//------------------------------// // 39. The Prelude pt.4 // Story: The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia // by MrAlterad //------------------------------// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Persevering Party Pony ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So, sugar, yer a friend of Zidane?” Ruby asked the pink mare as the two of them stood outside of Ruby's mini-theater. The theater was housed in the bottom floor of a small shop, nestled away in one of the many alleys of Alexandria. “You betcha!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically, then looked to Ruby inquiringly. “So, you're all like, a merry band of actors and thieves?” Seeing Ruby give a proud nod, Pinkie pressed on, “So then, maybe you all should put on a play for Dagger- I mean princess Garnet! I bet she'd totally like that!” “Ya really think that'll fly? Well, gosh, I suppose-” Ruby was interrupted when she caught sight of Blank heading down the alley, her brow furrowing as she turned to him. “Where in tarnation have you been! And don't tell me its fer that promise! Baku told me you returned hours ago!” Blank suddenly looked put on the spot, and blushed lightly, which Pinkie took note of as she gave him a smile. “Thanks for helping AJ, Blank~!” Pinkie said, getting a nod from the red headed rogue. Using Pinkie's gratitude as a distraction, he slipped past Ruby into the theater, who looked to him, wanting to ask him something, but unable to get it out. “So, since you're Zidane's friend, and I'm Zidane's friend, that means we're both friends!” Pinkie declared, getting a bemused look from Ruby. “Sounds right to me! Wanna watch us perform? On the house!” Pinkie briefly considered it, then regretfully shook her head. “I still got so much to decorate! But you can bet I'll wanna see later!” “Well, alrighty then.” Ruby turned, about to enter the theater, when she stopped, considering something before looking back to Pinkie. “Ya mind helpin' Zidane? He's got some heart-ache, and he won't take any help from us!” Pinkie's brow furrowed, and gave Ruby a stern nod. "Oh thank you! I really 'preciate it!" Smiling to her, Ruby left, leaving Pinkie alone. Well, now Pinkie is in a pickle! Pinkie thought as she wandered down the alley. Applejack wants me to be by myself, but is it okay to not be by myself if it's to help a friend? Pinkie considered that for several moments. She really wanted to talk to one of her friends right now. Seeing how Ruby looked to Blank, somehow reminded the mare of how lonely she now felt. When Ruby asked for help, she found she couldn't say no. Her ears shot up, as a simple solution presented itself to her. Oh! I know! I'll see if he's gone to the castle, like I suggested! If he goes, then I don't have to help him! Then, she wouldn't disappoint Applejack, who's been by her side for as long as she could since the Iifa Tree. Thinking to herself reminded her of the silly, distracting commentary that was no longer present. She felt a wave of loneliness wash over her as she appraised the necklace, his memento, around her neck. Discord... He was the only one that knew of the serious pony hidden beneath the silly, and with him gone, Pinkie found herself unable to bear that fact. Fulfilling the promise she made to Applejack near the Iifa Tree, she told the mare about her hidden self. Pinkamena, buried beneath countless smiles, surfacing in the face of the dangers offered by Gaia. Thanks to Discord, Pinkie was both the bubbly party pony and the straight-maned pony that grew up on the rock farm. She showed everyone the party pony, and held the serious pony to someone she couldn't hide it from, Discord. Now, Applejack knew, and she kept Pinkie's serious side, her personal secret, to herself, a gift Pinkie truly treasured. Starting to feel tears come on, she then shook her head of them, adopting a smile, and blew more festive decorations down the street, any onlookers none the wiser. Come on Pinkie. We can do this. Let's make everypony smile! She assured herself, trying to ignore the ache in her breast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Freya let out a sigh as she left the royal library. Another dead end. Her brow then furrowed, Damnit, guess I need to go to Treno. Her search for a complete copy of the legend tied to Fratley's amnesia had turned up dry, again. The library in Burmecia was razed when it was attacked, and the information she came upon in Garnet's castle only had cursory info concerning Kain's legend. That means I need to find some stuffy noble that has a copy, and buy it off them! Freya groaned at the prospect as she headed down into the lobby. Before she found herself too lost in thought, the crumbling of paper brought her back to where she was. Looking down, she saw a pair of folded letters laying on the carpet. Picking them up, she saw 'To Spike' written on the side of one of them, and assumed they were both for the young dragon. Did Princess Garnet write these? After considering the notion for a moment, she pocketed the letters. Well, I can deliver them for her. It's the least I can do after what she's done. Shortly after returning to Alexandria, Garnet had issued orders to send aid to the Burmecian refugees, along with the message of peace between the three nations. News of Brahne's death was celebrated by Freya's people, yet Freya herself found little joy in the queen's demise, which had surprised the dragon knight. Continuing on, she reached the lower lobby, looking to lose herself in thought again. Kain, he betrayed his comrades because of mist poisoning. Is there some trickery at work concerning his lance? What if- Her thoughts were interrupted when her gaze was drawn to something pink. Hanging from the arm of a statue, was a small girl wearing a pink and blue shirt and yellow pants, with short purple hair, and a horn. As Freya took her in, the child was also taking her in. Both were quite surprised by the unexpected encounter, and simply stared at each other for several moments before breaking the silence. “Do you need help getting down?” “Well, don't just stand there. Help me!” They stated in unison, both going wide-eyed upon hearing the other. Freya then gave her a small grin as the child blushed. After moving around to get a look at how the child was caught, Freya made a short hop, surprising the child as Freya swept her up and freed her from her perch. Landing softly, Freya kneeled down, and the child gingerly put her feet on the ground. The child turned to look up to Freya, a little embarrassed. “So, uh. Thanks! I'm Eiko Carol, from Madain Sari!” Eiko then took in Freya's features, “Are you a Burmecian?” “Heh. I'm Freya, and yes, I am. And you're welcome.” Eiko's brow furrowed at hearing Freya's name, as if she had heard it before, but couldn't place where. “Well, I heard what happened to Burmecia. Sorry 'bout that.” Freya was a little surprised that this child could apologize for such a thing. Isn't she a bit young to understand what she's apologizing for? Freya thought as she shook her head. “No one your age has any reason to apologize for my people. Still, thank you.” Freya then considered something, “So, are you a friend of the princess?” Eiko gave a quick nod. “What about you?” Freya considered the question for a moment, before nodding in turn, making Eiko put her hands behind her back as she gave Freya a cute smile. “So, we have a friend in common! That makes us friends too!” Freya chuckled lightly, and nodded. “Well then, Eiko, I need to find my friends, interested in helping me?” Eiko considered it for a moment, then nodded. “We can look for my friends too, while we're at it!” “Sounds like a plan, are they in the city?” Eiko nodded, and with that, they both moved, side by side, to the exit. “So, what're your friends like?” Eiko asked, with genuine curiosity. “What are they like?" Freya considered that for a moment, and found herself smiling as she reflected on them. "Well, one's a big flirt that tries to hit on any pretty face he comes across.” Freya's brow then furrowed as she adopted a sly grin, “And another likes to think she can best me at fighting monsters, heh, she sure tried.” The Festival of the Hunt felt so long ago to Freya, but she remembered it well. “And well, the last one, she was very annoying. But, she won me over after she helped me reunite with my...” Freya found herself blushing, and Eiko looked at her eagerly, “With my betrothed.” “Ahhhh~” Eiko let out as she gave Freya a sweet smile, “You're lucky! Sounds like you've got great friends! Just like me!” “Do tell.” “Well, there's the princess. She's nice and considerate and she's a summoner! Just like me!” What? What do they summon? Freya wondered as Eiko went on, uninterrupted. “And then there's my hero~!” She said as stars lit her eyes, then she shook her head. “But he's not in the city right now.” She nodded to herself, “Then there's this big guy, doesn't say much. We're friends, but he just doesn't get that. He's been a big help to another friend of mine...” Eiko looked dower for a moment, making Freya pause. They had reached the moat, the boat was on the other side, and slowing working its way across to pick them up. As they waited, Eiko looked to Freya, realizing the attention her expression was drawing, and shook her head. “My friend, she's been sad all week. It hurts, seeing her like that. She was always happy before... well...” Freya gave Eiko a sad smile as she put her hand on her shoulder. “You don't need to talk about it. I understand,” Freya said, leaving the rest of Eiko's sentence unsaid. To Freya's surprise, she saw recognition in Eiko's eyes. She's pretty sharp for someone her age. Eiko looked to Freya, considering something before giving her a smug grin. “My friends are better!” Eiko proudly proclaimed, and Freya was taken aback by the declaration, and wouldn't take it standing up. “Oh? I'll have you know my friends helped me fight a powerful general, a great guardian of the grotto, and we took part in a daring rescue!” “Well, I helped my friends break an old seal, climbed into a large and scary tree, fight a giant rock monster, oh! And we fought a hill giant that we totally blew to bits!” Freya looked at Eiko, unsure if she was telling the truth or not, as the boat arrived. Eiko, taking Freya's silence as a sign of victory, continued giving Freya a smug grin, as they boarded. As Freya started to think of a way to one-up her comment, Eiko seemed to realize that she was missing something, and looked back to the castle in alarm. “Freya, mind waiting for me on the other side?” She asked as she got off the boat, turning to the knight. “I dropped something, I'll go get it real quick!” Freya nodded, and seeing that, Eiko quickly ran back to the castle as the boat started taking her to the other side. As Eiko ran off, Freya realized that she not only technically lost to a child, but that she had just tried to one-up said child. Heh. Freya shook her head with a smile as she waited to reach the other side of the moat, her thoughts drifting to her missing friends. Still. Just where are they? I'd at least expect Applejack to be around the castle, or Pinkie out and about making a ruckus. Her eyes then widened, Did, did they find a way back home? Freya now found herself torn. If that was the case, she was happy for them, but sad that she hadn't been given the chance to say goodbye. Perhaps I should have asked Garnet... Her brow then furrowed. Where's Zidane! I need to know what happened! Disembarking from the boat, she looked back to the castle, not seeing Eiko waiting on the other side just yet. Moving up the small dock, looking for a better view of the city, she paused when she noticed a tall figure with red dreadlocks walking towards the dock. Something about the man radiated power, and a small amount of hostility, and when her eyes fell on him, she stopped. He stopped as well, and they both appraised each other for a moment. What? What does he want? Something about the man set her off, adding to the poor mood thinking of Zidane had put her in. “What are you staring at?” Freya asked as she slowly reached for her spear. “Hmph,” the man began as he crossed his arms, “Just a rat looking for a fight.” “Hah!” Freya spat out as she brought her spear out, “Try me!” the man nodded as he adopted a pair of clawed blades. “I don't go looking for trouble, but I'll fight back if trouble finds me!” Something about the man radiated off of him, a welcome invitation. No longer hostile, but something closer to excitement. Freya gave him a sly smile. I could really use a good fight! She thought, then she lunged towards him, thrusting her spear forward. With starling strength, he grabbed her spear, instantly halting her attack. Bringing his other hand to punch her, Freya let go of her weapon and ducked beneath his swing, sweeping her legs under him, tripping him. He lost grasp of her spear, and Freya reclaimed it, hopping several feet back, her legs crying out in pain as she landed. Damn! Kicking him hurt! What's he made of!? Freya paced around him as he spun back to his feet, also appraising her. This time, he made the first move, lunging towards her. Freya jumped over his charge, bringing her spear down on his exposed back. To her surprise, he managed to parry her attack with one of his claws, as if sensing the coming, unseen blow. It didn't take too long for Freya to figure out the logistics of this duel. He had power. She had speed. Realizing that, she adopted a smug grin as she dodged a coming blow. As long as I avoid his grasp, this fight's as good as mine! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATE: Onlookers ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two Alexandrian guards looking over the dock stared on as the red and green warrior fought. The two combatants moved so quickly that it was difficult for one of the guards to follow, so she simply looked to her friend with a small smile. “Well, Celeste, they're disturbing the peace. Aren't you going to arrest them?” Celeste looked to her friend as if she was mad. “I don't feel like signing up for an early retirement, thank you very much!” She then gave out a small sigh, “And besides, one of them is a Burmecian. After what our forces did...” She then shook her head, “If you wanna stop them, Tina, go right ahead.” “I ... think I'll just watch.” Then Tine's brow furrowed as she looked back to the two fighters, “Or, at least try too.” “Wow,” an unexpected voice stated from behind them, dragging their eyes away from the spectacle, “I kinda want to paint their portrait.” “Realm!?” The two guards stated in unison. “It's been so long!” Tina admitted as she gave the South Gate attendant a hug. “Did you come for the coronation?” She asked her friend, and Realm gave a small shrug, then gave them a grin as she pulled out a portrait she had painted several weeks ago. “Well, the cable cars can't run without mist, so I'm out of a job. Still! I ran into the Master Hunter while working. It was awesome!” Celeste and Tina took in the portrait, always welcome to see what she drew. A small dragon, clothed in robes and a wizardly hat, standing over a fallen monster, fire and ice summoned in his claws. “Hey, isn't that-” Celeste began. “Spike!?” Tina interjected, recalling the purple dragon they met outside the gates of Alexandria several weeks ago. “So, that's where the little guy's been!” “Oooo~~ Did someone say Spike!” A bubbly voice rang out from behind them, and they all turned to a pink pony dressed in a blue robe and hat, splotched in paint. “Wow~ What an awesome picture!” The pony then looked to Realm, giving her a big smile. Something seemed off about the smile to Tina, but Realm took her words in and returned a smile of her own. “Spike's a friend of mine,” the pink mare continued, “he's just the most amazing dragon ever~! This one time-” she was interrupted when her eyes fell upon the two combatants, all but forgotten by the soldiers and tram attendant. “Freya?” The pinkie mare asked allowed, surprise dominating her features as the others shared a confused look. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Knicks, cuts, bruises, sprains. Both combatants sported superficial wounds. Neither have been able to land a solid blow on the other. And Freya was enjoying every second of it. And she could tell that he was too. They lunged at each other again, a fire in her eyes, his aura matching her radiance. They passed each other, sporting new cuts as Freya pivoted, using her spear to quicken her turn. She was in the zone, and nothing was going to break her out of it, short of passing out, or winning. “Freya?” No, not even the voice of a dearly missed friend was going to distract her as she jumped high, putting her weight behind her spear as she landed down towards her foe. “Freya~~!!” Not even the annoying shrill of said friend screaming out in joy would detract her, as her foe caught her spear as she came down. The ground underneath him cracked as he stood unflinching. Freya staring at him wide-eyed as he swung her spear in his grasp. He let go of the spear, sending her flying back. She caught herself on the side of a building, and jumped towards him. Not even the sound of a party cannon firing a pony was going to- Wait- Freya's climatic duel came to a crashing end as a ball of pink and blue collided with her in mid air. The force of the impact caused one of the letters to fly out of Freya's clothes, and the wind was knocked out of her as both she and Pinkie ended up crashing into the moat. Freya and Pinkie both surfaced at the same time, Freya desperately taking in air, while Pinkie let out a heartfelt giggle, helping Freya back to shore as the warrior collected herself. The dip in the moat had washed away the fire that had been driving Freya moments before, now simply replaced with confusion. After getting out of the moat, Freya looked to Pinkie, not sure if she should be happy, or upset that her fight had been interrupted. Pinkie decided for her, surprising the dragon knight with a firm hug. “P-Pinkie?” Freya asked, suddenly feeling as though something was off about the friend she was now happy to see. She could feel the mare's shoulders trembling, prompting Freya to recall how they had parted. She, She must have been so worried. Freya adopted a warm smile as she returned the hug. “Freya, I'm glad your okay.” Pinkie got out as she shoulders stopped shaking. “Like, really, really glad. So glad, I'm crying. It's funny, right?” Freya gave a small nod, that Pinkie felt more than saw. “I'm glad to see you too, Pinkie... Heh, I was starting to worry that you returned to Equestria without saying goodbye.” “A-As if!” Pinkie proclaimed as she separated herself from Freya, rubbing her eyes before giving her a wide smile. “Pinkie, Freya, you okay!?” Eiko's voice called out, and Freya saw that the boat was just returning, and the small child was using some sort of spell to float over the water towards them. Wait, so Eiko is friends with Pinkie- “So,” the voice of the man Freya had been dueling began, also drawing the knight's attention, “This Burmecian is a friend too?” He asked to Pinkie, who quickly nodded. “Hey, Freya?” Pinkie asked as she composed herself, helping Freya to her feet, who was surprised that the big man and Pinkie were acquainted. “Yes?” Freya asked, trying to block out her surprise and focus her attention where it needed to be. “Is your schedule clear for that biiiig welcome back party I promised you?” Freya immediately recalled the promise Pinkie made to her outside Burmecia, and gave the mare an honest smile. “Well, the rest of my people are at the Grotto, but I wouldn't mind a small party, just for us.” And that got another hug from the mare, and they both shared a moment of pure mirth. “Freya?” Another unexpected voice drew the knights attention. Zidane stood back a bit, taking in what was going on. “Well I'll be,” he began as he adopted a slightly smug grin. “Hey, Zidane!” Pinkie began as she got up, leading Freya to him, the others following. “Looky what I-” Then Pinkie's eyes widened as she took in someone behind Zidane. “Freya!?” The orange mare asked as she looked from the gates, seeing nearly all her friends gathered together near the moat. “Aren't ya a sight fer sore eyes!” Applejack quickly trotted up to join them, whatever poor mood she just had, dispelled by all the friendly faces. “Hey, AJ! Looky what I~ caught!” Pinkie proclaimed as she pushed Freya forward, who looked completely flustered as she looked between Zidane and Applejack. “Well," Freya began, trying to sound composed, "looks like we have some catching up to do-” She was caught off guard when Applejack gave her a fierce hug. “Yer darn right we do, you silly oaf! Glad yer okay!” Applejack heartily let out, and before she could abandon the hug, Freya found herself pinned between two mares. Zidane started to laugh as he saw Freya desperately try to free herself from the pony sandwich, only to become more exasperated when Eiko joined the hug with a big grin on her face. “Best glad-to-see-you-hug ever~~!!” Pinkie declared as Freya resigned herself to her fate, all while Zidane stood laughing, and Amarant looked on, his aura giving off a content color. And afterwards, they all sat before the moat, oblivious to onlookers, as they shared the stories they had made since their parting, when they were last in Alexandria together. All with a smile on their faces. Amarant nodded to himself, satisfied, the aura Pinkie radiated, shined brightly, for now, free of loss. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Moogle Notes: ~~~~~~~~~~~ 'I always seem to be somewhere else when all the hugs are divvied out... Kupo~' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Freya Crescent ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Items Equipped: Partisan: Lancer(mastered), High Tide Gold Helm: Mental Break Reis's Wind(mastered), Clear Headed Thunder Gloves: Devil Killer, Add Status Elem-Def: Thunder damage reduced by 50% Raises Thunder Elem-Atk Mythril Armor: Jelly, Cover(mastered) Elem-Def: Water damage reduced by 50% Emerald: Haste, MP+10%, White Draw Lvl-25 HP 1675/1675 MP 98/98 AP 0/30 *HP+10% (4) - Increases HP by 10%. MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%. Distract (5) - Lowers enemy's physical attack accuracy. Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies. Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects. Undead Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to undead enemies. Dragon Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to dragons. Devil Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to demons. Man Eater (2) - Deals lethal damage to humans. Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts. Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack. High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster. *Cover (6) - You take damage in place of an ally. *Level Up (7) - Characters level up faster. *Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep. *Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom. *Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness. Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify. Clear Headed (5) - Prevents Confusion. Abilities: Jump: Action Command - Jump high, becoming untargetable for a time, before spearing your foe. Dragon Magic: Lancer 10 MP - Reduces the enemy's HP and MP. Reis's Wind 12 MP - Casts Regen on all party members. White Draw 36 MP - Restores MP of all party members. Trance - Increases attack power, and Jump attacks all targets and doesn't end until Trance ends.