My Final Pony Fantasy IV

Fabul

Our heroes left the altar of the Crystal with crestfallen expressions. They had come face-to-face with the new leader of the Red Wings and failed to protect the Crystal of Wind. Not only that, but two of their friends had been taken prisoner: Rosa Joanna Farrell and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Shining Armor in particular felt nothing but guilt for his inability to protect his beloved wife.

"Pardon me," said Yang. "Where may His Majesty be?"

"The king rests in his chamber," the advisor replied. "He suffered some injuries during the attack."

"Will he be alright?" asked Cecil.

"No doubt he will recover. You intend to pursue the Red Wings, do you not?"

Cecil nodded.

"We do," said Shining Armor.

"Before that, I suggest you take some rest at the inn. It will be on your right once you descend the stairs to the first floor."

"Thank you," said Twilight.

The party went downstairs as instructed, and while they were doing so, spoke with the guards who lamented their defeat. Finally making their way to the first floor, they turned right and went inside the inn.

"Master Yang," said the innkeeper, "you and our guests may rest here tonight. Please let me know if you need anything."

Yang nodded as he and the others went straight to the table near the beds.

"So, how will we go about the rescue?" asked Edward.

"We need an airship, but Baron is the only country in the world with airships," Cecil answered.

"Oh great," said Rainbow Dash.

"Then we must sneak into Baron and borrow one."

"'Borrow?'" Applejack said skeptically. "That sounds like we're gonna be stealin' one!"

"No need to worry, Applejack. For I have an associate in Baron who would surely lend his aid."

"His name wouldn't be... Cid, would it?" Rarity asked, shocking Cecil.

"Wh-What... How did you...?"

"We've been to plenty of worlds with airships owned by men with the same name: Cid. It shouldn't be too surprising," said Twilight.

"Heh, guess that answers mah question," Applejack said, rubbing her hoof on her mane. "But how're we gonna sneak into this Baron place?"

"Baron's main force is the Red Wings, but its naval power is relatively weak. We might be able to slip in via a water route," Cecil answered.

"In other words... a boat," Shining finished.

"Sounds like it," Rydia added.

"I will ask the king for a ship tomorrow morning," said Yang.

"Thank you, Yang," Cecil stated.

"Then it is agreed," said Princess Luna. "On the morrow we shall depart for the kingdom of Baron, via a ship. Once there, we will meet with this Cid and ask for his aid."

Before turning in for the night, Yang had one more question. "By the way, who was that dragoon?"

Cecil lowered his head and looked away. "His name is Kain. He used to be my best friend, but now he is no longer the man I knew..."

"You know..." Rainbow Dash spoke up. All eyes turned to the cyan pegasus. "I think you may have said something like how Golbez has him under a spell or something?"

"I did say something to that effect, yes."

"Then, there's gotta be something of your old friend inside, right?"

The dark knight didn't find a response.

"Perhaps you will find your answers in Baron," said Yang.

"For now, we should rest," said Edward.

"Yeah," said Twilight.

"Until tomorrow, then," Cecil replied.

*music fades out*

Shining Armor awoke and found himself along with Cecil witnessing a horrific event... a familiar, terrifying incident.

"Cecil? Weren't we supposed to be at Fabul and--"

"No... It cannot be..." the dark knight spoke with dread.

Indeed, it was the village of Mist being engulfed in fire. But that was not all, for there were several people standing amongst the flames: a group of black and white mages, along with the spirit of a familiar looking woman. Their eyes were locked on the two knights with a burning anger.

"You... You did this..."

"N-No...!"

"That was..."

"You sent us to our deaths! What have we done to deserve such a fate?!"

"Nothing!"

"Precisely... NOTHING! And yet, you have sent us all to hell!"

"Please wait! It wasn't--"

"Cecil..."

"Shining Armor..."

Two more apparitions appeared. Both were Cecil and Shining's loved ones.

"Cecil... Why didn't you protect me?"

"I should ask you the same, my 'beloved.' You've failed!"

"But, Rosa!! I-I..."

"CADENCE!! Please!"

"You two are failures!! That is your destiny!"

*music stops*

"BE STILL!"

At that point, the image swirled around them and disappeared, leaving only an area filled with stars. Just then, the figure who shouted revealed herself in front of them.

"Your Highness," Shining said, kneeling.

"I see that I was just in time," the Princess of the Night replied.

"Princess Luna? What is this?" asked Cecil. "Are we not supposed to have been in Fabul at this moment?"

"Yes. Although we are physically in Fabul, this isn't the castle itself. We are in the Dreamscape."

"'Dreamscape?'"

"No doubt you have several questions regarding what you two have just seen."

"It was a nightmare," said Shining. "But it felt so real..."

"Yes. I felt as if though Rosa and Princess Cadence looked down on us for our failure..."

"Golbez is truly one to be feared... and yet..."

The knights glanced at each other and back at Luna.

"I cannot quite place it yet, but I feel there is something... off about that man and his powers... Perhaps this is not the time or place."

"Agreed."

"Do you still feel guilt, regarding not just our encounter with the sorcerer, but for your past misdeeds?"

"Of course I do," a remorseful Cecil said. "No matter what I do, I cannot let it go. I killed innocent people to grab the Crystal of Water. That is a fact that cannot be changed."

"And I couldn't do anything to protect you or Princess Celestia... I let an impostor brainwash me and turn me against my sister, I couldn't stop Tirek from reaching you, and I couldn't even protect my wife against the Storm King or this new threat..."

"You know there is still time, do you not?" Luna asked firmly. "Tomorrow we venture to Baron in order to combat this new enemy."

Shining Armor saluted, while Cecil--although still confused--knelt before the princess as the dream dissipated.

The Next Morning...

Shining and Cecil were the first ones to awake.

"Shining Armor, I had a bizarre dream," said Cecil.

"What kind of dream?"

"It wasn't pleasant at first; it began as a nightmare... You and I... we were staring at the horrors I unwittingly unleashed upon the village of Mist, and everyone I had slain at Mysidia glared at us, and that was not all... Princess Cadence and Rosa... They had judged us as failures... But then your Princess Luna appeared and strengthened our resolve."

"Actually... I had the same dream."

"But how?"

"That was Princess Luna herself. She has this ability to walk into ponies'... and humans' dreams to help them in stressful times. I guess this was one of them."

"You are correct, Shining Armor."

Shining and Cecil turned to see the Princess of the Night climb out of bed and march over to them. She stopped; the two knights bowed.

"Princess Luna, is what Shining Armor stated true?" asked the dark knight.

"Indeed. I had sensed much fear and doubt in everyone here, including myself," she said, looking away in shame. "If only I had been stronger, none of this would have happened."

The rest of the party awoke and stepped into the king's chamber.

"I see," said the resting king. "I will arrange for a ship right away. Yang, accompany Cecil and the ponies and help them any way you can."

"Yes, my liege."

"And, Cecil. Take this sword with you. It belonged to a dark knight who came to Fabul many years ago. The sword exudes tremendous force, but it is still a weapon of darkness."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am not sure as to how this blade can help us," said Princess Luna.

"True. Darkness can never prevail over true evil, but I have every faith that you will slay Golbez."

'Slay...?' Twilight and the other ponies thought as the sword--Deathbringer--was handed over to Cecil. Indeed, Twilight herself had killed a few villains that had threatened Equestria prior to this journey: Emperor Mateus and the Cloud of Darkness. And because of that, peace was maintained. However, it was their victory over Chaos that attracted the villains to their world, according to Mateus, causing Twilight to doubt herself.

"Twily?"

The purple alicorn shook her head and turned to see her concerned brother.

"Oh, i-it's nothing. When do we leave?"

"Go to the harbor to the east as soon as you are prepared. A ship awaits you there."

"We thank you," said Cecil.

"Oh, and one more thing... Guard! Give them a map of the world."

"At once, sire!"

The monk did as instructed and left the room. A few minutes later, he returned handing our heroes a map of the world. Unfolding the map, they took a look...

"This is Fabul, right here," said Yang, pointing at the northeastern portion.

"And over there near the southern tip of the western continent is Baron," Cecil added.

"How long will this trip be?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ah reckon a few days, dependin' on the circumstances," Applejack replied.

"The key words: 'depending on the circumstances,'" said Twilight.

"Eeyup."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Rarity.

With those words, our heroes exited the chamber, leaving the king and his men alone.

"Good luck, Yang and Cecil. And to your companions, as well," he said.

"Sire," a monk spoke up. "I have a terrible feeling... What if..."

"What is it?"

"They're going by sea, are they not? What if they bump into... the Ruler of the Deep?"

The others gasped at the mention of that name.

"Impossible... The Lord of All Waters only exists in myth," the king dismissed. "Still, they must be prepared for the unexpected."

And so, everyone left towards the harbor that lay to the east of the castle. To their surprise, Sheila was standing near the ship. Upon seeing her husband and company, she waved at them.

"Sheila! What brings you here?" asked Yang.

"Ain't that obvious? I'm seein' y'all off!" she answered.

"Well, that's mighty kind of ya," said Applejack.

"By chance, do you happen to being some provisions for our journey?" asked Rarity.

"Yep. Here's some hi potions, ethers, antidotes and some material for to build yourselves a tent or two."

"We really appreciate this, Sheila," said Twilight. "Thank you."

After saying their goodbyes, the party stepped aboard the ship and were greeted by a mixed reaction from the crew. Some of the sailors were amazed, while others raised their eyebrows upon seeing little ponies as their guests. The ship's captain was elated upon seeing the dark knight among them.

"You must be Cecil!" said the captain. "I heard you smacked the hell out of those Baron bastards. Sit back, matey, and enjoy the ride. And your little equine friends, too!"

Thanks, I guess... Shining Armor thought to himself.

"Raise the anchor! We're headin' for Baron!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" the crew said in unison.

"Cast off!"

And so, our heroes finally set sail for the kingdom of Baron; the only sounds accompanying them were the sounds of the wind and the waves as they sailed south of the region. The ponies closed their eyes amd felt the salty air blowing in their faces. Perhaps a sign of luck, Shining Armor thought.

"Cecil."

The dark knight faced the one addressing him, Yang.

"Can we trust this Cid?"

"No need to worry, Yang," he replied. "Cid Pollendina is a man I trust with my life."

"He's gotta be! He has to give us an airship or two!" Rainbow said excitedly.

At that point the ocean began to shake; the vibrations throwing our heroes off balance with Cecil and Rydia falling to the deck.

"Are you alright?" asked Cecil.

"I think so," she answered.

"What is that rumbling...?" Rarity asked.

"I think we're about to find out!"

As if in answer to Rarity's question, a large sea serpent emerged from the surface.

"It is the Lord of All Waters!" Yang observed. The Equestrians looked upon the creature and gasped in unison.

"Is that...?" Twilight said in disbelief.

"It looks like..." said the wide-eyed Applejack.

"LEVIATHAN!" The ponies said in unison.

Sure enough, it was this world's Leviathan, the Phantom Beast said to rule the seas and attack those unfortunate who dared cross its path. It dove underneath the ship and began creating a large whirlpool. The force of the whirlpool was so strong, Rydia had fallen overboard and into it!

"AAAAAH!!!"

"Rydia!"

"Oh no!"

"Stop this at once!" Luna commanded, but the sea monster paid no heed, as it concentrated on creating the raging whirlpool.

"Hey! You think you're so big? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" said Rainbow Dash, looking for a fight.

To Rainbow's annoyance, the creature didn't reply. Suddenly, she was interrupted by a scream from Rarity.

"NO!!"

The cyan pegasus flew back to the ship, but upon landing, she and the others were blown away, and the ship was lost forever.

*music fades out*

The party consisting of Shining Armor, Princess Luna, Twilight and her Ponyville friends, along with Cecil and his companions were separated. As for the young summoner... she was nowhere to be found...