My Final Pony Fantasy

by Vimtrust5

Chapter 5: The Tale of the Four Fiends

Location: Unknown

The changelings that had failed to kill the ponies and Light Warriors had returned to make their report, and Queen Chrysalis was furious.

"What?!" she said. "They are still alive?"

"Y-Yes, Your Excellency... Please forgive me!"

"Enough...!"

Just then, another changeling arrived. "Please pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty, but..."

"Yes...?"

"The ponies and the Warriors of Light have revived the Earth Crystal!"

The Changeling Queen was now irate. "This... can't... be... HAPPENING!!!"

"I-I-I...! I'm sorry!!"

"No excuses!!" she said, stomping her hoof on the floor. "Those little meddlers must be taken care of!"

"You need not concern yourself, Chrysalis," spoke another voice. The Changeling Queen looked to the green orb in front of the altar with anger.

"Do you not understand the threat upon you and the rest of the Fiends, Tiamat?"

"I do. That is why you need not worry. Those fools have sealed their own doom by defeating the Earth Fiend."

Chrysalis was curious as to what the evil essence had meant and asked for clarity.

"Hm hm hm hm hm..." it chuckled wickedly. "Very well. I will tell you..."

A few moments later...

"I see. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..." Chrysalis cackled. "However, it wouldn't hurt to take precautions in case they succeed."

"Hmm... You are correct. IF they succeed."

"Yes..."

---

Melmond

Arriving in Melmond, our heroes saw that the land finally showed signs of recovery.

"Finally!" said Zauver.

"So..." said Pinkie Pie. "What do we do now?"

"Good question," said Teol.

Setro, Twilight, Applejack, and Flora paced around in deep thought while Fluttershy sat on her haunches.

"There's one person we haven't thought of until now."

"And who would that be?"

"Lukahn."

"Lukahn? Who's that?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Apparently, he's the one who predicted the appearance of the saviors of this world. Namely, four Warriors of Light."

"But ah don't think he said anything about six ponies..."

"Even so, we can't ignore the fact that he's somewhere around."

The ponies looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Well, what are we waitin' for?" said Rainbow Dash. "Let's go!"

*music stops*

And so our heroes set sail in search of Lukahn, the prophet who foretold the arrival of the Warriors of Light. They traveled to several places they had visited before including Mount Duergar, Elfheim, Pravoka, and Cornelia. From what information they had gathered, Lukahn resided in the town of Crescent Lake along with his peers. Consulting the map, they found the town on the southeast surrounded by a lake in the shape of a crescent moon, hence the name "Crescent Lake." Traveling south, the group encountered several more monsters but with their combined strength, they easily dealt with their foes.

The group stopped the ship in the port east of their destination and disembarked. Along the way, stronger enemies were encountered. Like before, however, the monsters were defeated and our heroes grew even stronger as a result. They found the lake on the map and walked towards the town.

---

Crescent Lake

In the small town surrounded almost entirely by a wall, there were plenty trees and flowers as well as a small body of water, giving the area a peaceful vibe.

"This place is so beautiful," said Fluttershy, marveling at the city.

"I concur," said Rarity.

The group looked around town and spoke with a woman near the black magic shop.

"Excuse us," said Setro.

"Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?"

"We seek the one called Lukahn."

The woman's eyes lit up. "Ah, you must be the Light Warriors."

"That is correct, miss. And these are our companions."

"Just go past the town and on your right, go through the forest and you'll find the Circle of Sages."

The party found a group of elderly men standing in a circle.

"Excuse us."

The men looked and stared at the visitors, particularly the six multi-colored ponies.

"Funny. I didn't say anything about such small horses accompanying the Chosen Four."

*music stops*

Twilight and her friends groaned. "Look. For the last time, we are not HORSES! We! Are! PONIES!! PONIES!!!"

The leader was taken aback. "My sincere apologies."

"'Tis alright, good sir," said Setro. "We have come here to consult the prophet Lukahn. Do you know him?"

*music resumes*

"Of course. He's me. We will tell you all we know of the crisis the world faces."

The party sat down and listened intently as the Circle of Sages told their story.

"This whole ordeal began 2000 years ago. The four elements--earth, fire, water, and wind--kept the world in balance and the people lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Four Fiends of Chaos appeared."

Another sage added, "These unholy creatures have been draining the energy from the Crystals and therefore the life force from this planet."

"Four hundred years ago, a great civilization lived in the sky, but thanks to the Fiend of Wind, there are no Sky People. To this day, it is said that she still inhabits the stronghold where they once dwelled: the Flying Fortress.

"However, their legacy lives on through their descendants: the residents of Lufenia."

"Lufenia...?" Twilight muttered.

"I believe Dr. Unne from Melmond mentioned something like that," said Rarity.

The others nodded.

"Then 200 years later, the Fiend of Water destroyed a great shrine, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. And because of that, the seas raged on, destroying several ships."

The ponies couldn't believe their ears.

"You all have done well restoring the Earth Crystal, but now you must travel into the depths of Mount Gulug."

"Mount Gulug?" asked Twilight.

"Yes. It's a volcano situated west of Crescent Lake, where we now stand."

"A VOLCANO?!" Rarity exclaimed. "WHY, OF ALL PLACES, DO WE HAVE TO GO INSIDE SUCH A HORRIBLE PLACE TO SAVE THE WORLD?! WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN A SAUNA FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE?!"

"Calm down, Rarity!" Twilight shouted. "We won't get anywhere by just staying here."

"Very well..."

"Ah ain't keen on makin' a trip inside a volcano, but if one of these 'Fiends' has control of it, this whole place is gonna burn faster than--"

"A.J.," said Rainbow. "We gotta get to the crystal quick!"

"But, how?"

"Duh...! Me, Twilight, and Fluttershy can--"

"Allow me to provide an answer," one of the Sages interrupted.

Rainbow grimaced. "What is it?"

The Sage pulled out a canoe. "Here, take this. It will get you access to the volcano from here."

"You know we could just--"

"With this, you can even go places you couldn't before because of--"

*music stops*

"QUIEEEEEEEEET!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Everyone looked at her.

"What I'm trying to say, is that me, Twilight, and Fluttershy can fly. So why can't we just carry everypony--er, i mean, everybody else over to the mountain?"

Twilight thought about it and said, "How many people can go in that canoe?"

"Just four..."

"Four?"

"Hmm..." Rarity thought. "I wonder..." She thought and thought... "You know, we've been traveling for quite some time now and I need my beauty sleep."

Everyone groaned.

"Rarity!" Applejack said in annoyance. "Haven't ya heard anything these fellers said?"

"I did, and I am well aware of the crisis we now face."

"I... kind of agree with Rarity on this," said Twilight. "We just restored the Earth Crystal and came all the way here. So I wouldn't mind resting my eyes for the night."

"But, Twilight!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Um, Applejack? Rainbow Dash?" said Fluttershy. "I'm with the others. Going inside that volcano now after all we've been through would only make things worse."

Applejack growled and stomped the ground with her hoof. "Fine!! Y'all just stay here 'cuz ah'm goin' there by myself!" And so, the impatient cowgirl turned to leave.

"Not by yourself! 'Cause I'm goin' with you!"

"Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Don't!" called Flora.

"Don't try and stop us!"

Twilight and Fluttershy flew in front of the two ponies and glared at them.

"What about your family, A.J.?"

Applejack's eyes went wide. This got the human heroes' attention.

"She has a family?" asked Teol.

"Yes, that's right. A big brother, a little sister, and a grandmother."

Applejack could do nothing to counter Twilight's argument and shamefully hid her face with her hat.

"And you, Rainbow Dash. I'm surprised at you. Weren't you the one who said 'I never leave my friends hangin?'"

Rainbow looked away; her eyes averting those of her friends.

"Shame on you," said Fluttershy. "Shame on you both."

Rarity sighed and faced each of the sages asking, "Would it be alright if you held onto that canoe of yours until we make a decision."

"Not at all, Miss..."

"Rarity."

---

Later that night...

"We're really sorry 'bout what happened back there," said a remorseful Applejack.

Setro walked in and said, "You're probably lucky to have a family, Applejack."

"Whaddya mean by that, pardner?"

Setro told the farmpony everything he told Twilight and the others...

"Ah... ah don't know what to say..."

"That is alright."

"Yeah, let's just get some shut-eye now," said Rainbow Dash.

"And by the way..." said Pinkie Pie.

"Yes?"

"You two have got to promise we'll all go to Mount Gulug together, right? Pinkie Promise?"

Not wanting a repeat of what happened at Dodge Junction, Applejack immediately agreed. "Sure, Pinkie," she said as she and Rainbow recited the Pinkie Promise. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Zauver looked at them with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What was that?"

"A Pinkie Promise, silly!" said Pinkie. "If somepony... I mean, someONE makes a Pinkie Promise, they must keep it FOREVER!"

"Ooookay..." Zauver said, unsure of how to make a proper response. "Good night."

The heroes drifted off into a deep sleep.

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[J1990R]

FOREVER!