Final Fantasy: Friendship is Magic I

Each of your group has a story to tell. Some are filled with excitement, others are more calming. Celestia wanted to know more about you and your friends, so you all decided to retell your stories over a nice lunch. Celestia asked, "So, how did you all meet? It doesn't seem like you all would have known each other very long."

Daryl sipped his wine and chuckled, "I think I'll start with my story. I was a simple boy from Fynn. When I was growing up, times were tough. I didn't have a family to support me, so I resorted to being a petty thief. I learned to pick locks, camouflage, and most importantly, run like hell. If there was something, I could steal it. Eventually, I made a name for myself as a legendary thief, the townspeople started calling me "The Phantom Thief." The name stemmed from the fact that I never left any traces of my existence during the heists. I always left a calling card though, a Joker from a deck of cards. The guards were going crazy trying to catch me. Unfortunately, nothing last forever. They eventually caught me, but our warrior friend stepped in. Why don't you take over from here boss?"

You smiled and said, "I knew Daryl would be put in the dungeons for his crimes. I had a lot of influence with the authorities. Before I found my crystal, I was Fynn's Arena Champion. Just as nobody could catch Daryl, nobody could beat me in the ring. I felt that Daryl was just doing what he needed to do to get by. I told the guards that if they let him go, I would keep an eye on him, and they trusted me enough to release him. After that, Daryl swore to change his ways as thanks. Although he does get in trouble from time to time."

Celestia smiled and said, "That's quite thoughtful of you. What about you Marcus?"

Marcus smiled and looked down. "My story is pretty long, but if you want me to tell it, I'll tell it. I was raised as a fighter. I grew up in the mountain town of Myriad. Many men chose the path of a Monk, as did I. That was many years ago. The training was rigorous. At times I felt that the only way out was quitting or death. But I persevered, I never gave up. After 10 years of training, I finally became a Monk. For a long time, I was the town's Minister of Defense. I kept watch for monsters and suspicious people. When the boss and Daryl arrived, I was worried. They didn't look like the average passing traveller. I was rash, and attacked them. Daryl left some scars on my back, but when they saw my crystal, which I had found when I was only a toddler, they stopped and told me their story. I've always believed in fate, and I knew that my place was with them."

Rosa took her place in telling her and her sisters' story and said, "The three of us are triplets, we never knew our father, and our mother didn't make it through labor."

Celestia's look of interest changed to sadness and she said, "I'm very sorry that happened to you."

Beatrix smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, but we were able to survive on our own. At first we lived in a small orphanage, but we would do odd jobs around town. They weren't the best paying, but we made due. When we were about 10, we started getting interested in magic, and we were all accepted into Palamecia's magic institute. Rosa studied White Magic, while I studied Black Magic. Sabrina on the other hand studied both, taking the path of a Red Mage. Eventually the three of us graduated. We were some of the top students, and on our walk to the graduation ceremony, we found our crystals. We first thought of them as simple gems, and thought we might be able to make some money off them. When we tried to sell them though, your new fiancee stopped us from selling them and explained what they were. For a short time, we thought he was a con-artist trying to get the crystals for himself, but when Marcus and Daryl arrived, we started to believe him. We always knew that our place wasn't being Castle Mages, but we didn't know where we did belong."

Sabrina continued and said, "Yes, and when we met the others, we felt like we had a family. We haven't known each other long, but we're like a big, happy family."

Daryl, who might have had too much wine smirked and said, "Big, and dysfunctional."

Marcus retorted, "True, but we put the 'fun' in dysfunctional."

The group laughed at Marcus's joke, it wasn't often that Marcus said things like that, he was always a tough crowd when it came to humor.

You spent the night with your group and Celestia, watching the stars late at night. You still couldn't believe you were engaged to Celestia, but to be honest, you don't think you could be happier with any other woman. As an Arena Champion, you could have had any woman in Fynn, or even all of Equestria. But that didn't matter, you knew in your heart Celestia was the one for you.