During a meteor shower, Cloud Strife crashes down into Equestria, with no memories of how or why he was there. However, he wasn't the only being from his world that was in the strange new land. A familiar evil begins to rise once again, and Cloud once again finds himself companions to stop it. But will it be enough this time? And can he find his way back home?
The chill night time summer breeze of Equestria nipped lightly at the ears of a purple unicorn, her violet eyes watching the dark skies up above. A wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies was drifting about, and she could already feel her mouth water. The pony was seated on a soft picnic blanket, set perfectly on top of a hill to overlook a wonderful view of a prairie. The sky seemed bigger there, and there were no clouds to be seen. Just perfect for a meteor shower.
Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe their luck. The next meteor shower was scheduled to be one hundred years from now. She had received the news from her teacher and idol, Princess Celestia, and just about exploded with excitement. Her friends were just the same, and there was almost a celebration when she broke the news to the rest of Ponyville. It was a pleasant surprise, but they only had a few days to prepare.
The other ponies from Ponyville were all setting up on the hills and flat ground around them, talking amongst themselves. The Cake family was happy that their children were able to see a meteor shower and not have to wait one hundred years for the next one. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had built a big life-guard looking tower and had made a telescope of their own. They somehow thought that they would be able to catch a meteor and receive meteor shower cutie marks. How that would work didn't make much sense.
"This is so awesome!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bounding up and down as her grin reached her ears, "This is incredible! Absolutely fantastic! The best! The cream of the crop! The spectacular, best thing EVEEEER!"
"Hey, calm down there sugarcube." Applejack smiled, laying down on the blanket as a purple dragon with green scales handed her a plateful of cookies, "Being hyper like that isn't going to make the meteor shower come faster you know." The stetson wearing pony crossed her hooves, peering up at the night sky. It didn't seem like it, but she was just as crazy as Pinkie Pie was about it. She just knew how to keep herself calm for the most part.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled out, flying up to the hill to meet up with her friends, "No matter how great it is, it can't be as great as me!" Twilight rolled her eyes at her friend's remark but was happy to see her nonetheless. If there was somebody she would let have an ego the size of Ponyville, it would be Rainbow Dash. The pegasus landed next to the dragon and took the largest cookie she could find from the batch.
"If you eat all of Spikey Wikey's cookies by the time I get up there I swear!" Rarity barked as she trotted up the hill, "I'm sure he made them with all the love he could muster...didn't you my little draggy waggy?" Spike beamed taking out a special plate behind his back with the best smelling cookies he ever made.
"O-Of course!" Spike smiled, a blush lighting up on his face, "And...These are especially for-
"Cut the cheesy crap, Spike! Those smell AWESOME! Gimme one!"
"W-What?! Rainbow! Quick being so fussy!"
"C'mon Spike! I'll race you for them!"
"No! Wait! Come Back! Those are for Rarity!"
As Spike begun his chase of the airborne Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy quietly appeared and took a cookie, munching on it with pure joy as each of the friends got together. It was moments like this that were genuinely amazing, and moments like this would never be forgotten.
"So Twilight..." Applejack asked, munching on the cookies still, "Didja ever hear about how this meteor shower thing came about?"
"Celestia has no clue..." Twilight mumbled, looking through her telescope, "She began to notice a change in space somehow, and through some magical insight she learned that there would be a meteor shower."
"It just all sounds confusing to me..." Rarity yawned, laying down on the cleanest part of the picnic cloth, "At least we get to see something beautiful again."
"It's just egghead stuff." Rainbow Dash shrugged, tossing the empty plate to a distraught Spike, "Probably something only Twilight could understand."
"Hey guys!" Spike exclaimed, pointing a finger to the skies, "It's the meteor shower!" And seeming to be on cue, the meteors trailed down from the sky, seeming to come from the stars themselves. Each of them were in awe, their smiles wide. The seven friends (counting Spike) each silently agreed that this shower was better than the previous one they saw. The other ponies from Ponyville were gasping, oohing and ahhing.
"Wow..." Fluttershy said quietly, "Gorgeous..."
"But..." Spike blinked, "Don't you think that some of those meteors are...well...getting a little too close to the ground?"
"What are you talking about, Spike?" Twilight replied, "Meteors almost always burn up before they hit the ground. There probably won't be-
The air above the ponies suddenly began to grow warm, their bodies reflecting a powerful light. Before any of them could react, a red blazing meteor shot right past them, the force blowing away the plates and frizzing up the perfect hair that Rarity spent much of her day grooming. The blazing object from space smashed into the prairie, causing the ground to quake below them, the trees vibrating some of their leaves right off. The ponies yelled and screamed, and some of them began to run back to Ponyville. Luckily, the meteor was a good distance away and none of them had gotten hurt.
Before they could sigh in relief, another meteor shot right past them, completely knocking off and destroying the telescope in front of Twilight, singing her mane a little. The meteor was headed straight for the Everfree Forest. When it touched down, trees gave way around it and the ground quaked again, yet much weaker than the previous meteor.
The ponies (and one dragon) sat in silence, their jaws practically hitting the ground. The meteors were still flaming, and they were releasing black smoke into the atmosphere. The meteor shower was over.
"Um..Uh..Er...What?" Spike blinked, "Hey...um...about meteors burning up before hitting the ground?..." Twilight blew out a smile fire that had been flickering on the end of her mane.
"Uh..." Applejack stared at the massive crater that had just been created, not being able to find any words at the moment.
"My hair!" Rarity groaned, "It's ruined!"
"Um..." Rainbow stood up, shaking her head, "Should we...check it out?...."
"It could be dangerous..." Fluttershy said softly, "And...scary..."
"Alright, everypony..." Twilight gulped, "Let's...wait for the fire to go down..."
"....."
"...Cloud..."
"....."
"..Cloud...Get up...
"......"
"Cloud...Get up!...
"....."
"CLOUD!"
His eyelids broke open, his mouth gasping to take in breaths. The Pain. The Pain was excruciating. Every part of him ached...his body felt as if he was burning alive. His joints were exhausted, and whenever he moved them he would receive a sharp stabbing pain. His lungs were heavy, and felt as if they were filled with needles. His vision was bad...he couldn't make out anything. Only blurry bright lights and darkness. He could make out flames licking the air around him, their heat on his face.
He tried to get to his feet, but he face planted onto the dirt in front of him. His legs felt like cement. He didn't know where he was or what was happening. For all he knew, he could have been dead.
"Cloud...Get out of there!"
He felt his hands digging into dirt, and realized that it was climbing into a an ascent. Was he in a hole of some sort?
"Cloud...you need to get away!"
His left hand touched something hard and metallic. Patting it blindly, he felt something familiar. A hilt. A hilt of a large sword. His sword...right?
"Get Moving! Now!"
He couldn't leave without it. He gripped it tightly in his hand, grunting in pain as his knees protested. Soon, with the help of his outrageously large sword, he was in a standing position, but barely. His legs were week, and his arms felt like jelly. Could he really get out of there?
"GET OUT OF THERE!"
Cloud grit his teeth and smashed his fist into the earth, dragging himself out of whatever he was in. The heat was gone, and he felt the familiar sensation of grass on his fingers. His vision was still bad, and everything was smudged together and dark. Where was he? Where could he go?
"GO! RUN!"
With a growl of pain and frustration, Cloud took off into a sprint. Everything hurt. His back felt like it would shatter like glass. His hands were weak, and he was barely able to grip onto his sword. With each step, fiery pain traveled up to his waist. With every breathe, his throat burned.
"Cloud...just a little further..."
How much further? Where was he? What was going on? Why was he here? Cloud didn't know. Wherever he was, he was not home. He was far away, far away from what he called home. Far away from Tifa and the kids. Far away from his friends.
Was he alone?
He ran into something hard, and he fell onto his back, his sword stabbing into the ground. He struggled to stand up, his hands looking for the hilt. He roared, his vocal chords cracking. His sword came out and he sprinted off again, his sword loose in his hand.
"Just a little farther...Just a little more..."
He couldn't there was no way. His foot got caught in something and he fell on the hard earth, his body slamming into the dirt. The pain was too much. He didn't have anything left. He couldn't see anything and he could barely think. The darkness began to veil over his eyes.
The halls of Celestia's castle were magnificent. Their golden glow was breathtaking, and you could feel that they held the presence of a noble ruler. The air smelled sweet, and there was no speck of dust to be found anywhere. You could taste the wonderful delicacies in the air as their aroma was carried from the kitchen, and you felt ten inches taller when you took a step into the throne room. There was never any trouble and anything of concern that carried to Celestia's ears, and when there was something she would do whatever she could to help. There was almost nothing she couldn't fix.
"SISTER!" Luna called, the stone hallways vibrating with the power of her Royal Canterlot Voice, "THERE IS MUCH CONCERN THAT I MUST SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT!" The guards were completely blasted away by the sound, and they toppled over like dominoes as they patrolled through the halls.
The dark Alicorn trotted swiftly to her sister's room, her hooves clacking lightly against the marble floors. It was the middle of the night still, and Celestia would be well into dream world by then. But this was urgent, and it worried Luna deeply. The strange meteor that had occurred that night could have brought disaster...or some unwanted guest.
Using her magic, the door to Celestia's chambers swung open, "SISTER-
"Yes, Lulu..." The beautiful white Alicorn groaned, rolling over in her bed, "...I heard you...." Celestia sat up, her tired eyes trying to focus on the form of her sister, "What's going on-
"The meteor shower tonight..." Luna said, switching back to her normal voice, "I've seen that they have come into contact with the ground. I worry that injuries may have occurred to our citizens, and it concerns me." Celestia bit her lip in thought and climbed slowly out of bed, "If what you said is true...we must quickly tend to the impacts."
"Yes..." Luna spoke, "Two of them have landed near Ponyville, while another hit far up north." Celestia nodded, shaking the sleepiness from her face.
"I see...Anything else I should know?" Celestia asked, her horn glowing. In a bright colorful flash, she was cleaned up, her mane flowing its usual perfect and beautiful self.
"Yes...the northern impact...It took out an entire mountain." Luna replied quietly. Celestia's jaw dropped a little bit. There had not been a meteor impact in Equestria like that EVER. There had to be some mistake.
"Luna...There is no way-
"I've seen it, sister." Luna said quietly, "I've already sent a team to check on the northern impact. Luckily, I don't think that the meteors near Ponyville injured anypony. One landed in the middle of the Everfree Forest, and the other was in a valley. I suspect that there will be a bit of a panic tomorrow, and that you might be very busy." Celestia sighed...Her sister was right. Tomorrow, she would have to face hundreds of questions.
"If there is a problem in Ponyville, I am sure that my faithful student will send a note as quick as she can." Celestia said, looking out her window, "But for our sake....I hope that this was all nothing."
Twilight just about spend the whole night trying to calm the entire town down, and the rest of the night trying to keep away curious ponies (aka Cutie Mark Crusaders). The rest of her friends had gone off to make sure that nopony had been hurt in some way, and she was relieved that nobody had been hurt. The meteors landed far enough away, and Zecora's hut was too far from the impact in the Everfree Forest.
When she had been satisfied, she agreed with each of her friends that they would check out the craters first thing in the morning. They were all dead tired, and Spike was already passed out inside of their picnic basket. With a sigh and a yawn, she had to drag him and the rest of their picnic gear home. She had flopped onto her bed and passed out.
That had been a few hours ago, and now she was standing on the same hill. It was noon, and the sun was directly above her in the sky. She breathed in the warm sunny air, the gentle breezing swaying her mane slightly. She was definitely still tired, and she was sure that her friends would be too. After a gentle yawn, she noticed the rest of her friends coming up the hill to meet her. After a few exchange of words, they set out to the first crater.
It had been a long while since the fire had gone out, and not that their was light out they realized how big the crater was. It covered a large space, roughly thirty meters across. The pit itself was about twenty meters deep, and filled with fresh dirt still.
Strangely...there was no meteor.
"Weird..." Rainbow Dash blinked, flying around the bottom of the crater, "There's nothing here! No weird alien space ship, no super cool mechanical soldier with metal armor, and there definitely isn't a rock!" She landed on the bottom, kicking the dirt lightly with her hooves, "What happened here?!"
"Maybe..." Pinkie said, suddenly appeared next to Dash, "Whatever in here...ran away!" Fluttershy tried to quietly slip away, but walked into the hooves of Applejack.
Twilight rolled her eyes, teleporting to the bottom of the crater, "Oh, come on! Nothing could survive an impact from space! That's just crazy!"
"You have been wrong before, Twilight!" Rarity called from above, "But it does seem odd!" Twilight glanced around. There was literally nothing...no meteor from space, no alien space device...only dirt and what looked like prints.
Wait...prints?!
"Guys! Look!" Twilight pointed a hoof at what appeared to be dig markings and hoof-prints. Rainbow and Pinkie rushed over, blinking at what they saw.
"N-No way!" Rainbow gasped, "There really must be a super cool mechanical soldier with metal armor! He must have ran when he fell from the sky!"
"There are tracks up here, too!" Applejack called, "And...it seems as though it was dragging something heavy behind it..." Twilight teleported back up, looking at the tracks. It was definitely dragging something alright. The hoof-prints weren't as noticeable, but there was a trail of slashed earth that followed right beside them. The slash was deep, and it gave Twilight the shivers.
"Let's...not follow those..." Fluttershy squeaked, backing away, "After all....it could be a really scary monster..." Twilight bit her lip, "Well...the only place the creature could have ran to..." She glanced up, "Would be the Everfree Forest." The tracks lead straight to the tall, evil looking trees. Fluttershy eeped, and turned tail, her wings spreading to get ready to take off. Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth and pulled her onto her back, not letting the yellow mare get away.
"Come on, guys." Twilight said, feeling anxiety and fear beginning to build, "We...need to check this out. For Princess Celestia."
Cloud dug his sword into the ground, using it to support his weight. Whatever happened to him last night...really hurt like a bitch. Not only did he feel as though he went through a combine, but he also felt a flock of Chocobo's just charged over his body. If you don't know what that feels like, you can probably assume. Ouch.
His body was weak and hurting, but at least he was regaining his senses. He could see clearly now, and he could actually heart himself grunting and panting in pain and exhaustion. His throat was still burning, and he would really appreciate ice cold water right now. But being lost in a forest and all...might make that difficult.
The forest that he was in now was unlike any other. The trees were...disturbing. The sun couldn't touch the ground floor, and it almost seemed like nighttime. The air was cold, and he could taste anger in the air. The forest he was in was old...very old. And he was definitely wasn't close to Seventh Heaven. Was he in an unexplored or unknown forest somewhere? He kept trying to think of his most recent memories, but he found nothing. He didn't know how he had gotten to the strange lands, but he would find a way out.
There was a rustling nearby and Cloud tensed. Right now, he was too weak to fight anything or anyone. If they caught him, he was as good as dead. The rustling was getting louder, and the blonde fighter was scanning his surroundings for any sort of cover. Looking up, hiding in the trees was his best bet. As he got ready to jump, the muscles in his legs screamed in protest. Biting down, he jumped, landing onto a large tree branch. He landed as softly as he could, his giant sword almost slipping from his grip when he landed. The branch shook lightly, and he was relieved when it held his weight.
His breath became shallow as he hid himself, waiting to see who had been coming. What he saw...was nothing less then shocking.
"...A...Zebra...Wearing jewelry?..."
Cloud was taken back. Yes, he had seen some horrible, weird, and strange looking monsters in his lifetime. A zebra wearing gold rings around its neck was something he had yet to see. And just seeing a normal animal like that was just weird too. He was expecting a Tonberry or something.
The zebra seemed to be looking for something. Cloud decided that jumping down and scaring it would be the last thing he would want to do. Maybe it had an owner nearby? He would have to wait and see.
"Hmm...A wood oak seed is exactly what I need. It's hard to find, for one of its kind."
Wait. Did...the zebra just talk? And RHYME?
Yep. Cloud wasn't in Midgar anymore.
"Okay, so this is what I understand. The super cool mechanical solder with metal armor climbed out of the crater while we weren't looking, ran as far away as he could and as fast as he can...into this tree?"
"What else does it look like?"
"Yep...Maybe it's not as super cool as I thought..." Rainbow scratched her head, "But there isn't much left of this tree..." They were standing near the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. The strange trail they had followed had led them here, right in front of a tree that looked like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. The bark had been smashed off, and there was an imprint in the ground. There was also a stab mark beside it, and they guessed whatever thing the creature was carrying was dropped.
"Okay..." Twilight lifted an eyebrow, "Either this thing is blind, or it felt like running into a tree."
"Come on, guys! We've got to focus here! Whatever this thing is, it could put Ponyville in danger!" Applejack declared, stomping her foot, "Fluttershy! Quit trying to run away!"
"Wait..." Twilight said, looking at the others, "The other meteor ended up here in Everfree. It could be more dangerous than ever. Maybe we should split up into two groups. One to follow the tracks, and the other to check out the impact site."
"But Twilight!" Fluttershy cried out, "That could have a scary monster too! We should just...you know...leave!"
"But it sounds sooooo fun! I wonder if Rainbow's super cool super soldier dude likes parties! Do you guys think he likes parties?!"
"Two groups! Sounds good!" Rainbow Dash smirked, "I'll go after the alien! Who's going with me?!"
After a bit of talk, they each decided that they would split up. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie would go after the tracks while Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy would find the next crater.
"Okay guys!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking back at Applejack and Pinkie as they began their journey into the forest, "If this guy turns out to be hostile, I'll take him on! With Pinkie's sense and Applejack's...erm...With Pinkie's sense there is no way he could sneak up on us!"
"Wait..." Applejack glared, "You sayin' that I ain't got no way to help out?! You forget about Bucky McGillycuddy and Kicks McGee!"
"Good luck, Rainbow!" Twilight waved, "Just scream if you need us!"
Cloud wanted to get out of this forest and find his way back to any sort of civilization he could find. He needed rest, food, and some water. He would have gone off to find these things...if that Zebra would just LEAVE! He found that the Zebra was a she, and he still couldn't get over the fact that it could talk! Yeah, there were crazy monsters that he had fought, but none of them ever talked before! This was weirding him out...and the fact that the zebra looked a bit cartoonish with its big eyes was still a bit too much.
He was watching the zebra intently, just waiting for her to leave. He was too weak to go away stealthily, and he didn't want to give his position away. So, he was staring down at the Zebra as it- or she picked up herbs and set them into a saddle bag. Watching an animal display this much intelligence was outrageous.
He sat back in the tree, his large sword in his hand. Well, it was more like a combination of smaller big swords. This was the weapon he last used to defeat Sephiroth with, and it was handy to have around. He could switch to a dual handed sword fight to a one handed, or he could use the others for projectiles. It was a very diverse weapon, and he enjoyed having it. Even if it was as heavy as hell.
He was wearing the same clothes he had fought Sephiroth in as well. The pink ribbon on his left arm, the high collared sleeveless black shirt, the black pants and boots...everything. He wasn't much to change, but when he discovered that he was never really a SOLDIER...he felt the need to get rid of the uniform. After all, that was all just a lie.
Just a lie...Was everything a lie? Cloud watched the Zebra. She seemed...calm and peaceful. She wasn't living the life of a failure, or living the life she thought she had lived. By the way she was acting in this forest, he could assume that there wasn't much danger that presented itself to her at all. He was just assuming, but he would probably find out soon enough.
"Zecora!" The shout startled him. Normally, something like that would have not fazed the experienced fighter. But he was in a peaceful, quiet moment. First things were too quiet. Now they were too loud.
Cloud spot three colorful beings out of the corner of his eye. When they came into view, he almost fell off the branch again.
Three horses. Three...colorful...horses. One even had wings. And they were all talking. Great...So where's the talking Chocobo?...
"Ah, my friends! I see you are here! Although dangerous woods we are in, I fear." Cloud concluded that her name was Zecora from what he heard from the other....animals. Cloud took this time to see who the Zebra's...friends were.
The one that had a blue coat had strange rainbow colored hair, with the symbol of a rainbow lightning bolt on her flank. He realized that they each had a strange symbol there, and wondered if they were branded in some strange way. The blue one was talking with the Zebra...and he was getting Yuffie vibes from her.
The yellow one was wearing a hat. Yep. A hat. She had three apples on her flank, and she also had freckles from what he could see. She spoke in a strange accent, and its voice reminded him slightly of Cid.
The strangest one, however, was the pink one. At first she was talking excitedly, but as soon as he looked directly at her...she started glancing around, as though she felt that someone was watching her. Cloud starting becoming very uncomfortable...at this rate he could be found out.
"We're busy following some tracks that had came out of a crater near Ponyville. Have you seen any strange creature?" Cloud gripped his sword tightly...they were looking for him. But it wasn't like he was afraid of them. Cloud rarely felt fear nowadays. He was still a bit...shocked at the whole situation. If he jumped down to greet them, he would probably freak them out and they would run off...and he might never get some answers.
"Strange tracks, you say? Perhaps I can help, if I may." Oh shit.
"Yeah, they ended here. It's weird! Do you think it could have jumped up and flown away?"
"Or...Is it in the trees?..." Cloud cursed silently. He watched in slow motion as their eyes began to trace up, and in mere seconds they would find him. He couldn't jump away. He couldn't hide. He was going to get caught...There was no way out.
"RAINBOW!" A voice echoed from within the voice, "COME HERE! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!" Cloud breathed a sigh of relief as the horses and zebra looked back down. Without wasting another second they sprinted off, running towards the direction of the voice.
"They must be talking about the other crater! Let's see what they found!" Cloud was about to leave, but then froze. Other crater?...Why is there a crater? He blinked, thinking back on what he could remember. Is that how he got to where he was? He...fell? Shaking his head, he realized that he needed to investigate. Food and water could come later. He waited till they were a good distance away and jumped off, landing quietly onto the forest floor. His bones screeched at him, but he bit through it.
He sheathed his sword into the holster on his back. He had a hard time standing straight...but he could bite past it. He quietly followed, the pain flaring up his legs until he reached them. He couldn't get a good look at who had called the horses there, but he saw what they were looking at.
"What is this?...." The blue horse asked, "It's like some weird machine...With wheels..."
Cloud, hidden from view, was happy, surprised, and now very irritated.
Author's Note:
Yeah, I know I'm not too good at writing Zecora's rhymes. And I felt this chapter was a bit rushed...If you find any inconsistencies, or ways to improve, please let me know. But otherwise, I hope you enjoyed it!
Just thought I should clarify that Cloud is in his Advent Children attire along with his sword. Yeah, I wasn't great at describing it in the previous chapter heh. Forgive me!
Cloud was horrified. Well, happy but horrified. Not only was his personal customized motorcycle in bad looking condition, but those weird pony creatures were practically abusing it. The massive black bike was laying on its side in the crater, his metal parts singed black from heat. The wheels looked torn, and from what he could see the handlebars were even bent. He had fixed that bike many times before...and hated doing. Now it would be like starting over from scratch to fix it. What a joy.
The blue four-legged creature was looking at it closely, sometimes giving it a small kick. Each time, a loud 'ting!' would echo into the forest. There would be a new dent or scratch, and Cloud would only get even more pissed off. Of course, he couldn't do anything. He knew nothing of these strange creatures, and for all he knew they could turn vicious in an instead. Just like the Tonberry's...and THAT made Cloud shiver a little.
At this moment, he was crouching behind a bush about ten yards away from the farthest pony. He had managed to be extremely quiet
He managed to get a good look at the rest of the "ponies" that had called the others over. From what he saw...two of them were unicorns. Unicorns. Well...somehow that was less surprising to him then the zebra with jewelry. One was purple while the other was white. And they too had strange symbols on their flanks. He noticed a yellow pegasus that looked like it was frightened out of its skin by his bike. Well, at least it wasn't kicking it to death.
"What sort of alien device is this?..." The loud blue pegasus asked, walking around it once more, "Some sort of...chariot thing?"
"I...don't know...." The purple unicorn said, getting a closer look of Fenrir, "But it looks as if it had taken some damage from the crash. Maybe-
"It's an alien spaceship!" The creepy pink pony cried out, hopping without bending its legs (wtf?!), "It must be! What else would it be here for?! There is definitely an alien space soldier coming to visit us! *GASP!* I need to get a party prepared!"
"Pinkie!" The purple mare exclaimed, "No! No parties until we find this creature! For all we know, it could be a pony-eating tentacle monster!"
"Heh...tentacle monster..."
"Shut up, Rainbow Dash! I was being serious!"
Well, Cloud learned three things. Fittingly, the pink pony was named Pinkie while the blue pegasus was named Rainbow Dash. Honestly, it was so ridiculous to him that he almost laughed. Him! Laughing! That was a funny thing to think about.
The third thing he learned was that these horse creatures were not bloodthirsty. They were just as curious about him as he was about them...So maybe he should come out and see them? They seemed to be peaceful and friendly. What harm could be done?...Still, it was a weird thought for him to actually converse with these weird things. He just wasn't ready to meet these crazy things, and he was sure that they weren't ready for him. Cloud was typically straight forward, but being in an unknown world with creatures that belong in a cartoon was way too much for a man who was used to constant fighting.
"So...what do we do with this thing anyway? Use it as bait to lure out the creature?" The orange hat wearing pony asked, "I mean, this could be our best bet to draw it out."
"A little risky..." The purple unicorn replied, "We could make it very upset and angry...but who knows what this thing is. It could be some incredible weapon that could destroy all of Equestria!" Every single one of the ponies gasped. Cloud face-palmed.
"So...what do we do?..." The yellow pegasus asked, shrinking back, "It's...scary..."
"Well...We could always teleport it back to Ponyville. The library's basement is pretty big. We could put it in there for now." The white unicorn suggested, "Besides...this thing looks DREADFUL! I can't bear to look at it!" Cloud's eyebrow twitched a bit at her comment. He designed it himself! But wait....did she say teleport?
"Good thinking!" The purple unicorn, whom Cloud dubbed as the leader, exclaimed. "Still...it would take a lot of magical power to move...I could try." Cloud blinked, raising his head above the bush that he hid behind to get a better view. Did she say...magic? So they had that here as well. But something told him that it wasn't in the form of materia...
There was a bright purple flash that engulfed the clearing, and it sent out a small gust of air that rattled the leaves in the trees. When the blonde's eyes readjusted themselves, his bike was gone. His jaw practically hit the ground. These strange beings were more powerful than he had originally thought.
He had to snap back to reality quickly because they had began to move again. In his direction. He scanned his surroundings as quickly and thoroughly as he could. There was a tree to his right, but it was too far. He would be seen. To his left lay a patch of flowers. He would most likely not be hidden there. He would need to think extremely fast. His hand touched a rock behind the bush, and he immediately grabbed it. Without thinking, and with blinding speed, he thew it straight to his left.
*THUNK!*
Each of the creatures froze, their eyes widening in surprise and a tinge of fear. He had his window to escape. With enhanced speed from mako, he dashed to the trees on his right, a flaming pain gripping his entire body from the moment. He forgot that he wasn't in top shape, but nonetheless he got back behind cover without being seen or heard. He breathed a sigh of relief as the ponies shrugged it off and kept walking.
After that, Cloud had jumped back up into the trees. He was very interested in the location of this library they had spoken of. As far as he knew, Fenrir was the only thing that came to this strange world with him. He had no clue how, but it was here. And he really wouldn't want to leave without it. Ever since he had journeyed a majority of his planet on foot, he began to realize how nice having a set of wheels really was.
After a bit of walking, the zebra said goodbye in some of her strange rhymes. She must live in this strange forest. Cloud would have to remember that. Maybe he could reveal himself to her sooner than the others.
"So, what happens after this?" The white unicorn asked, "We can't just ignore the fact that something potentially dangerous could be living near Ponyville."
"I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia." The leader pony replied, "It's shouldn't be a problem. But I really don't want to put Ponyville into a panic..."
"Yeah..." The orange pony spoke up, "But we need to defend ourselves in case of some strange invasion! I'm going to break the news to my family back at the farm! I don't want no mean space alien to eat all our crops!"
Cloud blinked. Farm...farm meant food. Food meant sustenance. And he could really use some sustenance right now. He was a bit torn...either he could follow the other creatures back to their town, or he could follow the orange pony back to her farm where he might be able to get some food. After a few seconds of thinking, he was sure that he could probably find the town from the creature's farm.
When the hat-wearing mare broke off from her group, Cloud leaped from tree to tree after her, despite the pain.
It didn't take as long as he would think to make it to the farm she was talking about. The fields that she owned her bigger than any he had seen, and it was even bigger than the Chocobo farm he was used to going to. He spotted cows in the distance, and what seemed like thousands among thousands of Apple trees. Only hard part was, to get to it he needed to cross a large clearing. He watched as the orange mare had disappeared into the distance, and then he made his move.
Clear Skies grunted, yanking her back-hooves out of the deep snow drift. The wind seemed to be cutting right through her big insulated jacket, the weather beating down on her and her team. Early in the morning, she had been instructed to climb up the snowy mountains in order to find the crash site of a meteor that had hit the night before. The Princess had ordered it to be a secret in order to save the public some panic. Apparently, there were two other impacts...but this one was the top secret one.
The earth pony hated snow with a passion. The large specs of ice would sting her face, the wind propelling them like bullets. The rest of her group was the same, and it was getting harder and harder to climb up the slopes. She had been told that an entire mountain had been taken out by the meteor, but to get to it she had to cross multiple slopes and such. Cold weather and her didn't mix, and with each step she was starting to dislike Princess Luna even more.
"Clear Skies!" A voice yelled behind her, his voice bludgeoning its way through the sharp, icy wind.
"Yeah?!" She asked, glancing back. She could only see a few yards away, thanks to the falling snow blanket.
"Isn't the Snow Dragon Volcano really close to the crash site?!"
"Yes!" She replied, trudging along, "What about it?!"
"Do you think that crash would have woken them up?!"
Clear Sky froze colder than the snow around her. If that was true...the dangerous dragons would be more than a little upset. They would have to proceed with even more caution, and that just made things much more difficult.
"If it did, we have to be even more careful! Those dragon's tempers are the worst!" She called back. Her team was an elite unit of soldiers, but even they couldn't take on an entire dragon flock. If worse came to worse...she didn't want to think about it. At t his rate, all she could do was pray that she and her team would get back home safe and sound.
And hopefully warm too.
Twilight closed the door to her home gently, her mind cluttered with questions. She had been hoping to find answers, but there had been none. Whatever came out of that meteor...it was just scary to think about. Equestria had always known peace, but could one creature change all of that? There was no way she would just let that happen. Princess Celestia was counting on her, and she was going to defend her friends and town with her life.
She sprawled a parchment over her desk, levitating a quill with her magic. She thought for a few seconds, and than proceeded to write her letter:
Dear Princess Celestia,
As I'm sure you know, last night there was two meteor impacts near our pleasant town of Ponyville. It was very alarming, and at first we thought nothing of it. After further investigation, we found what looked to be tracks leading away from one of the craters. It sounds strange, but I believe that a strange creature may have found a new home in our world. At the second meteor impact in the Everfree Forest, we found what seemed to be a strange mechanical alien device. Concerned that it could be used as a weapon, I teleported away into the basement of my home. If there is a creature, and it proves to be hostile, I will do all in my power to defend against it. However, I'm not sure what I should do. I do not wish to cause panic among the townsponies, and I am seeking your advice for what to do on the matter.
Your student,
Twilight Sparkle
"Spike!" Twilight called, satisfied with her letter, "Get over here! I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia!" The purple dragon made his way from the kitchen, lumbering over to her.
"Is it about that alien creature?! Tell me all about it!" The dragon insisted, looking excited.
"Just send the letter...I'll tell you all about it later." The purple unicorn sighed, dumping the letter into his hands. And with a bit of flame, it had been sent.
Author's Note:
I know you're probably anxious for the moment when the ponies meet Cloud...so am I! But don't put the carriage before the horse!
Heh...get it?...Horse?...
Nevermind! That will be coming really soon. I hope these chapters don't seem to be going too slow. Until next time!
It was a scream. One of those high pitched screams out of a horror movie, the ones where the girl's voice actually cuts through you like a knife. One of those screams that can be heard anywhere, and when you hear it you know that something is definitely wrong. Your instinct, either curiosity or the need to save somebody, will typically lead you right to the source.
And in this case, it was the need to save somepony.
Rainbow Dash had been laying back in a little cloud, resting her head on her front hooves as she daydreamed. Her daily flying practice was over with, and her breaths were coming out in short pants. Her wings felt a little heavy, her muscles tensed up and sore. But she almost lived for this feeling. She never felt more alive when she flew, and when she would join the wonderbolts she knew she could never be happier. Ever.
She heard the scream, and she snapped out of her thoughts. She recognized that voice. Most ponies would.
"Fluttershy!" She gasped out, her wings spreading wide. Ignoring the protests from her aching muscles, the blue pegasus pony dived down from her cloud, the white cotton-like object poofing into thin air. Her wings changed into a glide position, and Rainbow Dash soared faster than any bird could ever hope to be. The scream was coming from the Everfree Forest, and the worst thoughts entered the blue pony's mind.
"Oh no!" She gasped, an image of Fluttershy being trapped by Timberwolves racing through her head, "I've gotta go faster!" She gritted her teeth, her speed only climbing. And in a few short seconds, it happened.
*BOOM!*
Her sonic rainboom echoed throughout Ponyville, the giant rainbow explosion splashing all over the sky. Windows clattered, birds scattered, and Ponies were surprised right out of their horseshoes. No one was expecting something like that so early in the day, but they appreciated the beautiful rainbow beam soaring through the sky. Normally, Dash would be gloating about it.
But her friend could be in horrible danger.
Within seconds she had smashed into the Everfree forest, the blue pegasus dodging trees by the slightest distance possible. She needed to reach her friend. She needed to reach Fluttershy. And before she knew it, a small yellow dot was seen in front of her.
"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow screeched, her wings fanning out. While she had the ability to create a sonic rainboom, she still did not have the ability to stop correctly. She crashed head on into a bush, the branches slapping her in the face as she sped on, colliding with a few thin trees before sliding into a hault, her face imbedded into the dirt. She looked rather silly...
She yanked her head out, flying right away to Fluttershy's side. Strangely, her friend didn't seem like she wasn't in any trouble. Tears were streaming down her face, her mouth slightly open. Her ears were flattened against her head, and she looked as though one of her treasured bunnies had passed away before her.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow squeaked, placing her hooves on her friend's shoulders, "What's going on?! Are you hurt?! What's the matter?!" Her friend said nothing, her eyes not moving from where she was looking. Blinking curiously, Rainbow slowly turned her head around. Immediately, she gasped, her body freezing. What she saw...was mass carnage.
The trees directly in front of the two ponies looked chopped up or ripped off, branches and leaves scattered across the ground. Deep slash marks and tears littered the forest floor, showing the signs of a terrible struggle. But that wasn't what had caused Fluttershy to scream. It was the manticores.
Manticores were deadly creatures, but they almost never attacked anypony unless their kin or themselves were harmed. It was rare to see them together because of their territorial nature, but every once in a while you would see a small pack of them making their way around the forest to find some food. If you stayed away from them, you would be just fine.
But something wrong happened.
Three manticores were lying in the debris, their bodies motionless. Red blood was flowing from their bodies, their eyes open as though they could still see. They almost looked like they could just get back up and brush themselves off.
But they would never move again.
Rainbow had never actually seen something dead before her eyes...besides insects of course, but killing something...was just...Wrong! These manticores had been slain, their lives taken away from them. They would never breath, see, eat, sleep, or fly ever again. They had been killed, and by the looks of it whatever killed them had left almost unscathed. Rainbow looked back at Fluttershy, pulling her friend into an embrace.
"I'm...I'm so sorry...she said, her high pitched voice shaking." It was frightening, seeing something like that. And Fluttershy, a lover of animals...Rainbow couldn't even image what she was going through right now. She wished this was a dream...but it wasn't. The manticores had been slaughtered, and they didn't even know why or how. But Rainbow Dash had an idea who.
The creature from the meteor.
*BOOM!*
The noise shook the ground beneath Cloud's feet, and the warrior instantly held his sword out in front of him, ready to fight off whatever would be coming at him. That had been the loudest and most shocking noise he had heard in the world he had been sent to, and he was on his guard 24/7. A few seconds turned into a few minutes, and Cloud was still in his battle ready position. After a while, he loosened his guard and slipped his humongous sword back into the harness on his back.
It had been a week since he had ''landed'' on the strange planet, and he was already getting sick of it. He stole apples in the daytime, drank from a stream in the forest afterwards, and then he would sit and watch the creatures that called themselves "ponies."
He found the town they lived in, and he still couldn't take the name Ponyville seriously. Who would ever name a town that?! Even in this strange cartoonish world that he was in! It just didn't make sense!
Anyway, he discovered a few things about the residents of the world. The population was practically all ponies, save for a few donkeys he had seen earlier a few days before. He hadn't seen any other creatures that had a human-line intelligence other than those two, but he wouldn't be surprised if there were more.
By the way he saw it, the ponies were all peaceful creature. They stood a bit below his waist height, and he was a bit clueless to how they managed to build their towns. They don't even have hands or fingers...and when they grabbed something it was either with magic or their mouths. And that was when he discovered that only unicorns could really use magic. The other, the pegasi, from what he had seen, was somehow in charge of the weather. They moved clouds when it was time to rain, and they cleared them out as well. That was baffling...and he still had a hard time getting used to the strange new reality.
The normal ponies that had neither wings nor horns all seemed to be hard working land ponies. He knew the ones that worked at the farm where he stole apples from were constantly tending to their fields, and others had gardens or small little farms of their own.
Altogether, he was impressed with the fact that none of them seemed to be prejudice. They were all ponies, and they treated each other the same way as any other pony. Sure, there were a few arguments here and there, but in all honesty it was about something stupid...Like about which cake tastes better, or if they prefer cupcakes to muffins. It was just ridiculous.
He had to hand it to them, though. They were peaceful creatures...there was no fighting. They always forgave each other, and they were all smiling and laughing all the time. Cloud would feel a little jealous of this world...if only his planet was like that.
And it was for that reason that he stayed away from them. He was a warrior, and they were peaceful citizens. With his presence he would only give them fear and alarm them all. He couldn't hide the fact that he has killed...and ponies seemed to treasure the gift of life over anything. He felt like a bad spot in a perfect apple. He just couldn't mix with this world without violence.
But regrettably, he would have to soon. He would have to find someone who could possibly get him back home...and plus he really wanted his motorcycle back. He would have to talk to one of them sooner or later. But that was the hard part...A few days ago, guards had come to the peaceful town. They were patrolling the streets and the outskirts of the forest he was in. He had not wanted to mingle with the world, but he was causing a bit of a panic without even showing his face.
With a sigh, Cloud leaped high in the air, landing on the highest branch he could find. He was still a little stiff, but he no longer felt the pain and exhaustion his body had gone through. He felt almost perfect, and at least now he was able to swing his sword and run.
He continued to leap up the tree until he reached the top of the forest, his head peaking out from the trees. His mako enhanced eyes were able to make out the figures in the pleasant town before them. And he instantly cursed.
There, standing near the entrance of the forest, was a pink pony. She was glancing around, her eyes locking on to anything looking suspicious. She was the only thing that worried him. Every day she would walk around the forest, hunting for him. She didn't know what he looked like or what he was, and he was sure of that. He usually spotted her right before it was too late. She was silent, and if he lost sight of her she seemed to teleport close to him. She was a weird one.
His eyes found a familiar purple unicorn, sprinting towards a small cottage that wasn't too far away from the forest he was in. She, he found out, was the town's sole librarian and magical expert. She would have to be if she teleported his bike to where he heard it was. He still hadn't caught her name, but it didn't bother him. Maybe eventually he would find out.
Shooting out from the trees in a blue blaze was the Yuffie incarnated pegasus. He recognized the big headed immaturity that the blue pony gave off, and was too familiar with how the big egoists worked. He had been around enough in his time. But, just like Yuffie, he could tell that the blue pegasus had a good heart. He just hoped that the pegasus wasn't a thief like a certain ninja...
Cloud leapt down from the tree, hitting up dead leaves from the ground when he landed. Cracking his neck, the blonde warrior sighed lightly. He would need to reveal himself eventually...but how? And when?
There was a slight growling noise...and for once, it wasn't his stomach. Cloud reached back, his hand clutching the large sword behind him. He didn't know what was making that noise, but he wasn't going to risk anything.
Fluttershy had crammed herself into the corner of the couch in her cottage, holding a mug of nice warm tea in front of her. With shaky hooves, she occasionally took a quiet sip. It was obvious that she was still very shocked from what she had seen...It was almost like seeing the left over of a murder for her. Who would do such a thing? Who would dare to the life of something? It didn't make sense...It was horrible.
Her friends were crowded around her, and they were really helping her at that moment. Twilight had sprinted over as fast as she could when she heard, and Rainbow had gone out to look for the perpetrator. Of course, she couldn't find who did it. But they all had the same suspicions.
"Should we tell the guards?" Applejack asked, "I know that we don't want to start a panic or anything...but this is pretty serious. It was really close to Ponyville."
"I don't know if I want to...." Twilight said quietly, biting her lip, "That monster...what a terrible thing to do."
"We should take matters into our own hooves." Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily, "That...That thing can't be forgiven for that! I saw we should kick its butt ourselves!"
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity growled, "We don't know what that thing is capable of, darling! It could be an ugly, disgusting, slimy and not to mention dangerous! Why, it would be simply dreadful if it suddenly attacked us! You saw what it did to those..." The white unicorn gave a sad glance at Fluttershy and didn't say anything more.
"I know..." The blue pegasus sighed, "It's just that- Suddenly, she blinked and slowly turned her head to the pink pony staring outside the window. Pinkie had been quiet all this time, and none of them had really noticed. Actually, throughout the week she had been like this. She would strangely disappear from Sugarcube Corner, and return with a sour look on her face. What she trying to find the creature?
Before Rainbow could say anything to her, the pink earth pony spun around, her eyes holding a strong glimmer of determination. Attention immediately turned to Pinkie Pie, and the partying pony cleared her throat.
"I have been looking for the alien this entire week! And from what I know, it could be afraid of us! Why else would it not show its face to any of us?! Obviously, if it wanted to hunt us down it would have done it already!" The five other ponies contemplated Pinkie's sudden burst of intelligence.
"Think, guys! That alien has come to a world were it knows nothing at all! It's probably scared, confused and hurt! Maybe it didn't hurt those manticores! Maybe that was something else! I don't know! But whatever it is..." Pinkie looked back out the window again, "It could be friendly."
The cottage fell silent, each of the ponies deep in their own thought. Maybe Pinkie was right. Maybe that creature...whatever it was, just wanted to go back home without any troubles. Even Fluttershy seemed to brighten up a little. The monster was just afraid, right? So they needed to go out into the Everfree Forest and coax it out, make it feel comfortable.
"Then I guess y'all know what we gotta do." Applejack said, nodding to her friends as she turned to Fluttershy, "Stay here, sugarcube. I understand what you've been through. Sit tight...we'll get this thing sorted out." The yellow pony nodded, taking a light slip from her tea silently. The pony friends nodded to each other, each of them heading to the door. Today would be the day they would finally find the creature from another world.
The sun was still high up in the air, but in the forest the sunlight could not even touch the earth. The five ponies trotted on, following Pinkie's direction of her close encounters with the strange kind. She claimed hear the creature, running along the forest floor or jumping through the trees. She had been so close to finding the creature, but in the end it would always fool her. But it was a matter of time. Nothing could stay away from Pinkie Pie forever.
Twiight herself was anxious about meeting this creature. Meeting something from a new world just sounded awesome, and there could be so much more to learn! Maybe it knew something about space that couldn't be reached with Pony technology, and maybe it had a vast knowledge of the universe in general. She could learn so much!...If it would only speak her own language...
Applejack was pretty good at hiding the fact that she was the most afraid of the bunch. She wasn't one for scary things, and scary alien horror films had ruined it for her. She was shaking in her hooves, and she was telling herself that she was strong as long as she was with her friends. Nothing would go wrong...right?
Rainbow as curious about the creature's physique and athleticism. Even if it was a super soldier from space, it couldn't be cooler than her....right? Nothing could be more awesome than she was! And she was out to prove it to whatever was in the forest!
Rarity...made a gross face as her hoof narrowly missed a grotesque puddle of mud. Why would something like that even exist around her! Such filth...It just made her shudder!
"Hey! Alien space creature!" Twilight called out, "Do not be alarmed! We are not here to harm you! We just want to talk to you!"
"Yeah!" Rainbow called out, "Get your butt out here before I kick it out here!"
"Rainbow! We're trying to ease it out, not force it out!"
"Like what?! A fart?! C'mon guys! I think the best way to deal with this thing is to scare it out!"
"Now don't be hasty there, sugarcube. Threatening something you haven't even seen before is just stupid in my book"
"Grrr...I guess you're right..."
"Sh!" Twilight hushed, lifting a hoof to her face, "Do...do you guys hear that?" The five ponies froze, and Applejack had to keep her teeth from chatter.
Quietly, they heard what appeared to be a low groaning. As though someone...or something...was in pain. Nodding to each other, they snuck around a tree to take a quick peak at whatever was making that strange noise.
They each gasped audibly. The scene was almost similar to the one with the manticores. The earth was ripped up, trees were slashed, and it appeared that there had been great carnage in that area. Only two things were different.
One: The creature was still alive.
Two: It was...an Ursa Minor.
The almost completely translucent blue bear was on its back, groaning and rolling in pain. Twilight recognized it as the same bear that she had put to sleep after the Trixie incident...and seeing it again was frightening. What was it doing outside of its cave?...Why was it wounded? And where was the creature that had caused it this much pain?
"Um...Twilight?..."
This didn't add up. But whatever fought the Ursa minor...was strong. Twilight began to have her doubts about the scared, confused space creature.
"...Twilight?..."
"Rainbow!" Twilight snapped quietly, "I'm absorbed in my thoughts! Can it wait?!"
There was a deep, insanely loud growling coming right behind the ponies. Twilight's eyes grew wide, and she completely refused to look behind her.
"Hey...that wouldn't...happen to be an Ursa Major...would it?..."
The Royal Throne room was quiet and timid today, the warm summer breeze making its way through the castle's windows carrying the scent of freshly baking pies from the town. Celestia could almost taste the delicious peach pies, and she had to make sure her royal mouth didn't water in front of anyone. It was the time of day when Pony's from all over would come to speak with her on important matters, and there was almost always a long line in front of the doors. Sighing, she had to hold back a groan when Prince Blueblood entered the room.
Prince Blueblood...the most arrogant, self-centered, laziest pony in all of Equestria. Princess Celestia was so annoyed that he was actually related to her. When he stepped into her throne room, his head held high, she almost wanted to throw up rainbows. What was the matter with him? Why did he always visit her about stupid trivial things? Last time he came, he was complaining about how his plumbing wasn't fast enough. Quickly, she needed something to grab her interest...something that would allow her to avoid Blueblood for the day...but what?!
As the prince began to open his mouth, the throne room doors were thrust wide open, "PRINCESS CELESTIA!"
"THANK THE HEAVENS!" The princess exclaimed, before clearing her throat with a nervous chuckle, "I mean...what is it?"
When she saw Clear Skies tumble through the doorway, Celestia's heart stopped. Clear Skies...wasn't that the pony that Luna sent to investigate the Northern Impact in the mountains? What happened? Where was her team?...And why did she look so scared?...The once firm, fearless Clear Skies was now shaking, her eyes wide in horror. What had happened up there?
"Princess..." She choked, her voice shaking, "I...come...w-with n-news from the in-investigation. I-I...."
"Guards! Get her cleaned up and warm!" Celestia commanded, "She needs a place to warm up and rest. Blueblood, I'll hear you out. This is urgent." The prince grumbled something and walked away, the throne room doors closing behind him. Whatever had occurred at the northern meteor impact was definitely something that needed to be looked into. Celestia watched as Clear Skies was carried away by the guards. Poor thing...its as though she had seen a monster.
Cloud cracked his neck, his sword hanging from the harness on his back. He sat at the bank of a small river in the forest, splashing the shimmer cool water onto his hot face. This was the only peaceful spot he found in the forest, and that was where he stayed at night. He slept up in a tree, and that itself was incredibly uncomfortable. Waking up with a stiff sore back sucked, and Cloud wondered how he had managed to do it during their hunt for Sephiroth all those years ago.
Sephiroth. It really made him mad whenever he thought of the murder that mercilessly slaughtered the people from his hometown. Everyday, the image of the demon turning his back to him in the flames of his town appeared in his mind, instantly throwing Cloud into a bad mood. Yes, he defeated Sephiroth a total of three times. But was that man ever truly destroyed?
I will never...Be a memory.
Cloud thought about the last words Sephiroth spoke to him. Sephiroth would never be done. Sephiroth would come back time and time again until he won. And that is why Cloud needed to return to his home planet. Only he could beat his nemesis. The thought of returning to a burning planet enraged him, and Cloud slammed his fist hard onto the cold stream, splashing the water all over his black glove.
And with the sharp pain that followed his attack on the harmless river, he changed his train of thoughts back to the last creature had had fought. The weird blue bear seemed to be littered with stars and was slightly translucent. That was the one creature that Cloud had fought in this world that was actually dangerous...It was stronger than many creatures he had fought back on his planet, but nonetheless he had no trouble defeating it. He guessed that he just crossed into its territory, and he really didn't need to take its life away.
Cloud stood up, taking out a small cell phone from his pocket. He flipped it open, staring at the wallpaper picture he put it. It was a picture of him, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel in front of the bar. They were all smiling...well, except for Cloud. With a sigh, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. He wondered what they were doing with their lives...how were they without him? After the Sephiroth incident, he really stepped it up. He was home as often as he could be, and he was really supporting the small family they created.
Cloud's boots dug into the earth as he walked on, pulling a few branches out of his way. He decided that going back to Ponyville was the only thing he could do...He needed to reveal himself in a somehow casual fashion. Or maybe something so completely flashy that they maybe would except him right on the spot.
A huge, deafening roar echoed through the trees, the leaves rustling as the ground starting having minor tremors. He heard what sounded like trees falling and large footsteps, followed by screaming. That was NEVER a good sign. Gritting his teeth, he drew his large sword, sprinting after whatever was chasing the screamers. Looks like he might have to reveal himself a little too soon.
"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash screamed out, "Can't you do some weird magic to make it go away?!"
"Have you seen how BIG that thing is?!" Twilight yelled back, the mini earthquakes making it quite difficult for her to actually run.
"It's a preeetty big bear!" Pinkie cried out, "But I don't think its friendly this time!"
"I'm too young to die!" Applejack cried out, "I haven't even had a special somepony yet!"
The Ursa Major was ridiculously huge. It's child, the Ursa Minor, was huge...but not THIS huge. The Big, bad Ursa Minor was smaller than the foot of an Ursa Major. The Ursa Major itself was even more giant than the tall trees around it, and it was pissed off. Whatever had hurt its kin was in for a lot of trouble...and only the Princesses could defeat such a monster of that size and power.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight panted, hiding behind a tree as the huge monster looked left to right for them, "You...you need to get to the palace! Get Celestia here!"
"What?!" Rainbow gasped, her eyes wide, "No way! I'm not leaving you guys!"
"You're the fastest one of all of us! We'll buy some time for y'all!" Applejack replied with shaking hooves, grabbing onto her friend's shoulders, "Do it! Go on! We'll be fine! Trust us!"
Rainbow looked hurt, her ears flattening as tears began to well up in her eyes. She then shook her head, wiping the tears as her wings flared up, "I'll...I'll be back before you even know it!" With that, she took off towards the skies. The Ursa Major noticed her immediately, but before it could grab her with its massive paws, a small red apple clunked softly against its knee.
"Hey you!" A southern accent called from below, "Get down here! There's more where that came from- Aw, horseapples!" The orange mare had to scatter away as the creature stomped down, leaving a huge imprint on the ground that could have been Applejack. Ponyville was only a short distance away, and they had to clear the town as fast as they could. Rarity and Pinkie were tasked with doing just that, and Twilight and Applejack were to distract it.
Twilight's horn was glowing bright and hot, sizzles and powerful lights shining around it gloriously. Her magic was at its fullest, and she conjured a powerful temporary barrier that created a dome around the outskirts of Ponyville. This was a skill her brother had taught her after the changelings incident, but it was a different spell. It allowed those inside to go out, but those out couldn't get in. She could only hold it for a few minutes, but those precious minutes could save many lives.
Fortunately, Pinkie and Rarity didn't have to do much convincing in Ponyville. Most of the ponies saw the gigantic bear roaring angrily as it stormed from the forest, and they were pretty much all in a panic to leave. They were all grabbing their children and most important things and running out from the large barrier, screaming for their dear lives. The guards were maintaining order, yelling out an escape route that everypony followed. Rarity and Pinkie helped out the elderly and the young, and when the barrier finally shattered, Ponyville was empty.
"Pinkie! Rarity!" Twilight and Applejack yelled out, running to the center of town, "Is everypony gone?!"
"Yes!" Pinkie declared, saluting, "Private Pinkie requests new orders!" The roar behind them shook the buildings, and even some of the glass windows had broken and splattered onto the ground. The giant monster was closer than they thought, and before they could even blink a huge purple foot was coming down right on their heads.
"Celestia..." Twilight said quietly, her tears running down her cheeks, "Please...Save us!"
Celestia was flying so fast that Rainbow Dash could barely just keep up with her. And this was the fastest flyer in Equestria! She had pulled a sonic rainboom to get to the palace, and she pulled one to leave as well. But Celestia was directly in front of her the whole time. Celestia was filled with overwhelming concern for the elements of harmony, and even more so for Twilight. Twilight was like important family to her...and she didn't want to lose her.
The Ursa Major was seen in the distance, and Celestia saw the purple unicorn and her friends. But she only saw the bear attack when it was too late. With a powerful stomp, Ponyville quaked, some of the structures shattering and breaking down. The bear had stomped down directly onto the ponies.
"NOOOOO!"
Twilight had expected death to be like a cold embrace filled with a world of darkness where you can only cry and regret anything you ever did. But now she found it...kinda breezy?. Opening her eyes, she noticed that the Ursa Major's foot was about approximately thirty yards away. She blinked, looking around. Her friends were beside her, blinking in confusion. Applejack, however, was lying on her back with her mouth foaming.
Twilight glanced over at the foot, "Wait...wha-
It was then that she noticed the figure standing between them and the Ursa Major.
It....was hard for her to describe. The figure was dressed in black head to toe, yet she could see what looked like arms coming out. Arms...and hands? Didn't only dragons and gryphons have those? At the top of what she thought was its head, was what looked like golden feathers spiking out. She realized then that it was hair. In its right hand, was the largest sword that Twilight had ever seen in her life. It was much taller than he, and it looked mechanical.
"What?..." Twilight asked in a quiet voice. The figure didn't turn its back, and it began to race toward the massive monster.
Whatever the monster was, it was huge. Really freaking huge. But it wasn't like Cloud hadn't fought a large monster before. There were the weapons, and he could think of a few other creatures he had fought. But this would be on his own...he had no friends backing him up on this. Oh well...He could do it.
The monster noticed him and snarled angrily, lifting a paw to swipe at him. But the blonde fighter was too fast. As the paw smashed the earth, he had leaped onto a row of buildings, running on top them. Heaving his sword above his head, he jumped at it. With a powerful slash, his sword slashed against the creature's arm, strange purple blood spouting from the wound. The bear growled, shaking its arm to get him off. The creature then stood up on its hind legs, roaring its challenge.
Cloud back-flipped off, landing on the ground with ease. It's monstrous size was indeed a problem, but he was too small to be able to hit quickly. The monster tried to stomp on him, the houses shaking and creaking with damage. Cloud jumped back, landing on top of another building. He could slowly cut it down with small wounds, but the creature had a possibility of bleeding to death. He definitely didn't want to have a reputation of killing something in this world. He would have to knock it out in one blow.
The monster roared, slashing down at the building he was on. Bending his knees, he leapt up as high as he could, and when the paw landed, he jumped right on top of it. He raced up the creature's arm, holding his sword to the side. As he was nearing the elbow, the giant bear attempted a swipe at him. Cloud ducked, the claw barely passing above him. When it was clear, he resumed his climb up the bear's arm.
The monster then began to shake its arm wildly, growling in fury to get him off. But Cloud had already made it to its shoulder, and was high above the small town below. He jumped up, grabbing a hold of its ear and using it to propel himself high above the monster's head.
It was now or never. Cloud spun around in the air, holding the sword above his head, the dull side flipped to the front. Cloud then started to emit a strange, foggy blue like glow from his body, his sword ready to strike as he readied his limit break. The monster looked up, snarling at him. Cloud then began to fall downwards, his momentum carrying himself down to the creature.
This was a risk, but Cloud had risked his life many times before. The creature cocked its arm back ready to strike him from the sky. But the fighter could only smirk. Just before the bear could attack, it hesitated, the pain coursing through the cut on its arm. The monster snarled through it, slashing up at the sky. But that one moment's hesitation had been too slow. Its paw stuck the air behind him, and Cloud grunted, bringing his sword down onto the head of the beast.
The contact had caused a powerful shockwave, the blue light exploded onto the creature's head, causing a loud booming noise. Cloud felt the vibrations course through his sword into his arms, and he bit past it. The monster didn't make a sound and it just seemed to sit there for a few moments as Cloud dropped from the impossibly high height, landing smoothly onto his feet. He smiled.
One more second past, and the creature began to topple backwards. But before it could hit any of the buildings, a golden glow encased its body, and the monster began to levitate. Cloud blinked, watching the strange spectacle. He didn't think any of these ponies were that powerful...was there a special pony that had just arrived?
"F-FREEZE!" A shaky, loud commanding voice echoed through the street. And before Cloud even realized it, he was completely surrounded by what looked like guards. They were wearing shiny golden armor, and each of them was a unicorn. Their horns glowed angrily at him, but Cloud only stared back.
"D-Drop your weapon!" The same guard called back. He obviously wasn't calm in this situation. A few thoughts then crossed Cloud's mind. He could easily escape...there was probably no pony that could hold him. He could be out of there in a few seconds at most. Or, he could beat down the guards and escape that way. They couldn't take him.
Cloud let go of his heavy sword and the weapon crashed onto the ground, making each of the guards jump a little. It was definitely as heavy as it looked. They were surprised that he knew what they had said...or at least they think he did.
Celestia was about to decimate the creature before the strange figure in black had appeared. And in quick seconds, he not only beat the creature untouched, but he almost managed to keep it alive. She had to hurry and catch it with her magic, not wanting to destroy any more buildings. After a few minutes, she laid it down safely in the Everfree Forest and hurried back to Ponyville.
The figure that had beaten the Ursa Major was surrounded by her guards, its massive sword lying still in the street. Celestia cleared her throat, walking up to the strange creature. It was donned in strange black clothes, and it looked like nothing she had ever seen before. It's body was covered in neither fur nor scales, and its hair was protruding oddly like feathers. Its eyes were a strange blue color, and as soon as she arrived it turned to stare at her.
"Princess Celestia?..." One of the guards asked, "What do we do with the....um...thing?"
She walked up, looking at the creature once more, "I'll deal with it. In the meantime, restore order to Ponyville."
"I'm not a thing."
Celestia blinked. This thing could...speak their language? But without another word, her horn flashed and they disappeared, leaving the large steel weapon on the ground.
Author's Note:
This chapter was hard for me to write and think about, so I might have a few weird parts in there. But it's done! And Cloud finally gets to meet the ponies! Tune in next time!
Cloud was expecting the dungeon cell to be a bit more happy. Maybe with big glass windows, bright colored walls, and nice carpet flooring. It was too bad that the prison was exactly what he would expect back home. He had no windows, the walls were a cold dark stone, and the floor was blackened with who knows what. He had a soft rotten cloth in the corner for a bed, and he had bars to keep him in. The air was dusty and dirty, and he could practically taste rusting metal in the air. Well...at least something like this could be familiar.
The large unicorn pegasus thing had immediately teleported him to where he was now. He guessed that it was the powerful creature that had levitated the large bear monster. It was a different pony then the rest of them, and he could exactly see eye to eye with her. Cloud sighed, sitting down with his back towards the wall. It was wise for her to leave his sword where he dropped it...But with his SOLDIER strength, he could probably bend the bars to get out if he wanted to.
Cloud dismissed that thought. The ponies all knew he existed now...and he was sure that they assume that he was whatever came out from that meteor. He was the crazy monster they were after, and now they had found him. Well, it was going to have to happen one way or another. He just wished that it didn't include him sitting in a prison cell waiting for something.
The blonde man sighed, running his hands through his incredibly spiky hair. What would happen to him now? Would they listen to him? They might just think of him as some weird monster from space. That was the likely suggestion. After all, he thought they were weird creatures at first as well. That really powerful pony...what was she? Not only did she have a horn and wings, but her power was incredible. Was she some kind of...god?
The door to the prison swung open, and something walked in, illuminating him in the light. He forgot that the dungeon cell was pitch black...his mako infused eyes typically made it easy to see in the dark.
When his eyes adjusted, he spotted the form of one of the pony guards. Just like the others, it was clad in golden shiny armor. But in this case, it was a pegasus. The pony walked up to the iron bars, glancing down at the strange creature. Cloud glared back.
"Princess Celestia wants to see you." The pony grumbled, picking up a set of keys with his mouth from his saddle bag.
Cloud lifted an eyebrow, "Princess...Celestia?" The cell door opened, and Cloud was released. He stepped out into the light, realizing he was facing down some sort of grand looking staircase. Was the prison directly connected with some sort of castle? This Princess Celestia either wasn't too smart...or she liked keeping her enemies close.
Climbing the staircase, Cloud was led down impressive looking hallways, with beautiful stained glass windows and wonderful large columns that decorated beautifully. He had never seen something like this, and it was breathtaking. The space in the halls was incredible, and the air wasn't stuffy like the prison.
The maids and servants gasped when they saw him walking with the guard, not expecting such a strange being walking through the halls. Cloud was going to have to get used to looking down to be able to see them.
The guard stopped him before a large set of doors. The pegasus nodded to him before standing post outside of it. Cloud took the hint, and pushed open the large doors with ease.
The room was huge, and up a grand set up steps sat the same creature who had teleported him to the dungeon. There were no others in the room, and Cloud felt that the air was different, despite the large open window to his right. He took a few steps, staring at the pony.
Princess Celestia was getting a closer look at her visitor. His features were soft, and she found him quite...handsome despite not being one of her kind. He stood like a warrior, and he had a bit of a powerful presence. She cleared her throat, preparing to speak.
"My name is Princess Celestia." She said, watching the fighter.
"Cloud Strife." The blonde man spoke, his voice soft and reserved. She was expecting a much more complicated name, and she was happy that it was simple.
"Cloud..." Celestia furrowed her eyebrows, "What...or Who are you?"
Cloud had been expecting a question like this for some time. He had prepared himself in the cell to answer any questions she would ask.
"I'm a human." He said, "And...By the looks of it, I'm from a different planet."
Celestia blinked, obviously confused, "Of course you are. I have never heard of your kind before...Why did you come here?..."
"That's what I would like to know." Cloud replied, watching the look of confusion grow even stronger on her face, "I don't even remember."
"I...See..." Celestia said quietly, "I'm sorry to hear that." This...human seemed much more calm and collected then what she expected him to be. Well, going up against a creature like an Ursa Major pretty much meant you had to be fearless.
"So..." Cloud started, "Where exactly am I?"
"Equestria." Celestia replied, "I rule Equestria with my sister, Princess Luna."
"Equestria..." Cloud repeated. This was just sounding more ridiculous than he thought.
"I have to thank you." Celestia smiled lightly, "You saved some very precious ponies to me today. And I'm sorry that I sent you to the dungeon...I didn't know if you were hostile or not. I got to thinking, and I realized that you couldn't be some sort of enemy. You did save the town and defeat the Ursa Major without killing it."
"Ursa Major...So that's what it was called." Cloud decided to ask some more serious questions, "Is there a way I can go back home?..."
"I...don't know." Celestia replied, biting her lip, "I am sorry, but something coming from the skies is unheard of. I can, however, put forth the idea in some of my most powerful unicorns. We can see if we can find someway to get you back home."
"I see...." Cloud said, scratching the back of his head, "So I guess I'm stuck for a while."
"It would appear so, Cloud." Celestia smiled again, "In the meantime...My most faithful student and her friends would like to thank you."
The throne room door opened up behind him, and Cloud glanced back to see the same six ponies that he had observed over the course of the week he was in the forest. He could tell that they were all nervous, anxious, but very thankful for what he had done. He decided to keep the fact that he was practically stalking them to himself.
When they all stepped in, the large doors closed again. Cloud was left in some sort of staring contest, watching them as they watched him. It was a bit awkward for him at first.
Then suddenly, the pink one ran up to him, practically shoving her face into his, leaning up against her body with her eyes wide. Cloud staggered back, blinking in surprise.
"So this is what you look like!" She declared, "I have been trying to find you for a while, Mr. Alien! But you were always too fast! But not today! Today I have finally found you! You have been hunted! Captured by the great Pinkie Pie!-
"Pinkie...." The purple unicorn said, laughing nervously, "You haven't captured him. You just met him." The pink pony leaned in, bursting Cloud's personal bubble. She sniffed loudly before pulling away, smiling brightly, "Okay dokey lokie!"
"His name is Cloud Strife." Princess Celestia smiled, "And don't worry. He won't harm you."
The blue pegasus dashed up to him floating around and getting a good look at him, "You aren't so super soldier will shiny metal armor! And what kind of name is Cloud anyway!" The pegasus crossed her front hooves, grinning down at him, "There is no way you're cooler than me!"
"C'mon, Dash." The orange, stetson wearing pony grinned, "He beat an Ursa Major by himself. Plus, he swung a sword four times bigger than you are like it was made of paper! I'd say he's much cooler than you could ever be!" The orange mare than smiled at him, "My name is Applejack." Rainbow Dash was trying hard to think of something to say back, but she couldn't find any words.
The white unicorn who had been observing him from afar walked up, circling around him before clapping her hooves together, "Why, those garments you are wearing are splendid! They do give you a strong, fighting sort of look! Now, if only they were white..." Cloud blinked, starting to feel a little creeped by the ponies already.
"Don't mind her." The purple unicorn smiled, "Her name is Rarity. She runs a clothing store in town." She cocked her head, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm happy to thank you for saving our lives. We owe you a lot." Cloud spotted a yellow mare giving him a sort of...half glare, half feared stare.
"And that's Fluttershy." Twilight laughed lightly, "Please don't mind her. She's not so good at socializing." Cloud hadn't said one word to any of them, and here they were, talking to him like some friend they knew long ago. Cloud expected this, but it was a bit strong for him.
"But seriously!" Rainbow Dash yelled, rushing back up to him, "I do have to admit...you were super cool! How can you swing a sword so easily that's THAT big?! How did you just jump around like THAT?! And how does your hair defy gravity like THAT?!" Cloud took a step back, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
"That's enough, Rainbow." Twilight giggled, "The poor thing hasn't even said a word yet." They all looked at him expectantly all of a sudden, and Cloud was taken back. What were they expecting? What was he supposed to say?
"Are you all okay?" He asked, each of them nodding in response. He really couldn't think of anything nice to say besides that. Talking to the ponies was really overwhelming.
"So, does Cloud have a place to stay?" Twilight asked, looking at the princess, "Or is he going to go back home soon?" Cloud heard a tinge of sadness in the last thing she said, but he guessed that she just wanted to find out more about who he was. She seemed like an intelligent sort.
Celestia thought for a second, "No, he does not. I was thinking of him being in Canterlot so I could observe him, or he could go back to Ponyville with one of you." Cloud glanced at the ponies, reading the excitement on their faces. Why were they being so happy about that?
"I see!" Twilight smiled, "He could stay with me! I mean, I do have a basement he could make some space in."
"Wait..." Applejack thought for a second, "Isn't that where that weird machine is?"
Celestia watched the group leave, her eyes lingering on Cloud for a while longer. Was it right to put her trust into him so easily? He did save her little ponies, but it seemed a bit too nice. She probably should have kept him in the dungeon a bit longer...Sighing, she made her way out of the throne room, entering a small golden door.
This room was more like a private resting place for the princess. There was a fireplace, beautiful paintings, comfortable chairs, and a large window that she would use to check up on Canterlot. Seated in one of the chairs was Clear Skies, the only pony who made it back from the snowy mountains. She was had Celestia left her....muttering and mumbling her words to herself as she watched over the fire.
"Sister..." Princess Luna said quietly, stepping out of the darkness, "How was that human?..."
"He seemed trustworthy enough. I sent the elements of harmony to watch over him. I don't think that we'll have any problems." Luna nodded before taking a seat by Clear Skies, her face filled with concerned.
"Did she say anything intelligible?" Celestia asked, standing behind he sister.
"A little..." Luna replied, "She said...that she saw the snow dragons."
"Is that what attacked her?" Celestia asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"No..." Luna shook her head, "She saw the BODIES of the snow dragons. Hundreds of them...each one lying dead in the crater."
Celestia's eyes widened, clenching her teeth softly. Snow dragons were some of the most vicious creatures in Equestria. What horrible thing could have wiped them all out?
"There...was one other thing..." Luna said, looking back up at her sister.
"She kept saying something about a creature...with a single black wing."
Cloud was a bit of a show in Canterlot, and he didn't like it much at all. The people from Edge all knew who he was, and he did gain a high level of annoying fame as well...But being a whole different creature was a different kind of attention. The noble ponies in the big city either thought he was some animal or something from a freak show. He was getting stares from just about everybo-everypony. Man, he wasn't going to get used to that.
"Don't worry about this, Cloud." Twilight smiled, trotting alongside of him, "None of these ponies will give you trouble. I promise you." He really wasn't worried too much about that. He really wasn't worried about himself at all at the moment. His mind was fixed back on his home planet. Why didn't he remember what happened?
They boarded a train, and each of the ponies crammed themselves right beside him. They were each staring at him expectantly, a glimmer in their eyes. He twitched a little bit, not liking his situation one bit. Did they expect him to say something again.
"Um...what?" He asked. They blinked, not realizing how they were staring at him and quickly blushed, looking away.
"Um...." Applejack started, scratching the back of her head, "So, Cloud...could you tell us about yourself?" Cloud sighed silently, knowing that this question would pop up sooner or later.
"What do you want to know?" He asked. He would rather keep most of it a secret, and would only tell trivial things.
"Like your family and friends!" Rainbow Dash squeaked, "What are they like?"
Cloud thought for a second, "Well..." He looked at Rainbow Dash, "I have a friend who acts just like you do." He glanced at Applejack, "I have a friend who sort of talks like you." He turned back to the window he had been watching, and they all blinked.
"Is...that it?"
"That's it."
"What...what about a whole life story sort of thing!?"
"Not interesting."
"What about where you lived?!"
"Not interesting?"
"What about a love, or a special somepony?" A small image of Aerith flash through his mind, and he grimaced. Although he knew she forgave him and that it wasn't his fault, he still could not forget the moment he lost her. They each noticed that he stiffened, and he turned to face them.
"I...had a person close to me once. She...died right in front of me." Cloud turned his gaze back to the window, completely killing the mood. He got no more questions on the train ride.
There was something about Cloud that Twilight couldn't put a hoof on. She only knew him for a short while, but he had an odd behavior. All ponies for the most part were really friendly, open, and easy to get along with. Cloud was a mystery, and Twilight and the rest of her friends found him most curious. They had wanted to bombard him with intense questions, but figured that he really didn't feel like answering them at the moment. She would eventually figure him out, but that would take some time.
Stepping off from the train, Twilight observed the human once more. He had his normal stone-faced demeanor on, and he carried himself confidently but had a tinge of sadness wherever he went. Twilight sensed that he had a past that he wanted to forget...and that it wouldn't be easily forgotten. It was probably also because of the new world he was in. Twilight made note to make his stay here as comfortable as possible.
"So....What do you think of Ponyville?" Twilight asked, hoping to get an answer from the man. Cloud looked down at her, his strange blue eyes almost mesmerizing and she had to quickly look away. Was she finding him...a bit attractive?
"It's peaceful." he said, a few of the ponies staring at him with wide eyes. Most of them had no idea who he was, and a familiar idea snapped in Pinkie's mind, making her jaw drop.
"OhmygodIshouldreallytelleverybodythatCloudisgonnahaveapartysoonbecauseheneedstomeeteveryponysoIshouldbeofftoSugarcubecornersoIcangetpreparedI'llseeyoualllater!" Pinkie Dashed away, leaving Cloud completely speechless. Yuffie talked fast, but this...this was ridiculous!
"Yeah...." Twilight chuckled lightly, "She's just getting ready to set up a party for you."
"Wait...a party?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow. Okay...that was something he was definitely not ready for.
"Yeah!" Rainbow grinned, flying up next to his head, "She throws the best parties! You get to meet all the ponies in Ponyville tonight!"
Emotion almost made Cloud make a facial expression. Almost. This was completely overwhelming. He didn't want to meet anymore ponies, and he certainly didn't think he had time to, much less the town itself. He could tell that damage had been taken from the encounter with the Ursa Major, and he had seen some busy ponies repairing the houses and such. He wondered how they could do that without hands...
"Wait..." Cloud hit a realization, "Where's my sword?"
"Exactly where you left it...." Twilight chuckled nervously, "We...kinda couldn't carry it back to you. Even Big Macintosh couldn't tug that thing anywhere..." Figures. Anyways, Cloud found the first thing on his agenda he needed to finish. He instructed them to take him to it, and they did so nervously. Where they thinking that he was going to try and massacre the whole town? Funny. He wasn't Sephiroth.
Cloud made note of some of the landmarks they pointed out to him. Sugarcube Corner, the bakery. It was shaped like cupcakes, and that made it really hard to miss. Apparently that was where the party would take place. What a joy. The next was Carousel Boutique where the white unicorn Rarity lived. He learned that she was a fashion designer, which explains her interest in his clothing.
He made no eye contact with the passing ponies and had no interest in what they thought of him. But for some reason...he felt like he was being followed. He glanced back and thought he saw something bright green dart out of the way. Shrugging it off, he paid it no heed. It's not like any of these ponies would really want to try anything anyway.
He guessed that they were approaching his sword when he saw a small crowd gathered around in a circle. They were all talking to themselves, and it looked as though some were prodding at it with their hooves. When they saw him, they immediately shushed and backed away, giving him the view of his familiar weapon. Three small ponies, however, didn't see him coming up and resumed their conversation.
"I bet this is some sort of monster-killing weapon!" An orange, purple haired pegasus exclaimed, "He must be a monster slayer!"
"I think he's more of a knight. He didn't look like some monster killer!" Piped out a white unicorn with strange purple swirls in her mane.
"This sword is too goofy lookin' to be a knight sword! And he didn't look like a monster slayer!" A small yellow mare speaking in Applejack's accent chimed, "What in Celestia is he?!"
"A delivery boy." Cloud grumbled. Their eyes widened as they looked at him, jumping back a few feet.
"Whoa..." The pegasus blinked, "He's bigger than I thought!"
"Are you going to pick that thing up?! It's so heavy!" The unicorn cried.
"Wait...A delivery boy?" The yellow pony asked, "Kinda like....Derpy?" Cloud ignored them, gripping the handle with his right hand. With a swift flick of the arm, he twirled the sword as he picked it up, sheathing it onto the harness on his back.
"Whoa!" The crowd gasped, "Did you see that?! He picked that thing up like it was a stick!"
"Hey Cloud..." Twilight said nervously, "That sword...kinda looks like a puzzle piece...why is that?" Cloud decided that he should at least amuse her. He pulled the sword out, moving his other hand over. With a *click* a piece came off of it, falling into his hand and unfolded into another big sword. The jaws of all the ponies dropped.
"It's made up of six different swords." Cloud said, combining the two swords together again and placing it back onto his back.
"That just made it sound much heavier..." Applejack blinked, "Are all your people like this?!" Cloud looked at her and shook his head, "Just a few." he noticed that the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, was looking at his sword as though it was some sort of demonic artifact. Was she just scared, or did she have something against him?
"Anyways..." Twilight cleared her throat, "L-Let's show you to your new home."
"Temporary home." Cloud corrected, following behind the pegasus. The others were right behind him, and he had a feeling was that they didn't quite trust him yet. Waving a big sword around like that was definitely going to make them feel uncomfortable, but he didn't need to be trusted. He wasn't going to trust them anyway, even if they all seemed innocent and harmless. He wasn't about ready to drop his guard.
"So Cloud..." Rainbow Dash asked, flying up next to him, "What exactly is that big metal thing in Twilight's basement?" Cloud almost couldn't hold back a smirk. They were probably talking about his motorcycle, Fenrir. He was wondering what condition it was probably in...He had put a ton of Gil into it. It wouldn't rust easily, but he had no doubt that it wasn't in the best shape. He would need to repair it.
"It's for transportation. If I get it working, I'll show you." He could tell that Rainbow Dash wanted to pester him with more questions, but she held back. Cloud had a way of making people or in this case ponies shut up, but that was only if they didn't know him well. And he was as sure as hell not going to get all friendly with these...things.
They began to approach a massive tree near the edge of town, and it had taken a bit before Cloud realized that it was actually a gigantic house. He had never seen a sight like this yet...but it didn't really surprise him. If this was attempted back on his planet, the tree would've definitely be dead.
"Sorry if the doorway is a little...small for you." Cloud sighed silently, watching as each of the ponies went into the strange structure before him. He had to remove his sword from his back and bend down to get in, and it was still a very uncomfortable fit. Either way, he had a new place to stay and he could work on his motorcycle.
The ponies were already seated at the table, giving him their cheeriest smiles. They probably wanted to make him feel more comfortable to annoy him with more pointless questions. He was going to go out of his way to not get too involved with them.
"Where's the basement?" He asked, staring directly at Twilight.
"It's that door over there. But before you go, we were just wondering-
"Not interested." Cloud stated plainly, making his way over to the small door and slamming it closed behind him.
"What a brute!" Rarity declared, "He could at least be more of a gentlecolt! One does not slam the door in the presence of a lady!"
"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow Dash snorted, "What a rude guy! I don't trust him one bit!"
"Maybe we should give him more time..." Twilight piped up, "You know...it's quite a big adjustment when you travel to a different world without even knowing how you did it."
"Twi is right." Applejack nodded, "Maybe this guy is a little homesick. I'm sure Pinkie's party will put the life right back into him! What do you think Fluttershy?" They blinked, realizing that the yellow pegasus was no longer in their presence. The basement door closed silently behind them, and none of them guessed where she could be.
Cloud groaned audibly, running his hand through his spiky blonde hair. His broken bike was lying at his feet, already covered in dust and who knows what. He sighed, leaning his sword against one of the walls. The basement was surprisingly big, a small window being his only source of light. There were a few bookshelves with a few books lying here and there, but otherwise there was nothing else. He bent down to examine his only companion in Equestria.
The frame was dented and bent a little, the gas tank showing a few leaky holes. The exhaust was bent slightly as well, and his handbrake was practically torn off. The wheels had tears in them, and his seat was all burnt away and gone. Speaking of being burnt, his bike was practically covered in blacked fire stains. The starter was completely unusable. The only things that looked usable was the six compartments that held each of his six swords.
He set up his bike, a bit satisfied that at least his kick stand worked. Now he just needed to find a place to work on his bike where there was much better light and with the tools he needed. Before he could get another thought across, he heard one of the steps on the stairs behind him creak. His hand instinctively reached for his sword, but he stopped when he saw the yellow pegasus nervously freeze in her tracks.
This pony...This Fluttershy...for some reason, she reminded him of someone. And he hated that feeling, and was hoping to stay away from her as much as possible. He gritted his teeth a little, not really wanting to be disturbed. And the pegasus definitely felt it.
"What do you want?" He asked, "I'm busy." His voice was its usual tone, but there was a tinge of venom in there. The yellow pony started shivering a little, and a small bit of regret was beginning to wash over him.
"Ah...well...um...uh...y-you see...." She started, sitting down on her flanks, "I...I...u-um....I...." Cloud almost growled at her, but that wouldn't have been a great idea. He was already somehow feeling bad for her. He sighed, before walking up to her. Her eyes widened in fear, but they lessened when he crouched down in front of her.
"What's on your mind?" He asked.
Fluttershy couldn't help but be speech-less. In the dim, dusty light, Cloud's eyes seemed to be...glowing. It was distracting, and she could almost feel herself being lost in them. She eventually shook it her, her heart beating wildly in anxiety. There was something that she needed to know.
"A...A while ago...T-There were t-three...t-three animals in the f-forest..." Tears began welling up in her eyes and she glanced back up at them, "I...I-I was j-just wondering if you...um...if you...w-were the o-one who...took away...their l-lives..." She began sniffling, and Cloud gave her a questioning look.
"No." He shook his head, "I didn't kill anything during my time here. I only fought in self defense, and I didn't take away the lives of any animal or creature. You have my word."
"R-Really?..." She asked, her eyes making Cloud looked away uncomfortably.
"Yes." He said, standing back up, "Whatever did it....wasn't me." He moved back to his bike,"You should probably go back upstairs with the others. I'll...be up in a bit."
"O-Okay!" She said cheerfully, making her way up the steps. Cloud sighed softly, his hand resting itself softly against his bike. He really needed to stop being nice.
Princess Luna soared over the landscape on her dark chariot, being the only darkness in the land filled with snow. The winds were violent and angry, yet her magic kept nature's power at bay. Her lunar pegasi were fast and strong, flying through the snow swiftly and efficiently, their body pushing through the icy touch of the air. Luna's eyes was on the mountains below, looking for the meteor crash site.
It was hard to miss. A massive crater was dug into the earth between two mountains, and the alicorn's breath was taken by its shear size. It could fit all of Canterlot with no problem! This was unheard of. The crater was getting filled with snow, yet for some strange reason it didn't seem all that piled up. It's as though it was giving off some strange heat, or some prevention magic.
"Take us down." Luna said, her eyes squinting, "We must immediately investigate." Her stallions nodded, their heads turning below as the chariot began to descend.
She saw nothing out of the ordinary. She saw no signs of life, no signs of a struggle...and definitely no signs of any bodies. However, a nervous feeling began to creep into her chest and she had a hard time not asking her pegasi to turn back. she needed to get to the source of this mystery, and she would report back to her sister right away.
They landed carefully, the chariot sinking into the snow slightly. Luna jumped off, her hooves hitting against something...solid?
"Hmmm..." One of the pegasi glanced around, "Nothing here but snow, your highness."
"Odd...." The other shook his head, shaking off the snowflakes, "I had heard word of a struggle, but I see nothing of the sort. Do you suppose the bodies could have been taken?..."
Luna kicked her hoof at the ground, feeling another strange object. Her ears flattened as she stared at the ground, beginning to think. It was a familiar kind of feel....something that she would definitely know....She hit a realization, and her horn began to glow.
"Stand back and brace yourselves..." Lunar barked, her canterlot voice calling out. The two pegasi hid behind the chariot, the winds around Luna beginning to go wild. With a shout, a large shockwave exploded out around her, the snow flying up in the air, along with the chariot and her two lunar pegasi. A good deal of the snow was kicked up, launched out from the crater. It didn't cover even half the size of the earth scar, however. But it was enough for Luna to confirm her suspicious.;
"This..." She took a step back, her eyes the size of watermelons, "No...No...." The familiar feeling she had gotten from that strange object was the toughness of dragon scales. Dragon scales were the toughest, strongest, and most impenetrable material in all of Equestria. Dragons could almost never be harmed, their scales and skin brushing off any attacks that had come across them.
But here, she was staring at the bodies of hundreds of dragons.
The snow dragons were revered as the most violent and worst of all of the species. And here they were, completely massacred, their bodies ripped and slashed to shreds. Their scales had been completely useless against whatever had attacked them, and she could see the mass amount of frozen blood that had came from their bodies.
"Um..." The voice of one of her pegasi stuttered, "Your highness..." Luna whipped her head around, her eyes focusing on the form of her two servants. They were both pointing their hooves at something, their facial expressions surely showing that what they had seen was grotesque and unjustifiable. Luna cleared her throat, approaching them. Then, her gaze found what they had been pointing out to her.
"Get the chariot...." Luna said quietly, "We...must immediately see my sister."
It was Cloud's first morning living in Twilight's house, and she practically already knew what to expect from him. The night before, he barely said anything at dinner time besides a few nods, and he had gone down into his basement to be alone. He asked her about something like a repair shop nearby, and she had been clearly confused by his question. Ponies had no reason to have something called a "Garage". He then asked if she could somehow supply him with tools and lumber, which only confused her more. What was he trying to possibly build? She was happy that Applejack was willing to lend him whatever she had lying around along with Big Mac's tools. They would bring it all to him today sometime in the morning.
She was happy that Pinkie had returned with news that she was completely out of confetti, punch, and that the bakery needed some flour to make the cakes....So the party would have to be set for the day after yesterday...meaning today. They were all relieved, and she was sure a heavy weight had been lifted off of Cloud's shoulders with the news.
Yawning, the purple unicorn sat up on the bed, her mane sticking up in strange directions. She laughed lightly, thinking she could pass off for Cloud because of it. That guy did have ridiculous hair. But curiously, she actually liked it, and she was sure her friends found it funny as well. It gave that gloomy guy a strange funny look. Jumping off from the bed, Twilight headed on towards the bathroom.
Twilight had been trying to figure out Cloud when she had been laying in bed last night. He was so untrusting, so blunt and harsh. Did he have a problem relying on others? Or was he still just trying to adjust to this world? Were the creatures of his species just the same as he was? Twilight shook it out, determined to find out more about Cloud. Besides, there had to be more to him then what he was implying.
Approaching the bathroom door, she heard the shower turn off. Spike never took showers...so it must be Cloud. Shrugging to herself that nothing could go wrong, she reached for the doorknob and pushed open the door.
Cloud had been busy all night thinking about how he could build a garage to repair his bike. Sure, he could fix it up in the basement, but there was a lack of light and the strange dust that always appeared would make things annoying. Plus, he would have to have Twilight teleport it outside if he repaired it, and it could break again. He wasn't sure if teleporting did effect it in some way, but he didn't want to give it a chance. Besides, his bike really couldn't be in a worse condition.
When he had gotten up from the mattress Twilight had given him, he realized that it had been a while since he cleaned himself up. Normally, he wouldn't of really cared...but it was a habit given to him when he traveled with Tifa and Aerith.
His shirt smelled like death, and his pants were almost in the same condition. His gloves needed to be cleaned as well, and his boots had been in who knows what. Unfortunately, he had no other changes of clothes anywhere. Later, he could ask that unicorn Rarity if she could make him something to wear when he washed his gear.
Since it was early enough, he decided to wake up and take a shower. Problem was, was that the showers were also pony sized. This led to a very uncomfortable cleansing, which forced Cloud to have to lean down and crouch to get the water to rinse over his entire body.
When he finished, he stretched out his muscles and wrapped a towel around his waist, staring into the mirror. For everything that he had been through, every battle and every fight, he had no visible scars. His muscled, light skin body was proof of the mako that had been forced into his body. The power from the lifestream had given him unremarkable strength, and it helped preserve his body. Unfortunately, due to its poisoning, he felt as if he had lost many years off his life.
He was left from his thoughts when he heard the doorknob turn. He glanced on over, the door opening up and revealing the purple unicorn. She glanced up, blinking when she saw his face.
In half an instant, Cloud pushed her back out onto her back and slammed the door closed, leaning against it.
"Hey!" Twilight grumbled from the outside, hitting the door with her hooves, "What did you do that for?!"
"I was just done showering. I'm practically naked in here." He said sternly, keeping the door closed with the least amount of effort he could do.
"So what?! Everypony is naked in Equestria!" She whined.
"Not where I come from." He winced, "Just wait a second. I'll be out."
Twilight stomped her hooves angrily on the floor before turning around, sitting down on her flank. What was his problem?! So what if he was naked? He was an entire different species. Surely it wouldn't be awkward, right? After a few moments, the door opened up behind her and Twilight turned.
Cloud was standing, before her, with just his boots and pants on. He was drying his hair with a towel, and he glanced down at her, his muscled torso in full view before her. The purple unicorn just stared at him, taking in his body. He seemed...so rough yet so soft. His features were delicate, yet he had a fierce appearance. His hair was still wet and down, and his bright blue eyes were on hers.
"Uh..." She attempted to speak, a red blush visible on her cheeks, "Um...I...."
"You have any detergent?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Um...yeah...beneath...the sink..."
"Thanks." He walked past her, not even giving her a thought. She kept her eyes where he had been standing, and cursed her own strange behavior. When she saw him, she just couldn't be angry. Sighing, she walked slowly into the bathroom.
Applejack was on her way to Twilight's with Big Macintosh in tow, pulling a large wagon filled with whatever lumber they could find lying around in the barn. Surprisingly, there was quite a few just waiting to be used. When they had gone on their way, Applejack was filling up with strange optimism. Maybe she would be the one to make Cloud finally smile. That guy was a large wall of bad emotions, but maybe with a little smile things would pick up.
Cloud barely spoke anything to her, but that made her more curious to learn more about him. He was strong but antisocial, and maybe on the inside he was weak. Applejack had a strange urge to help him in anyway, and knew that Pinkie was going to do what she could in order to make him smile. Besides, that Cloud was...cute for what she thought an alien would be.
She spotted the blonde haired human beside the library. He had what appeared to be a close line hung up from a branch of Twilight's house to one of his six large swords impale in the ground. He had his shirt and a pair of gloves hung up, and Applejack noticed then that he was completely shirtless. Cloud noticed them come up, and Applejack had a hard time prying her eyes off the muscles on his torso. Why this alien was so good looking really irritated her.
"Hey there, feather-head, " Applejack chuckled, "Brought you your lumber. But I'm not sure about this garage thing you want to build. Is it like a barn?" Cloud noticed the big red stallion behind her, dragging a wagon with tons of wood piled in.
"Something like that." He replied, keeping his frown to her dismay. He made his way over to the big red stallion, actually able to look him eye to eye.
"You Big Macintosh?" Cloud asked. He had heard of him from Applejack the night before.
"Eeyup." The red stallion replied, "I'm guessing you're Cloud."
"Yeah. Is it fine if I borrow your tools?"
"Eeyup."
"Thanks. We'll get along great then."
"Eeyup."
Applejack was speechless. How her quiet, soft-spoken brother was actually getting more words from Cloud then she did was just embarrassing. Cloud directed the large stallion to the largest part of Twilight's yard, and Big Mac proceeded to drop off the wagon. The citizens of Ponyville were just starting to wake up, and each of them gave Cloud curious glances once again. What in Celestia's name was he doing?!
Applejack shook her head, entering Twilight's house. Her hooves padded softly on the wood floor, and it wasn't long before Twilight came out of the bathroom looking clean, refreshed, and ready to meet the brand new day.
"Hey Twi..." Applejack started, "Um...Cloud's started on his strange garage thing. You wanna see?"
"I've got more important things to do!" Twilight responded, still flustered from the encounter in the morning, "Whatever he does doesn't matter to me!"
Applejack lifted an eyebrow, "Now hold on, Sugarcube. Princess Celestia wants us to watch over him at all times. I've gotta head back to the farm, and the others are busy with their work as well. You're the only one I can think of that has almost nothing to do today, so I suggest you get to it then." Twilight sighed, making her way down the stairs. Applejack was completely right...she couldn't afford to let Cloud out of her sights.
The two mares left her house, and walked the short distance to see what both Cloud and Big Mac were up to. Surprisingly, they had already gotten started. Big Mac was helping Cloud get started, and was giving him building tips as they were starting up on the flooring. Big Mac was greatly talented in carpentry, and if it wasn't for him being in the apple family, a hammer and nails would have been his cutie mark. He had to help Cloud plan out the length and width of the structure, but with Big Mac's math skills that didn't take too long.
Watching the handsome, muscular stallion work with the strangely attractive alien was almost a bit too much for Twilight and probably some of the other mares who were watching. Twilight felt like shying away, but knew she had to stay put. Applejack had given her a small goodbye, giving a last glance to the building scene before she trotted away. Evidently, that meant that Big Mac was given the day off in order to help cloud build whatever he was trying to build. And with the incredible strength of the two beings, that might not take as long as Twilight had thought.
Author's Note:
Looks like Cloud's going to be stuck in Ponyville for a while...Let's hope he doesn't start to develop crazy fan-mares! I don't have any editors or proof readers to help out, but I do what I can. Remember to rate if you like!
Princess Celestia, walked nobly down the hallway that led from her bedroom, her hooves clacking lightly against the marble floors. Her royal guards were posted out in the hallways, facing each other as though they were statues. They were trained so well, yet there was almost no need to call on them. Sometimes she let them out early, knowing that if there was any evil nearby she could probably take care of it. The last incident was with the changelings, but Celestia had learned since then. Her powers would have to be at maximum if she was going to deal with such a threat again.
Humming lightly to herself and feeling the warm breeze from an open window. The peaceful sound of colts and fillies laughing were echoing around her, and she couldn't help but smile and hum a nameless tune. Such peaceful times they were...but in the back of her mind something was telling her that they wouldn't last...something was telling her that something big was going to happen but what?
"CELESTIA!" Luna's voice boomed, her canterlot voice once again exploding into the walls, "COME QUICKLY! I MUST SPEAK WITH THEE!" The castle seemed to shake with the sound vibrations, and Celestia sighed as she began to trot quickly throughout the halls. Her sister only called if it was something urgent...or something that she couldn't understand. What was it this time?
Celestia opened the doors to the royal throne room, finding her sister looking as though she had seen the black pony, which was an old foals tale.
"Yes, Lulu?" She asked, cocking her head in question, "What is wrong?" Luna cleared her throat, and she was clearly distressed. Celestia knew immediately that it was something important, or else Luna would appear to be agitated and embarrassed.
"Where is Clear Skies?..." Luna asked, galloping up to her sister, "Where is she?!"
Celestia blinked, "You...You mean the leader of the team you sent to the giant crater in the north?" Luna nodded quickly, her eyes telling her that something was wrong.
"Well...." Celestia spoke, thinking back a bit, "I sent her back home. She seemed to be doing much better. Why?" Luna cursed, stomping her hoof loudly, the throne room actually quaking.
"We need to get to her." Luna hissed, "NOW!"
"Stop it!" Celestia yelled back, "What's going on?! You must tell me! What's wrong with Clear Skies?!" Luna rushed to the throne room's large window, her wings spreading as she glanced back.
"Because...." Luna said, her voice shaky and scared, "That can't be Clear Skies. I found her body at the crater."
Rarity, the most fabulous and beautiful of all the ponies in Ponyville, was going through a tough wall of creativity at the moment. This had been going on for a while, and she often found herself staring at a blank sheet of paper, just waiting for a new design to be drawn. The unicorn was met with little success, and she was relieved that she had only been asked to make the most trivial things by customers, such as suits or simple summer dresses. She had no big ideas for glorious wedding clothes, or dresses that could take you by storm. She was stuck, and didn't know where she could go.
At this current moment in time, she was lying on her bed, her hair in a horrible frizzled mess. When that happened, it clearly showed that she was going through nothing short of a tough time. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, her mind in shambles. Eventually, a big name from Canterlot would show up at her doorstep, ask for a great new clothing design, and she would have to find more inspiration in order to make it. But how could she now?...Her motivation was gone...
There was a loud knocking on her door, and Rarity jumped onto her feet. Who was that?! The important celebrity?! She quickly fixed her mane as well as she could, the familiar purple curls forming from the chaos atop her head. She darted down the stairs, reaching a brief moment of hesitation in front of the door. What could she do!? This was going to be a serious moment for her...But she had to do it. Holding her breath, she opened the door.
"Hello! And welcome to- Oh, Cloud!" She blinked, clearly not expecting the blonde human to open her door...especially being so shirtless and all. The human anatomy suddenly...didn't seem too bad. She shook her head and smiled at him, not noticing the purple unicorn trailing not too far behind. His sword was also hanging from a harness strapped on his back.
"Hello. It's Rarity, right?" Cloud asked, dabbing at his brow with a simple white cloth.
"Why, yes..." She chuckled nervously, "Is...Is there something you need me for?"
"I heard you make clothes." He said, glancing into her shop, "And I was wondering if you could make me something to wear while I wash my battle gear." She blinked, noticing that his boots and pants did seem dirty...was his shirt gone because he was washing it at the moment?
Suddenly, an idea clicked in her head. Here was her inspiration...her ticket out of her designer despair. She grabbed Cloud's hand lightly in her teeth, yanking him in and slamming the door loudly behind him. Twilight blinked at the door before shaking her head.
"Oh well...his problem now..."
Cloud himself was not expecting such an aggressive behavior by this unicorn. She seemed too proper and ladylike, but he had been wrong about women before. In almost an instant she was holding up different tape measures, a pen and piece of paper not lying too far from them. Cloud took a nervous step back, suddenly feeling nostalgic. He glanced around, spotting a pink dress in the corner.
"Shit..." Cloud cursed under his breath, "Not again..."
"Okay, Cloud!" She grinned, her eyes beaming, "Just sit tight and let me go to work! I'll have a wonderful set of clothes for you in just a few minutes darling!"
"I just want something to wear when I'm not in my other clothes..." Cloud said rather quickly, not sure what could come of this development, "Don't make something too complicated...."
"Oh, come on! If you're going to wear something, it better be STYLISH!" Cloud blinked and then sighed, unclipping his sword harness and laying it in the corner, the heavy metal blade bending the wooden floor planks slightly.
"Just get it done quickly." Cloud grumbled, "I need to get back."
"No problem! I'll have it done in no problem at all!" Rarity chirped, her measuring tapes darting around Cloud's body, "Just give me a second to get these done....aaaaannddd....be right back!" She scribbled a few things onto the piece of paper, and before Cloud could even breath she had disappeared into the confines of her room, leaving Cloud alone in the shop of a strange pony. Strange...weren't they supposed to be watching over him?
Sighing, Cloud plopped down into a very low and uncomfortable seat. Of course, these were all made for ponies...he would probably never find a comfortable chair on the whole planet.
He thought back to the strange ponies. He sensed no hostilities towards him at all. Only curiosity, fear, and maybe a bit of attraction. Ponies didn't actually find him good-looking, did they? He was an entirely different species, and he couldn't help but see them as animals. That just made it much more difficult to just talk to them sometimes.
The door to the shop opened, and Cloud's eyes became fixed upon the small figure that entered the home. It was a young pony, sporting a unicorn and a strange purple and pink mane. He had recognized her as one of the three fillies that had been curiously entertained by his sword.
Almost immediately she spotted him, gasping lightly and backing up a little. Cloud was a bit intimidating, being much bigger than her and giving her somewhat of a scowl. But it didn't take long for her to completely change around and walk up to him, watching him carefully.
"You must be Cloud..." She blinked, walking up and sitting down on her haunches, "Wow...you're really tall!" Cloud just watched her, not quite sure what to say in the situation. He wasn't particularly good with kids anyway.
"Uh...Thanks?" He responded, running his hands through his spiky hair. Rarity better hurry it up..
"Applebloom says that your hair looks like the butt of a bird!" She giggled, "But I like it! It's pretty cool!" Cloud raised an eyebrow, not feeling the need to reply. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few more moments before Sweetie Belle broke the silence.
"So how heavy is your sword?"
"Pretty heavy."
"Why is it so big?"
"Because it was made that way."
"How can you lift it?"
"I'm strong."
"Have you slain monsters with it?"
"Yeah."
"How many?"
"A lot."
"Where's your shirt?"
"It's drying."
"Oh. Is my sister making you more clothes?"
"Yes."
"That's good! She's the best fashion designer in all of Equestria you know! Everyone looks up to her!"
"Huh."
"Do you not look up to her?"
"I don't know her well."
"Oh. Well she's really nice and cool and can make whatever clothes you want!"
"That's nice."
"Why are you being so quiet?!" Sweetie Belle demanded, her hoof clacking lightly onto the wooden floor, "Why don't you ask me questions for once!"
"Are you ever quiet?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I am! It just doesn't happen often!" She snorted, standing back up. She circled around him, looking like she was observing him in some way. Cloud just wanted to get his clothes and leave as soon as possible.
"Where's your cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle asked suspiciously.
"Huh?" Cloud asked, not quite understanding her questions.
"Your cutie mark!" She exclaimed, hopping up and down, "You know, the magical symbol that appears on your flanks when you discover your talent!" Cloud blinked, finally understanding what those strange markings on the ponies meant. So those were their special talents.
"Humans don't have them." He replied, crossing his arms.
"What?!" She asked, taken back, "Then how do you discover who you really are?"
"What...I really am?" He repeated, looking back at her with his glowing blue eyes.
"Yeah! I bet you're some kind of a hero, right? Like you go around saving damsels in distress and whatnot! I bet you have all kinds of stories!" Sweetie Belle smiled, running up to him and standing up, resting her front hooves on his leg, "You gotta tell me!"
A hero? That was a joke. Cloud knew that better than anybody. He was no hero. He was no knight in shining armor. He couldn't make it into SOLDIER, he couldn't save his hometown from Sephiroth...and he couldn't save Aerith. It still bit at him, even though he knew there was nothing he could've done.
"No." Cloud said coldly. Sweetie Belle frowned sadly, falling back down to all fours.
"Aw, why not?" She asked, cocking her head while giving him big puppy eyes. Cloud just looked away.
"I'm anything but a hero."
Fluttershy walked through the town market with bags of carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and other different vegetables in her saddlebags. For once, she had a successful day of shopping. None of the shopkeepers had a bad attitude that day, and none of them seemed to really want to push her around. Guessing that she was just having good luck, Fluttershy walked down the dirt roads with a slight spring in her step.
She was passing by a few construction workers who were all busy with repairing the damage from the Ursa Major attack. They were wearing the yellow hard hats, hammers and other tools strapped to the belts around their waists. There weren't too many structures that had been destroyed, but they still had to go to work. Some ponies had lost their homes in the attack, but thankfully it would all get done soon.
Her thoughts wandered back to Cloud. Everypony in Ponyville was probably thinking about the strange new alien in town. They all wanted to swarm around him and bombard him with questions, but the fact that he carried that sword around all the time really stopped them in their tracks. She wished she had something like that when she was going through her modelling job.
She had an urge to talk to him soon. She knew he wasn't an animal, but she had a great interest in getting to know him. What were animals like back on his homeworld? Did he have any pets? Her minds were cluttered in different thoughts when she saw the blonde man make his way out of carousel boutique.
He was wearing a black shirt with stylish arcane looking white lines darting down the front and the back. His pants were black, but different then the ones he had been wearing the day before. He was also wearing dark shoes instead of his boots, and she noticed that he was carrying a bag with what appeared to be more clothes. The look on his face told her that he wasn't too happy with what he got, and she started to hesitate talking with him again.
Eventually, she pushed past it and trotted over next to him.
"Um...Hello..." She said sheepishly, "Nice to um...see you, Cloud." The blonde human glanced down at her before nodding, looking straight ahead.
She cleared her throat, "Um...Did Rarity make you those clothes?"
"Yes."
"Oh...I think they look...nice..."
"Thanks."
"Um...So what are you doing today?"
"Building."
"Oh...I-I see...are y-you enjoying your time in town?"
"Not really."
"Oh...O-Okay then..." Fluttershy walked alongside him silently the rest of the way, her eyes starting to find the ground pretty interesting. As long as he didn't tell her that she bothered him, she sort of just wanted to walk with him. If she was to going to get to know him, she should try to make his stay as comfortable as she could.
They arrived back at Twilight's and she was surprised to see that Cloud's garage was starting to come along already. Big Mac looked like he was helping, and the red stallion was currently having a small lunch in the shade. They nodded to each other, and Cloud dropped his bag of clothes next to Twilight's door.
The garage had the flooring all done, and it had the skeletal outline of the walls and ceiling done as well. What he wanted it for was still unknown to the yellow pegasus. Was it something to do with his strange mechanical object in the library basement?
"Hey, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled, walking out of her house, "Were you just seeing what Cloud was up to?"
"Um, yes. I tried talking to him...but..."
"I know." The purple unicorn frowned, "He's been like that to me too so far. I'm not sure what to expect...He might be like this for his entire stay in Equestria."
"I'm not quite sure either..." The yellow pegasus added, "Maybe Pinkie's party tonight could help a little."
Author's Note:
This chapter was pretty horrid, I know...but it's needed for whats to come! Thank you for being patient with me! Remember to rate if you like!
Oh, and I just got in 50+ hours in Final Fantasy XII. Does this game ever end?!
"Clear Skies" trotted calmly and almost completely unnoticed out of the royal castle, nodding lightly to the guards as she passed by them. She held a highly respectable position under Princess Celestia after all, so it wasn't odd to see her make her way around the castle. Celestia often entrusted her with the most important, top secret affairs that she wouldn't be able to handle herself. Of course, this never really meant that violence was involved. Usually it was to resolve disputes that could put a big hold on an important part of Pony society. Petty arguments between business and such.
So it wasn't suspicious when she left the castle, smiling brightly when the warmth of Celestia's sun touched her face. Clear Skies had a great respect for both of the Princesses, and she had sworn her loyalty and utmost respect for both of them, ready to give up anything and everything for the wishes of the two deities. But this wasn't the same Clear Skies. This wasn't the Clear Skies who had a wonderful loving family back home. This wasn't the Clear Skies who joked and grew a great friendship with Luna.
This Clear Skies had different motives.
The mare entered the royal gardens, glancing around to see if anypony was out. The gardens were a popular spot in Canterlot, and many of those with links to nobility and royalty often held small social gatherings. Most of the time it was to flaunt around their status and money.
However, the earth pony was hardly concerned with that. What had gone on in her previous life didn't matter anymore. Family, friends, she cared none for that. She didn't even care for any of the small fillies that she had seen running around the silly city. And with a demented grin, she carried herself on with no worries. Her hooves treading softly on the grass, she quickly scanned the gardens for a certain special item....
It didn't take long for her to find it. It was somewhat of a relic to the history of Ponyville, but it had been moved. She crept lightly up to it, taking in the form of the statue. The figure that it was portraying was...odd to say in the least. It looked to be an animal made up of many different creatures, and Clear Skies had a hard time even trying to take it seriously. It looked like a bad villain from a children's show.
But the dark power emanating from it was no joke. The power was strong, but it was being released in a way that probably the princesses wouldn't be able to notice. It was cast in more of a shadowy way, and it was obvious that the statue was trapping the evil being within. Clear Skies grinned, her mission finishing up at last. Infiltrating the ridiculous castle was way too easy...they probably wouldn't even notice that she wasn't actually Clear Skies until it was too late.
The earth pony gave a small chuckle before it began to change. A series of cracks was heard, and its body began to change shape grotesquely. It's legs became elongated, its teeth sharpening and its jaw growing. It's body seemed to be twisting horridly, no longer resembling anything close to a pony. It looked monstrous, crude tentacles emerging from its body as it grew in size. Strange claws appendages burst from its body, wrapping around the cold statue. With a hiss and a bloodcurdling growl, the statue began to lift up into the air.
And in a few moments, the creature and Discord had completely disappeared.
Cloud grunted in satisfaction as the familiar black collared shirt hugged his torso, his arms sliding out the sleeveless holes. He was fully clothed in his combat clothing, and made note to make sure to wash it as fast as he could. Wearing the new clothes Rarity had made him just gave him a ridiculous feeling. Still, he was thankful that she had made them for free. Well, she did owe him for saving her ass after all.
He slipped on his black leather gloves and emerged from the basement, his large sword on his harness as usual. He was surprised to know that the ponies were beginning to stop seeing him as much of a threat...And that was much too fast. It had only been a day since they had known him, and already they were much too trusting. They still shied away from him, but they didn't panic whenever they saw him. As long as they left him alone, that was just fine.
The garage was coming pretty quickly, and it was only a little bit ago when Big Macintosh had said that he needed to head back to the farm for the day. The red stallion was probably the only pony Cloud could really tolerate...he didn't say much, and he didn't ask annoying questions. It was still strange to have a horse help him build a garage. Cloud didn't even know if he could get used to it.
His hands found the door, and he swiftly pulled it open. Before he could even register the warmth of the sunlight on his face, he felt something lightly run into his boot. Blinking, the blonde warrior glanced down.
"What the...." He said aloud, looking at the strange green and purple creature. It had a dazed look in its eyes, and it eventually shook it out.
"Hey!" It exclaimed, "Watch where you're- The creature finally realized what it was talking to, and its jaw practically hit the floor. Cloud's eye twitched before he stepped over the small lizard-being, definitely not feeling like conversing with another odd talking creature. He could deal with red talking wolves, and he could partially deal with cartoonish talking ponies. At the moment, he didn't feel like getting to know another talking creature from the strange planet.
"H-Hey! You can't just walk away after bumping into me! You weird monster!" The purple lizard yelled out, "I deserve an apology!"
Cloud sighed, glancing back, "You bumped into me."
"N-Not true!" The lizard grunted, standing back up and pointing a scaly finger at Cloud, "You better watch it! I'm Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant! And she's the most powerful unicorn around! If she knew what you did, she would-
"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't Spike." Twilight laughed lightly, coming out of the library, "And I'm pretty sure I saw you bump into him." She looked over at Cloud and smiled, "By the way, this is Spike the dragon. Like he said, he's my number one assistant."
"A...Dragon?..." Cloud blinked, looking back down at the creature.
"Well, he's a baby dragon." Twilight giggled, "He'll get bigger eventually though!"
"Yeah! And you better watch it!" Spike grunted, crossing his arms, "I guess I should be polite if Twilight wants me to be..."
"By the way, Spike..." Twilight looked at the dragon, "Where have you been?! You've been missing out on your chores today!"
"Well...Rarity sent me gem hunting!"
"And...seeing how you don't have any...you either gave them to her already...or you ate them..."
"Um...Well....eheheh...."
Cloud ignored the two Ponyville citizens for now. At the moment, he just wanted to explore a little. He didn't want to interact with the ponies that much, but he should at least get to know the town a little. It wasn't too massive, and maybe it was a bit smaller then Kalm. Either way, knowing the terrain and surrounding area would be an advantage to him. Especially if something attacked again...And he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that something bad was going to happen.
While he was distracted by his thoughts, his SOLDIER reflexes picked up something flying towards him at a fast speed. Reacting, his hand quickly came up, catching something thin and...papery between his fingers. Blinking, he brought it in front of his mako infused eyes to see what it said.
Cloud's Super Awesome Way Cool Welcoming Party BASH! At Sugarcube Corner, 7:00 p.m. SHARP! Bring your friends, your friend's friend's, and yourself!
Cloud groaned, crumpling up the paper and tossing it into a nearby wastebasket.
"Hey!" A high pitched, over-egotistical voice called out, "You didn't just throw the invitation away!" For a second, he thought it was Yuffie...but then he turned around to see eye to eye with a familiar blue pegasus.
"So what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "I don't have time for such things." The rainbow pegasus crossed her ar- forehooves and pouted.
"No time?! What else are you going to do today?! Work on your weird garage thing?!" Cloud opened his mouth to say something, but the blue pony began to interrupt him by prodding him in the chest with her hoof.
"C'mon! You're being such a little party pooper! And no one likes those!" He frowned, blocking her hoof with he hand.
"Whatever. I'm not interested." He turned his back, only to have the pony zip right in front of his face.
"Look...you don't understand the importance of Pinkie's parties!" Rainbow Dash growled, shoving her face into his...which was kinda hard seeing how her muzzle was poking into his nose. He pushed her face away, but she just kept pressing in.
"Last time the pony didn't show up..." She looked left to right, a horrible scary expression written on her face before she floated towards his ear, "Let's just say...the cupcakes were almost made from something a little more...alive..."
"Fine. I get it." He sighed, "Only for a bit."
"Good!" Rainbow grinned, "Now...seeing how its about four o'clock...and we have about three hours until then...."
"No." Cloud dismissed, turning around definitely not wanting to hear what she had to say.
"What?!" Rainbow blinked, flying right beside his head, "You didn't even know what I was gonna say!"
"I'm not interested." Cloud growled, his dark black boots pounding in the dirt on the street.
"I just want to ask you a few questions!" Rainbow groaned, flying back in front of his face. Cloud frowned, his frustration starting to build up. From spending time with Yuffie, he had obtained a great patience for dealing with girls like her. This Rainbow Dash was pushing it, but he was still able to keep his cool. But for how long?
"Just one." Cloud said, "And that's it."
"Just one?! Gah...Fine..." Rainbow Dash sighed, before realizing that she needed to think of the question that took priority. And that was going to make her head hurt.
"Um...Erm....hm..." She began to ponder, resting her chin on her hoof, "Let's see...." She looked him up head to hoof, her eyes taking in his appearance. Like the other mares, she found him strangely...attractive. It was that...dare she say it?...Cool aura that he gave off. And his eyes...Her point of interest shifted from his face down to the only brightly colored fabric that he wore.
"That...pink ribbon on your arm...." She said, pointing her hoof to said ribbon on Cloud's appendage, "Why do you wear that? It's kinda girly if you ask me."
Cloud immediately stiffened, his heart taking a light fall. Of all things she was going to ask...why did she ask about that?
"Well?..." She asked, fluttering in front of his face, "Why is it there? Did your special somepony give it to you?"
"No..." Cloud muttered, clenching his hand into a fist, "It's...it's to remember." Rainbow Dash was going to questions what he meant, but when he looked up with his eyes filled with the deepest remorse and regret, she couldn't bring herself to ask. She actually felt a few tears trying to leak from her eyes as she watched him walk right by her.
Cloud stood on the hilltop, the sight of the large crater off in the distance. The Everfree Forest was close by as well, and Ponyville was only a short walk behind him. This is where it had began...where he first touched down on the strange planet. There had been many times that his life had been forever changed...And this was most recent. He mysteriously found himself on the strange planet, and he couldn't even remember the last thing that happened to him. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, becoming a massive beautiful red fireball.
He took in a deep breath, reaching for the large sword in the harness on his back. Unsheathing it, he pulled it in front of him, manipulating the heavy object as though it was a twig. Closing his eyes, Cloud slowly released the air in his lungs. He felt the breeze on his face, heard the sound of the leaves rustling, and he could smell the pollen from the flowers. He could taste the cupcakes that were being baked back in town, and he could visualize the beautiful valleys and grasslands before him.
His blue eyes suddenly opened, and he delivered a swing so fast that even Princess Celestia couldn't see it. His eyes could no longer see the valleys, they could no longer see the sunset that was dimming in the distance.
All the could see was a silver-haired man with an evil smile.
Cloud's bulky sword danced through the air, and even with its size it could be considered elegant and graceful. His massive blade twirled in his hands, his footwork keeping his balance proper and excellent. His breathe was short yet full, and muscles tightened and flexed with every sword movement.
When half an hour had gone by of him fighting nothing but air, he pierced the sword into the earth, leaning on his sword. Being like that of a SOLDIER, Cloud wouldn't get exhausted so easily. In fact, he wasn't even breathing hard, and he hadn't even broken a sweat. He was just mentally exhausted at the moment, a huge overwhelming feeling of being far away from home finally taking a toll on him.
"Nice little dance you had. I wish I brought popcorn." Cloud turned his head to the side gently, seeing a pony similar to that of Princess Celestia. She had a horn and wings, but she was darker and a bit smaller. Her mane was a shimmering dark blue, and on her flank was the symbol of a crescent moon. She was smiling at him, and Cloud looked away.
"It wasn't a dance." He said quietly.
"Then what was it?" She asked, walking up beside him, "Were you...fighting something?..."
"You could say that." Cloud replied, his eyes on the dying light of the sun on the horizon.
"My name is Princess Luna. My sister, Princess Celestia, has told me much about you Cloud. " Luna greeted, the shining moonlight finding their forms on the hill. Cloud pulled his sword out from the ground, placing it back into the harness.
"Something tells me that you aren't just here to say hello." Cloud turned towards her and crossed his arms, his eyes glowing in the growing darkness, "State your business."
"Cold and straight to the point." Luna chuckled lightly, "I like you." Cloud answered her with a stare and she turned her head to look at the moon.
"Cloud...I am not much of a talker as Celestia...and I do not have one ounce of her influence. But..." She looked back at the human, "Please. Hear me out." Cloud gave her a nod and his arms dropped back to his sides.
"I may be a goddess like my sister...but in the end, we are all ponies. I'm not sure what you have been through, but judging by the way you carry yourself and the way you act...it must have been terrible." Cloud said nothing, his glowing eyes also on the moon.
"But there is something that I can tell that you have experienced, Cloud. Something that I have felt as well." Her sad eyes turned to see his face, "The feeling of being a tool. A puppet."
"Stop." Cloud growled, "You don't know anything."
"Because you refuse to tell anybody about anything!" Luna snapped, advancing on Cloud, "Twilight has told me! You've gone into some silly shell and you won't share a thing about your life! All you've done is given the ponies a cold shoulder!" Cloud stayed silent, gripping his sword with his hand tighter and tighter.
"Look, Cloud..." Luna sighed, sitting down on her haunches next to him, "These ponies...They just want to help you. They want to be your friends. Why is it so hard not to let anyone in? What's keeping you from talking?"
The two beings sat in a silence that even Pinkie Pie couldn't break. Their gazes were both locked onto the moon, and the night breeze was as sharp and cold as ever. They were lost in their own thoughts, and for a few moments it seemed like their silence would never end.
"I just..." Cloud started, "I just...don't want anyone close to me getting hurt. Ever again."
"And to do that, you don't let anyone get close." Luna finished, "I understand." Luna began to see Cloud in a new light. At first when she heard of him, she thought of him as a young punk who thought himself above the ponies, who tried to stay away because he thought that it was wrong to be near strange creatures like them. She thought he was weak. After seeing him and talking with him, she began to understand. He wanted to do what was best for others while keeping himself in the cold. However, he was bad at it and he hurt those around him more than he knew.
"Cloud..." Luna smiled, standing back up, "I believe you have somewhere you need to be. The party is going on right now, you know." Cloud stayed stiff and silent, and Luna felt a sad smile creep on her face.
"Us ponies are stronger than we look, Cloud. The stronger our bonds of friendship, the stronger we become." She came up and nuzzled his neck a little bit, making Cloud ease away with a confused look on his face.
"And I'm sure that you will become stronger as well. Maybe someday, you will be the one that needs to be protected." Cloud took her words in, turning around so that he faced Ponyville. Luna smiled, staring at the back of his blonde head. Cloud was quiet, but that meant he had been listening. He glanced back at her and nodded before he began to proceed down the hill.
"Wait, Cloud..." Luna cleared her throat, "One more thing. And its urgent."
Twilight sipped the delicious punch lightly, sitting at the table with the rest of her friends. It seemed like half of Ponyville was also in Sugarcube corner, wearing colorful party hats and talking amongst each other. The purple unicorn sighed before glancing up to the clock in the corner of the room.
"Eight Fifteen...." She said outloud before looking back down the long table. It was miraculous that none of the other ponies had actually left, but at the same time the party was as depressing as a funeral. The music wasn't playing, and Pinkie refused to actually start anything until the guest of honor arrived. Or if he arrived.
Pinkie was probably experiencing the worst party she had ever started. Her mane was completely deflated, hanging off her head completely deflated. She was sitting in the corner of the room on her haunches, her eyes never leaving the ground. Seeing the pink pony like this was so disheartening...how could Cloud just completely ignore the party like this?
"That's it!" Rainbow Dash yelled, slamming her hooves onto the table, "I've had it with the stupid blonde jerk! All he's done is push us away like freaking mosquitos! I say we find him and knock the sense into him!"
"Rainbow, Darling, let's be sensible here!" Rarity stated, standing up, "Maybe something's caught him up! Maybe he's fighting some monsters-
"Yeah right!" Rainbow growled, "That totally didn't happen! He's asleep in Twilight's basement! Why I outta-
"Calm down, Sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, slamming her own hooves onto the table, "We're all upset here! This is a party for crying out loud! I'm sure there's a good reason why he didn't show up, or if he's late!"
"Maybe...he doesn't like my parties..." Pinkie said in a weak voice, but somehow catching the attention of all the ponies in the room, "Maybe...he just hates me..."
"No Pinkie! Of course not!" Fluttershy smiled sadly, trotting up to her, "Please don't say that! I'm positive that he would want to be here!"
"That guy? Please..." Spike yawned, wiping the residue of cupcake off his face, "I didn't see that guy for very long, but he's probably nothing but trouble anyway."
"Don't say that Spike!" Twilight growled, "He could come through that door any minute now! I'm sure he was held up by something important! He'll be here! I know it!"
"Whatever!" Rainbow Dash grunted, flying towards the door turning her body to face the ponies, "Anyways, I'm done with this party! He ruined one of Pinkie's greatest parties ever...and I'm never going to forgive him! And at this moment I'm going to go and I'm going to beat his pretty face so bad that we can't even look at him straight!"
"Who has a pretty face?" A cold familiar voice asked behind Rainbow.
"You know who! It's- Cloud?!" The blue pegasus found herself face to face with the blonde human, her blood freezing in her veins.
Cloud glanced around, pushing away the blue pegasus who suddenly fell onto the ground in complete shock. The room was deathly silent, and the big eyes of the ponies were even larger when they saw him. A few even dropped their cups of punch onto the ground...How they held them in their hooves was a bit of a mystery to him. Twilight Sparkle was grinning wide at him, and Cloud suddenly felt uncomfortable as he looked away, spotting Pinkie in the corner. He had never seen something so sad and defeated.
She didn't look up when Cloud approached her, keeping her eyes on the ground. He dropped to one knee, still towering slightly over her. The sound in the room was dead like before, and the air was so tense that nobody could blink.
"Cloud..." Pinkie said quietly, tracing a circle with her hoof on the ground, "Do...Do you hate my parties?..." Cloud blinked at her before ruffling her hair a little, making the pink pony look up at him with two sad eyes.
"How could I...." He said, giving her a smile that only she could see, "If my first one hasn't even started yet?" A blush flashed across her face for an instant, and then disappeared when her hair suddenly popped up, exploding into its familiar balloon like appearance.
"OH YEAH!" She exclaimed, "Everypony...It's time to PARTY!"
Cloud had no idea of what he had gotten himself into.
Whenever his old comrades and friends had parties, it was typically just a small get together. They would drink, talk about old times, and then leave. It seemed so simple, yet all of his friends had a wonderful time. But Pinkie Pie's Parties...it was like a hurricane.
She had all kinds of things set up, and there was always something going on. In one corner there were a few ponies playing fishing for apples, and in another they were playing pin the tail on the pony. There was a DJ pony with strange sunglasses set up on the wall opposite side of the entrance playing strange electronic music that a large group of ponies were crazily dancing to.
There were tree long tables set up with tons of sweets including cake, cupcakes, and muffins. Pinkie was gorging herself on whatever was in the plate in front of her, and the punch bowl next to her was emptied almost constantly. Cloud cringed a little at the sight of the craziness...All of this was for him, and he felt out of place. He had to muster all of his strength just so he didn't charge right out the door.
At the moment he was standing idly by the door, his arms folded up. He had left his sword outside since he would probably have to maneuver through the almost too crowded house, and the ponies were probably grateful that he did. They seemed more comfortable with him then they had been earlier that day, but he was still a bit alienated from the rest of them.
"Cloud!" Twilight beamed, scampering up to his side, "C'mon! You need to meet some of these ponies!" Cloud had opened his mouth to protest, but seeing how upbeat and happy Twilight was he quickly decided against it. Scratching his spiky blonde head, he followed her across the room. He gave a few nods to some of the ponies he passed and received a few greetings in return. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
"Okay!" Twilight grinned widely, walking around Cloud to nudge him forward with her head, "I would like you to meet the owners of Sugarcube corner! Mr. And Mrs. Cake!" Cloud looked down in front of him to see two very different looking ponies. The male pony was skinny with a yellow coat and a massive underbite. The female was plumb with a blue coat and had hair that looked like frosting on a cake.
"P-Please to meet you u-um Cloud." Mr. Cake smiled sheepishly, "This is my wife Mrs. Cake, and we're t-the proud owners of S-Sugarcube Corner!" Cloud winced, basically hearing him repeat what Twilight said.
"Hello." Cloud nodded back, his glowing blue eyes watching them, "Thank you for holding the party here. It's...a nice place." They beamed up at his compliment.
"Thank you." Mrs. Cake giggled lightly, "It's been in my family for generations! Would you like some cake, dear?"
"No thanks. I...don't have much of a sweet tooth." Cloud replied before feeling Twilight begin to tug at his shirt to lead him away. "Uh...Nice meeting you two." The two spouses watched Cloud get tugged away by the purple unicorn with a little laugh.
"Hey..." Mr. Cake said, raising an eyebrow to his wife, "You were lookin' at his flank, weren't you?"
"U-Uh what?! Why would you say that!" Mrs. Cake replied, tearing her eyes off Cloud's form.
"All the mares are talking about him! Sayin' how he's hunky and good-looking for an alien!"
"O-Of course I don't think that! No way!" Mrs. Cake replied nervously, "Um...would you like a muffin, dearest?"
Cloud had been pulled too far away from them to hear their bickering, and before he realized it he had been shoved in front of another group of ponies he did not recognize. It didn't take long for Cloud to realize that most of the ponies were female. There were only a few stallions in the room including Big Mac. Cloud was going to ask Twilight about that before one of the mares starting talking to him.
"Hello there, Cloud." The tan pony greeted, wearing glasses and wispy white hair, "I am the mayor of Ponyville. It's nice to finally meet the one who saved the town!" She chuckled, looking him up and down.
Cloud nodded in reply, feeling a little uncomfortable at how she was looking at him, "I hope I didn't cause too much damage."
"Oh, that's quite alright." She laughed lightly, "I'm just glad everypony was safe, thanks to you."
Cloud opened his mouth to talk, but once again Twilight pulled him away in the middle of conversation. What was with her? It was either that she wanted him to meet all the ponies within a set time, or she was irritated when he was talking with other mares.
"Okay, Twilight." Cloud frowned, pulling his shirt out from her mouth, "You're pushing things a little fast. I'm sure I can meet all the people here by tonight."
"You mean ponies." Twilight frowned, starting to look a little hurt, "And I'm sorry...I guess I'm just a little excited that you seem to actually want to interact with us." Cloud gave a quiet sigh and rubbed the back of his head, not sure what to say. He was trying to take small steps out of his shell, but Twilight was trying to break it open right away.
"Let me go at my own pace, " He said, "And don't worry. I'll talk to you again soon." Twilight looked really happy with his answer and took off, running into the dancing group. It was then Cloud realized he was lost in a sea of ponies. Glancing around, his eyes found the sweets table. He suddenly realized that it hadn't eaten in two days, and his stomach was certainly beating that thought into his head.
As he walked over, to a small plate of cupcakes, Pinkie shot from the other side of the table, her eyes wide and her grin reaching her ears. Cloud had been taken completely by surprise, and if he had his sword she probably wouldn't of had a head.
"Cloud! Are you gonna eat one of my cupcakes?! I made that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and that one myself, and-
"I get it." Cloud grimaced, looking down at the cupcake as he cleared his throat, "You made all the cupcakes.
"Wow!" Pinkie gasped, "How'd you guess?!" Cloud chose to ignore her and picked one with a brilliant bright pink frosting at the top. Before he knew it, a massive crowd gathered around him was staring eagerly at his face, their eyes shining brightly and their smiles huge. Cloud was taken back by the attention, and suddenly he felt an immense pressure on his shoulders.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Pinkie said rapidly, "Eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it eat it EAT IT!!!"
"EAT IT!" The ponies started chanting, their hooves stomping on the ground. The room seemed to start shaking, and Cloud felt like he was marching in Rufus Shinra's army again. Telling himself he could no longer go back, he opened his mouth and took a swift bite of the cupcake. A sugary sweet taste engulfed his tongue, and the ponies went silent as he swallowed. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Cloud looked back at Pinkie.
"It's pretty good."
The room exploded in cheer, and Pinkie began tossing cupcakes into the crowd around him. Each of them snapped their jaws, eating the cupcakes as though they had never eaten something that fantastic before. Cloud sneaked away into a corner, watching the strange madness that he had partially caused. Even people wouldn't be like this. He felt a small nudge on his leg, and he glanced down to see three small fillies holding up a cup of punch to him. He recognized one of them as Sweetie Belle.
He knelt down, taking the punch and nodded to them, "Thanks." He replied.
"You're welcome!" Sweetie Belle giggled, "These are my two friends! Applebloom and Scootaloo!" The orange pegasus suddenly crept up to his face, looking in the eye and squinting hard at his face.
"Hmph!" She sat back down on her haunches, "He's so not cooler than Rainbow Dash!"
"What?!" Applebloom gasped, "What are you saying?! He beat an Ursa Major!"
"Oh yeah?! Well Rainbow Dash can make a sonic rainboom!" Cloud stood back up, not interested in hearing what arguments they were starting to have. Sweetie Belle had soon joined them, and they had began to wrestle amongst themselves on the floor.
"Don't mind them." Applejack chuckled lightly, coming up to his side, "They're just a small bunch of troublemakers." The orange mare adjusted her hat slightly and then looked up to see the human's face, "Now, I admit y'all surprised me. I almost thought that you wouldn't of shown your face here." She chuckled lightly, "You're a big downer, you know that?"
Cloud frowned, "Yeah. I get that a lot."
Applejack chuckled at his remark and watched him take a sip of his punch, "So, blondie...you gonna get out there and dance?" Cloud choked a little, and began thumping his chest with his fist.
"W-What?" He asked, looking down at her, "What do you mean?"
"You know..." The stetson wearing pony smirked, "Dance? Get your groove thing on? You know." Cloud wiped his mouth and shook his head. Cloud Strife...dancing? In Tifa's dreams maybe.
"I don't dance." Cloud stated coldly, crumpling up his empty punch cup.
"Aw, C'mon!" Applejack exclaimed, not phased by his attempt to make her leave, "If you're gonna live in Ponyville for a while, you should at least dance with us!" Some of the other ponies were beginning to listen in on the conversation, and the DJ pony perked up.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash smirked, flying up right next to him, "Come on! It'll be fun! You can't possibly dance worse than Twilight!" There was a shout of protest to Dash's remark but it was unheard by the ears of the ponies.
"Dance dance DANCE!" Pinkie laughed, suddenly popping out from behind him, "C'mon Cloudy Pouty!" Cloud felt the ponies tug at his shirt and a few begin to push him from the back. Cloud began to panic internally. Dancing? Something that embarrassing? No way in hell. NO WAY IN HELL.
"Guys!" Twilight shouted, making everypony- and Cloud- freeze.
The purple unicorn cleared her throat, "Listen Everypony...we all want to get to know Cloud, I know...but he wants to progress with us at his own pace...please don't force him to do anything that he wouldn't want to do. We wouldn't want him to lock up on us again, right?" The ponies murmured to themselves, and Cloud felt their mouths release his shirt. He gave Twilight a thankful nod and breathed a big sigh of relief.
"But..." Twilight began, looking back at him, "Cloud, I think its about time you tell us a little about yourself. This is your party after all, and everypony here came here for you." Cloud stiffened, his sigh of relief disappearing. He preferred not to dig into his memories...after all, many of them had been fake at one point. He wasn't proud about what he used to be, and now he was going to talk about it? The music turned down, and all voices were silenced. It was just him and a room full of ponies.
"It's okay, Cloud." Fluttershy's soft, innocent voice called out to him. He knew that she was trying her best to cheer him on, and she was giving him the most gentle smile that he had ever seen. That made him a little weak.
"I..." He started, "What...what do you want to know?" To his surprise, the room didn't erupt into questions. The ponies merely muttered amongst themselves...they had never really thought about asking him questions...and surely Cloud wouldn't tell them everything in one night.
"I have a question!" An overly excited, brightly colored blue (Or was it green?) unicorn asked, a mark of a harp on her flank. She came forward, her eyes showing her eagerness, her great interest obvious. It was a bit startling to Cloud.
"Yes?" He asked, resisting the urge to take a step back.
"Well..." She smiled, "I was wondering what your planet was like. Could you tell us?" Each of the ponies nodded, their curiosity getting to them.
"My planet..." Cloud closed his eyes, the memories flashing before his eyes. His planet...he risked everything for it. He fought for it...His friends died for it...Aerith died for it...The ponies could tell the question hit him hard, but they stayed silent and just watched him. He clenched his fist and opened his eyes.
"My planet...isn't too different from this one." He started, looking to one of the windows. It was dark out, but the streetlamps illuminated the streets.
"There are beautiful grassy plains...," He started, recalling the grasslands outside of the chocobo farm, "And we have hot deserts and deep canyons. Our oceans are blue and pure, and our mountains are tall and filled with snow. So our planets share the same characteristics." He had caught each of the pony's attention. Well, maybe not Rainbow's.
"However..." He cleared his throat, the image of Midgar flashing through his head, "There was one place where the grass didn't grow. The sun never shined there, and the where the planet was horribly scarred. That was the city of Midgar."
"Midgar?" Rainbow blinked, starting to listen, "That's an odd name..."
"Ponyville isn't much better." Cloud replied, quieting the blue pegasus. At least all of the ponies admitted to the fact that Ponyville wasn't the best name ever.
"What was wrong with the city?" Twilight asked, being the most curious, "Cities here are big and wonderful, and they are almost always clean."
"Midgar..." Cloud began, "Was dirty, dark, and cruel. The reason why the planet was scarred...was because the people living there were using the life of the planet as energy." The ponies all gasped, and Twilight furrowed her eyebrow.
"Life...of the planet?" She asked, "What do you mean?" Cloud was a bit confused. All planets were alive. Everything came from the planet, each leaf on a tree and each baby that was born was given life by the planet. Was this planet not like that at all?
"That's...a story for another time." Cloud finished, the ponies giving off depressing sighs, "I don't want to talk about it anymore." With that, the group dispersed, the music came back, and the party had gone off again. Cloud began to rub his temples, his hated past coming back up again.
"Thank you for actually talking." Twilight smiled, approaching Cloud, "You're still a mystery, but at least you're opening up a little." Cloud gave a nod, finding himself a chair and sitting down. Twilight was right beside him, watching the party with him.
"So...Why are you suddenly opening up anyway?" The purple unicorn asked, looking over at him, "Did something happen?"
Cloud thought for a second, making the slightest smirk, "Let's just say...it was the gift of the goddess."
"What?"
"Nevermind."
Author's Note:
Yeah...not too proud of that chapter. But don't worry, I'll have things going again. So what do you suppose was the urgent thing Luna told him in the last chapter?! Find out next time in FINAL FANTASY VII: DARKNESS IN EQUESTRIA!
P.S. I'm beginning to play Final Fantasy X. And I can't figure out why Square Enix decided to name one of its characters after a pac-man noise.
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.
"Damnit..." The cold, harsh voice of Chrysalis echoed, the walls of the black hive vibrating slightly, "Everything...all the planning...all the scheming...gone right to waste..." She growled, the dark confines of her shadowy cold room reverberating with her anger and malice. It had been months since the attack on Ponyville...and she STILL couldn't get over the fact that she was easily beaten by half a dozen small ponies. That was the best plan she could muster, and to see it fail was just...humiliating. Her dream to defeat Princess Celestia was crushed, and her changelings once again were sealed away underground into the darkness.
The hive was huge, yet changelings hardly went outside unless it was to feed. The changelings had been banished ever since the reign of Celestia and Luna began, and Queen Chrysalis remembers it well. She was also immortal, yet she lacked the great power that the two pony goddesses were practically swimming in. Only love could feed her power, and at the moment she was practically all out.
Changelings weren't as clean and neat as the ponies. Her room, however, differed still. She had a large dark red carpet stretched across her floor, a few dressers and such thrown about. Changelings were no carpenters, but they cared not for appearances of their things. Her bed was large, yet was torn and ripped, obviously showing the signs of being ancient and uncared for. She had to admit...When she was with Shining Armor for that brief time, she was living pretty comfortably.
"Hmm..." She grunted, trotting over to the doorway, "I must come up with a new plan to rule all of Equestria..." She growled to herself, "But in the meantime...I must feed." There was large pony settlement not that far away, and the changelings often went their to replenish their energy. Chrysalis was no different, however it had taken her quite a few years to gain the necessary power to challenge the throne of Equestria.
She nudged the door open, the door swinging into the darkness, "Changelings!" She called out, "Come to me!" Her voice fired into the darkness, and usually there was the sound of dozens of her servants scampering to her aide. She was a queen after all.
However, there was no noise at all. Nothing. Not even a small insect could be heard in the dark hallways, and with her powerful eyes she could see no changelings. What was going on?
Chrysalis took one step into the darkness, and almost immediately a horrible chill came over her spine. The queen was never scared easily, but something in the dark was frightening her. And whatever it was...Was more evil than she was. With a silent gulp, she walked into the hive halls, her feet clapping lightly on the hard stone floors.
The hive was a series of complicated hallways and tunnels, and they were everywhere. If a pony wandered in, chances are that they would never be able to find their way back. Many diamond dogs had also entered...and many of them met their fate at the horn of Chrysalis.
"Changelings!" Chrysalis shouted angrily into the darkness, "To me!" The hive rattled with her voice, and she waited a few moments impatiently.
Still no answer.
Flipping her mane lightly, she knew that something was terribly wrong. Her changelings were loyal to her...there was no way they could abandon her as the queen. Something had to have happened to them. Something must have gotten into the hive. But what could possibly take on thousands and thousands of evil changelings?
Crunch
Chrysalis froze, her gaze fixated into the darkness of one of the tunnels in front of her, the soft sound barely catching her ears.
Crunch
"Whose there?!" Chrysalis yelled into the darkness, her legs starting to tremble a little.
Crunch
"I am Queen of the changelings!" Chrysalis roared, her horn starting to faintly glow, "I demand you tell me who you are!"
Crunch
The sound was getting louder.
"You asked for it!" She screamed, a powerful green bolt shooting from her oddly shaped horn, illuminated the hallway. It came into contact with something, exploding into a brilliant green light.
For an instant, she was able to see down the tunnels.
It was almost impossible to see in the darkness, but the light made it all clear for her. There was blood everywhere, splattered against the walls and ceilings of the tunnel. There were black shapes mutilated and gored, and she could only guess that it was the bodies of her beloved changelings. Her eyes widened, and she could no longer hide her fear.
Crunch
"GET AWAY!" She shrieked, her wings completely extending as she leaped for one of the tunnels on the ceiling of the highway. Her horn glowed with the light, helping to aid her way. She crossed through different crossroads and forks, her wings fluttering rapidly and at complete speed. When she was finally satisfied that she had lost whatever was after her, she collapsed onto the stone cold ground, panting softly.
"There..." She breathed, standing back up, "That....should do it..."
Crunch
"What?!" She gasped, her eyes growing huge in fear as she stared down another pitch black hallway.
"Hahaha...."
She pulled back hearing the laughter, her entire body shaking in fear. How did that thing follow her? How did it know where she was? She had been flying through confusing tunnels for about half an hour, and it was right behind her the whole time?
"W-What do you want?!" She cried out, "Stay...Stay back!"
Heheh...Hahaha...
"Leave me!" She hissed, "Or...Or I'll decimate you! I'm the all powerful Queen of the-
Something strong hit her right in the chest, and her body was flung straight into the stone hive walls, the air being sucked out from her lungs. Something hard struck her in the side, and she was immediately thrown through one of the walls, the stone shattered from the impact of her body. She flopped onto the ground, coughing as she struggled to stand up.
A cold appendage grasped her throat, and her back was slammed straight into another wall, her powerful eyes not being able to make out the creature that literally holding her life like it was a toy.
"L....Let...Let me...g...go..." She gasped, her wings beating against the wall to get away, "...Or.....d...die...."
"You...have something I want..." The creature said coldly, its voice sounding strange...almost like it was possessed.
"W...What...." She said, feeling the tendrils begin to close harder around her throat.
The creature chuckled evilly again, and an incredible pressure enclosed around her body, "Just wait. You'll know soon."
And a few moments later, there was no longer any living creature in the hive.
Cloud sighed softly, glancing outside of his garage as the sun began to set on the edge of the planet. He wiped the grease from his motorcycle onto a soft cloth, a few smudges of it on his face. That day had been...quite eventful. He had chased Rainbow Dash all over Ponyville until she finally decided to go into hiding on a cloud high above him, hoping he wouldn't see her. She wasn't hiding very well, and he could see her rainbow mane peaking out from the white fluffyness, and she had obviously underestimated his great jumping abilities. He had tackled her through the cloud, grabbing his part and quickly running away.
He was happy that it was untouched by damage, but it had taken him the rest of the day to install it. So far, he had fixed the leak in the gas tank, fixed the frame from one of his tires, and he had gotten a new handle bar from the metal worker.
Something he hadn't thought about was gas. How was he going to get gas in the strange land? They obviously had no use for any fossil fuels. He could probably think of something, but at the moment he was just tired and needed rest. He grabbed his huge sword, its size slightly decreased due to one of its parts laying in Twilight's library.
He gently pushed open Twilight's door, bending over to step inside. To his surprise, Twilight had some of her friends over. The purple unicorn, Applejack, and Fluttershy were sitting at the table...looking rather strange. Almost like...they were hiding something. Cloud just brushed it off though.
"Um...Hey there uh...Cloud." Applejack smiled, giving him the oddest face.
He raised an eyebrow, "Hey." he replied, resting his sword against one of the walls. He didn't have much of an appetite, and he simply headed upstairs to the washroom. The three ponies watched him almost creepily as he entered the bathroom. They waited till the shower had started.
"Twilight..." Applejack frowned, looking over at her friend, "I don't think this is such a great idea. Isn't it like...invading his privacy?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Um...yeah, I agree with Applejack. I wouldn't want anypony to look into my head...I mean, unless they have good reason of course..."
"Don't worry, you two!" Twilight smiled, "Honestly, there won't be any harm done. I just want to look into his memories to see what kind of person he is, you know. Don't you two want to get to know him better too?" Applejack and Fluttershy murmured lightly before nodding with slight blushes.
"Yeah..." Applejack replied, scratching the back of her head, "But...it's still wrong, right?"
"He won't even know we'll be in there!" Twilight stated, "Besides, I only want to see his most treasured memories! When you use the spell and you think of something that made you most happy, it will also show a happy memory of the one you're casting the spell on. And I'm sure we'll see his family and friends that way!"
"If you say so..." Applejack sighed, "So...are the other three going to come by as well?"
"Nope! Just me!" Pinkie Pie explained, popping out next to the orange mare, making her shriek and fall off her stool, "Rainbow and Rarity are busy tonight! So it's just little ole me!"
"Okay, Pinkie...." Twilight started, "But whatever you do...do not give away what we plan on doing to Cloud, do you understand?" Pinkie gave a salute, her face growing serious and firm.
"Sir, yes sir!" She declare, "Permission to speak, sir!"
"Er...Yes, Pinkie Pie?"
"Sir! Pinkie Pie would like to bake some cupcakes, sir!"
"Um...hop to it then, private."
"Sir yes sir!" With that, she scampered off into the kitchen, the three other friends laughing together. With that, they began to engage each other in petty conversation until the wonderful smell of the cupcakes wafted in. They were too busy eating their delicious sweets that they almost didn't notice Cloud making his way down the stairs.
"Oh hiya, Clouuuaawwwooww." Applejack blinked, seeing Cloud's topless form make its way to the first floor. His hair was damp, and he was drying it off with his towel at the moment. He was also still a bit wet on his skin, and it was hard for the ponies to held back their obvious flushed faces.
"What?" Cloud asked, not paying any of the ponies any attention as he made his way over to the kitchen, taking up a cup to the sink.
"Um...Oh my..." Fluttershy mumbled, looking away, her face growing even more flushed then usual. Cloud poured water into the cup, taking a long gulp before he tossed it away to be washed. He glanced back, their gazes suddenly finding the floor very amusing. Furrowing his eyebrows, Cloud began to make his way to the basement.
"Uh...going to bed?" Twilight asked, smiling nervously.
Cloud turned the doorknob, glancing back at her, "Yeah." They watched him disappear into the darkness and close the door gently behind him. The four ponies gave a loud sigh relief.
"Gee, Twilight..." Applejack grinned, adjusting the hat on her head, "Do you deal with that every night?" The purple unicorn nodded frustratingly, and Fluttershy stayed as quiet and withdrawn as always.
"Let's give him a little before we cast the spell..." Twilight whispered, "The target should be unconscious, whether it is forced or whether the target is asleep. Forcing Cloud unconscious would definitely not be the best option."
Applejack nodded frantically, "I'll say! Especially when he has the strength to completely destroy all of Ponyville!"
The four mares all nodded to each other as the sun began to set. Each of them were too anxious to start, and a few times they had to keep Fluttershy from leaving due to her nervousness. Twilight had practiced the spell on Spike while he was asleep a few times, and it was stealthy enough for him to not even notice. However, there was a small set back that Twilight was hiding away from the other ponies...and it was going to be something that she would regret.
"Hey Twilight..." Applejack said quietly, her eyes finding the door to the basement, "I...think its about time." Fluttershy gulped and Pinkie's smile reached her ears. The purple unicorn laughed nervously, getting off of her stool.
"Okay...Just let me cast a silence spell just to be safe. He won't hear our hooves coming." Her horn glowed faintly, and in a dim flash it was done. Pinkie took a step, and was dumbfounded when she discovered that it was silent. She began stomping on the floor rapidly, and for a second Twilight though she would break through the floor.
Twilight edged towards the door, her magic slowly and silently opening the door to the dark nether. Slowly and carefully the ponies each slipped through, using the light from Twilight's horn to guide themselves. When that was all finished, they headed down the stairs to see the sleeping form of the human.
Cloud had just a normal mattress on the floor with a thin bedsheet covering it. He had no pillow, but he didn't seem to mind. He was still shirtless, and the ponies felt the heat begin to rise in their faces. He was lying on his back, cradling the back of his head with his hands as he snoozed. Nodding, Twilight's horn began to flash again. It was silent though, and Cloud seemed too exhausted to wake up by a few lights. A mist slowly began to engulf the three ponies, and Fluttershy had to hold back an "eep".
When the mist had completely surrounded them, Twilight turned and grinned widely at her friends, "Alrighty! We're here!"
Applejack blinked, glancing around, "Wait...we're inside his head?"
"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed, "It's pretty CLOUDY in here!" She laughed at her own joke before jamming her nose into Fluttershy's "Did you get it? Didja?! DIDJA?!"
Twilight laughed softly, "We aren't exactly in his memories yet. More like a sort of barrier between the outside world and his mind. We just have to decide what memory of Cloud's we want to see!"
"Twilight...um..." Fluttershy said quietly, glancing around nervously, "I...I really don't think we should-
"Happy!" Pinkie stated, hopping up and down, "Let's see something happy! Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy-
The mist immediately changed around them, and before they realized it they were standing it what appeared to be the middle of a large forest. It was night out, and above them a giant silvery moon was shimmering in the sky, and hundreds of beautiful stars were pinning themselves up to be seen. They were also before a large stream, a calming breeze lightly blowing their manes.
"Whoa...." Twilight blinked, glancing around, "This...this forest...its nothing like the Everfree. It's...beautiful..." The mares then began to hear what they believed to be....singing? Fluttershy blinked, almost feeling entranced by the soft melody and intricate words. They ponies slowly made their way to what was singing the wonderful song.
Their breaths were taken. What appeared to be a young human girl was sitting on the bank of the stream, a large pink bow in her hair. She was wearing a pink dress, and she was beautiful. Her eyes were a wonderful bright blue, and it reminded them of Celestia's beautiful sky.
"Wow..." Pinkie Pie blinked, "I've never seen anything like that before...." There was a rustling behind the girl, and she stopped singing to look behind her.
The girls saw a familiar spiky blonde head appeared, and Cloud emerged from the bushes. However, he looked much different. His hair was a somehow darker blonde, and appeared much spikier. He was wearing what appeared to be a strange black uniform. Cloud still wasn't smiling, but his eyes appeared so much kinder than what they had seen.
"Aerith," Cloud spoke, placing a hand on his hip, "I've been looking for you." Aerith giggled lightly, her voice just as pretty as her appearance.
"Come on, Cloud!" She exclaimed, standing up, "Can't a girl relax? We've been traveling for days, and you've been guarding me like a hawk."
Cloud sighed softly, scratching the back of his head, "There can be monsters out here, Aerith. It's dangerous-
"Oh, come on!" She giggled again, punching him playfully in the arm, "Lighten up Chocobo head! It's a beautiful night out. Let's take this moment to enjoy the moon and the stars." She tucked an arm around his and pulled him to the stream, their reflections appearing on the surface of the water. They both turned their gazes to the stars, and Aerith pulled herself closer to him.
"Awww...." Applejack smiled, "Look at that...Big tough guy has himself a marefriend!"
"Aerith..." Fluttershy said quietly, "She's...wonderful...." Twilight nodded, still speechless. This was one of Cloud's happiest memories.
"Hey Cloud..." Aerith said quietly, looking at him and smiling, "This is the world we want to save. As long as we care, it can all be this beautiful." Cloud gave her his small smile, and the ponies felt their hearts melt. The two humans then turned away, walking back to wherever camp they had set up.
"So adorable..." Pinkie squeaked, "I wish I had somepony like that!" Twilight nodded, turning to her friends with a smile.
"So girls...what do we look at next?"
Author's Note:
Just a question...If you could think of a pairing between Cloud and any of the main six, who do you think it would be? There probably won't be any Cloud pairings in this fic. I'm just curious on what you think and why! Just comment below on your opinion! And remember to rate if you like!
Whoa! Axel is posting an author's note on this story at the beginning instead of the end! Whoa! Crazy!
*Ahem* What I mean to tell you all is that I am attending classes once again. Updates may become a little more infrequent, but I'll try to update as often as I can. Sometimes I think I update so often so I can get to the really good parts I have in store for my readers (heh heh) but I try to be patient. A new fan fic idea has sprung in mind, but I hope to finish this one before I try something else. Anyways, I'll get right to the chapter...
Oh yeah...I noticed that I don't have a disclaimer up either.
Disclaimer: All characters in this fic are owned respectively by Hasbro or Square Enix.
That's better. Tallyho!
Princess Celestia sat on her balcony, her sister too busy attending to the night to be back at the castle. The light breath of the wind made her shiver slightly, yet something even more terrible was chilling her down to her very bones. Celestia, being an immortal goddess, was able to sense the balance of light and dark, good and evil. If there was a light, there had to be a shadow. If there was good...there was an evil. She could feel all the evil beings that were in Equestria, even if there was only a few. The balance of good was always overwhelming, and that was a great thing.
But now, Celestia sensed, was a change. The powers of evil were starting to grow...the balance of Equestria was turning. When the statue of Discord had disappeared, she had wondered if the evil would diminish. But it only grew...and over the course of the day the power grew even stronger. That worried the mighty princess, and only she and her sister could feel it. The other ponies were completely oblivious, not believing that anything wrong could happen. But Celestia knew that their peace could not stay for long.
Retiring back into her bedroom, she sighed and laid down upon her bed. Normally, she would vanquish such a thing and be rid of the accursed being...but a feeling in her gut told her that if she tried, ponies dear to her would feel the wrath of the evil. And she knew that this strange evil could not be destroyed so easily. She also believed whatever it was, it had something to do with Cloud. It must have come from the meteor, and very soon she would need to talk to Cloud about it. He would have to know.
"Dear Sister...." Luna whispered quietly, landing gently onto the balcony, her eyes filled with a strange sense of fear, "There is...something I must tell you."
Celestia shifted her head to gaze at her younger sister, "What is it, Luna?" Luna's eyes flashed their nervousness, and she crept forward.
"The...The changelings..." Luna gulped, "They have...all been massacred."
"What?!" Celestia blinked, "You...You can't be serious!"
"Sister, I have seen their blood with my own eyes. I visited their hive this night to see if they could be contributed to the source of the evil...and I....I saw their..." Tears began welling up in Luna's eyes, and she began to rub them away with her hoof, "I-It happened again! I have seen the blood and mangled bodies of living creatures! What could do such a thing?!"
Celestia had stood up, making her way to her sister to comfort her. She embraced her in a tight hug, Luna sobbing lightly onto Celestia's beautiful white coat.
"Chrysalis..." Luna choked a bit, "I...I couldn't find her. I believed whatever slaughtered them has taken her..."
"But why?" Celestia asked, pulling away and bearing a puzzled expression, "What could one possibly hope to gave from such an ordeal?"
"I do not know..." Luna sighed, "But whatever has invaded our world...I think its in a weakened state. Perhaps it wishes to drain the power from Changeling Queen and Discord!" Celestia's eyes flashed, and the older sister bit her lip.
"Maybe..." Celestia looked at her sister, "Let us send out our troops. We must destroy this creature at once-
"No." Luna shook her head, "It will only slaughter our ponies. I know this. Whatever could've killed those snow dragons could easily eliminate all our forces. I can only think of one thing we could do...." The two goddesses locked eyes. A few seconds passed like hours, and Celestia closed her eyes and sighed.
"Cloud."
The scene began to change once again, the trees fading into the mist along with the moon and the stars. The must engulfed them, and they soon found themselves standing alone in the strange confines of Cloud's mind.
"Alright!" Twilight exclaimed, their excitement making them forget their doubts, "So...That was Cloud's happiest moment. What should we look for now?"
"Um...how about a different happy moment?" Fluttershy asked, "Maybe...maybe a good moment of friendship?"
"Hey!" Applejack grinned, slapping Fluttershy's back, "That's a pretty good idea! Friendship!" Fluttershy winced, but gave Applejack a pained smile.
Pinkie thrust a hoof into the air, "Yeah! C'mon Twilight! Let's go!" She laughed, "Friendship moment!" Twilight nodded in agreement, her horn flashing brightly as the mist soon began to change around them. Much to their surprise, they weren't sent to a beautiful forest with a wonderful breeze.
They were in some sort of deserted land. There was no sign of any grass or trees miles away, and the sky was clear and desolate of any clouds. It was almost as though the land was...completely drained of all life. They couldn't see any sort of civilization close by, and the four ponies were obviously confused.
"Um..." Applejack said quietly, glancing around the dead lands, "This...I don't like it. Everything is...gone..." There were high cliffs around them, and dust was being swept up by the wind.
They heard voices, and they immediately saw some spiky...black hair??
A man was slowly making his way through some small passageway between two rocky formations that they couldn't look in before. He had an x-shaped scar on his left cheek, and he was wearing the same black uniform that Cloud had been wearing in the memory before. The man glanced around, a huge sword present in his hand. The sword resembled a large kitchen knife, and it had two circular empty slots near the base of the blade.
"...All clear..." He smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. He retreated back into the strange dark passage. A few moments he returned with something strange on his back...
The four mares gasped in surprise, recognizing the nearly dead form of their blonde friend draping over the back of the black haired man. Cloud's eyes were open, but...the life in them appeared to be rapidly leaving. They had never even thought of seeing Cloud in such a shape. Something horrible must have happened.
"You know, Cloud..." The man chuckled lightly, adjusting the man he was carrying, "We're just getting closer and closer to Midgar. Just a bit further and we can see it. Just picture it, Cloud! Home again...Well, I can't say we will ever be safe again after this." The man chuckled, plodding softly over the rocky terrain.
"Hey...." He began again, panting slightly, "Are you even awake? You're eyes are open and you're breathing, but for some reason you just won't answer back..." He laughed quietly, "But that's fine. I know you can hear me." His face turned to the sun, and the man smiled brightly.
"Cloud. I never got a change to tell you this, but...You're probably the best friend I ever had. Sure, you were quiet and maybe a bit like scaredy cat, but you always put a smile on my face. I really want you to meet my girlfriend, Aerith." Twilight blinked...Wasn't Aerith the name of the girl by the stream in the previous memory?
"You'll probably like her. But forget it! She's mine!" He laughed, "You have Tifa anyway, you know. I've never seen such knockers in my life I tell ya."
"Um...What are knockers?"
"Quiet Pinkie!"
The man looked as though he reached some strange realization and looked back at his friend, "Cloud. If something happens to me...I want you to take care of Aerith for me. She's too good for me...too good for any of us. I know that you struggle to be strong and that you wanted to become like me, but you know what? You are you, Cloud. You've come a long way, even if that mako poisoning is effecting you like this. And I trust you more than anything. Just do one thing for me, Cloud..." The mist around the ponies began to change again, and the image around them soon began to disintegrate.
"Don't forget me, will ya?" The man laughed, before their forms disappeared into the smoky air.
The four ponies were stuck in what seemed like long moments of thought. What happened to Cloud? Why was he like that? Who was that man with him? What had happened? It seemed like they were being pursued by something...questions were popping up, and Twilight was have the itching feeling to find answers.
"Twilight..." Applejack cleared her throat, "I think we're digging in too deep. I-
"C'mon guys!" Twilight exclaimed, "Are you curious too?! Don't you want to find out what made Cloud the man he is today?"
"I do..." Fluttershy nodded, "But...this...this is just wrong. We need to ask him-
Twilight was starting to grow irritated, "But you guys don't get it! He won't tell us anything if we ask him! He's just blunt and snapping as always!"
"Twilight?..." Pinkie asked, "Are....are you doing okay?"
"I'm FINE!" Twilight growled, the three other ponies giving each other looks. Something was wrong with the unicorn. She would never be so angry in a situation like this. What the spell somehow effecting her?
"No, you aren't!" Applejack grunted back, "Let's leave Twilight! This whole spell is just getting you all weird in the brain!" Twilight was getting angrier and angrier, and before she knew it her horn began to glow.
"Why can't you understand!?" Twilight hissed, "We could find out so much about Cloud! He won't be a mystery anymore! We can learn everything?! Why can't you see that?!" Her horn flashed, and the mist began to change around them at a rapid rate.
"Um...Twilight...." Applejack blinked, slowly backing away, "I think you're losing too much control!" Twilight suddenly blinked, her realization coming hitting her in the face as she looked around to see where they were.
Fire. They were surrounding by a blazing inferno.
"W-What?!" Fluttershy cried out, jumping back in fright, "F-Fire!"
"It can't hurt you!" Twilight stated, "This is all just a memory...Whatever is going on-
They heard bloodcurdling screams, and the fur on their coats were beginning to stand up on end. As their eyes began to adjust to the light, they could make out what looked like a small village. Large houses towered over them and were engulfed in the flames, and what sounded like the crying of children and women was being overtaken by the sounds of the burning.
"Twilight...." Fluttershy whimpered, her body beginning to shake, "M-Make it stop! Please!"
"I can't!" The purple unicorn cried out, her horn flashing dimly, "The spell won't allow me to until the memory is over!" There was the sound of a scuffle nearby, and the ponies managed to see what was happening past the flames.
There was a flash of silver steel, and the form of a woman dropped limply to the ground, dozens of other bodies littered around her as the fire absorbed them. It was impossible to tell if there were children with them, but the thought of that made Twilight nauseous. What was going on? Where was Cloud?!
"What's going on?!" A familiar voice called out, running into the flames while shielding his face with his arm, "What's happening!?" They saw the familiar black spiky hair, and the large sword on his back, recognizing him as the man who had been carrying Cloud. The man's attention was suddenly grabbed by a figure in the fire, and his eyes began to burn with rage, his hand tightening into a fist. The ponies followed his gaze.
There, standing in the fire completely unharmed, was a creature that filled Twilight with dread.
The ponies identified it as human, but they were almost uncertain. It was male, and his hair was long and silvery. He was wearing a black coat, and his sword was twice the height that he was. His eyes were a bright color, yet they held evil and malice. He smile was enough to almost kill them. And when he turned to disappear into the flames, they still held that great fear he had given them.
This man...this monster...from just seeing him...He was above anything they had ever see before. And that included Princess Celestia.
"W-Where is Cloud?!" Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously, "I-I don't see him anywhere!" The image around them began to change, but it wasn't the normal fade in. It was violent, and it looked as though they were being pulled through the reality, the world around them beginning to tear. The ponies all huddled together, the world around them screeching and tearing, the screaming from the fires replaying at full volume. Tears were flooding down their eyes, the horrible idea of them never getting out of Cloud's mind. A powerful wind was threatening to blow them over, and they thought they would be sent to oblivion.
And, as quickly as it came, it stopped. The darkness, the strange flashing, the screaming...it was all gone. The ponies glanced up, looking at each and at where they were.
Everything was white. As if they were in what looked like a strange heaven. At their feet sat a massive sea of beautiful golden flowers that seemed to be endless. Almost immediately their fear had subsided, and the ponies all turned to Twilight who was staring at the ground in regret.
"I'm....I'm so sorry..." Twilight murmured lightly, "I...I should've told you. The spell has a side effect of making the caster emotionally unstable...I thought I would be strong enough to handle it...We should have never done this..." Her friends embraced her as she cried, each of them crying with her. What they had seen had been too much, but they were alive and well in a strange place.
"It's okay." A calming, soothing voice echoed from around them, "I'm sure that Cloud will forgive you."
Startled, the ponies huddled together even closer, "W-whose there?!" Applejack called out into the never ending ocean of plants.
The voice giggled a little, and they calmed down, "Don't worry. I'll get you guys out of there." The world began to swirl around them once more, and in a mere second they were staring at the familiar dusty walls of the basement. The sun was beginning to shine in from a small window, and they all breathed a deep sigh of relief...
...Before noticing that Cloud was propped up on his bed, watching them with his glowing blue eyes that were burning with rage.
For the longest time, the ponies had all thought that Cloud couldn't be emotional. The six ponies had tried everything they could to get even the slightest reaction out of him. Pinkie had tried to make him smile, Rainbow had tried to annoy a reaction out of him, and so on and so forth. Cloud would only irritatingly bat them away, saying that he was busy. Maybe there was a few times that he answered some questions sentimentally but other than that he was just plain old Cloud.
But, unintentionally, they had finally pushed Cloud to the point of no return. The three ponies could only stare in fear and regret into the eyes of the human's wrath, his fists practically shaking with his ferocity. Twilight was sure he knew what they did...She was positive. When the pony (or person in this case) Is woken up during the spell's duration, they also travel into the depths of their memories to see what the caster was seeing. And it seems that Cloud had woken up too soon.
"You...." Cloud growled, his teeth clenching, "Do you know what you just did?..."
"We...We're sorry...." Twilight whimpered, bowing her head in shame, "We...We didn't mean to-
"Shut up!" Cloud snapped, the ponies tensing up in fear, "Here I was, trying to leave the past behind me...But you just brought it back up! You made me see it again...The fire...Zack...Aerith..."
"You...You saw all of that?!" Twilight blinked, tears forming in her eyes, "Oh my gosh Cloud I-
"SHUT UP." Cloud snapped, his foot smashing into the cement floor, large cracks spawning around his footprint, "You went somewhere you weren't suppose to be..." He slipped his shirt back on, his gloves on soon afterwards. He was in a rush, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his huge puzzle-like sword. They could see his fiery eyes shimmering in the dark.
He stormed right passed them, angrily stomping his boots as he made his way to the entrance. Twilight winced with every step he took on the wooden staircase, and she heard the door break open with a loud crack.
"Hey!" Applejack growled angrily, "We're sorry! You don't have to break Twilight's-
An angry glare shut her up right away as Cloud peered down into the dark basement. He was trying so hard to open up to these ponies...but they betrayed his trust, seen some of his most important memories...and made him relive them. They had been shut in the back of his mind, and once again had popped up before his eyes.
A small green dragon blinked as Cloud kicked open the door, watching from the stairs above. At first he was angry, but the angry exterior from the human kept Spike from shouting it out. He hated to admit it, but Cloud was being very scary at the moment.
Cloud kicked open the library doors, his mind in angry shambles as he made his way to his garage.
Back in the basement, Twilight was lying stiff on her back haunches, tears streaming down her face, gently sobbing. For once Fluttershy wasn't the one who was crying. She was trying her best to comfort the purple unicorn along with Pinkie. Applejack was staring upstairs, biting her lip as her frustration built. She wanted to talk to Cloud...ask him to apologize. But she almost felt that they didn't deserve an apology for what they did.
"C'mon Twilight..." Pinkie said, smiling sadly, "Don't worry...I bet Cloud will come through!" Twilight kept up her sobbing, and Pinkie's mane had completely deflated and turned straight. Applejack growled to nobody in particular. She was mad at Cloud's reaction, but a part of her knew that he had every right to be as pissed off as he was. It was their fault, and she knew that Cloud's anger was because of that, but she just couldn't help but be upset about it.
Twilight finally stood up, although she was trembling a little bit. The fur underneath her eyes were dampened by the tears, and she was sniffling and wiping her nose, "Okay, girls...." She sobbed still, looking at her friends with red eyes, "I...I want some time alone if that's alright..." The purple unicorn began to slowly stumble up the stairs, her friends watching her with silent eyes. The each felt a horrible pang of guilt, and they all followed on after her very slowly.
It was going to be a very long day.
Princess Luna slowly faded into existence, her shimmering mane and her dark coat almost invisible in the confines of the dark world. When the Alicorn had completely materialized, she stood like a stone wall, gazing far off into the distance of the infinite dark void. Only known to the two might Alicorn sisters, this was the world of dreams. The darkness took form of the wishes of those who were in sleep, and even though all minds were seperate, their dreams were all linked together. The dream world looked different to each and every pony, and its actual form was unknown.
One of Princess Luna's priorities was to watch over the world of dreams. There were some dark magic creatures that would hunt ponies in their sleep, and it was her job to make sure that they never had the chance. The dream world was one of the most magical places in Equestria, and could not be reached by travel or even by magic. The only way to access the world was to either be asleep, be a dream monster, or have the power equivalent to that of a god.
And something was invading the dream world.
The darkness around Luna began to change and manipulate its form into something familiar that gave the princess a horrible sense of dread. Stars began to form, and the ground beneath her feet began to shift into the shock of hard grey rocky dust. A large orb began to form in front of her, and she identified the familiar sight as her planet. The dream world had morphed into the location of the moon. And it wasn't her that had changed it.
"Where are you...." Luna started, glancing around in disgust, "Nightmare moon?..." At first, she was answered with nothing but silence. But after a few seconds, a dreadful laugh was filling the cold space around her.
"Ah, Princess Luna..." A dark shadow began to gather before her, its shape twisting and morphing before taking the form of the dreaded Nightmare moon, "To what do I owe this pleasure?..." The figure grinned devilishly.
To some, Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna. However, that wasn't the case. Nightmare Moon had been created out of the jealousy and anger from Luna's heart one thousand years ago, and the elements of harmony had expelled the dark power from her body. Now, Nightmare Moon was nothing but a spirit, secretly banished into the dream world for all eternity.
"You know what it is..." Luna cleared her throat, "You have been the only entity that lives in this world. However, there is a disturbance in the real world along with this one. And I know that you have been noticing too." Nightmare Moon's smile vanished instantly, and the two stared hard at each other for a few more moments.
"Yes." Nightmare Moon stated quietly, glancing around cautiously, "It is no dream monster, and it certainly isn't any pony." Luna nodded, a slight nervous feeling creeping into her heart. Wherever the creature was, it could be anywhere.
"Whatever it is..." Luna murmured, "It seems to be hunting down the power of all evil beings in Equestria." Nightmare Moon's ears flattened against her head. Nightmare Moon never felt fear...but she was getting uneasy.
"So...Looks like I'm next in line." Nightmare Moon declared, spreading her wings and grinning evilly, "Let it come! I may be but a spirit, but nothing in this world may harm me." Luna watched her warily before nodding slowly.
"Do not let your guard down," Luna growled, her form starting to slowly fade away, "If this creature gets you...it could be all over..." Nightmare Moon watched as the dark Alicorn disappeared. The figure smirked arrogantly, turning her head to look at the planet with a slight chuckle.
"There is nothing that could take me." She declared, "For I am Nightmare Moon, the bringer of darkness to Equestria! And I WILL resume my reign of terror." She was met with nothing but silence, and the dark shadow sighed in anger.
"I wouldn't count on it..." A voice laughed behind her.
Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow, dropping the grease covered cloth onto his work bench before taking a long gulp of water from a clear blue bottle. The sun was heating up his garage like an oven, making the working conditions a little tough. His mind had been elsewhere however, and the thoughts of his working conditions were overpowered by his anger held towards the ponies.
He had seen everything. He wasn't sure of the spell that had been used, but he didn't care. He saw Aerith and Zack again, and although it was nice, he knew of the disasters that would follow them. Disasters that he didn't stop...and it wasn't like he could do anything either. There was no use worrying about it now, and it was all in the past. But to see those moments brought back up again...that's what was hitting him so hard.
There was a gentle swishing of air, and Cloud immediately frowned at the familiar sound. In just a few seconds, a cyan pegasus with rainbow colored hair would swoop down onto the floor of his garage and-
A cyan pegasus with rainbow colored haired swooped down onto the floor of his garage, a small smile on her face. Cloud's back was to her, some of his anger trying to push itself onto the mare that had nothing to do with invading his personal memories. His mood had been officially wrecked for the week. Or maybe the month. Probably a month.
"Hey Cloud..." Rainbow greeted, her usual assertiveness not present in her voice, "What's up?" He doubted that she had talked to Twilight yet...the garage was always her first stop after her flying practice. She had made this clear since she practically told him about her practice routines everyday. But she was strangely different this time.
Cloud began to mess with one of the slots that held one of his swords, "Finishing up fixing my bike." He replied, holding back any of the frustration and anger he was feeling. Rainbow nodded, her wings flapping as she hovered lightly above the black motorcyle.
"So...Does that mean you can drive it soon?..." She asked, cocking her head curiously, "Because that would be pretty cool!"
Cloud grunted his response, a few clicks being heard as he adjusted something, "No." His answer was a bit shocking, and Rainbow gave him a strange look as he pushed the slot back into the bike.
"W-What do you mean you can't drive it?" She asked, her usual voice coming back, "You've been working on it all this time!"
Cloud walked over and poked the gas tank, glancing over at her, "I don't have any fuel. Equestria seems to be completely void of gasoline." He began to check the breaks, with Rainbow continuing to give him her most baffled look.
"So...you stayed in here fixing the thing that could never work in the first place?!" She asked, landing beside him and trotting up to his side to watch what he was doing.
"Fenrir is a unique kind of bike." Cloud replied, "If I can somehow find something that could substitute for gas, maybe I could ride it. " Fenrir also had a battery it could run off of, but of course it was completely dead, and he had no way of charging it. Cloud wiped more of the sweat off his face and turned to Rainbow.
He saw that she was deep in thought, and he was wondering if that was hurting her. That pony didn't seem like one to really come up with any ideas on her own. Something seemed to light up in her brain, and she looked up at him and grinned widely.
"Then...how about rainbow?" She asked, her wings fluttering in excitement. Cloud stared at her blankly as a few weird seconds passed.
"...Rainbow?..."
"Yeah! Rainbow!"
"Um...Rainbow?"
"That's what I said! Aren't you listening to me?!" Dash took to the air, pulling in uncomfortably close to Cloud's face, "Us Pegasi make rainbows! In its liquid form, maybe you could use it for fuel!" Cloud almost burst into laughter on how ridiculous it sounded. But he kept his straight face, and looked at the bike, the gears in his mind moving.
"Maybe." He replied, scratching his head, "But how do we get it?"
"Easy!" Rainbow grinned, "Come with me to Cloudsdale! I can get you a poolful of the stuff! But on one condition1" Cloud held the urge to roll his eyes. Just about everything had a condition these days.
Rainbow cleared her throat and smiled at him, "There is a big race coming up that the wonderbolts are going to watch, and I'm going to be racing!" The pony had informed him all about the best flyers in Equestria, and it was a topic that he was always tired of hearing about.
"Fine." He dismissed, sending the pegasus into a craze, cheering in excitement as she punched the empty air before her, pumping herself up for the race. He guessed that she was acting all strange before to ask him if he would see the race, and he would have definitely said no. But seeing her all happy and ecstatic about it...Maybe he would really enjoy it.
"Hey!" Rainbow blinked, immediately breaking out of her crazy phase, "Didn't you promise you would head over to the school to talk to the foals?" Cloud silently groaned, completely forgetting about his stupid promise. Did he really have to do that?...
"I'm busy."
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT?!" Rainbow asked, the volume of her voice even surprising the human, "You promised! They're all waiting for you! Don't be such a downer! There is nothing for you to do today! Just go over there and-
"I get it..." Cloud mumbled, angrily setting his tools onto the workbench as he grabbed his black gloves, "I gotta play schoolteacher for the day..." He was not amused. He didn't know why he even bothered listening to the ponies and going along with what they said...maybe it was so that he didn't want to see any tears being shed because of him.
Cloud's fingers wrapped around the hilt of his large blade before slipping it into the harness on his back. Rainbow looked at it with a confused face as the blonde human began to march out of his garage rather reluctantly.
"Do you have to bring that with you?" Rainbow asked, flying towards the weapon and lightly knocking onto the cold steel with her hoof, "I mean...you're just going to a school..."
"I never know when I might need it," Cloud grumbled in response, nodding to a few ponies who were waving their hooves to say hello, "Even in a land like this I like to be prepared."
"Uh huh...Right...I don't think a couple foals are really going to swarm you." Rainbow grinned, a hilarious image popping into her mind that she couldn't help but laugh at. Cloud ignored her as he pressed on, his boots dragging themselves hesitantly over the dirt road. What would he talk about at the school? No doubt he would receive personal questions, and some maybe even a bit blunt and rude. He wasn't good with children, but somehow they tended to flock to him under strange circumstances.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a bright greenish blue unicorn staring rather...crazily at him. As soon as he turned his head it disappeared, and he grunted in light frustration. Was he being stalked? He had noticed that strange pony just watching him around town...he was paranoid that it had been watching him while he slept.
"There it is!" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing her hoof at the rather obvious school building in the distance, "I bet they're all just waiting to see me- I mean you!" Cloud frowned at the mix up of her words as he studied the schoolhouse. It was obviously not painted in any masculine way, and he would feel like a fool just stepping into it. The building was a bright red with decorations of hearts practically splashed all over it. Yep, he was going to get sick in there.
He heard a few voices as he approached the front door, Rainbow Dash landing softly beside him."Why are you coming?" He asked her as he raised an eyebrow. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat before giving him a determined grinned.
"Well, I have nothing better to do and the children just love seeing me! Besides, with me there they can't possibly be afraid of you going all berserk or something!" She chuckled softly, lightly punching him in the thigh with her hoof, "Don't worry! You got this!" Cloud sighed and scratched his head before opening the door, feeling dozens of huge pony eyes take in his image.
"Hey Twilight..." Spike grumbled.
"Yeah?" The purple unicorn answered.
"I know you're upset about that whole Cloud thing..."
"...Yes?..."
"And you really need something or somepony to help comfort you about it..."
"What are you getting at Spike?..."
"What I'm saying...is that its pretty pathetic to see you lying on your bed practically drowning in a sea of MY chocolate ice cream while you're reading "The Official Pony Anatomy" for the billionth time. Spike had crossed his arms, staring at the purple unicorn who was clutching the tub of now empty ice cream to her chest. Her eyes were still a bit red, and her mane was a complete mess.
"But..." She mumbled, "This always makes me feel better..." Spike sighed, smacking his hand onto his forehead. Seeing Twilight, his mother figure, attempt to act like a normal teenaged pony was just wrong. She needed more comforting than he ever did, and today he really didn't feel like becoming her hug toy while she sobbed onto his face.
"Why don't you go out there and talk to him?" Spike asked, "I'm sure he could forgive you later or something."
"No way!" Twilight hugged her empty tub of ice cream tighter, "I did the worse thing a pony could ever do! No way he's going to forgive me for that! I deserve to diiiiiie!"
"Okay, now you're being like Rarity." Spike grunted, jumping onto his bed, "And that's creeping me out even more." Before he could attempt to pull away a burp erupted from his mouth, a scroll forming out of green fire and plopping right beside Twilight. The purple unicorn blinked, levitating it up to see it with her magic.
"To Cloud from Princess Celestia," She read, "For your eyes only. Top secret."
"Well there you go." Spike jumped off the bed, managing to grab his empty tub of ice cream in the confusion, "Now he have a reason to set things straight!" Twilight blinked before gasping, a purple aura surrounding Spike as he was reluctantly lifted to look her right in the eye.
"No way Spike!" She cried, her eyes twitching, "I can't! He'll kill me! He probably doesn't even want to see me again! I don't want to be pushed away, Spike!"
"Gee..." The dragon grumbled, "By the way you talk about him, it almost seems like you have some sort of crush on him just like all the other mares do." Twilight blinked, a blush lighting up her face before dropping her assistant right onto his face.
"Nonononono!" She shook her head, "No way! I mean, he's cute and all, but that's not the point!" Spike groaned, rubbing his head as he stood up slowly.
"Look, Twilight...." Spike brushed himself off before jabbing a pointy claw into her chest, "I'm not going to give that letter to him. It's your duty as Celestia's most faithful student. I have more important things to do today like look for gems for Rarity. You're on your own!" Twilight watched as her best assistant and best friend climbed down the stairs, leaving her behind. He was right...it was her duty to obey the wishes of her mentor and idol.
She then scrambled off, a brush stroking her mane to as clean as she could get it to as she dabbed the moistness around her eyes. She tucked the letter into one of her saddlebags, her heart pounding. She almost couldn't take it whenever another pony was mad at her, or disliked her. She did all that she could to be accepted, and she would do all she could to have Cloud forgive her. It would be awkward otherwise, and she would just be depressed for as long as he stayed with her.
As she approached her front door, she frowned seeing the poor shape it was in. The hinges were damaged when Cloud had kicked it open that morning, and cracks were spread all across it. She began to feel nervous again, yet shook it out as she gently and carefully opened the door to feel the warm noon sun.
Now, she just needed to find him.
Author's Note:
Whew, finally got this one out. It was longer than what I'm used to, but expect the next chapters to come in longer and less frequent. The stage is being set, and everything will piece together soon enough. And for those who wanted to see the ponies see the deaths of Aerith and Zack...let's just say that it could (wink wink) come up sometime soon. Remember, I always accept constructive criticism as long as its not too blunt and worded nicely! I'm a sensitive writer here!
P.S. Started playing Final Fantasy IX, and so far I am enjoying the game so far. Thank god for Zidane who is not emo like Cloud and Squall and not annoying like Tidus! Huzzah!
Well, he here was. Trapped in a school building filled with small ponies that were shaking with anticipation but were almost too scared to say anything. The air was tense and very uncomfortable, and Cloud wanted to leave right away. Rainbow was by his side though, nudging him with her head to push him forward as the teacher pulled a seat right in front of the class. When he was pushed to the chair, Rainbow pulled back, giving a huge expectant smile. The teacher was also seated beside her students, and she looked just like a schoolgirl with that creepy grin.
So, Cloud did what came naturally.
He slammed his large sword into the ground, impaling onto the wooden floor and making the students gasp in shock as they reeled back into their seats. Cloud then seated himself down onto the chair, crossing his arms as he leaned back. He had no clue how a pony could sit in something like that, but he was thankful that it actually fit him just fine. That would make his visit a little more...tolerable?
He didn't notice Rainbow take a seat next to the wall facing him, and he had no doubt that she was slightly irritated by the fact that none of the other students called her out when they saw him. That thought almost made him smile. The room was very quiet, however, and Cloud realized that he didn't know where to look. He would meet a pair of eyes wherever he looked. The students were like firecrackers, and one small thing would make them explode-
A pencil began to roll off one of the desks, and the blonde human watched it fall through the air in slow motion.
It hit the floor.
The room immediately erupted in voices, and the high pitched squeaky voices were enough to almost break a blood vessel near Cloud's brain.
"Why do your eyes glow?!"
"Why do you always wear black?!"
"Where did you come from?!"
"Who was your best friend?!"
"What did you do to get here?!"
"What's it like to have hands?!"
"How do you live with hands?!"
"Hey! You asked the same question!"
"No way! I worded it differently!"
"Don't make me come over there!"
"Oh really?! I'll-
"ENOUGH!"
The voice of Cheerilee boomed, and even Cloud was completely stunned by the sudden outburst, suddenly finding his hand gripping the hilt of his sword in surprise. The maroon pony cleared her throat before smiling at Cloud, "One at a time, everypony!" Her voice instantly became cheerful, and Cloud was starting to find himself more wary of ponies than before.
A lone, trembling hoof raised itself near the back of the room, and Cloud noticed it belonged to a small colt. Even in the classroom, the ratio of male to female ponies was ridiculous.
"Um..." The voice squeaked in the back, "Uh...Where...Where did you live?"
There was a few moments of awkward silence with Cloud staring straight into the pony's soul. A few seconds later, the blonde human sighed, "A town called Edge."
The ponies whispered among themselves, and the next pony who raised a hoof was someon-somepony he recognized. It was Sweetie Belle, and she had a wide grin on her face.
"Mr. Cloud!" She called out, her eyes beaming with her curiosity, "Do you have a special somepony?"
"Oooh!" The class crept forward in their seats, and the atmosphere just grew more tense in the room.
"Special...somepony?" Cloud repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yeah! Like do you have somepony you love?" Applebloom asked, "I bet you do!" Rainbow Dash, who was sitting near the wall on Cloud's right, also was staring at the human with intense curiosity.
"Someone that I love..." Cloud murmured quietly, closing his eyes. A few flashes of Aerith's face came to mind, and Tifa's also appeared. Did he really love Aerith? Or was that Zack's emotion?...And Tifa...was she just a childhood friend, or more?...
"I..." Cloud began, his eyes slowly opening up, "I don't know."
"You don't know?!" Scootaloo asked, crossing her fore-hooves, "What do you mean you don't know? Don't tell me..." The filly's eyes found Rainbow Dash and grinned, "Is it Rainbow Dash?!" None of the ponies were close enough to see, but a bright red flush lit up on the cyan pony's cheeks.
"O-Of course not!" Rainbow Dash laughed meekly, "No way! That's just weird! Me and Cloud over there are best buds!" Her heart was thumping, and she was giving the blonde human a strange look. Cloud just shook his head silently, before finding another raised hoof.
The hoof belonged to an arrogant looking pony with what looked like a tiara on her head. She was batting her eye lashes at the human, and Cloud couldn't help but start to feel instantly sick to his stomach.
"Cloud...would you ever consider marrying a pony?" She asked, resting her head on her hooves while giving him a dreamy look. If Cloud had been drinking something, he would have instantly spat it all over the class.
"Now now..." Cheerilee said nervously, dabbing some sweat dripping down her cheek, "Don't overwhelm him with questions on love, children. How about Cloud tell us something about him that he wouldn't mind sharing? Cloud sighed, thanking the teacher silently. He cleared his throat, thinking of something he wouldn't mind talking about...
"Well... " Cloud began, "I... " He kept drawing a blank, and he couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid about the whole situation. The only thoughts that kept popping into mind were depressing or violent, and he had a hard time finding something to speak about under all this silly pressure.
"Come on!" Sweetie Belle chimed, "You can do it! Just think, Mr. Cloud!" The fact that a little pony was encouraging him like that was just... embarrassing.
"Alright... " Cloud cleared his throat, "I... There are two children living with me back at my home planet. They both should be about your age... " He looked up at the fillies, taking a small breath before continuing, "The little girl is named Marlene, while the boy's name is Denzel."
"Marlene? That's a cute name!" Cheerilee smiled, "If I may ask, why are they living with you?"
"Well... " The blonde human muttered, "Marlene is the adopted child of one of my friends. She lives with us because he would be too busy to take care of her. Denzel... " He tightened his fist, "He... lost his parents." There was a sad gasp coming from the class, and Cloud was afraid to look up.
"So, we took him in and have a little family now," Cloud added, "But... As you can see, I'm not exactly with them right now. I don't know how they're doing, and I'm sure they miss me. I left them once... and now I did it again. It almost feels like I abandoned them... I'm like their father, and for all they know I might have just left them again." He finally glanced up, and noticed that most of the class had shallow tears starting to roll down their cheeks. Was it this easy to make ponies cry?!
Cloud felt a pang of guilt for adding his depression into the room and stood up, "I... Sorry for sharing such a troubling thing." He scratched the back of his head, and he noticed Cheerilee dabbing her eyes with a white tissue.
"It's fine, Mr. Cloud!" Applebloom said quietly, "You miss your family too. I never met my parents... but Applejack always said that they loved and cared for me... " Her lip began to quiver, and before long she started sobbing. The sadness completely infected the ponies in the room, and they all began to audibly cry out their sorrow. Cloud had no idea that ponies could be THIS emotional.
"I'm so stupid..." Cloud sighed, running his hand through his hair, turning his back to leave. He had inflicted enough damage already.
Before he could take a step away, he felt something soft poke his leg. Turning around, he spotted Applebloom looking up at him with her teary eyes.
"Mr. Cloud.... " She sniffled, "Can... Can you give me a hug?"
"Uh... What?" Cloud asked, a bit taken back. That was the last thing he was expecting. Was she really wanting a hug from a man who had completely turned the class into a crying mess?
Figuring that he didn't want to make her even more sad, he crouched down onto one knee before her, and he felt the pony rush up and wrap her small fore-hooves around him while she sobbed into his black collared shirt. Cloud hesitated, but he wrapped his arms around her, hooking her in. Ponies were... soft.
Before he realized it, all of the fillies had jumped off their seats and galloped up to him, and soon his entire body was completely engulfed in a sea of sobbing fillies, and his arms were soon wrapped around about half the class. The rest were hugging his back or his legs, and they were all crying into his body.
The human shot a glance at Cheerilee who was busy sniffling into a tissue and giving him a sad smile. He couldn't find Rainbow Dash, so he guessed that she had left the school building so that the young fillies wouldn't see their hero and idol bawl her eyes out.
So, here he was. Cloud, a fighter of almost immeasurable strength and tenacity being surrounded and embraced by dozens of crying small horses who had heard of his pain and his sadness.
And for a few moments... He was comforted.
Twilight scuffled along, her eyes locked onto the dirt path as she headed to the schoolhouse. She wasn't expecting him to do any less than chew her out. Her mind was completely jumbled, and she ignored the words of the caring ponies she had passed. She deserved to feel like this...she was just so stupid for trying to see Cloud's past without his permission. Biting her lip, she began to approach the schoolhouse.
The door suddenly opened as she was coming up the sidewalk, and the blur of Rainbow Dash sped right by her. Strange...it looked as thought the cyan pegasus had been crying...Twilight shook her head and approached the open doorway. Was Cloud turning his anger onto the fillies? If so...no, there was no way. He couldn't hurt them. The worst he could do was probably say a few nasty things to make them cry-
Twilight's jaw practically slapped the floor. Cloud was kneeling down, a blanket of young fillies around him crying their hearts out, each of them sobbing loudly. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bawling, gripping Cloud's back as tears were flooding down their cheeks. Something must have gotten to them...but what was it exactly?
"Oh!" Cheerilee exclaimed, wiping her eyes with a tissue, "T-Twilight! What a pleasant surprise!" The purple unicorn noticed Cloud's body stiffen, and Twilight's ears flattened back uncomfortably. She watched the human rise, his hand gripping the blade of his sword as he slowly pulled it from where it had been embedded into the floor. Cloud slipped the massive blade onto the harness on his back and glanced at the doorway where Twilight visibly stiffened.
"Class..." Cloud said softly, "I'll come back another time." The fillies all nodded and sniffled, smiles appearing on their faces. Cloud stepped past them, his eyes locked onto Twilight's.
"Hey..." He started, "We need to talk."
Beneath the twisted, demented tall trees of the Everfree forest was a pained cry. It's groaning and grunting was harsh and coarse, the sound of crunching and scratching keeping even the most dangerous creature away. The monster snarled, the crooked digits forming from its hand grasped around the neck of a timberwolf, the now slain beast that was being dragged through the forest floor.
The creature that had torn the poor thing apart was definitely not a pony, and resembled that of a deformed demon. Its legs were dragging below it, their form littered with odd sharp scales that would jab into the creature painfully. His torso seemed to try to morph into a horrific human form, the scaled body twisting and discoloring the skin that was only visible on the collarbone. It's arms were elongated and clawed, blood dripping down from where it held the timberwolf.
Then creature grunted and snarled, dropping the beast from its hand onto the ground. With a loud cry, and creature gazed into the sun, it's beady black eyes unaffected by the powerful rays. It's head had blue crude horns jotting out in random directions, the skin on its face looking plated and hard. It's teeth were sharp, and the monster howled.
"Mnngh...." The creature cackled, "Mon...Moth....Mother...."
Twilight followed Cloud quite a distance from far behind. Cloud was walking like usual, but she was plodding along behind him. Well, it's not like she didn't have a reason for doing that since she put Cloud through his past again. But she could tell that he wasn't as upset as he had been before.
The purple unicorn had no clue where he was taking her. They had passed the library a few minutes back, and now they were beginning to leave Ponyville. He wasn't heading towards the Everfree Forest...he wasn't going to try to assault her, was he? She shook that thought out of her head. No way. That wasn't like Cloud.
The answer was given to her as they began to climb a particular hill overlooking a wondrous valley. It was the valley where the meteor had come down upon, and where Cloud had first touched down onto the lands of Equestria. The human was standing still on top of the hill, his back to her as he gazed towards the far off mountains.
She stopped a few feet behind him, her ears flat against her head. She wasn't prepared for this...what could Cloud possibly want from her?...
"You know...," Cloud started, snapping Twilight into reality, "The two people you saw...Zack and Aerith. They were...just as important to me as your friends are to you." Twilight said nothing, but she slowly began to come up right next to him.
"It haunts me, sometimes...Keeps me up at night. I could have been there for them when they needed me. I could have fought with them...I could have..." He stopped himself, not wanting to bring up past emotions. Cloud finally glanced over at Twilight.
"Tell me," Cloud whispered, "What would you do if you lost two of your most precious friends?..."
"I..." Twilight choked a little, "I...would be devastated...I..."
"Exactly, " Cloud finished, ripping his eyes away to gaze upon the city of Canterlot in the distance, "That...Whatever happened to me...I don't want any of you to experience that. Not through me, and not through life."
"Cloud..." Twilight sniffled, "I'm...I'm..."
"It's okay." The human said sternly, "You did something that you should never have done. Apologizing now won't make a difference." His voice wasn't cold, but his words didn't make her feel any better. It was like he was trying to find something to say to make things better but to get his point through.
A few moments of silence passed before Twilight remembered the letter. She grabbed it out of her saddlebags with magic, and pressed the paper into his hand. Cloud looked at it curiously before lifting it up to his eyes.
"It's from Celestia..." Twilight whispered, "For your eyes only."
She could tell that Cloud had re-read it several times. His eyes would dart down the paper and shoot back to the top, yet he showed no signs of an emotional reaction. There was no gasp, no tremble, no tightening fist...nothing. If there could be a human statue, it would be Cloud.
Cloud suddenly dropped the paper, and Twilight watched in surprise as it igniting into flames, the ashes licking onto Cloud's black boots. Celestia wanted it completely top secret.
"Twilight..." Cloud gazed up at the wonderful city of Canterlot on the mountainside, "I'm leaving Ponyville."
Author's Note:
Well, that chapter took a while to write and wasn't very satisfactory. But, it's gonna set up something great for the next few chapters!
For you Final Fantasy lovers, I present to you Freelancer's great fic! It's a great mlp FFVII story! He writes a good Zack, and his fic is very interesting and great to read! Support us, the Final Fantasy mlp authors! And maybe you shall recieve an honorary cookie right from me!
Cloud closed the door to the shed that held Fenrir quietly, the morning sun that Celestia raised up was peaking out from the horizon. The day had not even begun, and the streets were all quite and peaceful. There were no young fillies or colts laughing about, and the marketplace didn't even have a wandering soul. Just the kind of atmosphere Cloud wanted.
Cloud reached into his pocket, taking out the small ticket that he had bought for the train from the day before. It was a great decent amount of time to get to Canterlot, and the only train that would leave for the royal city was early in the morning. Not that Cloud was one to mind since he was typically used to getting up so bright and early.
The human paused as he walked in front of the library. He had left as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake up Twilight or the dragon. He hadn't told the others about his departure for the morning, and would rather keep it that way. Cloud wasn't very good at... Saying goodbye. Shaking his head of unnecessary thoughts, Cloud began his short walk to the train station.
He had to admit... He was growing rather fond for the town. In fact, he was already learning some of the names of the others and had begun to interact more with them. He would chat briefly with the market ponies, and sometimes have to respectfully decline asks for dates (He still has no clue why they found him so attractive). He already knew Big Macintosh, but he had some of the most intelligent and inspirational conversation with the big red stallion. Macintosh was one of his closest friends.
Feelings of nostalgia and a bit of reluctance filled Cloud as he gazed upon the train station. He needed to leave... But a part of him wanted to stay. A part of him wanted to go back to the schoolhouse. A part of him wanted to watch Rainbow Dash participate in her race. A part of him wanted to help Fluttershy with her animals. A part of him wanted to help Applejack buck apples. However, he didn't feel like modeling for Rarity, partying with Pinkie Pie, and telling Twilight about his entire life, but he would miss them just the same.
When Cloud stepped onto the platform, the early morning breeze chilled him to the bone. Or was that a bad feeling he was getting? It was a good thing that none of the six friends were going to come with him.
"Leaving so soon?" A voice called behind him. Cloud glanced back, and to his dismay he saw the six ponies all watching him with mixed emotions in their eyes.
"I told them everything..." Twilight said quietly, taking a few steps forward, "And whatever Princess Celestia wants you to do, however dangerous it is... We want to come with you."
Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a brown hoof being placed softly on his lips.
"Now don't you dare tell us off!" Rainbow Dash growled, "First, you tell me that you're going to watch my race, and now you're just leaving without saying goodbye?!" Cloud could see moisture building up in Rainbow's eyes.
"Please let us come along..." Fluttershy begged, "We won't be any trouble... We promise..."
"Someone has to keep you looking fresh and clean when you visit the Princess," Rarity beamed, "And who else but me could be able to help?"
"You can't have an awesome party with Princess Celestia without Pinkie there! Even through thick and thin!" The pink pony pranced joyously.
"C'mon, Sugarcube," Applejack grinned, "You can't leave us here. You'll need our help sooner or later, so for the time being, you're stuck with us."
"Please," Twilight said, giving Cloud the eyes that looked so familiar, "Let us come with you."
Come on Cloud! Let them come!
Cloud blinked before looking behind him, the eerie voice disappearing just as fast as it came. It sounded vaguely like...
Cloud sighed, looking back at the ponies. They sat in a long moment of silence, the horn of the train echoing far in the distance.
"Alright." He gave in, scratching the back of his head.
"YAY!" The ponies cheered in unison, and Cloud soon found himself being engulfed by the six mares, his arms completely restricted as they embraced him tightly. Geez, did he get glomped for a second day in a row?
The ponies finally released him, and Cloud sighed in relief as they began to excitedly chat among themselves. The blonde human saw the train in the distance, and like always, its colors were far from masculine. He began to wonder if there was anything dark in Equestria besides him, the Everfree Forest, and Princess Luna.
The sound of the train blared as it began to brake, the massive mechanical beast slowing down as it approached the platform. The train cars soon stopped right beside them, five of the six mares dashing to get in. Before Cloud could step a heavy boot in, he felt a small tug from something behind him.
"Um..." Fluttershy said quietly, "I... I know I should have showed you these earlier, but it just slipped my mind." The yellow mare reached into her bag, and brought out a glowing orb from her saddle bag. Cloud instantly took it, lifting it up to his eyes as he stared into the shining ball.
"I found them near the crater that your um... Motorcycle? That shiny black thing came in on. There are three others, if you want them... I don't know if they're important or not, but-
"Thank you." Cloud replied, taking the other orbs out from her saddlebags, "Yes, these will help." He gave her a smile, and her cheeks instantly flushed up, sending the mare into a state of shock as Cloud turned to walk into the car. It was the sound of the horn that woke up Fluttershy and sent her running into the train car.
Not even an hour had passed and the mares were already finding some way to entertain themselves. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, and Twilight were locked in a deadly game of Go Fish while Rarity was combing Fluttershy's hair. Cloud, however, was sitting in the corner seat in the back of the train car. They were the only riders that he had seen on the train, and he couldn't help but be thankful for it. He just couldn't shake the bad feeling away.
"Hey spiky!" Applejack called, "Why don't you sit yourself over here and play cards with us instead of moping around over there?"
"Not right now." Cloud answered, staring out the window as his eyes narrowed. Applejack huffed before trotting up to him, plopping her flanks down onto the padded seat beside him.
"Now, come on!" Applejack playfully punched him in the arm, "What's wrong? We're on a train heading right for Canterlot. You shouldn't be worried about something chasing us or putting us into any sort of danger!"
At that moment, Cloud thought he spotted something in the distance. Something running. It had managed to dash into some woods, but he had clearly seen something.
"There's no monster that can keep up with us in this!" Applejack stated, crossing her hooves, "And why are ya getting up and antsy?"
"Applejack." Cloud murmured, catching the orange mare's attention, "What if I told you that there were creatures where I came from that could keep up with us?"
"Umm..." Applejack furrowed her eyes, "What do ya mean?"
Cloud looked back at her, his serious stare piercing, "What if there was a creature from my planet that could keep up with this train... And what if it managed to follow me here as well?..."
There was a loud *Thump* from the ceiling of the train car, making the six mares jump in surprise and fright. Cloud growled, his sword in hand. They heard what sounded like a snarl, followed by scratching noises.
"U-Umm..." Fluttershy eeped, clutching Rarity's side so hard that the white mare soon began to turn blue, "C-Cloud-
"Quiet." The blonde human snapped, slowly making his way to the center of the car, keeping his gaze on the ceiling. Soft thumps were heard moving, and Cloud held his sword straight at a certain point. When the thumping stopped, he heaved his giant blade through the ceiling, causing a blood curdling screech to rattle the entire train car.
Cloud held back a smirk, and leaped up, bursting through the metal ceiling of the train car with ease. The powerful gusts of air nearly knocked him off of the train, but he managed to stab his sword onto the roof to stabilize himself. He heard a growl, and Cloud looked up to see the attacker.
The monster was shocking to see. It looked like some sort of mutated human-reptile creature, its scales protruding out from all over its body. It's eyes were a blood red, and he could see no irises in them. Whatever it was... There was no doubt in Cloud's mind that it had come from his own planet.
Blood was dripping down a wound on its lower torso where Cloud had stabbed it earlier. The monster shrieked, raising its claws as it charged straight for the blonde warrior, somehow managing to run perfectly on the moving train. A handle suddenly popped out from Cloud's giant sword, and he eagerly pulled on it to brandish a smaller blade.
As the creature charged, Cloud used the sword that was plunged into the train car to stabilize himself. When it was just about ready to swing on his head, he slashed horizontally with his other sword, slicing the creature clean in half. It gurgled as its body rolled off the car in two pieces.
"MOTHER!"
Cloud blinked, turning his head to see two more of the scaled creatures leaping onto the train car, both of them surrounding him.
"Cloud!" Twilight called from below, "What's going on?!"
The monsters roared, sprinting for him. Cursing, Cloud extracted his blade from the train car in order to fend off both attackers. He nearly stumbled when the two creatures were upon him.
Their claws were met with the steel of Cloud's giant swords. With a grunt, Cloud shoved them back, and they almost lost their footing on the train car as they slid back a few meters. Just the perfect distance.
With a yell, Cloud rushed forward, his sword flashing and cleanly decapitating one of the scaled monsters. The other roared behind him, charging at his back. Cloud was faster, his body spinning as his sword cut down the creature, knocking it off of the train car howling.
A purple unicorn's head popped out of the hole Cloud had created earlier, the air blowing her mane all over the place. "Cloud!," She yelled out, "What's going on?!"
"Get back inside!" Cloud yelled back, "We've got company!" He spotted more of the blue scaled creatures running at an impossible speed alongside of the train. The blonde human grimaced, watching them all leap up onto the train, and soon he was completely surrounded on both sides. Cloud combined his two swords into one and placed it on his back, a strange red glow starting to form around his hands.
The monsters all screamed, as they sprinted at the blonde fighter, almost positive of their victory. Cloud couldn't help... But smile.
He thrust his hand towards one of the groups of charging monsters. The red glow suddenly flashed, and a powerful burst of fire blasted out from his palm, engulfing the monsters as they growled and howled, their bodies blasting off the train car and incinerating.
"Cloud!" Rainbow Dash suddenly popped up from the hole, "What's going- She froze at the sight of the creatures that had turned their attention to her. Cloud gritted his teeth, and jumped at Rainbow.
He managed to wrap an around around the blue pegasus and pull her back at the expense of a sharp claw digging into the flesh on his chest. He bit back the pain and fired a burst of flame from his other hand, the blazing inferno overwhelming the monsters as they were all obliterated into ashes.
"O-Oh my gosh..." Rainbow gasped, her wings beating fast as she hovered over to his side, "Cloud, are you-
"Get back inside!" Cloud demanded, "NOW!" Rainbow quickly rushed into the train car, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
But it was too soon for that.
Up ahead, the train tracks were supposed to cross a huge bridge over a wide canyon. Problem was, was that the monsters had managed to completely destroy the bridge... Which would ultimately end their little train ride. He would need to pull the breaks, or they would be splattered at the bottom of the canyon.
Ignoring the searing pain on his chest, Cloud made a mad dash to the locomotive. A few more of the scaled monsters had jumped on top of the train cars, but Cloud managed to cut through them with ease. Slashing down on the roof, he jumped down to where the conductor was supposed to be.
He was met with the clawed hand of one of the monsters, and he quickly lunged his sword into its gut, piercing its body into the wall. When life left its eyes, Cloud began to search for the brake.
What he found was the body of the pony conductor buried in the coal, and the broken metal shaft of the break lodged into his chest.
"Damnit..." Cloud growled, the train bridge getting closer and closer by the second. He needed to act fast.
Cloud sprinted through each train car until he opened the door to where the elements of harmony were staying in. When he had arrived, they were each huddling against each other on one of the seats. They look absolutely terrified.
"No time for that..." Cloud winced, "Whatever has been attacking us has destroyed the bridge ahead. Not only that, but they've destroyed the break. Twilight, can you teleport us out of here?"
The purple unicorn shook her head, "If I did, we would still be traveling at the speed of the train... It wouldn't be the safest way to go by far..." Her ears flattened, "We could disconnect this train car and I could see if I can slow it down..."
Cloud's vision was starting to get blurry and he glanced down at his chest. He was bleeding worse than he thought, and he began to feel slightly light headed. Shaking it out, he pulled out his sword.
"Right..." Cloud said, spinning the sword in his hand, "We're gonna have to act fast."
The train car immediately inclined, hot sparks shooting off as the metal came into contact with the steel rails. The screech was deafening, overpowering the screams of the six ponies in the cab. A violet glow encased the train car as Twilight used her magic to slow the car down. The other five ponies were clutching their seats as hard as they could to stay on, their eyes squeezed tightly together.
Cloud managed to keep his balance as the train car began to slow, his mind working through ideas. The other part of the train was immediately heading towards the canyon, and it was all up to Twilight to save their hides. He was losing blood fast, and his strength was already beginning to dwindle.
Suddenly, Fluttershy's weak grip was loosened, and her yellow body soared through the air, heading straight for the hot sparks. It had taken her completely by surprise, and she couldn't react in time to use her wings. Cloud made a bold jump, wrapping an arm around her as he landed on his back into one of the seats, gripping whatever he could in order to avoid falling away.
Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief before she felt something warm and wet leak onto her head. She turned to see Cloud's wound leaking profusely, and she shrieked in horror as she stared at it. She didn't know what she could do, seeing how they were in a bad situation.
Cloud was losing tons of blood, and they had forgot to bring a first aid kit. He could possibly die from the amount of blood being lost.
"I...can...almost...." Twilight growled, biting her teeth as her horn flashed and sparkled, the train car beginning to slow considerably. The sparks were now losing their numbers, the car slowing as it approached the broken bridge. With one last purple burst from her horn, Twilight managed to halt the train, just inches before the emptiness of the canyon below them.
"Sweet...Celestia..." Applejack gasped, falling onto the floor, "I'm not gonna be on another train for a long while..."
Cloud stood up, setting Fluttershy down, "We have to get out of here quickly. Whatever those things are...they could easily get at us right now." He winced at the pain on his chest, his body swaying before he managed to steady himself using his sword.
"Darling!" Rarity distressed, her eyes wide as she skidded over to him on the inclined floor, "You're hurt...you need to get fixed up fast!"
"Later!" He coughed, his huge sword spinning around in his hands. With three quick slashes and a kick to the train car wall, a crude escape path had been opened. Cloud jumped out, his vision beginning to fade as he observed his surroundings.
He was in a wide open field, yet there was a forest about half a mile away that seemed to outline the canyon cliffs. He heard growls and snarls and turned his head to see more of the blue monsters charging down the train tracks. They would be on them in mere minutes.
"Come on!" Cloud called to the train, the six ponies jumping out from the hole, "We gotta move!" He took a step and almost fell flat on his face, managing to catch himself.
"Not yet!" Twilight shouted, "Cloud, you need help! Your blood loss is going to be fatal by the time we reach the forest! You can't keep going on like this!" Cloud cursed at himself for forgetting the cure materia. He could have definitely used that at a time like this. It was probably back with the former healer of his party.
"I'll heal up when we get there, I promise. Now run!" The ponies stared at him disbelievingly before they each took off, sprinting straight for the forest. He took a moment to recollect himself before turning and running after them, the blue scaly monsters gaining on them rather quickly.
For being small cartoon-like technicolor ponies, they could sure run pretty fast. Even with Cloud being the super warrior that he was, he found it difficult to keep up with them. Well, the blood that was pumping out of his body wasn't quite helping either. His visuals were beginning to smudge together, and the pounding in his head was just becoming more painful with each step. They were so close to the forest, but the blue scaled monsters were just nipping at their heels.
As the ponies ran into the line of the forest, Cloud knew that he couldn't go on. He tore the sword from his back and steadied himself, his black boots digging into the grass as he assumed his usual battle stance. He couldn't clearing see the monsters, but he knew at this point it didn't matter. He had enough energy to unleash just one more attack.
A blue misty aura encased Cloud's sword as the monsters approached him, howling their hatred and their bloodlust. A powerful gust of wind suddenly blew around his body, creating a massive cyclone that completely surrounded him. Gritting his teeth in pain and exhaustion, Cloud slashed his sword forward, firing the tornado into the mob of the attacking creatures. They all skidded to a stop, but it was too late. The cyclone immediately swept them up, the powerful winds tearing up grass and the leaves of the trees as it tossed the monsters high into the air and far into the distance, quickly eliminating the creatures altogether. When the wind finally settled itself, all the monsters were gone.
"Well I'll be..." Applejack blinked, slowly moving out from the forest, "Cloud is just full of surprises..." Their joy was short lived as Cloud hit the ground on his back, his sword falling limply down beside him.
"CLOUD!" The mares cried, dashing out from the trees to his side. Fluttershy knelt down at his side, biting her lip as she gazed into his wound.
"Oh no..." She sobbed, "He's already lost a lot of blood..." Twilight was already working her healing magic as a violet beam trailed off from her horn onto his wound.
“He'll be fine..." Twilight said hopefully, "Rarity, help me lift him into the forest!" The white mare's horn glowed as well, and Cloud's body began to lift up as the two mare's began to slowly move him into the woods.
"Applejack, Pinkie, see if you can grab his sword." Twilight said, concentrating as she delicately tried to heal Cloud and move him at the same time, "Rainbow Dash, I want you to fly up and see if there are any towns nearby...Fluttershy, ask some of the animals if there is some shelter nearby. I don't want any of those monsters finding us too soon."
Each of the ponies immediately began to get to work. The two earth ponies found that Cloud's sword was nearly twice as heavy as Big Mac's plow, and they both had to grip onto the hilt with their mouths and tug as hard as they could to get the thing to move just a few centimeters. Their jaws would probably be way too sore the next day.
Rainbow Dash immediately took to the skies, her eyes scanning the immediate area for any civilization. She was met with nothing but the large canyon and the forest, with Canterlot still being puny in the distance. Determined to find something of value, she quickly sped away, her eyes scanning the landscape for anything.
Fluttershy had disappeared for a few moments, and when she had returned the ponies were already a good distance into the forest. Applejack and Pinkie had managed to tie thick enchanted ropes around Cloud's sword to help them pull the massive metal weapon. Rarity and Twilight were still slowly carrying Cloud through the air, but they were being hit by fatigue.
"I found a cave not too far from here that could hide us..." Fluttershy informed, "It's a bit dark and scary, but...we should be okay there..."
Rainbow Dash landed close by, shaking her head angrily, "We're all alone out here...Ponyville is too far away, and Canterlot is still a speck on the cliff. There's another bridge that crosses the canyon, but its half a day's walk away. Shouldn't we try to contact Celestia so that she could bring us chariots or something?!"
Panting, the two unicorns carefully placed Cloud onto a soft pile of leaves before plopping down on their flanks. Rarity immediately went to whining about her hair, grabbing a mirror from her saddle bag just to shriek at her own dirtied appearance.
"The pegasi royal guards are all in Cloudsdale getting ready for the big race," Twilight sighed, "You know, the one that you were going to participate in? They won't get back for a few days. And Celestia has her hooves full with some royal business apparently, and I don't want to put anymore onto her plate than what's already there." Rainbow simply snorted before casting Cloud a sorrowful gaze.
"This is all my fault..." Rainbow said quietly, "If... I wasn't so stupid... Cloud wouldn't have gotten hurt..."
"Rainbow, I'm sure Cloud forgives you." Applejack said, taking a much needed break from pulling the sword, "Besides, Twilight said he'll be fine, didn't she?" Rainbow didn't look convinced and quickly broke away, muttering to herself.
A few moments later, the ponies resumed their trek through the forest to the cave that Fluttershy had spoken about. By the time they had arrived, the sun was already drifting down underneath the horizon and the air had dropped significantly in temperature. The wind that was whistling through the trees was icy, and they could hear the howls of the wildlife creatures off in the distance.
The cave was exactly what Fluttershy had described it to be; it was very cold, and very scary to be in. The cave was located on a sloping hill and seemed to travel underground for quite a distance. Settling near the entrance, the ponies finally stopped to make camp.
They had managed to gather a pile of leaves to lie Cloud down onto. His wound was still bad, but Twilight's magic had stopped the bleeding from continuing further. Fluttershy had gathered a few natural healing herbs and luckily had a few bandages ready. Applejack and Pinkie were completely exhausted and collapsed where they had stood. Twilight had started a fire from a few sticks that Fluttershy had gathered, and Rainbow was sitting in a dark corner silently brooding.
"Oh, look at this place!" Rarity complained, "It's dirty and smelly! Why, my beautiful white coat will be ruined if I lay down for even a second!"
"Deal with it, sugarcube..." Applejack growled, "You don't have much of a choice..."
"There's a stream close by..." Fluttershy stated, gently pouring a cream over Cloud's wound, "You could always wash up there..."
"And looks like we really need some water," Applejack chuckled, "Pinkie's infinite energy seems completely gone...the poor mare's already snoring away!" The friends, with the exception of Dash and Pinkie, laughed quietly amongst themselves.
"You know..." Twilight began, looking over at Cloud's unconscious form, "This... Is the second time he saved us." The others nodded in silent agreement, their attention on their sleeping savior.
"Yeah..." Applejack winced, "He has done a lot for us... And all we can do is try to take care of his battered body..."
"Are we... Really that useless?" Rarity asked aloud, pawing at the ground gently as her ears flattened, "We are the elements of harmony... But all we managed to do for him is pull him through a forest..."
"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash growled quietly, "Then how come all we've just been dead weight to Cloud?"
The mares sat in a thick silence as the wind rustled the leaves and the crickets chirped. There was no more sunlight, and they were each basked in the light of the small fire. It was beginning to get chilly, and each of them had gathered around it closely for the heat.
"Don't worry..." Twilight said, "We won't be a burden for much longer...It doesn't look like it, but Cloud needs us as much as we need him to get out of this forest. Girls, we aren't useless, so don't let it get to you. I'm sure at one point..." Twilight glanced back at Cloud, "He had felt useless too..."
The sound of a stick breaking instantly caused the mares to jump, the dark forest immediately grabbing their attention.
Pinkie's eyes suddenly shot up, "I'm awake!" She declared, jumping onto her hooves, "What did I miss?!"
"Shhh!" Applejack shoved an apple into Pinkie's mouth, silencing the pink mare, "Something's out there..."
They heard soft padded footsteps hitting leaves and dirt, and they were coming closer. Twilight's horn began to glow, and Rainbow Dash got into a pose to be ready to pounce.
Applejack held an apple tightly in her hoof, and Pinkie had somehow pulled out a military helmet out of nowhere.
"Geez..." A voice called in the direction of the footsteps, "First, you leave me behind and then get ready to pummel me?! I have some great friends!"
"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, running out of the cave to immediately embrace her number one assistant. She released him quickly and looked him over with a weird look in her eye, "What... What are you doing out here?"
"You guys left me behind without saying anything!" Spike pouted, placing his claws on his hips, "I had to ask around everybody before someone told me you decided to head to Canterlot by train. I walked the entire distance just to see a completely demolished train with a broken bridge. I followed your hoof steps here. Now, what happened back there?!"
"Umm..." Rarity chuckled lightly, "Spikey Wikey, we'll tell you later. Right now, we're all resting. Cloud is..." Spike's eyes followed her gaze to Cloud's wounded form, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Oh no... Is he alright?" Spike asked, walking up to take a close look at the sleeping warrior.
"Yes..." Fluttershy nodded, "He'll be fine. I'm sure he'll be awake in no time."
"But right now, we gotta plan how we'll get to Canterlot." Twilight stated, sitting back down at the fire, "Rainbow said she saw a bridge north of here that crosses the canyon. We'll reach it tomorrow and plan our way to Canterlot by there." Twilight then grabbed a stick with her mouth and began to draw what looked like a map in the dirt.
"Theresh a shecret patsh shthat leadsh to Canthershlot." Twilight spoke, drawing the map, "Thatsh where we'll go-
"Okay, now, say that without the stick..." Spike sighed, grabbing the stick from Twilight and tossing it out of the cave.
The purple unicorn rolled her eyes, "There's a secret path that leads to Canterlot. That's where we'll go. It goes into the mountain through some ancient ruins which should lead us straight to the castle."
"Huh..." Applejack blinked, "It must be super secret...don't want any mean fellers finding their way through there."
"Yeah, it's pretty well hidden. But I know exactly where it is, so there shouldn't be any problem." Twilight nodded. She yawned and rested her head on her hooves, "Man, I'm pooped..."
Suddenly, everyone felt exhausted. Rarity had managed to make her own bed of leaves to avoid the dirty floor. Fluttershy stationed herself next to Cloud, nuzzling his arm as she rested. Applejack leaned up against the cave wall next to Pinkie Pie. Rainbow walked over and sat next to Cloud, keeping a close eye on his wound. Spike yawned and leaned his head against Twilight's back.
"Okay, everypony..." Twilight closed her eyes, "We've got a big day tomorrow."
Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.
Author's Note:
Sorry if the chapter seemed a bit late to some of you...Classes have been pretty rough and I'm busy from working two jobs constantly, so I have a hard time balancing writing this and playing my video games. Please remember to comment and like! I love you guys!
Cloud blinked himself awake. He was, for some strange reason, standing straight up. Instead of seeing the familiar sight of the field, the train, and the forest, he found himself gazing at something completely new and strange.
He was in the center of a burning city.
The heat from the flames was almost unbearable, the smell of the smoke clogging his nostrils and nearly making him choke. The scene was familiar, but the buildings around were completely different then the memory in his head. Instead of the small country houses of Nibelheim, they were towering stone constructions. Well, at least they were.
He could see that he was standing in the center of a brick road, the flames somehow devouring the sidewalks beside him. He couldn't see the familiar light of the blue sky from the black smoke. The fire must be taking over the entire city. Cloud couldn't exactly tell where he was due to the blackened fiery appearances of the architecture but it was strangely familiar. He spied burning carriages littering the road, giving him an idea of where he was at.
Definitely somewhere in Equestria... But where?
It took him a moment to notice that he had his sword gripped tightly in his right hand. Had he been fighting something? Or was he the cause of all this destruction? Whatever the case, he was completely clueless on what had happened. He didn't have to even take a step forward to find out, however. The answer was right behind him.
"Quite a familiar scene," The deep, cold voice taunted, "It's only lacking are screams."
Cloud snapped his head back, his teeth grinding against each other. A tall shopping building had crumbled down onto its side, its stone body now wrapped in flames. Standing on its side, a few stories above Cloud, was a tall dark figure. It's eyes were a menacing green, a detestable smirk upon its face as its hair waved calmly through the air. A huge, almost unrealistic curved sword was held lazily in its left hand.
Cloud was a calm fighter, but even he had to hold himself down. His emotions were blaring, his eyes burning with the rage that had been lying dormant since his last encounter with that monster. His huge sword felt lighter, and he quickly assumed his usual battle stance.
"Sephiroth..." Cloud snarled, "What did you do?!"
Sephiroth kept his grin as he gazed down at Cloud, "What did I do?... The question is, what did YOU do?"
"Don't toy with me..." Cloud leaped up high into the air, his sword raised behind his head to strike as gravity pulled him down onto his most hated enemy. He had dropped his composure, ripping away his hesitance to attack.
The two blades clashes, sending a sharp sound throughout the air as a mini shockwave burst out from the contact. The flames danced from the blast of air as Cloud remained suspended in air above his nemesis.
"Toy with you?" Sephiroth grinned, "That's all I've done with you." Cloud released a grunt as Sephiroth slashes back, sending the blonde warrior flying down the road and over the raging fire. He managed to land onto an area free of fire, but his safety was short lived.
Sephiroth magically dashed out of the inferno, a smile across his face. Cloud noticed last minute, and managed to jump back to avoid the horizontal slash. He nearly landed into the hot flames, but had to quickly brace himself. Sephiroth quickly advanced, his sword slashing almost too fast for Cloud to react and see.
The two began a deadly dance. Sephiroth's rapid one handed attacks had Cloud completely on the defensive. His silver haired enemy wasn't giving him any opening, and he looked as though he didn't plan on it. The fire blazed around the two expert fighters, their swords flashing a bright blue with every parry.
The two blades locked in the center of the street, sparks shooting off as Cloud glared hard into the green eyes of the murderer.
"You've gotten soft..." Sephiroth smirked, adding in extra force as he forced Cloud to take steps back, "Your new friends doesn't suit you at all..."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Cloud raged, finding a strange burst of strength as he managed to launch Sephiroth off into the sky. The silver haired SOLDIER landed gently onto a tall flaming building above.
"Oh, but I do... " The villain chuckled, his sword spinning in his hand, "To think that the man who defeated me has befriended what could have been created out of a little girl's dream... It's embarrassing to say the least."
"Shut up!" Cloud roared, his sword flashing blue as he fired a powerful blue beam from his sword.
Sephiroth smirked, leaping into the air as the attack smashed into the building, causing heavy debris to drop into the flames below. Cloud sprinted and jumped, landing on each falling chunk of rubble and leaping off of it as he chased after the man who took away the most precious things in his life.
Cloud landed roughly onto the roof of what looked like a giant theater. Sephiroth was standing just a few meters away, his smile unfaltering.
"Cloud" Sephiroth chuckled, pointing his sword at the hero, "You are what you always had been. A weak, poor little country boy that couldn't save the love of his life..."
"Stop..." Cloud growled, his sword beginning to emit a blue aura.
"Not to mention a military failure....," Sephiroth taunted.
"Shut... up..."
"And best of all, you're a sad little puppet that-
"ENOUGH!" Cloud roared, sprinting at Sephiroth, the blue light surrounding his sword shimmering intensely. Sephiroth grinned, his own sword starting to be engulfed by a red flaming aura.
"Time to face it, Cloud!" Sephiroth charged straight forward, "It's time you face what you could never defeat!"
When their swords clashed, the roof surrounding them practically exploding. Stone debris was tossed everywhere, the powerful shockwave ripping the large structure apart as the flames fire out around them. Their swords were so bright that it was blinding. Then, in a matter of seconds, the light exploded, blowing away the fire, the theatre, and every building within the city walls. The last thing Cloud could see was a castle being toppled and eradicated by the raw power and destruction that he and Sephiroth created.
And then, it occurred to him. He was in Canterlot.
Cloud wasn't one to jolt awake. His eyes cracked open, and he immediately groaned. His chest felt like it was on fire and his exhausted bones were screaming at him to just keep laying down. But that's just not how Cloud went about his business.
He glanced over to see where he was. He guessed that the ponies had managed to drag him somewhere safe, seeing how they were all sprawled out and snoring. He was in a cave of some sort, and smoke rising from a pile of burnt sticks and ashes proved that they had managed to make camp for the night. He was surprised to see his sword lying on the ground since it weighed more than all the ponies in the room combined.
He felt something stir on his arm, and he found the peaceful form of Fluttershy snuggled up against him. Her breath was gentle and warm, her hooves grasping his arm gently. She reminded him of Marlene, when the young girl couldn't sleep because of a thunderstorm or a nightmare. He managed to resist the immense cuteness and glanced over to the other fuzzy lump on his left.
Rainbow Dash looked the opposite of Fluttershy. Her head was tucked into his armpit, drool leaking onto his black shirt. Her hooves were up in the air, her wings twitching as she stayed absorbed in her dreamland. Cloud groaned silently, leaning his head back as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't want to wake the ponies like this, but he didn't want to just stay there like a sitting duck in case of an attack.
He finally made his decision, gently slipping his arm out of Fluttershy's grasp and gently setting Rainbow Dash's head onto his bed of leaves. His sore leg muscles ached as he stood up, nearly causing him to make a grunt. After successfully navigating the sea of pony bodies, he grabbed his sword and left the cave.
It was early morning, the sun peaking through the small holes the leaves created as they hung from the trees. The air was chilly and the dew was still fresh on the grass. Checking the area briefly, he discovered that it was pretty well hidden. There was a small stream nearby, and the trees and bushes covered up the place very well. It would be very difficult for any of those strange monsters to find them here.
Taking a deep breath, Cloud slowly made his way to the stream. His heart was beating heavily from the dream he had, and he wanted to wash that horrible feeling away as soon as possible. Taking a small puddle of the cold water into his hands, he splashed it onto his face. The water was like ice.
"You trying to be sneaky?" A familiar girlish voice giggled, "I saw you leave the cave at the last second." Twilight made her way down the small grassy slope before coming up to Cloud as she watched him was his face.
"What happened?... " Cloud asked, wiping his face with a small black handkerchief. He already knew the answer but wanted to confirm it.
"Well... " Twilight started, kneeling down, "You passed out from blood loss and exhaustion. We had to carry you into the forest and get you somewhere safe to treat you. Fluttershy found this cave, and we each made sure that you were okay. Pinkie and Applejack somehow managed to drag your sword here, so they deserve quite a bit of credit... "
"I see... " Cloud answered, watching the small stream before scooping up a handful of water to take a light drink from. Satisfied, he sat back onto the slope and tried to ignore the fiery pain on his chest. It wasn't working.
"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked, feeling a bit awkward at his silence.
"Like hell... " He replied, "My chest hurts and my muscles are sore. I'll make it, though. Everyone- I mean... Everypony else okay?" He would never get used to that.
Twilight giggled again, "Yes, thanks to you. Rainbow Dash, however... She's taking your injury pretty harshly. She's blaming herself for it... "
Cloud replied only with silence, and Twilight decided to press on, "Maybe you should talk to her when she wakes up... "
"... Yeah... " Cloud answered, getting back onto his feet, "We need to move soon anyway. It's seems like we've got quite a ways till we reach Canterlot."
Twilight nodded, "Sounds good!" She hastily got up and followed after the taller human. By the time they made it to the cave, everybody was awake and looking a bit worried. When they saw Cloud, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"I knew you'd pull through!" Applejack smirked, punching Cloud playfully in the thigh, "You're tougher than anypony I'd ever seen!" Cloud winced at the contact but gave her a silent nod. Fluttershy hovered up to his chest and inspected his wound as she muttered quietly to herself and the blond human. Cloud gave her a nod and took a spot in the center of the cave.
"Okay, " He began, "Our goal is to reach Canterlot by tonight. It might be dangerous, so let's keep our eyes forward and ears open." Rarity grumbled lightly to herself as she examined her face in a hand held mirror that she seemed to pull out of nowhere.
"Sir yes sir!" Pinkie replied, a military helmet on her head as she saluted, "We're ready to move out Lieutenant Cloud!"
Cloud, of course, was the group leader who walked in the front. Twilight was behind him, her eyes constantly inspecting the surroundings for any signs of danger or anything helpful. Spike was riding lazily on her back. Behind her was Pinkie Pie who was wearing her military helmet with camouflage painted on her face and a bandoleer filled with pies wrapped around her torso. Behind her was Fluttershy, who was taking shaky steps forward. Rarity was wearing a sun hat, and made sure to avoid any puddles of mud or other kinds of filth on the trail. Applejack was bringing up the rear, her saddlebags filled with apples for the long trip.
Rainbow Dash was up in the skies as she surveyed the landscape. But in reality, a part of her was trying to distant from the rest of the group. It was something they all noticed but said nothing about. Cloud would definitely have to do something about that.
"Okay, " He stopped and faced the ponies, "We've been walking for about an hour so far. Let's take a five minute break."
"Finally!" Rarity sighed, "My hooves hurt and my coat is collecting dirt! Oh, how dreadful!"
"C'mon, Sugarcube," Applejack snickered as she laid back against a tree, "If it's like that now, wait to see what you look like in a few more hours!"
As each of the mares had plopped down to rest, Cloud zeroed in on Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus was seated up in a tree, her back against the trunk of the tree. Cloud watched her for a bit longer, trying to gather up his thoughts to prepare him for what was needed to be said. Taking a deep breath, Cloud walked towards her.
The trees in the forest were tall and thick and the branches were high above the ground. You almost had to have wings in order to climb up into the branches. Fortunately for Cloud, having no wings was no problem for him. He bent his knees and launched himself into the air. His jump was incredibly high, and he quickly grabbed the first branch on the way up that was behind Rainbow. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice him sit on the branch behind her.
"Thinking about something?" Cloud asked, nearly spooking Rainbow out of the tree. The pegasus gave him a shocked looked before gazing towards the forest floor.
"... No... "
"So nothing is bothering you."
"That's what I said."
"And that's why you aren't being yourself."
"... "
"I know what's bothering you, Dash."
"Me too!" Rainbow growled, crossing her forehooves, "Cloud, I... I... " Rainbow would never admit that she messed up in any occasion... And that is why it was hard for her to talk about what had happened.
"Look, Dash... " Cloud started, "It's alright. I'm fine, and everybody- er, everypony is okay."
"So... " The pegasus sniffed, "I doesn't mean it can't happen again... "
Cloud thought silently for a brief moment, "Look, Dash... I don't blame you. None of us do. Now tell me... Should the great Rainbow Dash be like this?... "
Rainbow blinked and looked at Cloud, "No... "
"Should Rainbow Dash feel sorry for herself?"
"No!"
"Should Rainbow Dash let one little mistake hold her back?"
"NO!"
"Is Rainbow Dash going to get right back up again?"
"NO! Wait- I mean YES!"
"Good." Cloud nodded, "We're going to need you." Rainbow thought she could see the most minuscule smile form on Cloud's face before he dropped onto the ground floor below.
Cloud was about to call everybody in when he noticed the purple dragon talking pleasantly with Rarity. Spike's crush was completely obvious and even Cloud found it sad that the dragon thought that everybody was clueless. Cloud was staring at him because of these thoughts though... Something was bugging him. Spike told them that he had followed close behind when he found out they left by asking the other ponies. But no other pony knew that they left that early in the morning... Was there something Spike wasn't telling them?
"We ready to move out?" Applejack asked, tossing the human an apple. Cloud caught it with his left hand without looking.
"Yeah. Let's go." He took a bite as the ponies and the one dragon gathered up.
I've had people ask about the story and if I'm ever going to update it. I talked a bit about it on my blog, but it's probably better just to say it right here.
This fic took a turn that I didn't enjoy... I was inexperienced when I started it, and as it went on I was getting less and less satisfied. Which direction I wanted this story to head to is now completely lost, and I don't think I can pick it back up.
I wish I could just put this on a hiatus, but I know I'll never come back to it. Maybe one day I could start some other final fantasy story. I'd like to thank all those who were with me when it started, and who were here in the end. Your support helped me carry on.
And from this moment on, the story is now canceled.
