laying an egg!"
Before Emmanellain could continue, Artoirel picked him up by the collar and tossed him out of the room. "You buffoon. I apologize Lady Noriko for the rude awakening." With a wave of his hand, the guards followed him out of the room. "By the way, Master Alphinaud and Lady Tataru left you a letter in the foyer. It seemed urgent. Again, our apologies." He stated as he closed the door behind him. Colleen could hear Artoirel pulling his brother by the ear as they walked down the hall.
She let out a sigh before getting herself ready. It only took a second for her to put on her gear. Within a flash of light, she donned her green bard armor, the same one she wore on the day she slew the corrupt leader of Ishgard. She took the time to wash her face, brush her teeth, comb her hair, and fluff her tail. She let out satisfied yawn as she stretched. Colleen made her way out of her room and towards the foyer.
Ever since she was allowed into Ishgard, Count Edmont de Fortemps , one of the high houses of Ishgard, opened the doors to his home for her and her allies. A friend of hers, Haurchefant de Fortemps, said many good things about her that swayed his father. Even after the tragic events that transpired within the Vault, the Archbishop's own castle, Colleen and her friends were welcomed into their home. How could they chase away someone who has given their own life for a country that isn't even their homeland. Colleen bled for the people of Ishgard and Dravania to put an end to a thousand year long war. It wouldn't end immediately with Thordan's death and the revelation that it was Ishgard that incurred Nidhogg's, one of Midgardsormr's children, wrath, but it was the beginning of a long road to peace between the two nations. She has earned her title as the 'Hero of Ishgard', not just Eorzea.
As she entered, she saw the Count's butler laying out a tea set for everyone's morning. Emmanellain was sitting on the couch, rubbing his ear with Artoirel sitting across from him. "Ah, good morning Lady Noriko. A letter for you." The butler said as he handed her a rolled up letter.
"I've heard. Thank you very much." The butler respectfully bowed to her as she took the paper out of his hands. She opened it up and gazed upon its contents.
"Well, what does it say, old girl?" Emmanellain's coy smile returned, attempting to start a friendly conversation with the Warrior of Light after this morning's disaster, which attracted an annoyed look from his brother.
"I have to go." Colleen said plainly.
"Is something the matter?" Artoirel turned his attention towards her.
"Mmm. Y'shtola's master sensed something in the Hinterlands. An 'aetherical disturbance'. They're not sure if it's another primal, but they need me just in case it is."
"Another primal? You're already dealing with that mechanical titan that the goblins summoned, aren't you?" Emmanellain piped up.
"I was. Even after we dealt with it, Alexander hasn't disappeared yet so we're still working things out. Still, if another primal has shown up there, I have to leave right away."
Artoirel nodded understandingly, "Well then, let's not keep the Hero of Ishgard from her duty. Best of luck to you."
Colleen gave him a reassuring smile and nod. She turned around and made her way towards the doors to the hallway. "Tell the Count I'm sorry I couldn't stay for this morning's tea." She said before she closed the doors behind her. The young men heard the sound of an aetherical teleport spell going off, suggesting that Colleen is now gone.
"I was kind of hoping on asking the old girl out for an evening stroll." Emmanellain said has he relaxed on his couch, putting his hands behind his head.
"She's too good for you." Artoirel replied coldly.
"And what about you? You think you can sway the old girl?"
"First of all, she's about three years older than you, not some wizened maid. Second of all, I most likely can."
"Pah, dragon's ass."
"Squonk."
"Now that's just low."
It only took half a minute for Colleen to reach the Dravanian Hinterlands goblin outpost known as Idyllshire. She found herself within a crowd of happy go lucky adventurers, goblins, and a few people messing around with their fat chocobos. Nothing out of the ordinary, overall. She made her way out the crowd and walked towards the outpost's entrance, catching the eye of a friendly lalafell. "Colleen! Over here!"
Colleen turned her attention towards the voice and let out a bright smile. "Tataru , good morning!" She approached her adorable lalafell friend, who was wearing her now iconic pink tunic and red beret. Next to her was a young elezen in his teens who wore a blue leather coat that complimented his eyes, a miqo'te like Colleen but had darker skin than she did and was wearing a white robe that matched the silver staff on her back, and a young woman with horns and scales that matched the color of her pale skin, jet black hair, and a purple ninja-esque armor. "Alphinaud , Y'shtola , and... Yugiri ?"
The Au'ra looked at Colleen with a warm smile. "I'm guessing you didn't expect me to show up?"
"Lady Yugiri has volunteered to assist us with this investigation. I'm hoping you don't mind, Colleen." The young elezen, Alphinaud, spoke next.
"Not at all. But is it okay to bring her close to a primal? She doesn't have the echo like Y'shtola and I do."
"We're not certain if it is a primal." The dark-skinned miqo'te, Y'shtola spoke next. "Master Matoya informed me that it was more akin to a rift."
"A rift? Then, is it voidsent?" Colleen looked at her with a worried gaze.
"A possibility, but Master Matoya didn't say. I think she's about as clueless as we are."
"So in other words, we're going in blind." Colleen crossed her arms with a disapproving look on her face.
"We've worked with less before Colleen, and it's not like we're going to engage whatever horrors may actually lurk there, if there are any." Alphinaud replied, attempting to reassure her.
"So where is this rift?"
"It's to the west, in the mountains past Sharlayan. Master Matoya has told me that it may be coming from some old ruins that have dated back before Sharlayan was built. Probably as old as the Dravanian ruins in Sohm Al." Y'shtola said to Colleen as she fetched a document from her bag. She placed it on the bench next to them all and laid it out. "We'll be needing an airship to reach our destination, which Master Garlond will personally pilot for us. We're unable to reach our objective on foot and there are no aetherical currents that we know of in the area that will allow you and Midgardsormr to use."
"It's uncharted territory as far as we know." Alphinaud chimes in. "We don't know what lies ahead, but with you, Yugiri, Y'shtola, Tataru, and myself, we should be able to overcome most creatures barring from primals and powerful voidsents."
"Yeah, we certainly won't have a pro- wait a second, Tataru is coming with us?" Colleen looked at Alphinaud, shocked that he even suggested that Tataru, who was known for getting into trouble and couldn't even control her carbuncle when she tried to be an arcanist, come along for the journey.
"I'm not going to be on the frontlines, Colleen. Master Alphinaud took it upon himself to help me learn some of the basics of being an arcanist, to the point where I can cast physick without tiring myself out too fast. But, um, I'm only backup." Tataru reassured her powerful friend, who let out a relieved sigh.
"I see the hero of the day has arrived." A man with white hair, a beard, a pair of goggles that covered up his third eye, and a white leather shirt that leaves his chest slightly exposed, approached them from Idyllshire's entrance. Cid Garlond , a man who left his country, the imperial nation of Garlemald, the biggest threat to Eorzea next to the primals, gave them a salute. "The Enterprise Excelsior is primed and ready, everyone."
"Excellent! We should depart immediately then." Alphinaud said with a smile, walking past Cid who followed him immediately.
The Warrior of Light's party boarded the airship, which also contained Cid's trusted engineers: Biggs and Wedge . Wedge, like Colleen, was shocked when he discovered Tataru would be joining them. Before he could even utter a word, Cid spoke loud enough to get the engineer's attention. "Biggs! Wedge! Prepare for takeoff!"
"Aye captain!" They both responded and began to prime up the engines, checking all systems and so on. It didn't take long for the Enterprise Excelsior to lift off of the ground and begin its journey towards the mountains in the west.
Colleen stood at the front of the bow, staring ahead at the mountains. She began to let her mind wander, thinking about the vision she saw. She remembered the last time she had a vision like that, she confronted Lahabrea, the leader of the Ascians, and struck him down, relinquishing his hold on her friend and fellow scion, Thancred. She is glad that Lahabrea finally met his end, even though ultimately it was done by Thordan and not her own hands. He had a lot to answer for and she's content that he's no longer a threat to anyone. It was his fault that Haurchefant was killed by a Heaven's Ward Knight, taught on how to become a primal themselves. It worries her that this new Ascian that appeared in her vision might cause a similar tragedy to happen. Who would be next? Alphinaud? Tataru? Yugiri? The thought of them or any of her friends perishing sent shivers down her spine. Even with the power to strike down gods and demons, she could not save a life. No, she failed to save three. The deaths of Ysayle, Haurchefant, and Estinien haunt her mind. Although there may be a chance to save Estinien from Nidhogg's grasp, she doesn't want to hold onto hope. She doesn't want to be hurt again.
"Is something amiss, Colleen?" Colleen's ears perked up as she turn around and saw Y'shtola and her silver eyes. "You looked like as if you had witnessed the death of a family member. What's wrong?"
Colleen smiled at Y'shtola. "It's nothing. Just, tired. I had Emmanellain wake me up while also calling me 'old girl' again." She reassured her friend.
"Ah, the young lord of House Fortemps. I heard about his carefree attitude. I'm surprised why the Vanu Vanu even kidnapped him in the first place."
"Well he was trespassing on their land. But I figured we were going to have an issue with them sooner or later, considering they had a whale of a primal."
"Ladies, I'd appreciate it if you never mentioned that beast. I still have nightmares of that thing just coming out of the clouds and swallowing my ship whole." Cid joined in on the conversation while keeping his eyes on the mountains ahead.
"You have fought worse. Honestly, Bismarck isn't even your most threatening primal to date. You slew twelve of them on Azys Lla from what I heard from Master Alphinaud. I could hardly imagine a primal that acts more like a monster than a man could be your most threatening foe to date." Yugiri chimed in.
"Sorry Colleen, that one was a slip of the tongue." Alphinaud apologizes to her while scratching the back of his head.
'At least he didn't tell them I took on Bahamut. He was more of a threat than Thordan was.' Colleen thought to herself as she turned her head back towards the front. As she did, she noticed a small circular opening in the mountains. "Hey, I see something over there!"
Y'shtola stood next to Colleen and looked down where she pointed. "That's it! That's our destination. Cid!"
"I'm on it." And with that, Cid turned the wheel and began the Enterprise Excelsior's descent into the mountains. Their destination looked like a valley with a small set of ruins lying around. It was only until they got a closer look that the ruins looked more like a ruined town. Cid parked the ship in the center of the "town's" square. Everyone got a good look at their new discovery.
The town had ancient looking buildings made of stone with carvings that don't resemble anything on Eorzea. No one, but Colleen could make out what these words meant. The power of the echo allowed Colleen to recognize writing and languages of different races without putting in much effort to actually learn the language. She could even 'speak' in their tongue, which proved to be incredibly valuable when making friends among the Beastman Tribes.
"This architecture, it's not like anything I've ever seen." Y'shtola spoke first as she gazed around their surroundings. "They're not Sharlayan, Amdapori, Nymian, or even Dravanian!"
"Maybe we came across a lost civilization?" Tataru spoke, slightly nervous about the situation.
"It's possible. Eorzea still has many secrets within its borders." Alphinaud spoke next. "But this doesn't look like a civilization. More like a settlement."
"Then pray, what drove them out? And who were they?" Yugiri questioned Alphinaud, her hand ready to grab her dagger should anything attack them.
"Well, we're not going to find out by just sitting here. Colleen, I think you know what to do." Cid spoke up, looking at Eorzea's champion.
Colleen looked back at everyone and gave them all her 'famous' stoic nods before hopping out. But as soon as her feet touched the ground, a red light erupted beneath all of them. Everyone, drew their weapons and looked around in shock, wondering what's happening. Before anyone else could say anything, a loud cackle echoed throughout the valley. Colleen looked around to see where the laugh came from, and she found it as soon as she looked up at one of the buildings that looked like a small house. A small puddle of darkness erupted in the air and withdrew, leaving behind a cloaked figure with a sinister smile. "I didn't think it would have been so easy! You all have such perfect timing!"
"An Ascian!" Y'shtola alerted the party and crew of the Enterpise Excelsior. Her grip on her staff tightened. "Seven Hells, I thought I felt something wrong."
"And yet you couldn't tell what it was. Tsk tsk, a shame for you. But all the better for me." The Ascian replied, still smiling like a lunatic.
Colleen didn't waste any time and readied a shot. Her arrow was enveloped in a blood red glow before she released it, only for it to hit a barrier that wasn't even close to where the Ascian stood. 'Damn!' She thought to herself.
"Way to take the initiative, Warrior of Light, but I'm afraid you're too late. You see..." The Ascian hopped off the building and hovered over the grass, circling around them with her arms behind her back. "You have become a problem for us. Too much that even our most prestigious members are afraid of you. You struck down not just Nabriales and Igeyorhm, but Lord Lahabrea! Our leader! I actually WANT to thank you for doing so."
"This one likes to talk." Yugiri quietly noted.
"Let her." Alphinaud replied.
"I was actually hoping you would come alone so that I could actually test your strength, considering you need this new material, 'white auracite' I believe it is called, in order to slay one of us. But, it would be no fun if your friends intervened, so I suppose it's time to cut to the chase. I'm the one who attracted your old master's attention, Scions."
"For what purpose? To monologue us to death?" Y'shtola replied with a snark remark.
"Cute. But no, to say goodbye. "
Colleen raised an eyebrow at that last statement before she realized what she meant. The red light formed a circle around them and it began to light up even brighter. She looked at the Ascian and glared at her, firing off more shots from her bow, only for the arrows to uselessly hit the wall of the circle. 'No no no no!'
"Your stay here in Eorzea is long overdue. I think you all deserve a vacation." The Ascian bowed down before her trapped prey. "As they say, it's been a pleasure, Warrior of Light." The Ascian let out a blood curdling cackle as the circle's light enveloped everyone. There was nothing the hero could do that would not endanger her friend's lives. All she could do was watch the Ascian claim victory.It was morning in Ponyville. Everypony was going about their day, including a pink pony hopping her way towards the edge of town. Pinkie Pie was on her way to the Castle of the Two Sisters to meet up with everyone for their weekly investigation about the mysterious box that appeared when they restored the Elements to the Tree of Harmony. The castle was located deep in the Everfree Forest, which was an incredibly dangerous area, but thankfully Twilight Sparkle, with the help of Zecora, managed to secure a safe route that leads from Ponyville to the old castle.
It didn't take long for Pinkie Pie to reach the castle. She zipped over to the doors and pushed them open while shouting, "Good morning everypony!" She closed the door behind her and approached her friends, who were startled by the sudden entrance. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were sorting out the books that have fallen over from the door's impact.
"Pinkie Pie, darling, you could use a bit more of a delicate touch when making your announcements." Rarity said as she picked up some of the books that fell over when Pinkie Pie slammed the door open. She carried them with her magic and put them in order on the shelf and then dusted them afterwards.
"Hehe, my bad. But I brought everypony breakfast. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Cake if I could take some of their cakes with me to the castle, but they thought I meant Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake so I had to explain it them-" she unpacked her saddlebag filled with moist chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and coconut cake slices and placed it on the table. "-that I meant these cakes!"
"Awesome! I could definitely use some cake." Rainbow Dash swoops down and takes a bite out of one of the vanilla slices. "All this rereading through old books is exhausting."
"We just started, Rainbow" Applejack takes a big chunk out of the coconut cake.
"Yeah, but we've looked over these books before and we still haven't figured out anything about that box. I'm cool with reading, we're just going over old stuff now." Dash takes another bite out of her vanilla cake.
"We have to be sure we haven't missed anything. I'm certain that one of the books here has something in it." Twilight spoke up, picking up a fork with her levitating magic and picking a piece out of a chocolate cake. Spike sat next to her and dined on the other chocolate slice.
"Speaking of something missing, where's Fluttershy? I brought this strawberry slice just for her." Pinkie Pie said as she wraps her tongue around one of the coconut slices and gobbles it up.
"Oh she went into the forest with Angel to gather some herbs for Zecora. She's not far from the castle, so she should be just fine." Rarity, just like Twilight, picked up a fork and took a piece out of her vanilla slice.
In the forest, not far from the Castle of the Two Sisters, Fluttershy was trotting after Angel, who was helping her sniff out the specific herbs she needs to gather for their friend Zecora. It's been going well so far, with her basket almost full of the flora she's been gathering. "Good work Angel! When we get back, I'll be sure to ask Pinkie Pie to make a carrot cake just for you."
Angel licked his lips at the prospect of eating one of the cakes Pinkie Pie makes. He happily continued to assist his owner with her task. Angel's nose picked up another herb in the area. Thinking about the cake again, Angel waved at Fluttershy to follow and hopped towards the scent. "Oh dear. Angel, not so fast!" Fluttershy called out to her rabbit, following as quickly as she can without dropping any of the herbs she's gathered so far.
Angel's nose brought him to an entrance of a large cavern. His nose tells him that there's an herb inside, but his animal instincts are warning him to not approach. Fluttershy caught up with him shortly. "Is there one inside?" She questioned her little friend. Angel turned towards her and nodded first, but then waved his arms in a manner that was supposed to tell her that it's probably not safe. "Well, let's hurry and grab it. I don't want to keep Zecora and the others waiting." Angel could only facepalm as his owner went in and didn't notice his warnings. He followed after her to make sure that she'll be alright.
Fluttershy ventured into the cave, finding herself in a large cavern. She can hear running water nearby, as well as a bunch of bats making noises. She didn't feel that afraid because she believed that this was probably a normal cave. She trotted down, following Angel who reluctantly led the way. Angel followed a path that seemed to curve down towards a large body of water. Near the bottom of the path, she found the last set of herbs she needed. She happily approached them and was about to pick them up, until she saw a flash of red light at the corner of the cave, followed by a crashing sound and a scream so loud it caused all of the bats to fly away. Fluttershy forgot immediately what she needed to do and hid behind the closest rock she could find, cowering behind it. Angel, who was also frightened by the sudden loud noise, hid between his master's front hooves.
....
"Bruised up, but I've been in worse landings." Cid replied, standing up on his legs. He immediately looked over the railing, finding that that the bottom of the Enterprise Excelsior has been smashed. "Blast it! That damned Ascian ruined the ship. Gods know how long it's going to take to fix this."
"Where exactly did we land?" Yugiri sat up and rolled her shoulders.
"Wherever we are, it's vibrant with aether. This place is thriving with life." Y'shtola commented, scanning their surrondings as she stood up.
"Thriving? We're in a blooming cave for Thal's sake!" The lalafell engineer, Wedge, called out as he got himself, Tataru, and Biggs on their feet.
"I can sense the aether here. It's like looking at a rainbow." Y'shtola replied, staring at her surroundings with awe. 'I can make everything out clearer than usual.' She thought to herself. Since she's lost her sight, she's had to rely on looking at the aether around her in order to tell who's there and what the area around her is like. This has increased her senses tenfold, but at a price. She hasn't told anyone yet that she is visually blind yet, and she'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. All everyone knows is that her senses are better.
"Well if it was the Ascian's idea to drop in a place that's made of rainbows, this is sure one hell of a way to try and kill us." Colleen commented with snark as she stood up on her feet and, like everyone else, looked around their surroundings. They were definitely in a cave, obviously, but how far inside and where in Eorzea are they? If they are even in Eorzea anymore. The cave they were in was filled with ankle-deep water. There was a small opening up ahead that seemed to be the only way out. If it weren't for the fact that there were glowing mushrooms that lit up the room, she wouldn't have been able to tell unless she summoned an Ifrit-egi. "I'm going to look around. Everyone stay here and take care of your wounds."
"What about you, Colleen? You weren't in the ship when that Ascian hit us with that teleportation spell." Alphinaud questioned her with great concern.
Colleen looked back and gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Being taught in the methods of the dragoon and arts of the ninja taught me how to recover from long falls. I'll be okay." And with that, Colleen jogged off down the nearest opening she could spot.
Author's Note
OKAY! First chapter and this was a long one. So, I'm sure people have some questions so I'll try and answer them all in these notes.
Q1. How can the Warrior of Light solo the Knights of the Round?never fights seriously unless a Primal, Ascian, or something like the Cloud of Darkness is involved. This was stated after Ravana's defeat in the main story. Also, how the heck are you going to explain three other people popping up beside you after the Aery's dungeon intro and then magically disappear once certain bosses are killed. I'm all for the joke about everyone but the hero is a lalafell so we have 'pocket healers' and 'pocket tanks', but that's borderline ridiculous. So that's my reasoning. As for how we survive encounters as a ninja and black mage, it's simple. The Warrior of Light can switch jobs on the fly during combat. This includes gear, abilities, and so on. The Warrior of Light learned a spell known as 'Armory' that allows them to do this. Or hell, it may even be a part of their echo's power. So there's that. Also, if you need a mental image, picture your characters fighting like a Servant from Fate/Stay Night:Unlimited Blade Works. That's how truly overpowered our characters are. We're stat changing Servants who can switch our classes on the fly. This is quite possibly canonically correct. Also yes she can do level three limit breaks by herself. And don't tell me finishing Thordan off with Dragonspirit Dive ISN'T awesome in a symbolic way.
Q2. Why is the Warrior of Light a Miqo'te and given a name?
Q3. The main character is a Mary Sue!
Q4. Will the Mane 6 not be important?this happen to the poor girl. I could've just had Hilda come along or another player character, but I chose to stick to my rules and let sweet little Tataru have her time in the sun. She will not just be supporting us on, and on, and on, and on, and on, but she will also take part in important events. You know I had half a mind to toss in Hoary Boulder, but decided against it. Oh well. Anyway, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash will take part in some big battles. Oh, and I'm not forgetting about Spike either. The little dumpling.
Q5. Will there be Primals?
That's all I have to say for now. I will continue this story asap! Stay tuned! please?
Final Fantasy XIV: Equestria
Chapter 2: Everfree Caverns
After jogging down the narrow corridor , Colleen reaches a large cavern dripping with water from the stalactite above her. Large shallow pools formed around the cavern floor, illuminated by the glowing mushrooms that grew on the walls. Ahead of her she can see a climbable path that appears to run along the side of the wall, spiraling upwards. Colleen didn't waste any time and proceeded past the puddles and up the path. She began her ascension while also keeping an eye out for anything dangerous. A familiar voice caught her attention as she explored. "You could easily leap to the top of the cavern to quicken this trek."
Colleen looked over her shoulder and saw a small baby dragon hovering next to her. It spoke with an old, wise voice, demonstrating that it's appearance isn't what it seems. "You're here too, Midgardsormr?"
"I continue to observe. You have gained my respect, Warrior of Light, but I want to see if you will ever stray from your heroism." The aetherial manifestation of the wyrmking replied, planting his weightless body on top of Colleen's head.
"I'm not going to do any superhuman feats unless I need to, Midgard. Besides, travelling this way will help get my friends out of here." Colleen responded, hopping over a small gap in the middle of the path she's climbing. Within a short amount of time, she's already climbed up quite the distance. "Do you know where we are?"
Midgardsormr didn't respond. She looked up and noticed he disappeared as soon as Colleen gave him her answer, most likely content with it. Colleen let out a sigh and just continued along the path, soon reaching the top. So far, she hasn't caught sight of any hostile creatures. The only thing she has noticed so far are the bats hanging around the roof of the caverns, minding their own business and leaving her alone. She noted that these bats were smaller than the ones she encountered in Eorzea, as well as being docile. Out of all of the deranged animals she's fought, bats were one of the annoying ones. Followed by wasps and their suicidal 'final sting'. She still has nightmares of fighting both monsters back in some old ruins somewhere in Ul'dah.
Colleen reached the end of her path, coming across a rock wall that looks stable enough to climb. She looked around to see if there was an exit, only to find one across the room. A small hole about as tall as a lalafell and wide as a dodo, big enough for her to crawl through. Water slowly poured out of the hole, being the source of what created the puddles below her. She looked around for a way to reach the hole on foot, but no luck. There were no paths or climbable surfaces near the hole, it was unreachable by normal means. The only thing that anyone with a decent amount of stamina could climb was the rock wall that stretched halfway across the cavern. 'Damn. It doesn't look like I can reach it on foot. I know I can reach that hole with little issues, but no one else, except maybe Yugiri, will be able to get out through that.' She thought to herself, tapping the floor with her foot, slightly frustrated. 'I'll have to hurry and find a rope or something for everyone.'
And with that, Colleen changed her garments again. She switched to her ninja job, donning a now pitch black enchanted silk suit used by Yugiri's people. It was thanks to her that Colleen was able to learn the abilities of the ninja. She began to run along the rock wall next to her, making her way across the cavern, then leaping off as soon as she came to the end of it towards the hole. She drew her yoshimitsu, a legendary pair of daggers that radiated with a crimson aura, and plunged them into the base of the hole as hard as she can, embedding them into the stone. Not paying attention to the water pouring down on her head, she quickly grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up. Before completing her ascension, she retrieved both of her weapons and placed them back in their sheathes. Wiggling through the hole, completely drenched, she found herself in a cavern with a large pool of water with a small rocky island sitting in the middle. She looked up and noticed sunlight at the top of the cavern. Colleen smiled, knowing she had found the exit. As soon as she switched back to her bard gear, she heard something squeak ahead. Not sensing any danger, Colleen walked over, hopping over the small stone island, and approached the origin of the sound.
As she approached, she heard a whimpering noise coming from a rock close to a spiral path that led up to the cavern's exit. She quietly walked over towards the rock, leaning around it to see what was making a noise similar to a scared child. What she saw was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail, as well as what appeared to be a tattoo of butterflies on its flank. The animal was shivering, possibly from being stuck in a cold cavern or injured and unable to move. A gentle smile formed on her face as she approached the winged horse. "Hey there little guy, are you hurt?"
The mammal squeaked as it turned around and saw the alien creature before her. And then something happened that surprised the hells out of Colleen. It, or rather, she, spoke, "Um, uh... no? please don't eat me."
"Aah!" Colleen reeled back in shock.
The pony screamed back at her, and Colleen responded with another scream. And then the rabbit who was sitting between the horse's front legs looked at Colleen and also screamed. All three of them kept screaming at each other until they heard another loud sound. They all looked towards the center of the pool, specifically the small rocky island as it began to shift. Emerging from the waters was a large reptilian creature made of rocks. The yellow pegasus screamed at the top of her lungs. "Aaaaah! A Cragadile!"
Colleen stared at the pony for a moment, noting that the poor thing was terrified out of her mind along with her rabbit, and turned her gaze towards this 'cragadile' monster. "Stay behind me! I'll take care of it." Colleen's heroic instincts kicked in as she drew her bow and approached the monster .
"You're going to what? Oh dear!"
'So, a pegasus that can talk. I guess I've met one of the natives.' Colleen thought to herself as she primed up a shot, aiming it at the rocky crocodile. The cragadile roared as it charged her, opening its jaws wide in anticipation for the succulent meat on its prey. The pegasus and her rabbit covered their eyes, unable to watch this new 'cat thing' get chomped on, only for Colleen to dodge out of the way as soon as the beast brought its jaws down on her. In the middle of her dodge roll, Colleen fired a blood red arrow into its eye, causing the monster to scream in pain and writhe on the wet floor. Enraged, it crawled faster than normal towards its opponent, leaping about four feet in the air towards her, attempting to bodyslam the miqo'te into the water. Colleen leaped backwards, and then forward, performing a somersault over the beast, dodging the cragadile's follow-up bite attack from the side.
She landed on the its back, readied two arrows, and immediately somersaulted off, sending the two arrows mid-jump at its head. The first arrow released stinging torrent of wind all over its body which weakened its stone hide, while the second poisoned its bloodstream. The cragadile roared in pain, unable to move due to the trauma done to its body. Colleen readied one last arrow, one that had a black and orange glow to it, and aimed it directly at the monster's head as it slowly turned to face her. "It's over." She proclaimed as she sent the arrow flying, piercing the cragadile from the head through its tail. The life in the beast's eye dimmed, but it wasn't done yet.
With a last desperate move, the cragadile charged Colleen, letting out a defiant roar, opening its jaws wide enough to swallow a horse. However, Colleen was able to get out of its way with ease, causing the cragadile to crash into the stone wall of the cavern behind her. The impact was so hard, it actually broke through it and fell into the caverns below. She heard a certain lalafell scream at the top of his lungs. "Thal's balls! It's raining gators!"
Colleen let out a chuckle, knowing that there was now another opening she can use to get her friends out of the caves. She withdrew her weapon, and clapped her hands together to celebrate her victory and completing her objective. She turned around to look for the yellow pegasus, hoping to ask her some questions, but she was long gone. She rubbed the back of her head, thinking that she might have scared the poor thing off.
"Colleen! I hope you're responsible for this monster you nearly dropped on our heads!" She heard the roegadyen engineer, Biggs, call her out.
She approached the hole the cragadile made and looked down, getting a clear view of the Enterprise Excelsior and its crew. "Sorry about that. I didn't expect it to go berserk and charge me. Is everyone okay?"
"We are well. Do not worry. You just scared the wits out of Cid's engineers." Yugiri replied with a playful smile.
"Scared isn't the half of it!" Wedge said to Yugiri, stomping his feet on the ground.
"Colleen, I assume you've found a way out, considering where you are standing." Alphinaud questioned her, rubbing some dust off of his leather coat.
"Yeah. I was thinking about finding a rope for you guys since the only way out is a small wet hole in the wall, but seeing as we have this newly formed hole here, I won't need to." With that, Colleen switched her job again, this time into a summoner. She wore a purple robe with dragon wings poking out the back, complete with a pointed hat that matched the set. She took out her grimoire and swiftly cast a summoning ritual. In a few seconds, a playful laughter echoed in the cave, followed by a draft. A green bird-like woman materialized next to Colleen, an avatar of the terrible primal Garuda. "Garuda, carefully carry everyone out of the cave below and bring them up here."
Author's Note
Decided to have Midgardsormr have a bit of a role here. He's mostly here to keep Colleen company when she's alone, acting kind of like 'the Navi' for her, except not as annoying. I cannot for the life of me do 'old english', not as much thou, thee, thine stuff in the story. In a way, it's cheapening the experience a bit, but really, it's kind of bothersome to write. Hell, important information was excluded because the localization team wanted Midgardsormr to talk like this when he first showed up! Anyway, yay first 'boss fight' and ponies! Time for things to get going!
Note: Saving victory fanfares for bigger victories.
Final Fantasy XIV: Equestria
Chapter 3: Light Meets Harmony
Fluttershy was terrified out of her wits with what she had just witnessed. A mysterious creature that looked like a mix between a monkey and a cat, wearing something Rarity would make, showed up and fought a cragadile! Cragadiles were one of the most dangerous creatures in the Everfree Forest and she just charged at it like it was nothing. Not to mention those arrows were able to pierce its stone hide. She had to get out and tell the others about her discovery. Twilight needs to see this! While the cat person dealt with the cragadile, Fluttershy made her escape with Angel on her back, flying straight out of the cave as fast Rainbow Dash attempting to break a new record. She got back on her hooves once she was out of the cave and raced towards the Castle of the Two Sisters, which isn't far.
At the castle, everypony was finishing up the breakfast Pinkie Pie brought them. Spike and Pinkie Pie gobbled up the last of the cakes save for the one strawberry slice meant for Fluttershy. Twilight had finished reorganizing the shelves, marking the books that everyone else has read. She was getting slightly worried that one of their friends is still missing. "Fluttershy's been gone for quite a while now. Maybe we should check up on her."
"She knows that she shouldn't stray too far from the castle. But you're right, you can never be too sure in these neck of the woods." Applejack replied, closing the book she was halfway finished with. "I'll admit, even I'm starting to get worried."
Fluttershy left the castle an hour before Pinkie Pie arrived with the cakes, and it has been thirty minutes since then. With Angel's help, she should've been back shortly after Pinkie Pie showed up. Twilight decided to put her hoof down and make an announcement. "Everypony, stop what you're doing. Let's go look for Fluttershy! We can look through these books again later." Twilight turned towards the castle library's exit and began to make her way down to the entrance. "Spike, stay here in case Fluttershy comes back while we're out."
"Don't worry, I'll keep a lookout for Fluttershy." Spike, the dragon, gave Twilight a reassured nod. Everypony followed the princess down to the main entrance. Twilight was about to open the doors, until Fluttershy came bursting in, causing everyone to skid to a halt. Twilight and Fluttershy crashed into each other, the latter knocking the other backwards since she didn't anticipate it. The two ponies groaned as they lied on the floor. Angel came in after Fluttershy and rushed to her side to make sure she's okay.
"Oh, there's Fluttershy! You almost missed the strawberry cake I brought for you." Pinkie Pie happily said. She turned her head over her shoulder and yelled at the top of her lungs. "NEVERMIND SPIKE! SHE'S HERE!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry Twilight! I didn't mean to run into you!" Fluttershy apologized quickly as she got off of the purple alicorn and helped her up.
"It's fine. I'm just glad you're safe. We were wondering why you were gone for so long." Twilight brushed off the dust of the old castle floor off of her fur.
"But why were you charging inside like as if a Timberwolf was on your tail?" Applejack asked, looking between Fluttershy and the door.
"Oh dear, is something after you?" Rarity walked up to the yellow pegasus showing great concern for her friend.
"Don't worry about it, I bet we can handle whatever's chasing her." Rainbow Dash proudly stated with her hooves on her hips as she hovered above the group.
"I-I don't think I'm being chased. But I did see something terrifying." Fluttershy looked worried as her eyes turned to the castle's entrance.
"What did you see, Fluttershy?" Twilight walked up to her side, facing the door as well.
"Well, at first Angel and I heard something that sounded like several lightning strikes, then we heard a scream that scared the daylights out of me. So we both hid behind the closest stone we could find, hoping that whatever made that noise wouldn't have noticed us. Shortly after we hid, I heard somepony talking. I thought maybe it was a unicorn pony who attempted a teleportation spell like what you can do, Twilight, especially since Angel and I saw that weird light. But what we saw wasn't a pony!" Fluttershy took a pause in the middle of her story to catch her breath and calm herself down before she continued. Her friends, and Spike who decided to come down after hearing Pinkie Pie yell at him, were listening closely. "I don't know what it was, but it looked like a cat with some of its fur missing, standing on its hind legs, and wore a fancy green outfit. At first, she sounded nice. But as soon as I looked at her, she began to scream at me! It was so frightening! And that's not even adding the part about the cragadile."
"Whoa whoa, this cat monster showed up and brought a cragadile with her?" Rainbow Dash hovered closer to Fluttershy before finally planting her hooves on the cold stone floor.
"More like the cragadile woke up because of our screams. The next thing I know, the cat thing attacked the cragadile, telling me to 'stay back', like it was trying to protect me." Fluttershy thought back to the scene where she encountered this cat creature. She was thinking that maybe she shouldn't have ran off.
"She protected you? Then why did you run off?" Rarity inquired.
"Um, well, it was because she was so vicious. She charged the cragadile like she wasn't afraid of it all. The next thing I knew, she shot an arrow into the cragadile's eye with her bow. I couldn't stand the sight of the poor thing in pain so I ran back to the castle to tell you what I saw. I wanted to tell her to stop, but, I was so scared. What if I was next? What if she was going to eat me after she was done with the cragadile?"
Fluttershy's looked at each other with concern. A mysterious creature showed up and scared the cutie mark out of Fluttershy. Not to mention this creature fought a cragadile with an intent to kill. Twilight wasn't sure what to make of Fluttershy's story. The identity of this thing Fluttershy described definitely has her interested though. To her, it sounded like the cat creature was trying to protect her, but she needed more information. "Where did you see it?"
"It was in a cave, northwest of here. Angel and I went inside to go look for the last couple of herbs for Zecora's potions. Oh, I forgot to grab the last herb I needed in there. How am I going to get it now?" Fluttershy told Twilight while also contemplating on what she should do next.
Twilight thought to herself for a moment before making a decision. "I think we should find out what this thing Fluttershy found is."
"Oh! Are we going to welcome it to Ponyville? Do you think they like cakes? I sure hope they like cakes! Oh by the way Fluttershy, we saved you a slice back in the library!" Pinkie Pie hopped around excitedly.
"I think our main concern is if this thing really is friendly, Pinkie. I reckon any pony crazy enough to tango with a cragadile ought to be more dangerous than a hungry owlbear." Applejack said to her pink, bouncy friend.
"And if they're not friendly, we should give them a good old fashioned Rainbow greeting!" Rainbow Dash says while pounding her hooves together.
"Honestly, Rainbow Dash, I think you should be a bit more worried that some random beast, a well dressed one if Fluttershy's description fits, can fight a cragadile without backing down." Rarity said with a concerned look on her face.
"I don't know. I think this cat thing was actually trying to protect Fluttershy. I mean, she did tell her to stay back right before she fought the cragadile. Sounds like what a hero would do in a comic book." Spike butted into the conversation with his arms crossed.
"I was thinking the same thing, Spike. But we can't be certain just yet. Let's find this cave before it leaves." Twilight began making her way out of the castle. Everypony, including Spike, followed her. Fluttershy instructed Angel to stay behind and wait for her before she left.
...Garuda picked Cid up by the shoulders and carried him above the Enterprise Excelsior and through the hole the monster made, finally meeting up with everyone else. Garuda let him down gently before returning back to her summoner's side. Colleen gave her a pat on the head before sending her off, switching back to her bard armor. "Thanks for the lift, Colleen." Cid thanked her.
Once everyone was brought up to the upper level of the cavern, they all moved out of the water pool and onto dry land. Everyone was taking in the sights of their new surroundings while also wondering where they are. Y'shtola gazed around the cave before turning towards Colleen. "So Colleen, just before that monster crashed through the ceiling, we heard someone talking. Was that you as well?"
"I wouldn't call it talking, more like exchanging a sentence and then screaming." Colleen sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Did you find someone?" Tataru looked up at Colleen while she was sitting on the floor, getting rid of the water in her boots.
Colleen responds with a nod at first before talking. "I found a small yellow pegagus, about as tall as two lalafells of the average height, and she could talk. The screaming was me getting caught off guard."
"Talking horses?" Yugiri questioned her.
"Yeah."
"Hmm, I've never heard of a race of horses that can talk. Let alone pegasi. But, it is likely that we are in a realm unfamiliar to us. Remember what the Ascian said before she blasted us here. 'We all deserve a vacation. " Alphinaud crossed his arms as he continued talking. "It's possible that we're not Eorzea anymore. Which means friendly contact with the people here should be our first priority." Everyone in the room nodded in agreement with Alphinaud's plan. "Colleen's already met with one natives, which as she just explained to us, is a talking horse. We should try and find out where they live and establish peace with them."
"Careful though, considering she was gone by the time I was done with that 'cragadile', I'm going to take a wild guess and say that they're a timid race." Colleen informed her comrades, slightly worried if whether or not the pegasus managed to get away safely.
"Understood. Now, let's be on our way. I think we're all done with caves for now." Alphinaud began to walk up the path leading to the cave's entrance. Everyone followed behind him and Colleen, who was walking by Alphinaud's side. It took a while for all of them to reach the top, but when they finally made it out, they were greeted by a vast forest. Some of the flora is unfamiliar to them and the forest itself appears denser than the one outside of the city-state Gridania. Once everyone was outside of the cave, Colleen spoke up.
"One second, I'm going to see if I can spot a town or village nearby." As soon as she finished her sentence, Colleen transformed into her dragoon job , donning a blue set of armor that resembles a dragon. Colleen kept her helmet open so she doesn't appear as intimidating to her companions, even though they're used to be in the presence of a woman who's made a sport out of slaying the god-like 'Primals' of her world. After she transformed she went ahead and climbed up the nearest tree. Her body is lighter when she's a dragoon, due to the fact that they train themselves to practically leap several stories high in order to attack dragons that are flying high in the air and thrust their spears through their thick scales. As soon as she got up to the top of the tree, she place her foot on a sturdy branch and launched herself about 30 feet into the air, twirling her body mid-air to absorb her surroundings. She sees what appears to be a castle sitting in the forest not too far away and in the other direction, the roof of a building, far into the distance. The castle was closer than the building she saw, giving her a good idea where they should head to first. As she plummeted back into the trees, something caught her eye. A cyan colored pegasus leaving a rainbow trail as it flew heading towards the cave. She landed safely next to her companions and looked up at them. "Someone's coming."
...
As the ponies traveled through the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Dash flew higher than usual so she can act as a scout for the group. She flew a little higher than the trees of the forest, well within her comfort zone. While she was keeping a lookout, Twilight and the others were trotting on foot, trekking through the thick forest. Pinkie Pie, who's method of walking was more of a prance or hop than a trot, spoke up. "So what are we going to do when we meet this monster, Twilight? Are we going to give it a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party? I wonder if she likes cake. Well if she's a cat like Opal, maybe she won't like it. Oh, maybe I should bake a cake out of kitty food-"
"Pinkie Pie, would you keep it down? We don't know how dangerous this fella is. We ought to be on our hooves for this one." Applejack interrupted Pinkie before she could continue.
"The cave isn't that far ahead. We should be reaching it any minute no-" Before Fluttershy could finish her sentence, Rainbow Dash flew back down to the front of the group.
"Whoa, hold on guys! I just saw something."
"What? What did you see?" Spike looked up at her, worried.
"I don't know, but it kind of looked like a dragon. I think it saw me before it flew down into the trees up ahead." Rainbow Dash pointed in the direction of the cave. Fluttershy's pupils shrank and her body began to quiver. She fled to the back of the group and hid behind Rarity. "Oh but don't worry, it's smaller than Spike was when he raided Pinkie Pie's cakes that one time he got carried away."
"Aw man, did you have to bring that up?" Spike groaned, still embarrassed about that incident.
"Hehe, sorry. But I just wanted to make everypony know that we're not entirely over our heads here." Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy and she seemed to have calm down a bit.
"Alright, here's the plan everypony. Spike and I will go on ahead towards the cavern while you all stay hidden in the trees. If a dragon is there now and not the cat creature, then we'll head back to the castle. It could just be a young dragon looking to use the cave as a home." Twilight informed her friends about what she intends to do.
"But what if the dragon gets aggressive?" Rarity asks with concern.
"Don't worry, I can just teleport myself and Spike away. I'm bringing Spike hoping that him being present will ease some tension."
"Alright sugar cube, but be careful now, ya hear?"
Twilight gives Applejack a nod before moving on ahead towards the cave. Spike followed close-by, slightly nervous about their inevitable confrontation with whatever's in the cave right now. Twilight soon entered a small opening with the cave's mouth standing before her. She can hear voices coming from inside. She was nervous, but she needed to know about what Fluttershy saw. She cleared her throat before speaking, "Hello? Is anyone in there?"
No response. The voices quieted down the moment she spoke. Twilight stood in front of the cave's entrance, tempted to use a light spell to brighten up in the interior so she can see who's inside. "M-maybe they're not here anymore Twilight? Or that dragon is off hunting right now. Maybe we should go back?" Spike tugged on her wings, looking scared. Twilight looked down and gave him a smile that calmed him down a little. She looked towards the cave and was about to speak until she heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps. Twilight and Spike took a few steps back from the cave's entrance, waiting for what's about to show up with anticipation.
What they saw matched the description Fluttershy gave them. A cat-like creating dressed up in an outfit that Rarity would make for a special occasion like a wedding or the gala. Her 'fur' was as white as snow and her tail as fluffy as a cloud. She had light blue eyes with cat-like pupils that had a gentle feel coming from them. The creature stopped as soon as he was outside of the cave, looking down at the purple alicorn and her purple dragon. She cleared her throat and spoke, "Hello there."
"H-hi." Twilight responded, taken aback by the miqo'te's appearance. She felt nervous at first when she first appeared, but for some reason she doesn't feel threatened at all. Her appearance is definitely surprising, but there wasn't anything threatening about her. Twilight could feel that this creature, no, person didn't have any intent of harming her or Spike. "Um, you wouldn't happened to have met a yellow pegasus with a pink mane?"
"I have actually. Do you know her?"
"Yes, actually. She's a good friend of mine"
"Oh, I see. Are you looking for her?" The creature kept on talking to her like a normal pony would to another.
"Not really. She came back to us after seeing you fight the cragadile." Twilight responded, raising an eyebrow at the creature's question.
"Oh, good. I didn't mean to scare her off. I was only trying to protect her from that monster." She sighed with relief.
Spike was confused. This was the monster that took on a cragadile? She didn't seem that threatening. "So what happened to that cragadile anyway?" Spike decided to ask her.
"I slew it. It was going make me a miq'ote sandwich. I didn't really have a choice." The miqo'te shrugged as she nonchalantly admitted she killed it.
"I see." Twilight definitely understood that it had to kill the cragadile. Why she didn't run was another question she had for, but she wanted to know more about her. "Is miqo'te your name?"
"Oh no, it's not. That's the name of my race. My name is Colleen Noriko." She placed her hand on her chest as she stated her name.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle. And this is my assistant, Spike." Twilight returned the introduction with a bow. "So, Colleen, do you mind if I ask why you were in that cave in the first place?"
Colleen rubbed the back of her head as she continued to speak. "Well, we were sent inside there via a teleportation circle. It wasn't by choice though, we kind of fell into a trap."
"We? So you're not alone?" Spike asked next.
Colleen gave him a nod. "That's right. We're not sure where we are and it would be great if you could tell us so we'll know how to get back to Eorzrea."
"Eorzea?" Twilight and Spike both asked at the same time. "That's not a place I've heard or read about." Twilight spoke.
"Well, that's not good. I guess we'll have to find another way then. Do you have a map on you?"
"Not on me right now, but there's one at the castle. If you were forced here, then I'd be happy to help you find out where you are." Twilight responded with a smile.
"Thank you, Twilight. By the way, where are we anyway?"
"Right now you're in the Everfree Forest. This is kind of a dangerous place to be so we should head to the castle as soon as possible. The country you're in right now is called Equestria." Twilight informed her newly made friend.
'Equestria? I wonder if Alphinaud or Y'shtola knows what this place is.' Colleen thought to herself. Her thought process was interrupted by a sudden flash of pink.
"So what kind of cake do you like? Do you like party's? I hope you do!" Pinkie Pie brought her muzzle up close to Colleen's face, causing the miqo'te to scream in surprise and fall on her butt.
"Pinkie!" Twilight looked at her friend with a scolding stare.
"What? It was obvious you made friends with Colleen here so I wanted to know if she wanted cake or if she likes throwing parties!" Pinkie Pie said as she took a slice of cake out of her mane followed by balloons. Colleen could only look at her with a confused expression.
"Pinkie Pie, we were supposed to stay hidden until we got the clear that it was safe." Rainbow Dash flew in with her hooves on her hips, giving Pinkie a disapproving look.
"Now hold on there Rainbow, I think it's safe to say that Colleen here ain't a horrible monster." Applejack walked up behind her, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy.
"My oh my, Colleen. I do love that suit you're wearing. The gold definitely compliments the green. I'd love to meet whoever tailored it." Rarity complimented her dress, looking her up and down, judging her attire in her head.
Colleen was at a loss of words. It was definitely clear that this country known as Equestria had multi-colored horses, unicorns, pegasus, and alicorns that could talk. She's not sure what to think of the situation, except that they're all kind of adorable. "I think it's time to formally introduce ourselves." Said a voice behind her. She looked back and saw Alphinaud, Y'shtola, Yugiri, Tataru, Biggs, Wedge, and Cid walk out of the cave. Colleen helped herself up, noticing that one of the pegasi was cowering behind the white unicorn that complimented her dress when her allies decided to make an appearance. "I apologize for not introducing ourselves earlier. It was Colleen's idea so we don't happen to intimidate you when we meet."
"You were expecting us?" Rarity asked Alphinaud while, again, judging his and the rest of the group's attire in her head.
"Colleen saw one of you flying towards us." Y'shtola said as she looked at Rainbow Dash specifically.
"Wait, do you guys happen to have a dragon? Because I didn't see any of you guys except that dragon, and I'm pretty sure it landed like where we're standing right now." Rainbow Dash questioned them.
"That was definitely me." Before Rainbow Dash could comment any further, Colleen changed into her Dragoon job, showing off her armor to the ponies. "This is what you saw, right?"
The ponies were taken by surprise with Colleen's sudden ability to change her clothes on the spot. Applejack whistled in astonishment while Rainbow Dash nodded to answer Colleen's question. "Oh my! You seem to have a thing or two for fashion, dear. Though you could do without the hip wings." Rarity commented on Colleen's armor.
"Amazing! That was magic you just used just now, wasn't it? And you're not even a unicorn! Are all miqo'tes able to use magic?" Twilight asked with an interested look in her eyes.
"Not just Miqo'tes. Hyurs, Elezen, Lalafells, Roegadyens, and Au'ra are capable of magic as well." Cid spoke up, pointing his finger at one of his comrades as he demonstrated what race they belonged to. "The only race I know of that's not proficient with magic are Garleans, such as yours truly." Cid places his hand on his chest and bowed before the ponies. "By the way, before we forget, I'm Cid Garlond of Garlond Ironworks. And these two here are my top engineers, Biggs and Wedge." The lalafell and roegadyen waved at the ponies as they were introduced.
"Right, introductions. Ahem, my name is Alphinaud Leveilleur of the Scions. And this is Tataru Taru, our accountant." Alphinaud introduced himself and Tataru.
"Pleased to meet you!" Tataru said with a curtsy.
"Y'shtola, also of the Scions." The other miqo'te bowed her head to Twilight and her friends.
"Yugiri Mistwalker. I am an ally and friend to the Scions." Yugiri spoke with a gentle smile.
"And you've already met Colleen of course." Alphinaud waves his hand at the Warrior of Light.
"Scions? What's that? Is that the name of a club you guys made?" Pinkie Pie questioned, tilting her head.
"Hehe, it's kind of like a club. To put it lightly, we protect the realm from dangers that threaten Eorzea and its denizens." Colleen said, trying to simplify their cause. She didn't want to start off by saying that they fight gods, immortal dark wizard, and demons. That'd raise more questions than she or Alphinaud could answer. She'd rather leave that stuff to Minfillia, if she were here right now.
"Huh, kind of like the Elements of Harmony then." Spike spoke up while attempting to compare his height with Tataru, only to find out that he's a bit shorter than she is.
"Elements of Harmony?" Alphinaud asked with a curious tone.
"Well, not really a club, it was similar to what your Scions do. We save Equestria from huge threats." Twilight quickly explained to them.
"Well, did. We kind of had to give up the elements not too long ago to save Equestria from being covered up with indestructible thorny vines. Thanks to a certain someone ." Rainbow Dash said, looking slightly annoyed when thinking about Discord's involvement with the Tree of Harmony.
"We're FAR from being defenseless, Rainbow. But you're right in that we can't handle huge threats if they ever present themselves. We're kind of lucky nothing big has happened since then" Applejack spoke up.
"That's quite a dilemma. But, you said you had to give up the elements?" Alphinaud continued to question them.
"It's a really long story, so I'll try to summarize it as best as I can. The Elements of Harmony were assigned to each of us: Honesty to Applejack, Kindness to Fluttershy, Loyalty to Rainbow Dash, Generosity to Rarity, Laughter to Pinkie Pie, and I wielded the Element of Magic. These six elements combined together was our main weapon for defeating very powerful beings. But, like Rainbow Dash said, we had to give it all up to save Equestria one day." Twilight explained to them, while also introducing who her friends are.
It was quite something to take in. The names of these 'Elements of Harmony' seemed like something out of a children's fairy tale. The next thing one of them would expect them to say was that it could shoot rainbows when combined together. Everyone was having a hard time taking it all in, except for Colleen. She remembered the vision she saw before getting tricked by the Ascian. She looked at one of ponies, specifically Rainbow Dash, and noticed that on her flank, there was a lightning bolt tattooed there, just like the gem she saw in her vision that represented 'Loyalty'. She had a weird gut in her feeling that she was meant to come here and meet these ponies. But for what reason? Were they all supposed to confront and defeat the Ascian in her dream? It happened before with Lahabrea, so it's possible. She was worried though that these elements are now gone, so she's not sure what will happen next. "Well, what's your next best defense against those kind of threats?" Colleen asked with a deep concern her voice.
"Well, when we had to give our elements, a box appeared before the Tree of Harmony. We don't know what it is, but we think it's something related to the Elements of Harmony. Unfortunately, it's locked and we can't open it unless we find the keys. No luck with that either." Twilight sighed, a bit depressed that she hasn't figured anything about the box out after all this time.
"Don't worry Twilight, you'll figure something out. You always do!" Spike tried to cheer his foster parent up. She responded with a smile, knowing he's just trying to help.
"That's a bloody shame. Forcing yourselves to give up your best means of protection, it's a miracle you haven't been invaded yet." Cid noted while stroking his beard.
"Is that a threat?" Rainbow Dash dashed up to Cid with an aggressive stare.
"Oh no, Miss Dash. Just an observation. We bare you no ill will. I apologize if I struck a nerve." Cid quickly apologized to the cyan pegasus.
"Hmph." Rainbow flew back next to Twilight, giving Eorzeans, including Colleen, a cautious stare.
"Anyway, if it's no trouble Twilight, we could use some shelter. We don't know how long we'll be here." Colleen spoke up, attempting to break the tension.
"Hmm, well, I'm sure we can all find you a place to stay in Ponyville." Twilight said while rubbing her chin, thinking about a possible spot for them to spend the night.
"I assume that's the name of the nearest village?" Y'shtola inquired.
"Oh yeah! It's where we all live! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP! Oh my gosh, there's a lot of planning to do! I need to throw you all a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party! Gotta ask this again, do you like cake? Cupcakes? Sasparilla? What about 'Pin The Tail on the Pony'?" Pinkie Pie excitedly questioned Y'shtola, leaning in a bit too close for comfort.
"Um, yes?" Y'shtola backed away a bit from Pinkie.
"I prefer chocolate over vanilla." Colleen added to the conversation, much to Pinkie's delight.
"Hold on there Pinkie. Before you even think about throwing a party, there's a couple of hoops to jump through. Like taking in a bunch of weird looking fellas through Ponyville and having them stay more than a few nights? Might scare a couple of folks if you get what I mean." Applejack said, making a valid point.
"Who're you calling weird looking you midget horse!" Wedge pointed his finger at her accusingly.
"I don't know what a midget is, but I'm not a horse. I'm a pony." Applejack raised a brow at the lalafell engineer, not sure whether or not she should be offended by the word 'midget'.
"She does make a point though." Tataru softly spoke up. "It feels like we're out of our element here and I think this is the first time these ponies have seen people like us. Master Alphinaud, Colleen, maybe we should wait a bit before we go into town?"
"I... hm, not a bad suggestion Tataru." Alphinaud said, thinking about how to proceed with the current situation. "How about this then. Colleen, Cid, Y'shtola, and I will go into town and meet with your people's leader. We'll ask their permission to have stay in Ponyville."
"If you're talking about Princess Celestia and Luna, they're not in Ponyville. They're all the way in Canterlot which is a train ride away. Ponyville has a mayor. But, I don't think you have to worry about meeting with her. My word should be good enough for everypony to trust you all." Twilight said with a smile.
"Why is that?" Questioned Yugiri.
"Oh well that's because she's a princess, dear!" Rarity says while putting her hooves on Twilight's back. "I do believe we forgot to mention that small detail."
It took about five seconds for everyone to process what Rarity just said. Everyone was taken aback that they had met a very important individual this early in a new land. Usually they have to go through a bunch of trials, community service, slaying a primal, and recently with Ishgard, winning a trial by combat in order to meet the leader of a city-state. And one just happened to come greet them as soon as they left a cave. It was quite surreal. Everyone, including Colleen, knelt down before Twilight after hearing that she is in fact a princess, which caused the purple alicorn to blush. "We're sorry, your highness. We didn't know we were talking to someone so important." Alphinaud humbly apologized for himself and his allies.
"Oh no! It's fine. I don't even have a castle. I became a princess just recently. I'm still trying to get used to these wings." Twilight sheepishly responded.
"So, it's not a title by birth?" Colleen looked up at Twilight.
"No, it's um, it's a long story. I'll go over it on the way."
"Um, are you sure about this Twilight?" Fluttershy spoke for the first time in front of the group barring Colleen.
"Where else are they going to stay? They could spend the night at the Castle of the Two Sisters, but I don't think there's enough room for everypony here. And I don't feel comfortable having them sleep in a cave that had something that tried to eat them earlier. Ponyville's the best place for shelter for all of them."
"Oh, well, if you're okay with it Twilight. But, can we pass by the castle really quick so I can pick up Angel?"
"Sure! I need to pick up some books from the library anyway." Twilight said with a smile. She turned around and began to make her way towards the Castle of the Two Sisters. "Come on everpony, let's pack up our things!"
Twilight's friends followed after her as soon as she started to head back. Colleen switched to her bard armor before she and her friends followed Princess Twilight to the castle. "Hey, chief. What are we going to do about the Enterprise Excelsior?" Biggs asked Cid as they walked.
"Hmm, I don't want to leave it in that cave, but I don't know how we're going to get it out unless we dismantle her. Damn that Ascian for dropping us in a cave." Cid cursed under his breath.
"Perhaps you can ask Princess Twilight when she's finished helping us settle into Ponyville." Yugiri said to the two engineers, her eyes keeping a close eye on their surroundings. She did not forget Twilight saying that the Everfree Forest is a dangerous place to be in. The problem is, Yugiri doesn't know what to expect in this new realm.
It doesn't take long for everyone to reach the Castle of the Two Sisters, which to the Warrior of Light and her companions, looked a whole lot like an ancient ruin. Y'shtola stopped for a moment, covering her eyes as if she was being blinded by something. Colleen noticed this and turned her towards her fellow Scion to see if she's okay. "Y'shtola, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. There's just a heavy amount of aether floating down there. It's like looking directly at the sun." Y'shtola pointed her down the ravine. Colleen noticed that there was a set of stairs that led down.
"I'll go check it out. You stay with the group." Colleen said to Y'shtola, who responded with a nod before moving on. Colleen walked down the stairs, leading her to the bottom of the crevice. When she reached the bottom, she noticed in the distance that there was a tree made of crystals and a box. Colleen, feeling a bit curious, walked on ahead towards the tree. As she continued to approach it, she felt a great warmth pulse through her body. The kind of warmth that soothed her soul. When she got close enough, Colleen saw the Elements of Harmony hanging onto it like fruits. 'This must be the Tree of Harmony.' She thought to herself as she gazed at it, eventually turning her attention towards the box Twilight mentioned earlier. Suddenly, Colleen felt her head aching like crazy. She held her hand to her forehead, gritting her teeth as her vision whited out before fading to black.
Like in the past, the Echo was giving her a vision. She saw Twilight and her friends relinquish the Elements of Harmony to save the tree and two larger alicorns, who she presumed to be Princess Celestia and Luna, from pitch black vines. Colleen bore witness to the creation of the mysterious box, which appeared from within a budding flower. Twilight, her friends, and the princesses soon left the box alone, returning to Canterlot for a yearly event. On that night though, a dark robed figure appeared before the Castle of the Two Sisters. The Ascian floated down into the ravine, moving ominously towards the Tree of Harmony and the box. When the Ascian spoke, Colleen immediately knew who it was the same Ascian that sent them to Equestria in the first place! "So, they longer have access to the Elements of Harmony. Good, this will make things easier for me."
The Ascian extended her hand over towards the box as she approached it. "However, just to be safe." As the Ascian got closer to the box, her hand erupted into a rainbow colored flame, causing her to scream in pain and retreat from the tree. She held her hand, shaking from the pain and her own anger. "TO HELLS WITH YOU!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she blasted the tree and box with a giant laser from her other hand. However, the laser could not even touch the box, as it was protected by a powerful magic barrier provided by the tree itself. Grinding her teeth together in frustration, the Ascian tried one last thing. She blasted the roof of the tunnel, causing a cave-in. For a moment, it looked like she succeeded, but the tree repaired the tunnel instantly, returning the stones back to their rightful place. The Ascian growled in defeat. "Fine then. Keep your cursed box and its contents!" The Ascian began to walk away, muttering under her breath before she disappeared. Colleen heard her last words before she was gone. "I would've been able to do more here if it weren't for Lahabrea." Everything began to fade to white as soon the Ascian retreated into the void, defeated.
Colleen's headache faded as the vision ended. She looked at the Tree of Harmony and the chest, now truly curious about what's inside it. Colleen thought about the Ascian. She's obviously been here before and she wonders if she's had a hand in causing any of these 'huge threats' from happening here in Equestria. But why would an Ascian want to target this realm over Eorzea? Is it because it's rich in aether? Or is there something the Ascians want here. If that was the case, why was Lahabrea not focused on Equestria? The very thought of the Ascian's makes Colleen's blood boil. "Hey! Whatcha doing down here, silly filly?" Colleen turned around, finding Pinkie Pie behind her. Pinkie Pie took several steps back like as if Colleen just surprised her. "Oh wow, that's a scary face you have right now, Colleen. Was it something I said?"
It took a moment for Colleen to realize that she's been scowling. She shook her head, getting rid of the hostile expression while also answering Pinkie Pie. "No, sorry. It wasn't. I just remembered something that made me angry, that's all."
"Aw, why would you do that?" Pinkie Pie's question caused Colleen to look at her with a confused expression. "It's no fun thinking about something that makes you angry. I think it's better if you think about something that makes you happy!" She said with a smile.
Colleen took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing her body. She smiled at Pinkie Pie who was beaming up at her. "You're absolutely right Pinkie. By the way, was there any reason you're down here?"
"Oh I just noticed you walking down the stairs towards the Tree of Harmony. I told everyone that you probably wanted to see the tree for yourself since you're new here and everything. But when I saw you, it looked like you were having a headache so I came over to see if you were actually okay and it looks like you are! So I guess everything is a-okay!"
"Mmm, thank you for being concerned for me Pinkie Pie." Colleen replied with a smile while also thinking to herself, 'It's going to take a while to get used to calling someone that.'
"We should be heading to Ponyville soon. I'd be honored if you and your friends want a tour of the town, hosted by yours truly! And then, we can have a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party! Doesn't that sound like fun?" Pinkie Pie smiled up at Colleen, making a small squee sound when she did.
"That does sound like fun." Colleen sheepishly smiled back.
"Great! I'll be sure to make sure the food and cakes are not cat food flavored!" Pinkie began hoping out of the cave with Colleen following after her.
'She's certainly a ball of energy.' Colleen thought to herself as she walked up the stairs. She took one last look at the Tree of Harmony, somewhat haunted by the knowledge that the same Ascian that sent them here already has some established history with this place. She wondered if they were destined to come here. 'I guess we'll find out.' She thought to herself.
Author's Note
Oh god this took bleeding forever. This was more or less me sitting on this chapter because there was a lot of characters in this. And there's going to be more coming soooooon! *screaming internally*
Next up: Ponyville!
Edit: No idea why the last sentence is structered like that. I've tried everything to fix it and it just won't stop unless I make it a new sentence entirely. Not gonna happen.
