Final Fantasy VII: Darkness in Equestria

by Axel IV

The Days Roll By

Rainbow Dash flung herself through the air, the cool summer breeze making her cyan feathers flutter. Celestia was rising her morning sun, and Ponyville was only started to wake. One would think that Rainbow Dash would not be one to be up so early in the morning, but the pegasus was determined to train to gain her entry into the famous Wonderbolts. Every morning she would make her rounds, flying around the entire town, timing herself. Whenever she made a best time, the next days were spent trying to beat it. She was a driven pony, and her ego didn't keep her from her flight training.

The pegasus had just finished her last lap, quickly checking the stopwatch around her neck. "Tch..." She growled, "Too slow by three seconds...That could be valuable time!" Deciding that she was just tired and that she would just get right back to it tomorrow, the pegasus softly landed near Twilight's library.

She had a new routine ever since Cloud had come into town. After her vicious training, she would go down to Cloud's garage and watch him work on that strange vehicle that he called a "motorcycle". She was intrigued by what he had told her...Apparently, it was faster than any pony-drawn carriage and most pegasi. Still, there was no way it could possibly be faster than her, she had thought. But she was a bit insecure about it, and she was eager to have him finish it.

Also, she enjoyed watching Cloud work. Ever since Pinkie's party a few nights ago, his personality wasn't as distant as it had once been. He still didn't like answering questions, but at least now he would give her straight answers on minor ones that he didn't mind to talk about. She also found that he had an excellent ear, and she would spend hours just telling him about the many accomplishments and things she had achieved.

Hearing the familiar work noises coming from the garage, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't think it was possible, but she greatly enjoyed Cloud's company. Of course she would never admit it to anypony, especially him. And she felt genuinely happy seeing him holding Big Mac's tools, scratching his head as he stared at the black mechanical heap in front of him. She gave a slight chuckle before moving up to hover next to him.

Cloud's garage was big enough to fit his bike and a few more ponies. He had an assortment of borrowed tools on the walls, and a table where he would mess with the small mechanical parts. Rainbow Dash watched him as he began messing with a strange shiny metal tube.

"What are you working on today, Cloudie?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking over his shoulder, "Connecting some metal-thingy to a black metal thingy again?"

"No." The human said, setting some of the parts onto the table, "I'm fixing the auto-pilot system."

Rainbow flashed him a look of confusion, "An auto-what now?" Cloud was taking a close look at a very intricate mechanical piece that looked like it belonged in some sort of spaceship.

"Auto-pilot." Cloud replied, lifting it up to see it in the light, "Not many other bikes have it. It allows me to fight and ride the bike at the same time." He set it back down, and began to take out small screws and bolts.

Rainbow squinted at the small mechanical piece he was messing with, "So...you're saying you don't have to actually drive this thing yourself?"

"Yeah," He replied, "But it's really only useful when there aren't any obstacles in my way."

Rainbow nodded and turned to get another look at his big black monster bike, "Wow...I'm surprised you know how to get it working. Seems like a ton of egg head stuff to me." Rainbow smirked and hovered back up to him, "Say, Cloud! Let's go do something fun to day!"

The blonde human gave her half a glance and looked back at the device in his hands, "Sorry. I want to get my bike running as fast as possible, and I've already have plans for today." The cyan pegasus gave a harsh glare to the back of his head.

"You always say that!" She whined, moving over to his side so she could see his face, "C'mon! What exactly are you doing today?"

Cloud set down the device and stroked his chin, "I'm picking up parts at the metal worker's house and ordering new ones. After that, I need to find someway to repair the tires on my bike. Then after that-

Rainbow shoved her hoof into his cheek, her hoof sinking into his skin, "How about you just take a break from fixing your bike for just a little while! Please?!" Cloud gave her another small glance, his eyebrow raised. She was giving her the biggest puppy eyes she could, and since she looked like a cartoon creature it was just..odd.

"Sorry." He replied, taking a screwdriver and going back to the device, "Maybe some other time. I can't play with you right now." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her face fall in defeat and her ears flatten. He hated it when they were like this...when ponies were sad they definitely showed it. He wasn't too concerned, however...The ponies tended to bounce back from whatever made them-

Rainbow's head suddenly jerked at his table, her jaws clamping down onto the device in his hands. His superior reflexes nearly made him smash her head down, and he had to consciously hold himself back from doing so. The cyan pony gave him what looked to be a playful smirk before she darted away, her wings propelling out of the dark garage.

Cloud palm faced before he ran out after her, the blue pony holding the black device in her hands as if it was some worthless toy, "Come on, blondie!" She laughed triumphantly, "If you don't get this back from me today, you'll never see it again!" And with a quick flap, the pegasus darted over the rooftops, starting to turn into a small black dot in the sky. Cloud gave a sigh, but couldn't hide the small smirk that was trying to form.

At one point, he had to catch an annoying little ninja who stole all his materia. He was sure he could catch an annoying little pegasus.

---

Twilight eyed the large sword leaning against one of the library walls that was closest to the basement door. It was funny that it was just one of the many smaller blades that combined into the large one and it still could completely block one of her bookshelves. Twilight was trying to figure out why the blonde human had just, well, left it sitting there. In fact, he had been doing that quite a bit lately, and she just didn't get it. It definitely would make his massive sword lighter, but he would swing it like it was nothing anyway, so what was the deal?

"Twilight..."

Was there some device built into the sword so that he could have constant watch over her?

"Twilight!"

Impossible. Did it emit some strange energy in order to protect the library? It was a fascinating idea, but highly unlikely.

"TWILIGHT!"

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, her attention turning to the small purple dragon angrily tapping his foot near the door, "Oh, sorry Spike." She chuckled sheepishly, "I was...lost in my mind for a while."

"Yeah. Ever since he came here, you've been daydreaming like crazy!" Spike grumbled, "You haven't even touched the breakfast I made just for you!"

Twilight blinked, glancing down at the toast and eggs that had obviously been cooled by the duration of her thought process, Oh I'm so sorry!"

"It's whatever!" Spike snorted, hanging up his apron, "I don't get it! What's so dreamy about that guy anyway?! All the ponies in town do is just talk about him! Even Rarity!"

Twilight giggled lightly, "Aw, come on Spike! He's something new to Ponyville, and he's a big mystery." Her eyebrows suddenly furrowed, "I really should look into why mares have a strange attraction to him..." she said quietly.

"What'd you say?" Spike asked, talking over the sound of the sink as he washed the dishes, "I didn't hear it!"

"Nothing." She sighed, taking a light trot to one of the bookshelves, "Speaking of him being a mystery, so far I've heard him talk about is his planet. Nothing about his family, his friends...Nothing!"

"Psh." Spike spat, "So what? It's better not to know what horrors he could've done in his life. I still don't trust that guy! Anypony carrying around a big sword can't be trusted!"

"You're just jealous." Twilight smirked, a purple glow surrounding a book to levitate it for her to see, "He's just getting so much more attention from Rarity then you ever did!"

"W-Whatever!" Spike shot back, her words hitting their mark, "I-I'm not jealous at all! Just you watch, Twilight!" A bright gleam shone in Spike's eyes as he gave a dreamy smile, the image of Rarity popping into his head.

"If you say so, Spike!" Twilight giggled, plopping the book onto the table. It was the new spell book she had begun studying, given to her as a gift from her brother. It was a new spellbook with more advanced spells that some of the royal guards needed to learn if they were unicorns. Knowing her interest, he shipped it to her when he had finished up with it.

"Hmmm..." Twilight thought out loud, opening up to a particularly interesting page. It was on using spells for interrogation, and one certain one caught her eye. "Use only for the most uptight, secretive suspects, as it is an extreme invasion of privacy and should be only used as a last resort..." She read the page thoroughly, and a sinister smile crossed her lips.

"Hey, um, Twilight?" Spike asked a small feeling of dread creeping down his spine, "When you smile like that...it usually means-

"That's right!" She grinned widely, smiling at her number one assistant, "Looks like I've got another spell I need to try out! And Cloud would be the perfect test subject!"

---

Ponyville Schoolhouse was a place of learning and socializing, and none taught better than Cheerilee. She kindhearted, beautiful, and one of the most honorable ponies you could ever meet. She always came to class prepared, and her young students were always excited to learn. There were some misfits and troublemakers, however, but each and every single young student loved her very much. She always knew how to answer their questions.

Except about the human.

"Miss Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle asked, waving her right hoof around wildly at her desk, "What are those things on the human where his front hooves should be?"

"Um..." Cheerilee laughed nervously, drops of sweating slowly making their way down her temples, "Um...Well, I think they're called hands."

"Miss Cheerilee!" Snails asked, his odd voice catching everyone's attention, "How does the human walk on just two legs? Wouldn't he just fall on over?"

"Er..." She stammered, backing away, "Well...I'm not too sure-

"Miss Cheerilee!" Scootaloo called out, waving her own right hoof, "Where do they come from?!" The teacher laughed nervously, her students asking her so many questions that she didn't know the answer of. The human was the talk of the town, and it was obvious that her students were just as curious as the other ponies, her included. Maybe one day, she could ask him to talk to the students. Too bad he was way too scary to approach.

Her door crashed open suddenly, the bright outside sunshine almost blinding the schoolteacher and her students. There, standing in the doorway, was a panting, ruffled up Rainbow Dash. She was holding something strange and black in her mouth, her eyes darting left and right before charging up and hiding underneath Cheerilee's desk.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly, "What are you doing here??"

"Shh!" Rainbow answered, "I'm not here, you got that?! I'm not here!" Cheerilee blinked, turning her head to the still open doorway, "I wonder what-

She immediately stopped, and the students gasped. their attention grabbed extensively by the bipedal figure standing in the doorway. They saw its dazzling blue eyes, its strange yet likeable spiky blonde hair, and its soft face that one just wanted to stroke. Cloud Strife, the human in Equestria.

In Cloud's eyes, he spied an entire room filled with strange looking young fillies and a single mare whose jaws were practically slapping the floor. He had to bend over a bit to take his first step into the classroom, trying not to mind the uncomfortable staring.

"Hi Cloud!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed happily, "Did you come to visit us?"

Cloud shook his head, his glowing eyes scanning the room for a particular cyan colored pegasus, "Have any of you seen Rainbow Dash?"

"R-Rainbow?" Cheerilee stuttered, not expecting to meet the human so soon, "U-Um, well..I-I...uh...Nnope!" She laughed nervously, her eyes dancing around the room to not look at him right in the face, "C-Can't say I have!" Cloud frowned. He obviously saw Rainbow enter the school.

"Wow!" Snails gasped, "The human came here! Did you come here to talk to us, Mr. Human?"

Cloud looked puzzled, "No...I just said I was looking for Rainbow Dash."

"Aw, Come on!" Sweetie Belle cried out, "You're here! We just wanna play with you and have fun!" Cloud ignored her, and his eyes suddenly focused on a strange silver-whitish pony wearing an expensive looking tiara on her head. She was the only pony who was not completely fascinated in him...she was just smiling all creepily.

"I'm busy today." He replied, looking over at Cheerilee's desk, "Just let me check underneath your desk and I'll be off."

"W-What?!" Cheerilee stuttered, "U-Um...But that's an invasion of privacy!" Cloud's eyebrow twitched, not feeling like joking around. He could easily flip over the desk, but that would be a display of force and power, something he didn't want to show the young ponies.

"I saw Rainbow fly in here." Cloud grumbled, crossing her arms, "There is no open window, and I didn't see her fly out. The only hiding spot is under that desk, and she's being a thief." Cheerilee heard a small noise coming from under her desk, and her ears flattened. Why was she trying to help hide Rainbow, anyway?

"F-Fine!" Cheerilee answered, hearing a strange cry coming from her desk, "On one condition!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, his frown not showing improvement, "What is it?"

"Um..." She thought for second and then gave him a smile ,"Well...how about tomorrow at the same time, you show up to class and introduce yourself to all these young ponies!" The young students grin's all increased, and he was afraid to look over at them.

"Ugh..." Cloud mumbled, "Fine." When Cloud took one more step, a blue blur shot out from underneath the desk, rushing out the open door. Cloud immediately reacted, dashing right behind it and quickly leaving the schoolhouse. Cheerilee blinked, then gave her class a huge smile.

"Well, students!" She chuckled, "Let's all take out a sheet of paper and write down some questions we would like to ask Mr. Cloud!"

---

Authors Note:

Looks like Cloud is going to have to deal with the young ponies of Ponyville...I wonder if children just have a huge attachment to him. Oh well, tune in next time!

P.S. Just played about a days worth of gameplay in Final Fantasy X. Each of the characters, to me, are all weird and uncool except for Auron...whose one of the most badass badasses I've ever seen in a Final Fantasy. Wouldn't it be interesting to read an Auron in Equestria story? It would be fun, but seeing how he's more of a mentor character and just sorta quiet and reserved it would be hard to do. Oh well!

P.P.S. The fake laughing scene with Tidus and Yuna was painful. I immediately felt like a loser.

Comments

[Path_of_cloud]

FFX has the most confusing story ever. I could barely comprehend it.

[Magical Trevor]

FFX 'failed' for several reasons. First, it was the first PS2 game with Voice Acting, and, therefore, sucked, for the most part. The story-line was ehhh, but it wasn't HORRIBLE. (Certainly better than FFXIII, at least, story-line-wise.)

[Mother3Forever]

The fake laughing scene was actually INTENDED to be painful...in multiple ways. She had to force herself to laugh...smile.... but it was such a ridiculous moment that she felt sincere joy at the absurdity of it all. You know what I mean?

[Axel IV]

1117556

Final Fantasy X is kinda meh...but for some reason it really grabs me. The Tidus and Yuna love situation, and his father difficulties. It still has that attaching feeling I get when I play Final Fantasy games. However, that feeling wasn't present at all in XIII for me.

[Bookmaster]

So which sword is cloud carrying again is it his buster sword or a different sword and what equipment is he carrying ziedarch maybe.

[Bookmaster]

Because if he's carrying ziedarch at the cost of some materia he's practically invinsible the only thing that gave me trouble with ziedarch was ruby weapon. Oh yeah and ffx is just painful to play now it literally made my insides hurt last time I played it.

[biznizz]

Just a quick question. Does Cloud have any of his materia on him or on his bike? It'd be interesting to see the ponies react to the magic of his world.... especially the summons.

Also... it looks like some big events are gonna be coming up soon. Can't wait!

[granitecrab]

Auron in Equestria story?
do it motherfucker do it!!!!!!

[Autumn breeze24]

In the next chapter Rainbow Dash gets her face smashed into the ground and is thrown in jail and in other news Twilight Sparkle was also arrested and beaten for the sever invasion of privacy...