Test of Courage3,332 words
Chapter 8: Journey to the Bottom of the Sea3,991 words
Chapter 9: To the Flying Fortress3,627 words
Chatper 10: Defeat the Queen!2,459 words
Chapter 11: The Final Battle2,203 words
Epilogue1,623 words

Chapter 3: Pirates, Elves, and Reunions

Once they crossed the bridge, our heroes pulled out the recently acquired world map and examined every location they could.

"Where to next?" asked Twilight.

"According to some of the townspeople we met before leaving," said Setro, "there should be a cave where the blind witch Matoya dwells."

"'Matoya?'"

"Yes. She can only see things with a magical Crystal Eye, and we will need it in order to find your friends and our next destination."

Setro pointed out the location of said cave which lied northeast of Cornelia and northwest of a small town called Pravoka.

Along the way, our heroes were ambushed by a pack of wolves. Fluttershy stood in front of the lupines and gave them the Stare, frightening several of them away. One wolf, however, was unaffected, staying behind to fight. It leapt towards the yellow pony intent on eating her. Flora intercepted the animal, and she did not look happy.

"Leave now, and no harm will come to you," she said, cringing at her own threat. "You will not harm other creatures, not even my new friend nor my companions! UNDERSTOOD?!"

The wolf nodded in response, and ran away whining.

"Thank you, Flora," said Fluttershy.

"You're welcome," the white mage replied. "I'm just glad you're alright."

After walking some more, they came across a small cave to the north.

"That must be Matoya's Cave over there!"

Matoya's Cave

The group went inside the cave and found the strangest thing they had yet to see on their quest: a moving, dancing broom.

"Why is that broom... dancing?" asked a puzzled Twilight.

"I don't know," said Zauver.

*THUMP!!*

The loud noise alerted the party. They opened the door to find more moving brooms and an elderly woman in a red robe and orange scarf pacing slowly and crashing into the floor clumsily.

"Lady Matoya?" asked Setro.

"Who's there?" the woman shouted, though our heroes weren't facing her. "I can't see without my Crystal Eye. It's been stolen!"

"Stolen? By whom?"

"That I do not know, but I have a feeling the thief is hiding somewhere in either Pravoka or Elfheim."

"'Elfheim?'" asked Flora.

"Yes, Elfheim, the land of elves."

"Elves?" asked Fluttershsy. "What are elves?"

"Elves are humanoid creatures that have pointy ears," answered Zauver. "And that's about it."

With Matoya incapacitated, the party had no choice but to leave the cave and walk eastward to Pravoka. When they finally reached the town, they noticed a large ship in the port; it was clear that they were not the only visitors in the village.

Pravoka

The small town of Pravoka appeared to be another peaceful village with small rivers flowing and a patch of green in the center. There were few people running about. However...

"Help!" screamed a villager. "Our town's been taken over by pirates!"

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Pirates? Seriously?"

"S-Seriously! Didn't you see those guys with bandanas and cutlasses over there?! Wait a minute, you're a horse! You're not supposed to talk!"

Rainbow and her pony friends each looked unamused for once again, they were mistaken for horses.

"We just came here," said Twilight, "and I don't see anyone with a bandana or a cutlass, do you, Zauver?"

The young blue-haired man sighed. "Again?"

"B-B-But..." the villager looked behind him, and didn't see any of the people he described. "Oh, I... guess they're at the pub."

The party sighed in unison and bid the man farewell; they explored the village and found the same kind of stores they visited in Cornelia. As soon as they purchased more items and equipment, the group confronted a man wearing a blue coat and a black pirate's hat.

"I'm Captain Bikke, and I'll show ya what happens when ya mess around with me! Boys, take care o' these landlubbers!" He looked around, seeing that none of his men where there... "I said, 'TAKE CARE OF THESE LANDLUBBERS!'"

Nothing.

"Well, I'm WAITING!!"

After 30 seconds, nine pirates finally showed up, looking scared out of their wits.

"Oh, Cap'n! It's horrible! This little white... horse thing... was talkin' and talkin'... and..."

White horse... thing...? Twilight thought.

"Where are you, you mangy scoundrels!!" said a familiar upper crust voice. It was faint, but it was without a doubt a voice the ponies knew very well. "I am not finished yet!!"

"That's it! That's it! That's--" they stopped panicking, finally noticing the ponies and were even more alarmed!

"Oh no!! There's more of 'em!"

"Enough rambling, ye bilge rats! Get 'em!!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n!!" they said in unison.

The heroes once again entered battle. Their opponents looked eager to take whatever belongings they had; all the more reason to defeat them quickly.

Suddenly... A voice shouted, "THERE YOU ARE!!"

*music stops*

"OH, NOOOOOOO!!!" the brigands shouted. A familiar white pony with three gems imprinted on her flank and a dark blue mane appeared, shocking the ponies.

"I half-expected you ruffians to find someone to prey upon and..." the white pony rambled until she saw the group and gasped.

"Rarity!!" the ponies said in unison.

"Oh my stars! Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! What are you doing here?"

"We've been wondering where you are?"

Bikke was less than pleased with this development. "Enough cowerin'! Get 'em all!!"

*music resumes*

His men, however, were paralyzed with fear. Rarity saw her chance to slap one of the pirates across the face, knocking the rest of them down like dominoes. They regained their senses and finally made a move against the white pony. She stood her ground and kicked one of them in the chest.

Twilight flared her horn and tossed one of the thugs into the river.

"This be witchcraft...!" said Bikke, watching from a distance.

"It's magic!" Twilight answered angrily. "Not witchcraft!" As she said those words, she cast her levitation spell on another pirate and did the same to him.

Flora whacked her target in the face, causing him to lose a few teeth as well as his consciousness.

Setro clashed swords with his opponent and after successfully repelling the pirate, kicked him in the stomach.

Zauver punched one of the pirates in the jaw and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

Teol may not have been good at physical combat, but he successfully struck his opponent a few times with his staff.

Fluttershy gave the last few thugs the Stare, allowing Rainbow Dash the opportunity to finish this battle. She jumped and delivered a straight right hoof to the first one, and a powerful uppercut to the other.

"I give up..." said the last pirate, just before losing consciousness.

"Victory is ours!" said Setro.

*music stops*

Just then, Rainbow Dash began to glow just as Twilight did earlier. The flashing stopped, and Rainbow heard a flapping sound coming from... herself! She looked.... and she saw...

"AAHH YEAH!!!" she screamed. "MY WINGS ARE BACK!!"

"Congratulations, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy.

The party turned to Bikke, shaking in his boots.

"All right! Ye got me. The ship's all yers."

The group was dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute!" Zauver exclaimed. "You guys invaded a village..."

"Scared the everlasting wits of out of the villagers," Rarity added.

"Stole a lot of things, presumably," said Twilight.

"And now, you're giving us your ship?" said Setro in disbelief. "Why?"

"'Cause ye bested me men in battle. If anyone be powerful enough to do that, I don't have much of a choice. In return, I promise to change me ways."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "How can we be sure you'll keep your word?"

"As soon as my men get back on their feet, I'll tell 'em everything."

"Very well..."

"Not so fast!" Rainbow Dash said. "Where's the Crystal Eye you stole?"

"Crystal Eye? What're ye talkin' about?"

"Don't play dumb, buddy!" she said, getting up close to the pirate's face. "The Crystal Eye that a certain witch needs to see?"

Bikke pondered this and snapped his finger.

"Ah, you mean Lady Matoya."

"YES! So where is it?!"

"I don't have it."

Rainbow growled and pounced on him, holding him by her hooves.

"Don't lie to us! Her Crystal Eye was stolen!"

"Settle down, Rainbow," said Setro.

"Let's check his and the others' pockets!" Zauver suggested. "One of them should have it."

The others nodded and searched Bikke and the unconscious pirates. The result? They found only stashes of gil, potions, antidotes, and other items. But Matoya's Crystal Eye was not among them.

"It's not here?" said Zauver in disbelief. "Damn!"

"Language," Setro reprimanded. "This could only mean that the item we seek is somewhere in the Elfheim region. And we have his ship."

A frustrated Rainbow Dash growled and freed the pirate captain from her grasp. "Alright. Let's go."

The party now had a means of transportation, making their quest much easier. They left the disgraced pirate to his woes, and as soon as they were out of his sight, the ponies all embraced each other, happy to see their friend again.

"I'm so glad we came here," said Fluttershy.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you all again," said the white pony. She then noticed the humans with them.

"It is alright, milady," said Setro. "We are not associated with those pirates."

"I know. You all fought against them, and I saw my friends battle alongside you."

"True," said Teol.

"If I may ask: could you four be the Warriors of Light my friends and I heard about?"

"Well... yes," said Flora, showing Rarity her crystal and the others doing likewise.

"I'm Flora, and this is Zauver, Teol, and Setro."

"Another question. Why does there appear to be a thief in your ranks?"

"Oh," said Zauver hunched over. "Joy. Look, the only people I ever steal from are those would bring harm to us, okay? Besides, I don't want people to see me just as a common thief and something more."

"Says the guy who didn't ask to be a hero or whatever," Rainbow whispered.

"But Rarity, how did you get here in the first place?"

"Well..."

Upon the ponies' arrival

Rarity woke up in the town of Pravoka, surrounded by rough-looking men. From what she could tell, these creatures were pirates, the scourge of the seas she had heard about from Twilight's books.

"Let's sell her," said one of the thugs. "Wonder how much she'll fetch on the market."

Horrified, Rarity stood up on all fours and closed her eyes, trying to teleport away from them. Confused, she opened her eyes looking at the bemused brutes, who looked at her strangely. She looked all around them, only to notice something in a nearby mirror: she had no horn on her forehead! The mare screamed at the top of her lungs, making the pirates cringe and cover their ears.

She spent the entire day being classic Rarity, complaining about their appearances and behavior, driving the pirates to the brink of insanity. Unable to stand the mare's long-winded rant, the pirates screamed and fled the pub.

"And that's about it," Rarity finished.

"Sounds like you had some adventure," said Rainbow Dash.

"Anyway, let us board our new ship," said Setro.

*music fades out*

The party went aboard the ship and set sail for Elfheim. On the main deck, Twilight and Rarity were admiring the view of the Pravoka region. Rainbow Dash planted herself in the crow's nest. Zauver manned the wheel and steered the ship. Setro found himself resting in the captain's cabin. Teol decided to stay below deck as he was seasick. Flora and Fluttershy walked around the deck and saw their friends go over everything so far. Rarity took note that Applejack and Pinkie Pie were not among their ranks and asked of their whereabouts. Twilight explained to her that the only ponies that began were her, Rainbow, and Fluttershy.

"So if I understand correctly," said Rarity, "we must reach Elfheim to find Lady Matoya's Crystal Eye so that she can see properly again?"

"That is correct," said Setro.

Soon they found the place they were looking for on the map; the ship docked, and the party disembarked. There surrounded by a large forest stood the home of the elves: Elfheim. Rarity cringed for she saw that their destination was situated in what was essentially a marshland. Before she could complain, Rainbow Dash picked her up and carried her over to the entrance of the town.

Oh, well, she thought. Better than having to walk through that disgusting water.

"Why is Rainbow Dash carrying Rarity?" asked Zauver.

"Well, Rarity hates going through unclean areas."

"I can see that."

The others waded through the marsh and stepped into the village.

Elfheim

The moment they walked into town, they heard a high-pitched female voice speak and try to make a funny joke. The ponies saw the source of the voice and smiled.

"Pinkie Pie!" the ponies said in unison.

The party mare saw her friends and gasped, running over to the party at top speed and tackling her friends. "OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH!"

"That's my line!" said Rainbow. "Whatever. It's good to see you again!"

"Me, too! Me, too! Me, too!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's been about a day and a half since we saw each other and we were in this Chamber of Crystals..."

And so Pinkie talked... and talked.. and talked... until...

"PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, SHUT UP!!!"

Everyone turned and looked at Zauver in confusion. He chuckled nervously, and turned his head away hiding his embarrassment.

"Enough about me. What about you guys? And who are the humans with you?"

The group told Pinkie everything that had occurred in the past day and a half.

"What kind of name for a knight is 'Garfield' anyway?" said Pinkie.

"'Garland,' Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow Dash. "'GarLAND.' Not 'GarFIELD!'"

"How'd you end up here anyway?" asked Twilight.

"Well..."

Upon the ponies' arrival

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and found herself on a marsh.

"Ewww!!" she groaned in disgust. "If Rarity were here she'd hate hate hate hate hate HATE it!"

She bounced off toward the woods and found a large castle standing above a small village. She heard from the inhabitants about their prince who had been thrown into a deep sleep by the evil Astos, King of the Dark Elves. She ran straight to the castle, looked inside, found a young looking creature sleeping in the bedroom, spoke with the Prince's attendant, and tried waking him up with various instruments she had pulled out of nowhere.

"Wakey-wakey!!"

Nothing...

A day had passed, and still the creature would not wake.

"Please stop!" said the other creature. "Leave us... please..."

"But..."

"NOW!!" he shouted, scaring Pinkie Pie.

"And that's how the story of Final Fantasy came to be!"

The party had puzzled looks on their faces, wondering what the pink mare was talking about.

"What?" Zauver asked bluntly.

"Next time, I'll tell you how I came into this world and tried to wake up the Elf Prince."

"Again... what?"

"Don't ask," said Twilight. "The less you try to understand how Pinkie Pie's mind works, the better. I know how that turned out."

Given the absurd remarks Pinkie made, everyone agreed.

Our heroes explored the town, taking in the beautiful scenery. There were trees everywhere they looked and houses made of stone and brick. Like every other city they visited, there were stores that sold items, equipment, and taught magic spells.

Just next to one of the houses that taught white magic, they found a graveyard with three graves. One tombstone read:

Here lies Erdrick
837-866
R.I.P.

"Who was Erdrick?" asked Twilght.

"I don't know," said Pinkie. "Sounds like the hero from some other epic adventure."

"And what kind of name is 'Erdrick?'" asked Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded.

"Sorry..."

"Light Warriors!" said an approaching elf. "Please save our Prince!"

"Oh, I tried everything," said Pinkie. "I played the accordion, the trumpet, the--"

"None of those work, I'm afraid," the elf interrupted.

"Then, how do we...?" asked Setro.

"I've heard that the answer lies somewhere in the Western Keep, further northwest of this village."

"Thank you," said Twilight.

"Don't mention it." As soon as the party left, something came to the elf's mind. "Wait a minute! Ponies can't talk!"

*music stops*

And so, the heroes left the village to find the means to awaken the Prince of Elfheim. Little did they know that they were being closely monitored...

Western Keep

The castle was in the exact same state as the Temple of Fiends our heroes visited early. Ruined, moss growing from underground, missed tiles, and so on.

"I must say," said Rarity. "One would think to take better care of this place. It's absolutely filthy!"

Setro replied, "From the looks of this castle, though, it seems as if no one has attended to the maintenance of this structure for quite some time. Maybe for several years."

Everyone split up to find whatever they could to aid their quest, only to find more locked doors. They gave up and went through a giant door presumably leading to the throne room. Inside the large room, they found a king sitting on his throne.

"I thought you said this castle was abandoned," said Zauver.

"I stand corrected," said Setro.

"Ah. The Warriors of Light! Welcome. And what are these little creatures?"

"We're ponies, of course," said Twilight.

The king was intrigued. "Talking ponies, I see. How interesting!"

"Your Excellency, we heard that the key to awakening your Prince is somewhere in this castle. May we have it?"

"I see... Well, if you can do me a favor, I shall grant your request."

"What is this favor, Your Highness?"

"The only way to awaken the Prince is if you bring me the Crown I dropped in the Marsh Cave."

"A MARSH CAVE?!" Rarity shouted.

"Yes. A Marsh Cave. THE Marsh Cave."

"Let's do it!" said Rainbow Dash. Everyone nodded, agreeing with the blue pegasus... all except for one.

"Do we really have to go through a slimy dungeon in order to do this? Why not find a more beautiful cave? I'm sure we can find some lovely jewels there and..."

"Twilight?" asked Zauver.

"Yes...?"

"Is Rarity here always so... prissy?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Trust me," said Rainbow Dash. "You're gonna hear this a lot from her."

"Yeah," Pinkie agreed, "she'll be like this for about a while."

Rarity was still rambling about the Marsh Cave, but Twilight put her hoof on her shoulder before she could speak more.

"My apologies," said the white pony.

The party bowed and exited the castle, heading south to the Marsh Cave. On the way, they were ambushed by large hulking ogres. But the heroes' weapons, along with Twilight and the mages' spells, made quick work of the monsters. Soon upon arriving at the cave, everyone except Rarity nodded, and went inside.

Marsh Cave

As Rarity feared, the cave was unappealing to walk through. She rambled the entire time, making the trip seem unbearable until...

"STOP TALKING!!" Zauver shouted.

"I beg your PARDON?!"

"Ugh..." Twilight groaned. "Here we go AGAIN!!"

"I know, right?" said Pinkie Pie. "I hate it when ponies, or people in this case, argue over the silliest things, and when they do, they fight and fight and fight and fight, and I for one don't wanna hear about--"

"Not helping!" Zauver interrupted.

"Um..." said Fluttershy. "If we could please move along?"

The thief and the fashionista put their bickering on hold and resumed their trek through the dungeon. In one room, they found a ladder taking them down another level of the cave and there they fought more monsters. After a fight against four giant scorpions, Fluttershy's body began to flash rapidly until her wings reappeared!

The party continued onward until finally, they came across a flight of stairs taking them to the lowest level and different rooms with different treasures. One treasure chest was guarded by a group of wizards called Piscodemons. Thankfully, Teol had learned the spell Thundara and quickly defeated two of the wizards.

Pinkie Pie fired her party cannon on the second-to-last of the monsters while Rainbow Dash charged the final Piscodemon in the torso. With the wizards gone, there was nothing to stop them from obtaining whatever treasure was within. Inside the chest, they recovered the King's missing Crown.

"Alright!" said Rainbow Dash. "We got the Crown!"

"Let us head back to the keep."

Western Keep

Our heroes returned to the throne room and handed over the crown to the king, who suddenly laughed in a not-so-warm fashion.

"Ha! You fools!" he said.

"W-What's going on?!" said Setro.

"I am the Great King of Dark Elves, Astos!"

"King of Dark Elves...?!" said Twilight.

The king transformed into a hideous creature right in front of them. With elongated arms, purple-gray skin, brown horns, and evil yellow eyes, he grinned wickedly and laughed at the bemused party.

"I guess changelings aren't the only shape-shifters here!" said Twilight.

"Indeed..." Astos confirmed. "And thank you very much for bringing me the crown! With this Crown and the Crystal Eye here, I shall become the true Elf King!"

"Why you...!" said Rainbow Dash.

"So you're the one who left Lady Matoya stumbling around in her cave!" Fluttershy accused.

"Correct! As for you creatures," he said standing up. "You've served your purpose. To the underworld you will go!"

*music changes*

The group knew they were in for a fight. Teol cast his Haste spell on Rainbow Dash, and Twilight cast an invisibility spell on Fluttershy. Astos attempted to cast a death spell on Pinkie Pie, but it missed.

"WHAT?!" he shouted. "Not possible!"

"Anything's possible!" said Pinkie, pulling out her famous party cannon. "Take that!"

The evil creature was knocked off his feet by a ball of confetti and landed on his behind. He got back on his feet looking unamused. "You will not make a mockery of me! DIE!!"

Astos lunged towards Pinkie who cartwheeled out of the way, leaving him to land on his belly. He got back up only to have Rainbow Dash lift him off the ground and toss him into the wall.

Setro slashed Astos with his sword three times leaving him stumbling, but the Dark Elf King would not die so easily. He rushed and clawed at the Light Warrior in the chest, letting him scream in pain.

"Setro!!" Twilight yelled.

"No!" Teol shouted.

"That's IT!" Twilight flared up her horn and fired a blast of magic towards Astos, surrounding him in a pillar of light, sending him in a world of unspeakable agony. When it was all over, the creature collapsed and the battle was over.

*music ends*

"How could... such.... creatures...?" Astos gasped. Before he could finish his last words, the Dark Elf King perished and disappeared.

"Setro!" Twilight said, rushing over to the warrior's side; the others soon followed.

"Heh..." he chuckled. "No need to worry."

"Why?!"

Flora answered the question by casting Cura on him, healing his wounds.

"Oh... Heh heh..." Twilight chuckled nervously. "I forgot..."

"So did I..." said Teol, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well anyway..." said Pinkie Pie. "WE WON!!! WOO-HOO!!!" Everyone covered their ears as she shouted.

This battle did not go unnoticed, for while the heroes were celebrating, a mysterious shadow had seen everything and promptly exited the castle before it could be seen.

"Anyway, let's get back to Lady Matoya first and foremost. She can probably help us wake the prince."

"Right!" everyone said in unison.

Meanwhile, in a mysterious location...

The creature who had observed our heroes walked into a dark chamber with a floating green crystal and a mysterious green-eyed figure.

"Your Highness..." it said.

"Yes?" said an evil female voice.

"Do you remember those ponies from Equestria?"

"Yes," she said suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... they're here. In this very world."

"WHAT?!"

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. But it's true!"

"Hmm... That explains why we have not heard from the other changelings. And Garland?"

"They defeated him, too."

"And what of our spy in Castle Cornelia? Why did he not report to me?"

"It seems he wanted to finish them off himself, but..." he couldn't finish. The figure shut her eyes, correctly guessing what had happened.

"That IMBECILE!!" she shouted. "What was he thinking?!"

"I don't know, but I do know the ponies are traveling this world, and they're helping four human warriors to regain the light of these 'crystals' to restore balance to--"

The informant was interrupted by a harsh glare from the wicked figure, prompting him to silence. The figure laughed, however.

"To think," she said, "the reason we are all here is because of Twilight Sparkle, her friends, her brother, and Princess Cadence. And now those six make their presence known here, trying to foil our plans. Not this time. Where are the ponies now?"

"They just defeated the Dark Elf King and they've acquired the means to awaken the Prince of Elfheim."

"I see... And after that, they will most likely reach Melmond," she deduced. "Send your best group to intercept and eliminate them!"

"As you command, Queen Chrysalis."

*music fades out*

Author's Note:

And there you have it. In the next chapter, our heroes will meet a certain farmpony and finally take on the first of the Four Fiends.

I was going to leave the epitaph on the tombstone alone, but I couldn't resist putting it in.

884 views

Previous Chapters Next

My Final Pony Fantasy - Vimtrust5

Stats

FIMFiction

Follow & Support Us