The Ninth Fantasy - Gaia

by MrAlterad

37. The Prelude pt.2

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ATE: Friendly Concern
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whole Tantalus gang, minus it's leader, was gathered in a small pub within Alexandria. Zidane sat at one of the tables, sitting low in his chair, his chin on the table, an untouched drink to his side. Marcus, Blank, Cinna, and Ruby, Tantalus' lead actress, shared worried looks as their eyes fell back to the unusually glum rogue.

“Well Zidane?” Ruby began, running her hand through her gray hair, “We ain't seen each other in ages! Why the sour puss, partner?” Zidane didn't move, making no motion to signify that he heard her. Marcus and Blank shared a look.

“What happened?” Marcus asked.

“Maybe Dagger dumped him.” Blank suggested as he folded his arms. Zidane flinched at his words, getting a nod from Cinna.

“Bingo.” He said, as Ruby stomped the ground, throwing her arms to the side.

“Oooh! This isn't like you at all, Zidane!” Cinna, Blank, and Marcus shared a worried look. None of them cared to see Ruby lose her temper.

“H-Hey, Ruby!” Cinna began, almost desperately, “I heard you started a mini-theater.” Ruby turned to him, surprised, then gave Cinna a heartwarming smile.

“That's right, darlin'! My plays are a hit!”

“Cool!” Marcus interjected, “Let's go watch!”

“Yeah!” Cinna affirmed. Blank sighed, making to leave, the others looking to him in confusion.

“Sorry,” Blank began as he glanced over his shoulder, “I made a promise I gotta keep. I'll be at the theater later, so break a leg!”

“Well, if it's a promise, I reckon there's no helpin' it!” Ruby affirmed as Blank left, then looked to Marcus and Cinna. “Alright, cowboys! I'll show ya what I've got goin'!” she exclaimed as Cinna and Marcus left, leaving Zidane behind. Ruby looked to the others before looking back to Zidane.

“Zidane, you ain't comin' are ya? Well, that's awright, darlin'. Come on over whenever you want.” She then looked back to Cinna and Marcus, who were waiting for her outside the pub. “Let's go, boys!”

Zidane, being left alone, tilted his head, glancing to the untouched mug next to him. Dagger, are you cozy on your throne already? He wondered as he sat up, looking out the pub, where his friends had left. Damn. I, I feel like I can't start my day without her! I guess, I've really fallen for her. He then slammed his head on the table. Good one, Zidane. Went and fell for a girl, and she's a princess! He slammed his head into the table again as he thought of his friends.

Those guys... I wish they would just stay out of it! It's not like they understand how I feel! And as if to punctuate his thoughts, he slammed his head into the table once again.

“Well, that's one way to get smashed.” The deep, hearty voice of Baku rang out from behind Zidane, making him jump in his seat. “Gwahaha! Zidane! Long time no see!” Zidane sat up in his chair, turning to Baku, who was giving him a hearty grin, which slowly melted as he took in the rogue. “What happened? You look pathetic!”

This is exactly what I need! Zidane thought as he adopted a smile.

“Boss! Let me join Tantalus again! We can steal treasure together, just like old times!” Baku stroked his beard as he considered Zidane.

“Treasure, eh? There ain't much treasure lyin' around in this world, boy.” He gave another hearty laugh as he gave Zidane a stern look. “Besides, a Tantalus always gets what he sets his eyes on! That's our rule number one, remember!?” He then frowned at Zidane. “You've been sixteen for some time now, you ain't got an excuse not to know! So, it's clear you don't get it! Hmph, you got no right to join us.” He folded his arms as he gave Zidane a belittling look. “You understand what I'm sayin'? If you can't even capture a canary, you ain't got what it takes to join Tantalus!”

Zidane looked to him, surprised, as he fell back into his seat. Baku left, letting out another hearty laugh as his words danced in Zidane's head. Zidane looked back to the exit of the pub, thinking of leaving, perhaps going to Treno. Instead, he slammed his head on the table again, as he let out a long sigh.

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

Applejack's mouth stung as once again her blade was sent flying. Beatrix stood before her, lowering her sword as she watched the mare's blade land next to an apple-tree behind her. Applejack stomped the ground as she glared at the blade.

“Why!?” She asked as she looked to her sparring partner. “Why can't I keep ya from knockin' it away?”

“Because,” Beatrix began as she ran her hand through her hair, making it fly back dramatically in the breeze, “I'm the best swordswoman around.” It was true, she had all the blue ribbons in Equestria resting on her sword to prove it. “You cannot best me.”

“Tch.” Applejack shook her head as she stood up, giving Beatrix a smug smile. “I could best ya if it were applebuckin'!” she proudly stated as she applebucked the tree near her sword, making all the apples fall neatly into a basket at the trunk.

Beatrix simply sighed as she turned to the rest of the trees in the orchard. With a deft swing of her blade, all the trees before her swayed in a torrented gust, knocking all the apples out, and gathering them up in the breeze before landing in a pile at Beatrix's side. Applejack's mouth hung open, almost falling to the floor, before looking back to the knight.

“Silly Applejack.” She said as she messed with her hair again, “When you're the best swordswoman, you're the best at everything.”

“Don't worry Applejack!” Apple Bloom shouted, appearing next to mare, who looked to her with a valiant gaze. “I'll show this swords-whatever not to mess with the Apple family!” Apple Bloom then charged Beatrix, who stood ready for her.

The filly pulled out a Zap apple, pulled the stem off with her teeth, and tossed it at the warrior, who nimbly cut the apple in two. The two halves flew off behind her as she brought her blade towards the charging filly.

Suddenly, the two apple halves exploded, catching Beatrix off guard as Apple Bloom started to shimmer and radiate power, crackling with yellow and red lightning as she entered Trance!

“Oh come on! Even Apple Bloom gets Trance before me!? She doesn't even have her cutie mark!” Applejack exclaimed. Then, as if on cue, she noticed Apple Bloom's flank shine with a brand new cutie mark, crossed lightning representing Trance!

“Now that's just not fair!” Applejack proclaim as she got on her hooves.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom cried out as she got behind the stunned swordswoman. “It's time!” She said in Pinkie Pie's voice, which Applejack found odd.

“Time? Oh! Right!” Applejack got her sword, and moved to aid her sister. They needed to defeat Beatrix, or they'd lose the farm to the Flim-Flam Brothers!

“Applejack!?” Pinkie's voice sang out from the trees, adopting her face and colors as the orange mare lost her balance. “Wake up!-”

Suddenly, Applejack didn't feel too good. Her eyes opened with great effort, seeing Pinkie standing over her with a mostly happy grin. Applejack groaned as the pains and aches of her body returned to greet her, and in her attempt to shield herself from the sensation, reflected on the strange dream that she'd just had. Ughh. Okay, not mixing magical cider with magical cake ever again. She promised to herself as she got out of bed.

Her body voiced its complaints as she put her armor back on, Pinkie getting dressed as well. Applejack had been sparring regularly with Beatrix since their return over a week ago, and Beatrix was not one to hold back. She had picked up several sword artes for the practice, and felt like she was more competent with a sword than the average swashbuckler, but she still wasn't able to best Beatrix.

Well, what'd ya expect? She thought to herself as she sighed, She's been doin' sword fightin' a lot longer then me. I ain't gonna best her anytime soon.

Still, she did take some pride from their bouts. She fared against Beatrix now a great deal better than their first fight back in Burmecia. She was stronger than the pony with the shattered blade in a rainy city, and that gave her reason to hope that she would soon be on the same level as her sparring partner.

Her armor set, she looked to see that Pinkie was ready and waiting for her. She was giving Applejack a smile, but something about the smile was a little off. It was subtle, something only a good friend would notice. Pinkie was still down about Discord, and Applejack began to fear that there was nothing she could do to remedy that. Not that she would be stopped by fear, or doubt.

Applejack had been thinking long and hard on how the help Pinkie. From what Applejack had gathered, Pinkie had Discord with her, at all times, ever since appearing on Gaia. Trying to imagine it, Applejack saw that if someone was in your head at all times of the day, everyday, for an extended amount of time, then you'd get use to never being alone.

Pinkie, of all ponies, had an intimate connection to the spirit of chaos. And now it was gone, and whenever Pinkie was alone, it showed. Applejack had seen, several times, the look on Pinkie's face when she was all by herself, alone with her thoughts. And it made her heart ache.

Applejack, however, believed that Pinkie needed to get used to being alone again, and for the last few days, had been easing her into it. Now, today, Applejack was going to go to the Evil Forest, alone, leaving Pinkie here to manage on her own. As they both left the inn, Applejack turned to her friend, her family, and gave her a warm smile.

“Pinkie, ya sure ya'll be fine with this?” Though it had been Applejack's idea, it had bothered her how quickly Pinkie accepted being left alone for the whole day.

“I'm sure.” She calmly stated, a flash of worry lighting her features as she looked Applejack in the eyes. “I need to be sure. I, I can't be like this anymore. Nopony likes a sad party pony. I'll be fine, so go find some answers.” She then nodded to herself. “I'll- We'll be waiting for you.” She gave Applejack a light hug, which was reciprocated.

She then backed away from Applejack and crossed her hoof over hear heart, then stuck it over her eye. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Applejack nodded, reassured by the pinkie promise as she mirrored the promise herself.

“Right then, ya have fun now, ya hear!” Applejack ordered as she moved off to where she was suppose to meet Blank.

“You can count on it~!” Pinkie proclaimed, giggling lightly. Applejack glanced back to her, and couldn't help but feel that there was something sad behind that giggle, but she assured herself.

Small steps. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: Friendly Shadow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He watched from an alley as Applejack left Pinkie. He still didn't understand friendship, but he did understand that her name was well worth acknowledging, as well as Eiko's. Applejack had bested him, her name was naturally something to be remembered. But Pinkie and Eiko...

He didn't understand why, but he's found his attention focused more on them than on the one that bested him, or the man that framed him.

Focusing on Pinkie, her aura looked well, though it dimmed slightly as she was left alone. However, it still held a mirthful radiance as she looked around, considering her options.

Where ever she went, he followed, and when he wasn't, she was usually with one of her 'friends', or with Eiko. He found it odd. He wanted to see her aura radiate with the same hue that it shined the day she talked to him in that ruined village. He didn't understand why, but assumed it was related to how he found it bothersome to see her aura a dim color.

Looking as though she was struck by an idea, she started making a checklist, and moved off, bouncing to the rhythm of a song of her own making. She was singing about how this was going to be the 'second best coronation day ever!' making him pause in confusion. Scratching his head, her hue brightened as he followed after her, wondering if she still needed another to lean on, or if she had finally built up the strength to stand by herself.

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

“Yo! What took you!?” Blank asked, frowning as he appraised Applejack, hands crossed as he let out an annoyed sigh.

“Err, sorry.” Applejack responded, her ears falling a moment as her face flushed. “I kinda overslept. So, shall we head out?” Blank nodded, and together, they worked towards the city's southwest gate. They walked together in silence for several minutes before Applejack looked to him, a slight spring in her gate.

“So, just wanted to thank ya again fer-”

“Oh for crying out loud Applejack, five times is more than enough!” Blank said, hiding a blush as he looked away from her. “I get it, you're thankful I saved you and Spike from the petrifying forest. Look, you don't owe me anything.” She looked to him, a little taken aback. “I just did what I wanted, so stop thankin' me for it.”

“Uh, I was actually gonna thank ya fer showin' me the path you and Marcus took to get to the Evil Forest.” Her clarification only made him more flustered, and Applejack found herself unable to get another word out of him, to her amusement. At least, that held true until they had left Alexandria.

“Hey, Blank.” Applejack began, almost hesitantly as she gave him a sidelong glance, “Ya and yer crew are thieves, right?” Blank looked to her, appraising her a moment before letting out a sigh.

“That we are. Actors and thieves and scoundrels, that's Tantalus.” He matched her sidelong glance, seeing her eye the ground, looking conflicted. “If it helps, we do things the way Zidane does things. He was taught by Baku, so it's only natural.”

“The way Zidane does things? Ya mean helpin' people out at the drop of a hat?” Blank chuckled a little as he shook his head.

“Well, not all of us are that selfless. Look, it's complicated. Growing up in Treno, in the slums, is no picnic.” He then sighed as he kicked the dirt, “You either steal, or get robbed. That's life in Treno, if you're not rich.”

“Well... Can't ya just leave?” Applejack asked, a little sad that the conversation was as down as she suspected.

“Well, that's the thing. Where do you go when you leave? Alexandria is separated by monster ridden lands, and you need a gate pass to cross the South Gate. To leave Treno, and reach someplace safe, you need gil. And not many can tackle monsters like we can, so it's either steal, or get robbed.” He said as he gave Applejack a sly, but hollow, grin.

“I- I'm sorry.” Applejack began, “I shouldn't have asked-”

“Jeeze, you're so uptight!” Blank then looked to Applejack with a smile, “It's not your fault, I mean, you're from another world!” He then laughed a little, “Well, I don't mind pity, especially from a pretty dame such as yourself.” Applejack's eyes widened as she recalled what he said to her back on the wreck of the Prima Vista. She felt her face flush as she glared at his compliment. He took in her reaction, and couldn't stop himself, as he let out a hearty laugh.

“Sh-Shut up! Stop laughin'!” Applejack ordered, causing Blank to double over in mirth. Applejack turned away from him, getting some distance from-

Mindlessly slaying an approaching monster as she got some distance from the laughing rogue.

“Hey now!” Blank cried out as he collected himself, and moved to catch up to her, “Hold your chocobos!” After a short sprint, he took in a quick breath before giving her an apologetic smile. “I was just getting even for your question, 'kay?” Applejack appraised him, still a little flustered as she gave him a small nod.

Continuing on, a couple minutes later Blank had led her to the ridge, and the small, hidden pathway down the cliff, towards the dense foliage below. The mist was gone, but the pink wave that dispelled it didn't get rid of the monsters that were already around.

Applejack looked to the forest, knowing she'd be fighting what lay within. However, she was armored, and was now resilient to the nasty tricks the plant life used. Indeed, she doubted she'd have any trouble going in alone, and Beatrix had affirmed as such when she shared her idea with her.

“So,” Blank began, “You sure you wanna go alone? All those plant-bugs are still down there...” Applejack gave him a thankful smile before nodding.

“I think I can manage.” She turned to Blank, about to thank him again, then stopped herself, instead giving him a casual smile. “I'll see ya later. Tell Zidane not to bother Pinkie too much fer me.” Blank nodded, and they both tapped each other, fist to hoof, before parting.

Applejack looked down the sprawling path that hugged the cliff face, and briefly wondered if she could manage hopping down the slope. Heh, if I were Freya maybe! It certainly wasn't going to work with all her armor weighing her, so she started her long climb down, into the valley of trees and mist, minus the mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATE: The Tourist
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Wow! Eiko thought in awe as her gaze climbed towards the heavens, feeling smaller than usual compared to the stone behemoth before her that was Dagger's castle. What a big house! Her eyes widened as she walked to the front door, a door that could easily fit herself and all the moogles of Madain Sari standing side by side.

Dagger must have a ton of moogle friends!

Eiko had separated herself from Pinkie for the day at Applejack's request, keeping some distance to help her friend get better, or something like that. Applejack assured it was for the best, so she went along with it, trusting the mare.

Naturally, all by herself, with Mog at her side, she explored Alexandria. When she first arrived in the city, she was almost overwhelmed by how many people where here. Now, people were a dime a dozen, she was use to it. The castle, however...

I wonder if there's an Eidolon Wall in here!? She wondered as she entered, hoping she would find something neat, or at the very least, run into Dagger.

Shortly after entering, however, her stomach made quite the noise, that immediately demanded her attention. Her hunger reminded her of the fate of all the gil she had, and she started considering other options inside the castle.

It had come to her surprise that there were a number of people in Alexandria who lived lives not too dissimilar to her own back in Madain Sari. People without a gil to their name, living in broken homes. When she met these people, she felt herself parting with the gil Pinkie had given her shortly after they first met, as well as the gil she had gained from the monsters they slew together.

She didn't regret giving those poor people her gil, but it didn't change the fact that she was hungry now, and unable to purchase any food. I hope Dagger doesn't mind if I rummage through her pantry! she thought with a light grin. Old habits die hard, and she gained an objective as she wandered the castle, looking for food to swipe.

As she looked through the castle, she briefly wondered how Spike and Applejack were fairing. She suspected that Spike was having the time of his life, which made Eiko smile. She then sighed as she considered Applejack. Well, hopefully she's having the time of her life too. She admitted to herself, with only a smidgen of sarcasm.

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

Applejack was having the time of her life. Wolves bounced harmlessly off her armor. Plants tried to poison and blind her fruitlessly. Everything perished in a single swing, as if Icebrand was a hot knife cutting through butter.

She was galloping through the forest, and despite how much stronger she was compared to the denizens of the woods, they still came for her. She knew that if she was a certain pink mare, she'd be singing right now.

After all the fights on the Outer Continent, and her rough training under Beatrix, this wholesale one-sided slash-fest was a welcome change of pace. It was so invigorating that she didn't even notice the ache her legs were giving after the harrowing climb down. It felt so rewarding that she failed to pay attention to where she was going, and after passing through some thick underbrush, ended up in a clearing.

Full of the insect-like plant monsters.

All of them.

In unison, they all turned and noticed the mare, as she came to a stop, her mouth open at the sight, her sword falling unceremoniously on the dirt. Huh, I wonder I can get 'em all with my blade? She wondered as the monsters let out a unified cry and moved to ensnare her.

She picked up her sword, fire in her eyes as she charged forward. She plowed right through the ones in her way, looking to reach the center of the small clearing, at the small circle of sunlight at its center. Effortlessly forcing her way there, she couldn't help but laugh that these were once a threat to her and her friends.

Standing at the center, all the monsters moved and started to pile on her, and she let them. Gripping her blade hard, she gathered her magic as she swung it forward, calling on an ability she learned from Beatrix.

Climhazzard.

Ice Brand's cold blade instantly turned white hot as Applejack swung into the nearest monster, and upon striking, the heat from her blade burst out into an orange cascade of energy, washing through all the monsters in the clearing, annihilating them. Ice Brand immediately readopted it's cold chill as the power dissipated, a sudden quiet falling upon the clearing. Applejack sheathed her sword as dew started to form on her armor, the air now being thick with mist, and steam.

She looked around, seeing no movement as the mist slowly faded away with the breeze. Smiling to herself, she trotted out of the clearing, heading to where she believed the Prima Vista had crashed, or the spring they had rested at when looking for Garnet.

Wandering through the forest, her power trip died down as less and less monsters presented themselves to her, and her mind started to wander along with her hooves. She happened upon the Prima Vista before the spring. What remained of it.

A small amount of foliage had started to grow over the wooden husk of the ship she had doomed, and looking upon it reminded her of the deed. That's right, she thought as she let out a sigh, I owe Baku and the rest of his gang an apology. Oh horseapples. Looking over the wreck, she felt the urge to wander through it.

Going through, she was reminded of how it all felt. The crash, the first battles in the woods, the poisoning and blinding. All of it had an edge of danger, one misstep and it would be the end of her and Spike, as well as Zidane. Now, the monsters were no threat to her, the mist was gone, and they were all still alive, well, and growing stronger by the day.

She reached the room they had rested in while waiting for the antidote to clear their poisoned bodies. The memories summoning her desire to return home, which was now replaced with a desire to find answers, and defeat the man in white.

She did not forget Kuja. She would never forget Kuja. She shook her head, feeling her temper starting to rise. Not now Applejack, save it fer the next time we see that man. Thinking of Kuja put her mind back on track. She took one last look over the wreck as she left, heading off to the nearby spring.

Finding the small trunk that was dripping water, she found it looked no different from the last time she had been here. And indeed, that serene feeling permeated the air.

That was her reason for being here. There was one of those tablets nearby, she was certain of it, as it felt exactly like the one they had found on an island near the Outer Continent.

Though she could feel it in the air, she couldn't find any trace of the tablet, or anything resembling a shrine. She appraised the spring, thinking on it in hopes of finding answers, the apples in her head turning. The water comes from underground...

She recalled what happened when they rescued the princess, and wondered if perhaps she could find the shrine in an underground cavern.

Heck, we were in cave when we found the other one! That thought moving her forward, she ran off to where they had slain the large plant monster. The vines that made up the area were now long dead, and in the center, where the monster had been rooted, was an opening in the floor, where the plant-bugs monsters had once crawled out from.

Hopping on down, she found that the cavern was sufficiently lit enough for her to wander through. Not wanting to get lost, she marked her way as she moved through the cavern, light poring in through cracks in the ceiling.

Heading in the direction she believed the spring was, it wasn't long before she felt the serene sensation again. Passing a bend in the path, she saw light ahead of her, orange light. Cautiously moving to the source, she found a fairly wide chamber that seemed to shimmer, as if the entire chamber was distorted. She'd have thought her vision had gone funny if it wasn't for the tablet floating near the back wall.

Unlike the walls of the cavern, it wasn't distorted, and it was the source of the orange light. She stood there a minute, considering the safety behind entering a distorted room. She then let out a sigh. I ain't gonna find answers by just standin' around. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped forward, entering to odd room. To her relief, nothing really changed, and her eyes fell back on the glowing tablet.

Keeping her focus on it, to keep herself from getting a headache from the strange looking cavern, she approached it. Getting close enough to touch it, she saw two swords crossed on the circular tablet to form an 'X', with an apple resting over the blades. Looking at the tablet made her feel slightly dizzy, and she staggered back a step as she tried to keep her balance.

'Greeting's and salutations, Applejack!' An energetically deep baritone voice called out from the cavern, making her instantly draw her sword as she looked around. She didn't see the source of the voice, but she noticed that the walls had stopped shimmering, the walls no longer being distorted. 'Oh come now, what good will that do you against a phantom?' It cheerily asked. She looked around before cautiously sheathing her sword.

“Okay, who are ya?” Her eyes darted around in worry as she started to hope that coming alone wasn't about to bite her in the flank.

'I'd prefer Chaos, but that's a little too similar to a particular Equestrian eidolon, so I guess that's out of the question.' Applejack could feel the presence considering something before whatever it was smiled.

Wait, how can I tell it's smiling!? She wondered as it spoke up.

'Yes, you can call me Deathguise, the Amalgamation.'

“And what are ya?” She didn't sense a hostile intent from this presence, but it still unnerved her, especially with a name like that.

'Heh heh heh,' he heartily chuckled, 'Applejack has come for answers. And it is answers she will get. However, I already answered one, give me an answer in turn, and I'll answer the rest of your questions, honestly.'

“And how do I know ya-”

'Silly Applejack, you're about to ask another question!' he practically boomed out in his deep voice as she felt the presence get close to her, as if leaning in to share a secret. Applejack looked to where it was, seeing nothing, and yet, still feeling as if it was right next to her.

'If you had to choose between saving Gaia, or Equestria, which would you pick?' He asked nonchalantly as her eyes widened. 'Do keep in mind, choosing one dooms the other.' Deathguise then fell silent as Applejack stood there, dumbfounded.

Choose one, at the cost of the other!? She hesitated a moment, briefly considering saving Equestria, before shaking her head, almost aiming to buck herself for hesitating as she glared at the presence.

“I'd save both of 'em!” she valiantly replied. Her answer was met with a tense, awkward pause before Deathguise burst out in belittling laughter.

'Oh, that's rich! Save both! Oh Applejack, you should do stand-up! Seriously! You're a riot! I'd say you even-' suddenly the cavern shifted, the walls changing color as Applejack found herself standing in a familiar grotto, over the corpses of several Black Mages.

'Killed it!'

Applejack stepped back from the bodies, her eyes wide as she saw the wounds inflicted by her blade. She almost tripped as her breathing quickened, and the friendly, if shy mages of Black Mage village flashed in her mind as-

The cavern shifted back to normal, the bodies gone, and the air was quiet for a minute as Applejack steadied her breathing. She pushed down her regret as she worked to compose herself, before glaring at the air, her anger snuffing out her fear at this seemingly reality warping phantom.

'What's the matter? Feeling a little regret?' He said smugly, then let out an exaggerated sigh. 'So, despite how ridiculous your answer was, I still found it to be the most preferable.' Applejack's mood shifted slightly at his defeated tone, a little confused.

'So, what am I?' He stated, his voice taking on a sinister note, 'I am Chaos. Deathguise. I am the darkness comprised of eight worlds, formed in mist, watching through the mist. I have witnessed eight worlds perish to Unified Fantasy, becoming nothing more than the vapor you've been fighting this last month. I have taken in all that is dark and unholy of those eight worlds into myself, making me, me. I am the all seeing, the watcher of memories,' his voice then shifted to something far less sinister, 'and the winner of two E.V.I.L. Awards: Most Cryptic Monologuer and Best Tertiary Villain!'

Wh-What the hay!? Applejack thought in annoyance, Is he tryin' to intimidate me, or make a fool of himself!? She stood there in silence, expecting him to say more. Since he didn't, she thought over his words, disregarding his nonchalant, joking facade. Or at least, she hoped it was a facade. In fact, as she considered his joking nature, she assumed he was simply messing with her.

“Yea, right!” Applejack exclaimed as she glared at him. “And I'm the Alicorn Princess of Applebuckin'!” He chuckled lightly, and just like that, Applejack's hat fell off, and her armor suddenly felt terribly tight across her back.

'So it would seem!' He affirmed as Applejack went cross-eyed, spotting the new horn on her head, and feeling some new appendages attached to her back trying to free themselves from her constricting armor.

“Th-That's not funny! Change me back!” He shoulda called himself Chaos! He's almost like the old Discord! She let out a sigh as she felt the wings and horn disappear, donning her hat as she looked to where she felt Deathguise's presence. If he's as strong as Discord... and what he's sayin' is true... Applejack then paused as a thought crossed her mind. And from it, a small fear for Pinkie's happiness was born from it. Is he Discord?Applejack took a deep breath, hoping that wasn't the case as she looked to him.

“Discord, is that you?”

'Hmph. Such a silly pony. And a cruel one!' he replied in mock despair. 'It would be so easy! It'd be so much fun to mess with you right now! I could tell you exactly what you don't want to hear!' he then let out a sad sigh. 'But I did promise to be honest, and an ethereal immortal amalgamation of all bad things has standards to keep to. No, I'm not your Discord.' Applejack let out a sigh of relief as he continued.

'Discord, at one point, would have been a perfect addition to myself. But, when he could have easily saved Equestria by forsaking Gaia, he chose to give you all a chance to save both. So he's no long villain material. For shame!' Applejack considered pressing that subject for Pinkie's sake, but she had a bigger issue she wanted to address, and she dearly hoped this Deathguise would give her an answer she needed. She looked to where she felt him, a fire in her eyes, and she could sense him smiling at her.

“What's Unified Fantasy?”

'Heh, right to the point, that's Applejack for you!' Deathguise then cleared his throat, adopting an almost scholarly persona, 'Unified Fantasy is a ritual shared between two worlds, a contest. The loser is turned into mist, for the winner to absorb. Matter, magic, life, crystals, souls, everything is handed over to the victor.'

Applejack stood there in stunned silence as she absorbed his answer. The weight of this fact, the scope of it, seemed beyond her, as if it wasn't even real. But, she saw Equestria appear in the skies of Gaia, she had no choice but to believe its scope. His words played in her head again as she realized what the eight globes on the Iifa Tree represented. Gaia and Equestria are fightin' each other?

“H-How?” She weakly asked. She felt him take on a contemplative stance as he appraised her.

'I assume you mean “How did this start?” in reference to Gaia and Equestria?' Applejack nodded, 'The master of the ritual wanted to take vengeance for his world, Terra, and set up Gaia to lose the Ninth Fantasy. He pitted Gaia against Equestria, hoping to infuse Equestria with everything Gaia had, making his vengeance come to fruition.'

Applejack frowned slightly, finding that answer to be more than useless to her. No, it's not how it started I need to know. She looked back to him, composing herself so she could get better answers from him.

“How do I stop it?” She could feel him smiling at her, his mirth radiating out, as if asking that question had made his day.

'Destroy the tree, and the ritual moves on to the next world the master chooses. He'll no doubt choose Gaia again, but Equestria should be fine.' He paused a moment, considering something. 'But if you want to be more thorough, destroy the core. Although, the tree is a lot easier to destroy than the core.'

Applejack briefly considered those options, and didn't shy from the harder one. That ritual destroys worlds! Makin' it pass on Equestria is not enough, it needs to be destroyed!

“How do ya get to the core?” He chuckled at that, and she felt as though someone had patted her on the back. She was starting to wonder if he really was a combination of all the bad things of eight worlds. He seemed far too... happy, for that.

'Find the castle named after an old explorer. Within are eight mirrors that will open the way to the realm between. Pass the eight trials. Destroy the control system, then the realm of memories will open. There, in the deepest, oldest memories of eight worlds, the core can be found.'

Realm of memories? Eight trials? Applejack paused a minute to devote his reply to memory before looking to where she felt he was.

“What are these trials?”

'My my, being so productive Applejack, so productive...' The cavern shifted again as Applejack saw eight figures standing before her, people, that she knew. 'Eight trials, eight faces of myself, each must be tackled by the appropriate element.' He explained as she felt her eyes being drawn to a likeness of herself, standing rigid, unmoving as Deathguise happily listed off herself, and her friends.

'Applejack, the Honest Knight. Prideful, stubborn, and afraid of the truth.'

What? What truth? She worriedly thought as she felt him appraising her.

'She will face Deception, and find that truth can be just as deceiving as lies.' Her eyes were then drawn to the likeness of Freya, Deathguise's attention shifting to the Burmecian.

'Freya Crescent, the Loyal Warrior. Aggressive, cold, never finishes a duel, and so quick to separate herself from what's important to her. Treachery is her foe, and she may find herself impaled on her own spear before defeating it.' Her attention was then drawn to Spike, and her breath paused as she took in Deathguise's words.

'Spike the Dragon, the Innocent Magician. Young, naive, short attention span, and looks like a dragon! Corruption will assault him, and it's possible his innocence, or should I say, purity, shall fade when he walks away from that encounter.' Then he moved onto Amarant, not giving Applejack a moment to worry for Spike.

'Amarant Coral, the Kind Introvert.'

He's kindness!? My flank he is! Applejack scoffed.

'Jaded, aggressive, prideful, arrogant, unsociable, and stupid. I mean, really? He doesn't know what friendship is!?' Deathguise then cleared his throat, annoying Applejack by how flippant he was. 'Ehem. He will fight Cruelty, and from it, he will finally get what his heart of hearts most desires.' Applejack tried to look to where she felt Deathguise in confusion, but he shifted her gaze on to the princess.

'Garnet Til Alexandros the Seventeenth, the mouthful-' she felt as though Deathguise was shaking his head as he continued, 'I mean, the Summoning Princess. Prideful, see's herself above others because of her role as princess, and doesn't realize it. She has yet to fully embrace her element, and yet, she will face the trial. She will fight nothing, as Isolation will be her opponent, and in the silence of her own heart, she may hear nothing but futility.'

Applejack adopted an assured smile. Hah! Garnet will be just fine! No doubt- her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Eiko shifting in front of her.

'Eiko Carol, the Generous Healer. Rude, young, naive, boisterous, ambitious. She will find everything of herself to offer Greed, and maybe even her life.' Not missing a beat, Zidane shifted before her.

'Zidane Tribal, the Lost Hero. Keeps his insecurities to himself, and avoids the help of others, even good friends.'

What? Zidane's like that? Applejack wondered as Deathguise continued.

'Indolence may stay his hand, striking his strength down as he abandons the quest.' He seemed to consider something before finally, she found her eyes drawn to her dear friend and family member, Pinkie.

'Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Indulging Fool. Reliant on others for happiness, emotional, random. I'd like to say that Sorrow will be her foe, but she seems to be fighting that constantly as of late, will there even be a foe for her to fight? I wonder...'

He fell silent as everything he said bounced around in her head, and she didn't fail to see the similarities. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and I guess Summoning counts as Magic. She then considered Spike and Zidane, Innocence or Purity fer Spike, and... Resolve? Drive? Pushing on? She reflected on how Zidane acted, and she saw that whenever they were standing still, he'd take the first step.

In the evil forest, he gathered them first to save Garnet. He lead them above the mist to Dali. Thinking on it, she had been following Zidane through most of their adventure, only recently moving forward, taking charge, with him along side her.

“Soo,” Applejack began, “on Gaia, there are eight Elements of Harmony?”

'Goodness, and here I thought we'd be here all day waiting on you to put that together!' He then let out a tired sigh as she glared at him. 'I really hope this is the final fantasy, I don't want to do that all over again in the Tenth Fantasy. There will be nine heroes! Ugh!' He bemoaned, making Applejack raise an eyebrow.

“Yer sayin' the number goes up each-”

'Not important!' He quickly interrupted, 'Now look here, little lady. If you're dead-set about saving both worlds, then defeat my eight faces. Then defeat me, and then, maybe, you'll be able to handle the ritual's core.' He then lightly chuckled as she felt him getting further away from her.

“Hey, wait-”

'Oh, one last thing. If you want to save both words, it goes without saying. If any of you eight die, that's it. Game over for you, and Gaia.'

“What, Gaia?” She asked, a little alarmed, and annoyed that it seemed the time for answers was over.

'Yes, finding those mirrors is the only way to ensure Gaia survives. Though, I guess you could kill yourself, or one of your friends to let Gaia lose, and save Equestria. Options!' He then chuckled heartily as the cavern started to glow brightly, and as she was washed in light, she heard his parting words.

'So yea, no pressure.'

Closing her eyes to the light, she opened them to find herself lying on a rocky path. She got on her hooves, rubbing her eyes as she took in her location. She was on the cliff path that led to the Evil Forest. Looking to the forest, she started if wonder if that was some cruel dream her mind brewed up-

She noticed, on the ground before her hooves, was a small note written in the dirt. She frowned as she read it, her doubt being dispelled almost immediately.

'Who's a silly pony? Who's a silly pony? Who is? You is!'

'-Deathguise.'

Looking at the words, she let out a sigh of annoyed relief. If all that had been a dream, then she assumed that meant he wasn't as strong as Discord. Eyeing the path, she saw monster tracks leading up to where she was left, and a good amount of her armor had mud and dust rubbed all over it. She had been dragged to the cliff.

So, eight mirrors in the castle named after the old explorer. She considered how much she should trust this Deathguise, and immediately assumed not to trust him one bit. Still, when it came to destroying the ritual, what he told her was the first real lead in that regards. Eight trials... With everything he had told her, she didn't know what to worry about more, and as her mind chased the answer for what to place her attention on, she face-hoofed.

Ahh tarnations! I didn't ask about Kuja! Shoot! She kicked the dirt in annoyance as she looked up the path. She abandoned the writing with a shake of her head as she bound upwards, to the city where her friends were. She had answers, and more importantly, she, they had two worlds to save, and they needed to know.

---

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

'Hello Equestrian! Welcome to moogle notes!'

'Ohh~ Those nobles in Treno make me mad! Why do they get to have all the gil, while living above the poor and unfortunate!?'

'Deathguise... I guess being made of all the bad things, and watching eight worlds be turned into mist made him a little off his pon pon, if you know what I mean. Kupo!'

'He makes destroying a large crystalline tree, or destroying its core, sound like a simple affair. Scary! Kupo~'

~~~~~~~~

Applejack

~~~~~~~~

Items Equipped:

Ice Brand: Mental Break(mastered)

Deals Ice damage, Add ST: Freeze.

AJ's Mythril Hat: Round-Up!(mastered), Long Reach(mastered), Ability Up(mastered)

Mythril Scabbard: MP Attack(mastered), Counter(mastered)

Iron Barding: Add Status(mastered), Bug Killer(mastered)

Mythril Reinforced Saddlebag: Apple-cider(mastered), HP+10%(mastered)

Lvl-32 HP 3004/3224 MP 0/132

AP 1/35

Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.

Bug Killer (2) - Deals lethal damage to insects.

Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.

*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

Insomniac (5) - Prevents Sleep.

Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.

*Bright Eyes (4) - Prevents Darkness.

Jelly (4) - Prevents Petrify and Gradual Petrify.

*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally

Ability up (3) - Characters learn abilities faster.

Long Reach (16) - Back row attacks like front row.

*Counter (8) - Counter-attacks when physically attacked.

*Add Status (3) - Adds weapon's status effect when you attack.

*MP Attack (5) - Uses own MP to raise Attack Pwr.

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

Abilities:

Apple Arts:

Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.

Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.

Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.

Round-Up! 16 MP - A group of enemies count as a single enemy for a short duration.

Apple-cider 2 MP - Lures the target to attacking only you.

Sword Arts:

Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP.

Armor Break 4 MP - Reduces the enemy's Defense.

Mental Break 8 MP - Reduces the enemy's Magic Defense.

Charge! 10 MP - Causes staggered allies to attack.

Thunder Slash 24 MP - Deals Thunder damage to a single target.

Climhazzard 32 MP - Deal Non-Elemental damage to all enemies.

Author's Note:

What!? Another chapter so soon!? Must be like, an apology for the month long delay! Enjoy! Next one is in a few days! Probably...
Major thanks to you, for reading along, and I'm hoping you're still enjoying it!
Wanna thank Seiya and OCisbestpony for their input!

Comments

[Sea_Swirl]

This is awesome!!! I need more Applespike doe

[Cloureed]

5554968 (I'm the artist for the current cover) Super glad you like the cover! it took over 2 months to produce with how it was planned out.

[Gazmanafc]

5559119 No problem. The amount of care you put into it really shows, your art style gives a nice charm to the FF9 characters. You went far enough to actually get the eye colours for Freya, Zidane and Eiko correct and that's attention to detail I can really appreciate. If you had a bigger version, I'd actually set it as my computer's desktop wallpaper.
---
Back to the story itself, so Terra is being kept after all. That makes sense, we don't want Equestria being destroyed now. :P Seems a bit early for the third-final boss to appear, but I suppose given that he appeared in FF9 out of practically nowhere, it's okay. Though, if I'm honest, I prefer the Japanese name better, "Death Gaze", which would make it a reference to FF6 just mis-translated. (Like Madeen instead of Maduin and Mount Gulug instead of Mount Gulg). Your fic, your call though. ;)