• Published 4th Apr 2012
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Pony Fantasy IV - Leo Archon



Final Fantasy IV... with ponies! What else could you want?

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Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Trotta was known as 'Nature's Haven'. This was for good reason, as the town and castle were surrounded by forests. The forests stretched for miles in every direction, interspersed with rivers and bordered by mountains. Some ponies theorized that it was the kingdom's ownership of the Earth Crystal that allowed for nature to prosper to such a degree. With the abundance of nature, however, came an abundance of monsters. Even before the monsters of the world starting acting erratically, Trotta had trained a solid guard force to counter the monsters of the surrounding woods.

All of these were factors in why invading Trotta was a tricky prospect at best. After all, an army couldn't land from airships in the dense forests, and the surrounding terrain would make a hike neigh-impossible from any distance. However, there was one patch of clear ground near the town that a single airship could land in.

It was in this clearing that the Sunrise touched down, having been guided by the expert hooves of Zecora. "At Nature's Haven we have arrived. Shall we proceed before local opinion dives?" she asked.

"Let's," Twilight agreed. A gangplank was lowered to the ground, allowing everypony to trot off the airship. Once everypony was down, Twilight called their attention. "Alright, we'll need to visit Castle Trotta in order to ask the High Priestesses to borrow the Earth Crystal. However, it'd also be a good idea to check in the town and see if there are any supplies we can buy here to make things easier on ourselves."

"We can get supplies after going to the castle, right?" Scootaloo asked, bouncing on her hooftips. "I wanna see another castle! And a more lively one at that!"

Twilight chuckled. "Okay, okay, we can go to the castle first." She led the group to the castle that stood north of the town.

Castle Trotta was similar in design to Castle Colton. It was perhaps a little smaller, both in height and in width. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in beauty. Too bad Rarity isn't here, Twilight thought as they approached the castle gates. I bet she'd love this place, especially after Stabul Castle, which she considered too simple.

The guards at the gate stood to block their path. "Halt! What business do you travelers have at the castle?" one asked.

Twilight took the lead. "We come seeking an audience with the High Priestesses. It concerns the future of the world, and the actions of Nightmare Moon."

The guards stiffened at the name, and glanced at each other. Then they stepped aside. One of them nodded. "You may proceed, but be warned. Nightmare Moon's name is loathed among the Priestesses. Her actions have caused no small amount of trouble, even here in Trotta."

Twilight nodded in thanks, and stepped through the gates, followed by the others. Once they were inside, Scootaloo looked askance at Twilight. "Why does Trotta have 'high priestesses' rather than a king or queen?"

"Well," Twilight began, "from what I've read, they used to have a monarch much like Colton, however, the local ponies grew restless and eventually deposed the monarch. They then instated the Priestesses in order to ensure that everypony's opinion could be heard. There are eight Priestesses, seven of which speak for a different part of Trotta society; the nobles, the lower class, the merchants, etc. One Priestess is the 'universal' speaker. They speak together and compromise on issues to make citizens as happy as they can without breaking their backs doing so."

"Huh…" the pegasus filly mused. "Why don't other countries do that? Seems a lot more fair than having one pony decide everything."

"Well, there is a drawback to this system," the paladin explained. "It takes Trotta a while to pass any new laws, because each Priestess has to look over, address, and compromise on each new bill that comes to them. This ensures that the laws are fair to everypony, but at the same time, new laws can take months to get through the system."

"On the other hoof, kingdoms like Colton get new laws through quicker, since only one pony has to address everything; however, this may result in unfair biases to certain classes of pony," Starswirl added. Twilight nodded.

Sweetie Belle looked thoughtful. "So… neither system is better or worse than the other?"

"That's the long and short of it," Applejack said with a nod. "Ta be fair, no system of government is better or worse than any other. It's up ta the individual pony ta determine what they like. Ah mean, how's Maresidia work?"

The two fillies looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess the Elder is the unofficial leader of the town, but we're all pretty much free to do as we please," Sweetie Belle said. "It's nice, but it also allows for…" she trailed off.

"Hot-headed unicorns desiring vengeance?" asked Twilight.

Sweetie Belle nodded with a blush. "Yeah… I do like the freedom, but I can see some bad points."

"Speak for yourself," Scootaloo retorted, bored with the history lesson. "Let's just meet these ladies and get on with this."

The group went further into the castle, where a pair of guards bowed them through a set of double doors. On the other side, a debate was raging between eight mares, all wearing the same robe ensemble. Well, seven mares were arguing; the eighth seemed content to stay in the back, near an iron doorway.

"Colton's actions these past several days have been inexcusable!" a grey earth pony with a black mane was saying. "The attacks upon Maresidia, Clydecyan, and Stabul have resulted in many deaths! We must secure our own borders!"

"You're being paranoid," retorted a yellow earth pony with a dull orange mane. "Nopony in their right mind would try invading Trotta. Our forests and mountains would make any invading army think twice."

"You're being complacent!" argued the first. "I've heard word that Clydecyan was bombarded from above! What's stopping Colton from doing the same to us?!"

"Hey, hey, Octavia, calm down," a white unicorn with an electric-blue mane broke in. "Relax, would ya? I've heard the same thing, and I've commissioned some anti-air defenses in case the Red Wings get any bright ideas." She looked at another priestess. "How's that coming along, Spitfire?"

"I've got the guards working on it," a yellow pegasus with a violent orange mane said. "Gotta say, if it works, we'll be able to deal with the Red Wings, no problem."

"Still, their actions are curious," a blue unicorn with a two-tone blue-and-white mane mused. "What do Maresidia, Clydecyan, and Stabul have in common?"

"What does it matter?" asked a slender white unicorn with a pink mane. "All Colton's proved is that they have a superior military than the other three."

"It matters because we could be next!" Octavia snarled. "Are all you nobles this aloof about something that could affect us directly? Or do you not care about your own husband, Fleur de Lis?"

Before Fleur could retort, a grey pegasus with a light-blue mane interjected. "Girls, calm down. This isn't getting us anywhere. Look, I can ask the weather team to make some cloud cover so that Colton won't know where to hit."

"That would work against us, too," Spitfire said. "If we can't see where we're aiming our defenses, how will we know when to use them?"

"Plus, our crops need sunlight, Flitter," the yellow earth pony added. "How long could you keep that cloud cover up before we'd need to take it down?"

"It was just a thought…" Flitter sighed.

"Ladies, we'll table this discussion for now," the mare in the back said, standing up. "We have visitors." Striding forward, she was revealed to be a tall pink unicorn with a curly purple-and-white mane. She smiled at the group that was standing in the doorway. "I apologize for what you heard. Given the current circumstances, you can understand our mood, I hope."

"I understand completely," Twilight said with a bow. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Zecora, Applejack, Starswirl, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." She indicated each pony in turn.

"A pleasure to meet you all," the priestess replied. "I am Cadence, the spokespony of Trotta's priestesses. So, what brings such a collection of ponies to Trotta?"

Twilight took a breath. "This may seem like a wholly inappropriate request, given the current circumstances, but would it be possible for us to borrow the Earth Crystal for a time?"

The mood in the room dropped instantly. Cadence sighed. "You just had to remind us of our other problem," she muttered.

"Why would a group of perfect strangers want the Earth Crystal?" asked Fleur de Lis, cocking her head.

"Wait, I just thought of something," Flitter said. "Maresidia, Clydecyan, and Stabul had the Water, Fire, and Wind Crystals respectively, didn't they?"

Octavia shot to her hooves. "Then these must be agents of Colton, here to steal our Crystal as well!" She likely would have charged the group, had the white unicorn not grabbed her.

"Sit… DOWN!" grunted the unicorn as she forced Octavia back into her cushion. "You can't just make accusations like that, Octy."

"Vinyl, I've told you repeatedly, don't call me that in meetings," grumbled the black-maned mare.

"Still, it does seem like quite a coincidence," mused Spitfire. "How do we know you all aren't agents of Colton?"

Twilight sighed. "Zecora and I used to be part of Colton, but we've broken away. We can't stand what Nightmare Moon has done to the place. Our King has been dead for months, and one of her lackeys was imponynating him this whole time."

"As for the others, Starswirl is a renowned sage, and he lost his daughter when Clydecyan was attacked." Starswirl bowed his head at that. "Applejack is the Grandmaster of Stabul, and lost many of her best monks to a monster attack that Nightmare Moon orchestrated." The monk scowled at the reminder. "And Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are acolytes from Maresidia."

"Do you have any proof of any of these claims?" asked Cadence.

"All you have is my word, Lady Cadence," replied Twilight, looking the taller unicorn in the eye.

There were a few moments of silence. Then Cadence sighed. "You were asked to retrieve the Crystal by Nightmare Moon, weren't you?"

Twilight's eyes widened. How did she – ?

Cadence continued, before any of the other priestesses could voice their disapproval. "She holds somepony or something you treasure, and the Crystal is her ransom. I can see it in your eyes."

"H-how…?" stuttered the paladin.

"Love is my special talent," replied Cadence. "I can tell when somepony is pining over somepony else." She sighed again. "Thus, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that the Earth Crystal is no longer in Trotta."

That snapped Twilight out of her stupor. "What?!" she yelped. "What do you mean, no longer?! What happened?!"

"Diamond Dogs happened," growled the yellow earth pony. "Burrowed right underneath the castle's floor in the crystal chamber, and stole it right from under our noses."

"We were able to track them to an island to the north," added Spitfire. "Problem is, there's some sort of wonky field in the cave there. Anything metallic just hits the floor, and it's a pain in the rear to get it off the ground again."

Starswirl frowned. "I've heard of Diamond Dogs before. They adore gems, so it makes sense they'd want the Earth Crystal. And they hate metal, at least processed metal; from what I've read, processed metals are dangerously poisonous to them."

"Hence the magnetic field," Twilight added with a nod, coming out of her panic. "It's an inconvenience, but I can make do with other weapons until we get out of there."

"What about your armor?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"I can put it in my saddlebags, along with my sword," replied Twilight.

Scootaloo blinked. "Uh, but won't the magnetic field affect that?"

Twilight smirked. "Normally, yes, but my saddlebags are enchanted with an extra-spacial pocket and a weightlessness charm. Basically, I can carry quite a bit in my saddlebags, and never feel the strain. And with the extra-spacial pocket, a magnetic field won't affect anything inside."

"Pardon me for interrupting, but… are you saying the lot of you are actually willing to retrieve the Earth Crystal?" asked Octavia.

Twilight nodded. "Assuming, that is, that we can borrow it."

Before the others could protest, Cadence held up a hoof. "If you can retrieve the Earth Crystal, and show it to us as proof of your accomplishment, you may borrow it. You have my word as a priestess of Trotta."

Twilight bowed, as did her friends. "Thank you, Lady Cadence."

As the group turned to leave, Vinyl chuckled. "Lots of visitors lately. First that chick with the harp, now this bunch."

Twilight, Applejack, and Starswirl froze. Then the paladin turned around. "Wait… what 'chick with the harp'?"

Vinyl shrugged a hoof. "She washed ashore a couple of days ago. Unicorn mare, carried a harp with her. From what the doctor says, she claims to be Clydecyan's queen."

"Where is she right now?" asked Applejack.

Cadence cocked her head. "She's in the infirmary. Take a right when you leave the chamber, follow the hallway outside and around. You can't miss it. May I ask why you're so concerned?"

Twilight smiled. "She sounds like a friend of ours." With that, she led the group out, and headed for the infirmary.

*****

Lyra grimaced as the brush was pulled through her mane, again. "Really, Miss Bonbon, you don't need to bother yourself with this. The medical staff can take care of me."

Bonbon snorted, the earth pony continuing her work on the unicorn's mane. "No offense to the medical staff, but they don't know how to treat bed-head. Besides, they said I was allowed to visit you, seeing as I'm the one who dragged you here."

"And for that, I thank you, but really, this isn't necessary," Lyra insisted.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you're in no condition to protest," said Nurse Sweetheart, a pink earth pony with a striped purple-and-white mane. "Bonbon volunteered to help take care of you, and so that's what she's doing." She turned to the earth pony. "Are you sure you don't want to stay on once Her Majesty is better?"

Bonbon shook her head. "Nah. I'm just helping Her Majesty because I feel responsible, that's all. I dragged her here, I ought to at least take care of her."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Miss Bonbon, I've told you before, you can just call me – "

"Lyra!"

All three mares turned to face the door as the speaker came in. Lyra's face split into a wide grin. "Twilight!"

The two unicorns hugged as best they could, since Lyra was still lying down on the bed. Applejack came up on the other side of the bed. "Ya sure had us worried, sugarcube!"

"Applejack, you're here too!" Lyra broke away from Twilight to embrace the orange mare. "We're all here!"

"Not all of us," Twilight sighed. "Fluttershy's not with us." She blinked. "Which reminds me. Applejack, did you see what happened to her after Leviathan attacked?"

The monk sighed. "That overgrown water snake ate her," she said sadly.

Everypony present blanched. "She was EATEN?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

Applejack nodded, her good cheer at finding Lyra having vanished. "Ah did mah best, but ah just couldn't catch up in time."

Twilight sighed heavily. "Not the news I was hoping for…" She then smiled. "But, at least the rest of us are here. By the way, Lyra, these are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, acolytes from Maresidia."

"Nice to meet you!" Sweetie Belle chirped, while Scootaloo just waved a hoof in greeting.

"Likewise," Lyra replied with a nod. "Anypony else with you, Twilight?"

"There's me."

Lyra's pupils dilated as she heard the male voice. Slowly, she turned, coming face-to-face with Starswirl. The stallion regarded her with an unreadable expression. There was a tense moment of silence. Then Lyra spoke. "S-Sir Starswirl, I'm so – "

Starswirl held up a hoof. "Don't." Lyra's jaw clicked shut, and the elderly unicorn continued. "I've been thinking about everything, and I realized that I was a fool. An old fool, blinded by traditions. I looked at you, and saw a bard and a mare, neither of which I thought were appropriate for my daughter. If I had but given you my blessing, this tragedy would not have happened. Can you forgive an old stallion's mistakes, Lyra?" He bowed his head.

Lyra blinked repeatedly, then sighed. "Sir Starswirl, you've done nothing wrong. You acted in what you thought were the best interests of your adoptive child." She lowered her gaze, even as Starswirl raised his. "Clover was against leaving, you know. She told me to tell you the truth about who I was. But I didn't care for politics, hence the bard disguise. If I had been honest with you from the outset, things might be different."

Starswirl looked ready to protest, but another voice interrupted. "A father, and a lover, both wracked with guilt, but there is little point in crying over the blood that has been spilt." Lyra's astonished gaze turned to the last pony present – except it wasn't a pony, but a zebra. Her voice was kind, but firm, as she continued to speak. "Neither of you should blame yourselves so soon. The one truly responsible is Nightmare Moon."

There was another moment of silence, then Starswirl smiled. "You're right, Zecora. Neither of us is truly to blame. We couldn't have known what that madmare would do." He looked at Lyra. "I think, were circumstances different, I'd be proud to call you my daughter."

"And you, my father-in-law," Lyra agreed. She would have said more, but she broke into a fit of coughs.

Nurse Sweetheart was beside her in an instant, having bowled Applejack out of the way. "Here, drink this," she said, holding out a cup of water.

Lyra took the cup gratefully, holding it between her hooves as she drank. "Mmm… much better." She looked at Twilight. "So what brings you all to Trotta? With Zecora here, I'm guessing we have an airship now?"

"That we do," the paladin replied with a nod. "And I'm afraid it's business that brings us here. We got an ultimatum from Nightmare Moon: Rarity for the Earth Crystal."

Lyra winced. "And the Earth Crystal was taken by Diamond Dogs… I overheard some of the guards talking."

"And with that magnetic field in the cave they retreated to, getting to them is going to be painful," Twilight added.

Lyra nodded, then turned to Bonbon, who had been watching all of this with little more than a raised eyebrow. "Miss Bonbon, in my saddlebags, there should be a sprig of a plant. Can you pass it over here?"

Bonbon arched an eyebrow at the request, but opened the saddlebags to look for the plant in question. A few moments later, she found it, and held it up to Lyra. "If thif it?" she asked.

Lyra nodded, grabbing the sprig in her own mouth. She passed it to Twilight, who took it in her aura, holding it up curiously. "That's Whisperweed," the minty unicorn explained. "It'll let me help you, even though I'm confined to this bed"

"How do you mean?" Twilight asked with a blink.

"You'll see," Lyra said cryptically.

Twilight shrugged, and tucked the plant carefully into her saddlebags. "Well, it was good seeing you again, Lyra. We'll be back for a bit once we have the Earth Crystal."

Bonbon coughed. "Did I hear all that right? You all are going after the Earth Crystal?"

Applejack nodded. "That's right. Lady Cadence gave us her word that if we retrieved it, we could borrow it for a while."

Bonbon sighed. "Getting to the Diamond Dogs' cavern means getting a black chocobo. And just to forewarn you, there are some captive black chocobos in a ranch in town, but captive ones can't fly. You'll need wild black chocobos to get all of you there."

Zecora frowned. "And where in the land of Nature's Haven would one find a chocobo with feathers raven?"

Bonbon shrugged. "I'm not the expert. I just help out now and again at the ranch in town. You'd find more answers there, I'd wager."

Twilight sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing. And we need to restock our supplies, anyway."

The group bid farewell, and left. Lyra sighed. "I hope they'll be okay…"

Bonbon smiled. "Don't worry about it. They looked like a tough bunch. Now, let's get back to your grooming, shall we?"

Lyra rolled her eyes, but didn't protest. In all honesty, being fussed over felt good. In fact, if the bard closed her eyes, it was almost like Clover doting on her again…