The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia

by MrAlterad

26. Black Mage Village

The Black Mage couldn't run as fast as Applejack could, and it quickly found itself tangled in a bind summoned by Applejack that it couldn't get out of. Pinkie, with the princess riding her, caught up to see Zidane and Applejack questioning the roped mage.

“Well? Where's Kuja!?” Applejack asked as she stomped her hoof into the ground, causing the mage to flinch and cower, which immediately got Pinkie's attention.

It's scared? She thought as she was locked in place, the implications flashing through her mind.

“I wonder if it's a mindless monster,” Discord chimed in sarcastically. The image of a Black Mage being speared with a sword in a sad cave flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, she let Dagger off, and moved to Applejack's side.

“Stop it AJ, don't be a meany!” Naturally, Applejack looked to Pinkie, unsure of what she was referring to. Pinkie approached the mage, all traces of hostility replaced with with something more inviting. “Totally sorry about tying you up,” she stated, her words dripping with a level of friendliness that would make anyone take notice. “We just thought you were one of those bad mage's that makes everyone sad.”

“Applejack,” Dagger began, putting her hand on the mare's shoulder, “Let him go. He doesn't mean us any harm, we should show him the same.” Applejack hesitated, but after a moment, her rope dissipated, and Zidane moved behind the mage, his expression lacking hostility, but pragmatism.

“Hello! I'm Pinkie Pie,” she greeted him, a patented Pinkie smile poring over the mage, “And I want to be your friend!” And she offered her hoof to the wary mage, who gingerly took it.

“I- I'm Mr. 33.” He replied, his eyes warily taking in the others as his gaze looked to the possibility of escape. “You- you're not going to fight me?” He asked, his actions frozen under a layer of bafflement.

“Nu uh~ You're nice!” Pinkie assured, “And you can talk! And you ran instead of trying to shoot us with fireballs!” She nodded, a look of certainty shining through her. “All good things!” Mr. 33 eased up a little, no longer looking for an escape. “So, why can you do those things?” He looked to the others before replying, dropping his defensive posture.

“One day, I woke up, I was with others, but they were asleep. They walked, and did what they were told, but were not like myself. I left them.” Mr. 33 explained, a hint of regret trickling out. The party shared a look, unsure what to make of this.

“Well, how'd ya end up here?” His eyes quickly darted to Applejack, almost taking a step back before answering.

“I heard of others like myself, and came here to be with them.” Zidane nodded at his rushed answer, and looked to the mage.

“There are other Black Mages that have 'woken' up?” Zidane asked, “Can we meet them?”

“You see,” Pinkie chimed in, “We're looking for a big meany named Kuja,” her frown made Mr. 33 uncomfortable as she continued, “made a lot of bad days for a lot of people. Can you tell us where we can find him?” Mr. 33 looked between the four of them, the desire to flee evident, but a look of curiosity overpowered it.

“I- I don't know where he is. But Mr. 288 may know.” He considered them a moment more, “I can take you to him, at our village.”

“Oooh~ You'd do that for us?” she asked, and she resisted the urge to jump high into the air as she saw his affirmation. “That would be great! Thank you~!” Pinkie declared, once again giving him her patented smile, and she got one back. At least, she felt so, it was hard to tell with the Black Mage. He moved to guide them, away from Conde Petie, towards a large forest nestled in a large valley. As they traveled, Pinkie was drawn back to what she had done at Gizamaluke's Grotto.

Discord, is it bad that we've killed mages? Sounds like they're just sleeping when we fight them. Pinkie hid her worry from her friends, the image of a speared Black Mage kept flashing in her head. Killing them was wrong, they could think and have personalities too, and the realization slowed her pace. She cried when she slew the first Black Mages she had encountered, and that was when she thought they were monsters.

“You shouldn't get all bent out of shape,” Discord assured. “It's good that you're worried, and that you're sad.” He then poked her on the nose, which made her blink, “It means you care, and as that rodent said, it was them, or us.” He held his hand under his chin as he looked into the distance, “Well, I think she said something to that affect anyways.”

But- her reply was cut short. Discord harrumphed and got right in her face.

“Nope, we're not going to have any of that!” He said as he shoved a copy of Pinkamena into the party cannon, and fired her. Into the sun. “Stop moping!” His tone caught her off guard. “What's done is done, so focus on making these unsleeping mages smile!” His words played through her head, over and over, as she nodded, but as she was about to mentally thank him, her gratitude was interrupted by a realization.

Why are you still here? The poisonous mist was abandoned days ago, upon entering a transcontinental cavern. Shouldn't you have disappeared by now? He paused, and looked at her in surprise. Then, he put his hands behind his back, lightly kicking the dirt as he gave her a weak smile that made her pause, as he disappeared into mist. Discord? She no sign of the spirit as she looked around for him, and her breathing quickened as a familiar emotion started to take over her. Discord!? Her eyes dipped around, her heart beating rapidly, her blood running cold at the idea that he was gone.

“Right here, Pinkie,” She quickly turned around, oblivious to her surroundings as her eyes fell on her friend. Discord was kicking the dirt as he glanced at her from over his shoulder. “I'll admit, I'm glad I got a scare out of you. It means you care.” Happiness radiated from him.

So, you're not mist poisoning then? Pinkie let out a sigh of relief as she started moving with her friends again, giving them a reassured expression as Discord glided to her side.

“Well, I would be a lot less likely to take flack from you if you thought it was all just a bad case of misty blues.” She nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

So then, when I was sent to Gaia-

“A part of me got stuck on you when I tried to stop it.”

The idea that he tricked her, was overpowered by the fluttering in her chest. Even though only her eyes saw him, she had another friend by her side. He's always been there, helping to fight the ghosties. And as the memories of every hurt she witnessed on this world flashed before her, she came to realize something.

This whole time, she had a friend by her side.

“You're not mad?” His confusion born from her thoughts.

No, silly! You've helped me, even if it did mess with my head. He had given her the means to fight, and helped her through Gizamaluke's Grotto, and through so much more. She couldn't fathom what she would be like without him, but even considering the possibility made her step falter.

“Well, how about that,” he chuckled out, “Looks like I was worried over nothing!”

Discord.

“Yes?”

I'm glad you're with us. She hoped, with every fiber of her being, that he could feel the warmth she was feeling right now. I just wish the others could see you as well. Her thoughts made him pause, and his eyes fell to the others. He looked at Pinkie in a new light, and took on a ponderous expression before adopting a sly wink.

“I'll see what I can manage, so just you wait!” She mirrored the energy his words carried.

Okey dokey lokey! Her happiness at this moment was overbearing. No pony could contain it, so it washed over to her friends, looks of confusion masked by the mirth they received.

They traveled on back the way that had come, keeping the old forest in sight as they descended down into the valley. Pinkie conversed with Mr. 33, learning that he shared the responsibility of taking care of a chocobo egg with another Black Mage in the village.

As he went into how he had come to find the egg, they all stopped, mouths hung open as a light blue chocobo lept over them. With a purple flash, Spike stood in the midst of them, striking a pose born to inspire heroism. While the Black Mage had stumbled back, Pinkie had stumbled forward. Again, she was the first to act, and in a brief moment of confusion, she and Spike were on the ground, the baby dragon being almost smothered against her chest.

“Spike!? You decided to join us!?” She exclaimed, her heart flushing with joy. Spike tried to free himself from her, but he abandoned the notion and hugged back instead.

“Spike?” Applejack asked, her expression failing to mask her disbelief. “How'd ya get here?” There was a crack in her mouth, a small smile being hidden by her surprise. The dragon separated himself from his friend, and looked over the others, but Zidane spoke up before he did.

“Does it really matter?” He asked, giving the dragon a curt nod, and an assuring smile.

“Well, I'd like to know as well.” Dagger proclaimed, her emotions mirrored by the others, “Why did you decide to follow us?” The friends were all happy to see him, but confusion was the expression of the moment, leaving Pinkie out of the loop of bafflement.

“Well, you see...” And Spike told them about what he'd gone through over the last three days, and the motivations behind coming after them. And his friends reciprocated by filling him in on what they had gone through, and what they were intending. After catching up, Spike appraised the Black Mage.

“Hi! I'm Spike! I once met an number of others like you! Only, they never talked. But they did help us!” Then Spike's demeanor dropped as he looked to the ground, “They were really nice.” Despite the mood he was masking, his words seemed to make Mr. 33 happy. Trying to distract himself by his own thoughts, Spike's attention fell on his friends.

“Wow!” His eyes washed over Applejack, taking in the details of her armor, “Applejack, you look incredible! I don't even think the royal guards are as decked out as you are!” Applejack's face flushed as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Ah shucks, it's just armor Spike.”

“Armor that make's you look awesome!” He paced around her, getting a good look.

“Soo,” Pinkie began, releasing her curiosity, “Where's that blue bird we saw?” Spike was quick to turn to her attention.

“Mois is going with Choco to find something called a Chocobo's Sanctuary.” He explained, “With Mois at her side, she can find us when they find it. Then we can all find treasure together!”

“Well, I'm never apposed to finding treasure,” Zidane declared as his eyes gauged the forest before them, a hard look worn on his face. “But we should first address the matter at hand.”

“Oh, right!” Spike stated, masking his embarrassment, “We gotta take care of that first!” He then looked Mr. 33 over, “So this Mr. 288 know's where we can find Kuja? Well, let's keep moving then!” With that, they all went into the forest, following their guide within. Mr. 33 explained that the village was deep in the woods, where not even the owls dwell.

Wandering into the old woods, the dry, barren branches rattling in the wind, Spike shared his spoils to the others. Zidane and Dagger enjoyed a good deal of what he had plundered, but he caught Pinkie off guard when he offered her a ring. She eyed the ring for just a moment, before containing a grin trying to escape her features.

“Oh Spike, this is just too sudden!” She wailed as she got on her knees in front of the baby dragon. “I, I need to talk to Twilight, and my parents!” The distress in her voice only emphasized her exaggerated movements. “Oh~ I just don't know if it'll work out in our current situation~!” Pinkie proclaimed, feigning embarrassment. Unfortunately, her teasing was lost on Spike, however...

“P-Pinkie!” Applejack stuttered out, “He's not offering his claw in...” She hesitated when she saw the expression Spike was giving her, youthful confusion, and Pinkie tried her hardest to contain the powerful urge to say 'gotcha!'. Instead, she gave Applejack an expression that would make even her parents feel like they had wronged her.

“Well, how about you?” Spike asked as he turned to Applejack with the ring. Dagger and Zidane couldn't hide their mirth as the orange mare turned scarlet. Pinkie couldn't hold it in any longer, the pain of holding back becoming too much. She rolled on the floor, giggling, and Zidane and Dagger started to follow after her as Applejack stood there, unsure where her attention should be given.

“What's wrong Applejack?” Zidane got out as he held his sides, “I thought you knew he wasn't offering-” His sentence was smothered when his face was buried by rope. Applejack frowned at the others as she took the ring, and tossed it to Pinkie. Pinkie took a giggled breath to press the prank further, but the look Applejack was giving her gave her reason to pause.

Spike shook his head as Applejack freed Zidane from her own magic. He explained to Pinkie about the properties of the Reflect Ring, and that it was a gift from Dagger. Deciding it's power would be best shared, they agreed to trade the ring off once it was mastered by the wielder. Pinkie placed the ring in her mane, and still feeling the power within it, assumed that would suffice for 'equipping' it.

Traveling through the woods, they saw that the further they went, the less hooting they heard. Indeed, the forest became more and more still as they moved deeper within, until only the sound of dry leaves and twigs breaking underfoot broke the silence.

They fought a number of monsters as they moved, large owls with a penchant of telekinesis, and they combated the poisonous clouds summoned by large floating mushrooms.

They eventually reached a clearing of dried dirt, and Mr. 33 moved forward, motioning the others to stand back. Summoning his magic, the air within the clearing rippled, dispelling a barrier that concealed a swath of forest green with life, the sound of birds chirping poring over them. They followed after the mage, and shortly after passing the barrier, it sealed. Hiding the Black Mage Village from the rest of the world.

Reaching the small town, the buildings were round wooden huts, their roofs and buildings carrying a style representing of the mages themselves. The wood looked to be freshly cut, a light smell of sawdust sweetened the air. The roofs looked like steepled hats, and the sides of the huts had slits in the walls to make a smile and a pair of eyes, giving the homes a sense of personality. As they entered the town, a number of mages noticed them and quickly turned and ran.

“Heeeyyy~! Don't be scared! I just wanna be friends!” Pinkie proclaimed, her bouncing propelling her towards the mages. Mr. 33 followed her to assure the other mages, leaving the others behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Beneath the Soil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing Pinkie bolt off, Dagger and Applejack chased after her. Spike's curiosity compelled him, going off to take in the village, leaving Zidane alone at the town's entrance. Teleporting through the town, he was met with a better reception than the others, the mages were only concerned by humans.

He saw several shops, a large home that housed a chocobo egg, and a number of quivering mages that were apprehensive to talk to him, their attention drawn to looking out for the intruders. As Spike wandered through the town, he found a spot that demanded his attention.

It was a small clearing, a number of staffs were embedded into the ground with the hats and articles of mages placed upon the wooden markers. A serene breeze blew through the clearing, making the articles rustle peacefully. A mage with a staff, different from the others, hinting at great power, overlooked the area, and eyed the dragon as Spike approached.

“Well, hello outsider.” He causally greeted the dragon, as one would greet an old friend. “Are you with the humans that Mr. 33 brought here?”

“Yep!” He quickly declared, “I'm Spike, Master Hunter!”

“Well, greetings, I'm Mr. 288.” He then bowed to the dragon as he continued, “My apologies, but we're very wary of humans, the way they use us is, unsettling.”

“Is that why you're hiding out here in the forest?”

“Indeed, we escaped from Alexandria to settle here.”

“This is pretty far away!” All of them made the trek through that underground cave?

“Yes, because of the distance, there are no humans here, it's why we chose this place.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Spike said as he appraised the location. “So what is this place?”

“It's a cemetery.”

“A cemetery?” Spike asked hesitantly, something buried within his mind stirring from the concept, “So underneath the ground-”

“Yes, our friends are buried under here.” Mr. 288 Said, both quickly, and respectfully.

Spike looked at the cemetery, his thoughts falling silent as his eyes were drawn towards the markers. He understood what a cemetery was, but this was the first time he's witnessed one. Seeing it, something within him started to give way. His eyes pictured the dead mages buried beneath the soil, and imagined them being blown there by the Black Waltz. The dead laying there surrounded him with despair and sorrow, and it started to choke at him, making his breathing ragged.

“Why are there so many?” Worry washed over him as he considered the possibility that they had yet to face the true dangers of the forest. The village was young, and the thought of so many already having perished made him tremble.

“Because it's how we're made.” Mr. 288 replied, his voice carried a level of acceptance that made Spike envious. “We have a short lifespan. One day we're up and moving around, and the next, we're not.”

What? Just like that, they die? He saw his friends, one by one, stop moving and fall to the ground, lifeless, and his vision became blurry as his mind wandered towards a territory he had buried beneath him.

Death.

The fear he felt, the uselessness that made him angry with himself, when the princess was captured in the Evil Forest. The picture of the princess never being found clawed at him, and moved him.

Gaia was not Equestria. Here, death was around every corner. It walked the fields and attacked all that were too weak to stand against it. His trembling empowered his purpose, his will to attack. But it also held him back, a smile to never lighten his heart. So he buried the visions of death, under a layer of soil called adventure, smothering the notion under a lighthearted ideal. While he smothered the visions, his friends saw refuse in other means, which he envied.

Pinkie combated it with her smile, with her crazy enthusiasm. She placed herself above the tragedy that brought tears to her eyes, by looking for the smiles of others, and wrapping her heart in them, like a shield.

Applejack took it all it, her body assaulted by the tragedies, the despair, the failure. She stood bruised and battered, but she never fell, she took strength knowing that there were others she placed above herself. She would lay battered and broken, with a smile on her face, if she had succeeded in saving her friends.

Spike buried it. His eyes were closed to the thoughts that made him tremble. He held his eyes shut before all the death that lay before him, his heart quivered to see it. He had not felt the ravages of war as his friends have. Knew not the horrors of the eidolons, or the malice of their enemies. But he did know the blackness that was death, and it made him hesitant. He dared not stare at it, for the fear of it staring back.

Spike sat down, his legs weak as his thoughts assaulted him.

The blood on the floor, left behind by the Burmecian messenger, flashed before his eyes, but in the Burmecian's place was Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Zidane. Dagger. Despite the throbbing of his head, he could not dispel the image, his body trembling as the thoughts he had buried for so long threatened to break him. Their bodies lay dead before him, the utter helplessness of the prospect made his heart race. He knew there was no saving the dead, refuge was found in a distraction called adventure.

Adventure was the soil buried upon the anguish of death. Where that soil came from, and what it buried, flashed through his mind, almost making him scream out.

Tears started to fall down his cheeks, seeing his shame before him.

His enthusiastic trip through the underground facility in Dali, his warm interaction with the mages there. Distractions to smother being frozen in stone, Applejack and himself a lawn ornament for all time.

His shoulders shaking, the breeze failed to distract him from the continuing barrage.

Assist the princess with minor, nostalgic chores. Smother the sight of Black Mages falling into the mist.

Running away to aid the princess, to bury the blood underfoot, blood of a dead Burmecian.

Now openly weeping, he was left alone to his tears as the Black Mage looked on, wanting to help, but lacking the words to do so.

A card game, a quest for a cure, to wash away encountering a familiar, broken, confused foe, his claws almost covered in its blood.

Hunting for treasure on the back of a loyal friend. The prospect of a dead princess, her blood on his claws, laying on a magic circle of stone.

Crossing the ocean, tasting the salty air. Refugees without a home in a ruined grotto.

The storm of soil and death slammed into his soul, memories rushing past him, then he caught sight of Twilight. Twilight? He felt, in his mind, warmth radiating from the gem bearing her name, and that warmth filled him. And that warmth dispelled the storm. Clarity returned to him, his lungs raw, his heart throbbing, his head aching, his tears expended.

The cemetery. Such a simple, honest, respectful, peaceful symbol of death, had broken the soil, and he saw himself in a light he wished to bury. He had hid his fears, and now it all had come to him at once, leaving him ragged, weakened, and drained. He looked to his trembling claws, the fear that made him bury his terror of death slowly dying down. And the clarity he found himself within saw what drove him. His actions were motivated by something simpler than an ideal called adventure.

He didn't come to the Outer Continent to find treasure.

He didn't come out here to join a quest to defeat a villain.

He came out here to protect his friends, by offering his strength.

I, I came here to protect my friends? He dared not imagine what they had been through, for he knew it was worse than what he had seen. And yet, he sought refuse in that fact. I'm the Master Hunter. If they can manage, then I can too, right? His tired eyes fell back to the Black Mage at his side, still quietly overlooking the cemetery. His eyes fell upon the graves, and he saw the articles decorating them.

“Why do you cover the graves in their items?” Spike asked, his voice chalky and dry. The mage gave him a look that implied wisdom beyond years, and an expression Spike could only tie one thing to. Good will.

“To honor them, and to show respect,” turning back to the graves, he took on an expression Spike had never seen a Black Mage wear. Sadness.

“They were my friends, and I will never forget them, and someday, I will join them at their side. Until then, I shall walk for them, talk for them, and live for them. At least, that's how I see it. The others, they do not understand death.” His words made the dragon look up, strength lay hidden within those words, and Spike sought it out.

Live for them? Never forget them?

Spike began to tremble again, at the prospect of placing the soil back on everything he had protected himself from. He glared at his claws, the notion of crushing those memories underneath terrifying, smothering soil made his dying fear grown into something else. He closed his trembling claws, and no force would pry them open.

Those memories were to be known. He had buried them, and they could not be contained, so there was no point in burying them again. His chest ached, adding to the pain he was suffering, as he thought of Ponyville. Again, he felt the warmth from the gem, no, the gems in his possession, and he knew what he needed to do. He would no longer bury the tragedies he witnessed, he would face them, and not let them smother him. He would take refuse in a new approach, one that would not haunt him, and wear him ragged.

He intended to take the soil that was adventure, and plant the seeds of a brighter future within it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie didn't know why Spike was crying, but she could gander a pretty good guess. His pain washed into her, she understood the source, and knowing how painful those tears were, she embraced him from behind, making him flinch.

“It's okay Spike,” she whispered, her tears carried in her voice, “you've got all of us with you.” He felt cold to the touch, but her warmth radiated into him. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and her heart stopped at the connection. There was more than sadness in the stare, there was also a fire. A fire she knew, would never burn out. Spike looked back to the cemetery, his shoulders slumped as he took in a deep breath.

“I miss home.”

Three words. A sentiment that conveyed so much, that was shared by all three of the Equestrians. She could almost smell fresh cake greeting her as she saw herself there, the warmth of the sun, the smile of all of her Ponyville friends. Her heart ached as she kept her tears down.

“We all do, but we'll be fine, as long as we have each other.”

“Yea. I know. That's why I followed after you guys.”

“And that's why we worried about you,” she let go of him and faced him. “I'm glad that you're back. I know home seems so far away, but we have friends here too.” Her eyes now carried the fire his held. “And they need our help. So let's help our friends, and maybe, just maybe, everything will turn out alright.” He nodded.

“Let's move forward,” Spike amended, “eyes wide open.”

“Mr. 288,” a voice called out from above, bringing the two friends back to their surroundings. “Do you need me to remove the outsid-” The voice stopped as Pinkie eyed a peculiar Black Mage. It had broken wings that it was somehow flying with, and it was eyeing Spike in confusion, who was also looking to the mage, his claws slowly reaching towards his staff.

“Um, Hi there,” Spike greeted, as if walking on egg shells, “Black Waltz No.3.”

---

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

'Hello Equestrian! Mois here to talk to you about Gaia!'

'I wish I had been with Spike at the Black Mage Village, that way I could have given him a hug. Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Pinkie Pie

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped: *New Item Acquired*

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

Feather Hat: Bright Eyes, Add Status

Silk Robe: Ability Up, Loudmouth, Cake!

*Reflect Ring: Reflect, Distract, Auto-Reflect

Shard of Chaos: Pinkie Pie(mastered)

Lvl up! Lvl-21 HP 905/905 MP 23/93

AP 0/25

Auto-Reflect(15) - Automatically casts Reflect in Battle.

*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.

White Confetti 14 MP : Restores HP of multiple targets.

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:

Obligatory song! I reaaaly hope I didn't alienate anyone with this chapter.
Major thanks to my good friends, Seiya and OCisbestpony for the help with this chapter!
I've put a lot of effort into doing 'show, don't tell' with this chapter. And I intend to carry that through all subsequent chapters. I hope it made a noticeable improvement to the chapter's quality.

Comments

[chronocrosser]

Long awaited this chapter love your work.

I cannot tell you how much I've looked forward to Spike and Black Waltz No.3. reunion, personally I believe it will end well, and thats not sarcasm.

And I have to say love what you did with the other chapters.

I,ve been meaning to ask you do you how do you intend for spike to get Sleep, I can see Spike already got Slow, and their are other ways to get Blizzara, and Fira but Sleep only comes from a Flame Staff and I don't see spike downgrading his staff anytime soon. Are you gonna use a gem or invent a new original piece of equipment.

And just a suggestion try adding a ATE telling us what happened with Choco in the Chocobo's paradise.

[MrAlterad]

5324640
I have a 'gem' in mind for him to learn sleep, just wait and see.