//------------------------------// // 8. Debriefing // Story: The Ninth Fantasy - Equestria // by MrAlterad //------------------------------// That wretched pegasus! Chrysalis thought as she returned to the small village her children controlled within Hollow Shades, changing her form back to the towns leader as she did. The few ponies that remained uncaptured in the town moved to greet her, but stepped away when they saw the anger etched on her face. I will make her pay! If my mist warriors are to take Equestria, then those pesky pegasai need to be dealt with! She had no doubt they survived the warriors she summoned to flee, Twilight's friends were a tenacious lot. Her mist warriors were powerful tools, but were at a disadvantage against fliers, and changelings were not as capable in the air as the pegasai were. She moved to her hosts home, where her captain was no doubt waiting for her. She slammed the door behind her, then winced, the bruises from her encounter ached, she needed healing. “My queen!?” her captain said in alarm, seeing her wounds, he got a vile of healing nectar for her, which she thanked him for. “What happened? What are your orders, your majesty?” “Twilight knows about the crystals. And she's sending her friends to clean them of the mist, somehow. We need to secure one, and deal with them before they can remove any more of the mist!” “Ah, then I have good news, my queen. We have located another crystal, its location you will find most pleasing.” And when her told her where it was, she let out a smile filled with pure bliss. “That's wonderful! That's the best news I've heard since...” She suddenly couldn't think of anything that matched that knowledge. The disappearance of Canterlot hadn't filled her with joy, but frustration, that was her city to claim, and now it was gone. Realizing that good news wasn't something she received often, she took solace in her captains report. “That's really good to hear, thank you.” She paused for a moment, letting the feeling sink in before taking action. “Send the troops to secure the city near it, I want everyone not on assignment on this task. I don't want anypony getting out." “And what of the mist warriors?” Chrysalis knew just what to do with them. She owed somepony payback. Twilight Sparkle can wait, but her pegasus friend however... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So Steiner,” Sunset Shimmer began, “Just what was that? When your armor changed.” She asked, giving him a curious glance. “Ah, that was Trance.” He admitted bashfully, “At least, I think it was. It's not a power you can really rely on, from what I understand. Afraid I don't know too much about it myself,” he finished with a shrug. “Well,” Rarity commented, batting her eyes at Steiner, “it certainly helped, that fight was beyond us.” Sunset had noticed Rarity's odd behavior towards Steiner, but chose not to bring it up. Sunset had a small guess as to the reasons why she was acting odd. Her comment reminded Sunset of the queen's role in that fight they managed to luck their way through. “The way that 'Chrysalis' was able to convert the mist was intimidating,” Sunset admitted. “It seemed so easy to her.” Was she able to do that with Gaian magic, or from the love she drained from ponies? “We're in serious trouble if she can make them so easily.” Steiner pointed out, which wasn't really necessary. “No problem!” Dash exclaimed, “Just make sure there's no mist around, and she can't do it!” A good idea, except... “There may very well still be mist around somewhere.” Sunset pointed out. “I wouldn't be surprised if we had to cleanse six more of those crystals.” “What makes you say that?” Dash asked, annoyed with the idea of having to manage six more crystals. “It required eight of us to activate the platform, enabling us eight to cleanse them. There's also the symbol on the tablet, an eight branched tree. The platform also had the eight pointed star on it." “Everything points to eight, so that means there are eight crystals.” Vivi summarized, getting a nod from Sunset. “You know,” Dash said with a contemplative look, “Mikoto told me that we were seal breakers. She said that if any of us perished, Equestria would be consumed by the mist.” “Seal breakers?" Sunset replied, "So we're not so much cleansing the crystals, as we are breaking the mist it generates?” “I, I didn't think to ask,” Dash said with a hint of regret. “Oh! Oh, That's not good.” Steiner said, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. “What is it?” Rarity asked “When I touched the second tablet,” Steiner explained, “it didn't react to me. Only when Master Vivi touched it did it cleanse the crystal, 'breaking the seal' I guess.” Sunset saw what he meant. “That must mean that we can each only break a seal once,” She deduced, “one crystal for each of us-” Comprehension appeared on her face as well. Which was shared between the others, besides Trixie, who seemed to still be in her own world, looking towards 'Canterlot'. “Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said. “As long as she's in Gaia, we will not be able to take care of the last one.” “I, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves.” Sunset pointed out. “We still need to find the other six first. “We have to tell Twilight!” Dash exclaimed, who had told the others earlier that she was safe in Ponyville. “We should endeavor to find these other six as soon as possible.” Steiner suggested, “That queen will no doubt try to secure one as soon as she can.” Sunset nodded, cleansing it will be difficult if she's got her mistlings guarding it. Getting a general agreement from the others, Sunset looked southwest. The sun was beginning to set, but she could make out Ponyville in the distance. They would be there in an hour or two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And that's the last one! Twilight thought as she put down the quill. She sat at a desk within town hall, ink and a small pile of discarded copies of what she wrote lay scattered around. Seeing that Twilight was done, Owlicious worked to clean up her mess. The ponies of Ponyville had many questions for her, and she promised answers in the morning. She was going to address the ponies of Ponyville about what was going on at town hall in the morning. I hope the others return before then. She thought as she picked up the pile of letters she composed. What she intended to tell everypony in the morning was written on those letters, one for each mayor of each city, which Mayor Mare helped Twilight get down. She bid the mayor a good day as she went outside to where her company was waiting on her. I hope Dash will forgive me... She thought as she gave the letters to the Wonderbolts, who had been waiting on her command. “Get these to the others mayors as fast as you can.” Twilight asked, addressing Spitfire, “Then return to Ponyville.” “Don't you worry Princess, we'll be back by this time tomorrow, you can count on it!” The Wonderbolts had arrived in Ponyville not long after Twilight had in response to Canterlot's disappearance. Thankfully they were all at Rainbow Falls when it happened. Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot took off with a rush, disappearing in the twilight of sunset, leaving behind a trail of thunderclouds as they flew high, before splitting up to their respective destinations. Watching them go, a group of travelers caught her eye. Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she saw a good number of her friends returning to Ponyville. Dash saw Twilight, and flew right at her, full of energy. “Was that the Wonderbolts!?” She asked, getting a nod from Twilight as the others caught up to Dash. She didn't see Fluttershy or Quina, but seeing the others after what happened at Canterlot made her happier than she realized. Far happier than she knew, she had worried greatly for them, but buried it under working to get Equestria together. And now it was all bubbling back to the surface. “Now dear,” Rarity calmly assured, “don't you get started, or we won't be too far behind you.” She said as she brushed a tear off Twilight's cheek. The others looked at her with concern. “Right,” she replied, wiping her eyes. “Welcome back!” She said with a smile, getting several smiles in return. Then some one unexpected caught her eye. “Trixie?” “The Great and Apologetic Trixie is pleased to see you well!” She admitted, putting on a forced smile. “Miss Trixie helped us out of a bad spot,” Vivi explained. “We could have done it without her,” Dash said nonchalantly. “Doubtful, Dash,” Steiner interjected, “how about we all find a nice place to rest and catch up with each other?” They all nodded in agreement, and they moved towards Twilight's castle. Trixie hesitated, but followed as well at their insistence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Oh, that is not good.” Fluttershy claimed as she saw the smokey mountain in the distance. The sunset was illuminating the mountain, making the mist poring out from the cave atop cast an ominous shadow on the valley. “Let's not go that way.” She said aloud, not really believing her current company was listening to her. “I don't get you, Flutters,” Quina said, giving her an odd look. “You know so much bout animals, but not munchies!” S/he then licked a nearby plant, then nodded. After spending half a day with Quina, Fluttershy's gotten use to his/her strange eating obsession. She kept Quina from eating animals, but didn't stop him/her from eating just about... anything else. We should have really reached Ponyville by now. She thought, starting to suspect she was lost. She wasn't against the idea of sleeping in the woods at night. After all, this wasn't the Everfree. But the air has been gradually becoming thicker with mist from the smokey mountain. Maybe an hour or two going away from the mountain will make the mist go away. With that intention in mind, she led Quina away from the mountain, heading northeast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The seven of them were in the castle's throne room. Having just finished discussing everything they each had gone through since Canterlot's disappearance. “So Chrysalis can make monsters out of the mist,” Twilight exasperated. From the sounds of it, she cold muster up an army of these mistlings. I need to get another round of letters out to the other cities! “Is there any good news?” She asked incredulously. “I think so,” Rarity said, giving everyone a hopeful look. “When we broke the second seal, Trixie's garments gained power, just like our weapons. I suggest we take a look at our possessions to see if there's anything we have that's also gained power.” The mist comes in through the crystals, Twilight thought. I'm pretty sure Gaia's magic does as well. When a seal is broken, does more of Gaia's magic become prominent in Equestria? “The Great and Powerful Trixie can confirm this! If the Changelings are on the move, Trixie thinks they should be handled first.” Twilight and Steiner shook their heads in unison, which Twilight noticed, letting Steiner speak first. “If that queen can make powerful soldiers from the mist, then we need to remove the mist before she can accrue numbers greater then we can hope to manage.” “Yes,” Sunset started, “We need to tackle that first. She was upset when she learned of what we did. I think she had intended to claim the one in Neighagra falls. That's practically in the center of Equestria, she'd risk being attacked from all sides from there. She must not have a secure source yet.” “Trixie, do you want to help?” Vivi asked her, and Trixie appraised the little mage, then looked to the others, uncertainty on her face. “There are six seals remaining.” Twilight pointed out, “If we locate more than one soon, we should split up to cover more ground. It wouldn't hurt to have another helping hoof.” She said as she gave Trixie a light smile. Which made the blue unicorn terribly happy. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not let you down, her magic is even more Powerful than ever!” “Yes, we know,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. She mentioned talking to Mikoto about everyone's location. What magic is she using that lets her know? Twilight wondered, worried about Fluttershy. She could only wonder where Quina was in all of Equestria. “Dash, before you head to bed, could you take care of something?” “Name it!” “Can you see if Mikoto is in Ponyville? I need to talk to her.” “Ugh, fine fine. Just so you know, I don't like her,” and after bidding her friends a good night, she flew out to find the weapons provider. “Well, I should get going.” Rarity admitted, getting up to leave. “I have a whole boutique to inventory, see what's gained power and what hasn't.” She said, as if it was no big deal. “I'll get some experimenting going and see just what is required for items to gain power, maybe I can craft something truly fabulous! It should only take me all night, but that's no different from any other day. You all take care, see you in the morning, hopefully with some presents!” She said, leaving- She turned to Vivi. “Vivi, would you mind coming with me, I have a guest bed my sister sometimes uses that you can sleep in.” “Um, sure. I'd like that.” Vivi admitted, and they left, leaving Sunset, Steiner and Trixie with Twilight. Twilight considered her friends and smiled. “This castle has plenty of guest rooms, so feel free to help yourselves. I need to prepare for tomorrow morning. So I won't be going anywhere.” "Trixie will excuse herself, but thanks you for the offer. See you later Twilight. I know it's poorly timed, but congratulations on becoming a princess.” She finished, smiling sheepishly at Twilight. "Thanks Trixie, have a good night,” And Trixie left. Twilight saw Sunset eyeing the broken mirror again, its pieces had been gathered into a pile where the explosion had originated. “Even with Celestia gone, I'll find a way to fix it.” Her comment caught Sunset off guard. “Oh it's fine. It can wait. I was born and raised in Equestria, my friends on the other side can do without me, for however long it takes to make sure Equestria is safe,” she said, giving Twilight a sad smile. It was clear she didn't want to continue the conversation, as she quickly left for a guest room after giving a short goodnight. “So, what's keeping you?” Twilight asked Steiner, who showed no signs of leaving. "At this very moment, you're the last ruler of the ponies. I will be by your side to protect you, at least while I can.” She didn't want to push him away, so she let him stand guard as she worked on revising her speech. Not too long after she started, Dash returned, informing her that Mikoto wasn't in the town. After informing her, Dash turned to Steiner with a sly grin. “Hey Steiner, let's go! I'll show you how well I can hold my cider!” She gave the knight a rueful smile. “I'm watching over Twilight, I'm sorry, but it will have to-” “Go with her, Steiner,” Twilight interrupted. “I'll be fine on my own. I can teleport if something decides to threaten me.” “P-Princess! I swore to protect you!” “Do I have to order you to hang out with Dash?” Twilight replied, sounding annoyed. “Yea, does she?” Dash emphasized. “Afraid to be out-shined by me?” Steiner let out a sigh as he shook his head at their unified insistence. “Don't blame me if an army of mistlings suddenly appear in the castle,” he said solemnly. “Wouldn't dream of if.” Twilight replied, then waved her hoof at them to 'shoo' them away. “You both have a good night.” Dash was looking quite pleased at Steiner's sour mood as they left together. With them gone, she worked on her revisions, free from distractions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sweetie Belle looked out the window towards the open space in the sky that formerly housed Canterlot. She let out a sigh as she started to hum a song her sister liked. Her horn started to glow, but she didn't pay it any mind. She saw a bird flying by the window of the boutique, its flaps and speed noticeably slower than normal. She stopped humming, and the birds momentum returned to normal. She eyed her crusader cape with an annoyed frown. Maybe I should take it off while humming. Ever since that green light, she's felt that magic occur while wearing the cape and humming. She wanted to ask her friends about it, but instead she was waiting at the boutique, hoping her sister was safe. Once again she looked towards where Canterlot had been, worry growing in her heart. If she isn't back in half an hour, I'll go home. She thought, not wanting to worry her parents. She heard the sounds of the front door opening, and a familiar voice, and her heart almost leaped out of her chest. She got moving, practically flying down the stairs as she saw her sister, looking at her in surprise, as well as a small, two legged figure. “Sweetie Belle?” Rarity asked, confused. “Oh whatever are you doing here? You... didn't touch anything, did-” She was interrupted by Sweetie Belle tackling her in a hug, knocking them both down. Rarity looked at her, confused for only a moment longer, before comprehension dawned on her face, and she returned the hug. “There there,” She assured, “I'm sorry I made you worry dear." They shared a smile as they go on their hooves. "Well, worry no more! It will take more than some city wide disappearance to take me down!” She said defiantly, getting a small chuckle from the filly. Rarity noticed her companion and introduced him to her sister. “Sweetie Belle, this is Vivi. Vivi, this is my sister.” She informed the black mage, who looked at the filly a little bashfully. Sweetie gave her sister a questioning look, and Rarity nodded. The two of them greeted each other, immediately followed by Rarity taking charge. “Sweetie, I know I just got back, but I really need to check on my inventory.” She paused as she noticed Sweetie's cape. “Has wearing your cape made you feel... strange?” “Well, things slow down when I hum or sing, which is kind of neat.” Her response got a giddy cry of joy from Rarity. “Oh oh oh! We just have to see how many of my dresses grant power!” And her horn glowed as all the dresses in her boutique were brought before her. She also brought forth a pair of scissors with an intrigued look on her face. “Sweetie, may I see your cape for a moment?” Sweetie wasn't sure what her sister was happy about, but she wasn't going to refuse her. Taking off the cape, she felt the power it granted disappear, making her feel a little down at the prospect. I guess it's not so bad to be able to do that. She saw Rarity bring the scissors to her cape, which made Sweetie worry for a moment, then saw the scissors utterly fail to cut the cape. This revelation made Rarity sqee with joy. “Oh,” Rarity realized, her mirth dying a little, “I suppose something from Gaia could cut it, but no big deal! Vivi,” Rarity began, bringing over measuring tape, “stand still a moment while I get your measurements.” And Rarity did just that while Vivi stood still, making Sweetie Belle shake her head with a smile. She just got back, and she's already at work. “Can I help?” Sweetie asked, and she saw Rarity hesitate before nodding. Sweetie helped her sister by keeping Vivi company before it was time for bed, and Vivi had a number of interesting stories to tell her about a world called Gaia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash let out an inebriated cheer as Steiner passed out. There were several empty mugs of hard apple cider at their table. Though it wasn't as good as Applejack's, it was still apple cider. Steiner had been completely impressed with the beverage, and not long after arriving, they started drinking against each other. They had the lobby mostly to themselves, nopony else was in the mood to party, well, besides Berry Punch, but she practically lived there. Dash shook her head. She had won, but if she wasn't careful, she'd be out too. Then she probably wouldn't remember she won. Or maybe she was already past the stage. Ehh, who cares... I won...! She thought has she put some bits on the table to cover their drinks, before passing out as well, becoming unceremoniously sprawled on the table, just like Steiner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Morning came too soon. Twilight worked to get herself composed as she rushed to the town hall. She had overslept, and no one had gone through the effort to wake her. Finally reaching the town hall, she saw a large crowd of ponies before it. Is that everypony in Ponyville!? Not wanting to be spotted before the speech, she teleported behind the overlooking stage, surprising Mayor Mare at her sudden appearance. “Oh, Princess, I was starting to worry.” She shook her head than smiled at Twilight. “They're ready for you, so hold your head high and take a deep breath. You can start at your leisure.” Twilight nodded nervously, and looking to the curtain nodded. She moved up to the podium as the curtain raised, exposing her to the eyes of everypony in the town. She hesitated for only a moment, before clearing her throat. “Everypony,” the crowd immediately fell silent, making Twilight hesitate again before continuing. “Yesterday, we lost Canterlot.” She let that hang in the air for a moment, then added, “And in the process, we lost Princess Cadence, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia.” She felt a knot in her throat and swallowed it down. I will get through this without tears! Be strong. For Equestria, Twilight! “We also lost Pinkie Pie, as all of you may have noticed. And the day before that, we lost Applejack and Spike.” She looked over the crowd, her sadness present for all to see. “I'm not going to lie, things are bad. A mist from another world is seeping into ours, and from this mist, strange monsters are born. A few of you have already seen the ones from Everfree.” That got a little murmuring from the crowd, which died down as she went on. “Though we have removed to mist from the forest, more of it fills the lands of Equestria.” Her brow furrowed as she made a promise to her audience. “We will get rid of it. I promise you that. I can make that promise, because we have already done so, twice. And though other patches of mist remain, we will soon remove them as well.” She looked to all the faces she knew. This was Ponyville, everypony here knew her, and she knew them. She had to warn them, and assure them. “With Canterlot gone, our natural enemies, the Changelings, have begun to move.” Which instantly got more worried looks from her audience. “Some of you may have noticed odd powers being granted by your possessions, and some of you have met the strange girl Mikoto, a provider of weapons. The power from these items will prove pivotal in defending Equestria, so I beseech you, familiarize yourselves with them. They shall make you more powerful, more prepared for what my lie ahead.” She caught sight of her dearest friends in the crowd, they were cheering her on with their eyes, and she took strength from their assurance. “I know I'm asking for more than I should, but we don't have any other option. We've lost Canterlot. I'm the last Princess.” She said, almost crying it out, “So please, believe me when I say that we will manage through this.” A fire burned in her chest as she looked to the ponies of Ponyville. “We will dispel the mist. And we will send the changelings back. So please, trust in us, trust in each other, for it will take everypony in Equestria to pull through this.” She fell silent,hoping no objection would reach her ears from the crowd. “We will be behind you and your friends all the way, Twilight,” Mayor Mare said, moving to Twilight's side. “You and your friends saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Tirek. We have every reason to believe you shall triumph again! And if you need our help, who are we to refuse. Right everypony!?” She shouted to the crowd, which cheered in agreement. Twilight was caught off guard by the enthusiasm of the crowd. She smiled, and she felt tears of joy running down her cheeks. Guess I still cried, silly, silly me. “Thank you. Thank you, everypony! Let's make sure Canterlot is the last thing we lose during this crisis!” And the cheer redoubled. With this, I can believe that everything will be just fine. There's so much to do, but we can do it. I have no doubt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight Sparkle ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Items Equipped: Iron Magi-Sword: Blink Cut(mastered) Lvl-5 HP 220/220 MP 66/66 AP 17/17 Abilities: Teleport Magic: Teleport 1 MP - Increase chance of attacks missing Twilight for short duration. Blink Cut 4 MP – Deals Non-Elemental damage to single target, inflicts Darkness. Summon Magic: Spike the Dragon 2 MP – Summon's your number one assistant.