Applejack let out a sigh, quiet enough for no one else to hear. One thing her armor did not do well, was keep her cool. Once again, she mentally thanked Torres for Ice Brand. Even sheathed, it gave off a slight chill which helped her through these hot days on the Outer Continent. The group had just left the mountain path behind them, and they were now traversing through cracked and broken earth. It wouldn't be long till they reached where the ground gave way to the roots of the Iifa tree.
In the heat, she found her thoughts falling back to yesterday. Strength. Spike said I'm the strongest pony he knows, and I doubt he meant physically. So what does it mean to be strong? Her thoughts weren't troubled, she was looking to better understand herself and her place on Gaia. Spike and Zidane's words yesterday had assured her, and put her on the right path, but she still wondered what it meant to be strong.
Trance isn't strength, it's power, I can see that now. Power isn't the same as strength. Power enables you, make you more capable, my equipment grants me power, and enables me to defend my friends. But strength, it's different, I'm sure it is. When she had asked Spike if she was strong, she found she didn't even understand what she was asking of him. She knew she was strong, physically, her question had been asking for something besides that. Strong wasn't the word she wanted to use, but his answer still made her happy.
Am I strong because of my friends? She adopted a small smile, Heh. I'm sure Twilight would say so, but that doesn't feel- She almost stopped as it hit her. My friends. A dead Burmecian messenger flashed before her eyes. She chose to throw herself into a war, to help her friends. She fought foes she had no chance against, and she acted, to protect them. And when she failed, it hurt, more than any blow she had ever taken. Her brow furrowed as she came to a conclusion.
I act for them, but that isn't strength. She then shook her head, No, it does make me stronger, it motivates me to become stronger, but still. Strength is more than that. Spike and Pinkie and the others have each other just as much as I have them, yet Spike said I'm the strongest, so there must be somethin' more. She started to play the events of her time on Gaia through her head, looking to each incident that stood out, seeing if she could find something that indicated her strength. She couldn't find a satisfying answer, and scrapped her hoof against the ground in annoyance, in the process being reminded that the dirt was fertile, full of potential.
She blinked, thinking about the dirt reminded her of who she was in Equestria, Applejack the apple farmer, the bearer of honesty. She missed the orchard, her family, her friends, and putting in the work to keep the farm afloat. She worked and sweated for good, honest, noble reasons. On Gaia, all she did was fight. And as she looked at her Equestrian self, she started to see something that surprised her.
Despite everything she's been through in these last two weeks, she was still the same pony that was born and raised on Sweet Apple Acres.
I haven't changed? She shook her head. No. I have changed. I can fight with a sword, sorta. And I have all these new tricks and abilities. And, I've seen terrible things. Her ears dropped in remembrance of Burmecia, Things that have made me a little harder. I have changed, my coat is thicker, and I now have a metal shell, but my core, it's still the same! She had been through a great deal, but she remained true to herself. She was still proud, if sometimes defeated, and above all else, she was still honest, and noble. A true, dependable friend.
Her ears fell even lower in realizing this, as it made Pinkie's change more jarring to her. She looked to her pink friend, and her heart wept for her. Her eyes were drawn to Pinkie's curly mane, no longer the poofy mess it had always been back in Ponyville. Her core, it's changed. Her eyes started to sting at the thought that Pinkie was now different from who she once was. Lately she's been closer to her original self, but that mane was the evidence against Applejack assuming she would return to the old Pinkie. Gaia had been harsh to all of them, and it affected Pinkie the most. Her heartache compelled her into action as she trotted up to Pinkie's side, doing something she should have done over a week ago.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Applejack whispered, getting her friend's attention. “If ya ever need to talk, about the grotto or Burmecia, or anything else. I'm here fer ya. 'Kay?” Applejack wondered if Pinkie would make a joke of it, or solemnly nod. Pinkie looked at Applejack, a little surprised, and gave her a sad smile.
“Thanks Applejack, I'll be counting on you.” She whispered back, and Applejack knew what to do, she gave her a smile, and Pinkie's sad smile turned to a genuine one. Applejack let out a small sigh as she fell back into her thoughts.
So, am I strong because my core is unchanged? Or is my core unchanged because I'm strong? She tried to pick that notion apart, but as they got closer to the tree, she found herself distracted. Her eyes started to dart around, looking for unseen dangers, her nerves wound tight, ready to grab her blade in an instant. Wait, what am I so strung up fer?. It wasn't until they were closer to the tree, where the earth gave way into a field of large scattered roots that she was able to place the reason for her nervousness. Her self reflection was completely abandoned as a revelation struck the party.
The entire root system of the tree was covered in mist. It was flowing, away from the tree, following the roots into the cracked earth, right into the cliff face, its edge they were steadily approaching, but the mist didn't seep over into the broken land they traversed. Wait, this is the source!?
“There's mist here?” Garnet asked in surprise, shared by the others.
Is it seepin' into the ground? Applejack's brow furrowed as she turned to her friends.
“Well, I reckon that makes the Iifa tree the source of the mist.” She affirmed as she turned back to the tree, shaking her head that something so similar in appearance to the Tree of Harmony had such a sinister attribute.
“Huh,” Pinkie said, having been quiet since Applejack talked to her. “I thought the source was going to be a crystal.” She let out a sigh as she also glared at the tree. “Guess I was wrong, still, this tree is bad news~.”
Of that, we can both agree.
Continuing towards the tree, the party was drawn to a formation of rocks didn't look natural. Reaching it, they indeed found that the stones were arranged around a center pillar, bearing a large number of names etched upon it, grouped in pairs.
“This must be where the wedding thing ends,” Spike suggested, “The one the dwarves do. I guess we're officially done with that wedding ritual.” Applejack looked to Pinkie, a glare ready to be delivered to her oncoming teasing, but the glare wasn't needed. Despite Applejack's expectations, Pinkie seemed distracted, and wasn't her normal bouncy teasing self.
Huh? Isn't she gonna ask us to put our names on it?
“So,” Zidane began, “we're at sanctuary then. If there wasn't any mist, I'd find the name appropriate,” his eyes took in their surroundings as he added, “But this is just, unsettling.” As he turned to Eiko, Spike walked past the name engraved stone, and hit an unseen wall, sending a green ripple through the air as Spike fell back.
“W-what was that!?” He asked as Eiko helped him to his feet.
“Sorry,” she said, “that's the barrier the eidolon made by being sealed.” Eiko explained with an apologetic tone, “I was told it surrounds the whole tree.” Applejack walked up to the barrier and placed her hoof upon it. She felt her hoof being harmlessly repelled by the light green light.
“I guess the barrier is why the dwarves call it sanctuary.” Zidane said as he appraised the roots beyond the stone pillars. “Do you think there are monsters on this continent because of the mist traveling through the roots?”
“Seems like a good explanation to me~!” Pinkie replied with a nod. “I betcha the roots send the mist all the way to the Mist Continent! But why?” She asked, but there was no answer to be had from the others. Seeing the discussion at a standstill, Applejack got Eiko's attention.
“Would ya mind breakin' the barrier fer us?” Applejack asked of her, trying to mask her annoyance in having to ask Eiko for help in the first place. Eiko nodded, giving Applejack a smug smile.
“How do you break it?” Garnet asked, no doubt wondering as a fellow summoner.
“I'll ask the eidolon to return to being bound to crystal.” Eiko explained, pulling out a Sapphire, “All eidolons are bound to particular gemstones. Fenrir, my eidolon, for instance, is bound to Sapphires, while your Ramuh is bound to Peridots. When the seal drops, the stone corresponding to the eidolon here will gain its power again.”
“Wait,” Spike interjected, a little embarrassed. “Gemstones grant eidolons?” He started to pull out a small number of gems with names written on them.
Are those the ones he got from winning the Festival of the Hunt? Applejack wondered as Spike presented them to Garnet and Eiko.
“In that case, I should share these with you two.” Spike offered, and Garnet quickly shook her head, giving Spike a considerate smile.
“That's not necessary Spike, but thank you.” Garnet knelt before him, so they could see eye-to-eye. “Those are important to you, so you should hold on to them.” She nodded as she brought out her Peridot and gave it to him. “I'm fine with Ramuh, I don't need the gem anymore. The next time you get some more gems, just try not to eat them all.” Spike blushed as he nodded.
Guess Spike should learn not to eat every gemstone he comes across.
Eiko blushed as she also refused his offer, which Applejack found amusing, and a little heartwarming, which she immediately found annoying, though she couldn't place why.
“But yes,” Eiko continued, bringing them back to breaking the seal. “My horn allows me to communicate with eidolons, and wild animals.”
Ah. So that's how she can understand Mog. Applejack thought as Eiko nodded to everyone, then moved to where the barrier stood.
“I'll break it now. Watch closely!” She said enthusiastically as she puffed her chest out. She then turned to the barrier and started a little chant. Which Applejack couldn't help but find cute.
“Boom boom boom~!”
“Boom boom boom~!”
She spun around as she tapped the barrier, each 'boom' punctuated by a tap.
“By the light of our spirits~!”
“I call upon thee~!”
The air around her started to glow as she twirled before the barrier.
“Answer my call!”
“Wherever your soul may be~!”
And as her chant came to an end, the air before them shimmered as specks of green light quickly gathered from all around the tree into a point before Eiko. The specks shifted from green to red as they gathered together, before forming into a solid Ruby, forming in the palm of her hand. She turned to the others, a proud smile on her face.
“It's done!” She said as she quickly glanced at the Ruby. “We can go inside now.”
“Thanks Eiko!”
“You're awesome~!”
Spike and Pinkie shared their gratitude in unison, making Eiko blush as she looked to the ground, holding her hands behind her back as she nodded to them. Garnet looked over the tree before turning to Eiko, a little confused.
“Was that the spell to break the seal?” Garnet asked.
It did seem mighty simple. Applejack thought as Eiko shook her head.
“No, not really,” she admitted as she lightly kicked the ground. “All I really did was focus my thoughts into my horn.”
“Then why...?”
“Oh, that was just for show!” Eiko replied with a big grin, then looked at the ground, a little embarrassed. “The spell is actually much longer, but the eidolon asked me to hurry it up.”
“Well,” Applejack began, looking towards the tree, “since the way's clear, let's see what this tree has to do with the mist, and Equestria.” She then turned to her companions. “Let's try to get this done as fast as we can, don't want to get mist poisonin'.” She looked back to the mist, worry written on her face. “It looks thicker here than back on the Mist Continent.” The others nodded in agreement as she took the lead and went past the rock formation, walking on the nearest root anchored to the cliff's edge.
Traveling on the thick root, there was a perilous fall to either side, the bottom obscured by mist. All around, there were roots woven in a tangled mess, the mist drawn and following the ones below them as if guided by some unseen hand. Leaving the earth behind them, they saw that the mist did indeed feed into a honeycomb of caves embedded in the rock face.
As was expected with mist this thick, there were monsters. They fought against giant, many limbed monstrosities of gray and silver stone sticking from the roots like thorns that attempted to turn the party into statues with magic. There was also dragons without their scales, undead, brought low by the combined healing of Eiko and Garnet. And finally, they also fought zombies, which also fell to the healing magic of the party. It wasn't too long on their venture that they noticed something particular about the monsters here. They all had a crippling weakness that when exploited, destroyed them instantly. The monstrosities of stone would fall to sand and evaporate if the remedy to petrification, Soft, was used on them. And a simple Life spell from Eiko or Garnet took down any of the undead monsters. Spike brought this to the parties attention as the fighting became less dangerous.
“Maybe the monsters here are simply like this because they were sealed inside?” Zidane offered. They had no answer to why the monsters were like this, but they were not complaining, and truly, monsters of the mist rarely made sense.
As they got closer to the tree, the mist got thinner and thinner, until they were able to see the tree in all its imposing glory, from close up. Craning their necks to the sky, they were able to make out more details concerning the globe halfway up the trunk of the Iifa tree. As everyone's eyes were drawn to it, their movement came to a halt. That kinda looks like Gaia! Zidane pulled out the old map and looked back to the globe, confirming her suspicions. The globe was half embedded into the tree, the bark obscuring a portion of the globe. Despite its crystalline appearance, the Iifa tree was not opaque.
“Is that Gaia?” Pinkie asked, her eyes moving to the other globes higher up the tree.
“It sure is.” Zidane affirmed as he put the map away. “Just another mystery we can add to this strange tree.”
“What about the other eight?” Garnet asked as she indicated the other globes. Zidane sighed as he replied.
“Just another mystery.”
“Umm, I think that globe of Gaia is, like, in real time.” Pinkie pointed out, “I can see clouds, and half of it is lit and the other half is dark.”
“I wonder why?” Spike said as Applejack started moving forward.
“Let's keep movin',” She offered, “Maybe we'll find somethin' at the base.” And the party moved on, silently, as they were considering the possibilities and reasons concerning what they've found so far with the Iifa tree. It wasn't long before they reached the base, and to their surprise, there was an opening that led into a large hollowed out chamber within the trunk of the Iifa tree. The room had traces of sunlight leaking through parts of the crystalline wood, spreading the glow of daylight, illuminating the chamber. The floor of the room looked constructed, and in the center of the chamber was a circular dais that didn't seem to be completely connected to the floor around it. Okay, this is even farther from natural. Is this even a tree?
“Just what is all this?” Applejack asked as she took in the large room. “It looks mighty old, ancient even.” Looking up, she saw a gap in the ceiling that matched the size of the dais in the floor. Does it go up to the top? She moved to the dais and tapped it, but it didn't respond, and there didn't seem to be any means of making it move. Being this close, she saw that the dais was in fact not even on the ground, but floating over a pit, but the dais was sized to cover the hole almost perfectly.
“I'm surprised anyone would build anything in this mess.” Zidane commented as he took note of the dais Applejack was scrutinizing. “What with all the mist around.” He then turned to address Eiko. “Do you know anything about this place?” Eiko took in the place before turning to Zidane, quickly shaking her head.
“Nope, this is my first time inside the Iifa tree, it was sealed, after all.” Zidane nodded as he let out a disappointed sigh.
“I was hoping this tree would have something in common with Cleyra.” He said as he motioned around. “Cleyra had a path of sorts we could travel up. But it looks like the Iifa tree doesn't.” He then looked to the dais. “Well, let's see if we can figure out what's under this.” Zidane knelt down to try and pry his blade through the slit at the edge of the dais, and the dais glowed when he touched it, making him jump back in surprise. “Huh?” He composed himself as he scrutinized it. “That's strange. Looks like whatever it is, it still works.” He touched it again, and it lowered slightly.
Why is it responding to him? Is it made to respond to humans only?
“Is it an elevator?” He looked to the others, “Shall we check it out?” They all shared a troubled look, only Spike seemed eager to descend into the ominous tree of mysteries.
Well, what the hay, we need answers. Maybe we'll learn somethin' about Kuja or gettin' back to Equestria in this tree.
With the others agreeing, they all got on the dais, and indeed, it started to lower once Zidane got on it. They descended deeper into the tree, the wood slowing shifting from blue and gray to thicker shades of black. The elevator stopped at a large interior root, and they all followed it down. Tackling past more monsters, they eventually found another elevator that followed a spiraling path down a steep decent, and this one also only responded to Zidane. Riding it down, the shaft the path sloped down opened up, revealing a large, illuminated underground cavern, big enough to fit Ponyville inside. Light broke in through cracks in the ceiling, showing a scene they hadn't expected to find.
The walls of the chamber were woven root, in the center of the large area was a stream of mist falling from the roof. This mist was so thick, that it appeared as water. As the mist fell, a good deal of it was drawn towards floating black stones bigger than a carriage. The stones grew from the mist, and upon reaching a certain size, were dropped into the chamber's floor. What in Equestria is all this? Applejack's mouth hang open, her eyes darting as she took in the scene.
Looking down, she saw that the entire chamber floor was littered by the black stones, and mist that lingered onto the floor was absorbed into them. Roots coiled around the stones, as if suffocating them. She saw several white roots coil a stone, and become stained back as the mist within the rock was absorbed.
There were four points in the room where remaining mist was siphoned off towards raised platforms, and one such area was connected to the path the elevator was traveling down. Four siphons, that more than likely took the remaining mist into the tree's root system.
“So wait,” Applejack said, finally breaking the silence brought on by the scenery. “Is the tree makin' the mist, or feedin' off it?” Her eyes were on the roots taking in the stones. Maybe that's why the tree isn't blue and gray down here.
“It wouldn't make sense for the tree to feed off itself,” Garnet pointed out. “So far, it's looked like the alterations to the tree were for some design, so some semblance of purpose went into what we're seeing.” She nodded at her assumption, “Something else must make the mist.”
“So, the mist feeds the tree, and the rest is sent outside?” Zidane shook his head, his brow having been furrowed since entering the tree. “I don't like this, there are too many questions.”
It's like we just strolled into Gaia's biggest secret or somethin'.
“Huh?” Eiko asked, but it wasn't directed to the others. Mog flew out of her pocket, returning to normal size, and talked to Eiko. Mog seemed to only speak in 'kupos', so only Eiko could understand her. “You sure?” Mog nodded and returned to Eiko's pocket. Eiko turned to the others, taking on a ponderous look as she relayed Mog's message.
“Mog senses a great deal of life down here.” She said as she pointed to the floor of the cavern. “Moogles are faeries, so they can sense life. It's how they can track people they've met, and she says that there's a whole lot of life down here!” Applejack's eyes widened, her gaze falling to the cavern floor, now that Mog had drawn her attention to it, she felt it too.
She's right, I can feel it! Just like the dirt on the surface, only, greater. Like the ground is some sort of overgrown jungle, this place is saturated! Applejack wasn't sure if the others could feel at as well as she could, unsure if what she was feeling was common intuition, or a touch of that good old earth pony magic.
“I don't get it,” Zidane admitted, “there's nothing here but the mist and the monsters.”
“Well,” Garnet began, “We've never seen mist like this before, and it's not like we know what mist is.”
The princess is right! The mist is so common-place on the Mist Continent that I just ended up accepting it. I never got an answer to what it actually is! Applejack looked troubled by this as Garnet looked over the cavern, before looking back to the others.
“Kuja mentioned this place to the black mages, do you suppose he has some connection to here?”
“If he did," Spike began, "then what would be the connection between Kuja and the mist?” He asked, and Applejack helped him with that one.
“Ya'll remember that machine back at the Village of Dali? The one that took in mist to make Black Mages?” Zidane, Spike, and Garnet nodded, “That's the connection, Kuja uses the mist to make weapons, Black Mages. So, he must have a part in all... this!” She finished as she motioned to the entire cavern. As they all considered her words, Garnet looked down into the cavern before speaking up.
“Maybe we'll find some answers at the bottom, there must be a reason for having the elevators down here, after all.”
Not to long after saying that, they reached the end of the leafy elevator's track. It connected to a large stone structure a couple hundred feet across. They couldn't see the underside of it, but assumed they were standing on one of the four siphons on the cavern floor. The siphons had a flat top, like a nail sticking out of the ground. Where the point met the ground, was an open ring that the remaining mist was drawn into. Despite a good amount of mist being converted to stone, most of the mist was still being sent out through the siphons.
“So,” Zidane began, appraising the dead end they stood upon. “The remaining mist is sent out through the roots under this.”
“This place is strange,” Spike said, staying close to his friends, “It's more like a machine then a tree.” He then looked up, back the way the party came. “I wonder, what's in the upper parts.”
Trouble, no doubt. Applejack thought as she looked to the siphons, and she adopted a sly grin as an idea came to mind.
“If we can destroy these,” She began, “block the holes, then the mist will stop being sent through the roots. Right?”
“That sounds like a plan-” Zidane replied, but his eyes caught on to something. “Hang on, is that a control panel?” He walked over to a raised set of stones on the siphon, and the others accompanied him. It did resemble a panel, it had buttons made of stone, but nothing happened when Zidane touched them. “Well, that was a let down.” He then looked around again, “Well, if this is sending mist to the Mist Continent, then let's smash it!”
“Yea,” Applejack replied with a smile, “let's break this thing and get out of here.” She, and her friends wanted to rid themselves of this place, and were more than happy to make a mess on the way out. Applejack looked over the side, contemplating how to do that, when she noticed something moving in the field of black stone. Something big, and looking directly at her. “There's somethin' down there!” She announced as it started to move towards them. Oh horseapples! Did touchin' the 'panel' get its attention!? The party collected themselves and prepared for an attack as a large, hulking, jagged, monster of black stone and crystal landed on the platform near them, almost knocking them down from its landing. The creature wasn't as large as the giant, but it was still bigger then all of them combined. Two green gems in its 'head' took in the party, its body shifting to take them all in.
'So it wasn't Kuja'
“W-What was that! I could her a voice in my head!” Spike cried out, Applejack had heard it too, and saw that her friends were in a similar state of surprise. The voice had lacked any emotion, and its face was unmoving stone, unreadable.
“You just said Kuja!” Zidane proclaimed, poised to strike. “Who are you, and where is he!?”
'I am Mistcage'
'I do not know where Kuja is'
Its reply was quick, still lacking emotion.
“What are you doing here!?” Garnet asked, trying to imitate Zidane's threatening tone, and failing.
“Is the mist your doing!?” Applejack asked of it.
'I do not produce the mist. It is made to move forward the functions of the ritual, I merely alter its shape and store it, sending the rest of the mist through the roots'
Again, it replied quickly, and Applejack was starting to wonder if it was incapable of refusing to answer. He mentioned a ritual. Finally, we can get some answers!
“The ritual Of Unified Fantasy?” Applejack asked of it, toning down her aggression, but still poised for battle.
'Correct'
“Why!? Why send it to the other continents!?” Pinkie asked of it, no mirth or jolly in her question. The monstrosity turned to appraise Pinkie for a moment, which Applejack caught as odd.
'To contaminate the other continents with mist to stimulate the fighting instinct'
'This in turn leads to war, which leads to loss of life, which leads to the ritual tipping against Gaia'
“To cause loss of life?” Zidane asked, “Is that what Kuja is doing with the mist?”
Kuja. He's more than some mere weapons dealer!
'I cannot lie'
'Kuja used the mist to create weapons to aid in guiding the ritual'
'Weapons called Black Mages'
“Why? Why make them as weapons?” Spike asked quietly, who was overshadowed by a pink mare.
“What is the Ritual of Unified Fantasy!?” Pinkie asked of it, her aggression catching Applejack off guard. The monstrosity appraised Pinkie again, its attention now devoted to her.
'You should not be here'
'A seal breaker should not be here'
'You will be destroyed'
With alarming speed, it charged at Pinkie Pie, who's ears immediately fell. Applejack was ready, and got in its path. She placed herself before a living rock-slide, and to her credit, she managed to stop it from hitting Pinkie, but Applejack was still sent flying as the wind escaped her lungs. Dangit! Why couldn't he have answered her question first!?
“Eiko!” Zidane yelled out as he got behind Mistcage. “Be careful with your summon, or this hole siphon could fall with us on it!” Applejack started to rise as she felt a protective barrier wrap around her, followed by healing light, helping her lungs breath easier.
With a quick thanks to her two healers, Applejack got her rope to Hog Tie the monstrosity as Pinkie hit it was a fiery blast of her cannon. Quickly lassoing and tying down Mistcage, Applejack saw Spike approach it with a Soft feather. Will that work? She really hoped it worked, getting hit by an avalanche was not pleasant. When Spike used the Soft on the pinned creature, it yelled out as a large portion of its body turned into sand and fell off, leaving nothing but the crystalline parts of its body. It was harmed, but not defeated, and with the loss of bulk, it was able to slip out of Applejack's rope.
“Look out!” Garnet shouted to Applejack, looking above her. Applejack didn't bother looking, she quickly moved to the side. She felt something large crash into the spot she had just been standing. A large mist stone was now embedded into the battleground, and Mistcage smashed it. The fragments flew through the air at Mistcage's command, and in alarming haste, reformed the stone portions of its body before them.
Oh horseapples. Applejack's ears fell as the stone part of Mistcage's body started to shimmer.
'I have seen the end of my one thousand year life'
The shimmering stones vanished, and Applejack saw the tell tale signs of an oncoming spell.
'It does not end today'
As its spell washed over them, Applejack witnessed a vision, brought on by their foe's magic. She was clutching her chest, falling to the ground as her heart gave its final beat. As the world grew dark, she saw Mistcage break through a purple-pinkish sphere, bringing its entire form crashing upon Pinkie, who was lying on the cold stone. The last thing seen before darkness became complete, was Pinkie disappearing under a crushing tomb of jagged black rock.
Her heart faltered as the vision ended, and her chest cried out in pain as Applejack witnessed their doom. Its beating was now erratic, and she new that the vision would come true if the curse placed upon them wasn't dispelled. Quickly looking to the others, her fear was confirmed when she saw they were also clutching their chests. Unfortunately, Mistcage wasn't going to let it end just like that.
Once again, it lunged at Pinkie, and once again, Applejack intercepted it. With Garnet's protective shield, the blow was significantly less powerful, and she had completely stopped Mistcage in its tracks. The blow made her chest ache, she didn't have much time, but didn't know how to cure-
She felt a compulsion, an instinctual call. She had an ability to save her from her doom, from her friends doom. She's had it for so long, since crashing into a dark forest, and now, it was the remedy she and her friends dearly needed. She pulled out a yellow apple, and devoured it. Her instincts compelled her choice over her heart. She wanted to use it on her friends first, but if Mistcage could cast that spell again, and she was down from the first curse, then it was over for all of them. Feeling her own magic heal her, she felt her heart calm down, and the dread hanging over her vanished.
As Mistcage moved to try and attack Pinkie again, Eiko moved up to it, and used another soft feather on it. Its stone body once again turned to sand, leaving just exposed crystal. Before it could draw in more stones to repair itself, it, Applejack and Eiko, were trapped inside a purple-pinkish sphere of Spike's making. Mistcage was now closed out from his stones. Indeed, the barrier seemed to sever his control over the rocks on the outside, as the ones he had been pulling towards him fell away harmlessly. However, now it was trapped inside a cage with only two targets, and now Applejack couldn't use Apple Toss on her friends outside the barrier.
Break the barrier, or attack Mistcage-
Seeing Eiko clutching her chest, Applejack quickly, without even thinking, gave her a yellow apple. The pain on Eiko's face vanished as she ate the apple, and she moved to get behind Applejack as Mistcage looked between the mare and the shield.
“Thanks.” Eiko sincerely whispered behind the mare. If Applejack wasn't bogged down with worry for the others, she would have smiled.
'Your remedy is trapped in here with me'
To Applejack's shock, it stopped attacking, taking up a stance to intercept Applejack if she attacked the barrier. No! It only wants Pinkie taken care of! And if all her friends outside fall, she could only wonder how long would they last before their stopped hearts became permanent.
“Take down the barrier!” Applejack pleaded to her friends, but she saw her words fall on deaf ears, as Zidane, Garnet, Spike, and Pinkie Pie slumped down, each of them letting out a final breath. Why!? Why didn't they break it!?
Applejack didn't know how much time she had, but-
A large stone fist came up through the floor, catching Mistcage off guard as it crashed right into its body. The floor was now warped, but the barrier still held, the siphon didn't break and fall.
“Come on Applejack! We need to break this boulder!” Eiko proclaimed, a fire in her eyes, and Applejack took that fire in, and gave the child a stern nod.
I ain't gonna lose anyone! They had a boulder to break. As long as the barrier stood, Mistcage couldn't recover, so she went full out. She hog tied him as he attacked her. But his attack was pathetic compared to his other charges, and provoked a counterattack for his efforts, taking off a part of its body. Not so tough with half your body missin'! With him tied down, she got him with a solid Applebuck, causing its lower body to shatter to pieces.
'The ritual must not be altered'
Saying its emotionless words, it threw one of its arms at the barrier, to Applejack's surprise and horror. The barrier shattered, and almost immediately Applejack saw rocks within the cavern moving to converge on them. Mistcage was nothing more than an upper torso with one arm made of crystals, and Applejack gave it another Applebuck as another stone fist cracked into its face. The floating stones surged and shattered mid air, and Mistcage became nothing more than a pile of rubble.
The fight over, the barrier down, Eiko and Applejack didn't hesitate. Though Applejack was a little surprised that they both went to Spike first. She knew Eiko would go to Spike first, but she was confused that she herself had done the same.
Quickly changing course, she brought out a phoenix feather and stood over Pinkie with it, applying it to her. And for what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Come on, come on! Then the magic within the feather flared, and its warm glow enveloped her friend. Pinkie gasped in air as life returned to her, being welcomed by a fit of coughing, and Applejack started breathing again as she hugged her friend close. Knowing that there were others that still were in peril, the hug was brief, and as Applejack moved to Garnet, Eiko helped Zidane stir with her magic. Garnet recovered with the same pause as Pinkie did, and Applejack helped her to her feet. As Zidane was starting to rise, the cavern began to rumble and shake, keeping him from standing up as Applejack looked around alarmed.
No, it's not the cavern shaking, it's the siphon!
“Quick! The elevator!” Applejack didn't wait for her friends to act. She moved and scooped up Spike and Eiko. Zidane, quick on his feet, picked up Garnet, and Pinkie moved with them as they bolted off the siphon. Getting on the leaf elevator, it started to rise as the siphon crumbled behind them, clogging the hole it was built over. And further in the cavern, they saw the same happen to the other three siphons. Were they being held up by Mistcage's power?
As they reached the top of the cavern, they saw that the mist was starting to fill the bottom of the cavern at an alarming rate. With Mistcage gone, no more mist was being converted to stones.
“Okay,” Zidane said as he looked down into the cavern. “That was a little too close.” Applejack rounded on her friends, her relief now turning into anger.
“Why didn't ya'll pop that barrier!? I could have cured ya of that spell!” Zidane and Spike looked at each other, a little embarrassed.
“Well,” Zidane began as he scratched his head. “When I saw the barrier break its 'healing', I thought you could finish it off, with Eiko's help.” Spike nodded in agreement, leaving the orange mare speechless.
They had that much faith in me?
“O-Oh.” Applejack replied, looking to her hooves before raising to see Zidane eye-to-eye, “Well, next time, maybe you could count on me without leavin' me in the dark?” She asked, her voice ringing of a pleading apology. Zidane let out a small smile as he nodded, then looked down into the chamber.
“I think we've done enough here,” he proclaimed, “let's get out of here before the mist gets too high.”
“Agreed.” Applejack affirmed. With that, they worked to leave the tree behind them, the question of whether they had cut the mist off from the Mist Continent floating on their minds. Well, on most of their minds. The battle against Mistcage was playing through Applejack's mind. No matter how she looked at it, if it wasn't for Apple Toss, they would have fallen today, their quest coming to an end.
...Is strength luck? Would Pinkie be the strong one if she had a remedy to that doom spell? She looked to Pinkie, and as she considered that, her eyes widened as she was struck with an epiphany.
Wait, is that it? She thought about the other fights they had been, looking back on the strength of her friends. Each of them played a part in one victory or another, but none of them consistently contributed to each victory. Just as there were fights she had fallen, there were fights they had fallen. Strength isn't some catch all. Bein' strong doesn't make you capable of standin' against every challenge. Everyone has limits, no one can tackle everything. She then smiled as a fond memory, and an important lesson came to mind. A single pony can't harvest an orchard all by herself. Applejack shook her head with a smile. If Twilight had been here, this entire conundrum would have been so simple. No one is strong enough to tackle everything. But if they tackle it with their friends, then together, their weaknesses are covered, and truly, they are strong. Strength, is not being alone. Strength, is not fightin' alone. Applejack started to laugh, indeed, the answer seemed so simple in hindsight. No wonder Twilight's a princess. Spike says I'm the strongest, and it's because I live for them. My friends are everything to me. I work to protect them, because I love them, and with them at my side, I am strong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Trouble Above
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Fifty feet beneath the large globe of Gaia, in a chamber ripe with importance, stood Kuja, looking over a small magical projection of the Iifa tree's structure. His brow furrowed as he saw a shining pink dot leave out the base of the tree, then let out a sigh.
The actress missed her call, so it is down to me to raise the curtain for her. Leaving the room behind, he descended down, far down into the roots of the tree, to overlook the damage wrought by the 'heroes'. Reaching the leaf elevator, he saw mist too thick to see through halfway down, and chose to levitate the rest of the way. As he did so, he used his power over mist, and converted all the gathered mist into a large number of stones, clearing the way for Kuja to find what he sought. His eyes fell on a pair of green gems, and smiled.
Ah, there's the bit actor that threw off the star actress. Landing on the blackened stone floor, he walked up to what remained of Mistcage, and its eyes twinkled with magic as it saw Kuja.
'Kuja'
'A seal breaker is on Gaia'
'It must be destroyed'
“Yes,” Kuja started, his tone conveying false sympathy for the broken 'creature'. “It would be a problem if she went and messed up the 'Directors' plan's.”
'I require repair'
'My capacity to manipulate mist is compromised'
“Ah, about that.” He replied as a he gathered some of the mist poring into the chamber. “This play has too many bit actors, and it could use a new director as well. Don't worry, I assure you that your departure will be as cliched as your part warrants.” Kuja then gave Mistcage a sly smile. “'You've outlived your usefulness.'”
'What are you intending-'
Kuja released the hold on his magic, causing a large speared black rock to smash into the two green gems, crushing them. Kuja chuckled as he felt Mistcage return to the mist it was born from. Leaving the broken chamber, he returned to the observation room to see where his favorite actress was heading.
Once again in the room beneath the Gaian globe, his eyes briefly looked over the projection next to the Iifa tree display.
It was a projection of eight crystals, one in the center of a circle of the other seven. The crystal in the center was noticeably larger than the ones surrounding it, the crystal was black, and projected a small dark ring representing mist. The seven crystals surrounding it were all different colors, besides one. Each colored crystal, orange, light green, white, light blue, red, and yellow shimmered brightly, with no mist surrounding the six colored gems. The last of the seven on the outer ring was black, and had an aura of mist around it.
Turning his attention back to the Iifa projection, with a quick use of the controls, he saw that the pink dot had moved to the outskirts of the tree's roots. As Kuja considered his options, a chime rang from the gem projection. He looked to it, and saw the last black gem of the outer circle turn purple, giving off a matching pulse, dispelling the mist around it.
Well now, isn't that convenient. It must be fate, telling me my time to rise has come! He thought with a dark smile as he turned around to take in an object floating right below the globe of Gaia.
A large black crystal hovered there, bigger than the tallest of men. Mist pored from it like a waterfall, down into the depths of the tree. Across from it was a stone dais with an eight pointed star encrested on it, and floating in the air before the crystal, was a circular stone tablet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mist around the Iifa tree had dispersed by the time they returned to the rock pillars where they had started from. Reaching solid ground again, the party turned around. The tree looked less ominous with the mist gone.
“Wow, the air's so clear!” Eiko admitted as she took in the tree in awe. “The Iifa tree looks kind of pretty without it.” She then turned to the others, “Do you think this will clear up your Mist Continent?” Zidane nodded as he turned to his friends.
“I think so, though, it would disrupt travel via airships.” He then nodded again looking back to the tree. “Still, I think it best that the mist is gone.” Applejack agreed as she looked to the others.
“Do ya think that'll be enough?” She asked her friends, “I don't think we stopped the mist, just contained it.”
“Well,” Zidane replied, “the Mist Continent will be free of mist now, which will be enough. We still need to find Kuja and take care of him.”
“Right,” Pinkie affirmed, “and once we do, we can come back to this problem. That mist is tied to the ritual somehow.” Pinkie then took on a considering expression. “Why did Mistcage attack me? And what's a seal breaker?” Applejack looked to her friend, catching a glimmer of fear lingering from the fate she was almost dealt.
“I donno,” Applejack admitted as she moved close to Pinkie, getting a light smile from her, “but it might have somethin' to do with Twilight accidentally sendin' ya to Gaia. He didn't seem all that concerned with myself or Spike.” Spike nodded in agreement as he looked to the tree.
“I think we should stay here for a bit,” he suggested. “See if Kuja shows up.”
“That's a great idea!” Zidane exclaimed, getting a small smile from Spike. “Kuja's involved, so he's bound to check on the mess we've made.” Putting that idea into motion, they rested from the string of battles they had endured going in and out of the tree. Not long after they started, a moogle approached the group.
“Mocha?” Eiko stated.
From Madain Sari?
“Eiko!” Mocha replied with distress, breathing heavily from fatigue.
“What's the matter?” She asked with some concern. “Why did you come all this way?” Mocha then replied in a manner similar to the way Mog talked, leaving them all out of the loop.
“What!?” Eiko shouted in alarm, “Okay! I'll be there as soon as I can, go ahead of me and tell the others!” Mocha nodded and flew off with a kupo as Eiko turned to her new friends. “I gotta go back to the village!” And she started to leave, but Applejack spoke up.
“One sec sugar- erm, Eiko. What's wrong?”
“Someone stole something precocious from the village! It's an important relic to my tribe!” Applejack shared a look with the others, and they nodded in unison.
“We'll go with ya.”
“We're your friends.” Zidane added,, “And we help our friends when they need it.” He tapped his chest as he took on a determined grin, “We'll make sure your village is safe!” Eiko looked to them, taken aback by this, and she gave an honest smile that was reflected in the others. Then she shook her head.
“Thanks, really. But, what about Kuja?” Her question made Applejack look to Zidane, who also looked to her. They both nodded in unison.
It'll take time for Kuja to come here, he's probably still on the Mist Continent.
“Madain Sari isn't that far.” Zidane said, “Kuja can wait, your home can't.” With that, they moved, leaving the tree behind them to help their youngest friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~
'Hello Equestrian! This, is moogle notes!'
'I think Dagger should have taken Spike's offer concerning the gems. It would have spared her so much heartache.'
'Faeries isn't a common reference to us moogles, but it's true!'
'Choco and I were unable to get close to the tree when we were on that part of the continent, the barrier around it was still up at the time.'
'Mistcage used a status called Doom on everyone. Doom is a powerful curse that manipulates fate, bringing about your end after a short amount of time if you don't break the curse. While a stopped heart is the most common outcome, I've heard that there are other ways Doom could come about. Kupo!'
~~~~~~~~
Applejack
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Items Equipped:
Ice Brand: Mental Break(mastered)
Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.
AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!(mastered), Long Reach(mastered), Ability Up(mastered)
Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack(mastered), Counter(mastered)
Iron Barding: Add Status(mastered), Bug Killer(mastered)
Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider(mastered), HP+10%(mastered)
Lvl Up! Lvl-28 HP 2356/2356 MP 0/104
AP 0/32
Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.
Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.
Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.
*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.
*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally
*Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.
Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.
*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.
*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.
*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.
*HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%.
Abilities:
Apple Arts:
Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.
Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.
Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.
Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.
Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.
Sword Arts:
Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.
Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.
Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.