//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Wild Rose Rebellion // Story: My Final Pony Fantasy II // by Vimtrust5 //------------------------------// Awakening in a forest, Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, and Cadence stood up and observed their surroundings. Twilight then turned to see that her sister-in-law still had her wings, but was missing her horn! Fluttershy and Spike gasped in shock for they saw it too. As for Fluttershy, her wings had vanished once again. Also, Twilight was missing her wings again. "Cadence..." she said nervously. "Yes, Twilight?" the pink pony replied, seeing that her sister-in-law only had her horn. "I think you're miss--" They were interrupted by the sound of running and galloping; hiding in the bushes, the Equestrians saw something out in the distance. They all rushed forward to see four teenagers--three of them male and the other female--running for their lives; they were being pursued by several dark armored men on horseback. Unfortunately, four more soldiers were awaiting them. "You've come a long way from Fynn," said one of them, "but your escape ends here!" The Equestrian visitors observed the teenagers as close as they could. One of them had white clothing covered by light blue shoulder pads and shin guards; he also wore a brown belt with a gold buckle, and his white hair was covered by a bandana. The only girl amongst them had long purple hair and wore a sleeveless open vest with brown shoulder pads, a dark brown mini-skirt, brown boots and light blue leggings; one almost covering her right leg but stopping at here knee, and the other covering up her left leg stopping a few feet above the knee. On her back was a bow and a quiver packed with several arrows. The man next to her also had purple hair, but his was a little shorter and spikier, not to mention it was slicked back. He wore a purple suit of armor, leather boots and a belt with a large red jewel on it. And finally, there was the largest of the group, a muscular man with brown short hair, a light green breastplate, leather straps, blue boots and a purple cape. The cornered youths stood back-to-back looking for another way out of their predicament. "Firion!" cried the young lady. "No escape!" said the giant brown-haired man. It truly was no use; the four humans were surrounded. "By Imperial order, all who defy us shall be put to death! You've brought this on yourselves. You peasants never learn, do you?" The ponies and dragon gasped. Unable to sit by and watch innocent people be executed, Cadence stepped out from the bushes and stood by the humans ready to do battle. "You will not harm these children, today or any other!" Cadence declared. "What the...?!" said the boy in the bandana. "Cadence! Wait!" The other Equestrians appeared as well, trying to stop the Princess of Love from risking her life. "What are these freaks?!" one of the soldiers yelled. "FREAKS?!" Spike yelled; he spewed green flames against the soldiers, but they were not easily intimidated. "Your orders, captain?" *music changes* "Kill them all!" Cadence tried to fire a powerful beam against them but couldn't. Before she could figure out what happened, one of the knights slashed across the chest with his spear. "Cadence!" Twilight rushed over to sister-in-law only to find herself at the other end of a spear as well. Spike and Fluttershy followed soon after, as did the humans. *music stops* "Hmph! Pathetic," said the evil captain. Soon, our heroes' consciousness faded as they heard the sound of the soldiers' horses galloping away... *music fades out* Sometime later... Twilight and one of the young men were laid in the center of a small room with a sigil on the floor. Beside them was a young woman in royal clothing and a young man dressed in all white, the latter's mouth covered in cloth. "Will they be alright, Minwu?" said the woman. "Yes, Your Highness. It will be a while before they regain consciousness." "I found them and the other five while I fled from Fynn; they were unconscious and covered in blood. Help them!" Minwu did as commanded and raised his hands, casting a strong healing spell. "There. I've amplified their life forces. Let us leave them be for a while." "Very well. We should head back to the throne room; the others are waiting for us there. If the Empire finishes their warship at Bafsk, it's over for us." Before the both of them left, the mage Minwu looked back and prayed for their safety. As soon he exited the chamber, Twilight opened her eyes and found herself lying on the stomach of one of the teenagers they tried to save; he awoke as well and to his surprise, found the little equine staring right back at him. "It's you...!" said the bandana wearing youth. "Y-Yeah..." Twilight answered. She got off of him and sat on her haunches. "I'm really sorry we couldn't help..." said Twilight. After a long awkward silence, the two began to introduce themselves. "My name's Firion." "I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." "P-Princess...?" said Firion, bowing down. "I... kinda prefer people greeting me with a hoof... er, handshake rather than a bow." "Eh, right..." he extended his hand and shook the purple equine's hoof. They then noticed none of their friends were in the same room. "The others!" they said in unison. "Spike!" Twilight called out. "Leon!" shouted Firion. "Fluttershy?" "Maria!" "Cadence?!" "Guy!" *music stops* The two left the chamber and ran into two of Firion's friends along with Twilight's. "Girls! Spike!" the purple pony greeted. "Twilight!!" the Equestrians said, all rushing over to Twilight giving her a hug. "Easy, everypony. I just got up!" she said, gasping for air. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" said Spike. "Firion! Oh, thank goodness...!" the young human girl cried. "Maria! Guy!" Firion smiled. He then noticed someone missing. "Where's Leon?" "Don't know," said Guy. "Princess of Fynn found us. Helped save us. Leon not here." Firion looked on the floor. "It's alright. I'm sure he's alive." The young man knelt before Twilight's friends. "And you are?" "Oh! I-I-I'm... Fluttershy..." she said quietly. "The name's Spike." "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence if that's alright." "Another princess? How many of you are there?" "In Equestria? That'd be five right--" Twilight caught herself. She and Cadence hung their heads, remembering their purpose for being here. Maria noticed their silence and changed the subject. "What is Equestria?" "That's the country we're from," said Spike. "It's pretty much another world." "Another world?" asked Firion. "There more horses?" asked Guy, giving Fluttershy a gentle pet. "Uh... yeah." said Twilight. "Actually, my friends and I aren't horses; we're ponies." After several more pets from giant, Fluttershy answered his question. "Just about every one of Equestria's citizens is a pony. Oh! I don't think we have your names." "My name's Firion." "I'm Maria." "Me Guy." Twilight and the others couldn't help but feel worried about the large man's broken speech, but respectfully kept quiet and moved on with the humans to the nearest door. In the meeting room, our heroes met with and bowed before the rebel leader, Princess Hilda of Fynn, sitting on one of the thrones. "Ah, you have recovered," said the human princess. "Good." "Your Highness," said Firion. "Please allow us to join the rebel army!" Hilda simply shook her head. "No, I cannot. You would only be throwing your lives away. Please return home." "But we've nowhere else to go," said Maria. "And our parents... they're..." The Equestrians put their hooves to their muzzles. Not only had these four young people lost their homes, but their parents as well. Twilight knew that if Applejack were here, she would know exactly how these people felt. The human princess apologized and gave them her condolences. She then observed the non-human guests a questioning look. "And what of your pets? Are they alright?" "Excuse me," said Princess Cadence. The entire room stood silent as the pink pony spoke. "We're not anyone's pets, Your Highness. We've come from the land of Equestria to save our fellow ponies along with my daughter, Flurry Heart." Hilda placed her hands in front of her mouth. Of all the events she had experienced, none had quite come as close as this. "You... you can talk...! That... just doesn't seem right!" "Maybe not in this world, Princess," said Twilight. "But that's how it is in our world. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Spike, Fluttershy, and my sister-in-law Princess Cadence." Still, everyone present in the room stood silent unable to comprehend what they had just heard: talking ponies and a small purple dragon and from another world no less! Not to mention one of them, as far as they knew, was royalty! "What brings you here to this world?" The Princess of Love closed her eyes and told everyone. "We came here to rescue my infant daughter along with several of my subjects who were captured by monsters. Monsters we believe to servants of the Palamecian Emperor." Everyone gasped. "I can't believe this..." said Hilda. "To think that the demons have the ability to travel to other worlds and for the Emperor to go so far as to kidnap babies..." She thought and thought... "Very well. You may stay here in Altair if you wish. You need only know the secret code to live here." "The secret code?" asked Fluttershy. "Yes. Wild Rose. Don't forget." "Wild Rose?" asked Spike. "It is the symbol of my kingdom, Fynn, as well as the secret password for our rebel army. You must utter these words to any of our allies." "'Wild Rose.' Alright..." Hilda couldn't help but feel worried. "What will become of Fynn?" "Your Highness?" asked Fluttershy kindly. "I hear captives are being held in Fynn. Speaking of which, Maria's brother has been reported missing." Maria gasped. "Perhaps he is being held prisoner there." The princess closed her eyes and spoke grimly. "There are monsters prowling the city now, so even approaching it is dangerous." "I see," said Cadence. She and the others then noticed the man next to Hilda's side. "And you are...?" "My name is Minwu, and I am a white mage in service to Princess Hilda and the rebellion." He closed his eyes and put his hands together as if in prayer. "I see that your destiny is intertwined with my own..." The group had a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" asked Firion. "I cannot tell. All I can say now is that you must go to Fynn. It will lead to your destined path." Maria then whispered the code into his ear. "I see that you are starting to use the password now. Continue doing so. It can unseal the lips of many would not otherwise offer the time of day." "'Unseal the lips of many who would not' what now?" said a confused Spike. Fluttershy replied, "I think what he's saying is: say the words 'Wild Rose,' and we'll gather some new information from people who aren't willing to talk." "Precisely," said Minwu. "Well, then..." said Twilight. "If you'll excuse us, Your Highness." She bowed and left the throne room; the others followed. They explored the rebel hideout more and found Hilda's father the King of Fynn lying on a bed. He was once in charge of the rebellion until Palamecia's assault upon his kingdom left him injured while he escaped. As a result, his daughter was now in command. At first, he was skeptical when the ponies spoke with him, thinking they were a dream until they told him where they were from and why they came. "I see..." said the King. "All I can say to you now is... good luck. You may need it." "Thank you, Your Majesty," said Cadence. The group then went into the conference room and learned that one of the Princes of Kashuan, a man named Gordon, had also escaped from the Empire's assault, but lost his confidence. Before our heroes could leave the rebel base, Twilight spoke up. "Cadence..." "Yes," she answered. "About what happened before... Why you couldn't use your magic..." "I know, Twilight." "Hmm?" "When I finally woke up, I rubbed my head and noticed." The pink pegasus pointed at her head, knowing the whole story. "At least, you have your wings," Fluttershy sadly added. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. We'll all get back to normal." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Well..." Cadence hesitated. She whispered something into Twilight's ear, making the lavender pony look at herself and gasp. Didn't think we'd go through this again... Twilight thought,. Firion and the others stood silently. "What are you talking about?" he inquired. Twilight began to explain how she and Fluttershy went through a similar experience, not only surprising the humans but Cadence as well. "So you're telling us," Cadence surmised, "that we have to defeat several enemies in order for us to go back to our previous forms?" "I'm afraid so, Cadence. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before... I just forgot. Honest..." The Princess of Love thought of two things she could do at a time like this: first, her stress relief. She inhaled deeply with her hoof on her chest and then exhaled while extending her hoof. Next, she motioned for Twilight to come forward. The purple unicorn did so and was pulled into a loving hug of forgiveness. Altair Outside the secret base, the team found the town of Altair a sight to behold. Next to the building they had just come out of was the local inn and in the center of the town square was a lovely water fountain. Also in the area was a man dressed in black ninja garb. Cautiously, our heroes approached this man. "The name's Paul. I'm a master thief!" "A thief?!" Princess Cadence said. "Relax, I'm not..." he said, only for common sense stepped in, making him realize who spoke. "Y-You're a talking horse!" "Excuse me," said Twilight. "But we just so happen to be ponies." "And I'm a dragon!" said Spike. The man could do nothing but just stand on the same spot staring off into space. Firion whispered in his ear: "Wild Rose," prompting Paul to come back to his senses. "W-What?" he muttered. Realizing what the young man said, he replied, "Oh, uh... Like I was saying, I have no plans on stealing from rebels." The Equestrians eyed him suspiciously. "I'm from Fynn too, but the Emperor's dogs took my house and I haven't been back there since." "Dogs?" the naive Fluttershy questioned. "That monster is using helpless animals, too?!" Maria knelt to the yellow pony's level and whispered, "When he said 'dogs,' he meant the imperial troops. Not actual dogs." Poor Fluttershy blushed, realizing her mistake. "Oops... I-I'm sorry, everyone." "It's okay." "Well then, uh, Paul," said Twilight. "I think we'd best explore the town some more. It was, uh... nice talking with you..." Just behind the rebel hideout, they found a young man with blue eyes, blond hair tied up in a ponytail and a headband with a blue gem in the center. "Excuse us," said Twilight. The man looked back at the heroes, not realizing that the source of the voice wasn't from the young purple haired woman. "Down here." He glanced down as directed and to his surprise found a small purple pony. "It couldn't be..." "In case you're wondering, sir, I--" "AAAH!!!" he screamed, making everyone jump. "A talking horse!" He stared at the other equines and the little dragon. "And more of them!" Princess Cadence rolled her eyes and told him, "We're not horses. We just so happen to be ponies." Fluttershy sighed, "We got this a lot, too. It wasn't really... thrilling..." Twilight rolled her eyes thinking, And once again, we are going to be mistaken for horses. The man gathered what little of his nerves remained and looked back at the humans. "They're our new friends, sir," said Firion. "Who are you anyway?" "My name is Gordon, Prince of Kashuon. Or rather, I used to be... Now I am nothing more than a coward." "Why would you even think that?" "Because I fled from Fynn, leaving my older brother to die..." he said with great remorse. "He was killed trying to fight off the Empire's forces, but lost his life in the process..." Twlight whispered the words "Wild Rose" into Gordon's ear. "So, you're working for the rebellion. They wouldn't dare let a coward like me join their ranks. I was so afraid that Hilda would reject me..." Wanting to comfort the poor prince but being unable to do so, our heroes bid him farewell. Twilight couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "There has to be something we can do for him," she said. "Perhaps if we gather some information from Fynn," said Cadence. "He'll probably come around." "I guess you're right." Before leaving the town, the party entered one last building and found a statue of a woman. From what the ponies saw, this woman appeared to be a deity, with an air of grace rivaling that of Princess Celestia. After admiring the statue, our heroes exited the building, gathered whatever items or magical spells they could, and left Altair for the kingdom of Fynn. As the group left Altair, they walked across the bridge and went north to find an airship flying over their heads. "Wow..." Spike sighed. "Is that what you and the others used they last time?" "One just like it, Spike. Rainbow Dash practically sounded like she joined the Wonderbolts when we raised it from the desert." "Look out!" Firion yelled. A swarm of angry hornets surrounded them as they entered the woods. Fluttershy attempted to fly up to them and give them the Stare, but then she remembered that she didn't have her wings. "Well," she said sadly. "I guess we have no choice..." "We fight monsters?" said Guy. Firion nodded. "Let's get 'em!" said Spike. The party went into their battle stances and fought with the winged arthropods. Unfortunately the hornets were the first to attack, almost poisoning Guy and Cadence. Twilight and Fluttershy noticed this and pounced on two of them, leaving the insects thriving in pain and disappearing like their last adventure. Maria took out an arrow from her quiver and launched it at the other hornets but missed. Firion then sliced through the hornet sending it to the ground. Seeing its enemies do away with its comrades, the last hornet fled and victory went to our heroes. "We won!" Spike declared. "Let's go!" said Firion triumphantly. *music stops* Moving on, our heroes awed at the sight of a large castle 30 feet away from them. The humans grimly observed the sight for they knew it to be the castle of what was once their home: Fynn. Cadence flew up in the air to get a closer look and as she did, she noticed a small town surrounded entirely by trees. The pink pegasus went back down on the ground and led the others right to it. Gatrea Gatrea was a quaint little town. Despite its peaceful appearance, the inhabitants were still shaken from the Empire's recent attack on Fynn. The party found the local inn and rested for the night to recover. The next morning, they greeted each other and discussed how to reach the city. "Here's the idea," said Twilight. "One of us Equestrians is going with you to Fynn; it'd be really bad if the imperials see all of us at once." "But Twilight...!" said Spike. "No buts, Spike! One of us is going with these people, and that is final." "So, who will it be?" asked Princess Cadence. Twilight placed her hoof on her chin. The purple unicorn closed her eyes, thinking and thinking. She opened them and asked, "How about it, Fluttershy?" The yellow pony flinched. "Um..." she said nervously. "Maybe I'll just... stay here. Why doesn't Princess Cadence go?" "Well, I could..." Cadence pondered. "But it would be a little conspicuous, don't you think?" "Conspicuous?" "I kind of agree," Firion stepped in. "She's almost as tall as us, and that would bring a lot of unwanted attention." "Someone smaller than her join us," Guy added. "Maybe little purple one?" "Wha...? Me?!" said Spike. "No... not you... Twilight." "Me? Well... uh..." Twilight paused as they all looked at her, even Fluttershy and Spike with the puppy dog eyes. Cadence placed her hoof on her shoulder reassuring that she'd be fine. She yielded with a sigh of defeat. "All right. I'm the one who suggested this in the first place, so be it." So it was decided: Twilight would leave with Firion, Maria, and Guy while her fellow Equestrians would stay behind an explore the village some more. Before they could reach the city, the party was ambushed by four goblins. Guy responded by hacking the first one with his axe, quickly dispatching the fiend. The second monster attacked Twilight but missed, as the purple unicorn fired a beam of light strong enough to send it back whence it came. The third goblin succeeded where the previous one failed as it punched her in the jaw. "Twilight!" said Maria. "I'm fine," the unicorn replied. "Just focus on them." A furious Firion charged the foe and hacked it to pieces. Maria shot the final goblin with an arrow, sending it down to one knee. Firion then delivered the last blow, with victory going to our heroes. As they continued onward, Twilight felt as if her vitality and magic power increased, along with the human's strength and life forces. *music stops* With the monsters taken care of, the group finally approached their destination. Fynn Instead of the beautiful bustling kingdom it once was, the city of Fynn was under Imperial occupation with soldiers patrolling the streets at every corner. One such guarded the entrance to the inn. Twilight and the others knew that if they were to engage these warriors into battle, their lives would be forfeit. So they snuck around and found a pub. Inside the pub, there were more soldiers likely drinking to the capture of Fynn and several other cities. They snuck around the counter and pulled the owner to their level. "Hey, you, don't come past the counter. I tell ya, the imperial soldiers got no courtesy whatsoever..." "We not imperials," said Guy. "And we prove it." "How?" Firion whispered the words "Wild Rose," making the man's pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. "Y-Y-You're with the rebels...!" he whispered. They all nodded. "And what about this thing? Are you in the business of recruiting animals in the rebellion?" "She's our friend." The pub owner placed his finger on his chin, and after a few minutes whispered, "There is a wounded soldier right behind this secret door. He was injured while fighting those soldiers you see in this very establishment. I've been taking care of him since then. He's in your charge now." "Thank you," said Maria. The four went straight through the secret passage and found a wounded man, resting on a bed. Opening his eyes, he found our heroes and upon gazing his eyes on Twilight, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "More soldiers? And another Hellspawn as well?" said the man. "If you intend to sell me to the Emperor, just kill me... You're not taking me alive..." "Wild Rose," said Firion. "So you're rebels, are you?" "That's right." "I am Scott, Prince of Kashuan." "Wh-what?" Maria gasped. "You're Prince Scott? We heard you were killed in combat." "I... I won't live for long," the prince said. "My wound is severe." He gasped. "I've a favor to ask. Deliver a message to my brother, Gordon. Tell him... that he has all the makings of a great leader. He should believe in himself." "What happened to you...?" asked Maria. "The King's trusted advisor... Count Borghen... betrayed us... sold us out to the Empire. That... is why Fynn is now under imperial control... Please... please give this to my betrothed... to Princess Hilda." He pulled the ring off of his finger, and from what the humans knew, it was an engagement ring from the Prince of Kashuan to the Princess of Fynn; not only was it a symbol of the union between two kingdoms, but between two people in love, a union that would never come. "Please tell her... My love will be with her always..." Scott breathed deeply, but then backpedaled. "No... don't tell her that." "Why?" asked Guy. "Because I'm a dying man... She should find another love." "Your Highness," said Maria, "do you know about a man named Leon? He is my brother." Twilight then broke her silence. "Your Highness..." The prince sat up as much as his strength allowed him to. "Did... did that creature say something...?" "Yes, I did, Your Highness. My little niece was taken away by monsters serving Palamecia. Do you know anything about that...?" "N-No... Not that I had heard of. Please... take this ring..." Firion accepted the gift and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you... Now, please let me rest...." And with that, Prince Scott had breathed his last. The group silently prayed for his soul, some with tears in their eyes. After several minutes of grieving, they left the room and left the city behind. So they returned to Gatrea and told the others what happened. Now reunited, our heroes went all the way back to Altair and give Princess Hilda the Kashuan Prince's final gift. Altair Our heroes safely returned to the city and showed Gordon his brother's ring and told him everything. He smiled as he put his hand over his heart and thanking them for their bravery. As the group left for the rebel hideout, tears streamed down Gordon's face as he smiled and looked up. "Thank you, brother..." he said. The party then marched sorrowfully into the meeting room and showed Scott's ring to Princess Hilda. Tearing up, the rebel leader glanced at them for they had told her everything from witnessing the prince's final moments and listening to his last words. "Very well," said Hilda. "You are now officially members of the Wild Rose Rebellion." "Thank you, Your Highness." "Your assignment now is to find the enchanted metal called Mythril for our arsenal." "'Mythril?" asked Cadence. "Yes, Mythril. At the battle of Fynn, the Empire's equipment far outclassed ours. We stood no chance against it. Their forces were armed with weapons and armor made of the same material. They must have found a Mythril mine somewhere. I ordered a man in Salamand named Josef to investigate this possibility, but he has yet to report back. Please go to Salamand with my aide Minwu and look into the matter. Is that understood?"" "Yes, Your Highness," the white mage replied. "I also have a canoe, so we can use it in order to reach Paloom. That will be our first stop on the way to Salamand." "Alright. We accept," said Twilight. "Thank you, Minwu," said Firion. "Oh!" Hilda said. "There is something else you ought to know." "Yes?" "Palamecia suffered considerable losses in the last great battle of Fynn; to make up for them, the imperials are now building a massive warship in Bafsk. They're calling it, the 'Dreadnought.'" Fluttershy and Spike--mostly Fluttershy--started shaking. Despite this being the first time they heard it, the word "Dreadnought" was enough to make one's spine shiver. "What is this... Dreadnought?" asked Spike. "As I stated before, it's a warship. A heavily armored airship. The Empire has enslaved the people of Bafsk to construct it." "Th-That's horrible...!" said Fluttershy. "Using an airship as a weapon... to... to kill people?" "I'm afraid so," Hilda answered. "Airships should be used for travel and leisure. Rarity would agree with me." "I do, too, Fluttershy... After the last adventure, I didn't think we'd see an airship again." This caught Princess Hilda's attention. "You know about airships?" Twilight and Fluttershy nodded, explaining about their previous journey in a similar world. They even told her about the airship they had seen on their trip to Fynn. "I see... So you saw it then..." "Do you know something about it?" "Yes. A man named Cid once led Fynn's Order of White Knights; he built an airship and grew obsessed with it." That name along with the word "airship" struck a chord with the Equestrians. "Cid?" whispered Twilight. "Airship?" Fluttershy added. This has to be a coincidence, right? Princess Cadence thought. This is way too freaky, thought Spike. Guy noticed everypony and the dragon deep in thought. "Something wrong?" he asked. They all shook their heads, unwilling to tell them that the entity that sent them to this world was also named Cid. Hilda continued. "Anyway, he left the kingdom and settled in Poft, where he now ferries travelers for a fee. I hear every gil he earns goes straight back into the airship to improve its performance." "And before I forget..." She clapped her hands and had one of her helpers bring out a world map for them to use. "Thank you again, Your Highness," said Firion. He and the others bowed respectfully and left the hideout, but not before informing the King of Prince Scott's demise and Borghen's betrayal. "We're really sorry, Your Majesty," said Firion. I wish we could do something for you." The King lowered his head and closed his eyes in deep thought. He then asked, "Where are you going now?" "We're off to look for some Mythril," said Twilight. "I see... Much Mythril was mined and used in ancient times. The cavern behind the Semitt Falls on the north was a known mine. There are records of it. What else have you learned?" The others hesitated, but told him of the Empire's plans for constructing the Dreadnought. "What?! No one has informed me of this... I suppose they didn't want me worried, but still... You must stop them!" "We will, Sire," said Firion. "We will." The group bowed and left the king's room, the rebel base, and the city of Altair once more. And so, with a new companion, our heroes set off and began their journey. With only few clues as to the whereabouts Maria's brother and Princess Cadence's daughter and subjects, they could only find some answers along with the Mythril needed for the rebel army's weaponry. Meanwhile... In a dark throne room sat the wicked Emperor Mateus, holding a gold scepter with a circular disc with curved spikes on top and two prongs at the center. On his right was a magical sphere holding a frightened Flurry Heart inside. He chuckled, standing up and calmly walking to the baby alicorn. "To think that an infant from a realm of inferior beings would have such powers," the Emperor said in a smooth but menacing voice with a posh accent. "To be gifted with great magic. No matter. Once I have crushed the rebels and conquered this world..." he said, slowly leaning towards her. "...Yours will be next, and you are going to help me." There was naught little Flurry could do, but huddle herself in fear as this horrible creature cackled. All she could think of was her mother and father, along with the pony girls she met, hoping they would save her.