My Final Pony Fantasy IV

by Vimtrust5

Chapter 2: Misty Valley/Deception

Town of Baron

Upon traversing the town, a disgruntled Shining Armor had to deal with the fact that he was traveling along with his captors to a village he had never heard of to deliver a strange ring. Furthermore, he found himself separated from his wife, his sister, their Ponyville friends and Princess Luna. And yet he had to admit to himself that something wasn't quite right with the king's orders, especially since the man who had brought him into the castle was now demoted to errand boy for questioning the monarch's motives.

Cecil could sense an air of negativity coming from the pony but decided to leave the issue alone for the moment.

---

Once he and the two men left town, Shining surveyed his surroundings: the land was a healthy green, and the kingdom of Baron was situated near a beautiful, serene river. The three then marched westward away from Baron to find Misty Valley.

At that point, the trio was ambushed by four goblins. They quickly took up defensive positions as two of the creatures immediately lunged toward the two humans while the other goblins attacked the pony. Shining once again attempted to use his magic, but like before, nothing had happened. It was then, upon ribbing his forehead that he finally noticed...

"M-My horn! It's gone!"

One goblin then swiped its knife across Shining's face.

"Are you alright?" Cecil asked.

"A little," Shining replied, rubbing his muzzle.

"You'd best hurry and make your decision quickly," said Kain. "When in battle, you must strike quickly before the enemy does."

I know that, Shining thought to himself. I just didn't see it coming.

The white pony then approached the same goblin that attacked him, lifted his rear legs and kicked the creature, knocking it across the field where it hit its head on the rock formation, knocking it out. Cecil and Kain quickly took out two more, leaving only one left for Shining to deal with. Finding itself outnumbered, the creature escaped, leaving the three travelers victorious. With the goblins taken care of, they continued their march and traveled northward and found the entrance to a cave. This was the only way to reach reach the village of Mist.

---

Misty Cave

As the name of this area implied, the cave was filled with mist. The mist was so thick, neither of the trio could see clearly without bumping into something. Cautiously, Cecil took one step forward and then another. Kain and Shining Armor soon followed. Suddenly, Shining felt himself bump into a wall. Shaking his head, he could barely make out the two men's figures walking up a few stairs.

How and when did I lose my horn? Shining asked himself as he caught up with them. Did it have something to do with stepping into this world?

"TURN BACK..." said a mysterious voice.

"Who's there?!" Cecil shouted.

"What was that?" Shining asked.

Looking around them, the trio attempted to locate the source of the voice but as of yet were unable to do so. Venturing further, they discovered some treasure chests which contained a remedy, a tent, and two potions. With the new items in store, the three continued onward, until...

"LEAVE AT ONCE."

"That voice again," Shining said aloud.

"Could that be the phantom beast of Mist Valley?" asked Kain.

Before going on, a pair of goblins and two hedgehog-like creatures jumped out in front of them.

"Sword Rats," Kain remarked.

"Be careful, little pony," said Cecil. "The needles these beasts shoot from off their backs hurt... a lot." The stallion grimaced at the thought.

"But not to worry," the dark knight said, unsheathing his dark sword. With one blast from the sword, all the creatures were defeated in an instant, but the force of the attack had causing some pain to Cecil.

"Are... are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The dark sword draws its energy from me every time I use its power."

"The less he uses it, the better for his health," Kain added.

It took only a few minutes for Shining Armor to absorb all this information. Before they could reach the exit, they were stopped once again by the same disembodied voice.

"WARRIORS OF BARON... LITTLE PONY..." it spoke.

"Who goes there?!" Kain shouted.

"LEAVE NOW, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES."

"Show yourself!"

"YOU DARE IGNORE MY WARNING?"

"We must get to Mist. We're not turning back," said Cecil.

"It's not like we have a choice," Shining Armor added.

"VERY WELL..."

Just then...

"Wh-What's happening?" the white pony asked.

"The mist is gathering!" Kain warned.

Sure enough, the surrounding mist swirled around the three warriors and right in front of them, transformed into a white dragon, standing as a guardian of the cave.

The men from Baron took their battle stances while Shining stood in disbelief at what he was seeing.

"Is that...?"

Cecil nodded. "The phantom beast."

"Wait!" the stallion pleaded. "We don't want any trouble!"

"LIES!"

At that point, the phantom beast then transformed into a sheet of mist. The two men held their ground and waited.

"What's going on?"

"We wait," Cecil replied. "Once it gains shape again, we attack."

Just as the dark knight predicted the mist did indeed turn back into a dragon, and that's when Kain jumped from a great height as Cecil attacked once more. Shining could only brace himself for the dragon's next attack as it swiped at him across the area. Sliding across the cave, the white pony slowed down and saw Kain finally descending just as quickly as he appeared, landing a fatal blow with his spear.

Letting out one final roar, the dragon collapsed and perished.

"Well then," said Kain. "Shall we resume our journey to Mist?"

"Yes..." Cecil replied, albeit hesitantly.

Shining, feeling just as guilty as Cecil did, exited the cave and found their destination.

---

Village of Mist

As soon as they set foot in Mist, the Carnelian Signet in Cecil's hand began to glow, releasing several Bombs unto the village. Now free, the monsters ran amok, setting the village ablaze! Everywhere they looked, Cecil, Kain, and Shining saw several houses engulfed in flames.

"Don't tell me..." Shining said with dread.

"We've been sent here..." said Cecil.

"To burn the village down...?" Kain finished.

"Why...? Your Majesty... WHY?!"

Two of the Bombs turned their eyes on Shining Armor and charged. Shining quickly dodged the creatures. Still, he couldn't believe what he was seeing: an entire village being burned to the ground by the ring Cecil had been tricked into using.

They heard the sniffling of a young child; the three males saw a young girl crying over her mother's body. She wore a yellow skirt and white cloak over a gray bodysuit.

"Wh-What happened?" Shining asked.

Looking up, the girl saw the three and approached them. "My mommy's dragon died, and then she did as well..."

"Your mother's... dragon...?!" Shining reiterated. "So... the dragon we fought in that cave...?"

"Was connected to the mother's life force?" Cecil finished.

"I've heard of these people; they're called summoners. They have the ability to call forth Eidolons, otherwise known as 'phantom beasts!'"

Shining Armor gasped in horror at the implication of what he and the two humans had done.

"You did this?! YOU killed my mom's dragon?!" the girl said, backing away from them, her voice seething with anger.

"But... But..." Shining stammered, trying to think of something to say to console the girl, but nothing came up.

"We didn't know this would happen," Cecil said, once again feeling remorseful.

"This is what the King had wanted," said Kain. "He saw the summoners and their Eidolons as a threat, so he sent us all to eliminate them." He then turned towards the girl. "I guess we should do away with her as well."

"WHAT?!" Cecil and Shining said in unison.

"That's what the king would want. It's us... or her."

"Kain! What are you thinking?! She's just a child!" the dark knight said, livid that his friend would even suggest such a thing.

"I don't want any part of this!" said Shining.

"Likewise," Cecil said firmly.

"You would betray our King and side with a creature not of this world?"

"I renounce the King of Baron. I will not spill the blood of any more innocents!"

"That's just what expected to hear from you. Don't worry, I'm on your side."

"What do you mean?" Shining asked, tilting his head.

"I owe His Majesty much, but I cannot disgrace the dragoons."

"So you'll join us?"

"Correct. But if we are to fight against the King of Baron, we need to ally ourselves with the other nations of the world. There's also the matter of Rosa."

Rosa? Shining said to himself.

"Thank you, Kain," said Cecil.

"Save it. This isn't for your sake," Kain retorted, much to Cecil's confusion. The dark knight turned toward Shining.

"I'll do it... I'll join the both of you... Also... I have a younger sister. And her friends are somewhere in this world."

"The more allies, the better," said Kain.

The trio then turned their attention to the girl.

"You have to come! It's dangerous!" Shining Armor pleaded.

"No! GO AWAY!!"

"Please! You must come with us!"

"NO! I HATE YOU ALL! YOU KILLED MY MOM!!"

"It wasn't--"

"I said... GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!"

Raising her arms, the girl summoned a large, muscular humanoid creature; this being raised its fist and slammed it into the ground, causing a large earthquake that was felt all around the surrounding area.

Comments

[Omegamorph]

I like the nods to the battle system here. I see we're sticking to the Amano designs here. I have to wonder when and where the rest of that Equestria residents will show up gradually.

[Vimtrust5]

11774888
Yep. After all, FF4 was the game which introduced the ATB system in the first place.

[Omegamorph]

On another note. After seeing Fluttershy with a Chocobo and a Moogle follow Pinkie home, I kind of have this feeling that Luna is going to adopt a Namingway as her assistant like Spike is to Twilight.