Author's Note:
Whoa! Axel is posting an author's note on this story at the beginning instead of the end! Whoa! Crazy!
*Ahem* What I mean to tell you all is that I am attending classes once again. Updates may become a little more infrequent, but I'll try to update as often as I can. Sometimes I think I update so often so I can get to the really good parts I have in store for my readers (heh heh) but I try to be patient. A new fan fic idea has sprung in mind, but I hope to finish this one before I try something else. Anyways, I'll get right to the chapter...
Oh yeah...I noticed that I don't have a disclaimer up either.
Disclaimer: All characters in this fic are owned respectively by Hasbro or Square Enix.
That's better. Tallyho!
Princess Celestia sat on her balcony, her sister too busy attending to the night to be back at the castle. The light breath of the wind made her shiver slightly, yet something even more terrible was chilling her down to her very bones. Celestia, being an immortal goddess, was able to sense the balance of light and dark, good and evil. If there was a light, there had to be a shadow. If there was good...there was an evil. She could feel all the evil beings that were in Equestria, even if there was only a few. The balance of good was always overwhelming, and that was a great thing.
But now, Celestia sensed, was a change. The powers of evil were starting to grow...the balance of Equestria was turning. When the statue of Discord had disappeared, she had wondered if the evil would diminish. But it only grew...and over the course of the day the power grew even stronger. That worried the mighty princess, and only she and her sister could feel it. The other ponies were completely oblivious, not believing that anything wrong could happen. But Celestia knew that their peace could not stay for long.
Retiring back into her bedroom, she sighed and laid down upon her bed. Normally, she would vanquish such a thing and be rid of the accursed being...but a feeling in her gut told her that if she tried, ponies dear to her would feel the wrath of the evil. And she knew that this strange evil could not be destroyed so easily. She also believed whatever it was, it had something to do with Cloud. It must have come from the meteor, and very soon she would need to talk to Cloud about it. He would have to know.
"Dear Sister...." Luna whispered quietly, landing gently onto the balcony, her eyes filled with a strange sense of fear, "There is...something I must tell you."
Celestia shifted her head to gaze at her younger sister, "What is it, Luna?" Luna's eyes flashed their nervousness, and she crept forward.
"The...The changelings..." Luna gulped, "They have...all been massacred."
"What?!" Celestia blinked, "You...You can't be serious!"
"Sister, I have seen their blood with my own eyes. I visited their hive this night to see if they could be contributed to the source of the evil...and I....I saw their..." Tears began welling up in Luna's eyes, and she began to rub them away with her hoof, "I-It happened again! I have seen the blood and mangled bodies of living creatures! What could do such a thing?!"
Celestia had stood up, making her way to her sister to comfort her. She embraced her in a tight hug, Luna sobbing lightly onto Celestia's beautiful white coat.
"Chrysalis..." Luna choked a bit, "I...I couldn't find her. I believed whatever slaughtered them has taken her..."
"But why?" Celestia asked, pulling away and bearing a puzzled expression, "What could one possibly hope to gave from such an ordeal?"
"I do not know..." Luna sighed, "But whatever has invaded our world...I think its in a weakened state. Perhaps it wishes to drain the power from Changeling Queen and Discord!" Celestia's eyes flashed, and the older sister bit her lip.
"Maybe..." Celestia looked at her sister, "Let us send out our troops. We must destroy this creature at once-
"No." Luna shook her head, "It will only slaughter our ponies. I know this. Whatever could've killed those snow dragons could easily eliminate all our forces. I can only think of one thing we could do...." The two goddesses locked eyes. A few seconds passed like hours, and Celestia closed her eyes and sighed.
"Cloud."
The scene began to change once again, the trees fading into the mist along with the moon and the stars. The must engulfed them, and they soon found themselves standing alone in the strange confines of Cloud's mind.
"Alright!" Twilight exclaimed, their excitement making them forget their doubts, "So...That was Cloud's happiest moment. What should we look for now?"
"Um...how about a different happy moment?" Fluttershy asked, "Maybe...maybe a good moment of friendship?"
"Hey!" Applejack grinned, slapping Fluttershy's back, "That's a pretty good idea! Friendship!" Fluttershy winced, but gave Applejack a pained smile.
Pinkie thrust a hoof into the air, "Yeah! C'mon Twilight! Let's go!" She laughed, "Friendship moment!" Twilight nodded in agreement, her horn flashing brightly as the mist soon began to change around them. Much to their surprise, they weren't sent to a beautiful forest with a wonderful breeze.
They were in some sort of deserted land. There was no sign of any grass or trees miles away, and the sky was clear and desolate of any clouds. It was almost as though the land was...completely drained of all life. They couldn't see any sort of civilization close by, and the four ponies were obviously confused.
"Um..." Applejack said quietly, glancing around the dead lands, "This...I don't like it. Everything is...gone..." There were high cliffs around them, and dust was being swept up by the wind.
They heard voices, and they immediately saw some spiky...black hair??
A man was slowly making his way through some small passageway between two rocky formations that they couldn't look in before. He had an x-shaped scar on his left cheek, and he was wearing the same black uniform that Cloud had been wearing in the memory before. The man glanced around, a huge sword present in his hand. The sword resembled a large kitchen knife, and it had two circular empty slots near the base of the blade.
"...All clear..." He smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. He retreated back into the strange dark passage. A few moments he returned with something strange on his back...
The four mares gasped in surprise, recognizing the nearly dead form of their blonde friend draping over the back of the black haired man. Cloud's eyes were open, but...the life in them appeared to be rapidly leaving. They had never even thought of seeing Cloud in such a shape. Something horrible must have happened.
"You know, Cloud..." The man chuckled lightly, adjusting the man he was carrying, "We're just getting closer and closer to Midgar. Just a bit further and we can see it. Just picture it, Cloud! Home again...Well, I can't say we will ever be safe again after this." The man chuckled, plodding softly over the rocky terrain.
"Hey...." He began again, panting slightly, "Are you even awake? You're eyes are open and you're breathing, but for some reason you just won't answer back..." He laughed quietly, "But that's fine. I know you can hear me." His face turned to the sun, and the man smiled brightly.
"Cloud. I never got a change to tell you this, but...You're probably the best friend I ever had. Sure, you were quiet and maybe a bit like scaredy cat, but you always put a smile on my face. I really want you to meet my girlfriend, Aerith." Twilight blinked...Wasn't Aerith the name of the girl by the stream in the previous memory?
"You'll probably like her. But forget it! She's mine!" He laughed, "You have Tifa anyway, you know. I've never seen such knockers in my life I tell ya."
"Um...What are knockers?"
"Quiet Pinkie!"
The man looked as though he reached some strange realization and looked back at his friend, "Cloud. If something happens to me...I want you to take care of Aerith for me. She's too good for me...too good for any of us. I know that you struggle to be strong and that you wanted to become like me, but you know what? You are you, Cloud. You've come a long way, even if that mako poisoning is effecting you like this. And I trust you more than anything. Just do one thing for me, Cloud..." The mist around the ponies began to change again, and the image around them soon began to disintegrate.
"Don't forget me, will ya?" The man laughed, before their forms disappeared into the smoky air.
The four ponies were stuck in what seemed like long moments of thought. What happened to Cloud? Why was he like that? Who was that man with him? What had happened? It seemed like they were being pursued by something...questions were popping up, and Twilight was have the itching feeling to find answers.
"Twilight..." Applejack cleared her throat, "I think we're digging in too deep. I-
"C'mon guys!" Twilight exclaimed, "Are you curious too?! Don't you want to find out what made Cloud the man he is today?"
"I do..." Fluttershy nodded, "But...this...this is just wrong. We need to ask him-
Twilight was starting to grow irritated, "But you guys don't get it! He won't tell us anything if we ask him! He's just blunt and snapping as always!"
"Twilight?..." Pinkie asked, "Are....are you doing okay?"
"I'm FINE!" Twilight growled, the three other ponies giving each other looks. Something was wrong with the unicorn. She would never be so angry in a situation like this. What the spell somehow effecting her?
"No, you aren't!" Applejack grunted back, "Let's leave Twilight! This whole spell is just getting you all weird in the brain!" Twilight was getting angrier and angrier, and before she knew it her horn began to glow.
"Why can't you understand!?" Twilight hissed, "We could find out so much about Cloud! He won't be a mystery anymore! We can learn everything?! Why can't you see that?!" Her horn flashed, and the mist began to change around them at a rapid rate.
"Um...Twilight...." Applejack blinked, slowly backing away, "I think you're losing too much control!" Twilight suddenly blinked, her realization coming hitting her in the face as she looked around to see where they were.
Fire. They were surrounding by a blazing inferno.
"W-What?!" Fluttershy cried out, jumping back in fright, "F-Fire!"
"It can't hurt you!" Twilight stated, "This is all just a memory...Whatever is going on-
They heard bloodcurdling screams, and the fur on their coats were beginning to stand up on end. As their eyes began to adjust to the light, they could make out what looked like a small village. Large houses towered over them and were engulfed in the flames, and what sounded like the crying of children and women was being overtaken by the sounds of the burning.
"Twilight...." Fluttershy whimpered, her body beginning to shake, "M-Make it stop! Please!"
"I can't!" The purple unicorn cried out, her horn flashing dimly, "The spell won't allow me to until the memory is over!" There was the sound of a scuffle nearby, and the ponies managed to see what was happening past the flames.
There was a flash of silver steel, and the form of a woman dropped limply to the ground, dozens of other bodies littered around her as the fire absorbed them. It was impossible to tell if there were children with them, but the thought of that made Twilight nauseous. What was going on? Where was Cloud?!
"What's going on?!" A familiar voice called out, running into the flames while shielding his face with his arm, "What's happening!?" They saw the familiar black spiky hair, and the large sword on his back, recognizing him as the man who had been carrying Cloud. The man's attention was suddenly grabbed by a figure in the fire, and his eyes began to burn with rage, his hand tightening into a fist. The ponies followed his gaze.
There, standing in the fire completely unharmed, was a creature that filled Twilight with dread.
The ponies identified it as human, but they were almost uncertain. It was male, and his hair was long and silvery. He was wearing a black coat, and his sword was twice the height that he was. His eyes were a bright color, yet they held evil and malice. He smile was enough to almost kill them. And when he turned to disappear into the flames, they still held that great fear he had given them.
This man...this monster...from just seeing him...He was above anything they had ever see before. And that included Princess Celestia.
"W-Where is Cloud?!" Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously, "I-I don't see him anywhere!" The image around them began to change, but it wasn't the normal fade in. It was violent, and it looked as though they were being pulled through the reality, the world around them beginning to tear. The ponies all huddled together, the world around them screeching and tearing, the screaming from the fires replaying at full volume. Tears were flooding down their eyes, the horrible idea of them never getting out of Cloud's mind. A powerful wind was threatening to blow them over, and they thought they would be sent to oblivion.
And, as quickly as it came, it stopped. The darkness, the strange flashing, the screaming...it was all gone. The ponies glanced up, looking at each and at where they were.
Everything was white. As if they were in what looked like a strange heaven. At their feet sat a massive sea of beautiful golden flowers that seemed to be endless. Almost immediately their fear had subsided, and the ponies all turned to Twilight who was staring at the ground in regret.
"I'm....I'm so sorry..." Twilight murmured lightly, "I...I should've told you. The spell has a side effect of making the caster emotionally unstable...I thought I would be strong enough to handle it...We should have never done this..." Her friends embraced her as she cried, each of them crying with her. What they had seen had been too much, but they were alive and well in a strange place.
"It's okay." A calming, soothing voice echoed from around them, "I'm sure that Cloud will forgive you."
Startled, the ponies huddled together even closer, "W-whose there?!" Applejack called out into the never ending ocean of plants.
The voice giggled a little, and they calmed down, "Don't worry. I'll get you guys out of there." The world began to swirl around them once more, and in a mere second they were staring at the familiar dusty walls of the basement. The sun was beginning to shine in from a small window, and they all breathed a deep sigh of relief...
...Before noticing that Cloud was propped up on his bed, watching them with his glowing blue eyes that were burning with rage.