The Paradise cruised through the sky, its sleek, elongated form slicing the air and leaving twin vapor trails in its wake. The ship flew so smoothly and naturally that anypony catching only a glimpse of it from the ground could have mistaken it as a floating whale. It leveled off at a gentle cruise as though sighing in contentment from having been underground for so long.
Pinkie Pie set the controls to autopilot and turned around to her compatriots. “That went great! Way better than I thought it would.”
“Swell…” Stardust drawled. He and the rest of the group weren’t in a position to appreciate this monumental event, having been thrown back and clumped together during takeoff. Slowly, the bodies began to untangle.
Once everyone was sure all their bits were in place and took a moment to enjoy the scenery, a collective silence befell them. Unsure glances and idle mutterings past between them. Finally, all eyes turned to Trixie.
“What?” Trixie inspected herself, going so far as to feel her muzzle. “Is there something on Trixie’s face?”
Applejack gave a loud snort. “Oh for the love of… Where’re we going?”
“Oh.” Trixie tapped her chin before nearly smacking herself and brought out the map. “Well, we’ve been through most of the north. Trixie supposes we should—”
“Wowie! What a big bird!”
The Returners blinked then turned towards the source of the voice. There, flapping hard to keep pace with the ship, flew Derpy Hooves. A satchel hung at her side, a few white envelopes poking out from the top. The grey pegasus waved at the blimp. “Hello, Mr. Bird! Where you off to?”
“Down here!” Applejack called up to her.
Derpy tilted her head. “Down? Is there a nest nearby that you roost in? It’s gotta be as big as a mountain to fit you.”
“Derpy!” Applejack yelled.
Derpy’s front hooves shot to her cheeks in shock. “Oh my gosh, you know my name! Have we met before?”
Any further conversation was interrupted by a lasso snagging her hind leg and yanking her down to the deck. Derpy landed in a heap, her eyes swirling in their sockets. “Oh, not so rough… Hope you don’t treat your chicks this way.”
Applejack sighed and came up to the poor pegasus, helping her get to her hooves. “Derpy, it’s us. You remember right? Your friends?”
A shake of the head cleared Derpy’s swirling vision back to normal, sans one eye. Her expression lit up on seeing the earth pony. “Oh, hey, Applejack! It’s been a while. Are you helping Mr. Bird?”
Reigning in another sigh, Applejack shook her head. “No, Derpy. This isn’t a bird. Take a closer look.” Applejack swept her hoof to encompass the entire airship. Derpy followed the hoof, taking in everything around her. Once her vision settled back on Applejack, the farmer said, “You know now what this is?”
Derpy nodded. “Yeah, this bird has a really big belly. It must be ready to lay some eggs soon.”
Applejack facehoofed.
A low chuckle built up, causing Applejack to stare at its source. Derpy’s cheeks and mouth were puffed out as though holding in a breath. All at once, Derpy exhaled and began laughing with wild abandon. “You should see the look on your face!” Unable to control herself, Derpy fell to the deck, cackling madly. It took a minute for her to regain control and when she looked up she nearly burst back into laughter. “Ha! Got you good!”
Despite herself, Applejack gave her own chuckle. “Eeyup, ya did.”
Derpy, still smiling, lunged forward and gave Applejack a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe! It’s been so long.” She released Applejack and beamed. “And the airship’s back, too! This is the best day all year!”
“Actually, the one you’re thinking of is gone,” Applejack said, some of her cheer evaporating. “This is a new one, courtesy of Pinkie Pie’s old friend.”
“Oh, well that was nice of her. Where is she?”
Before Applejack could correct her again, Pinkie Pie stepped up and gently put a hoof to Derpy’s mouth. “Okay, I’m going to let that one slide because you’ve got a good sense of humor. Short story, my friend’s gone and we’re borrowing her airship to help battle Discord. You with us?”
Derpy blinked, processing what she had been told. She gave a nod, giving a muffled, “Shurr.”
Pinkie pulled her hoof back. “Great! Now that that’s all cleared up, where were you off to?”
Derpy gasped. “Oh, right! I got a delivery to make!” She turned and readied for takeoff but Applejack stepped on her tail, keeping her pinned to the deck.
“Whoa, there. Delivery to where?”
Yanking her tail free and giving Applejack a sour look, Derpy said, “Mareanda. I’ve been helping a few ponies get some mail delivered in this area.”
“Really? That’s mighty kind of ya. Anypony we know?”
Derpy looked away, one hoof pawing at the deck. “Well… I kinda promised I would keep it a secret.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. “Okay. How ‘bout we help ya? We can give you a lift.”
“Um, okay. I suppose that’ll make it quicker. Just, one thing.” Derpy swallowed and motioned for all of the ponies and chocobo to come forward. The others gave her odd looks but Derpy increased her urgent movements to get closer. Slowly and reluctantly, the group clustered around the pegasus. “Okay, so, we gotta be careful when we fly around. You see, there’s this really big and nasty black thing that’s taken over the skies. Anything that gets too high or too close, it attacks. I’ve stayed low but I’ve had a couple close calls where it nearly saw me.” Derpy shuddered. “I don’t even want to imagine what it would do to me if it ever caught me.”
A grim look passed between the Returners. Trixie nudged Derpy and said, “Do you know what it is beyond a ‘big black thing’?”
Derpy shook her head. “I never dared get close to it. I’ve only seen it from far away but I could still feel just how mean it was.”
“Probably one of Discord’s minions, then.” Trixie turned to Pinkie. “Does this ship have any weapons?”
A shake of Pinkie’s head was the answer. “There’s a few cargo hooks attached to the bottom, but nothing like cannons. I suppose we could get some, but it will take some modifications to fit them in. Which reminds me…”
.o.O.o.
“Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh girrrrrrrrrrrrllllllllllllls!”
“... We’ll get our stuff. Ma! Pa! Watch over the store! We’re going to help Pinkie save the world!”
“Doth, take care! Pray, do not do unto others that which you do not want done unto yourselves!”
.o.O.o.
“There, that little sidequest is done,” Pinkie said with a satisfied nod.
The party blinked as they watched Maud, Limestone, and Marble Pie settle into their positions as crew members as though they had never stopped.
Pinkie slammed her her hooves together. “Now, let’s put this baby to work. Next stop, Mareanda!”
.o.O.o.
With a new destination, the Paradise sped over land and sea, heading south. Mindful of Derpy’s warning, Pinkie Pie kept the airship as low as she could and kept the speed at a moderate pace. Even with the ability to fly, the going was slow as landmasses no longer looked the way Pinkie remembered them. Many times, Trixie’s map had to be referenced to keep on track. Derpy’s insistence that they were going the right way helped, but the unease of flying over strange lands kept Pinkie from truly letting the Paradise show its stuff. Hours of flight later, the parched landscape changed as bountiful forests and farms began to pass underneath them. No sign of chaos tampering could be spotted, which quickly gained Trixie’s attention.
“So you’re more familiar with this part of the world than we are,” she said as she watched a particularly well kept farmhouse and groomed fields streak by. “What has Discord been up to here?”
Derpy cocked her head. “Huh, good question. I mean, all the ponies that live around here know of him, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him doing anything mean. He’s hardly ever around as far as I know.”
“Which only makes it more suspicious,” Trixie grumbled. “Just when I think I have him figured out, something like this shows up to mock me.”
“Don’t worry! You’re going to like Mareanda. The ponies there have really fixed the place up! They say it’s even more beautiful than it was before the Empire took it over.” Derpy smiled, reached over, and nudged Applejack in the side. “Hey, remember when we tried kicking out all the soldiers? We almost did it, too!”
Applejack’s face scrunched up. “Yeah, I remember.” Her mouth formed a deep frown. “I also remember why we failed.” She abruptly turned and headed down into the ship quarters, her movements stiff and forceful.
Derpy watched her go, her smile turning upside down. “Oh dear.” She turned back to Trixie and saw the unicorn also had a frown. “Not you too? Why do you look so bummed?”
A verbal answer didn’t come, but Trixie did send Derpy a sideline, half-lidded glare. The pegasus wilted under the look and decided she needed to be somewhere else. Once she was out of sight, Trixie went back to staring at the ground passing below and sighed.
.o.O.o.
An hour later, the airship landed on a large patch of tall grass that waved and rippled like the waters of the sea. Ponies landbound all stopped what they were doing and watched as the mechanical wonder set down just outside Mareanda. A group of them quickly gathered together and discussed this new development, nodding as one as a decision was made.
Aboard the Paradise, Pinkie Pie and her sisterly crew got to work securing the ship to the land. Despite it being a new ship with a year’s worth of being out of practice, the Pies expertly tied down the Paradise as though the time away from their passion hadn’t happened at all. It wasn’t long before the Returners disembarked down an extendable set of stairs built under the cabin. They were immediately greeted by the locals, but the looks on their muzzles made it clear this party was anything but welcoming.
“You have ten minutes to get back on that thing and clear out!” one of the ponies in the crowd shouted. The others, a mixture of earth, pegasus, and unicorns all yelled in agreement.
Pinkie Pie bounced to the front of the crowd and gave a chipper, “Hi!” She stood on her hind legs and waved. “You all miss me? I know I haven’t been by in a while but let me make it up to you by throwing the biggest party of the year!”
“Didn’t you hear?” a pegasus mare said. She thrust her hoof towards the airship. “Get out of here!”
“Now what’s with the attitude, huh?” Pinkie Pie crossed her forelegs and gave the ponies a cross look. “This isn’t a nice way to make a good first impression. Derpy? A little help?” Pinkie Pie reached back and yanked Derpy to her side while wearing a confident smile. “Tell the ponies here we are just looking for a little help.”
Before Derpy could get a word out, the same mare exclaimed, “You brought them here?!” Her wings shot out, making her appear twice her normal size. “You idiot!”
“Now wait a minute, there’s no need for tha—”
“You’re going to ruin everything!” The crowd behind the mare all shot Derpy looks that could kill. “Get them, quickly!” The mob roared and stomped, sending small tremors through the ground. The Returners, unprepared for this, began to teeter on their hooves. Several ponies broke off from the mob, horns, wings, and hooves readied to attack.
A combo of fire and ice magic blasted in front of them, sending the ponies neighing and rearing back. As they recovered and readied to charge again, a pair of figures stepped through the smoldering and mist filled grass, stopping them instantly. Ears drooped and jaws dropped as Trixie, flanked by Sunset, strode up, her eyes flashing with contempt. “Tr-Tr-Trixie the Terrible…” one of them blubbered.
Trixie kept up her march, forcing the ponies back. She looked down her nose at them, eyeing them with a mixture of contempt and tired resignment. “Hello again, Mareandians. Trixie has returned. She and her companions have a little business to deal with here and then we’ll be on our way.”
A stare down ensued, the Mareanda civilians glaring and pawing at the ground while Trixie kept her poise cool and composed. At length, Trixie harrumphed and said, “Don’t be wasting both of our time. Let us pass and we’ll be out of your manes.”
“We… we won’t let you,” an earth pony replied, digging his hooves into the ground. “We finally have our town back and we won’t let you burn it again.”
Trixie’s ears drooped slightly. Having the good grace to look down at the ground, she said with no hint of haughtiness, “Would it help if I said I was sorry?”
The Mareandians gave a collective blink. They stood and stared as Trixie prostrated herself before them, her horn digging into the ground. “I apologize for what I did. Trixie was a different mare back then and I now deeply regret it. If you don’t want me to enter your town, that’s fine. But please let the others by. They have business here that has nothing to do with me.”
Nopony said anything. Trixie stayed in her position, not moving a muscle or twitching an ear. A full minute went by until a magenta earth pony mare broke off from the crowd and marched over to the unicorn. The mare bent down and lifted Trixie’s chin up until they could look each other in the eye. The mare twisted her head, searching every bit of the pony before her. She reached down and pulled Trixie up so that they stood face to face. The mare gave a small smile.
She then cocked a hoof back and slugged Trixie in the cheek.
Trixie went down, her world spinning and the worst pain she had felt in a long time. She barely even registered the mare talking to her. “Call me crazy, but I believe you. I just wanted to give a little back for what you did.” She backed off as Trixie’s friends rushed up to her, Stardust with a medical box at the ready. It took a few minutes but they got Trixie back on her hooves, a large red and purple welt beginning to swell over her eye. She stumbled and hocked out a tooth.
“I probably deserved that,” Trixie said, wincing at the pain the movement of her mouth gave.
“You definitely deserved it!” the mare shot back. “You and the Empire came into our homes and destroyed everything we built and then shipped us off to fight your war! We are finally getting our lives back together and we won’t let anything ruin it again.”
Trixie fought back the pain as she said, “Discord won’t allow it.”
The mare and the crowd behind her paled and frantically looked around in fear of the chaos creature appearing. When he didn’t, the mare gave Trixie a half crazed look. “Have you gone mad? Don’t say his name!”
Shaking her head, Trixie pushed away her fawning companions and stood before the mare again. “Don’t be stupid. He’s letting you get away with this. He’s probably waiting for you all to lower your guard and then he’ll come in and mess things up even worse than I did.” Trixie worked her mouth, choosing her words carefully. “We are going to stop him. Any help you can give will be appreciated.”
“Stop him?” The mare looked back as though Trixie had truly gone insane. “How?”
Before Trixie could respond, Applejack stepped forward, gently pushing Trixie back. “I’ll handle this from here.” She looked back at the mare, who had paled even further than before. “Howdy, Cheerilee. Mind if we talk?”
.o.O.o.
While Pinkie Pie took Trixie back to the airship for more medical attention, Cheerilee led Applejack, Derpy, Sunset, and Big Macintosh into the town proper. Ponies grumbled at the sight of the newcomers but didn’t press their grievances further. The trip was made in silence, though both Applejack and Derpy made the occasional comment and low whistle at all the repairs that the Mareandians had made in the past year. Even the central fountain where Applejack had faced off with Zecora was rebuilt, its ornate fish statues spraying out crystal clear water. Their journey came to an end as Cheerilee opened up her house and ushered the Returners in. Once the group settled into the living area, Cheerilee faced them and lowered her head.
“I’m truly sorry for what I did. I was afraid you all would cause even more Imperials to come to Mareanda. I… I thought that if I turned you in that the Empire would ease up on us, maybe even leave.” She sighed heavily. “Nothing really changed, though.”
Applejack nodded. She shuffled her hooves, looking to Derpy and Macintosh, though no inspiring words came from them. Taking a breath, she said, “Look, I ain’t gonna lie and say that it’s all water under the bridge. I was mighty upset, though I suppose it’s been so long since then that much of my anger has slipped away. I just wanted to help, though I guess help wasn’t what y’all were looking for.”
“Applejack, please understand that we had been occupied for over a year before you came. The Empire didn’t just burn our town down, they took advantage of us and then stomped out anything they thought would threaten them. We learned quickly that as long as we followed their rules, they tended to ignore us. Well, most of the time, anyway.” Cheerilee swallowed, a faraway look in her eyes. “We were scared that anymore trouble would be the end of us.”
“I suppose you got a point. I’m… sorry too.”
The room grew silent for a time, nopony willing to break it. That is, until Derpy raised a hoof, answering before anyone could call on her. “But things changed, right? The town’s better, so things worked out in the end!” She smiled, but quickly frowned and tilted her head. “You guys never did tell me how that happened.”
Cheerilee scrunched up her face. “Well, that’s because nopony here really knows what happened. Over the past year, we all slowly felt more alive than we’ve ever felt before.” Her voice rose, excitement taking over her previous gloom. “It’s the most amazing feeling! I feel like I could do anything. Ponies all over town said the same. Then, a nasty storm came in, but a couple of pegasi were able to blow it away. Pegasi have never been able to do that before.
“After that, the unicorns found out they could do more than just levitate, and us earth ponies have been able to build much better houses and grow crops larger than they’ve ever been. It’s been paradise the past few months!” Her enthusiasm died down as she regarded the group. “Please don’t ruin it for us.”
Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Cheerilee, I can’t promise ya anything. You heard what Trixie said. You may not like her much but she’s had more experience with Discord—” Sunset clenched her teeth while Cheerilee cringed—”than any of us. From what I’ve seen, she’s gotta be right. He’s gonna pop in here any day and mess everything up.”
“But he hasn’t!” Cheerilee protested. “Maybe he isn’t aware yet or—”
“No,” Applejack said with finality. “He knows. I’ve seen firsthoof what he can do. He nearly got my orchard stuck a second time because he was impatient with how fast it was going.” Applejack walked up to Cheerilee, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but that’s the truth of it. That’s why he’s gotta be stopped.” She pulled Cheerilee close, staring her dead in the eyes. “And trying to get rid of us won’t help, either.”
Cheerilee gulped, though if it was from the threat of Discord or feeling the muscles ripple through Applejack’s leg, nopony could tell. Applejack pulled away, giving Cheerilee her personal space back. “I don’t mean to frighten ya. It’s a pretty bad situation all around, but we’re doing what we can to help.”
“Do…” Cheerilee hiccuped. She took a few moments to compose herself and tried again. “Do you really think you can stop him? We… we’ve only heard rumors, but it does sound pretty bad.”
Looking back at her companions, Applejack smiled. She turned back and said, “If anypony can do it, it’s us.”
Cheerilee shivered and looked away. “Even with all the changes we’ve had, we’re no match for him. I suppose you are the best hope we’ve got.”
A long silenced followed, nopony sure what the say next. Just as Applejack was about to suggest they head out, Derpy shot to her hooves and smacked her forehead with a hoof. “I almost forgot!” She dug a hoof into her pouch and pulled out a white envelope. She held it out towards Cheerilee. “Here you go!”
The earth pony blinked before her face lit up and she took the offered envelope. “Oh, thank you. With all the excitement today, I completely forgot I was expecting this.” She ripped the top off with her mouth and fished out the folded letter inside. A quick scan of the letter later, she nodded her head and beckoned the others to come closer. “Well, it sounds like you all could use all the help you can get. It just so happens that I’ve been in contact with one of your friends, Applejack.” At Applejack’s expectant look, Cheerilee continued, “That stallion you were with when you tried saving the town? He’s in Chozo.”
“Are… are you talking about Shining Armor?” Applejack asked.
Cheerilee tilted her head. “Yes, that sounds about right. He never signed his letters, but it was obvious who it was. The things he talked about were things only he could know. Plus, his penmanship is impeccable.” She held out the letter for all to see. Every letter was in cursive and the line structure neatly laid out. “If I was a school teacher, he’d get an A+ for sure.
“Anyway, he somehow learned of me and our town and has been having Derpy deliver letters between us. I keep him informed on what’s happening and he’s… well, he’s been encouraging me to make the most of the gifts we’ve been given. He seems to be a very forgiving stallion.”
“Sometimes,” Applejack said, her tone wistful. “He has a protective streak when it comes to his son, though. Huh, hope Spotter’s with him.”
“He hasn’t mentioned him, so I don’t know.”
Applejack nodded, her features firm. “Then we’ll need to visit him and find out.”
Cheerilee held up a hoof, forestalling Applejack from leaving. “Wait, before you go, could I trouble you to take another letter?” She rushed over to a desk, pulled out a quill and paper, and began to write furiously. A minute later she finished, fanned the paper to dry the ink, then folded it up and placed it in a clean envelope. She trotted back over and hoofed the envelope to Derpy. “This will probably be my last one. You’ve been a great help to us.”
Puffing up her chest, Derpy gave a crisp salute. “I’ll get it to him even if my life depends on it.”
Cheerilee frowned. “Now don’t be doing anything like that. Your safety isn’t worth a letter.”
“Don’t worry,” Applejack said. “We’ll all help get this to him.” She turned to the others, giving a confident smile. “Well y’all, let’s get packin’ and get back to the airship. We got ourselves a friend to find.”
.o.O.o.
The Returners returned to the airship, relaying everything they had been told. Trixie, laying on a set of blankets and holding a cold compress to her face, hmmed to herself. “I don’t know what’s going on with the ponies around here.” She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Probably need to get Twilight to look into it.” She stood up and removed the compress. She clicked her mouth together a few times and worked her tongue along her teeth. She nodded towards Maud Pie. “Thanks for saving my tooth.”
Maud returned Trixie’s gratitude with a flat stare. “No problem.” She held up a bottle of pink liquid. “You should take this one more time tomorrow just to be sure.”
“What is that?” Sunset asked, following the exchange with a raised eyebrow.
“Tooth regrow. We eat a lot of rocks on the farm. Not good for the teeth, so we bought the formula off of a traveling zebra.”
Sunset stared while Stardust looked on with unmasked interest for this new form of healing. Trixie ignored both, addressing Pinkie Pie. “How long before we can reach Chozo?”
“Well, as long as it’s in the same place as before—”
“It is!” Derpy chirped.
“—Then tomorrow morning at the latest.”
Trixie nodded. “Good. Let’s hope we can slip in and pick him up. There’s a dragon there that Trixie is in no mood to meet again.”
.o.O.o.
“So you want me to fight them?”
“Yep! Give it all you’ve got, too. They’ve gotten a teensie bit stronger than the last time you met them.”
The Storm Dragon scoffed, a motion that sent a gust of wind to crash against his cave chamber. “You make it sound as though you expect me to fail. I am one of the eight chaos dragons. Ponies are as beneath me as the pigeons my griffons feast on.”
Discord sighed and waved his lion paw. “Fine, don’t listen to me. Your funeral.”
A hiss of a thousand snakes rattled the rocks dotting the cave.
“Oh?” Discord looked up, grinning widely. His next words came out more high pitched. “Strike a nerve?” A bulbous mass formed within Discord’s stomach and traveled up his neck. His eyes bugged out as the mass forced its way through his mouth, stretching it like a snake dislocating its jaw before swallowing its prey. Instead of food though, a female griffon head poked out from Discord’s maw.
“Deal with it, buster,” the head of Gilda said, her eyes gleeful. “You have to do what I say from now on.”
The Storm Dragon snarled, its tail thrashing against the floor.
“Yeah, sucks, doesn’t it? Having to do what you’re told, just like you used to do to me. I may be stuck like this but I’m thinking the perks make up for it.
“Oh, and I heard about that little hit you put out on me. Too bad Trixie’s stooges didn’t follow through, huh? Heh, at least now you can beat them up for it.”
“If you weren’t a part of my mast—”
“Yeah, yeah, threaten, kill, and all that. I’ve heard it. Now stop that and—” Gilda jerked, her face flinching as though she had been pinched. The misshapen lion and eagle hands of Discord clamped down on his upper and lower jaw and began squeezing them together. “You got your orders—!” Gilda managed to get out before Discord’s mouth snapped down, silencing her. He swallowed the mass in his mouth, sending it back down to his stomach, and let out a loud belch.
Discord smacked his mouth together a few times as though trying to work out a bad taste. “Phew. Sorry about that. She’s a bit temperamental, but I’m sure you already know all about that.” He dusted his hands off and turned to walk away. “Anyway, I’m sure you can handle it. Ta ta!” A snap of his fingers and a flash of light signaled his departure.
Now alone, the Storm Dragon stomped on a nearby boulder, crushing it to pebbles. “Gabby!”
A few seconds passed, then a light grey female griffon flew into the cave and landed before the great beast. She bowed and said, “Yes, my lord? How may I serve you?”
“We shall be having more guests soon. Prepare the appropriate lodgings.”
Gabby grabbed her head between her talons and gasped. “Do you mean more ponies?!”
“Yes.”
The high pitched squeal that resulted from the griffon reached the entirety of Mt. Chozo.
I haven't read it yet and am currently debating too, but I did want to mention; People know there is already a video game re-skin of Final Fantasy vi in MLP form right? Fully completed with its own characters? Nothing against the story, just felt I should inform everyone, and possibly the author.
8857759
Yep! Two of them, in fact! Both are quite good, too.
I'd say the advantage of reading this is that the written word gives us more opportunities to change things up. We're not constrained by programming limitations, only the limitations we put on ourselves. You'll have to investigate to see what I mean.
But definitely check out those re-skins. Once done and you want more FFVI goodness, come back and read what we've come up with.
8857796
You make a fantastic point. I will most likely read this once I have the chance and am not being dragged ten different ways by other things. I am curious what you've done differently with the story from the games, a plus with every written interpretation.
Also, if I may ask, how long did it take for your story to get popular?
8857814
Years.
We didn't start regularly hitting the feature box until two years after we started. However, we got a large amount of down votes early on that we've been slowly gaining ground against. Our early stuff was rather rough and has gone through a few revisions since then, but the votes remain the same.
We take it as we go, though. We're in this for the long haul.
still going strong i see. wonder if you'll add in the "secret" characters in Neighshe and Triangle Island?
Huh... well that was fast. I was expecting her to be at the Veldt...
... Shouldn't she know what airships are from being on the Party of One? I think this joke's gone on long enough.
Oh, well that makes a lot more sense.
Huh, no kidding. I bet this'll prompt a visit back to Chozo.
Insta-death on the first turn if you don't have a guard against it... Don't try the Vanish-Doom glitch on it though; you won't get the Bahamut Magicite that way.
Wait, didn't it have to do with Cheerilee being a jerk? Why's everyone so miffed?'
*with
Oh, well that's lame. Takes all the fun out of the reveal. May as well just put a giant flashing arrow towards the star-marked mountain for the Phoenix quest while you're at it.
Oh hey, it's General Leo's Revival Potion.
Pfft... the Storm Dragon... is taking orders from Gilda... that's just too rich.
P U R I F I C A T I O N I N P R O G R E S S . . .
Sorry, but after a paragraph like that, you can't not expect me to reference OFF.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/offgame/images/c/cd/Japhet_06.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130423220212
Dammit, I thought she'd be Gogo!
Anyways, see ya.
When was the dragon from again? It's been a while that I don't really remember if we truly did see him in this story before.
8857912
We've actually shown one of the secret characters a while back. Umaro makes a quick cameo in "Wherein Spike and Stardust Salvage Sparkling Stones". As for Gogo, well, that character's role is yet to be seen.
8858236
To be fair, the game makes it plenty obvious it's Cyan you're about to get in that part of the game. They even send a bird out to pinpoint where he is. Not everything I feel needs to be coy.
I've been waiting to get back to the dragons. They're interesting to work with.
I know Gabby was a favorite for Gogo, but we've got someone else picked out for that role. You'll just have to wait and see.
8858539
I know, it's been a while. I tried to call back to some things in previous chapters but I didn't want to get too expository. The party met the Storm Dragon back in "Wherein They Enter the Town With the Funky Music", so it may help to read that part again.
Thanks for all the comments! It keeps us going!
8858619
Well yeah, but it's the idea that's important. Everyone else is either broken, or just trying to make do, but what's Cyan up to?... He's just chilling on a mountain, sending bird messages to keep up the illusion that some random chick's boyfriend's still alive (the same boyfriend who gives the party a Tintinnabulum back when the world wasn't screwed up after doing an optional sidejob). And then, his real character development comes from an optional quest that's completely unrelated. If it was just "Cyan's been sending me correspondence letters about stuff and things", it's hardly as interesting, and is just chalked up to the "Oh, well that's expected" category. Besides, it doesn't make much sense that Cheerilee would know anything that's overly distinctive about Shining; she barely knows him.
I dunno, in terms of characters who can copy people, you're kinda running out. Gabby has a completely different role (the Mugbear enemy comes to mind), Trixie "Anything you can do, I can do better" Lulamoon is already Celes, and Discord is Kefka (final boss). Seeing who it might be'll be a crazy surprise.
8858684
well, Gogo is a mimic so maybe a changeling?
8858824
Oh... actually, that makes a lot more sense. Whoops. Come to think of it, though, there was a recluse in MLP who hid in a cave who could also copy things...
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I think his name was Steve.
8858684
What about twilight being alive( if sick, and well emotionally too.) As well as Spotter having an as of yet unknown fate? I mean we can't just assume he's alive, after all if I recall right Dinky died when the espers attack vector.
8859320
Not sure what your comment has anything to do with what I just said, but if Spotter was going to die, he would've died when he was supposed back when Domare was being poisoned. Otherwise, there'd be no point in making him the token child of every survivor horror story ever made.
8859348
Just trying to say they might be developing Shining Armor in a different way. I could see Spotter not surviving this, it'd be all the more Tragic really, makes it through Doma, helps the group out in Vector, and then, either during the airship crash, or some time after do to not being with an adult he isn't able to survive the year plus, however long it takes for the group to find him. For a bit of extra twisting in the knife say he's found I the ruins of Doma itself a victim of Wrecksoul.
Now granted I'm fairly sure he's going to live, but I'm not ruling the possibility out either. After all horror movies tend to spare children, and desater movies often do as well but not all of them allow for such things, I mean if there'd been a kid at the research Station in John Carpenter's The Thing I wouldn't be surprised if he was a victim, also Cabin in the Woods had no bones about that issue either, To say nothing of Trick or Treat, or Halloween season of the Witch. Looking at FFVI itself, even taking moblez into account Doma didn't spare any children, nor did the fate of Narsh. Heck Strago was where he was because He assumed the worst about relme, and really he got lucky there.
Oh boy. If Gabby's an enemy, our heroes are in for it...
I thought the tooth regrow potion was pink.
8860217
Gabby gonna get grabby!
Also, you're right, the tooth regrow potion is pink. Fixed!
8857814
Yeah, the first chapters are actually still being worked on here and there, to the point where they'll be rewritten, as they were first written before the team really understood properly what helped make a crossover a unique experience; so that is where the roughest part of the story is until the reworks are finished, at which point it should be a better read in general.
8859418
I was talking about Survival Horror. You know, The Last of Us, House by the Cemetery, Highschool of the Dead. There's always that one kid whose parent(s) is/are dead, and is protected by the protagonists, while they either serve as tension as to whether or not they'll die, or they actually help by either as support or offense. That's pretty much what Spotter is to a T. He's there, he's got a cheerful look on his face, he's alive even though he should be dead, and he helps whenever it's necessary. I'm just saying that it would be lame if he was killed off, because he was already kept alive for whatever reason, even though his counterpart (Cyan's kid Owaine) was killed off in a really depressing manner, lifelessly flopping off his bed as his father anxiously expects him to still be alive. So if he were to die in the World of Ruin like it's supposed to be a surprise, all it would've done is prolong something that was already circumvented for whatever reason, and if he were still alive... Eh.
Also, he can't very well be the person being possessed in Doma, because he doesn't have the emotional baggage that Shining does. If anything, he's taken things surprisingly well despite the circumstances.
8863403
Fair enough I though you meant the near universal theme in horror movies that kids live because, well even for slasher movies killing kids that aren't teenagers is considered horrific. Granted That tends to happen in disaster movies too, if the kid is related to, found by, or under the eye of plot important characters they tend to live. Also FFVI had another pointless death, two if you count the ending wit Shadow, though I'm thinking of Cid, His death IS preventable and if saved he doesn't really do much of anything either. Granted I tend so save him as letting him die because "It make Celest's character arch more satisfying." just seems like bad reasoning to me.
Though if you want to talk RPGs with pointless fake outs then FFIV is the one to go with, good lord I know they wanted to rotate the cast but they way some many characters SEEM to die in that game, but don't just cheapens the death of the one who DOES die.
8863652
I'm not saying that Owaine's death was pointless, though, I'm saying that Spotter being left alive for whatever reason is. Owaine being dead not only leaves a fracture in Cyan's heart, but it's also an indicator that not even children are spared in this game. With Cid's death, it's a series first for the player where a main character feels so hopeless over the current situation, that she tries to kill herself. Not sacrifice herself so that the resistance could live on... but to end her life because she didn't see the point in persisting.
As for Shadow dying, it's a test of the player's wit to see if they can find out how to save him, and it also serves as an alternate route where Relm has some memory resurgences whenever she sleeps as well. It serves as sort of a "multiple routes put the puzzle pieces together" kind of thing, like what the Kirby series does nowadays.
Eh, it's better than the case of FFII and FFV, where so many people die that death has no impact anymore. Heck, a guy pretty much dies just from getting pushed. PUSHED. Sure, you could argue that Kelger was already pretty weak from old age, and he persisted for a bit afterwards before he keels over, but if they'd clarified that after the fact, I wouldn't be so triggered. By the time I first met Xexat, I instantly went "Yup, he's gonna die too."
8863689
I didn't mean to Imply that Owaine's death was pointless. More Shadow's at the end of the game, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers, and obviously failing at that, so my mistake. Owaine's death indeed has a big impact and seeing the State Strago was in in the WoR shows just how hard even the assumed death of a child can hit.
As for FFII and FFV, I've not played the former, and well, the fan sub I played of the former, did nothing for me. I HATED the heroes in that game! None of them seemed likeable, and not ONCE did they stop a crystal from going boom. Hell I cared so little that when gaulaf kicked it and his granddaughter took her place I was more disappointed the rest of the heroes didn't buy the farm then what should have been the more insulting implication that he could just "PASS" his levels, skills and what not onto his granddaughter like he did!. Dear lord I hop that was a bad fan sub. because I HONESTLY pray that "Butz" was a joke name for a main character.
8863748
Well for one, that's your fault for playing a fansub. You should've went with the GBA version on an emulator; much more practical. And of course they didn't stop a crystal from going boom, how could they, when in the other games;
I: The Four Heroes of Light kill Garland, kicking off the time loop that brings Chaos into fruition, who divides into the Four Fiends.
II: While Firion and co. get the Ultima Tome, a Cyclone ravages several towns.
III: Goldor smashes the fake Earth Crystal (which the Warriors of Light believe to be real).
IV: Every single Crystal gets taken away by the bad guys.
IV TAY: Ditto.
VI: The Warring Triad get set out of alignment, and a vast majority of Espers get turned into Magicite and consequently absorbed by Kefka... Need I say more?
But somehow, when V does it, it's suddenly a huge problem, even though destroying the crystals is the only way to return the two worlds back to one? That's a loaded complaint.
Probably because it'd make no sense for some random Level 1 girl to accompany a team like it's all fine and dandy. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Heroes chosen by the Crystals were all people who were of the same family; Bartz (his actual name) was descended from Dorgann, and Lenna and Faris are sisters. Of course Krile would inherit Galuf's power; it would've been a waste of Job XP otherwise.
Similar to how Edward from FFIV was known as Gil in the Japanese version, Bartz was known as Butz. You can easily look it up, and see that to be the case. Final Fantasy Wiki is your friend.
8863802
The GBA port wasn't a thing at the time I played the fan sub. And well Bar the Job system and the music nothing in that game enticed me to play it again so yeah still haven't revisited it.
In Four the heroes at least got to the crystals first on a few occasions, even if they did end up handing them over either by choice, or by what went down once they left the sealed cave.
The Triad may have been shifted but the empire DID fall, and the Magitech Research facility was destroyed as well. Not to meantion a number of positives in the world of Ruin such as An airship being recovered, a trapped city freed and the like.
You've got me with the inherited powers, though I still think it felt it somewhat cheapened Galuf's death when that happened. Though again could have just been the way the fan sub handled it. Though I never really felt any attachment to the characters in Mystic Quest the few times I rented it. Yet the casts of Four, an Six I fondly remember even though I played them around the same time. As did Ramza's struggle to save the world in Tactics.
8863840
What, have you forgotten Clash on the Big Bridge already? It's a franchise staple. I will admit though, something I've always hated about the battle theme: It only has 20 measures (not including the the opening two). It's the shortest of the original 6, ahead of FFII's, which has 24 (not including the opening two). And that's a shame, because the Advance one has more content (an extra dungeon, everything's translated right, a couple more classes), and compared to FFI, FFIII, and Heroes of the Light, it's got the best job system in the franchise.
So? Cecil was the one who handed over the Water Crystal, the Fire Crystal got stolen before they got there, the Wind Crystal got taken by Kain, the Earth Crystal got offered up in a trade, Golbeze took three of the Dark Crystals, and Kain stole the last one. Regardless of how you put it, all eight of them were taken by the enemy (which is their goal, as was Exdeath's goal in V to destroy them, so it's the same exact thing).
And Kefka screwed over the world, killing thousands, if not millions, of people. That's like saying "Well ISIS is pretty bad, but hey, at least Hussein's dead."
Setzer already had an airship, and it was broken in the World of Ruin, which necessitated the Falcon being recovered in the first place.
Yeah, an ancient castle that's still buried underground, with no one there except some monsters and some Magicite. All at the expense of Vector (which had some good souls despite being the capital of the Empire) and the total abandonment of Narshe.
But going off this point, that there could be "Positives" in the world by the balance of the Triad being moved, the same could be applied to the Crystals breaking in V. A world that had previously feared the evil that would come from another Enuo (necromancer dude who tried to use the void in Exposition, but can be fought as a Super Boss in the Advance version onwards) is braced with another "Enuo" (Exdeath) to come and bring the world back together; restoring the Forest of Moore to the Desert of Shifting Sands, bringing back the Library of the Ancients to the people of the Second World; the entirety of the Merged World can be traveled on foot (or Chocobo if one prefers); the Sealed Weapons, Flare, Holy, Meteor, Bahamut, and Leviathan are all brought forth to be used; the Phantom Village finally has a chance to somewhat exist; and now people have the means of dealing directly with a threat, rather than sealing it all in a tree to make an Insta-Naraku.
The way I see it, it's a better version of Aerith's death. Bartz and his friends are bound by Exdeath's power, falling into despair as their actions had lead to Exdeath getting the final Four Crystals... however. With grim determination, Galuf charges forth, facing off against a force he can't possibly win against, and battles with Exdeath no matter how bad it gets. It gets so intense, he is left with zero HP, but still continues on regardless. Eventually, he manages to fend off Exdeath, even with a Flare/Holy/Meteor combo flung at him, but it comes at the cost of his life, something that Cure Magic, Life Magic, and every possible healing item in the game can't fix... and he passes on.
Nothing about what I just said gets diminished by Krile rising in her Grandfather's footsteps. If anything, it's a tribute to Galuf's determination that she accepts the role as the fourth Warrior of Light, and the last of the Royal Bloodline of Bal...
And I'm not even someone who's that big a fan of Final Fantasy V.
8863886
I meant that the Music and the Battle system were the two things I got enjoyment out of that game. No matter HOW awesome Battle on the Big Bridge is I'm not going to slog through a story I find too silly, and characters I don't give a damn about just to hear that song a handful of times.
The point I was going for was that there were some victories to be had, They may have been minor, and hard fought but at least the game didn't feel like you accomplished nothing and were only arrviving at a plot point to see how you fail in new and exciting ways.
Figaro castle, not the ruined castle, Though both are castles, both were trapped underground, both served as dungons so That's on me for not being more clear.
I thought Tellaha's death had more pathos to it, As he was a hero, but well even though he died fighting Gobleze it was for the wrong reason, His heart so corrupted by his hate that he made the ultimate sacrifice, yet in the end it amounted to very little. However given what happened to Anna, hi lashing out at Edward, and the temporary fate of Palom and Porom, you can see why he made the choice that he did.
8863899
You know, except those are were all failures. Cecil was Cagnazzo's unwitting bitch for the first crystal, Cecil was too slow the second time, Cecil got betrayed Kain the third time, Cecil had to trade a Crystal he already got to get his girl back, Golbez got two Dark Crystals offscreen, and took the third one even when he got beat, and Kain betrayed them a second time to steal the last one. What sort of mental gymnastics for none of those to be considered "arrviving[sic] at a plot point to see how you fail in new and exciting ways"???
Meanwhile in V, they beat the Wing Raptor to get to the Wind Crystal, stopped the rampaging Garula as they went to get the Water Crystal, defeated the Liquid Flame possessing the Queen Karnak to get to the Fire Crystal, and defeated the Archaeovis (with the cost of King Tycoon) to get to the Earth Crystal.
How are those any worse than your best friend betraying you twice over emotions he can't control, a guy who stole the crystal regardless of him being defeated, and the main character murdering half a town of Wizards because he thought that the guy who was like a father to him told him too? How in Pandaemonium below and Arubboth above do you consider any of those a "victory", but consider everything in FFV a "spectacular failure"?
... Figaro Castle was already a thing that was on the surface world, before the Triad got ruined! How do you come to the conclusion that something bad that happened because of an event, and the protagonists solves the bad thing, and think that's something positive that came from the event itself? That's like giving an award to a bully because the geek he was bullying tattled on him, resulting in the bullying to cease.
Please, every Black Mage could use Meteo after him, even though they said in the game that it was a spell that could kill the player if they used it. How's that any better than what happened with Galuf and Krile (which is a problem somehow)? Also, nothing's special about Captain Ahab death #1465. He gets screwed over by someone, he gives into rage, he fights back, he dies. Nothing we haven't seen before. You get better "Pathos" out of the True Grit remake.
8863922
So Figaro was never trapped underground and was perfectly fine the whole game?
Mysadia Is indeed Cecil being a dolt, Though Given that the guy being impersonated and giving the order for that and Mist had basically raised him, it's easy to understand how it'd be hard to question him and even then it's the aftermath of Mist that sets him on his journey of redemption. Also I'd debate on weather kain willingly betrays or not as we don't know how much of the game he's himself and how much is him under mind control. Though if I recall right in the DS remake you CAN seeing him overcoming the mind control in the final dungeon. Also you left out a failure with the crystal, namely that whole mess with the dark elf, who was an independent faction.
As for tellaha, at least he's meant to be a hero ( if a tragic or Byronic one.) Ahab seemed more an obstacle if not an antagonist as the book went on. If you still say there's no Value in Variations of Ahab, go ahead and tell me that Khan from Star Trek two had no impact, Kinda says something when you get elevated from One shot episode villain to Star of the movie that all other trek movies are judged against.
Though I'll admit you've got me beat, it's mostly just nostalgia and the fact that the story and Characters of Four held my attention better then five. Still I Did enjoy this debate even if I was losing from before the starting pistol fired.
8863979
It was, until the Triad got out of balance (which is a bad thing). It's not "thanks" to the Triad that Figaro got freed, it's "thanks" to the Triad that it was buried in the first place.
Kain was mind controlled based off his feelings for Rosa, because Zemus has the power to control people based off their negative emotions towards people (Golbez with Cecil, Kain with Cecil and Rosa). He got controlled when he was separated from the group, snapped out of it when Tellah Ahab'd himself, got controlled once they got the Crystal at the Sealed Cave, and snapped out of it again once Golbez snapped out of it. On the way, he could feel the influence coming to him, but ultimately found the willpower to control himself.
No, I mentioned it, it's the Crystal that Cecil traded away to save his girl, which was all a trap anyway.
I said that there were other stories (like the True Grit remake) that did the Ahab bit better. Galuf works as a sacrifice, because he's not fighting with a macguffin that is fatal to whoever uses it (until Rydia, Palom, FuSoYa, and Golbez use it perfectly fine), but with his full strength while putting everything on the line to save his friends (as it all comes down to Galuf being weaker than Exdeath at this point). Tellah doesn't work as well because he dies the same way he lived; embittered by an unknown figure in the distance, and ready to foolhardily charge to face said figure regardless of the circumstance or how other people may feel about the situation. Only in death does he see the folly that he'd undertaken, as one of the few men to be proclaimed by the world as a Sage (but it's no doubt sad, because he was a cool dude for what it was worth).
I like IV better than V too; I just wanted to back it up where it had its strengths.
8864003
What I was going for with Figaro was that the returns freed it post world of ruin saving it from death, same the with Falcon an airship that was basically lost as while in perfect working order it was in storage as a memorial to a fallen friend yet Upon speaking with Setzer and heading to the tomb his spirit and will to fight are rekindled and much like the Falcon he raises again.
The triad awakening in not a positive in the least, and even then Kefka set the city on fire because he had a HUNCH that Edgar was hiding Terra there, not proof a HUNCH!
Also there IS a reason for why Meteor took down Telleha. Two actually. The gameplay reasons, it costs 99 mp to use, Tellaha NEVER has that much MP yet Rydia, Goblaze and Fushoya do. The other reasons is Telleha was always portrayed as his old age taking a toll on him, needing Cecil and Rydia's help having forgotten most of the spells he once knew, When Cecil becomes a paladin and is granted meteor he also gains back the spells he'd forgotten, yet his MP doesn't increase.
Where is Rydia, Fusoya, ad Golbeze are all show to have more power then Telleha does, Rydia starts ff the game knowing THREE kinds of magic, White, Black and Summoning, ranted she gives up white magic later to empower the other two but even then she's shown to be quite the magical powerhouse. Fusoya is a centuries old alien mage who is shown to be a powerful mage and isn't portrayed as feeble as Telleha. Golbeze is also an alien as is (Cecil) who is also shown to be quite powerful, as he can use black magic and summoning magic. and while in later versions of the game they altered it to look less strange in the original he's shown being reduced down to a single HAND and still being alive enough to grab his prize, Teleport away and recover to be stronger then ever. the altered version being he merely fakes being defeated to swipe the crystal at a prime moment.
Kain seemed to only really "break free' twice to me, namely during the sealed cave mess, and even then you could argue Golbeze lost the signal do to bad reception. Then once he got it back he steamrolled Kain. Were as the second time Kain has finally overcome his negative emotions to the point where he can resist said mind control and breaks free on his own.
As for five whileit's been forever since I played it I can recall a few things about it and how I reacted to them Off the top of my head. In no particular order " Really BUTZ come on! That's not even funny that's lame!" "So Terra has aminesa and it's a MAJOR part of her character, causing her to question who she is, what her place is in the world, and not even being sure if she can or should trust the returners. She's not even sure if she CAN feel love. Galuf has it and... it bails them out of a lotus eater death trap situation," "Huh Faris is a chick, neat I guess." ".. I know you're caught in a rock and a hard place there but WOW 'my dragon's tongue can cure my mother? Hold still this'll only hurt for a bit!'" You know the earth crystal wouldn't have shattered if you guys had turned the damned machine of sooner." "Lone wolf the pick pocket came from this game? wait no, just his sprite." "Though Gogo apparently did." "... Eh Tellaha was cooler then you, now can the rest of these people bite it too?" "cool boss music, but please shut the hell up you're obnoxious." "... I went through HELL to get this damn weed for you now EAT THE DAMN THING!" "And, the final boss is a tree, A tree filled with evil souls but a tree none the less."
8864508
Dude, the only thing you've got is the Falcon coming back. Figaro Castle was perfectly fine before the Triad was a thing. Sure, it caught on fire once, but guess what, it came back up.
It wasn't Cecil becoming a Paladin that made Tellah remember his spells, it was the light of KluYa that jogged his memory.
That means precisely nothing. Red Mages can learn Black and White magic, and can use a sword, but that doesn't mean they're masters of them. Even in Rydia's cse, while she hasa decent foundation in Black Magic, she only knows 1-2 Summons, and her White Magic's stunted after a bit.
You know, aside from his knocked out animations, where he's basically a cloak on the floor.
So you use the DS version as a legitimate source, but then completely disregard the DS in terms of Kain's mental stated after he Ahab'd himself.
That's not his name, dude, get over it.
She's a Siren, not a Lotus Eater. Besides, you just proved my point. One thing can be done better in a later game than in a former game. As Square did better with Terra in regards to writing a character with amnesia, so too did they do better with an old man sacrificing himself.
You know you can choose not to do it, right? That's an option you have.
Same with Cecil and his friends when it came to Damcyan, which lead to the deaths of several people dying and Tellah going on the path of no return, but I don't see you complaining about that.
Meanwhile, the Earth Crystal broke, lead to another world coming to the forefront, which lead to the two worlds coming together at last, which brought back Planet R to its full vibrancy.
No, that's him Two different characters can have the same names across games.coguh Cid cough Biggs and Wedge cough.
Galuf's so lame; he only powered through the main antagonist to save his friends and the world. Meanwhile, Tellah lost himself to rage for purely selfish reasons. That's way better.
Yeah you're gonna have to give reasons for disliking these characters. Otherwise, let's arbitrarily kill off the cast of FFIV; Cecil's a putz, Rosa's a dumbass in distress, Kain's edgier than Cloud, Edward's a bigger putz, Rydia's jailbait, Tellah's the weakest incarnation of the Bryan Mills character, Palom and Porom are a terrible boke-tsukkomi duo, Cid's old and pointless, Edge is a lolicon, and FuSoYa should be arrested for child neglect...
If you couldn't tell, that's all hyperbole.
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure the Wind Drakes went through hell when something that used to be their food is suddenly trying to make them its food. Plus, it shows Lenna's sense of empathy that she'd eat a bit to show it that its fine despite its toxicity to humans. But who needs character development when we can make a joke about a dragon that refuses to eat the thing that killed the rest of its kind because they also tried to eat it.
Chaos is a knight.
Emperor is a fop.
Cloud of Darkness is a cloud.
Zeromus is the darkness within an alien.
Kefka's a clown.
Safer Sephiroth has a misplaced oedipus complex (and turned into a germ in Advent Children).
...
...
Yevon's a giant bug.
... And that's all the final fantasy games I really know. I heard the one from IX kinda came out of nowhere, but aside from that, I don't really know.
That was sort of a coincidence I always start with the cyan when I'm trying to gather up all the fighters
Yeah I remember that when I first came across to that monster in the sky I was not prepared because I was so under level and it killed us it was super annoying I had to do it again because I forgot to save the game lol 😅
Gasp Gabby I knew that she was going to show up sooner or later and I really hope Gallus does show up in the later story
Well it looks like they finally got the airship but suddenly Derpy show up so that's another friend they found once she reunites with her teammates they explain about the situation then she explained that she's making a delivery for somebody just a little bit further they finally made it to the town Mareandians but of course the ponies were not happy to see them and they were about to attack them and tell Trixie and sunset stop them after they settle down she tried to apologize to everybody what she's done even though they will never forgive her but she was try to make amends with them but after that Cheerilee talk with Applejack and the others and she apologized for their betrayal reason for that because she thought that the emperor will leave it alone which unfortunately did not work then she said something that they were at peace actually but sooner or later Discord will do something even worse that's why Applejack and her team wants to stop him but they also found out about the delivery mail is from shining armor and he's at the mountain zozo but unfortunately Discord warn the dragon that the returners are coming here and something tells me that dragon is going to be a problem