//------------------------------// // Pursuit of Happiness // Story: Final Fantasy VII: Darkness in Equestria // by Axel IV //------------------------------// For the longest time, the ponies had all thought that Cloud couldn't be emotional. The six ponies had tried everything they could to get even the slightest reaction out of him. Pinkie had tried to make him smile, Rainbow had tried to annoy a reaction out of him, and so on and so forth. Cloud would only irritatingly bat them away, saying that he was busy. Maybe there was a few times that he answered some questions sentimentally but other than that he was just plain old Cloud. But, unintentionally, they had finally pushed Cloud to the point of no return. The three ponies could only stare in fear and regret into the eyes of the human's wrath, his fists practically shaking with his ferocity. Twilight was sure he knew what they did...She was positive. When the pony (or person in this case) Is woken up during the spell's duration, they also travel into the depths of their memories to see what the caster was seeing. And it seems that Cloud had woken up too soon. "You...." Cloud growled, his teeth clenching, "Do you know what you just did?..." "We...We're sorry...." Twilight whimpered, bowing her head in shame, "We...We didn't mean to- "Shut up!" Cloud snapped, the ponies tensing up in fear, "Here I was, trying to leave the past behind me...But you just brought it back up! You made me see it again...The fire...Zack...Aerith..." "You...You saw all of that?!" Twilight blinked, tears forming in her eyes, "Oh my gosh Cloud I- "SHUT UP." Cloud snapped, his foot smashing into the cement floor, large cracks spawning around his footprint, "You went somewhere you weren't suppose to be..." He slipped his shirt back on, his gloves on soon afterwards. He was in a rush, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his huge puzzle-like sword. They could see his fiery eyes shimmering in the dark. He stormed right passed them, angrily stomping his boots as he made his way to the entrance. Twilight winced with every step he took on the wooden staircase, and she heard the door break open with a loud crack. "Hey!" Applejack growled angrily, "We're sorry! You don't have to break Twilight's- An angry glare shut her up right away as Cloud peered down into the dark basement. He was trying so hard to open up to these ponies...but they betrayed his trust, seen some of his most important memories...and made him relive them. They had been shut in the back of his mind, and once again had popped up before his eyes. A small green dragon blinked as Cloud kicked open the door, watching from the stairs above. At first he was angry, but the angry exterior from the human kept Spike from shouting it out. He hated to admit it, but Cloud was being very scary at the moment. Cloud kicked open the library doors, his mind in angry shambles as he made his way to his garage. Back in the basement, Twilight was lying stiff on her back haunches, tears streaming down her face, gently sobbing. For once Fluttershy wasn't the one who was crying. She was trying her best to comfort the purple unicorn along with Pinkie. Applejack was staring upstairs, biting her lip as her frustration built. She wanted to talk to Cloud...ask him to apologize. But she almost felt that they didn't deserve an apology for what they did. "C'mon Twilight..." Pinkie said, smiling sadly, "Don't worry...I bet Cloud will come through!" Twilight kept up her sobbing, and Pinkie's mane had completely deflated and turned straight. Applejack growled to nobody in particular. She was mad at Cloud's reaction, but a part of her knew that he had every right to be as pissed off as he was. It was their fault, and she knew that Cloud's anger was because of that, but she just couldn't help but be upset about it. Twilight finally stood up, although she was trembling a little bit. The fur underneath her eyes were dampened by the tears, and she was sniffling and wiping her nose, "Okay, girls...." She sobbed still, looking at her friends with red eyes, "I...I want some time alone if that's alright..." The purple unicorn began to slowly stumble up the stairs, her friends watching her with silent eyes. The each felt a horrible pang of guilt, and they all followed on after her very slowly. It was going to be a very long day. Princess Luna slowly faded into existence, her shimmering mane and her dark coat almost invisible in the confines of the dark world. When the Alicorn had completely materialized, she stood like a stone wall, gazing far off into the distance of the infinite dark void. Only known to the two might Alicorn sisters, this was the world of dreams. The darkness took form of the wishes of those who were in sleep, and even though all minds were seperate, their dreams were all linked together. The dream world looked different to each and every pony, and its actual form was unknown. One of Princess Luna's priorities was to watch over the world of dreams. There were some dark magic creatures that would hunt ponies in their sleep, and it was her job to make sure that they never had the chance. The dream world was one of the most magical places in Equestria, and could not be reached by travel or even by magic. The only way to access the world was to either be asleep, be a dream monster, or have the power equivalent to that of a god. And something was invading the dream world. The darkness around Luna began to change and manipulate its form into something familiar that gave the princess a horrible sense of dread. Stars began to form, and the ground beneath her feet began to shift into the shock of hard grey rocky dust. A large orb began to form in front of her, and she identified the familiar sight as her planet. The dream world had morphed into the location of the moon. And it wasn't her that had changed it. "Where are you...." Luna started, glancing around in disgust, "Nightmare moon?..." At first, she was answered with nothing but silence. But after a few seconds, a dreadful laugh was filling the cold space around her. "Ah, Princess Luna..." A dark shadow began to gather before her, its shape twisting and morphing before taking the form of the dreaded Nightmare moon, "To what do I owe this pleasure?..." The figure grinned devilishly. To some, Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna. However, that wasn't the case. Nightmare Moon had been created out of the jealousy and anger from Luna's heart one thousand years ago, and the elements of harmony had expelled the dark power from her body. Now, Nightmare Moon was nothing but a spirit, secretly banished into the dream world for all eternity. "You know what it is..." Luna cleared her throat, "You have been the only entity that lives in this world. However, there is a disturbance in the real world along with this one. And I know that you have been noticing too." Nightmare Moon's smile vanished instantly, and the two stared hard at each other for a few more moments. "Yes." Nightmare Moon stated quietly, glancing around cautiously, "It is no dream monster, and it certainly isn't any pony." Luna nodded, a slight nervous feeling creeping into her heart. Wherever the creature was, it could be anywhere. "Whatever it is..." Luna murmured, "It seems to be hunting down the power of all evil beings in Equestria." Nightmare Moon's ears flattened against her head. Nightmare Moon never felt fear...but she was getting uneasy. "So...Looks like I'm next in line." Nightmare Moon declared, spreading her wings and grinning evilly, "Let it come! I may be but a spirit, but nothing in this world may harm me." Luna watched her warily before nodding slowly. "Do not let your guard down," Luna growled, her form starting to slowly fade away, "If this creature gets you...it could be all over..." Nightmare Moon watched as the dark Alicorn disappeared. The figure smirked arrogantly, turning her head to look at the planet with a slight chuckle. "There is nothing that could take me." She declared, "For I am Nightmare Moon, the bringer of darkness to Equestria! And I WILL resume my reign of terror." She was met with nothing but silence, and the dark shadow sighed in anger. "I wouldn't count on it..." A voice laughed behind her. Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow, dropping the grease covered cloth onto his work bench before taking a long gulp of water from a clear blue bottle. The sun was heating up his garage like an oven, making the working conditions a little tough. His mind had been elsewhere however, and the thoughts of his working conditions were overpowered by his anger held towards the ponies. He had seen everything. He wasn't sure of the spell that had been used, but he didn't care. He saw Aerith and Zack again, and although it was nice, he knew of the disasters that would follow them. Disasters that he didn't stop...and it wasn't like he could do anything either. There was no use worrying about it now, and it was all in the past. But to see those moments brought back up again...that's what was hitting him so hard. There was a gentle swishing of air, and Cloud immediately frowned at the familiar sound. In just a few seconds, a cyan pegasus with rainbow colored hair would swoop down onto the floor of his garage and- A cyan pegasus with rainbow colored haired swooped down onto the floor of his garage, a small smile on her face. Cloud's back was to her, some of his anger trying to push itself onto the mare that had nothing to do with invading his personal memories. His mood had been officially wrecked for the week. Or maybe the month. Probably a month. "Hey Cloud..." Rainbow greeted, her usual assertiveness not present in her voice, "What's up?" He doubted that she had talked to Twilight yet...the garage was always her first stop after her flying practice. She had made this clear since she practically told him about her practice routines everyday. But she was strangely different this time. Cloud began to mess with one of the slots that held one of his swords, "Finishing up fixing my bike." He replied, holding back any of the frustration and anger he was feeling. Rainbow nodded, her wings flapping as she hovered lightly above the black motorcyle. "So...Does that mean you can drive it soon?..." She asked, cocking her head curiously, "Because that would be pretty cool!" Cloud grunted his response, a few clicks being heard as he adjusted something, "No." His answer was a bit shocking, and Rainbow gave him a strange look as he pushed the slot back into the bike. "W-What do you mean you can't drive it?" She asked, her usual voice coming back, "You've been working on it all this time!" Cloud walked over and poked the gas tank, glancing over at her, "I don't have any fuel. Equestria seems to be completely void of gasoline." He began to check the breaks, with Rainbow continuing to give him her most baffled look. "So...you stayed in here fixing the thing that could never work in the first place?!" She asked, landing beside him and trotting up to his side to watch what he was doing. "Fenrir is a unique kind of bike." Cloud replied, "If I can somehow find something that could substitute for gas, maybe I could ride it. " Fenrir also had a battery it could run off of, but of course it was completely dead, and he had no way of charging it. Cloud wiped more of the sweat off his face and turned to Rainbow. He saw that she was deep in thought, and he was wondering if that was hurting her. That pony didn't seem like one to really come up with any ideas on her own. Something seemed to light up in her brain, and she looked up at him and grinned widely. "Then...how about rainbow?" She asked, her wings fluttering in excitement. Cloud stared at her blankly as a few weird seconds passed. "...Rainbow?..." "Yeah! Rainbow!" "Um...Rainbow?" "That's what I said! Aren't you listening to me?!" Dash took to the air, pulling in uncomfortably close to Cloud's face, "Us Pegasi make rainbows! In its liquid form, maybe you could use it for fuel!" Cloud almost burst into laughter on how ridiculous it sounded. But he kept his straight face, and looked at the bike, the gears in his mind moving. "Maybe." He replied, scratching his head, "But how do we get it?" "Easy!" Rainbow grinned, "Come with me to Cloudsdale! I can get you a poolful of the stuff! But on one condition1" Cloud held the urge to roll his eyes. Just about everything had a condition these days. Rainbow cleared her throat and smiled at him, "There is a big race coming up that the wonderbolts are going to watch, and I'm going to be racing!" The pony had informed him all about the best flyers in Equestria, and it was a topic that he was always tired of hearing about. "Fine." He dismissed, sending the pegasus into a craze, cheering in excitement as she punched the empty air before her, pumping herself up for the race. He guessed that she was acting all strange before to ask him if he would see the race, and he would have definitely said no. But seeing her all happy and ecstatic about it...Maybe he would really enjoy it. "Hey!" Rainbow blinked, immediately breaking out of her crazy phase, "Didn't you promise you would head over to the school to talk to the foals?" Cloud silently groaned, completely forgetting about his stupid promise. Did he really have to do that?... "I'm busy." "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT?!" Rainbow asked, the volume of her voice even surprising the human, "You promised! They're all waiting for you! Don't be such a downer! There is nothing for you to do today! Just go over there and- "I get it..." Cloud mumbled, angrily setting his tools onto the workbench as he grabbed his black gloves, "I gotta play schoolteacher for the day..." He was not amused. He didn't know why he even bothered listening to the ponies and going along with what they said...maybe it was so that he didn't want to see any tears being shed because of him. Cloud's fingers wrapped around the hilt of his large blade before slipping it into the harness on his back. Rainbow looked at it with a confused face as the blonde human began to march out of his garage rather reluctantly. "Do you have to bring that with you?" Rainbow asked, flying towards the weapon and lightly knocking onto the cold steel with her hoof, "I mean...you're just going to a school..." "I never know when I might need it," Cloud grumbled in response, nodding to a few ponies who were waving their hooves to say hello, "Even in a land like this I like to be prepared." "Uh huh...Right...I don't think a couple foals are really going to swarm you." Rainbow grinned, a hilarious image popping into her mind that she couldn't help but laugh at. Cloud ignored her as he pressed on, his boots dragging themselves hesitantly over the dirt road. What would he talk about at the school? No doubt he would receive personal questions, and some maybe even a bit blunt and rude. He wasn't good with children, but somehow they tended to flock to him under strange circumstances. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a bright greenish blue unicorn staring rather...crazily at him. As soon as he turned his head it disappeared, and he grunted in light frustration. Was he being stalked? He had noticed that strange pony just watching him around town...he was paranoid that it had been watching him while he slept. "There it is!" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing her hoof at the rather obvious school building in the distance, "I bet they're all just waiting to see me- I mean you!" Cloud frowned at the mix up of her words as he studied the schoolhouse. It was obviously not painted in any masculine way, and he would feel like a fool just stepping into it. The building was a bright red with decorations of hearts practically splashed all over it. Yep, he was going to get sick in there. He heard a few voices as he approached the front door, Rainbow Dash landing softly beside him."Why are you coming?" He asked her as he raised an eyebrow. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat before giving him a determined grinned. "Well, I have nothing better to do and the children just love seeing me! Besides, with me there they can't possibly be afraid of you going all berserk or something!" She chuckled softly, lightly punching him in the thigh with her hoof, "Don't worry! You got this!" Cloud sighed and scratched his head before opening the door, feeling dozens of huge pony eyes take in his image. "Hey Twilight..." Spike grumbled. "Yeah?" The purple unicorn answered. "I know you're upset about that whole Cloud thing..." "...Yes?..." "And you really need something or somepony to help comfort you about it..." "What are you getting at Spike?..." "What I'm saying...is that its pretty pathetic to see you lying on your bed practically drowning in a sea of MY chocolate ice cream while you're reading "The Official Pony Anatomy" for the billionth time. Spike had crossed his arms, staring at the purple unicorn who was clutching the tub of now empty ice cream to her chest. Her eyes were still a bit red, and her mane was a complete mess. "But..." She mumbled, "This always makes me feel better..." Spike sighed, smacking his hand onto his forehead. Seeing Twilight, his mother figure, attempt to act like a normal teenaged pony was just wrong. She needed more comforting than he ever did, and today he really didn't feel like becoming her hug toy while she sobbed onto his face. "Why don't you go out there and talk to him?" Spike asked, "I'm sure he could forgive you later or something." "No way!" Twilight hugged her empty tub of ice cream tighter, "I did the worse thing a pony could ever do! No way he's going to forgive me for that! I deserve to diiiiiie!" "Okay, now you're being like Rarity." Spike grunted, jumping onto his bed, "And that's creeping me out even more." Before he could attempt to pull away a burp erupted from his mouth, a scroll forming out of green fire and plopping right beside Twilight. The purple unicorn blinked, levitating it up to see it with her magic. "To Cloud from Princess Celestia," She read, "For your eyes only. Top secret." "Well there you go." Spike jumped off the bed, managing to grab his empty tub of ice cream in the confusion, "Now he have a reason to set things straight!" Twilight blinked before gasping, a purple aura surrounding Spike as he was reluctantly lifted to look her right in the eye. "No way Spike!" She cried, her eyes twitching, "I can't! He'll kill me! He probably doesn't even want to see me again! I don't want to be pushed away, Spike!" "Gee..." The dragon grumbled, "By the way you talk about him, it almost seems like you have some sort of crush on him just like all the other mares do." Twilight blinked, a blush lighting up her face before dropping her assistant right onto his face. "Nonononono!" She shook her head, "No way! I mean, he's cute and all, but that's not the point!" Spike groaned, rubbing his head as he stood up slowly. "Look, Twilight...." Spike brushed himself off before jabbing a pointy claw into her chest, "I'm not going to give that letter to him. It's your duty as Celestia's most faithful student. I have more important things to do today like look for gems for Rarity. You're on your own!" Twilight watched as her best assistant and best friend climbed down the stairs, leaving her behind. He was right...it was her duty to obey the wishes of her mentor and idol. She then scrambled off, a brush stroking her mane to as clean as she could get it to as she dabbed the moistness around her eyes. She tucked the letter into one of her saddlebags, her heart pounding. She almost couldn't take it whenever another pony was mad at her, or disliked her. She did all that she could to be accepted, and she would do all she could to have Cloud forgive her. It would be awkward otherwise, and she would just be depressed for as long as he stayed with her. As she approached her front door, she frowned seeing the poor shape it was in. The hinges were damaged when Cloud had kicked it open that morning, and cracks were spread all across it. She began to feel nervous again, yet shook it out as she gently and carefully opened the door to feel the warm noon sun. Now, she just needed to find him. Author's Note: Whew, finally got this one out. It was longer than what I'm used to, but expect the next chapters to come in longer and less frequent. The stage is being set, and everything will piece together soon enough. And for those who wanted to see the ponies see the deaths of Aerith and Zack...let's just say that it could (wink wink) come up sometime soon. Remember, I always accept constructive criticism as long as its not too blunt and worded nicely! I'm a sensitive writer here! P.S. Started playing Final Fantasy IX, and so far I am enjoying the game so far. Thank god for Zidane who is not emo like Cloud and Squall and not annoying like Tidus! Huzzah!