//------------------------------//
// Deeper Concerns 
// Story: Final Fantasy: Eidolons of Harmony 
// by Belligerent Bindlestiff 
//------------------------------//

Deeper Concerns

“So, who exactly are these eidolons we’re looking for?’ Trixie asked “What sort of pony would be living down here anyways?”

“Well, that’s just it.” Twilight said. “Some, or maybe all of the eidolons might not even be ponies at all. Applejack got an unexplained feeling that we should be back in these mines.”

There it is again. AJ thought as her hooves tingled with magic. “The magic’s gettin’ stronger.” She said. “Ah think we’re close to where we need to be.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I can't see beyond here.” She illuminated the area to see the rocky end to the path. “Dead end.”

“Please don’t say ‘dead’.” Fluttershy said.

“Doesn’t look like there’s anything else here. Now what?” Trixie asked.

“Ah’m sure there’s somethin here.” Applejack said.

“Where?” Trixie asked frustrated, waving a hoof at the wall.

Not again. Applejack thought Just because it’s a ‘gut’ feelin doesn’t make it any less true than fancy unicorn magic. She put her hooves to the wall. “Ah’m tellin ya, there’s’ something raht here at this spot."

Then the wall shifted and revealed a cavern filled with teal colored gems radiating light. The “wall” then lurched toward the center of the room. It was a huge bipedal creature made of stone. A smaller one of its kind called out to it.

“Look dad, ponies!”

The larger golem turned around to see the party as they entered the chamber.

“Told ya.” Applejack said, side eyeing Trixie.

The larger stone creature turned to the party and addressed them. “So,” he began in a slow, rumbling voice. “What brings you all the way to this dwelling?”

“Pardon us comin over here,” Applejack said. “But we were lookin for some special folk called the Eidolons of Harmony. Ya wouldn’t happen to be one of them would ya?”

“Perhaps I am.” The golem said. “Its been such a long time since I’ve spoken to anyone other than my family.” He then sat down.

“We were asked by the Tree of Harmony to seek you and the other eidolons out.” Twilight said. "I’m Twilight Sparkle, this is Applejack, Fluttershy and Trixie Lulamoon.” She pointed at each of the party members.

The giant mulled over the information.

“Guardian, elemental, eidolon. My connection to the earth has been timeless, but very rarely has anyone come to see me, or remember my name. I am Titan.” The eidolon said. “Though being known hardly matters, as long as I have my son.”

He stood up proudly, revealing his massive stature. “I will join your cause, but first I require your aid.”

To which the smaller golem waved at the party. “Hi! Remember me?” he asked in a voice unfitting of his youth.

“You have met before?” Titan asked.

“Yes, we passed through these mines a month ago.” Twilight said. “Your son wanted to… play, but our friend made some toys for him instead.”

“Ah, so you were here before those flans stated to grow in numbers.” Titan said. “Before then, I’d let Rocky journey about these caves. Nothing could really bother a rock eating golem, but one day, the flans tried to attack my son.”

“Yeah, Ah know the feelin.” Applejack said. “Them varmints tried to eat me.”

“So you’ve seen them then” Titan asked. “I know not why they have been so aggressive as of late, but their numbers are growing as well as their hostility. I have stayed here, protecting my son, but I cannot go and crush the lot of them myself.”

“Do you really need to do that?” Fluttershy asked, turning away slightly.

“Something has been lost about them.” Titan said. “And more importantly, I must protect my son. They creep from every corner, and my attempts to leave the cave have been stalled.”

“We’ll help yer son out of here.” Applejack said. “Just tell us what we need to do.”

“There must be a larger flan somewhere in these tunnels.” Titan said. “they’re all gathering in one area. If you can distract them long enough, I can get Rocky far away from here.”

“You can come with us to Ponyville.” Twilight said. “We’re already trying to get all of the eidolons together.”

“I accept your offer.” The eidolon said. “You have my thanks, but also a warning. Though they are of my domain, even I would not hesitate to eliminate those creatures.”

Fluttershy looked at Titan, confused and saddened.

“Too many slumber in the ancient earth because they aren’t willing to go this far to protect themselves.” Titan lamented. “I know that this is a sad thought ponies, but sometimes we are not allowed the luxury of time or invulnerability.”

////

Titan had been speaking with Twilight about where the two groups would meet after the plan went underway. Applejack mulled over the situation.

Didn’t think such a huge creature was only a child. “Titan’s a whole lot bigger than his son.”Applejack said.

“Wouldn’t be the first time somepony’s made that mistake.” Trixie said.

“Oh, raht.” Applejack said. “So now we’ve got to deal with more of them flans? That’s just great, here Ah thought we were done with them.”

“Mr. Titan said we only have to distract them.” Fluttershy said. “Just until they get out.”

“But we all know just how dangerous those things are,” Trixie said. “They’re not going to hesitate to try to eat us.”

“Trixie’s raht. Whew, didn’t think Ah’d say that.” Applejack said. “But Ah just want ya to know, this don’t make you some sort of monster or something, remember Fluttershy, this whole mess isn’t yer fault.”

Twilight rejoined the group after her conversation with Titan. “I used homing spell to help Titan find Ponyville once he knows he can leave.”

“So, we’re bait?” Trixie asked. ”Trixie thought there would be more glamor in being a warrior of light.”

“Yer still new to this whole, ‘doin the raht thing’, Trixie.” Applejack said. “But usually it means ya gotta tough it out and get dirty sometimes.”

The fighter turned to the princess. “So where are we going now, Twilight?” she asked.

“Titan said there’s a chamber not far off from here that he can feel the flan amassing.” Twilight said. “So we can take a path he blocked off to get there.”

“Just how many flans are we talking about?” Trixie asked “If what we fought before was just a taste of what’s to come, then they might even give Trixie a run for her money.”

Applejack turned with a brow raised. “Ya mean ya just can’t blast every one of them varmints? But Ah guess tain’t much good to rely on only one pony.”

“Maybe Fluttershy can call more bats?” Twilight asked. “Any animals out there that can help us?”

“If they’re out there, I haven’t seen or heard them.” Fluttershy said. “All I’ve seen were the bats, but I told them to leave the caves because there were so many flans.”

“Don’t stop looking, Fluttershy.” Twilight said. “We can use all the help we can get.” She turned to the eidolon. “Titan, we’re ready to head out.”

Titan lumbered over to the side of the room from the “entrance” and removed a boulder to reveal another path like the one that led into the chamber.

“The flans are not far.” He said.

“Remember the plan.” Twilight said. “Once you sense the flans moving away from here, use the path we came through to get out of these mines and go to Ponyville.”

“Good luck ponies.” Titan said.

////

Applejack’s party moved through the recently opened path and once again navigated by unicorn horn light.

“Ah’m gonna have to remember to bring some lanterns next time we set out.” Applejack said.

“Trixie’s horn is bright enough thank you very much.” The black mage said.

“Tain’t that.” Applejack said. "What if we got split up?”

“That’s a good point.” Twilight said. “Let’s try not to get separated, alright?”

The group continued on the path, searching for any signs of flans lurking, but it was as barren as the tunnel earlier.

“Are you sure those things are through this tunnel?” Trixie asked. “It doesn’t look like there’s a drop of slime anywhere.”

“They’ve got to be somewhere.” Twilight said. “I trust Titan to have told us the truth about the flans.”

“Titan said he could feel them through the ground. Ah hope there ain’t some sort of trap waitin for us.” Applejack said, squinting to view further down the path.

“I don’t think we should worry about that.” Twilight said “The flans seem pretty single-minded.” Then the princess stopped in her tracks. “There’s something odd about the tunnel further down.”

For the most part, light form the unicorns’ horns had shimmered down the tunnel, but now there was something ahead of the group that blocked the light.

“Ya reckon we’ve got flans comin up in front of us?” Applejack asked.

“It looks stringy, rather than slimy to Trixie.” She said. “Almost like-“

“Webs!” the rest of the party yelled in unison.

“Oh good, I was wondering where the spiders had gone!” Fluttershy said. “Oh, I hope they’re okay.” She then moved to the webs.

The rest of the party looked apprehensively at the mare. “Well, come on! We have to make sure they aren’t like the flans.”

Twilight and Applejack reluctantly pressed forward along with a slightly confused Trixie. Upon reaching a denser mass of webs, the group stopped while Fluttershy trotted ahead.

Why would ya bother so much with these critters Fluttershy? “Don’t ya remember how much trouble they gave us when we first came through?” Applejack said.

“Hello, spiders?” Fluttershy said. A pony sized spider appeared from its hiding space and slowly made its way towards the now unnerved group.

“G-g-g-giant spiders!” Trixie managed to say, doing everything she could from screaming.

Fluttershy, however, remained unfazed and addressed the arachnid that wore a bowler hat. “Are you safe from those flans?” she asked

The spider stopped and removed his hat, holding it solemnly in front of himself. “Oh no.” Fluttershy responded.

“What’s wrong, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“It hasn’t gone well for the spiders here in the mines.” The beastmaster said. She turned to the spider who’d chittered to her before. “I’m so sorry. There’s something terrible going on Henry. Something making some creatures act strange. You and your friends need to leave before more flans come through here.”

The spider put his hat back on and nodded in agreement. He then plucked at one of the strands of web. Dozens of spiders wearing hats emerged.

“Gah!” Trixie yelled.

“Now you all need to leave, Titan is leaving these mines. So you can follow him out.” Fluttershy said.

A horde of spiders skittered past the party. Trixie fell over from shock rather than being knocked over by any of the passing refugees. In the end, five spiders stayed behind with the pony party. Henry chittered at Fluttershy.

“Thank you so much for staying with us.” Fluttershy said. “We should get going.”

////

The tunnel seemed to go on and on. Ponies walked underneath spiders that crawled along the ceiling of the tunnel.

“Were you here this whole time?” Fluttershy asked.

Henry responded in his chitinous chatter.

“Oh my, that’s terrible.” Fluttershy replied.

Ah still don’t get how that girl gets the nerve to talk to every creepy critter that she meets. Applejack thought. Especially one that went and jumped us the last time we were here.

“Say spiders,” Applejack said. “What was that deal with y’all tryin to rough us up the last time?”

Henry chittered and Fluttershy trainslated. “He says they were told to slow us down by some bug ponies.”

“Changlings.” Twilight said.

“That the spiders were promised a reward, but they didn’t get anything.” Fluttershy continued. All the other spiders let out a week dwindling chitter. “They’re all very sorry about that.”

“Well, just so ya’ll know, Ah’m not gonna stand for any funny business this time around.” Applejack said.

“AJ!” Fluttershy said, turning with a shocked look that surprised even the spiders. “That’s mean!”

“Ah’m sorry Fluttershy.” Applejack said. “Guess Ah just don’t like bein tricked is all. Ah should be a better mare about it.” She wore a reserved look. “We gave Kain a chance, so why not ya’ll?”

“And don’t forget you gave Trixie a chance as well!” Trixie added.

“Yer raht, Ah can’t let myself get all worked up over the past when somepony wants to help.” Applejack said. “But it ain’t easy when you’ve been hurt before.”

“That’s part of making friends, I supposed.” Twilight said. “Some friendships form easily, but others take work even if you may not have gotten off on the right hoof before. Everypony deserves a chance.” The princess turned and smiled softly towards Trixie.

Before long, the party found itself entering a large cavern when and the light from their hornlight stopped reflecting off the walls.

“Its pitch black as far as the eye can see.” Twilight said. “What about you, spiders?”

The arachnids chittered and Fluttershy translated. “Henry says that this room should have glowing rocks in it. But there aren’t any.”

“Hold on, Trixie will see.” The black mage said. She then began to prepare a spell and launched it into the air. A brilliant light flashed upon the walls of the chamber, revealing a mosaic of color on the cavern ceiling.

“It looks like the bottom of a desk somepony stuck a bunch of gum underneath.” Twilight said.

“Consarnit.” Applejack said as the “gum” began to slide about and shift.

In a series of plops, the flans had hit the ground with a splat and then reformed themselves.

“That’s a lot of them.” Twilight said in disbelief, but then regained her composure. “We can do this.”

The party then braced themselves for the oncoming engagement, only for the flans to congregate towards the center of the great chamber. The creatures climbed upon each other, forming a huge mound of slime, easily the size of large building that was painted in splotches of blue, yellow, and red. The creature formed a mouth, arms, and eyes much like the smaller parts of the whole.

Trixie was the first to react to the lumbering mass by firing a lightning spell at it. The far cavern walls flashed like daylight as electricity struck the creature’s right arm. Yellow dust flew into the air and a few gaps could be seen where the spell left its mark, only for the holes to be sealed by neighboring flans.

Fluttershsy had already spoken to the spiders, sending them away from the party and scurrying up the walls.

“Where are they goin?” Applejack asked.

“They’re going to make some webs to help slow it down.” Fluttershy said and she took to the air. “By the way, I need you to go with Henry.”

“Wait, what?” Applejack asked. “Ah’m not gonna leave the others with that monster here.”

The beastmaster turned to her spider friends. “Will the plan still work if AJ doesn’t go with you right away?” she asked, to which Henry chittered back. “Okay then. I’ll go with them for now.” Flutterhsy said and followed the spiders.

Twilight had begun using her book to strike out against the monstrous flan, setting off small explosions but otherwise not doing much else.

Trixie sent out more lightning and ice. The spells lit up with blue and white light in an impressive spectacle but did little to the great flan.

The monster then took a swing at the earthbound ponies. Applejack swung with a flaming strike of her ax. Her weapon only passed through the other flans that it didn’t outright annihilate.

Twilight, Trixie, and AJ then retreated from the giant flan to another part of the cavern.

“Ha!” Trixie yelled. “Its going to have to take a while to turn around now!” Then the flan inverted its face with its back and resumed its steady approach. “Ponyfeathers.”

“It’s not like before.” Twilight said. “All the smaller flan seem to be diminishing our attacks.”

Over here!” Fluttershy called out from another portion of the cavern. “Get it to run over here!”

The trio backpedaled while using their attacks to fend off the flans, but the monster was becoming more aggressive in its attacks. AJ had to use her backdraft attack just to block the swings of the flan’s arms, and by the time the three ponies had reached the place Fluttershy had called out, they were already beginning to wear themselves out.

“That thing ain’t showin any sign of stopping.” Applejack said. At that moment, a sheet of webbing fell on top the flan, and the monster noticeably moved slower.

“Well, that will buy us some time.” Twilight said. “But we’re not really making any progress.”

“Even Trixie’s spells are barely doing anything!” The showmare said.

“Keep moving!” Fluttershy called out. “The spiders will help us!” She flew to another section of the cavern.

“I guess if we run out of magic for spells, we can always use some of the crystal fangs Kain gave me.” Twilight said. And puled out a sharp blue crystal and flung it at the flan behemoth.

The resulting explosion sent a shock wave that the trio had to brace against. An arm form the great flan fell off, but only the red and yellow splotches remained on the limb, which had began to pull itself to the group.

“What was that, Twi?” Applejack asked. “That sure weren’t no normal spell.”

“Why aren’t we using more of these?” Trixie asked awhile pulling out a red fang and hurling it at the flan.

The shard exploded weakly by comparison and left significantly less damage. “What gives?”

Once again, the group had to evade the monster as it closed in to try to trap the ponies. It was about to strike again but another layer of webbing fell on the creature.

Twilight then grabbed another fang and was about to throw it when Trixie put a hoof on her. “Your book is lighting up!” she said.

“What?” Twilight replied, looking at her tome. “I wonder if its powering up the fangs?”

The arm was still continuing its advance, unhindered by webs. Applejack swung her ax engulfed in flames. The attack staved off appendage, but otherwise the limb was intact.

“Try it again, AJ!” Twilight called out.

“Alraht.” The fighter said, taking another flame wreathed attack. This time, Twilight held her tome in the air and made it glow red as to prepare for a fire attack. The flame around AJ’s ax grew white just before she hacked at the arm. Every bit of red on the arm flew apart in shards, but the remnant of the limb continued to lunge however.

Trixie shot off a lightning bolt at what was only a yellow blob now, dissipating the remaining piece.

“Whoa doggie, that did it!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Its my tome!” Twilight said. “It can augment any attack even those of others! Trixie, give me an ice spell!” She looked at the black mage with panic. “I mean shoot an ice spell at the flan!”

“One fantastic frappe, on its way!" Trixie said, issuing forth a flurry of frozen magic. Like before, a path of ice jutted out along the ground. Twilight then augmented the spell with her tome, causing the ice to reach even higher off the ground.

The flan moved its remaining arm in front of itself, sacrificing its limb in an explosion of blue mist.

“Applejack, get that arm!” Trixie yelled out.

“Are ya crazy?” AJ cried out.

“Just trust Trixie!” the black mage said.

AJ lunged with her weapon, she was beginning to feel light headed from all of her fiery attacks. The blow landed. It won’t work without Twilight, Trixie. She thought to herself, just as her whole mouth tingled and she was deafened by the sound of thunder.

Instantly the arm had been vaporized in fire and lightning., leaving only a torso of a flan remaining. AJ could barely hear the muffled conversation of Twilight berating Trixie.

“Wh- -i- -ou do –at?” Twilight yelled.

“Tri-ie w----ly tr—ng to h---!" Trixie replied.

“-ou -oul- ha-- -it -er!” Twilight said.

“-ut Tr—di—n’t!” Trixie replied.

AJ had barely gotten to her hooves when her hearing came back.

“Oh no! AJ look out!” Twilight yelled.

The great flan engulfed the fighter in its maw. The beast looked content as it assumed its upright position and continued to the other two ponies.

“AJ, no!” Fluttershy cried out from the air. Seconds later, Henry and the other giant spiders repelled down their strands of web and began thumping on the flan’s head.

The monster merely looked up ad chomped on the spider like a fish would have to an insect on the water’s surface. The web line stuck out from the flans’ mouth as it made its way to search for its next snack.

“What do we do now, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked in a panic.

“We can’t do anything that might hurt them.” Twilight said. “Our magic might be too strong, who knows what’ll happen on the inside.”

Then they noticed that the web that Henry had grew taught instead of simply being pulled to the ground A bulge began to grow form the flans’ back and a loud, squishy pop sounded as Henry and Applejack emerged.

Henry then Pulled Apllejack up with him to the ceiling.

“That's enough!” Appljack yelled. She and Henry then came down upon the creature with her ax ablaze.

The spell casters on the ground only had seconds to react to use their own elements at the same time as AJ’s attack: Twilights book glowed yellow while Trixie sent out a blizzard spell. All at once, goop exploded everywhere.

A small pink flan was left where the massive flan once stood.

“Ah!” Trixie screamed. “Don’t let it get away!” Shen then readied her magic for another attack. “I don’t know what you’re weak to, but we’ll find out soon enough!”

“Wait!” Fluttershy said, landing in front of the mini flan. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this one.” She turned and looked down at the creature, barely substantial enough to move about without arms or a face.

“Now you’re not going to try to eat anypony or spider, are you?”

The mini flan minutely wiggled from side to side.

“Good, because yo know what happens if you act badly, you start getting mean. Besides, there’s all sorts of strange rocks for you to try. Just leave everything else alone, okay?” Fluttershy said. With a smirk.

“The main flan nodded and slinked off.

“Yer just gonna let it go?” Applejack asked. “It tried to eat me, ya know.”

“Call it a feeling, but its different now.” Fluttershy said.

Trixie only stared as the feeble blob disappeared from view.