//------------------------------// // 38. The Prelude pt.3 // Story: The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia // by MrAlterad //------------------------------// Eiko was in a small storage room near the royal balcony. Unused armor and crates littered the corners, a table and several chairs stood in the room's center. She sat at the table, a hefty plate of assorted foods resting in front of her, and scattered paper decorated the table. The castle's pantry had been so large that she had gotten lost while rummaging through it's contents, twice, but she still pilfered herself a glorious meal, and got it to this side-room without notice. As she reaped her rewards, sharing with Mog, she found her mind wandering to her new friends. What's with Zidane, why hasn't he visited Dagger? Don't they like each other? Eiko considered them to be a perfect pair, and was curious as to why Zidane was suddenly keeping his distance from the princess. I should ask him when I'm done! She affirmed, nodding to herself as her thoughts wandered to her favorite pony. Pinkie... she spun some food on her plate as she considered the pink mare. She wanted to see her smile. Her true smile. Though she had only seen it for two days, those days stood out to Eiko. They were the days where she made new friends, the days where her loneliness came to an end. Even though it happened over a week ago, she was certain she would never forget them. And one thing that stood out, besides a particular dragon, was Pinkie's smile. Her smile seemed like magic, it was contagious, honest, and brimming with hope. Since Equestria appeared, however, there's been no sight of that golden grin. Eiko felt her eyes itch for a moment, and she shook her head as she rubbed them. Her eyes dry, she took a deep breath as she glared at her meal. Applejack better be right about this... Eiko didn't like being so far from Pinkie. By chance, Pinkie had witnessed her greatest sorrow, as Eiko had witnessed hers, and Eiko shared her sadness with her, to help Pinkie over hers. Eiko hadn't been alone in that effort. Thinking of the other one made her frown as she poked a piece of meat on her plate. Amarant called us weirdos, but he's the weird one! We're friends, and he doesn't even see it! She's watched the estranged warrior for the last week. He kept his distance from everyone, but was never too far away, especially from herself and Pinkie. A thought crossed her mind, an insight she hadn't considered before. Did he once lose someone too? She thought over the possibility for several moments before nodding to herself. The notion made sense to her, and would explain his actions. As she considered that, she traded some food from her plate to Mog's. Does he need someone to watch him? Maybe Pinkie and I should return the favor. Considering that option, she let out a sigh as her mind drifted to her other friends. At least Spike and Applejack don't need looking after... her thoughts then trailed off as the rest of her plate was cleaned off, staring at her plate, feeling quite full. Her eyes then widened as a troubling thought assaulted her. With Spike away, that means no bonding between him and Applejack. Doesn't distance make the heart grow fonder? She suddenly pictured Spike and Applejack running into each others embrace when he returned. She shook her head of the picture with great haste, Not good! She sat there a moment, considering how to prevent that mental image from becoming reality, and took in a sharp breath after a moment's thought. Oh! I know! She adopted a small grin as she pulled over a quill and ink. I'll write him a love letter! Bringing the paper before her, a fire burned in her eyes, its radiance comparable to the suns. I'm gonna write the most romantic letter ever written! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Gaian Egghead ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leaving the Burmecian in the library, Dr. Tot wandered through the castle, the topics his princess and the dragon knight were interested in dancing in his head. “Eight hundred years ago, the mist appeared.” He began, thinking out loud as he barely payed any attention to his whereabouts. “Now I know, it was the Iifa Tree, and this ritual's doing. But the monsters of the mist, they were more dangerous back then, they almost extinguished life on the Mist Continent.” He nodded to himself. “Four warriors, later called the Warriors of Light, left from Alexandria to tackle this problem, and after fighting an entity known as Chaos, the monsters became weaker, more manageable. The heroes became legend, their names lost to time. Their artifacts dwindled away as well, now, only the holy sword Beatrix wields remains.” As he spoke to himself, a pair of guards gave him an odd look. He passed them, completely oblivious. “So, Chaos is part of the ritual?” Not finding an answer within his reason, his mind moved onto the Burmecian's reason for coming to the library. “The Mist Dragon, Cecil and Kain. Over six hundred years ago, the Mist Dragon came, from someplace outside the Mist Continent, and the mist grew thicker with her arrival.” “Burmecia was the most affected, as they live in the mist. The King of Burmecia formed the Dragon Knights to take down the Mist Dragon. Kain Highwind proved to be the mightiest of the knights. He, along with Cecil, his old friend and adoptive brother, as well as several other heroes, slew the Mist Dragon.” He smiled a moment as he pictured the battle, before his smile faded to a frown. “However, due to the thickening of the mist, Kain betrayed his companions, under the affects of mist poisoning. Supposedly, he climbed the greatest mountain on the Mist Continent to purge himself of his guilt and poisoning. However, what became of him afterwards has been lost to time.” Dr. Tot let out a sigh, disappointed with the book keepers of ages past. “Chaos, Mist Dragon. No such calamity has afflicted our continent since. Well, not until Kuja came along, that is. Some force has been trying to put us down, for over eight hundred years. And yet, heroes rose up, and prevented it from happening.” His thoughts momentarily reaching a stopping point, he found himself near the royal balcony, a little confused how he had wandered there. “Hey!” A young voice called out, making him turn to it's source. His attention fell to a small child, with light purple hair, wearing pink and yellow clothes. She had a horn on her head. “You look like the bookish type!” she proclaimed, catching him off guard by her sudden proclamation. He chuckled at her observation as he nodded to her. “What gives you that impression?” “You really want me to explain?” The child asked him as she raised an eyebrow. “Oh yes, I'm very curious.” “Where should I start...” she speculated as she started pacing around Dr. Tot, looking him up and down. “First, your beard!” She began as she quickly divvied it out, counting up on her fingers. “Second, your nerdy hat! Third, your thick glasses! Fourth, you think out loud! Fifth, you smell like books!” She then nodded to herself, “All signs of a nerdy philosopher!” He was taken aback by how forthright she was with him, and let out another chuckle as she looked to him, confused. “You don't hold back, do you?” He asked as he took notice again of the horn on her forehead. She appraised him a moment longer before adopting a requesting stature, looking to the ground as she held her hands behind her. “Hey, are you a writer?” He nodded at her question as he stroked his beard. “Well, yes. I did make my living as a writer for a while.” At hearing that, she looked to him, adopting a smile. “Will you help me write a letter?” “A letter?” She quickly nodded. “Yea, a love letter! I tried one, but I don't think it'll make the cut...” “Hmm.” Considering he was now free, he saw no reason to refuse, and nodded, making her smile brighten. “I'll gladly help, if you think I'll be of assistance.” “Okay! Follow me!” And she quickly trotted off to a small room to the side of the hall. As he followed after her, his mind started to wander again, the focus, being the child. “That girl has a horn. That horn...” instead of his mind diving into a tome, he found himself digging up old memories he had nearly forgotten. “I had completely forgotten about it until now.” Or maybe completely forgotten... “I'd never been as surprised as I was that day. Ten years ago, a ship drifted ashore after a storm. Inside the ship was a woman and a young girl. The woman had perished. But the girl was still breathing.” He had stopped moving as he narrated his own memories aloud. The girl he had been following looked out of the room to him, confused. “I was quite surprised, when I saw the girl's face, because the girl, looked exactly like Princess Garnet, who had just passed away.” He then shook his head, “Well, almost like her, there was an exception, the girl had a horn.” He had always wondered where that child had come from. “A human with a horn...” He then let out a sad sigh. “And the king, he ordered the horn be removed. Afterwards, he and Brahne chose to raise the child as Garnet.” Dr. Tot looked up, realizing the child he was following was waiting for him impatiently down the hall. I wonder, is she related to Princess Garnet? He thought as he went into the storage room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Shadow of a Smile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zidane left the inn, hoping some fresh air would clear his mind. Taking in the late morning sun, he briefly considered the idea of leaving Alexandria for a while to help distract himself from Dagger, then frowned as he realized the fresh air wasn't helping. Before he start considering rash actions, he noticed Pinkie traveling down the road, shooting festive decorations all over the area with surprising ease and practice. He recalled the message Blank passed onto him from Applejack several minutes ago, and scurried into a nearby alley so Pinkie wouldn't notice him. As she passed, he could see that she was looking better. She wasn't the same pony he met in Lindblum, but closer to how she was when they were at Cleyra. He smiled to himself, he found her resolve admirable, and enviable. He then frowned as he once again pictured the distance between himself and Dagger, now that she would be queen in two days, and shook his head. “You should leave her alone.” The deep, demanding voice instantly put Zidane on edge as he backed away from Amarant, his daggers drawn in favor of his double-sword. “You want to fight?” Amarant questioned, crouching low, nimbly putting on his claws, his aura inviting Zidane the first strike. Zidane took in his expression, sighing, un-surprised at the warrior's open hostility to him. Zidane simply shook his head as he sheathed his blades. “I wasn't going to bother her. Applejack asked me not to, so I won't.” He then appraised the tall man, “What are you doing? You following her?” Zidane asked with a raised eyebrow. Amarant actually hesitated, surprising the rogue. “I'm making sure nothing goes wrong.” Hearing that, Zidane gave Amarant a smug grin. “What could go wrong?” Zidane asked, sure of himself. “She's been down before, but she has us, and because of that, she's trying to pick herself back up.” While Zidane was certain of this, Amarant was quick to shake his head. “You never get over losing someone.” Zidane looked at him, surprised. “That's pretty telling, for someone who doesn't understand friendship.” “Tch, I don't understand friendship, it's not an aura, it's not something I can easily see. A person that's lost another, that's easy to see.” He then pointed to Zidane. “You may understand friendship, but I understand loss. It is a bruise that never heals, and you'll never know when you'll rub up against it, and be reminded of it.” Zidane frowned at him, offering no words against his. He folded his arms as he appraised the warrior before him. He radiated hostility, towards Zidane, and no others. Always when Zidane was nearby, he felt that man's anger directed at him. Just what is his beef with me? He won't tell me! Is this how it's going to be between us? Zidane saw something in Amarant when he dueled Applejack, beneath his hostility, his awkward interactions, was someone good. He helped Pinkie and Eiko, even though Amarant didn't understand why. Zidane suspected, that if it wasn't for him, Pinkie would still be with Applejack right now, unfit to be left alone. “Amarant.” Zidane cautiously stated as he looked up to him. “What is Pinkie to you?” Zidane felt something about the warrior waver upon hearing the question, and he looked to Zidane, confused. They stared at each other for a number of seconds before Amarant scratched the back of his head. He looked like he was about to say something, then simply folded his arms as he let out a small sigh. “Whatcha two dooin'~” the bubbly voice of Pinkie asked out from behind Zidane. Seriously! How are people sneaking up on ME!? Zidane thought as he quickly turned around, giving her a broad, concealing smile. “Hi Pinkie, fancy meeting you here!” She took in his smile, giving him a look that told him she wasn't convinced. “...Were you two worried about me?” She asked, her smile losing some of its enthusiasm as she looked between them. Zidane quickly glanced to Amarant, and saw that the man was seriously considering the question. “I'm simply watching to see if you're strong enough to stand on your own again.” Amarant replied, his aura unwavering. Zidane nodded as he turned to Pinkie, giving her an honest answer, that didn't answer her question. “I just happened by when Amarant decided to strike up a conversation with me.” He then nodded to himself as he smiled to her. She smiled back as she looked between them. “Thanks,” she said, confusing Amarant, as Zidane gave her a small nod. She started to turn around when she paused, and looked over her shoulder to Zidane. “Zidane. Applejack told me you've been avoiding Dagger. You should see her. She misses you.” She then parted with a small smile, blowing more decorations down the street as Zidane looked on. After she was out of sight, he turned back to Amarant. “I see what you mean. She was less than bubbly just now.” Amarant looked to Zidane, made a dismissive gesture and left, wandering down the back alley as Zidane looked on, shaking his head at the man's actions. Left alone, he considered what Pinkie said. He didn't like the idea of others looking out for him, it irritated him. He had to admit to himself, he didn't want to listen to what Pinkie suggested. Even though she was having a rough time right now, he felt a strong urge to brush off her words, and go elsewhere. Zidane frowned at himself. He wanted to ignore Pinkie's idea, but he also didn't want to disregard it. He kicked the cobblestone as he looked in the direction Pinkie had left, then the way Amarant left. Affirming that he was alone, he folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. I ... should see Dagger. But... He hesitated as he looked back to the way Pinkie had left. He didn't want to see Dagger by himself, he didn't think he'd be able to handle it. Applejack and Spike are gone. Pinkie's to be left alone. Amarant is out of the question. So that leaves Eiko ... Didn't she say she was going to explore the castle today? Zidane considered that for several minutes before nodding to himself. Leaving his indecision behind him, he abandoned the alley, heading to the castle to find his youngest friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “It's finished!” Eiko proclaimed proudly as she held the letter above her. “Spike will fall in love with me the instant he reads this letter!” she then turned to Dr. Tot with a beaming smile. “Thanks, mister!” Dr. Tot chuckled lightly as he nodded his head. “It was my pleasure, my lady,” he said with a bow. Eiko nodded and gave a light bow in turn as she moved to leave the small storage room, her original letter, and her new, better, sure-to-win-his-heart letter in hand. She paused at the doorway, her eyes widening in realization as she turned back to the doctor. “I almost forgot to tell you! I'm Eiko!” She then stood proud and tall, “And I'm from Madain Sari!” She then nodded to him as he gave her a contemplative look, “I hope to see you again. Bye bye!” And she turned and left, a spring in her step. Letters in hand, she felt it was time to track down one of her friends, and moved to leave the castle. As she strolled along, she considered what to do with her original letter. It would be a waste to just throw it away... Feeling a little giddy, she looked over both letters again, her heart feeling warm when she read the one the doctor helped with. Yea, the new one is definitely gonna work! She thought as she pocketed the letters, failing to notice that she had dropped both of them instead. Entering a large, two floored lobby, from the second floor, she started her way around the side to the spiral staircase that lead to the first floor, to the front gates. Before she reached the stairs, a soldier she'd seen before came around the corner of an adjacent hall, and they both stopped in unison at the sight of each other. Eiko's seen this woman spar with Applejack. She's heard the stories of the battles they had with this woman. She knew what the general of Alexandria did to a nation called Burmecia. She understood from the novels she read back home the scope of this woman's actions. The general was surprised to see Eiko, then smiled as she approached her. “How'd someone your age get in here? You can get in a lot of trouble, wandering into the castle alone.” She offered Eiko her hand, bending forward in an open gesture. “Here, I'll lead you back to the city, I'm sure your parents are worried about you.” Now it was Eiko's turn to be surprised. The warrior seemed completely different from the woman she saw fighting Applejack, different from the stories she'd heard. And yet, Eiko took a step back, giving her an unfriendly glare. “I don't need the help of a killer.” Eiko defiantly replied, making the warriors unpatched eye open wide in surprise. Her face swiftly shifted from surprise, to sadness, then to a cold mask that showed nothing. That was the face Eiko had seen when she fought Applejack, a cold face lacking any warmth. “You still shouldn't be here.” She stated as she abandoned her welcoming hand, “This is the castle, commoners can't be allowed to-” “I'm a friend of Dagger!” Eiko quickly declared as she leaned towards the general, “Which makes me better than a commoner!” “Dagger?” She asked, then realization dawned on her face as she looked to Eiko in a new light. “Oh, you're a friend of Applejack.” She affirmed as she looked to the side. “My mistake, do as you wish. I'll inform the princess you're here, Ms...” “I don't need help of a killer! Besides, I was just leaving anyway.” Eiko was about to turn to leave, ending the conversation there, but a notion crossed her mind. Applejack fought this woman to become stronger. She was also the general of Alexandria, and personal guard of Dagger. How can Dagger and Applejack stand working with her? She wondered as she turned back to the woman. “How can Dagger and Applejack stand working with you?” She asked, making the warrior look taken aback. She looked to Eiko, considering her for a moment before nodding to herself. “Because I'm strong.” Eiko's eyes narrowed at her answer. “Killing others makes you strong? If that's strength, then I don't want it, and neither would Applejack!” The warrior's eye narrowed in turn. “Sometimes, killing is the only answer. That man, Kuja, he helped guide the Mist Continent into it's current state, are you saying he's undeserving of death?” The warrior had abandoned treating her like a child, much to Eiko's satisfaction. Still, her question did make Eiko hesitate. Briefly considering it, Eiko found that though she had never considered such a thing, she knew she wouldn't kill him, despite what he's done. She nodded to herself as she looked back to the general. “I'm saying I wouldn't kill him!” the general sighed as she shook her head. “That's because you're simply a child. This Kuja caused one of your friends to lose someone important to her.” Eiko looked surprised that she knew that, “I don't doubt your companions would kill Kuja if presented the chance.” Eiko immediately shook her head. “Pinkie wouldn't!” saying that, her other friends flashed before her eyes, and she realized something. “And because Pinkie wouldn't, Amarant wouldn't. And Dagger, and Zidane!” Indeed, Eiko saw that if Pinkie asked to spare Kuja, the others would follow. They might bicker, and argue, but they would follow Pinkie's wish. Eiko felt her chest ache slightly when she realized it wasn't limited to Pinkie. If any of them spoke up for Kuja, he would be spared. She had truly been blessed with good friends. Her smile, however, was short lived as she heard the general let out a sigh. “That man is a villain. I'm certain, Applejack would slay him, if he tried to harm any of her friends.” Eiko didn't have an immediate comeback to that. In her eyes, Applejack was noble, strong, kind, stubborn, and protective. But... “Spike wouldn't let her.” Eiko admitted, looking to the ground as she said it. She then looked back up to the general. “And neither would I, or Pinkie!” The general folded her arms as she looked to Eiko. “If Applejack's company will not kill the man that compelled my queen to cause mass murder, then I will.” “Oh, like you're one to talk! You helped Dagger's mother cause mass murder!” “I was following the orders of my queen.” She stalwartly replied, almost as if she had practiced it. Eiko raised an eyebrow as she leaned up towards her. “So? Did you like doing it?” “Yes, I took pride in serving her. Even if she didn't care for my efforts.” “So you were fine killing all those people!?” That specification made the general hesitate as she looked down at the blade sheathed at her hip. “No, I wasn't.” “Then why did you not kill them!?” “I would have gone against-” She quickly began to reply defensively, then stopped as she realized the truth of her defense. She would have gone against her queen, and yet she had ended up doing that regardless. “Moogle got your tongue!?” Eiko mocked as she stuck her tongue out at the general. “I, I don't need to explain myself to a child!” “Applejack wants to be strong, stronger than you!” Eiko declared, giving her a sly smile. “Applejack's already stronger than you. She would never do what you did.” “Hmph, she's yet to prove her strength to me! And now I doubt I can trust her to manage Kuja.” The warrior looked to Eiko for a moment longer before blinking, almost confused as her shoulders sagged. She let out a tired sigh, and for a moment, Eiko saw a great fatigue hang over her, but it passed as quickly as it appeared. “Yes, you're definitely a friend of Applejack. Her friends seem to have a knack of making me lose my composure.” She let out another sigh as she approached Eiko. “Child, what is your name?” Eiko considered not giving her an answer, but considering the woman could ask Applejack later, decided to concede her name. “I'm not a child, I'm a gown-up! And the name's Eiko!” “Eiko. Burmecia and Lindblum require justice for what my queen did to them. Kuja has yet to pay his dues, and his dues are worth his life.” She then nodded to herself, “If Applejack cannot do it, then I shall.” Eiko sought to get her riled up again, but saw a fire in the warrior's eye that made her pause. The general took that opportunity to disengage from her, leaving Eiko alone as the general of Alexandria walked off, a ponderous expression on her face. Eiko watched her go, now wondering what she was trying to accomplish by pestering the person Dagger and Applejack were relying on. Losing herself to trying to figure that out, she continued on to leaving the castle- She tripped over the carpet's edge, sending her rolling towards the balcony's railing. Before she could even register that she had tripped, she had slipped through the guard rail's bars, and found herself in free fall for a moment, her heart practically jumping out of her chest. She jerked suddenly as her fall immediately halted, seemingly in mid air, the air being knocked out of her lungs as she gave out small coughs. After composing her breathing, she noticed that she was now stuck. Her wing ornament on her back spared her from falling to the ground ten feet below her. It had gotten caught on a large stone statue, and try as she might, she was unable to shake herself loose from the part her grandfather's gift had caught onto. Looking around, she no sign of the general, or anyone else for that matter. Mog let out a weak kupo as Eiko let out a tired sigh. “Mog, do you think this is grandfather's idea of a practical joke?” Mog had no answer to lift Eiko's mood as she was left hanging, waiting for some passerby to come along and save her. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Moogle Notes: ~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Dr. Tot studies history! Being Garnet's former teacher, helping children comes naturally to him.' 'It's kinda scary, how much the Mist Continent has been affected by the Iifa tree. It even has it's name because of that tree! Kupo!' ~~~~~~~~ Eiko Carol ~~~~~~~~ Items Equipped: Lamia's Flute: Float(mastered), Stona(mastered), Silence(mastered) Lamia's Tiara: Clear Headed(mastered), Confuse, Float(mastered) Elem-Def: Wind damage reduced by 50%. Mythril Armlet: Bug Killer Survival Vest: Locomotion(mastered), Antibody(mastered), Mug Fairy Earrings: Level Up, Body Temp(mastered), Regen Raises Wind Elem-Atk. Lvl-30 HP 1230/1230 MP 133/133 AP 0/25 *Auto-Regen (10) - Automatically casts Regen in battle. MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%. High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster. Body Temp (4) - Prevents Freeze and Heat. *Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster. *Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster. Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep. Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom. Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence. Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify. Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged. Locomotion (4) - Prevents Stop. *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. Regen 14 MP - Gradually restores HP. Life 8 MP - Recovers from KO. Panacea 4 MP - Removes Venom and Poison. Stona 8 MP - Removes Petrify and Gradual Petrify. Shell 6 MP - Reduces damage from magic attacks. Protect 6 MP - Reduces damage from physical attacks. Haste 8 Mp - Increases targets speed. Silence 8 MP - Causes Silence, which disables magic in single/multiple targets. Reflect 6 MP - Reflect magic attacks back onto caster. Float 6 MP - Allows single/multiple targets to float in the air. Summon: Carbuncle 24 Mp – Casts Reflect on all party members. Fenrir 30 MP - Causes Earth damage to all enemies. Trance - Allows use of Double White Magic.