//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: The Land of Mages // Story: My Final Pony Fantasy II // by Vimtrust5 //------------------------------// Castle Palamecia Emperor Mateus and his Dark Knight were walking side-by-side in the halls of the castle, passing several saluting soldiers. "I see. So the princess has finally recaptured her home." "Yes, Your Excellency," said the Dark Knight. "Unfortunately, I also must report that although our forces from the underworld have captured several Equestrians from the town of Ponyville... they were unable to slay Twilight Sparkle's friends." The Emperor kept a straight face as he slowed to a halt. "Interesting..." "How so?" asked the armored soldier as his helmet glowed an eerie red. "Even so, this 'Crystal Heart,' which transported those meddling fools to this world, was nullified before the attack. Therefore, there is no need to worry." He then revealed the orb containing his valuable prisoner. "With this infant's power, I shall soon rule over all Equestria soon... but for now, we have vermin to exterminate." "Yes, Your Excellency." "The time has come to show our might... and crush the rebellion once and for all. Have everyone prepare for my arrival!" "It shall be done, sire! I have been waiting for this moment..." "No," the Emperor stated. "Sire...?" "I will handle this myself. You stay here and protect the castle..." After a brief moment of silence, the Dark Knight bowed, acknowledging the order. "As you command... All hail Emperor Mateus!" "All hail Emperor Mateus!" the imperials shouted, certain of their victory. Several since the liberation of Fynn, our heroes had equipped themselves with whatever weapons and armor they could get from the shops, ready to head for the mysterious land of Mysidia in order to find Minwu and the elusive Ultima Tome. Setting foot upon the pirate ship once more, the group sailed to the far south far away from Altair. Consulting the map, they found what appeared to be a small village situated between a forest and a mountain range that nearly encircled a cave. The group sailed through the salty sea air and landed south of the desert. They disembarked and trekked through the desert, walked through the forest and found the village on the map. Mysidia Our heroes were taken by surprise: the town looked like any other village they had visited on their quest, yet nearly all the inhabitants were practitioners of magic. Some were dressed in the same manner as Teol and Flora. Twilight, being the magic enthusiast that she was, felt elated. One man near the entrance walked over to her. "My, my. A unicorn? I thought they only existed in myths and legends. Welcome to Mysidia, the land of magic and mages." Twilight stood silent, not knowing whether she liked the attention she was getting. "Actually, she's... an alicorn," said Firion. "Take a look at her wings." "'Alicorn?' Preposterous." At that moment, Twilight slapped her hoof on her head. "Excuse me." She opened her wings with a look of annoyance on her face. The mage winced in shock. "Are... are those real?" The purple pony sighed. "Yes... they are. And just in case you're wondering: yes, my friends and I can speak." Maria stepped in. "We don't want any trouble," she said. "We're part of the Wild Rose Rebellion and we've come to look for information on the magic that lies in the tower that--" "The tower?!" the young man gasped. "Th-Th-Then... You seek the ultimate magic as well?" "That be right..." said Leila. "Our library should contain some answers." Twilight's eyes sparkled. "L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-LIBRARY??!! YOU HAVE A LIBRARY?!" Spike's pupils shrank. "Uh-oh..." "What is it, Spike?" asked Maria. "Why is she acting so happy?" "Twilight's always had her nose stuck in a book or two." "Oh, I remember her telling me that," Firion realized. "Hopefully she doesn't forget our reason for being here..." "I don't think she would," said Fluttershy. Unfortunately, the yellow pegasus spoke too soon for Twilight quickly ran all across Mysidia in search of the library. With a heavy sigh, Fluttershy followed her lavender friend, while the others traveled over the town. When they finally caught up with the two ponies, they stood in front of a house on the southwestern part of town. Inside the library, dusty old tomes were kept in several shelves. Twilight began to cough and was just about to sneeze. "Bless you," said Maria. "Thank you..." Twilight replied. Gathering the books, the party gave them a quick, yet thorough read. "Here's some information about the dragoons," said Firion. "It says: 'The island of Deist was the ancestral home of the wyverns. A knight named Haan visited the island, and over a period of thirty years, he cultivated a bond with the wyverns. Haan later became the first dragoon.'" "Speaking of wyverns," said Fluttershy. "Take a look at this. 'A close relative of the dragon, the wyvern is a beast trained to serve as the airborne mount of the dragoons. Though smaller than a dragon, a wyvern's strength allows it to carry four to five people into the air.'" "Four to five people...?" Twilight questioned. "Maria, Leila, what did you find?" "This one talks about mythril, actually," said Leila. "It says: 'Mythril is a strong, easily processed metal. Highly responsive to magic, it forms the basis of magical armaments.' Nothing I haven't heard really." Maria pulled out another entry, one that spoke of the Goddess' Bell. "'Once, long ago, a king ordered the making of an indestructible lock and key. Three sets were fashioned. The first was forged from friendship, the second from love, and the third from wonder. The sets forged from friendship were soon broken. But the third was wrought from the wonder evoked by the ringing of a single pure note, and it held fast. That key was the Goddess' Bell. So pleased was the king, he hid the bell away in a cavern of snow, where it rests to this day.'" "Not until we found it and used it, that is," Twilight chuckled. "What about you, Guy?" "This book talk about Sunfire. 'In a time before the world knew castles or kingdoms, a star fell to the land we now call Kashuan. A man gathered flame from the star and built an alter to enshrine it.' That's it." "The book I've got talks about this place. It says: 'Fearing that the tremendous power they wielded might lead the world to destruction, the mages of old founded a settlement in Mysidia and dwelt there in seclusion.' What about you, Spike? Find anything?" The dragon carried two books. One of the titles was "Palamecia," the other read "Jade Passage." Spike read "Palamecia" first. "'The King of Palamecia was said to be a man of tremendous pride. Once he decreed that he would give his daughter as a prize to any man who could penetrate his castle. Men who scaled cliffs, men who dug tunnels - all were humbed before the walls of the impenetrable castle. But finally there came a man who succeeded where others had failed. Filling a great bag with hot air, he floated up, alighted on the castle roof, and entered the castle. Enraged at being outwitted, the king attempted to seize the man. But with an airy confidence, the man, together with the princess, escaped into the sky.' That's very... interesting." "What about 'Jade Passage?' What's that about?" "Let's see... 'The Jade Passage is the path joining this world with Hell. The passage leads to Pandaemonium, the castle of Hell.' I'm afraid to ask, but... what exactly is this 'Hell?'" "Hell..." said Firion. "As far as we know, it's a part of the afterlife people go when they've committed terrible crimes." "Sounds like Tartarus." "Only, if these people have died." The Equestrians shuddered. Cadence, having read two of the books she levitated in front of her, shared their contents as well. "This book talks about the Ultima Tome we're looking for. It says: 'In ages past, Pandaemonium, the palace of the lord of Hell, emerged unto our land. The mages of old wove a spell of fearsome power and banished Pandaemonium, averting the crisis.'" The rest of the group leaned closer. 'However, the mages feared that the spell was so powerful, it could throw the world into chaos. So they constructed a great tower and sealed within it the tome inscribed with the spell's secrets.' The others' eyes widened with this information. Was this truly what their friend Minwu was tasked to obtain? "L-Let me read the other entry," said Cadence. "'Make of the White Mask an offering to the goddess beneath Mysidia. If thou art pure of heart, the doppelganger will cease to move. Fit then the Black Mask upon him, and both he and his defiled heart shall fade.'" "The goddess beneath Mysidia?" "Doppelganger?" With more questions about what they were seeking than answers, the group exited the library; before leaving town, they gathered more supplies and learned from the villagers that the Black Mask they seek was being kept safe on a small island south of the region. They had also learned that the masks were essential to acquiring the Crystal Rod: the key to the Mysidian Tower where the Ultima Tome was kept. One last bit of information they had gathered was that Minwu had passed through the town eariler to obtain Ulitma. So they went back to the ship, but before they could get back onboard, they were waylaid by a group of three Bombs! "Oh, no!" Leila exclaimed. "More members of the Bomb family?" asked Twilight. "Worse... these things actually be called Bombs themselves! We'd best do away with 'em quick!" Twilight quickly cast Blizzard VI on the first Bomb she saw, freezing and defeating it. Maria cast Blizzard VI as well on the second monster, sending it back where it came. One of the Bombs tackled Firion; the youth quickly got back on his feet and slashed the monster two times. The last Bomb was being slashed repeatedly by Leila who backed away. Angry, the creature grew and exploded, pushing our heroes back. *music ends* "Whoa..." said Spike. Twilight groaned as she got back up. "Remind me to avoid those things if we see them." "Oh, my!" said Fluttershy, putting her hooves on her head. "Is... everyone alright?" "I... I think so," Twilight answered albeit unsure. "I'll help you all," said Maria. "Cure VI!" Suddenly, our heroes' wounds were healed. "Thank you, Maria," said Cadence. "Aye," Leila agreed. With the Bombs defeated, our heroes boarded the ship and sailed south towards the Tropical Island. The party quickly found their destination and disembarked, ready to find the Black Mask. Tropical Island In the grassy cave, the party split up into two, with Twilight leading the Equestrians and Guy into the stairs from their right, while Firion and the others took the left. As Twilight's group headed further up into the dungeon, they encountered several creatures such as Duel Deads and Poison Toads. To their surprise, our heroes had discovered a group of peaceful islanders within in the area. "I no believe it," Guy gasped in disbelief. The Equestrians, too, were at a loss for words. After shaking off their shock, they asked the villagers about the location of the Black Mask. Meanwhile, Firion and his group descended down into the third floor basement, obtaining more treasures including Scourge Tomes, a Blind Tome, and 1,000 gil. Leaving the villagers behind with more supplies, Guy and the Equestrians went back and met with the other humans on the third floor. With the party reunited, they went further into the dungeon. As they entered the last chamber near the center of the fifth floor basement, they saw three large rhinoceros-like creatures called Big Horns guarding a treasure chest. "What are those things?!" Maria cried. "Whatever they are, we have to defeat them!" Firion declared. "They guard mask!" Guy added. The battle only lasted thirty seconds, for our heroes easily vanquished the beasts with their superior strength, magic, and agility. With the Big Horns taken care of, our heroes opened the treasure chest and acquired the Black Mask. "Let's get out of here." Everyone agreed. They went straight forward to find a warp tile; they stepped on the device and found themselves right outside the cave and near the ship. Aboard the vessel, our heroes looked toward the town, ready to complete their next task. "You know what I've noticed back there?" asked Firion. "There weren't any of those trap rooms." "Thank goodness!" Twilight sighed. Mysidia As soon as they entered the town, the party immediately went down the stairs that took them underground which led them to a goddess statue. After placing the White Mask on the statue's face, they immediately went for the inn to stay for the night. As dawn approached, the group left the village and headed southeast for the cave that would lead them to the mysterious doppelganger. Mysidia Cave As soon as they stepped in, our heroes almost ran into the flan like creatures and used their magic to defeat them. Fluttershy gasped. "What is it, Fluttershy?" asked Cadence. The princess' eyes widened at what she and the yellow pegasus were seeing. The creatures that stood in front of the party were large, green, tentacled beings, with an anemone-like head and large mouths. "What are those?!" Spike cried. Leila took a step back. "They be Malboros!" he said. "These creatures spew a foul breath. Anyone unlucky enough to come across them will be severely outmatched." "That sounds bad." "Sometimes, it's better to retreat," said Firion. "But we can't go any further with these things in the way!' said Leila. Firion and Guy hacked the monsters before the Malboros had a chance to strike, leaving the parasites that accompanied them alone. "That was close." The group continued their trek through the room; at the end, they encountered a still double of FIrion standing in their way. The purity of the young man's heart was enough to render it motionless. He put the Black Mask on the doppelganger, causing it and the mask to vanish while allowing them further passage. After trekking through the dungeon and acquiring more treasures, they finally reached the fifth floor basement where they obtained a Drain Tome, an Osmose Tome, and the very object they were looking for. "We got the Crystal Rod!" "Now then," said Twilight as she teleported everyone out. They went all the way back to the ship, stayed at the inn at Mysidia once more and set off toward the Mysidian Tower. Just as they were about to reach the tower, our heroes felt the earth beginning to shake. "I don't like this!" The ship began spinning in a large whirlpool, from which emerged a gigantic sea serpent: the legendary Leviathan! The creature roared upwards and with its mouth wide open, swallowed the ship whole, taking our heroes with it...