My Final Pony Fantasy III

by Vimtrust5

Chapter 13: An Old Enemy?

With their newest companion, the maiden Aria, our heroes set off in search of the next Crystal. Knowing that they would have to explore the rest of this new world, it was decided they should seek out the Crystal of Water.

"If only we had a map," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Will you stop complaining, Rainbow? We already have one, see?" said Pinkie Pie, pulling out the map they had been using since after the incident at Sasune Castle. There was only one problem, however...

"Pinkie Pie?" Rarity interjected. "I do hate to point out the obvious, but that map is... no longer useful to us."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. That's for the Floating Continent."

"But we can go back there anytime, right?! I'm just saying."

Twilight sighed. Pinkie was right, after all. On the other hoof, they still had a mission to complete.

"I think I may know where the Crystal is."

"Where?"

"We must go south from here. There is an island on which stands the Temple of Water."

"TEMPLE OF WATER!!" Pinkie gasped. "Did anybody bring a pair of iron boots or waterproof clothing?"

Aria chuckled. "Surely, that will not be necessary."

"Let's move on, shall we?" said Rarity.

---

Temple of Water

The party stepped in and observed their surroundings. It was what the Equestrians expected the temple to look like: a large shrine with pillars and unlit torches. Following the straight path, they reached the altar only to find it empty except for a single Crystal shard.

"Thanks heavens!" said Aria. "There is still light within this shard!"

"So our next stop is the sealed Water Crystal?" asked Refia.

"Yes. It must be imbued with the Crystal's light."

"Where'd this little thing come from?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Before the world was doomed, when we saw the darkness expanding... we priestesses sealed the Crystal to protect it from the darkness, in the hopes that one day, the Warriors of the Light would come. This shard was created to break the seal.

"Come. We must go to the Cave of Tides, to the north."

"Alright then," said Twilight.

"To the Cave of Tides!" said Pinkie.

Before going inside with the others, Arc and Pinkie Pie stopped.

"Are you gonna be okay?" the pink earth pony askied.

"I... I think so," he replied, not feeling sure what to really say.

"Aww... Don't worry, Arc. Your auntie Pinkie Pie will protect you!" she said, jumping up and patting him on the head.

"I'm pretty sure we're not related," Arc retorted, following Pinkie Pie into the dungeon.

---

Cave of Tides

The interior of the cave was filled with sparkling water, and yet it stood still as the rest of the world. Our heroes look at their reflections on the surface of the frozen water and moved on. The group stopped when they reached a large door situated in the center of the area.

"Lady Aria, is this it?" asked Arc.

"Yes... this is the Sealed Portal. It was created to keep outsiders away from the Water Crystal. Only priestesses of the temple may pass through."

"Can ya open it?" Applejack asked.

Aria nodded and faced the portal, kneeling before it and started to pray. Within a few seconds, the door to be to flash rapidly as it disappeared, allowing our heroes access to the rest of the cave.

"The path... is open," Aria confirmed.

"Alright!" Luneth and Rainbow Dash said in unison. But their celebration was short-lived as two monsters blocked their way. The group went into their battle positions and did away with the two-headed creature and the Roper. With the monsters defeated, our heroes proceeded to pass through the doorway, crossed an old wooden bridge and made reached the other side safely.

They had just reached the second floor when suddenly, a large creature resembling a basilisk appeared.

"Be careful, this is no basilisk."

"Then... wh-what IS it?"

"This creature is a cockatrice."

"A cockatrice?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Twilight flew up to the ceiling clinging to a stalactite, quivering with fear. Her Equestrian friends all planted their hooves (or claw in Spike's case) on their faces.

"Is this gonna be a thing now?" Rainbow sighed, rubbing her forehead. True, the Equestrians still remember when she was petrified in the Everfree Forest. But it still annoyed them.

The Warriors of the Light drew their weapons and prepared themselves. After dodging the paralyzing stare of the monsters, our heroes were able to overcome the two and could continue their trek. After traveling two more floors...

"There it is!"

Sure enough, they had discovered what they had sought. Floating in the center of the altar was the Crystal of Water, its beauty captivating the eyes of our heroes.

"I can feel the warmth again," said Rarity.

"Ooh, I can't wait to know what jobs we have next," said Pinkie Pie.

Aria stepped forward and knelt before the Crystal, offering the shard.

"O Crystal of Water... it is time for you to regain your light!"

The maiden began to pray while the others watched. After two minutes of waiting anxiously, they saw the Crystal regain its light, answering Aria's prayer. The group was ecstatic; their journey was almost nearing its end, for after this, they had to seek out the final Crystal.

"It is now your turn," said Aria. "You must merge the light within you with the one within the Water Crystal. Only then will the Crystal regain its true light, and then banish the darkness from this world--then time will flow once more..."

"I agree," said Twilight. "Everyone, let's do it."

They all agreed, but just as they were preparing to restore the Crystal, Aria noticed a strange figure and...

"Look out!"

Aria pushed Luneth out of the way; a powerful force of energy struck her.

"ARIA!"

"It seems luck is on your side today, Warriors of the Light... And you as well, my little ponies..." a sinister voice laughed humorlessly.

The figure appeared in a pink cloak which concealed their upper body; however, their legs were neither human nor pony. They were arms of a cephalopod.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

"Salutations, children...I am Kraken, servant of Lord Xande."

"K-K-Kraken?!"

Memories of their battle with the Fiend of Water came rushing back to the ponies. They had thought they defeated him for good at the Shrine of Chaos, and yet, here was a creature similar to it and bearing the same name.

"It seems my reputation precedes me. I am surprised that little creatures such as you recognize my name. No matter. You are all about to DIE!"

After cradling the unconscious Aria, Luneth rose with a furious expression and took up a battle pose, his friends following. The creature removed its cloak, revealing itself to be an even more hideous version of Kraken than the Equestrians had encountered before.

Kraken unleashed a mighty Blizzara spell upon our heroes, the cold wind blowing Spike away and into the water.

"SPIKE!!"

The small dragon struggled to get back on his feet, the evil Kraken laughing heinously at his misfortune.

"You will answer for that!" said a furious Rarity. She then cast Thundara, sending the evil creature back a few steps. Shaking it off, Kraken used one of his lower arms to swipe the white unicorn, knocking her aside and into one of the pillars. Laughing to himself, he didn't notice Rainbow Dash and Applejack sneaking behind him. Rainbow pulled out her bow and readied an arrow. She let go of the string, firing the projectile into Kraken's back. Applejack then lifted her rear legs and kicked the evil creature, knocking him into the wall.

Kraken lifted himself up and launched himself from the water and back onto the floor. Luneth then swiped at Kraken's tentacles, but the monster lifted each of its arms, laughing at the party.

"Your efforts are worthless, Warriors of the Light," Kraken said mockingly. "I am much stringer than your previous foes; I will not allow myself to be so easily defeated. Especially by a group of human children and their little pony friends!"

Pinkie Pie fired several arrows, stunning Kraken and bringing it to its knees. Applejack then finished the battle with a swing of her sword. The wicked servant of Xande screamed and collapsed, disintegrating, leaving no trace behind. Its defeat, however, did not elate our heroes. No, Aria was still lying on the floor, breathing heavily. Luneth knelt and lay her in his arms.

"Aria!" he spoke desperately.

"Light has returned to the Crystal... You must take this... The... The power of water..."

Aria then closed her eyes and raised her hand with what little strength she had left and imbued her companions with the power of the Water Crystal.

"Ya gotta stay with us! We'll help you get better!" Applejack pleaded.

"N-No... It's too late... for me. You must go... My purpose is... fulfilled... Thank you for everything...."

"No, Aria!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Hang in there, Aria!" said Luneth.

"It is my time," the maiden panted, closing her eyes. "You must continue your journey... without me. The world needs light... to counter the darkness... Please do this for me. Bring... back... peace..."

"Aria, no! Don't do this!" Arc cried out.

"You can't leave us!" Ingus pleaded.

But it was too late. The young blonde maiden had breathed her last.

"Aria?" Pinkie called. "Aria? ARIA?! ARIA!! WAKE UP!!"

Rarity closed her eyes, tears streaming.

Spike threw his arms around Twilight as they sniffled.

Luneth couldn't bear it anymore. "ARIAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Just then... the ground began to shake violently!

"What?! An earthquake? At a time like this!!"

"OH, SWEET CELESTIA!!!"

"We need to leave. Now!"

"Watch out!" Refia cried.

The group lost consciousness.

Outside the cave, the entire world shook as the darkness that covered the world dissipated; no longer was it flooded by water or frozen in time, for it had started to regain life.

---

Elsewhere, Xande had sensed the failure of his minion and the beginning of the restoration of the world.

"It cannot be...!"

Comments

[Omegamorph]

Getting closer to where I'm at overall. I like how the similar monsters between MLP and other Final Fantasys are noted.