//------------------------------// // 30. Ruins of Madain Sari // Story: The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia // by MrAlterad //------------------------------// Eiko had a spring in her step. Through a strange toss of fortune, she had been abandoned by her best friend, left for dead, insulted by two outsiders, and almost crushed by the giant she always ran from. Now she had three new friends, would never have to worry about that giant again, and one of her new friends was a dashing hero. Eiko let out a sweet sigh as she imagined him reciprocating her feelings, then shook her head. One thing at a time, Eiko! We need to win him over, and keep him away from that orange, smelly, thing on four legs! Eiko gave a quick glare to the orange mare, who caught her stare. Eiko didn't shy away; she wore her dislike for the pony on her sleeve. Why can't she be more like Pinkie? Generous and kind and fun! Walking past the outer rubble of her hometown, she turned to the others behind her. Spike and Zidane were taking in the ruins, Spike with wonder, Zidane with concern. Pinkie's eyes were to the sky, lost in thought, which made Eiko curious. Still, she had guests to entertain, and asking what was on Pinkie's mind seemed like a loaded question. “Spike, Zidane!” She said excitedly as she motioned to all around her. “This is my home. Madain Sari!” “You live here?” Zidane asked skeptically. “Well, why not?” Spike asked defensively. “I know plenty of dragons who'd live in a place like this.” “Ya do?” The tin can asked skeptically, then frowned at the look Eiko gave her. Eiko noticed Zidane looking to Dagger with concern, which got Eiko's attention. Dagger was looking at the ruins, a little confused, but then a surprisingly calm expression wash over her. “Dagger?” Zidane asked. She shook her head as she turned to Eiko. “What happened here?” Dagger asked as she looked at all around her. “This place is in ruins.” And it truly was. Many structures that at one time were multistory buildings were nothing but piles of rock. There was only a small number of standing structures visible, a small number. The entire town had the same tones of red stone, no signs of greenery, even this close to the sea. As they all appraised the ruins, a group of moogles came out of hiding, crying 'Kupo' to the party. Eiko addressed the moogles in turn. After naming each and every one for the newcomers, she looked around, seeking out a missing moogle. “Where's Mog?” The moogle with the golden pon pon was nowhere to be seen. Did... she get lost? She thought with some concern. Eiko looked over the moogles as the rest of the party took in the scene. No, she wouldn't get lost- Oh, I know! She's scared. Oh Mog. She sighed for her friend as she took a deep breath. “MOG!” Eiko shouted, demanding that the friend that abandoned her show herself. Mog revealed herself from where she hid, and shamefully flew up to Eiko. “Kup! Kupo...?” She asked with some concern, and Eiko shook her head with a smile. “No, I'm not mad. But don't ever leave me behind again, okay?” She asked as she pet Mog on the pon pon. Mog nodded with a kupo, and with that, all the other moogles dispersed. Eiko turned to the party, but paused when she saw Pinkie Pie. Pinkie looked as if she wanted to bolt off and chase after the moogles. And indeed, before Eiko could address if she was okay, Pinkie had loaded herself in her cannon, and fired herself off beyond the rubble nearby, after the moogles that had just left, leaving her friends behind. W-what was that about? Eiko found Pinkie to be fun, and liked her, but sometimes Pinkie was just...random. Eiko turned back to the others, with Dagger and Zidane sharing the same look of confusion, and only Spike and the orange one were unfazed by Pinkie's actions. Eiko shook her head as she moved into action. “Spike! Follow me!” She demanded enthusiastically as she ran off, a number of her moogle friends accompanying her. Getting an unexpected lead from the others, she and her moogle friends stopped next to a working fountain. She turned and asked her moogle friends for help. “Can you guys clean the house before the others get there? I want it to sparkle for our guests!” Her friends nodded and left to do that as the others caught up to her. Eiko asked Mog to stay with her, Mog nodded and shrunk down and flew into one of her pockets as Eiko turned to address the others. “Whoa! Did that moogle just shrink!?” Spike asked in surprise. “Yep, Mog always stays with me.” Eiko explained matter-of-factly, and as if on cue, Mog flew out and returned to normal, gave everyone a quick Kupo, and then returned to Eiko's pocket. “Well, that must be handy.” Zidane admitted as he scratched the back of his head, a little overwhelmed by the goings on of this ruined village. Okay, enough dallying! Let's learn more about my hero! “Now Spike, you sit over here!” Eiko demanded as she dragged the poor dragon over to a bench near the fountain. “Tell me more about yourself!” She 'requested', putting the dragon on the spot. Zidane and the others shared a look and shrugged as they took a seat for themselves. “Uh, well, okay!” And to Eiko's surprise, and joy, he told her all about himself. At first, it started off with some boring hosh-posh about being an assistant to some unicorn. Then, things got interesting when that unicorn became a princess. Then, Eiko became more smitten as he started to recount his adventures in Gaia. He really is a hero! And the way he protected me from the giant~! “Wow.” She said at the end of his story, almost in a daze, “I've never met anyone like you before.” Her compliment made Spike blush as he looked around, and then looked a little concerned. Eiko looked as well, Zidane and Dagger were still nearby, listening in. Nothing seemed out of- Oh, the orange one is gone. Her bliss was shattered, just like that, which annoyed her. “Where's Applejack?” Spike asked Zidane, who simply shrugged. “I suppose she left to go think.” Zidane offered, “Or find Pinkie, I'm not sure which.” “Spike,” Eiko began, masking her worry, “is it true that you and her are just friends?” Spike was quick to affirm that. Eiko was skeptical, but she was also hopeful, and hooked herself on his answer. One of the moogles came up to them and addressed Eiko. “It's all cleaned up! Kupo!” “Thanks, Mocha!” Eiko replied happily and then turned to Spike and Zidane. “I'm gonna start cooking dinner! You have to come eat at my place later, okay?” Eiko moved towards one of the few standing structures near a waterfall, but quickly turned around to add, “I'll call you when the food's ready. Don't go too far!” “I'll be nearby, wouldn't miss out on a free dinner!” Spike proclaimed. “We'd like that,” Zidane added with a nod, “we'll be waiting.” Eiko nodded as she ran home to begin putting her plan in motion. She was going to win Spike over with her cooking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Sword of Doubt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Applejack sat before her sword, embedded into the ground. The edge of the cliff several yards ahead of her, the ocean stretching out to the horizon. Her ears were low, as she struggled with her concerns. Zidane had once said to 'listen to your heart', well, her heart ached, it didn't have anything uplifting to tell her. Dew seeped from her sword, Ice Brand, as recent battles replayed in her head. Her sword shattered at the hands of Beatrix, her determination and pride broken under the rain. Being crushed under Lani's axe, the world growing dark as her friends continue the fight without her. Being trapped between a cliff and a giant. Saved by her youngest friend, and by a child who clearly hates her. Eiko. Even she went into Trance! Applejack thought in frustration. Zidane, Spike, Pinkie, Freya, and now a child we just met! If it takes powerful emotions to bring about Trance, then why hasn't it happened to me? Am I not good enough? Strong enough to go into Trance? I'm certain I would be able to protect them better if I could tap into that power! She glared at the ground, as if it was the cause for all of this. It's not fair! I've fought, I've gotten my tail handed to me, and I've seen terrible things! She slammed the ground, as if to emphasize her feelings. So, why is it the first child we come across on this continent can do what I can't!? She sat there for several moments, her breathing slowing as her anger started to burn itself out. Her anger died as she pictured the worst possible thing. One of her friends, lifeless and unmoving, and still she stood there, unable to Trance, unable to save them. She looked up from the ground, and was surprised when her eyes fell upon her sword. In it, she saw her reflection, and in her mind's eye, she saw a mare split in two where the metal bent down its center. To the left, was the farmer, smiling with her original hat, eyes full of life and hope. To the right, was the swordsmare, battered, crying, and wrapped in heavy armor in an attempt to protect herself and her friends. She was a farmer, and a good, reliable friend, and being a swordmare was proving to be neither of those. She looked away from her blade as she fought back the itch to cry in frustration. Twilight's words ran through her head. 'Don't give up’; 'Don't lose faith in yourself'. Her words moved her beyond her defeat at Beatrix's blade. But it was hard, so very hard for her to free herself from the doubt that planted her blade in the ground. Her pride was her folly, each loss in her eyes dragged her determination down, and now she sat here, before the sea, working herself into a depression of her own making. Maybe... I'm simply not cut out for this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Dagger's Feelings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dagger was wandering through the ruins. Something about the location felt strange to her, and it fed her desire to look around. A village of summoners. She thought, reflecting on what Eiko said. I once read about them in a book. A tribe that possesses the power to call forth eidolons. Dagger, having the eidolons her whole life, had naturally looked into what was known about them in her castle's library. Eidolons. Knowing that I had eidolons inside me didn't bring me any joy, I was always scared of their power, at least, until recently. She thought as she glanced out to the sea, where she saw Applejack sitting near the cliff. Looks like Applejack's lost in thought too. Dagger nodded as she gazed to the sun setting on the broken city. I can understand why. She saw Burmecia, it must have looked something like this place. Nothing but rubble and traces of having been something grand. Thinking about Burmecia drew her thoughts to her mother, which made her adopt a sad frown. Mother. She imprisoned me, and used the eidolons she stole from me as tools of war. She moved on, leaving Applejack to her thoughts as she felt out the hollowness inside her heart. A place where the eidolons once resided was now practically empty, Ramuh alone couldn't fill that void. I thought I would have to kill my eidolons if they were going to be used for war. But, now that they're gone, I feel like I've lost a piece of myself. She let out a sigh as she reached a broken section of the city, water pouring from a waterfall into a steam towards the sea. Why am I thinking all this now? She hadn't put too much thought in her eidolons since reaching the Outer Continent, and looking around again, she figured the cause for her thoughts. This place... it feels familiar to me, somehow. As she turned to take in the sunset, she saw Spike heading off to where Applejack was, which made her spot something strange. Wait, is that pile of rocks following him? And is that a pink tail? Dagger shook her head, and looking again, saw nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it's just Pinkie Pie. Up to something, no doubt. She couldn't help but smile as the notion distracted her from her self-reflection. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Spike's Vow ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spike had been looking for Applejack since Eiko left to start cooking. He liked Eiko, but he was worried about his orange friend. He noticed her poor mood since the fight with the giant, and has been seeking to ask her about it. After spending half an hour looking, he found her, sitting near the cliff facing the sea, with her sword before her. Spike intended to shout to her enthusiastically, but his voice caught in his throat when he saw the look on her face. It was a look of self-doubt. Spike collected himself, and instead of teleporting next to her, he walked up to her, his footsteps making her aware of his presence. She looked to him, and the weak smile she gave him almost made him falter. “Oh, hey Spike... did ya need somethin'?” She asked, her voice lacking emotion, making him frown, prompting him to dive right into the heart of the matter. “Yea, I need to help a friend. I made a vow to her, and that's bigger than a Pinkie Promise. So here I am. You look like you want to cry.” She turned to him, a little shocked, and opened her mouth to refute that accusation, but couldn't bring herself to lie. Spike awkwardly moved to her side and sat next to her, hoping his proximity wouldn't make her uncomfortable. He was sitting in her shadow, the sun was setting to the left, casting the sky before them from the broad range of yellow and orange to the dark hues of the coming night. After sitting together in silence for a minute, Spike gathered his words. Sometimes, simply asking if something is wrong is all it takes to help. “Hey, Applejack, what's wrong? You wanna talk about it?” Applejack glanced to him, clearly not wanting to answer. Instead, she took in a deep, almost painful breath, and let it out. Just as she had with Twilight in the field of stars, she let her doubts be known to one of her dearest friends. She poured her heart out, her reflections in her sword cried while she did so. And Spike listened, quietly, letting her get it off her chest. Her final words concerned her doubt in being a worthy companion to the party, which got a rise from the dragon at her side. “How can you say that?” He asked, a little shocked and upset, “You're our friend!” Spike then imagined what would have happened if the giant had punched anyone but Applejack, and his brow furrowed as he reflected on her words. He turned to her, and she almost shied away from his gaze. “You're the toughest of us!” He declared, letting his own emotions at her self-doubt pore out. “None of us would stand after being hit by that giant, but you did! You're a bearer of harmony, and Ponyville's most dependable pony! What's gotten into you?” Applejack was taken aback by his outrage, and stammered out a weak rebuttal. “I-I can't even enter Trance! Doesn't that say somethin' about me?” Her words did not dispel the dragon's anger, in fact, it kept his fire burning strong. “Yea, you can't do Trance! Doesn't mean you're useless, or that you're not 'worthy of us'! Or that we don't count on you!” He shook his head as he let out a frustrated sigh, his tone changed as he let go of his anger. “Come on Applejack, just because you haven't, doesn't mean you never will.” She looked at him, doubt still evident on her face. He reached out, grabbing at what he could to assure her. “Maybe there's some sort of trick to it. Maybe it takes a certain kind of emotion to trigger Trance?” He offered, doubting the integrity of his own words. However, it must have been enough, as Applejack blinked, and some of her doubt changed out for confusion. “What did ya say?” Her curious tone caught him off guard. Wait, was this really all about Trance? Was she down because Eiko went into Trance? Spike wondered as he recounted his words for her. “Uhh, that maybe it's a certain emotion?” His words raced in her thoughts, at least, that's what Spike assumed, as it looked like she was considering something before addressing him again. “Spike,” she began, her voice ripe with curiosity, and hesitant hope, “what did ya feel when ya were fightin' the Black Waltz? The first time.” She had been hanging over the edge at the time, and didn't completely witness what led to his Trance. Spike reflected on that event, a good amount of that battle was hazy to him, but he clearly remembered the moments prior to Trance. “I was upset that he had,” he hesitated a moment, “killed the Black Mages, and I didn't want to believe that he had the right to kill them. I wanted to show him how wrong he was. I really wanted to show him that his actions were terrible. It made me feel, stronger, and before I knew it, my equipment disappeared and I was breathing out my spells.” Applejack nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer, her brow furrowed in thought. “Pinkie went into Trance at the thought of the last thin' she saw bein'... Discord's sad face. She wanted to see him smile, and that desire brought her into Trance. It's different from yers.” Wait, is she on to something here? Then her eye's widened in realization. “And Zidane! He went into trance not when he was in danger, or to prove a point, but to protect someone important to him, the princess!” Applejack's poor mood was completely dispelled by this point, replaced with hopeful enthusiasm. “Spike, yer right! It is different! I must have simply not felt my trigger!” Her eyes fell back to her sword, and her growing mirth popped like a balloon. She frowned at her blade as she looked back to the dragon. “Still, it's not enough. I- I still need more than that.” She hesitated before she moved around in front of Spike. She stood before him, her tears dried, looking open and honest to the dragon, who was surprised by the weakness she was openly showing him. “Spike,” She hesitated again as she forced out her question, “am I strong?” Spike had to resist the strong urge to face-palm. “I mean, ya know. Strong?” She emphasized, either unable to find the appropriate words, or unwilling to say them. Spike let out a sigh as he looked her in the eyes. Well, at least it's an easy question to answer. “AJ, you're the strongest pony I know.” And he smiled, for his answer had gotten her to blush. It was clearly not the answer she was expecting. “W-well, being strong isn't enough.” Applejack affirmed as she pulled her sword out of the ground with her tail, and sheathed it. “I need to be more skilled. I need to learn how to fight with a sword. Properly. I can do more than takin' the hits for everyone.” Spike nodded as an idea came to mind. “Maybe you should ask that Beatrix woman for help? Assuming she's alright, and willing.” Applejack put some serious consideration into his words before shaking her head. “By then, it'll be too late. We'll be done with Kuja, and I won't need to-” “Just because we'll be done with that jerk,” he interrupted, “doesn't mean our adventure will be over.” Spike pointed out, “We still have to find our way back home.” She looked at him, a little dumbfounded that she had forgotten that fact, and she let out a sigh as she nodded in agreement. As she made to leave the cliff, returning to the ruined town, she turned her head over her shoulder, nodding for Spike to follow. “Thanks, Spike.” She almost whispered as he came beside her. “Think nothing of it.” He said with his chest puffed out. “No, I mean it. I'm glad ya were here to help me. I'm no good to anypony if I can't even lift my sword.” And she gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat. Her smile, for a moment, reminded him of Rarity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: But Who Watches the Watcher? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pinkie watched her two friends return to the ruined town, a little happy she had listened to Discord's suggestion. She was disguised as a pile of red rocks, which had proven to be quite good, considering she hadn't been noticed by her friends. “I told you they would be fine!” Discord proclaimed, always happy to be right. “Those two have been together from the offset, so it's only natural that they'd end up supporting each other!” His words made sense, and it did turn out okay without her. Then, she noticed a parallel from Discord's words. Wait. Are you speaking from experience? Discord looked at her, surprised as a giant hammer hit him in the head, turning him into a large nail. Applejack and Spike were stronger together. She could see how they helped each other. Spike looked to Applejack for guidance. He returned to them when he realized she was fine with him looking after himself. And in turn, he helped her self-esteem through all the hardships she's taken on. As those two were fine because of each other, Pinkie was fine because of Discord's support. Then, her brow furrowed. What have I done for him? “Silly mare, you've done for me what you always do. Make others smile. And if it's one thing I really do enjoy, it's smiling!” And that got a smile from the pink mare, giving Discord a great big hug, to his surprise, as she bounced off to see what Zidane and Dagger were up to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eiko's home was practically sparkling. It hadn't been this clean in months, and as she turned to take it all in, a smile welcomed her face. She turned to her moogle friends, and shared her mirth with them. “Thank you so much for cleaning!” She really meant it, and kept on expressing it, “You guys did a great job! A clean house worthy of hosting my hero, Spike!” She nodded with satisfaction before she adopted a sharp look. “But, here's where the real challenge begins! Spike and that mare aren't dating, yet. And I'm going to keep it that way!” She declared as she looked back towards the ruins, picturing a wedge shaped like her getting between those two. “I have to get between them before they really fall for each other!” “So, I'm gonna cook lots of yummy food and show Spike what a good homemaker I am!” I'll be better than that walking suit of armor, at least! “Kupo!” Mocha began, giving Eiko a skeptical side-glance, “It might work, if you were capable of cooking good food.” Momatose nodded in agreement as he spoke up. “Eiko screws up a lot when she cooks. And we don't have much food in stock right now...” He added, looking over their paltry supply. “I know, I know!” Eiko admitted, letting out a sigh as she fire herself up. “That's why I can't screw up!” She looked to her friends, giving them a sheepish grin. “I would appreciate it if you all helped.” “N-no!” Mocha pleaded, fighting back flashbacks of her previous cooking escapades. “I, I'm sleepy! Kupo!” Momatose said, letting out a yawn that wasn't fooling anyone. Eiko glared, not in the mood to be teased about this. “You're all gonna help!” She paused a moment after realized she yelled at her friends. “Please?” She begged of them. “I'm going to cook my specialty. Rock-fisted potato stew.” “Well, if it's that. It should work out.” Momatose said, nodding his head. “But...” Mocha hesitatingly began, “the last batch you made tasted so bad, I thought my pon pon would fall off!” “So,” Momatose added, giving Eiko the benefit of the doubt, “just stew?” “How about fresh fish to go with it?” Mocha suggested, Eiko nodded in agreement. “Fish sounds good.” She affirmed, “So our menu is rock-fisted potato stew and barbecued fish!” Her dinner plan set up, she had her friends get what was needed, and they dispersed as she looked up to the sky, her enthusiasm changing into pleading hope, as her eyes started to tear up. Grandpa. She thought as reached out with her heart, hoping he could hear her. I... don't wanna be alone anymore. Please... help me do this right. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Wall of Sacred Beasts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pinkie spotted Zidane and Dagger heading towards a large dome like structure with a collapsed roof, and looking closer, it seemed they were following a moogle. Not wanting to be left out of this interaction, she bounced up to their sides. “Hi guys! Whatcha dooin'~?” She asked enthusiastically. “Zidane told me about the Eidolon Wall,” Dagger explained, “and we wanted to take a look.” At this point, the three of them reached the dome. Pinkie had already met the moogle guarding the place. Indeed, she had met all the moogles, and even hugged a number of them to their surprise and annoyance. They're so soft! And it's fun to play with their pon pons! The moogle guarding the wall was Morrison, who looked to them with a greeting. “Hello outsiders, and Pinkie. Kupo.” “Hi Morrison~!” Pinkie rang out, “Dagger can summon just like Eiko, and we were wondering, can we check out the wall?” He nodded in reply, bidding them to follow him inside. “I didn't know your friend could summon as well. Kupo. Eiko wanted me to show you our most sacred sight. So please, come in.” As they walked within, Pinkie felt a strange energy in the air, it felt, nice, and familiar. “Oh-ho! I remember this sensation!” Discord chimed in as they took in the place. There were broken pillars set in a circle, and in the center of the circular room was a pile of burning incense. “This is the feeling that we felt back at Cleyra.” His comment got Pinkie's memory going. Oh! When Freya-meya did the dance! That's right! And then that time with Ramuh! While Pinkie and Discord were having their moment, Morrison divvied out information of the location, almost like a tour guide. “The Eidolon Wall has been protected by Eiko's summoner tribe for generations, so letting outsiders inside was frowned upon by the other moogles. But, we love Eiko, so we allowed this exception.” The room had murals on the wall, a number of figures, beasts, strange shaped beings of power depicted upon it. It gave a sense of power, and serenity, which matched the feeling in the air that Pinkie and Discord were feeling. “The Eidolon Wall is a collection of paintings.” The moogle continued as the three of them took in the murals, “The summoner tribe painted all the eidolons they found during their research.” “These are all eidolons that exist?” Dagger asked, a little surprised. Wow, there are so many! Pinkie thought as Morrison nodded to Dagger, with a kupo added on top. Pinkie would have found the gesture cute, but was just as absorbed with the murals as Dagger was. “These eidolons are very interesting.” Discord commented, looking over the murals with a magnifying glass. “I feel some sort of kinship from them. That Ramuh could see me, I wonder if Gaia's eidolons are similar to what me and Celestia and Luna are to Equestria.” Pinkie quickly pulled her eyes from the wall to her friend. What do you mean? Discord shrugged at her question. “Not too sure, but it feels right. Maybe I should sit down and chat with Ramuh about it sometime.” You can do that? She asked, a little skeptical. “Don't know till you try.” He said as he moved out of the way so Pinkie could take in more of the wall. Morrison spoke up after giving them a moment to take in the paintings. “This is a holy place for the summoner tribe.” He explained, “Lady Eiko comes here every day to pray and burn incense for her ancestors.” As Morrison talked, Pinkie's eyes fell on an eidolon that Dagger had also taken notice of, a figure they didn't recognize, that seemed different from the others. It was a large figure, larger than all the others. It seemed to be made of stone, its body parts made of buildings, it stood on four legs, and it had large white wings. “What's this one?” Dagger asked as she appraised it, but Morrison simply shrugged. Their eyes lingered on it before Dagger's attention was drawn to another. “There's Atomos, the eidolon that destroyed Lindblum,” she said with a touch of regret. “And that one there is Bahamut, the Draconic Seedling.” As Dagger looked to the paintings, she seemed to be overwhelmed, and fell to her knees. Pinkie, being close, moved to help her from falling to the ground, and Zidane came to their side in alarm as he asked what was wrong. They both saw the pained expression on Dagger's face, and took a guess at her troubles. “Don't worry,” Zidane assured, before Pinkie could, “you'll get them back. All of them.” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and Dagger took comfort from her friends as they stood by her side for a couple minutes. Morrison looked on in concern, but didn't act when he saw that everyone was fine. Dagger looked to Pinkie and Zidane, and then back to the murals. “I want to look at the murals for a while longer.” She stated, getting a nod from her friends. Pinkie moved away, leaving Zidane with Dagger. “Okay,” he said with a small smile. Pinkie, seeing that Dagger was going to be just fine, walked up to Morrison, and asked him just what eidolons were. “They are spirits bound to the world. Each representing some form of power or element. Eidolons were seen as the guardians of Gaia by the people of the summoner tribe. Which was why they put their effort into researching the eidolons, and how to summon them.” Pinkie took all this in, turning to her 'imaginary' friend. What do you think, Discord? “I think that it would be hilarious if the princesses and myself became eidolons! Oh, just think of it! The three of us as guardian forces! Esper's defending the Equestria! Mighty Aeons that can raise and lower the celestial bodies!” He said with a cackling grin, really, his grin was cackling. “'Celestia! I summon you to clean my castle!'” He said with a snicker, which Pinkie mirrored. Discord! I summon you to make cotton-candy-chocolate-milk-rain-clouds! He looked at her in surprise, and then nodded. “At once, my master!” Discord proclaimed with a salute as the area was stuffed with pink clouds that only the pink mare could see as she let out a light giggle. If only there was whipped cream! “What do you take me for, someone who's completely perfect?” Discord asked, rolling his eyes, getting another lovely giggle from his friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time passed quickly as Eiko worked to get the stew ready in time. There was an oglop skittering around the kitchen, and try as she might, she couldn't scare it away. She heard a commotion from the dining room, and looked to see that Spike, Pinkie, and the other pony were all there, appraising the prepared fish on the table, the mares with looks of worry. Did Mog let them in? Well, we're just about done anyways! “Welcome! Spike, Pinkie!” She exclaimed, making great efforts to ignore the third one. “Please, take a seat.” As they did so, Zidane and Dagger arrived as well, and they all took a seat at the table. “You sure made a lot!” Zidane exclaimed as his eyes hungrily took in the meal. “I had help!” She said happily as she looked to her moogle friends, who agreed with a kupo in unison. In short order, the rock-fisted potato stew was ready and on the table. “Well, let's eat!” Spike exclaimed as Pinkie and the other mare shared a look. Pinkie did her the favor and brought their concern to everyone's attention. “Um, we don't eat meat~.” Eiko looked at Pinkie in surprise, then embarrassment. “Oh, I'm sorry,” She replied as she looked to the ground, “I didn't know.” She looked to the stew, glad she hadn't added any fish to it like she had intended. “Well, what about potatoes?” They nodded, and Eiko let out a sigh of relief as the ponies got the lion’s share of the stew, while the others had the lion’s share of the fish. Spike was fine either way, and seemed to enjoy the fish, making Eiko more than pleased. “This fish is great!” Zidane exclaimed, and then he looked to Eiko, curiosity on his face. “Hey, Eiko, where are all the other summoners? Are they hiding underground somewhere?” “Underground?” Eiko asked, and then looked a little downcast. “Yeah. They're all underground, sleeping the eternal sleep.” Zidane blinked, the implications going over his head. “What?” He asked, and Pinkie poked him, hard, and when Zidane's eyes met hers, he caught on to Eiko's meaning. “I'm the last survivor of my tribe.” Eiko solemnly admitted, “I've been living with moogles ever since my grandpa died last year.” The noise around the table died down from her words. “I'm sorry,” Dagger said, her words sincerely feeling for the child. Eiko took in her words and put on her best smile as she turned to her guests. “Oh, don't worry about me. I'm really happy here.” Then she took on a considering posture as she looked to Spike. “I'm like a beautiful young heroine in turmoil. Don't you think?” Spike looked at her, confused. “What?” He asked, caught off guard by the change in tone of the conversation. “You know why I'm here in this village?” Eiko said dramatically as she reached out to the sky with an arm, towards Spike. “It was to meet you, Spike. My beautiful shooting star.” “W-what the hay!?” The tin can proclaimed, moving away from her bowl in disgust. Eiko's posture slumped as she turned to the orange nuisance. “What is it!? Don't interrupt me!” She proclaimed, stomping her foot. “There's an oglop in my stew!” Eiko blinked. What? “An oglop?” Zidane asked. “Eiko,” Spike asked, an accusatory tone in his voice, “did you put that in her stew on purpose?” W-what!? No! I didn't do it! She wanted to say just that, but considering how she's treated the orange pony, she doubted they would believe her. Of all of them, why her stew! Why not Pinkie's? I could have apologized then, and they would know I was being honest! She felt tears trying to make a case for her, but she forced them down as she fed them a hastily made lie. “D-don't you know that oglops are a Conde Petie delicacy?” The silence following her words informed her of the facts. No one was buying her story. Spike looked at her, disappointed, as did the others, only Pinkie seemed to be giving her some slack. “Um, you sure you don't want the fish?” Zidane asked of the mares. “I don't know about Applejack,” Pinkie began, seeing that Eiko needed a friend right now, “but this stew is amazing~!” She proclaimed as she quickly scooped out oglop bits out of it. Ooh. It's all ruined! Stupid oglop! After dinner was finished, everyone thanked Eiko, for the fish, and as they dispersed, she approached Spike, before he could leave the dining area. “Spike, I swear, I didn't put the oglop in there to get at the orange pony.” “Her name is Applejack.” Spike pointed out as he considered Eiko a moment before nodding. “Well, if it was an accident, then it was an accident.” His reply almost made her heart jump out of her chest. There's still hope! “But, could you please be a little nicer to her? She's an important friend to me, and I want my friends to get along.” And like that, her heart slammed back into her chest as Spike gave her a small smile and left. She stood there, his words playing in her head as Zidane moved to help her with the dishes. Pulling herself from her daze, she moved to clean up dinner. “Hey, Eiko,” Zidane began, bringing the dishes to the kitchen with her. “Do you know anything about the Iifa tree?” “Um,” his words pulled her out of her bubble of self-pity as she looked to him, “what about it?” “We want to check it out, and it's probably on the way to us finding Kuja.” “The bad guy you're after?” They did say it reminded them of a tree back on... Equestria was it? Eiko nodded as she turned to Zidane. “Well, Iifa is sealed with an eidolon. So you can't get in until the seal is broken.” “Sealed?” He considered as he appraised her, “Did you seal it?” She quickly shook her head. “No, not me. It happened before I was born. My tribe sealed an eidolon that we failed to summon behind a barrier at the Iifa tree. It's our custom to seal a failed eidolon where we summon it.” “An eidolon you failed to summon?” Zidane considered that for a moment before nodding. “Eiko, will you break the seal for us?” Break the seal!? “What? No way!” She exclaimed, surprising him. “It's not like we're gonna do anything bad.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I'm sure we can handle it on our own.” Eiko shook her head. “What? Just break through the barrier? Are you crazy!?” What is he gonna do, throw a really big rock at it? “You won't do it?” He asked, almost begging her to aid with the seal. She considered his words, and what it would entail if she said yes. “...No.” She finished weakly, Zidane sighed as they finished with cleaning, and with that, he left, and after a minute, Momatose came to Eiko, informing her that the others were getting ready for sleep. Eiko considered Zidane's request as she looked to the moogle, and nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eiko sat on an overhang attached to the kitchen. The sun set long ago and the others were asleep. Well, that wasn't true. The orange mare- Applejack was looking out over the night sky in front of Eiko's home. She could see her in the blue moonlight, she was without her armor, only keeping her hat with her. And while she stared, Eiko kept being drawn by the look on her face, a look Eiko didn't quite understand, a mixture of sadness and longing. So, I guess I'm not the only one being kept awake by our thoughts. Eiko considered as she let out a sigh. I want to go with Spike. Join in his- no, their adventure. But, that would mean leaving home. She was the last of the summoner tribe, and the idea of leaving Madain Sari behind felt wrong to her. Who would pray at the wall? Would grandpa be lonely if I left? As she considered these things, she heard someone leave her home, and looking towards Applejack, saw that Zidane was awake, who was surprised to see the mare awake as well. Eiko put her thoughts aside as she quietly cast her floating spell and got closer to listen in, her curiosity drawing her over. “Trouble sleeping?” Zidane asked, a hint of concern riding his words. “What's bothering you?” Applejack looked to him, she was holding her hat in her hooves, and sat it on a rock next to her as she answered his question. “I had somethin' on my mind earlier,” she then frowned, “somethin' quite foolish in hindsight, and Spike helped me clear it up.” She let out a long sigh as she looked to her hat, “Which only made room fer somethin' else to eat at me.” She then looked back to Zidane. “Seein' the Iifa tree reminded me of home. I'm just feelin' homesick, nothin' fer ya to worry about.” Is that what her expression meant? Eiko wondered as Zidane replied to Applejack's assurances. “Oh, well, I doubt I could cure that anyways, not right now at least.” He said with an apologetic shrug. “Well, try to get some rest; we've got an interesting day ahead of us.” He suggested, smiling as he started to leave. “Wait,” she asked, and he stopped and looked to her, a little confused. “Zidane, in the last tough fights we'd been in, ya'd fallen.” She flat out stated, making Eiko frown. “Doesn't that bother ya? I've... gotten real out of sorts because of that. So, why are ya just fine?” Zidane considered her question a moment, giving her his full attention. “I guess it's just my outlook. Yea, I dropped, and almost died when we fought that giant earlier. But we made it through, right? We've been in a number of tough battles, and we've made it through them all. And we're stronger for it.” Zidane shook his head, “No, that isn't quite the answer you're looking for.” He stopped and considered her question again for a minute before addressing her again. Eiko listened on baited breath, she was curious as to why he was so carefree, considering what had happened during that fight. “The way I see it, what happens, happens. I keep going, not losing my stride, regardless of what occurs. If I let the 'what ifs', the 'almost happens', slow me down, then I'd trip, and fall.” “So that's it, then?” Applejack asked, annoyed with how easy he made it sound. “Ya don't let worry weigh ya down? How can I do somethin' like that? I don't want to burden any of ya anymore with my worries or doubts. So, how do I do that?” She asked of him, a hint of desperation in her tone. “Well, Applejack, it all comes down to a choice. Either you choose to worry over what can't be helped, or you don't.” It all comes down to a choice? Leave my home, or stay? Eiko thought as Zidane continued. “Me, I want to protect the people I'm with.” He waved his hand towards Applejack, then back to Eiko's home. “You, Dagger, Pinkie, everyone. It doesn't matter whether I can, or cannot. As long as I'm moving forward, following what I believe, I'm certain I'll never be disappointed of the outcome.” “And yea, maybe one day, I'll fail, or I'll drop, and never rise again. And it won't be fair, but that's how life is. And that's how I choose to live it.” His words hang in the air for several moments as Eiko and Applejack took them in. He's right; I should follow what I believe. She looked over her home, it was alive right now, and clean, because she had guests today, and once they left, she would be alone again. Yes, she had her moogle friends, but they were not enough to fill the loneliness in her heart. I don't want to be alone anymore. So, I should go with them! Eiko concluded as Applejack spoke up. “Heh, ya sure are somethin'. So, I just gotta follow what I believe, make a choice, and hold no regrets.” Applejack smiled, and Eiko realized that the smile she had, mirrored her own. Applejack put her hat on as she turned to Zidane. “Thanks Zidane, I think I've got my answer.” Eiko moved to leave them alone, having the answer she was looking for as well, but her eyes were drawn to Applejack. There was a look in her eyes. A fierce fire, this time, and seeing that look drew Eiko back to the fight against the giant. She had seen that look before, when Applejack stood in front of Spike and herself, as a shield against the giant, as it constantly pounded on Spike's barrier. Eiko, in a moment of clarity, now understood this pony. She understood Applejack, and the notion of stealing Spike from her became more daunting. Applejack was strong, reliable, and courageous. Eiko had no doubt, even if they both hated each other, that Applejack would stand before her, and protect her from anything that aimed to harm her. H-how am I supposed to beat that? Eiko had no intention of letting her have Spike, but Applejack deserved respect, especially from her. She puts her friend's safety above her own, how can I simply ignore that? Eiko was drawn to selflessness, and to her good fortune, she had recently found a number of individuals that had that in spades. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eiko rushed to the entrance of town, wishing the best of her moogle friends, Mog hiding in her pocket. The others were going to leave soon, and she had overslept because of her indecision last night. Her moogle friends were very understanding and happy for her, and promised to look after Madain Sari while she was gone. Seeing the others gathered at the edge of town, she moved to the side to catch her breath, and started to climb the rubble. She wanted to catch them by surprise. With a spell, she started floating, and hovered her way up the rubble as she got close enough to overhear them. “Everyone,” Dagger began, “I'd like to come back here when we can. When I first saw the Eidolon Wall, I was scared. But, looking at the murals inside, they calmed me. I want to see more.” “Well,” Applejack said, “I don't see any reason not to return here after checkin' out the Iifa tree.” “Thank you.” Dagger replied as she considered something for a moment, “are we coming back here for Eiko?” “She's only six years old.” Zidane explained, “She acts tough, but I think she's lonely.” He saw through me? He really is a sharp one! Eiko thought as she peeked out from her hiding spot. “I haven't seen her since yesterday; I thought she would see us off,” Spike stated, sounding a little disappointed. Did he want to see me~!? Then she noticed Pinkie looking right at her, a smile on her face, naturally. “Maybe she's waiting to surprise us! Right~!?” Pinkie exclaimed as she raised a smug eyebrow at Eiko. “Ahh, Pinkie~!” Eiko pouted as she got out of her hiding spot. “You ruined my surprise!” “Eiko?” Zidane asked, confused that she had been hiding. Eiko got down from the pile and turned to all the others. “You can't break the seal of the Iifa tree without me.” She proclaimed, grabbing onto the ticket to this adventure. “So, you're coming with us?” Spike asked. “Would you rather I didn't?” Eiko asked sheepishly, her hands behind her back as she lightly kicked the dirt. She still felt bad about last night's oglop incident. “Oh. No, that's not what I meant.” Spike quickly assured, “I'd like it if you came along!” His words struck Eiko, right in the heart. “R-really!?” She exclaimed excitedly as Spike gave her an aside smile. “You want to join our adventure, right?” He asked, getting a very energetic nod from the young summoner. “Dagger, Pinkie, let's have fun~!” she said as she shared her mirth with them both, and then turned to Applejack. They both frowned immediately, but to Applejack's surprise, Eiko abandoned her look for a more apologetic expression. “Applejack, I'm hoping we can be friends. Just, just don't get in my way, okay!?” she asked of the mare. Applejack opened her mouth to reply, but Eiko cut her off. “Come on, let's go!” she said as she rushed past them, first to leave Madain Sari, with a spring in her step. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Moogle Notes: ~~~~~~~~~~~ 'E-Eiko!? No, you cannot write this chapter, or any chapter! You'll alienate the reader!' “Oh, come on, it's not like anyone likes your style anyway!” 'K-kupo!!' [The rest of the notes could not be finished on account of two small individuals tearing at each other.] ~~~~~~~~ Eiko Carol ~~~~~~~~ Items Equipped: Golem's Flute: Auto-Regen, Cura, Life Lamia's Tiara: Clear Headed, Confuse, Float         Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%. Glass Armlet: Steal Gil, Antibody         Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50%. Silk Shirt: Cure, Thunder         Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50%. Sapphire: Fenrir, High Tide, Mini Party Cannon Lvl-21 HP 687/687 MP 93/93 AP 1/20 *Auto-Regen (10) - Automatically casts Regen in battle.      High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster. *Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom. *Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion. Abilities: White Magic: Cure 6 MP - Restores HP of single/multiple targets. Cura 10 MP - Restores a lot of HP of single/multiple targets. Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO. Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air. Summon: Fenrir 30 MP - Causes Earth damage to all enemies. Trance - Allows use of Double White Magic.