[The fields of Equestria below Cloudsdale]
“Come on one more should do it.” Zidane said as he slashed another Ahriman as Quina and Choco attacked an Imp.
“Keww.” Choco said as he flapped his wings casting Thunder on an Ahriman.
“Well that takes care of that.” Zidane said as a bright light engulfed the trio.
“Hey Cid said you were train..Oh come on.” Rainbow said as she stomped her foot down.
-Hero-
Before I could blink, a great burst of light had revealed three beings now falling to their…’Oh shit!’
Acting quick I pull out something I hope can save them. I waste no time in playing the instrument. Before long, a mechanized green dragon had swooped in and procured the trio before they had met their demise. The dragon came up close to the window and allowed it’s cargo safe passage aboard the train.
Said “cargo” consisted of Zidane, Quina, and a chocobo...all of which were Final Fantasy characters.
“You know I never did beat nine…” I say rather absent mindedly.
“Umm What.” Zidane said as he stood up. “Where am I?” He asked looking around
“Sorry, uh..where are my manners? Hi, name’s Azure Darksoul. You are currently on a train headed for Griffonstone. Sorry about uh..almost killing you. That was my bad.” I said as I kicked one of the bandits on the floor.
“I see.. Wait, how did we get here?” Zidane asked.
“Well I found your uh...summoning token? Yeah...I followed the instructions and well, here you are! Want anything? A drink, food? My pals are currently liberating the dining car.”
“Food.” Quina’s eye's light up
“Yeah. Food would be nice… Wait then my dream wasn’t just a dream then.” Zidane said as he followed me.
“A dream? Huh, well we should discuss this later, right now you must be starved…” Before exiting to the connecting car, I looked out the window.
“HEY RAINBOW! I NEED YOU TO LEAD SOME GUESTS TO THE DINING CAR!!” A second past and the rainbow maned pegasus dove straight into the middle of the car.
“What’s that about guest...uh. Hi?”
“Kewe.” Choco said as he waved a wing happily as Quina just stared
“Um hi..So talking ponies is new.” Zidane said
“Hey I’m not that new! Was he insulting me?” Rainbow asked.
“No, I think it’s just a cultural difference, like I said, we’ll talk more later, let’s just straighten a few things out here. Rainbow, if memory serves me right, this is Zidane, Quina and...uh…”
I blinked and stared intently into the eyes of the chocobo before me. The train tracks the only noise in the room. Zidane was about to speak up but I lifted a finger at him, not taking my eyes off the bird.
“I know this one...don’t you help me..I haven’t forgotten everything…”
“Uh sir, time constraint?” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Kewe.” The chocobo cooed as if to taunt the being in front of him.
“Okay I give! What’s his name?”
“Choco, my familiar.” Zidane said as he pet Choco on the head.
“How...strangely unoriginal...Right. Zidane, Quina...Choco...meet Equestria’s fastest flier. Rainbow Dash.” I stated as Rainbow gave a short bow.
“Nice too meet you.” Zidane said as he scratched his nose.
“Hungry.” Quina said still staring at Rainbow “Ow.”He/she said as she/he got slapped by Choco’s wing
“Kewe.” Choco said to Quina before bowing.
“Look I don’t want anyone eating my friends,” Azure stated as I reached behind myself and brought out a piece of blue starry meat. “So I’m just gonna cook this real quick,” Facing out the window, I let out a great plume of fire, returned, and presented the cooked meat to Quina.
“Please don’t eat Rainbow, she’s cool.”
“Umm. Tasty.” Quina said as she/he devoured the meat in 10 seconds flat.
Before I so much as breathe, the train screeches to a halt as the intercom once again blared to life.
“Ponies ponies ponies...you think you’re so much better than everyone!” The condescending voice gave a soft cackle.
“You're not though. This whole hero thing you're doing, I mean it was cute until the GIANT DRAGON showed up, but I am a patient bird. So you ponies are gonna wait here while my back up shows up. Then we kill ya.
Then we take what you owe us. What you OWE the Iron Cla-"
I magicked an electric boar to shut off the coms. Rainbow placing a hoof on my leg as I seethed.
“Justice, not vengeance.” Was all she said as I breathed in and looked at our guests.
“Sorry, but I need to borrow your blue mage.” I say to Zidane with a (slightly) calm face.
I guess..Wait where are you going.” Zidane asked as Azure ran towards the front of the train
“I’m going to kick ass and chew bubblegum! Rainbow, Zidane and Choco are your problem. Feed em and help Gilda and Pinkie! Quina, you’re with me!”
-Passenger Cars: Hero-
The groups set, we went our separate ways. The connecting car was packed with hostages who had been bound and gagged. The windows had been shattered in this car as well, and the signs of struggle were apparent in the various wounds upon some of the ponies.
“Urp. Sorry.” The cook next to me had burped me out of my train of thought.
‘Heh, probably the Ursa giving them trouble. I should be careful, Quina might actually hit me with-’
Four Griffon bandits flew in and began to stalk the cars. I quickly pulled my ally down hoping they hadn't seen me.
Whispering as softly as possible: “Four of them, two with crossbows, one with a sword. The last one *snif* female...blood on her claws. She's a brawler. I go in as a distraction and you strike them down with your-”
An ungodly rumble shook the car…
“Aaaand they know we're here. New plan!”
The swordsman broke his blade on my Ultra Guardian shield giving me a massive amount of meter. The shocked expression of the bird was replaced by my fist in his face. Quina was starting to groan until a flash of misty white soared passed me and struck one of the crossbowman. The poor bird was frozen over.
“When did you learn…”
“New yummies. New magic.”
“Right, Blue mage.” New info, newer plan. I didn't have time to formulate one because of the asshole in the room.
“You two get up nice and slow or I put an arrow through this foal's head.”
“Shit.” We rose up slow, our hands in the air. The crying foal was pinkish, with white hair. A unicorn colt. He was scared and crying, no doubt having never faced a situation like this before.
The griffoness was a rather buff cross between a red robin and a bobcat. Her goon was a Blue-jay panther.
“What even is that? Ah who cares, warn the boss Finnick.” Said the griffoness.
“I can waste these bozos he-"
A shot of ice breath and an ethereal kunai had frozen the goon and knocked the crossbow out of the griffoness’ claw respectively.
The griffoness dropped the boy while clutching her claw in pain. With speed and precision I knocked her down and out.
I give one look at the passengers and begin to undo their bindings. The boy was first.
“Thank you kind sir! May Celestia bless you!”
“Don't thank me yet kid, the train is still at a stand still. Make your way to the dining car. The others will be with you shortly. Quina, help me untie them!”
The Qu briskly went to work and our prisoners had all evacuated except for the boy.
He hadn't said a word but instead chose to leave me a small gemstone. A garnet, with a gold ring around it.
Once the boy had, Quina and I made our way into the preceding car. It was empty save for the shattered glass. The connecting car was the conductor’s. I heard faint sounds coming from the door.
“Old timer don't do this...it's pointless! No one's gonna save you or this train so just give me what I’m here for!”
The sound of tape being forcefully ripped off was followed by a vicious spit.
“Go...to...Hell…” A loud smack and the sound of metal.
“Stupid ponies. The heck is “Hell" anyway.”
“Quina, wait here, he’s mine.” I say bitterly.
“Okay, I see if yummy food to eat.” Replied the Qu.
I blast the door open with the reverberations of my Tuning Blade, the broken metal slamming against the...chicken hawk?
“Ouch...gotta say...didn't see that coming…” Said the bandit leader as he tried to get himself back up. I promptly give a big middle finger in the way of two prongs of metal in his face.
“I’d ask why you're robbing a train, or why you're running my legacy through the mud, but I’d rather just feed you to my friend in the other room.”
“What? Wh-what kind of twisted monste-" A thwack knocks the sucker out cold. “Quina! Let me restart the train so we can be done here!
Okay, console...meet lightning…”
Once the conductor got back on his feet I made my way through the cars, the griffon that had been knocked out were now tied together neatly and tossed next to their frozen companions.
This trend continued into the next car, where it was I began. Apparently a ship mare was among us who knew her way around rope. Poor thing offered to show me just how well too, but I needed to get to my friends.
The trip to the dining car was filled with thanks, and happy smiles, but mostly uneventful.
Things were quiet...too quiet...the lights to the dining car where shut off, I motioned to Quina who readied them self with a large fork.
The door slammed open, the lights blared to life as Pinkie Pie burst out of an incredibly large cake.
“Surprise!!” Yelled the patrons within. “To our heroes!” General merriment ensued and cake was had, but in the midst of this happy chaos I gathered a concerned group with me.
“Hey Zidane, you look like you saw a ghost.” I say.
“What? Oh yeah.. Just thinking. I would not go into the next car if I were you.” Zidane said with a chuckle
“Riiight. Well, train is no longer overrun with bandits, I’d say it’s high time for questions and answers.”
“Right. You said you used my token to summon me here. Wherever here is.”
I will the orange crystal into my hand and display it to our group.
“This brought you to my neck of the woods, those woods being the land of Equestria. My question, how’d you end up in the multiverses of Equestria?”
“See these daggers.” Zidane said as he pat his dagger case. “These were on a table and I got an amazing discount for em, a Five finger discount.”
“Pfft, you stole those!? Surprised you...well...I guess you didn't get away with it.”
“Yeah, I guess. But I live a more exciting life now… I think.”
“Hey so what exactly are you?” Asked Gilda.
“Rude…” I add.
“I’m a human from Gaia, a plant connected to Equis… That’s what my memories say at least.” Zidane said as he scratched the back off his head
“Gaia...then...your Equestria is connected to Final Fantasy...where are you in your timeline?”
“Timeline? Well I just helped Applejack back home, and talked to Yuna about Fluttershy’s new training.”
“Who's Yuna? Asked Rainbow and Gilda in unison.
“A teacher in Cloudsdale.”
The girls give me a confused look. “Yuna...is from Final Fantasy ten. Why does she exist in your world?” I ask.
“There are many others out there from different worlds.... That’s what Cosmos said.”
“Worlds like ours!” Exclaimed Pinkie.
“I have no clue.”
“Hmm...that's enough out of us. You have your own questions I’m sure.” I ask.
“Sooo...Ponies are the main race.. Well one of the sentient life forms here?”
“Aye, there are also the dragons, griffon, minotaurs along with a few others. But, ponies as far as the eye can see.”
“I see...Ah, I found these.” Zidane said as he presented a red materia.
“Mother of God...materia!? Here!? How!? Gilda, please tell me you have answers?” I ask dumbfounded and confused.
“Sorry, I’ve never seen em before. Dash?”
“Don't look at me, the archives have nothing on what those are.”
“Maybe someone from my world came and dropped some here.” Zidane said
“Five hundred gold says Kuja did it.” I say snarkily. The random name confusing my group further.
“Kuja..Ah a friend of mine dressed as him.. I think, my past is so foggy.”
“Maybe you should sleep on it?” Asked Pinkie.
“Muddled memories may resurface with proper stimulation, I could probably help you as you sleep seeing as our destination is still a ways off.” I say.
“Sound.. Wait a long trip? Sunny got mad at last time.” Zidane said
“Hmm...got anything that belongs to her?”
“Let see.. A blue Phoenix feather.” Zidane said as he pulled out the feather.
“May I?” I motion to the object not wanting to be rude.
“Sure. What are you going to do?” Zidane asked as handed the feather.
“I’m going to create a psionic link to your Sunset…” I go through my motions, a small prick into exposed flesh, the crystal and my pendant.
“By my blood…” The trickling blood begins to float and create a translucent orb.
I hold the feather for a brief moment, as it floats and begins to hover. I will the crystal do the same, once both radiate the energy, I link both to my pendant. The light show ended, the items float back to the table and I dismiss my orb while releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding.
“Grab...The pendant...think of...Sunset...and flick the gem…”
“Ok..” Zidane said as he grabed the pendent and ficked thee gem. “Hey Sunny..Sorry.. Yeah...I may not be back for some time..What!? I Was dragged here!... Fine, next time if this happens again you can come.. Yes Quina is with me….Bye.”
“How’d it go?” I ask.
“A lot of yelling, but good.”
“Heh, I remember training Sunset...such a firebrand that one…”
“Yeah. You know how many times she tried to burn my tail?”
“Pfft, you got off easy. She got just a little more power every so often and she tries to hijack my brain! But...I suppose it was worth it once she finally became the spellcaster she wanted to be…”
“That's..Ok then.” Zidane said in a confused tone. “At least she is not learning how to..”
“Kewwe.”
“Fine I’ll stop.”
A loud crack resounded through the room and the intercom blared to life.
“Folks, we’re running a bit late, but hopefully we won't have any more surprise visitors. I don't think my heart can take it…Goodnight folks!”
“You heard him, off to bed. Except you Rainbow, one more sweep and you're off the hook.” I say.
The pegasus gave a salute and flew off.
“So there's a room for us or are we sharing?” Zidane asked.
“Sharing unfortunately, don't worry, you can have my bed.” I say.
“Nan. I can sleep on Choco, his body is very comfy and besides it's not the worst place I’ve slept in the past couple of months.”
“Okay, Quina, you take my bed. I’ll be meditating anyway.” I state firmly.
Quina nodded, a rainbow blur shot by, and the room began to empty.