The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia

by MrAlterad

22. Lindblum

There were indeed, soldiers and Black Mages within. Though all the mages within were merely lifeless bodies. The Alexandrian soldiers were keeping watch, the city was taken, and occupied. Pinkie saw the looks on their faces, and it made her mad. The soldiers were smiling.

They took part in a whole-sale slaughter, and they were smiling. I don't like that smile, not one bit! She eyed every soldier they passed. No, not all of them. She noticed as they moved through the city, uninhibited, that only a number of the Alexandrian soldiers were smiling. Most looked dower, or outright terrified of what had been wrought of Lindblum. I guess the meany queeny didn't tell her soldiers to keep an eye out for us. Indeed, the soldiers never approached them, and they didn't recognized the princess, who had put her hood on to conceal her features.

Her anger didn't help much to stay her tears. Unlike Burmecia and Cleyra, she had partied here. She saw the alleys she had once decorated, filled with bodies and rubble. The homes of people she made smile, broken and burning. She walked past survivors, remembering their names almost as easily as those in Ponyville. And she walked past corpses of those she had once made happy, but now never again.

“Jeeze, no need to be so down Pinkie,” Discord started with a sigh, “Maybe you should be focusing more on the living instead. Otherwise, the party pony will just be the crying pony.” He pointed out, he didn't make her see anything out of the ordinary, only offering her his words. And she accepted his words, and started focusing on the survivors instead, closing the bodies out of her mind.

Many of the survivors recognized her, she had been the pony that livened up the Festival of the Hunt, after all. But there were no welcomes, no hearty greetings, only the quiet recognition of a nod as they all worked to find the pieces that remained of their shattered lives.

“This is just terrible,” Dagger admitted as she looked around. Gee, you think! Pinkie almost said out loud, but only a weak nod admitted that she had heard the princess.

“Just terrible?” Applejack asked in anger, “This is plain wrong, it's evil! Why would anyone wanna do this!?” she snapped, making Dagger flinch away. Seeing her flinch back, they both apologized and looked down. Just like the people of Lindblum, the ponies were not in the talking mood. Even Zidane had nothing to say, and he always had something reassuring to add.

“Tell you what,” Discord said, clearly not enjoying the atmosphere, “when you're ready to be a party pony again, just let me know, 'kay?” And with that, he winked away, but Pinkie knew he was still in her head.

Okey dokey lokey, sorry.

Wandering through the business district, they were coming close to where Spike, Freya, and Applejack had slain the Zaghnol. A familiar face caught Pinkie's attention. Artania was talking to several people around the small fountain near the smithery. The rest of the party noticed as well and quickened their pace.

“And I want you to allocate the soldiers to reconstruction.” He ordered, “Getting the citizens lives back on track is our top priority,” and the officer he talked to nodded and moved to carry out his order.

“Uncle Artania!” Dagger shouted in relief as they closed on him, prompting surprised from the minister. He quickly looked around, and not seeing any Alexandrian soldiers in the vicinity, responded to the party.

“All of you!? You're alright! It's so good to see your faces at a time like this.” He admitted with relief.

“Where is uncle Cid?” Dagger asked with worry, “Is he safe?”

“Yes, Princess, the castle was spared from most of the destruction, we've turned its lower levels into a shelter for the people while we work to rebuild.” He then frowned as he looked around at the ruins. “Lindblum is now under 'Alexandrian rule', but the regent is safe.”

“Thank goodness,” she let out, relief mirrored in her friends.

“It's good that he's okay, a man like him's a boon to Lindblum.” Applejack stated, looking a little happy. Pinkie's mood was lightened by seeing the minister, and hearing that Cid was well made her smile, but the smell in the air kept her smile small and modest.

“I shall take you to see him immediately.” Artania said, and they followed him to the castle. Walking past the lower floors, they saw refugees from the city grouped up inside, being handed out food, while the injured were being taken care of. Seeing the refugees reminded Pinkie of something important.

“Artania, the refugees from Burmecia, were they here when it happened?” She asked, hoping that wasn't the case, but still wanted to know if they had made it to Lindblum's lands safely.

“The Burmecian refugees have taken up residence at Gizamaluke's grotto until we all think it safe for them to return to Burmecia.” Artania explained, “Most of our fleet was supporting them when Brahne attacked Lindblum. We cleared out a region above the grotto for them so settle on, where some dangerous monsters had settled. They're safe now, and recovering,” he reassured as they climbed the castle.

Working through the castle, they were led to a balcony overlooking the ruined city, the large oglop that was Cid sat in a small, oglop sized chair, which almost made Pinkie snicker at, almost. Turning to the party, he was just as surprised as Artania had been to see them.

“Garnet!? I thought the queen had imprisoned you!” He admitted, relief in his voice. Artania bowed and left them, no doubt to handle the cities affairs.

“My friends rescued me,” she replied, indicating the others. Cid appraised them, smiling. His honest smile helped push away the last of the gloom that hung over Pinkie.

“Zidane, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done! <gwok!>” He thought for a moment before continuing, “What of the others, Spike and Freya?”

“Freya and Spike fell behind,” Dagger weakly admitted, “Though Beatrix is aiding Freya.” She added with a downcast look.

“Beatrix you say?” Cid affirmed, “Then I don't think you have to worry about her.” Her friends nodded in agreement.

She really is strong after all, at least, stronger then all four of us put together. Pinkies brow furrowed at the memory, She kicked our flanks pretty badly. I should become stronger! To make sure we don't get our tails kicked again~.

“Spike can find his way to us,” Zidane assured, drawing Pinkie out of her head. “And with Freya and Beatrix working together, they should be just fine. We wounded up in Lindblum instead of Treno, but they'll be fine on their own,” he then looked out over the city. “I think Lindblum and the queen requires more attention right now.” He admitted, though he wasn't happy to do it.

“So, how did you reach Lindblum so fast?” Cid asked curiously, “I heard that you were captured very recently.”

“We rode a creature called a gargant,” Zidane explained, “it lead from Alexandria to Treno, but things went wrong and we overshot our destination.”

“Ah, the gargant, that would explain it,” Cid said.

“You knew about it?” Dagger asked.

“It's my job to know the land surrounding my country,” Cid replied, “there is an entrance to that cave system near Pinnacle Rocks close to Lindblum, is that where you ended up?” He asked, and got a nod from Zidane.

“Though it is my job to know, sometimes I lack foresight. I knew your mother was after the eidolons.<gwok> But I underestimated their power.” He said as he looked over his ruined city in frustration. “Maybe I deserve to be cursed with this body.”

“You surrendered,” Zidane affirmed, “didn't you?” Cid nodded, “I'm glad you did. Cleyra was completely destroyed, at least Lindblum was spared that outcome." He admitted dowerly. Everyone was lost in thought following his words before Cid broke the silence.

“I've recently acquired more information concerning your mother's actions.” His brow furrowed as he continued, “A weapons dealer named Kuja is the man behind the recent string of attacks, <gwok> he's been enabling queen Brahne.” Zidane, and the ponies shared a look of recognition, and concern.

“That man, Kuja,” Applejack said angrily, “What do you know about him? We encountered him at Burmecia with Brahne, he seemed to be happy to see us Equestrians, I wanna know why.”

“Well, that's interesting. I wonder what he knows about your circumstances.” Cid wondered a moment before coming back to the matter at hand. “Kuja has been supplying Brahne with highly advanced magical weapons. And since he seems to have some interest in Equestria, I can only speculate where he gets his magic from.”

“Supplying my mother with weapons?” Dagger asked, confused.

“That's right, the Black Mages are among these weapons. According to eyewitnesses in Treno, Kuja often travels to and from the northern sky on a silver dragon. That he does so often, and from the north, suggests that he has some sort of base of operations on the Outer Continent.”

“The Outer Continent?” Dagger and Applejack asked in unison. Ahhh~ I missed my chance to join in that. It would have been an awesome jinx!

“There are many unexplored continents in the world,” Zidane explained, “the Outer Continent is located north of our continent.”

“Wait,” Dagger said, realization written on her face, “that man I saw in the castle. He must have been Kuja! He is the one who's been corrupting my mother!” She accused angrily, and everyone shared a look.

“If we take down Kuja,” Applejack began.

“Then the queeny meany will lose her weapons provider,” Pinkie proclaimed with a smiling frown.

“And he won't be able to corrupt her anymore,” Dagger said hopefully.

“We need to find out where he came from,” Zidane said, looking contemplative, “see where he's getting all this technology from, in the Outer Continent.”

“You caught on quickly.” Cid said with a sly smile, “Remove Kuja, and Brahne loses her supply. That will be our cue for a counterattack. She needs to be removed from the throne.” He proclaimed, Dagger looked sad at his words, but nodded. “Challenging her right now will only result in more casualties. Without Kuja, it shouldn't be too difficult otherwise, as most of my fleet is still intact.”

“So we gotta find Kuja, and break his toys!” Pinkie proclaimed.

“Yes,” Cid agreed, “even if we defeat Brahne, if Kuja is left unchecked, he may simply find other clients to sell his weapons.” Dagger nodded with his assessment.

“I can make no excuses for my mothers behavior,” she admitted, eyeing the ruined city, “but I won't forgive Kuja for taking advantage of her!” She paused briefly, and hesitated as she added, “But first, we must rescue Spike and the others.”

“I'm afraid I cannot spare any soldiers to aid you. <gwok>” Cid said apologetically, “The soldiers I still have in my city must remain to protect and aid our citizens.”

“Our friends will be fine," Zidane stated, "and at the least we can wait here a couple days for Spike to find his way to us. With the city locked under Alexandrian rule, I doubt we can get an airship to Treno now.” He then nodded to himself, “Spike's a powerful little guy, he'll be just fine. Burmecia's best dragon knight, and the infamous general of Alexandria, how could they lose?” He assured, then smiled, “Besides, you have me to protect you!” He finished with bravado, and his words assured Dagger, and Pinkie took solace in them as well. He's right, we've had it rough, but we're still kicking~! With a nod, Dagger came to a decision

“After waiting for Spike a couple days, We'll look for Kuja.”

“Sounds like a plan, let's kick that bastards tail!” Applejack proclaimed, getting a surprised look from the others by her language. “Er, what?” She asked, missing the point. Zidane shook his head, smiling as he turned to Cid.

“Will you lend us the fastest airship in Lindblum?” He asked, “if it's a matter of getting it past Alexandria, you can say it was stolen.”

“Airships can only fly where there is mist, and the mist only exists on this continent. <gwok>” He admitted, “That means you can't cross the ocean on an airship.”

“Well, how about a seafaring vessel?” Applejack asked.

“Or that new ship that doesn't run on mist? The one I heard you were working on,” Zidane asked.

“It's not ready yet. And it's under Brahne's control.” Cid gave out a long sigh as he explained, “She gave us two conditions for surrender. One was the new airship, the other was to hand over the Falcon Claw, the royal pendant of Lindblum, over to her.”

“I can understand the airship,” Applejack stated, “but what would she need a shiny rock for?”

“Hey! As a former rock farmer, I~ take offense to that~!” Pinkie declared, not serious in the least. Cid eyed the ponies and shook his head.

“I have no idea what she wanted it for. And we can't use our boats because the harbor was also seized.”

“Well, we could always swim.” Pinkie admitted, completely serious. The conversation was pulling them all away from the ruin that lay below them, letting the pink mare's silly side sparkle through.

“I would advise against that.” Cid replied, having actually taken the suggestion seriously. “There is a way to get there, probably. In a swamp north of the castle is an old excavation site.” Pinkie's head shot up at that.

“Oh, oh! I know that one! I slept in it my first night here, really spooky place. The monsters there were different too, I had to sleep in a cell to make sure they didn't get me!” She admitted. And the next morning she woke up seeing Discord, but she didn't feel the need to tell the others that.

“Yes,” Cid continued, “it's rumored that those monsters come from the Outer Continent, there is likely a cave that connects the two land masses beneath the sea. It's certainly worth looking into.”

“It doesn't sound very reliable,” Zidane admitted, “you sure about this?”

“No, I'm not,” Cid declared.

“Well, I guess we'll find out. Not knowing is half of the fun, right?” Zidane added with a grin.

“Please, all of you, continue to protect the princess.” Cid said as he looked to her, “I will not bother trying to keep you again, I saw how well that worked out last time,” he added with a weak chuckle. “While you're all moving to stop Kuja, We'll prepare the counter attack.<gwok>” Cid brought out a piece of paper and wrote a letter, and presented it to Zidane. “This will allow the blacksmith and store clerks still in operation to give you four priority, I'm sure you could use their services before leaving for a different continent.” Pinkie nodded at his aid, having more than just her cannon and robes would be good, she needed to be stronger. For everyone.

They all thanked him for the gesture, and left the regent to facilitate the reconstruction of his city. They headed back down to the business district, and shortly after doing so, a familiar moogle greeted them. Mois had a letter from Spike, and they eagerly checked it out. The contents of the letter informed them that the baby dragon was going to go on an adventure without them.

“Wh-What!?” Applejack exclaimed after reading it. “He's still a baby! He can't just go off alone in this dangerous world!”

“Applejack, Calm down.” Zidane said, then looked confused by her choice of words. He gestured to point out that they were getting worrying looks from the nearby soldiers.

“He's right AJ,” Pinkie assured, “Spike is going to be fine. I mean, he's the most fine out of all of us, right?”

“Huh? How do ya reckon that,” Applejack asked as she confronted the pink mare.

“He hasn't seen Burmecia, or Cleyra. When we saw the dead soldier when we were last here, he didn't understand what was going on. And now he doesn't have to see this." She said as she indicated the ruined city. “I envy Spike right now. He was having all the fun, without all the tears. “He'll be fine, so let him have his fun while he can.” She explained, and Applejack looked in her eyes, and her anger melted into frustration.

“I'm sorry,” she said, turning around and looking at the city, “I just wish we could do more. First Freya, and now Spike. I, I need a win, ya know. It's hard, to keep losing.” Her gaze fell to the ground as Pinkie approached her friend.

“Hey!” Zidane said, snapping Applejack out of the hole she was digging herself into. “None of that! We're going to find that Kuja guy, take him down, and make light of it afterwards, 'kay?” His anger then shifted to assurance, “They'll be fine, and we'll be fine. If you start believing that nothing good will come, then nothing good will. You want a win, then stick with me. We're going to win this.” His confidence was powerful, his words carried it through to his friends, and they took strength from them.

“I'm sorry,” Dagger said, looking to Pinkie and Applejack, “I'm so wrapped up in how I feel, that I didn't notice how you two were taking this.” She then smiled, trying to take a page from Zidane's book. “Who knows, maybe there's a way back to Equestria on the Outer Continent,” she offered in assurance. Applejack frowned, lost in thought from her words.

“I can't go back to Equestria, not with how things are right now.” She admitted, and Pinkie nodded in agreement.

“That Kuja is causing so many to be sad,” Pinkie claimed, “I wouldn't be able to smile straight if we returned home without saving our friends from him.”

“Really, you're fine with that?” Zidane asked in surprise.

“Well, yea,” Applejack declared, “A true friend, helps a friend in need. I'm not too sure about back home, but I do know fer sure that several of my friends here could use a true friend. Right Pinkie?” Applejack asked her.

“Right~!” She replied with a smile, then turned to the moogle, who had been patiently waiting on them. “Hey Mois, can you tell Spike that it's okay, and we hope to see him soon?” She nodded and began to fly off.

"Wait, Mois," Dagger asked, "Would you give this to Spike, it will protect him from magic. Let him know that I'm grateful that he helped me." She asked of the moogle as she gave her a small ring. Mois nodded again, and left to deliver their words and gift to the young dragon.

“Well,” Zidane said after they saw the moogle off, “if a true friend is going to be helping out, I suppose it's only fair to ensure they're properly equipped. Here.” He gave the two of them a large some of gil.

Wow!

“Yer givin' us yer share?” Applejack asked.

“I have more, remember, gaining a lot of gil is what I do,” Zidane explained as he looked over the city.

“Well, Thanks! This gil isn't going to spend itself, and we can pay a premium to help the city~” Pinkie proclaimed as she bounced off to where the shops that were still intact where. Let's try and turn this cities frown upside down! All the reassuring from Zidane had finally gotten to her, and if he could cheer her up, she had to try to do the same for everyone else.

“Now that's more like it!” Discord said as he reappeared in front of her, wearing a party hat. “Let's work some magic!” Pinkie bought some equipment, getting a blue hat, and a matching new robe. She spent the rest of her funds to buying what she's always wanted, smiles. She bought paint, wood, food, anything that could help the city. Scrounging out what she could get her hooves on, she had Applejack and Zidane help her with what she had in mind, and Dagger watched in wonder.

Applejack took charge of leading the citizens that were rebuilding. Applejack, Pinkie and Zidane took up a rhythm, and together they worked to repair several of the buildings in the business district. Applejack was the leader of the operation, putting the workers on the tasks they were best suited for. They focused on the quick work first, leaving buildings mostly destroyed as lost causes, they worked and worked through the day. While Applejack lead the team, Pinkie increased moral. In quick order she had managed to get the people they were working with smile again, and though she couldn't completely dispel the tragedy of what happened, she did instill hope.

When it all comes to ruin, sometimes all you need is a smile, and if not that, at least hope, to carry you on. She thought as she smiled from her efforts.

---

~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
~~~~~~~~~~~

'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'

'Alexandria didn't occupy Lindblum for long, as the queen was after the Falcon's Claw, they left as soon as her fleet was rearmed.'

'The Outer Continent has no nations, it is a mostly feral land, because of that the monsters there are stronger, less tame.'

'Though there isn't any mist there, monsters of the mist persist. But the reasons as to why are for a later chapter. Kupo.'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Items Acquired*

Mythril Fork Cannon: High Tide(mastered), Party Bomb(mastered)

*Feather Hat: Bright Eyes, Add Status

*Silk Robe: Ability Up, Loudmouth, Cake!

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl-18 HP 760/760 MP 82/82

AP 0/25

*Auto-Confuse (5) - Targets of your abilities and attacks have a chance to become confused.

High Tide (8) - Allows you to Trance faster.

*Pink Pie (6) - Party Pony! abilities cannot miss, and your beneficial abilities don't confuse your allies.

*Chemist (4) - Doubles the effect of Potion, Hi-Potion, and Ether.

*Auto-Potion (3) - Automatically uses Potion when damaged.

*MP+10% (4) - Increases MP by 10%.

Add Status (3) - Adds weapons status affect when you Attack.

*Ability Up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Loudmouth (4) - Prevents Silence.

Abilities:

Blue Magic:

Aqua Cannon 14 MP: Deals Water damage to all foes.

Bass Cannon 14 MP: Deals non-elemental damage to all foes, and a chance to silence them.

Fire Cannon 14 MP: Deals Fire damage to all foes, low chance to cause Heat.

Sand Cannon 14 MP: Deals Earth damage to all foes, and a chance to blind.

Party Pony!:

Pony Cannon 0 MP: Deals damage to single foe, does some damage to user.

Cake! 8 MP : Cures Trouble. Casts Haste and Regen to single target.

Party Bomb All MP: Deals damage to all foes. Deals more damage with higher MP.

Trance: Automatically casts Mighty Guard and Regen on the party. Blue Magic abilities become more potent.

Author's Note:

Whole lot of no ATEs this chapter,

Another round of thank yous to my readers for being awesome!