Twilight and her friends are transported to the world of the first Final Fantasy.
After exposing Starlight Glimmer as a fraud and getting used to having the Castle of Friendship as their new meeting ground, Twilight and her friends are summoned to the Crystal Empire to find out why the Crystal Heart is behaving strangely, only to be thrust into a new adventure involving crystals, warriors, four elemental evils, and an old enemy.
In the mystical land of Equestria lived several multicolored ponies gifted with unique abilities: earth ponies who could grow crops and do hard labor on ground, the winged pegasi that flew across the skies and control the weather, unicorns, horned ponies who could use magic, and the alicorns, a combination of unicorn and pegasus with extremely powerful magic. Only four such ponies existed so far.
Six of these wondrous creatures are known to be the best of friends and Equestria's heroes (even though some ponies are unaware of the latter). They lived in the small town of Ponyville where everypony of varying types lived. Their names were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle.
Our story, however, begins not in Ponyville, but in the the resting place of the Crystal Heart, the source of all power in the Crystal Empire.
One night, the Crystal Heart began glowing an ethereal light, gaining the attention of a passing patrol pony.
"What the?!" he shouted. "I-I've gotta tell the royal couple!!"
And just like that, he bolted towards the throne room and found that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor weren't there. Next, he went to the royal chambers and pounded the door frantically.
"Princess Cadence! Shining Armor!" said the guard.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" asked Shining Armor.
"Your Highness! Captain! The Crystal Heart is glowing for some reason!"
"Huh?" said Cadence. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Please come with me!"
The three reached their destination, and to Cadence's surprise, the guard was correct.
"I don't understand. Why is it--"
Before she could finish her question, the relic beamed even brighter almost blinding the three ponies present. Images and visions began to appear in front of Cadence and her husband, some wonderful and some unnerving, and in each of them were creatures they had never seen before: dancing cacti with faces, and most of all, humans.
In one such vision, they saw a black-caped, silver-haired male with silver shoulder pads looking straightforward calmy while surrounded by a sea of fire, and if this wasn't enough to scare the princess, the creature slowly and nonchalantly turned around walking into the flames without a hint of fear or remorse.
Cadence shuddered at what had seen, moving next to Shining Armor for comfort. Thankfully the next thing the Crystal Heart showed was a little more tranquil: a teenage girl in a blue feather-duster smiling to her beloved--a young boy with a scar on his forehead--and sharing a kiss on the balcony of a floating vessel. The Princess of Love and her husband smiled at the vision.
The next, and last images, weren't of the other creatures but six familiar cutie marks: a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, a set of apples, several balloons, three blue diamonds, pink butterflies, and finally a six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller ones.
Cadence couldn't believe what she saw, and neither could her husband.
"Twily's cutie mark? And her friends?" said Shining Armor, wondering why his sister and friends' cutie mark were being displayed. "We need to tell Princess Celestia and Luna."
"I will write them right away," said the guard as he left.
"Twilight and the others? But why?"
Ponyville The next morning
It had been a week since Twilight and Spike finally accepted the Castle of Friendship as their new home since the evil Tirek destroyed the Golden Oak Library. Although Twilight found herself more and more comfortable in her new abode, she still missed her beloved tree-home as did her friends. There was not a single moment they didn't think back on all the times they met there, having fun parties, looking up magic spells, trying to solve a friendship problem, or hanging out in general.
"Good morning, everypony," said Twilight.
"Mornin', sugarcube!" said Applejack. "How y'all doin'?"
"Pretty good," answered Spike.
"Likewise," said Twilight.
"Ditto!" Pinkie Pie shouted, making everypony cover their ears.
"Volume, Pinkie!" said Rainbow Dash. "Anway, I'm good."
"Same here," said Fluttershy.
"Ugh..." Rarity groaned, causing the others to look at her strangely.
"Are... you okay, Rarity?" asked Spike.
"Oh, not at all, darling," she answered. "I was up all night designing the latest--"
"Here we go again," Applejack complained, not wanting to hear another Rarity rant about fashion.
"I beg your PARDON?!" Rarity exclaimed.
Twilight groaned. "I thought we were past this point, girls."
"Why can't we all just... get along?" Fluttershy sighed.
The farmgirl and the fashionista, however, were too busy arguing with each other to listen to anything else, causing the others to roll their eyes and shake their heads.
Suddenly, Spike let out a flame. "Look, everypony!" he said. "A letter from Princess Celestia."
Applejack and Rarity immediately stopped arguing upon hearing this and rushed over to hear what their monarch had to say.
"What's it say?! What's it SAY?!" Pinkie asked excitedly.
"Dear Twilight,
My niece needs you and your friends at the Crystal Empire. I will meet you all there as quickly as possible.
Yours Truly,
Princess Celestia"
"The Crystal Empire?" said Rainbow Dash. "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"
The Crystal Empire
After a long train ride, our heroes finally arrived at the Crystal Empire. While rushing to the Crystal Palace with the girls, Spike received passing admiration from the inhabitants for his past deed of saving them from King Sombra. Upon reaching the Crystal Heart's pedestal, the ponies and dragon saw that Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were already there.
"Everyone! We came as fast as we could."
"It's good to see you, too, Twilight," said Celestia. "But we've no time for social calls; look at the Crystal Heart!"
The girls gasped at seeing the images that Cadence and Shining Armor had seen before.
"What does this mean? Why is the--"
Just then the girls' cutie marks begin to resonate.
"What's going on?!" Rainbow shouted. "Why are our cutie marks glowing?"
"I believe I can answer that," a new voice responded, catching our heroes' attention.
"Who said that?" asked Twilight, she and the rest of the group looking around in confusion.
"It was I, Twilight Sparkle."
"Where are you? Show yourself!" Luna commanded.
The voice chuckled warmly. "I am right in front of you, Princess Luna." Sure enough, the light in the Crystal Heart began to glow and dim whenever the voice spoke.
"The Crystal Heart?" asked Cadence.
"Not precisely. I am the essence of a lost soul from a different world than Equestria. There are many others."
"Another world? Like the human world where Sunset Shimmer lives?"
"Not quite. Perhaps it will be easier to show you the way..."
And with those words, the possessed Crystal Heart shot a beam of light towards Twilight and her friends with the exception of Spike, shocking everypony present, and all of a sudden, they disappeared leaving everyone else in the chamber in shock.
"T-Twilight?!" Celestia called.
"Twilight!!" Cadence cried.
"TWILIGHT!!!" Spike shouted. "Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Where are you?"
"Do not worry, everyone," said the voice. "They have been transported to the Chamber of Crystals."
"The Chamber of... Crystals??" asked a skeptical Shining Armor. "Why was I not informed of this? My wife and I know this palace like the back of our hooves, and there isn't any secret chamber like that! ...Is there?"
"There is no such area in the palace. I am sure of that."
"How are you so certain?" Cadence asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"I'd like to know as well," Celestia agreed.
"Because the Chamber does not exist in Equestria."
"What?!"
The Chamber of Crystals
After a few short minutes, Twilight and the others regained consciousness, reeling from the recent experience.
"Is everypony alright?"
"Ugh..." said Pinkie Pie. "I can't even remember the last time I felt so.. blah."
Just then, the voice from before made its presence known, speaking from a giant crystal floating in the center of the area on a square pedestal. "Welcome, my little ponies."
"All right, pardner," said an angry Applejack. "You've got some explainin' to do. Where in tarnation are we and why'd ya bring us here?"
"Very well... In this chamber lie 16 crystals that serve as the doorways to several different yet similar worlds."
Sure enough, surrounding the ponies were 16 crystals, each labeled with a Roman numeral.
"What the heck kind of letters are these?" said Rainbow.
"Those are not letters, Rainbow Dash," said the voice." "They are numbers."
"There is great evil at work from your realm that has corrupted one of these worlds and is plotting to return to Equestria to wreak havoc once more."
The girls gasped at this revelation and were shocked beyond belief.
"But that's not possible!" Twilight exclaimed. "Princess Luna's back to normal."
"And Discord is reformed, I think." Rarity interjected.
"King Sombra was taken care of," Rainbow added.
"Tirek is back in Tarturus," said Fluttershy.
"I wonder where that leaves that mean old Changeling..." Pinkie said, then gasping. "That means--"
*music fades out*
"Yes," the voice answered. "Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings have escaped into one of these worlds and are conspiring with the villains who disrupt the peace and imperil all who live there."
"How is that possible?" asked Twilight. "How did they even enter that world in the first place?"
"After their defeat in Canterlot, the Changelings had somehow found themselves in a dying world."
"A dying world?"
In response to her question, the small crystal with labeled under the Roman numeral I glowed and showed our heroes a glimpse of a world in near ruins.
"This world is shrouded in darkness. The earth has begun to rot and decay, the wind has died, the sea rages on."
"Oh, my," said a distraught Fluttershy. "How awful."
"There is still hope, little ones."
"There is?"
"A prophecy has kept hope alive in the hearts of the people: 'When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.'"
These words left the ponies confused.
"Warriors of Light?" asked a skeptical Applejack.
"Yes," said the voice, "and after a long journey, four young warriors did appear at last, each one holding a mysterious crystal."
"What about us?" said Rainbow Dash.
"You are to aid these travelers on their quest, defeat the evil corrupting the world, and bring Chrysalis to justice."
"YES!!"
"A word of caution, my friends."
"Huh?"
"When you arrive in this world and possibly the next ones after, you may not all appear together."
Pinkie gasped, "You mean we're gonna get separated from each other with the possibility that we may never see each other again?! I don't think I can stand being away from my friends after such a long time, and that can make my head spin and--"
"Pinkie!" Everypony exclaimed.
"Fear not, Pinkie Pie," the voice said, "for some of you may appear together and you may travel all over and reunite with your friends."
"YAAAAY!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, causing everypony to cringe and cover their ears.
"And one more thing..."
"What now?" said an exasperated Rainbow.
"You might also find yourselves without your natural abilities at the start of your journey, and you may notice something missing upon your arrival."
"WHAT?!" Twilight yelled. "You mean we can't use our magic or fly?!"
"I am afraid so," the voice responded. "To regain your skills, you must defeat any and all enemies you come across."
*music stops*
Just then a portal began to appear, drawing the girls' attention.
"Wait," said a new, unfamiliar male voice. "Did you hear that?"
Huh...? Whose voice is that? the purple alicorn thought.
"One of these things just talked now, I'm sure of it!" said another voice.
Another one?
"I don't think it's dangerous," said a female voice. "Let's give them some room."
That's three.
"I agree," said one last voice.
That makes four! Could it be...?
Just then, Twilight's eyes began to flutter open, her vision blurry.
"Oh, look! It's waking up!" said the female voice. "Poor little thing."
"'Poor little thing?!'" said the second male. "These creatures came out of nowhere! Like those bug-eyed black things!"
"W-What?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocking the four creatures.
"So, you can talk," said the second male menacingly. Twilight's vision may have been blurred, but she could tell that the source of the voice was approaching her and not in a friendly way.
"Stay your hand, comrade," said the first male, blocking the other creature. "You've every right to be suspicious, but we must let them recover."
"Ngh..." grunted a familiar raspy voice, catching everyone's attention. "You lay a hoof or paw on my friend... and you'll regret it!"
"R-Rainbow Dash?" said Twilight, looking to her right and finally regaining her eyesight.
"Heh... Hey, Twilight."
"Oh..." a weak voice groaned, one Twilight and Rainbow knew very well.
"Fluttershy?" asked Twilight and Rainbow.
Twilight stood up and trotted over to her friends lying on their stomachs and struggling to get up. It took 14 seconds for the other two to stand on all fours again. They surveyed their surroundings and saw that they were in a grassy area surrounded by a river. In front of them was a town surronded by a wall with a single opening, and at the the very back was a large stone castle. They turned around and came face-to-face with four bipedal beings wearing strange clothing: the first one--which they assumed was their leader--wore elaborate blue armor and had dark red hair, the second was a blue-haired young man in brown armor and a green bandana, the third was a young lady who had on a white hooded cloak with red markings, and the last creature wore a blue robe and a steeple-pointed hat which concealed his face.
"Where... are we...?" the yellow pegasus asked.
"You three are near the entrance to the town of Cornelia. And so are we for that matter. Heh heh."
"Cornelia?" Fluttershy repeated.
"Us three?" said a surprised Twilight. She looked around and noticed something... or rather nopony else!
She gasped, "Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity are missing!"
Sure enough, their earth pony and unicorn friends were nowhere to be seen.
"There are more of you?" asked the incredulous blue-haired youth. "Great..."
"Zauver!" said the woman in white.
"'Zauver,' huh?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What a name!"
"Well, what's your name, rainbow mane?"
"My name is Rainbow Dash, buddy! Rainbow DASH!! Not 'Rainbow MANE!'"
"Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight and Fluttershy.
"Zauver, that's enough!" said the red head. He sighed and turned to the ponies. "I apologize for Zauver's behavior. He and the rest of us are rather new to being chosen by destiny."
"'Chosen by destiny?'" asked Twilight.
"Yes," he responded showing the purple alicorn and her friends a crystal in his hands. The other humans, with Zauver rolling his eyes, did likewise showing different colored crystals.
"Let us introduce ourselves. My name is Setro. I am a warrior seeking to return light to this world."
"Zauver. I'm a thief," he said, making the ponies raise a collective eyebrow.
"I'm Flora the white mage," said the woman smiling.
"My name's Teol," said the hat wearing traveler. "And I'm a black mage."
"Well," Twilight responded, "pleased to meet you all. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."
"Yeah, I already got the last part," said Zauver, glaring at the blue pegasus who returned the favor.
Twilight couldn't help but slapping her face with her hoof. "I think I'm gonna have a migraine," she said, rubbing her forehead. But as she did, she began to notice something. She rubbed her forehead some more and tapped her hoof on it and finally realized. "My horn! It's missing!"
Her two pony friends took notice and saw that, indeed, Twilight's horn was no longer there! But that wasn't all, her wings had disappeared as well!
"Twilight?" said a frightened Fluttershy. "Where are your wings?"
"My wings?" Twilight gasped. "What about YOUR wings?!"
Her friends looked at their bodies, and sure enough, no wings!
"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!" the ponies screamed, surprising the four warriors.
"What happened?" asked Setro.
"Our wings and my horn are gone!" said the purple alicorn.
"Wings and a horn?" Teol questioned.
"Yeah! Rainbow and Fluttershy here are supposed to be pegasi, and I'm supposed to be an alicorn!"
Twilight panicked, pacing back and forth wondering why they lost their most notable physical traits, until finally she realized...
The Chamber of Crystals
"You might also find yourselves without your natural abilities at the start of your journey, and you may notice something missing upon your arrival."
"WHAT?!" Twilight yelled. "You mean we can't use our magic or fly?!"
"I am afraid so," the voice responded. "To regain your skills, you must defeat any and all enemies you come across."
So, that's it, she thought. That's the reason!
Zauver sighed. "This is great... Just great. I travel with a bunch of strange people, being called a 'Light Warrior,' and now I'm talking to a bunch of horses!"
"Hey!" exclaimed Rainbow. "We... are not... horses! We're ponies!"
"Can we please just along here?" said an annoyed Twilight.
"I agree," said Teol, sighing.
"Let's just head into town for now," said Setro.
The others agreed walking straight to the village.
Cornelia
Upon arrival, the ponies looked around and found several humans wandering around and some looking at them. Needless to say, this made them uncomfortable and uneasy.
"I-I'm not sure I like this," said Fluttershy, knowing what it was like to have several strangers gazing their eyes on her.
"It's alright, Fluttershy," said Flora. "Just don't look back at them."
"Definitely," Teol agreed.
Onlookers aside, the city itself was beautiful and thriving with activity despite the harsh circumstances of the outside world. In the center of the town was a sparkling water fountain, making Fluttershy smile and stand on her hind legs and hold her heart in her front hooves. There were also several stores selling items, armor, weapons, and strangest of all: magic spells. There was one particular building that caught the ponies' attention.
"Hey, Setro," said Rainbow.
"Yes?" the warrior answered.
"What's that building over there?"
"That, my friend, is a church. A house of prayer and comfort where people go when they feel they've lost their way."
"That's not all," said another voice. The party turned around, seeing a young woman approach them. "I've heard that a visit to the church can bring the fallen back to life only if that person is special and of great importance."
"Yeah, sure," said Zauver, rolling his eyes. "Let's go."
"My apologies on behalf of my comrade," Setro sighed. "He's not the religious type."
The woman could only chuckle. "That's alright. Not everyone has to be a believer." She walked, leaving the ponies confused.
Twilight pondered, "So I guess this world has a god or two."
"What do you mean?" said Teol.
"Well... What if I said this isn't the first human-inhabited world I've paid a visit to?"
"W-What?!" said Zauver.
"I'll... tell you about it later. Right now, I feel like exploring some more."
"Me, too!" said Rainbow.
"Same here," Fluttershy agreed.
They walked around town some more, meeting several people like Arylon the dancer, along a with castle soldier patrolling the streets.
"Excuse me," he said.
"Yes?" said Setro.
"You wouldn't happen to be travelers, would you?"
"That is correct. I believe we are the Warriors of Light as foretold in--"
The soldier was taken aback at this statement. "Warriors of Light? Please come with me. And bring your horse friends with you!"
The Equestrians looked annoyed. Why does everyone here think we're horses? Twilight thought as she and her friends followed the humans into the castle.
*music stops*
Castle Cornelia
Once inside the stone castle, the ponies couldn't help but marvel at the structure, admiring everything within. Inside were two rooms with a distance of 12 feet, and in between was a beautiful carpet that separated two rows of three columns.
"Wow!" said Twilight. "This feels just like Canterlot again!"
"It's really lovely," said Fluttershy.
The party walked past the guards and up the stairs, finding themselves in the King's throne room.
"And who might you be?" asked the chancellor, glaring suspiciously at the party.
"I believe we are the Warriors of Light of whom were predicted to appear when the world is at its bleakest."
"And those filthy creatures?"
"Excuse me?!" said Twilight.
"Oh, my. Little talking horses!" said the King.
"Actually, Your Majesty, we're ponies. Not horses."
"Didn't expect you to show up," the chancellor sneered.
"What do you mean?" asked the King.
"Oh, nothing at all," the advisor backed up. "It's just that these creatures were not in the prophecy, and they should be cast into the dungeon!"
"My dear friend? What has gotten into you?"
"I should ask you the same! Your daughter has been abducted and you are choosing to rely on these charlatans and these disgusting ponies to save her!"
"Your Majesty," said Setro. "Please allow us to prove we are the chosen ones."
"Hah! You couldn't produce evidence even if--"
"Very well," the King interrupted.
"What?!"
The four humans revealed the four crystals they had shown the ponies earlier, and this was enough to convince the King.
"Ah! Just as Lukahn predicted! And who may you be, my little pony friends?"
"We came here from Equestria, a country that isn't in this world."
"Another world, you say?"
Twilight nodded and began to explain the situation to the king: the Chamber of Crystals, Queen Chrysalis, et cetera. While listening, the King put his finger on his chin and pondered this. His trusted advisor, however, grew more and more agitated.
"Sire," the chancellor whispered harshly, "I must advise against allowing these... these... monsters to rescue the princess. It goes against that prophecy."
"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'the more, the merrier?'" the King whispered back. "And if you are so concerned, chancellor, then why not aid them in task?"
"W-What?! Me? In the same proximity as these..."
"Chancellor!!"
The balding man jumped.
"You will accompany our guests to the Temple of Fiends, or I will remove you from your position as chancellor!"
The chancellor growled furiously. "Very well..." He walked over the group and whispered to the equines, "But do not think for one second that I will enjoy being in your company."
"Likewise," Rainbow whispered back.
"So where are we going?" asked Flora.
The King stood up and paced around the room and spoke. "As you've heard, my daughter Princess Sarah has been abducted. The culprit responsible was once the finest knight in all Cornelia, but now he's gone rogue, and he is holding my dear Sarah hostage in exchange for control of this kingdom!"
The ponies gasped.
"How awful!" Fluttershy said.
"Yes, it is. And this crime has left my dear Queen Jayne confining herself in her chambers in sorrow, and my younger daughter is praying for her sister's safety."
Setro walked forward one step and kneeled. "Do not worry, Your Majesty. We will rescue Princess Sarah."
"Thank you, Light Warriors."
The heroes bowed and left the throne room along with the disgruntled chancellor. Before walking out with the others, Fluttershy took notice of the bird statues on display. "Um... Your Majesty?"
"Yes, my dear?" said the King.
"What are those statues supposed to be? I've never seen such birdies like these before."
"Those are Chocobos."
"Chocobos?"
"Yes, Chocobos. I'm not sure why, but nobody has seen any real live ones in this region or the whole world for that matter."
"I... I see..." the yellow pegasus said, her hoof on her chin. She turned and trotted to catch up with the party, waving her hoof. "Bye, Your Majesty."
"Good luck!" the King answered back.
Before leaving the castle, our heroes heard crying coming from the room on the left from the entrance. They walked through the columns, entered the chamber and found a regal woman with her hands on her face, weeping.
"Pardon me? Your Highness?" said Setro.
The woman looked up and saw that she had visitors. "Oh, you must be the Light Warriors!"
"Yes, and these three have come to aid us on our quest."
"But what can they do?"
"Beats me," said Zauver, earning himself a glare from everyone and an elbow in the arm from Flora. "Ugh... Sorry."
"You must be Queen Jayne," said Twilight, who then covered her muzzle, realizing her mistake. This woman was already in a highly emotional state: her elder daughter was being held hostage, and now this. Talking ponies.
"Y-Y-You can speak..." said the Queen.
"I-I-I..." Twilight stuttered, feeling guilty.
"Your Highness," said Flora, "we will rescue the princess. Please don't--"
*music stops*
"Let us GO, my 'friends!'" the chancellor said, making everyone turn in his direction and glare at him.
"What is your problem, pal?!" said Rainbow Dash. "The Queen's worrying about her older daughter, we're trying to comfort her, and here you are pushing everyone around like you're the one in charge.
"Do not speak to me in that tone. And for that matter you should not even speak at all, you repulsive equine!"
"CHANCELLOR!!" Queen Jayne exclaimed.
"Y-Your Highness?"
"You will treat our guests with respect, or I will have you removed from your position as chancellor!"
The man trembled with fury, closing eyes and clenching his fists. He opened his eyes and saw everyone still glaring in his direction. He glared back at the ponies, making them flinch.
"Damn you!"
"You mind your language, chancellor!"
"Yes... Your Highness..." he growled.
"And mind you manners, too!"
The prejudiced man walked out of the chamber with what little dignity he could, leaving the heroes shocked at his behavior.
"Seriously," said Rainbow Dash. "What is that guy's deal?"
"That, I do not know," Jayne answered. "He wasn't like that... not until Garland betrayed us and took my dear Sarah away. Not to mention, I have had constant headaches since then. I suppose the stress of my daughter's kidnapping will not disappear until she is safe at home."
Garland... Rainbow Dash thought. Ha! What a stupid name!
Twilight trotted forward two paces and bowed. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn't have surprised you like that, not with everything going on right now."
*music resumes*
"You are forgiven, little pony," said the Queen, kneeling and giving the purple equine a gentle pet.
"Thank you. Oh! You're the first person to call us ponies!"
"Yeah. Everyone else just called us horses," Rainbow Dash said, looking over at Zauver who whistled in a not-quite innocent way.
"What are your names?"
The group all answered starting with the Warriors of Light.
"My name is Setro. I am a warrior."
"Name's Zauver, and I'm a thief."
Queen Jayne was taken aback. "A thief?!"
Zauver sighed. "Why does everyone tend to judge me?"
"My name is Flora. I'm a white mage."
"And I am Teol, black mage."
Then it was the ponies' turn. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship."
"I'm, uh, Fluttershy. Nice to have met you."
"The name's Rainbow Dash."
The Queen chuckled warmly. "It is very nice to meet you all."
"I agree," said Flora. "And as I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, you needn't worry. We will bring your daughter back."
"Thank you, brave people and ponies."
And so our heroes left the castle, but before they could go anywhere, they had to be prepared for what was to come.
*music fades*
Back into town, the heroes stepped into the shops for supplies: weapons, armor, healing items, and magic spells.
"I can't believe you have to pay to learn magic," said Twilight. "That never happens in Equestria."
"Yeah," said Flora. "If Teol and I were born with magic skills, it would've been easier."
"Well, if it helps the town's businesses and helps saving the world," said Teol. "We don't have much of a choice."
"Let's just go now, okay?" said an impatient Zauver. "That stupid chancellor guy's gettin' agitated."
"Hold on, Zauver," said Setro, turning to the shopkeeper. "I'll take a few rapiers please. One for me and my friend over there."
"That's 10 gil per item, friend," said the merchant. The good warrior placed the gold pieces on the counter.
"Here you are."
"Thank you." The shopkeeper handed over two powerful looking swords to Setro and Zauver; the two men examining their new weapons and sheathing them. "Anything else?"
Flora stepped forward and said, "A hammer and a staff please."
"That's 15 gil in total."
"All right," the white mage answered placing her money on the counter.
*music fades out*
With everyone equipped with the proper weapons and armor, Setro stood in front of the group like a natural leader.
"Everyone all set?"
"Yes."
"Finally!" said the chancellor.
"Then let us be off! To the Temple of Fiends!"
And with those words, our heroes began their mission to save Princess Sarah. But why was the King of Cornelia's most trusted advisor against the Equestrians? Where were the other ponies? And what of Queen Chrysalis? So far, our heroes have not heard one peep out of the shape-shifting villain or her minions. They may have been closer that the ponies thought.
Chapter 2: Rescuing the Princess/Crossing the Bridge
Out in the field, our heroes marched north to save Princess Sarah of Cornelia from the renegade knight Garland. It took some getting used to, but Rainbow Dash still wished she had her wings, preferring to fly instead of walk on ground. The chancellor sneered at them the whole way, mumbling to himself, catching Zauver's attention. True, he wasn't fond of traveling with multicolored equines, but he didn't hate them as much as the man who was forced to accompany them.
The path to the Temple of Fiends had several trees, shallow ponds, and some rock formations, but nothing which could stop the party from reaching their destination.
"This place doesn't seem so bad," said Twilight. But she spoke too soon because at that moment, five monsters appeared in front of the group, frightening poor Fluttershy.
"Stand your ground!" said Setro, taking a fighting stance with the others following suit.
One goblin tried to strike Rainbow Dash, but she dodged and countered by bucking it with her hind legs. She may not have had Applejack's bucking strength, but it was enough to knock her enemy unconscious.
Twilight did her best to fend off the goblins, but she couldn't defeat all of them. In fact, she only managed to overcome only one of the creatures by headbutting it.
Fluttershy was no warrior, but seeing the others fight gave her the courage to stand up to the monsters. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them, making them cower in fright as her eyes grew wide, peering into their souls.
Seeing their chance, Setro and Zauver slashed the paralyzed creatures sending them to the ground.
"Fire!" Teol commanded, burning the last monster.
What surprised the ponies most was that after the creatures were defeated, they suddenly vanished into thin air!
The chancellor observed the heroes battle in the background, eyeing all of their movements carefully.
*music stops*
With the last of the goblins defeated, Rainbow Dash jumped and did a somersault in the air and cheered. "Woo-hoo! Victory!"
The heroes continued onward through a large forest and encountered more goblins, but the creatures were quickly disposed of. After a few battles, the group began to feel as if their strengths and attributes increased. Despite the ponies' own victories, their unique physical traits had to return to them.
They finally reached the dilapidated ruins of the Temple of Fiends. Seeing this fallen shrine reminded the ponies of the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest back in Equestria, where they defeated Nightmare Moon and saved their home world from eternal night. Twilight Sparkle would never forget that event, as that was what led her to finally understand the importance of friendship. But now they had another vital task to undertake...
And so the party stepped into the eerie temple, with one exception...
The Temple of Fiends
The interior of the temple was just as everyone expected: broken columns, fallen pillars, and moss growing from under the broken stone floor. The Equestrians felt compelled to explore the area and find anything that could help on their journey, so the group agreed to split up, finding some more equipment as well as more gil. However, there were two locked doors and no one, not even Zauver, could unlock them. Upon regrouping, they finally noticed someone missing...
"Where is the chancellor?" asked Setro.
Zauver sighed, "He's probably keeping guard outside. Or he just doesn't wanna fight against this Garland guy even though the princess is being held prisoner here. Coward..."
"I must say," said Teol, "if he really wanted to know if we were trustworthy, you'd think he would come inside with us and perhaps help us."
"Yeah, sure," Rainbow rolled her eyes. "He didn't even lift a... a... what's that called?"
"A finger?" asked Flora.
"Yeah, that! He could've at least helped us against those monsters outside. But, no... He just had to sit back and watch us like we're actors in a play or something!"
"That's enough about him," Setro interrupted. "We must complete our task here and now."
The party agreed, facing the door to the center of the temple. They looked at each other, nodded, and walked through the door ready to face Garland.
Inside the central chamber, several bats flew around an evil figure looming over an unconscious girl. This figure wore a purple cape, a suit of silver armor and a horned helmet; he laughed in a deep voice. "With Princess Sarah as my prisoner, her father will have no choice but to surrender all control of the kingdom to me!"
"Not so fast," said Setro.
The villain turned around and from what our heroes could see, this man was indeed a knight of sorts. Without a doubt, this was Garland, once the greatest knight in the Kingdom of Cornelia now turned rogue.
"Sir Garland, I presume," Setro said, staring intently.
"And who might you be?" the knight asked. "No one touches my princess and lives!"
"We have orders from the King of Cornelia to rescue the princess. Now hand her over, and turn yourself in quietly!"
"Hmph. The King's pawns."
"Pawns?" asked Zauver. "What if we told you we're the ones meant to save the world or whatever..."
"The Light Warriors? Hmph. And these things...?"
The Equestrians stood their ground. As brave as Rainbow Dash was, she couldn't help but feel intimidated by this man. The glowing red eyes from his visor didn't help matters. Fluttershy quivered as he approached them.
"Take one more step, and I'll knock you into next week!" said Rainbow Dash regaining her courage.
Garland stopped in his tracks and observed the ponies in front of him.
"So you're the creatures that banished the Changeling Queen."
The ponies gasped. "Are you saying you're working with Queen Chrysalis?" asked Twilight.
"You could say that, but I cannot allow any of you to live, for your presence is a hindrance to my plans for the kingdom."
Garland looked in both his left and right gesturing two bats to appear by his side. They revealed their true selves as black blue-eyed, bug-winged beings with holes on their legs and horns on their heads. These were the changelings that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor defeated at Canterlot. They stood firm alongside the evil knight, as if proving his alliance with Chrysalis wasn't a lie. The wicked being drew his sword and went into a battle stance.
"It's those creatures!" Zauver observed.
"So these are the changelings you're looking for?" Setro questioned, drawing his rapier.
"Hm hm hm hm hm..." Garland chuckled. "Are you prepared? Good. Because I, Garland, will knock you all down!!"
"Not if we knock you and your morphin' minions down first!" Rainbow Dash countered.
*music changes*
The changelings made the first move, aiming for Setro who successfully dodged their attack. The good warrior pushed his adversaries away and made his move; he ran towards the shape-shifting creatures swung his rapier directly onto one of them. The other dodged and targeted Flora who bashed it on the head with her iron hammer.
Twilight and Fluttershy aided Setro, Flora and Teol against the changelings while Zauver and Rainbow Dash put all their energy into fighting with Garland directly.
The changelings took the forms of some of the ponies, hoping to gain a psychological advantage. This did not work, however, for as they imitated the ponies, they also had their wings and horns: something which the ponies lost when first arriving in this world. Teol easily cast his Fire spell against the Twilight imposter. Twilight and Flora quickly take care of the creature who impersonated Rainbow Dash.
Zauver swiped his sword, shouting "Take this!" But the knight blocked with his forearm.
"You impudent fool!" Garland laughed, punching the thief in the jaw.
Rainbow charged headfirst into the knight, only to have her opponent grab her and stare her down. She looked into Garland's evil eyes and boldly proclaimed, "I'm not scared of you!"
"Is that so?" he tossed her into a broken pillar, seriously injuring the poor pony.
"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy exclaimed. She glared at the laughing knight, unable to process how he can take such joy in hurting others. "How dare you... How DARE YOU HURT MY FRIEND!!" Fluttershy ran towards her foe, only to find herself knocked down on the floor and under an armored foot. Garland lifted his foot slowly, savoring what appeared to be Fluttershy's last moments.
"I'LL CRUSH YOU!!"
But just before he could squash her like an insect...
"Thunder!"
Teol's spell hit the mark, sending Garland staggering back and saving the yellow pony from serious harm.
"Thank you, Teol!"
Setro stepped into the fray and clashed swords with their adversary. "Flora! Help Rainbow!"
"Got it!" the white mage acknowledged, as she ran towards the wounded pony. "Cure!" she chanted, healing Rainbow Dash's injury earlier.
"Thanks!" Rainbow said. She looked and glared at the man who dared to harm her dear friend. "All right, buddy! Now you're going DOWN!"
While battling Setro, the knight saw the blue pony charge towards him. "You never learn..." he muttered.
Garland brushed his opponent aside and swung his sword at Rainbow, but she rolled sideways and struck him in the torso with her right hoof, leaving the armor-clad enemy on one knee and the blue equine's hoof in pain.
"Ow... Ooh..." If I had my wings, she thought, I'd send him in a cyclone!
"Hmph!" Garland scoffed. "Did you think you could defeat me without any weapons or special abilities?!"
The lavender pony saw her friends at Garland's mercy, gathered all her strength, ran towards the knight and bucked him in the chest with her hind legs, making stumble backwards a bit. Like Rainbow, however, she also felt her hooves hurt.
If only I had my horn and wings... she thought. I could knock him unconscious.
Her attack, while not as strong as Applejack's bucking prowess, left a small crack in Garland's armor.
"You will pay for this!" he shouted, as he approached the ponies until Setro intercepted him and impaled the villain through the crack, leaving the ponies in shock. Even Setro himself flinched at the sound of his weapon piercing mortal flesh, but he knew he had to save his new friends somehow.
*music fades out*
Setro pulled out his rapier and backed away, leaving the wicked knight gasping and panting as he bled, falling to his knees and holding his sword for support.
"Are you three alright?" the good warrior asked them.
"Y-Yeah..." said Twilight, still a little shocked.
Garland kept panting, unable to process what had just occurred. "Th...This... cannot... be the end... for me...!" he uttered, his body shaking. The knight started convulsing, until finally... he stopped moving, his body still kneeling and holding the sword.
And with that, Garland fell in battle and like the monsters before him disappeared in a flash and without a trace.
"Sweet Celestia..." Twilight whispered.
"This may sound terrible... but Garland is finished. We've won."
"I... I guess you're right," said a shaken Fluttershy. "You still did to protect us, though."
The heroes posed in victory. Just then, Twilight's body began to glow.
*music stops*
"What's happening?!" she yelled. Her body continued to grow rapidly, making the others shield their eyes until it stopped.
Flora lowered her arm and gasped at what she had seen. "Twilight... Is that what I think it?" she said, pointing to the pony's forehead. Everyone else opened their eyes and saw it, too.
"Huh?" Twilight asked, rubbing her head and feeling something this time. Slowly, a smile made its way to her and the other ponies' faces.
"YES!!" Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping in joy. "Twilight's got her horn back!"
"Don't celebrate yet," said Zauver, looking at the unconscious girl in front of them.
"Oh," Twilight realized. "Princess Sarah!"
The heroes ran over to the girl's side and begged her to wake up. A few seconds later, the princess awakened and saw four strangers and three quadrupeds in front of her.
"Oh my goodness! Are you here to save me?"
"Yes, Your Highness," said Setro, kneeling before her.
"And these adorable little ponies?"
Fluttershy blushed at the princess' comment.
"These are our new friends. We just met at them as we were about to enter Cornelia."
"New friends? I wonder... Can you speak?"
The ponies looked at each other and nodded, deciding to break their silence.
"That's right. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy."
"Pleased to meet you, Your Highness," Fluttershy said, bowing.
"Nice to meet you," said Rainbow Dash, who bowed as well.
"Now that that's out of the way," said Zauver, "let's get the hell out of here."
"Language," said Setro and Flora. As they turned to leave.
*music stops*
"Stop right there!" said a forceful voice right behind them. It was the chancellor, looking very unpleased.
"Chancellor! Why have you decided to appear now?"
The advisor didn't answer right away, looking around the room. All he could see were bats, the Warriors of Light, the Princess, and to his utter chagrin, the ponies.
"So, you've defeated our ally, have you not?"
"W-What?" said Sarah.
Teol could hardly contain his anger. "You've been working with Garland this whole time?!"
"I thought for sure those Equestrian vermin would never find us here, and here you are, Twilight Sparkle. Interfering with our plans again and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"
As he said those words, he began to glow and transform right in front of them! The heroes averted their gaze at first, only to look and watch he shrunk and changed into an familiar creature!
"A changeling!" exclaimed Twilight.
"That's right, you disgusting ponies!" the creature responded.
"No wonder you were acting like a jerk!" said Rainbow Dash.
"I was hoping never that we would never meet again, and I had hoped that Garland could easily do away with these fools! But you just had to show up in this world, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!"
"Where is the real chancellor? I demand to know!" Sarah commanded.
"The real chancellor's locked up just outside that castle! If you want to free him, you'll have to fight me!"
"Very well," said Setro. "Princess Sarah, please stay back!"
The party went into their fighting stances and charged the shape-shifting creature. It, too, ran towards battle with no intention of letting the ponies intervene again.
Despite morphing into a winged Rainbow Dash--when the real one still didn't have them again--the creature's attacks were far more powerful than the ones they defeated earlier.
"H-How are you so strong?!"
"Why do you think?" asked the sinister changeling.
Twilight gasped, "Queen Jayne!"
"That's right! Her love and concern for that girl were all I needed."
"You're not getting rid of us that easily!" said Rainbow Dash, kicking their enemy in the face.
The others had a difficult time with the creature, but eventually they prevailed as soon as Twilight used her magic to levitate their opponent and knock it down hard on the floor.
"Ugh..." it groaned. "Not again!"
*music stops*
The changeling collapsed and vanished; victory once again went to our heroes.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
With the princess safe, our heroes exited the temple and marched back to Cornelia.
Cornelia
It was a long walk back to the city, and when they finally arrived the entire populace cheered and applauded the heroes for rescuing their princess. The ponies smiled enthusiastically while the human warriors (except for Zauver) merely smiled and nodded. They reached the castle and were met a convoy of guards standing in two perfect rows making way for them, permitting them to enter the throne room, but not before Sarah had a chance to embrace her mother and sister.
Before they went to the king, however, there was one thing missing. They walked around the castle walls and found what looked like a cocoon of sorts and found a human inside! Setro slashed the cocoon and released the human; it was indeed the chancellor that the changeling imprisoned.
"W-W-Where am I?" he asked. "Oh! Did you all save me? I thank you."
"Don't mention it," said Zauver.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
The group explained everything to the chancellor as they went upstairs. As he listened, he was skeptical at first of the fact that the creatures traveling with the humans could speak, until Rainbow Dash spoke up and said how much of a horrible time they had with his imposter.
"My god... I must apologize if I offended you in any way."
"It wasn't your fault, chancellor," said Twilight. "It was all that changeling's doing. And the fact that you're here now and treating us civil is proof that you're the real deal."
"Again, I thank you for your kindness."
Back in the throne room, there was much joy upon seeing Princess Sarah, though the king looked warily at the chancellor until the group told him everything.
"Thank you! Thank you, heroes, for saving my daughter! As a reward, I will have the broken bridge repaired overnight! You are welcome to stay in town if you wish!"
"We thank you, Your Majesty," said Setro. "But... what of our pony friends? I'm not sure the innkeeper would permit them to stay in the same building as humans."
"Not to worry. As soon as I heard of your deeds, I gave them my permission for the ponies to rest in the same room as you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Sire," said the chancellor. "Because you all believed it was I who said such horrible words, I must again apologize."
"Not to worry, my good friend," reassured the King. "You and my daughter are safe, and Cornelia can thrive again!"
"Thank you, sire!"
"Before you all go," said Sarah, "please take this."
"What's this?" asked Zauver. "A lute?"
"Yes. It is a royal family heirloom that has been passed down from queen to princess for several generations. Garland had stolen this when he kidnapped me. I'm sure it will be of use."
"Uh... sure. Thanks," said the thief, not knowing what to think about being given a musical instrument nor how he and his fellow travelers would use it. The group bowed and exited the chamber.
"Good luck, heroes!" said the chancellor. "Bless the Crystals!"
As they were leaving the castle, Queen Jayne appeared and thanked the party for everything they had done, and as a reward gave them a world map to aid them in their travels.
Back in town, the party checked in at the local inn; ordinarily, the innkeeper forbade allowing animals to stay, but they were heroes, and she was given orders from the king to do so.
While the human heroes slept in their beds, the Equestrians chose to sleep in the sleeping bags they purchased earlier.
"Well," said Setro. "Good night, everyone. We've got a big day ahead of us."
Everyone's eyes closed as they rested on their beds, tired out from the rescue mission and the battle against the imposter chancellor.
While they slept, the King's men began their work on the bridge for the warriors to cross and begin their journey.
Morning
Twilight was the first to wake up.
"Good morning, everypony--I mean, everybody!" she corrected herself.
"Mornin', Twilight," said Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy yawned cutely. "Good morning..." she said.
The girls looked around to say hello, but the humans were gone.
"Where are the Warriors?" asked Twilight.
"Sorry about that," said Teol as entered the room, adjusting his hat. "Didn't mean to worry you."
"We were just getting dressed and ready," said Flora, hugging Fluttershy.
"That's okay, Flora," the yellow pony answered.
"Yeah," said Zauver. "Took us about 20 minutes or so, but I think we're good."
Setro went in last, polishing his leather cap before donning it once more. "Are we all ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Let us be off, then!"
Going clockwise around the castle, the party saw that the bridge had been successfully rebuilt.
*music fades out*
They all looked at each other and nodded, knowing this was merely the start of a new adventure as walked forward and set foot on the wooden structure.
And thus, their quest had truly begun at last... What awaited the seven heroes, they did not know. The ponies had yet to be reunited with their missing friends. From what the humans knew, the crystals they were carrying shined 2000 years ago, but now there is no light, only darkness. And what of the evil Queen Chrysalis? What did she hope to accomplish? The heroes knew they had to stop her and restore light to the world!
Once they crossed the bridge, our heroes pulled out the recently acquired world map and examined every location they could.
"Where to next?" asked Twilight.
"According to some of the townspeople we met before leaving," said Setro, "there should be a cave where the blind witch Matoya dwells."
"'Matoya?'"
"Yes. She can only see things with a magical Crystal Eye, and we will need it in order to find your friends and our next destination."
Setro pointed out the location of said cave which lied northeast of Cornelia and northwest of a small town called Pravoka.
Along the way, our heroes were ambushed by a pack of wolves. Fluttershy stood in front of the lupines and gave them the Stare, frightening several of them away. One wolf, however, was unaffected, staying behind to fight. It leapt towards the yellow pony intent on eating her. Flora intercepted the animal, and she did not look happy.
"Leave now, and no harm will come to you," she said, cringing at her own threat. "You will not harm other creatures, not even my new friend nor my companions! UNDERSTOOD?!"
The wolf nodded in response, and ran away whining.
"Thank you, Flora," said Fluttershy.
"You're welcome," the white mage replied. "I'm just glad you're alright."
After walking some more, they came across a small cave to the north.
"That must be Matoya's Cave over there!"
Matoya's Cave
The group went inside the cave and found the strangest thing they had yet to see on their quest: a moving, dancing broom.
"Why is that broom... dancing?" asked a puzzled Twilight.
"I don't know," said Zauver.
*THUMP!!*
The loud noise alerted the party. They opened the door to find more moving brooms and an elderly woman in a red robe and orange scarf pacing slowly and crashing into the floor clumsily.
"Lady Matoya?" asked Setro.
"Who's there?" the woman shouted, though our heroes weren't facing her. "I can't see without my Crystal Eye. It's been stolen!"
"Stolen? By whom?"
"That I do not know, but I have a feeling the thief is hiding somewhere in either Pravoka or Elfheim."
"'Elfheim?'" asked Flora.
"Yes, Elfheim, the land of elves."
"Elves?" asked Fluttershsy. "What are elves?"
"Elves are humanoid creatures that have pointy ears," answered Zauver. "And that's about it."
With Matoya incapacitated, the party had no choice but to leave the cave and walk eastward to Pravoka. When they finally reached the town, they noticed a large ship in the port; it was clear that they were not the only visitors in the village.
Pravoka
The small town of Pravoka appeared to be another peaceful village with small rivers flowing and a patch of green in the center. There were few people running about. However...
"Help!" screamed a villager. "Our town's been taken over by pirates!"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Pirates? Seriously?"
"S-Seriously! Didn't you see those guys with bandanas and cutlasses over there?! Wait a minute, you're a horse! You're not supposed to talk!"
Rainbow and her pony friends each looked unamused for once again, they were mistaken for horses.
"We just came here," said Twilight, "and I don't see anyone with a bandana or a cutlass, do you, Zauver?"
The young blue-haired man sighed. "Again?"
"B-B-But..." the villager looked behind him, and didn't see any of the people he described. "Oh, I... guess they're at the pub."
The party sighed in unison and bid the man farewell; they explored the village and found the same kind of stores they visited in Cornelia. As soon as they purchased more items and equipment, the group confronted a man wearing a blue coat and a black pirate's hat.
"I'm Captain Bikke, and I'll show ya what happens when ya mess around with me! Boys, take care o' these landlubbers!" He looked around, seeing that none of his men where there... "I said, 'TAKE CARE OF THESE LANDLUBBERS!'"
Nothing.
"Well, I'm WAITING!!"
After 30 seconds, nine pirates finally showed up, looking scared out of their wits.
"Oh, Cap'n! It's horrible! This little white... horse thing... was talkin' and talkin'... and..."
White horse... thing...? Twilight thought.
"Where are you, you mangy scoundrels!!" said a familiar upper crust voice. It was faint, but it was without a doubt a voice the ponies knew very well. "I am not finished yet!!"
"That's it! That's it! That's--" they stopped panicking, finally noticing the ponies and were even more alarmed!
"Oh no!! There's more of 'em!"
"Enough rambling, ye bilge rats! Get 'em!!"
"Aye aye, Cap'n!!" they said in unison.
The heroes once again entered battle. Their opponents looked eager to take whatever belongings they had; all the more reason to defeat them quickly.
Suddenly... A voice shouted, "THERE YOU ARE!!"
*music stops*
"OH, NOOOOOOO!!!" the brigands shouted. A familiar white pony with three gems imprinted on her flank and a dark blue mane appeared, shocking the ponies.
"I half-expected you ruffians to find someone to prey upon and..." the white pony rambled until she saw the group and gasped.
"Rarity!!" the ponies said in unison.
"Oh my stars! Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! What are you doing here?"
"We've been wondering where you are?"
Bikke was less than pleased with this development. "Enough cowerin'! Get 'em all!!"
*music resumes*
His men, however, were paralyzed with fear. Rarity saw her chance to slap one of the pirates across the face, knocking the rest of them down like dominoes. They regained their senses and finally made a move against the white pony. She stood her ground and kicked one of them in the chest.
Twilight flared her horn and tossed one of the thugs into the river.
"This be witchcraft...!" said Bikke, watching from a distance.
"It's magic!" Twilight answered angrily. "Not witchcraft!" As she said those words, she cast her levitation spell on another pirate and did the same to him.
Flora whacked her target in the face, causing him to lose a few teeth as well as his consciousness.
Setro clashed swords with his opponent and after successfully repelling the pirate, kicked him in the stomach.
Zauver punched one of the pirates in the jaw and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.
Teol may not have been good at physical combat, but he successfully struck his opponent a few times with his staff.
Fluttershy gave the last few thugs the Stare, allowing Rainbow Dash the opportunity to finish this battle. She jumped and delivered a straight right hoof to the first one, and a powerful uppercut to the other.
"I give up..." said the last pirate, just before losing consciousness.
Just then, Rainbow Dash began to glow just as Twilight did earlier. The flashing stopped, and Rainbow heard a flapping sound coming from... herself! She looked.... and she saw...
"AAHH YEAH!!!" she screamed. "MY WINGS ARE BACK!!"
"Congratulations, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy.
The party turned to Bikke, shaking in his boots.
"All right! Ye got me. The ship's all yers."
The group was dumbfounded.
"Wait a minute!" Zauver exclaimed. "You guys invaded a village..."
"Scared the everlasting wits of out of the villagers," Rarity added.
"Stole a lot of things, presumably," said Twilight.
"And now, you're giving us your ship?" said Setro in disbelief. "Why?"
"'Cause ye bested me men in battle. If anyone be powerful enough to do that, I don't have much of a choice. In return, I promise to change me ways."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "How can we be sure you'll keep your word?"
"As soon as my men get back on their feet, I'll tell 'em everything."
"Very well..."
"Not so fast!" Rainbow Dash said. "Where's the Crystal Eye you stole?"
"Crystal Eye? What're ye talkin' about?"
"Don't play dumb, buddy!" she said, getting up close to the pirate's face. "The Crystal Eye that a certain witch needs to see?"
Bikke pondered this and snapped his finger.
"Ah, you mean Lady Matoya."
"YES! So where is it?!"
"I don't have it."
Rainbow growled and pounced on him, holding him by her hooves.
"Don't lie to us! Her Crystal Eye was stolen!"
"Settle down, Rainbow," said Setro.
"Let's check his and the others' pockets!" Zauver suggested. "One of them should have it."
The others nodded and searched Bikke and the unconscious pirates. The result? They found only stashes of gil, potions, antidotes, and other items. But Matoya's Crystal Eye was not among them.
"It's not here?" said Zauver in disbelief. "Damn!"
"Language," Setro reprimanded. "This could only mean that the item we seek is somewhere in the Elfheim region. And we have his ship."
A frustrated Rainbow Dash growled and freed the pirate captain from her grasp. "Alright. Let's go."
The party now had a means of transportation, making their quest much easier. They left the disgraced pirate to his woes, and as soon as they were out of his sight, the ponies all embraced each other, happy to see their friend again.
"I'm so glad we came here," said Fluttershy.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you all again," said the white pony. She then noticed the humans with them.
"It is alright, milady," said Setro. "We are not associated with those pirates."
"I know. You all fought against them, and I saw my friends battle alongside you."
"True," said Teol.
"If I may ask: could you four be the Warriors of Light my friends and I heard about?"
"Well... yes," said Flora, showing Rarity her crystal and the others doing likewise.
"I'm Flora, and this is Zauver, Teol, and Setro."
"Another question. Why does there appear to be a thief in your ranks?"
"Oh," said Zauver hunched over. "Joy. Look, the only people I ever steal from are those would bring harm to us, okay? Besides, I don't want people to see me just as a common thief and something more."
"Says the guy who didn't ask to be a hero or whatever," Rainbow whispered.
"But Rarity, how did you get here in the first place?"
"Well..."
Upon the ponies' arrival
Rarity woke up in the town of Pravoka, surrounded by rough-looking men. From what she could tell, these creatures were pirates, the scourge of the seas she had heard about from Twilight's books.
"Let's sell her," said one of the thugs. "Wonder how much she'll fetch on the market."
Horrified, Rarity stood up on all fours and closed her eyes, trying to teleport away from them. Confused, she opened her eyes looking at the bemused brutes, who looked at her strangely. She looked all around them, only to notice something in a nearby mirror: she had no horn on her forehead! The mare screamed at the top of her lungs, making the pirates cringe and cover their ears.
She spent the entire day being classic Rarity, complaining about their appearances and behavior, driving the pirates to the brink of insanity. Unable to stand the mare's long-winded rant, the pirates screamed and fled the pub.
"And that's about it," Rarity finished.
"Sounds like you had some adventure," said Rainbow Dash.
"Anyway, let us board our new ship," said Setro.
*music fades out*
The party went aboard the ship and set sail for Elfheim. On the main deck, Twilight and Rarity were admiring the view of the Pravoka region. Rainbow Dash planted herself in the crow's nest. Zauver manned the wheel and steered the ship. Setro found himself resting in the captain's cabin. Teol decided to stay below deck as he was seasick. Flora and Fluttershy walked around the deck and saw their friends go over everything so far. Rarity took note that Applejack and Pinkie Pie were not among their ranks and asked of their whereabouts. Twilight explained to her that the only ponies that began were her, Rainbow, and Fluttershy.
"So if I understand correctly," said Rarity, "we must reach Elfheim to find Lady Matoya's Crystal Eye so that she can see properly again?"
"That is correct," said Setro.
Soon they found the place they were looking for on the map; the ship docked, and the party disembarked. There surrounded by a large forest stood the home of the elves: Elfheim. Rarity cringed for she saw that their destination was situated in what was essentially a marshland. Before she could complain, Rainbow Dash picked her up and carried her over to the entrance of the town.
Oh, well, she thought. Better than having to walk through that disgusting water.
"Why is Rainbow Dash carrying Rarity?" asked Zauver.
"Well, Rarity hates going through unclean areas."
"I can see that."
The others waded through the marsh and stepped into the village.
Elfheim
The moment they walked into town, they heard a high-pitched female voice speak and try to make a funny joke. The ponies saw the source of the voice and smiled.
"Pinkie Pie!" the ponies said in unison.
The party mare saw her friends and gasped, running over to the party at top speed and tackling her friends. "OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH!"
"That's my line!" said Rainbow. "Whatever. It's good to see you again!"
"Me, too! Me, too! Me, too!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's been about a day and a half since we saw each other and we were in this Chamber of Crystals..."
And so Pinkie talked... and talked.. and talked... until...
"PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, SHUT UP!!!"
Everyone turned and looked at Zauver in confusion. He chuckled nervously, and turned his head away hiding his embarrassment.
"Enough about me. What about you guys? And who are the humans with you?"
The group told Pinkie everything that had occurred in the past day and a half.
"What kind of name for a knight is 'Garfield' anyway?" said Pinkie.
"'Garland,' Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow Dash. "'GarLAND.' Not 'GarFIELD!'"
"How'd you end up here anyway?" asked Twilight.
"Well..."
Upon the ponies' arrival
Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and found herself on a marsh.
"Ewww!!" she groaned in disgust. "If Rarity were here she'd hate hate hate hate hate HATE it!"
She bounced off toward the woods and found a large castle standing above a small village. She heard from the inhabitants about their prince who had been thrown into a deep sleep by the evil Astos, King of the Dark Elves. She ran straight to the castle, looked inside, found a young looking creature sleeping in the bedroom, spoke with the Prince's attendant, and tried waking him up with various instruments she had pulled out of nowhere.
"Wakey-wakey!!"
Nothing...
A day had passed, and still the creature would not wake.
"Please stop!" said the other creature. "Leave us... please..."
"But..."
"NOW!!" he shouted, scaring Pinkie Pie.
"And that's how the story of Final Fantasy came to be!"
The party had puzzled looks on their faces, wondering what the pink mare was talking about.
"What?" Zauver asked bluntly.
"Next time, I'll tell you how I came into this world and tried to wake up the Elf Prince."
"Again... what?"
"Don't ask," said Twilight. "The less you try to understand how Pinkie Pie's mind works, the better. I know how that turned out."
Given the absurd remarks Pinkie made, everyone agreed.
Our heroes explored the town, taking in the beautiful scenery. There were trees everywhere they looked and houses made of stone and brick. Like every other city they visited, there were stores that sold items, equipment, and taught magic spells.
Just next to one of the houses that taught white magic, they found a graveyard with three graves. One tombstone read:
Here lies Erdrick 837-866 R.I.P.
"Who was Erdrick?" asked Twilght.
"I don't know," said Pinkie. "Sounds like the hero from some other epic adventure."
"And what kind of name is 'Erdrick?'" asked Rainbow.
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded.
"Sorry..."
"Light Warriors!" said an approaching elf. "Please save our Prince!"
"Oh, I tried everything," said Pinkie. "I played the accordion, the trumpet, the--"
"None of those work, I'm afraid," the elf interrupted.
"Then, how do we...?" asked Setro.
"I've heard that the answer lies somewhere in the Western Keep, further northwest of this village."
"Thank you," said Twilight.
"Don't mention it." As soon as the party left, something came to the elf's mind. "Wait a minute! Ponies can't talk!"
*music stops*
And so, the heroes left the village to find the means to awaken the Prince of Elfheim. Little did they know that they were being closely monitored...
Western Keep
The castle was in the exact same state as the Temple of Fiends our heroes visited early. Ruined, moss growing from underground, missed tiles, and so on.
"I must say," said Rarity. "One would think to take better care of this place. It's absolutely filthy!"
Setro replied, "From the looks of this castle, though, it seems as if no one has attended to the maintenance of this structure for quite some time. Maybe for several years."
Everyone split up to find whatever they could to aid their quest, only to find more locked doors. They gave up and went through a giant door presumably leading to the throne room. Inside the large room, they found a king sitting on his throne.
"I thought you said this castle was abandoned," said Zauver.
"I stand corrected," said Setro.
"Ah. The Warriors of Light! Welcome. And what are these little creatures?"
"We're ponies, of course," said Twilight.
The king was intrigued. "Talking ponies, I see. How interesting!"
"Your Excellency, we heard that the key to awakening your Prince is somewhere in this castle. May we have it?"
"I see... Well, if you can do me a favor, I shall grant your request."
"What is this favor, Your Highness?"
"The only way to awaken the Prince is if you bring me the Crown I dropped in the Marsh Cave."
"A MARSH CAVE?!" Rarity shouted.
"Yes. A Marsh Cave. THE Marsh Cave."
"Let's do it!" said Rainbow Dash. Everyone nodded, agreeing with the blue pegasus... all except for one.
"Do we really have to go through a slimy dungeon in order to do this? Why not find a more beautiful cave? I'm sure we can find some lovely jewels there and..."
"Twilight?" asked Zauver.
"Yes...?"
"Is Rarity here always so... prissy?"
"Sadly, yes."
"Trust me," said Rainbow Dash. "You're gonna hear this a lot from her."
"Yeah," Pinkie agreed, "she'll be like this for about a while."
Rarity was still rambling about the Marsh Cave, but Twilight put her hoof on her shoulder before she could speak more.
"My apologies," said the white pony.
The party bowed and exited the castle, heading south to the Marsh Cave. On the way, they were ambushed by large hulking ogres. But the heroes' weapons, along with Twilight and the mages' spells, made quick work of the monsters. Soon upon arriving at the cave, everyone except Rarity nodded, and went inside.
Marsh Cave
As Rarity feared, the cave was unappealing to walk through. She rambled the entire time, making the trip seem unbearable until...
"STOP TALKING!!" Zauver shouted.
"I beg your PARDON?!"
"Ugh..." Twilight groaned. "Here we go AGAIN!!"
"I know, right?" said Pinkie Pie. "I hate it when ponies, or people in this case, argue over the silliest things, and when they do, they fight and fight and fight and fight, and I for one don't wanna hear about--"
"Not helping!" Zauver interrupted.
"Um..." said Fluttershy. "If we could please move along?"
The thief and the fashionista put their bickering on hold and resumed their trek through the dungeon. In one room, they found a ladder taking them down another level of the cave and there they fought more monsters. After a fight against four giant scorpions, Fluttershy's body began to flash rapidly until her wings reappeared!
The party continued onward until finally, they came across a flight of stairs taking them to the lowest level and different rooms with different treasures. One treasure chest was guarded by a group of wizards called Piscodemons. Thankfully, Teol had learned the spell Thundara and quickly defeated two of the wizards.
Pinkie Pie fired her party cannon on the second-to-last of the monsters while Rainbow Dash charged the final Piscodemon in the torso. With the wizards gone, there was nothing to stop them from obtaining whatever treasure was within. Inside the chest, they recovered the King's missing Crown.
"Alright!" said Rainbow Dash. "We got the Crown!"
"Let us head back to the keep."
Western Keep
Our heroes returned to the throne room and handed over the crown to the king, who suddenly laughed in a not-so-warm fashion.
"Ha! You fools!" he said.
"W-What's going on?!" said Setro.
"I am the Great King of Dark Elves, Astos!"
"King of Dark Elves...?!" said Twilight.
The king transformed into a hideous creature right in front of them. With elongated arms, purple-gray skin, brown horns, and evil yellow eyes, he grinned wickedly and laughed at the bemused party.
"I guess changelings aren't the only shape-shifters here!" said Twilight.
"Indeed..." Astos confirmed. "And thank you very much for bringing me the crown! With this Crown and the Crystal Eye here, I shall become the true Elf King!"
"Why you...!" said Rainbow Dash.
"So you're the one who left Lady Matoya stumbling around in her cave!" Fluttershy accused.
"Correct! As for you creatures," he said standing up. "You've served your purpose. To the underworld you will go!"
*music changes*
The group knew they were in for a fight. Teol cast his Haste spell on Rainbow Dash, and Twilight cast an invisibility spell on Fluttershy. Astos attempted to cast a death spell on Pinkie Pie, but it missed.
"WHAT?!" he shouted. "Not possible!"
"Anything's possible!" said Pinkie, pulling out her famous party cannon. "Take that!"
The evil creature was knocked off his feet by a ball of confetti and landed on his behind. He got back on his feet looking unamused. "You will not make a mockery of me! DIE!!"
Astos lunged towards Pinkie who cartwheeled out of the way, leaving him to land on his belly. He got back up only to have Rainbow Dash lift him off the ground and toss him into the wall.
Setro slashed Astos with his sword three times leaving him stumbling, but the Dark Elf King would not die so easily. He rushed and clawed at the Light Warrior in the chest, letting him scream in pain.
"Setro!!" Twilight yelled.
"No!" Teol shouted.
"That's IT!" Twilight flared up her horn and fired a blast of magic towards Astos, surrounding him in a pillar of light, sending him in a world of unspeakable agony. When it was all over, the creature collapsed and the battle was over.
*music ends*
"How could... such.... creatures...?" Astos gasped. Before he could finish his last words, the Dark Elf King perished and disappeared.
"Setro!" Twilight said, rushing over to the warrior's side; the others soon followed.
"Heh..." he chuckled. "No need to worry."
"Why?!"
Flora answered the question by casting Cura on him, healing his wounds.
"Oh... Heh heh..." Twilight chuckled nervously. "I forgot..."
"So did I..." said Teol, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well anyway..." said Pinkie Pie. "WE WON!!! WOO-HOO!!!" Everyone covered their ears as she shouted.
This battle did not go unnoticed, for while the heroes were celebrating, a mysterious shadow had seen everything and promptly exited the castle before it could be seen.
"Anyway, let's get back to Lady Matoya first and foremost. She can probably help us wake the prince."
The creature who had observed our heroes walked into a dark chamber with a floating green crystal and a mysterious green-eyed figure.
"Your Highness..." it said.
"Yes?" said an evil female voice.
"Do you remember those ponies from Equestria?"
"Yes," she said suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"Well... they're here. In this very world."
"WHAT?!"
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. But it's true!"
"Hmm... That explains why we have not heard from the other changelings. And Garland?"
"They defeated him, too."
"And what of our spy in Castle Cornelia? Why did he not report to me?"
"It seems he wanted to finish them off himself, but..." he couldn't finish. The figure shut her eyes, correctly guessing what had happened.
"That IMBECILE!!" she shouted. "What was he thinking?!"
"I don't know, but I do know the ponies are traveling this world, and they're helping four human warriors to regain the light of these 'crystals' to restore balance to--"
The informant was interrupted by a harsh glare from the wicked figure, prompting him to silence. The figure laughed, however.
"To think," she said, "the reason we are all here is because of Twilight Sparkle, her friends, her brother, and Princess Cadence. And now those six make their presence known here, trying to foil our plans. Not this time. Where are the ponies now?"
"They just defeated the Dark Elf King and they've acquired the means to awaken the Prince of Elfheim."
"I see... And after that, they will most likely reach Melmond," she deduced. "Send your best group to intercept and eliminate them!"
That night, aboard the ship, the ponies couldn't believe what they had seen: another evil shape-shifter like the Changeling Queen they were pursuing. Even so, they were now more determined than ever to find her and bring her back to Equestria on their terms; they defeated her last time with the aid of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, but now they had to face her on their own in a new world they had just discovered via the Crystal Heart.
Twilight saw Setro going below the deck and followed him. She found him removing his helmet and sighing.
"Setro?" she said.
"Oh, it's you, Twilight."
"Yeah. What are you doing down here?"
"I was just about to take a rest from today's events."
"Oh... sorry."
Twilight was just about to leave but then...
"I do have a question for you, though."
"Like what?"
"Do you remember anything at all about your past?"
Twilight was confused. "Yes... I was born a unicorn, and I lived my entire life as such until I became an alicorn. Why do you ask?"
"Because... I have no recollection of my own past."
"Huh?"
"It sounds strange, but it is true. In fact, the only thing I know is my name: Setro."
Twilight was saddened to hear this. "You mean you don't know anything about where you're from or who your parents were?"
He shook his head in response. "Not at all. That is one of the reasons why I've been traveling so far. To find my past..."
"My goodness, darling." said Rarity, climbing down the stairs. "I apologize, but I couldn't help overhear."
Teol followed. "I had no idea."
"I'm sorry, Teol. I didn't really mean to hide anything."
"That's alright," said the black mage.
"I agree," said another voice. It was Flora. "The only thing that matters now is helping everyone we can, right?"
*music fades out*
Setro closed his eyes, thinking over his companions' words. He opened his eyes, looked at everyone and gave his answer. "Yes. That's right. We must do what we can to save this world."
"We'll help you along the way," said Twilight.
"That's the spirit!" Rarity agreed.
Teol and Flora nodded.
"But, before we do that..."
"Yes?" asked Setro.
*music stops*
"We should get some sleep."
Everyone looked over at Rarity and laughed in agreement.
"I guess you're right."
"Good night, everyone."
And so, with the exception of Zauver, everyone went to sleep.
By morning, our heroes woke up and found themselves at the Pravoka harbor.
"My goodness," said Fluttershy. "Someone's really kept this place clean."
The Elf Prince's attendant did not look happy to see Pinkie Pie again. However, as soon as she and the rest of the group gave him the Jolt Tonic, he changed his tone.
"I apologize for my rude behavior, Pinkie Pie."
"That's okay! I just didn't know to wake him up yet! But with my friends here..."
The medicine did its work, and the Prince of Elfheim opened his eyes.
"Your Highness! You have returned to us!"
The Prince sat up from his bed, facing our heroes and evaluating them.
"Was it you who saved me? Thank you."
"No need to thank us, Your Highness."
"How long has it been?"
"Five years, Your Highness."
"FIVE YEARS?!" said everyone.
"Yes. I, along with the citizens of Elfheim, have been waiting for this day ever since Astos cast that dreadful spell. Thank you! Thank you all very much!"
"Please... don't mention it."
"You are all very modest," said the Prince. "And please, take this key."
"A key?"
"This Mystic Key will unlock any door you may not have been able to open before."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After leaving the castle, our heroes went back into town and the mages learned more spells, including the ability to reduce the damage from fire-based attacks by half. Once they were done with their business, they set sail right back where they started their journey.
Castle Cornelia
Back in the castle, our heroes met with the royal family and told them about the Mystic Key they acquired.
"That's why we came back," said Twilight.
"Why, yes of course you can use it here!" said the King.
"We can?"
"Yes. I am sure there is something that can help you. Good luck!"
"Thank you, Sire," said Setro.
In one of the back rooms, our heroes found something they never expected to find: explosives.
"W-W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Rarity screamed.
"Th-This is... Nitro Powder!" said Teol.
"B-B-But why...?" Fluttershy stammered.
"Never mind about why it's here," said Zauver. "We might need it."
Reluctantly, the rest of the party agreed and placed it in their sack. Not knowing what to do with such a dangerous tool, the warriors met with a guard near the door.
"Pardon me, guard," said Setro.
"Yes, sir?" he asked.
"What do we do with this nitro powder?"
"If you wish to learn more, I suggest you go to Mount Duergar, home of the dwarves."
"It's over by the Aldean Sea northwest from here."
Our heroes consulted the map and sure enough, there was a mountain of sorts to the northwest of Cornelia, and if they were to continue their quest, they would surely need the aid of the dwarves.
Mount Duergar
Our heroes entered a rocky cavern inside the mountain and found its residents walking about. The ponies couldn't believe their eyes; the dwarves were little men carrying pickaxes and other tools.
"Lali-ho, strangers. Have you ever heard of Adamantite?"
The group looked at each other and shook their heads.
"It's a powerful metal used to forge a powerful sword. If you could bring me some, I can create a weapon for you."
They approached a lone dwarf wandering near the area blocked by land outside.
"Excuse me." said Setro. "What are you doing?"
"Tryin' to blow up this boulder, of course; if I can do that, the explosion will create a canal that will allow anyone to enter Melmond by sea."
"Why do that?"
"What else? Helpin' the Warriors of Light complete their journey."
"We are the Warriors of Light." The four humans showed him their crystals.
"Ah... that's good enough for me! My name's Nerrick."
"Hello, Nerrick," said Flora.
The dwarf nodded and sighed, "Now if only I had some TNT or dynamite or someting..."
"Would this help?" Zauver said, showing off the nitro powder.
"Yeah! That's it!" the dwarf took the explosive off Zauver's hand, planted it next to the boulder, lit a match and warned everyone to stand back. The group ran as quickly as possible. Outside, the land blocked the way to Melmond was destroyed, sinking into the ocean.
The path to the western regions was clear now. And so, our heroes went back aboard the ship and set off once more. But before they could see Melmond, Pinkie Pie's ear began to twitch.
"Hey," she said. "Do you guys hear something?"
The other ponies' ears also twitched. Sure enough, they heard a soft buzzing noise that grew louder and louder.
"Look out!" shouted Teol, pointing ahead.
A swarm of changelings had approached the ship and dived towards our heroes. Their intent: to finish off the ponies along with the Warriors of Light
"Somebody drop the anchor!" said Zauver.
Twilight did so, using her magic. The thief let go of the wheel and joined in.
"Everyone, get ready!" Setro commanded.
Rainbow Dash flew and intercepted the first changeling and slammed it into the ocean.
Teol and Twilight took care of a few before they could land on the deck.
Three of the changelings successfully boarded the ship and fought with the group. One of them copied Flora's appearance and tried to attack the real white mage but was easily defeated.
Fluttershy tackled her target, but the changeling threw her off and was about to strike until the yellow pony countered with a headbutt.
"Ow..." she said, her head hurting.
Zauver was struggling with one of them, as he taunted the thief.
"As soon as I'm done with you, we'll take out the others!"
"No...! No one messes with my friends," he said.
"That's mah line!" said a familiar country accent. Everyone looked around and saw her: from a great distance an orange earth pony with a cowboy hat landed on the ship and bucked the changeling away from Zauver with one leg.
"Applejack!"
"Need a hoof, pardners?"
The ponies nodded, smiling confidently. Applejack ran towards the changeling commander and bucked him across the ship, sending him tumbling on the deck and fearing for his life.
"Changelings! Retreat! RETREAT!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The invading creatures did as ordered and flew away to fight another day.
"VICTORY!!" Pinkie Pie shouted, pumping her hoof in the air.
*music fades out*
The ponies looked at each other and smiled with tears in their eyes.
"Yee-haw!! We're back together again!!"
The ponies embraced in a group hug, reunited as a whole once again.
Just then, Rarity herself began to glow rapidly. It stopped, and Rarity groaned, not knowing why her friends smiled. When she asked why, Zauver pointed at her head. Confused, the white pony attempted put her hoof on her head, but she felt something pointy.
She gasped, "Could it be...?"
"It is, Rarity..." Twilight spoke softly.
"My horn...?"
The others nodded.
"Oh my STARS!!" She shouted. "I am a unicorn once again!"
"I'm glad you've recovered your horn, Rarity," said Setro.
"Why, thank you," she replied. The white unicorn then turned to Applejack. "What happened to you? We've all been worried."
"Well, sugarcube... After we went through that there portal in the Crystal Chamber, ah found myself right here in a town called Melmond. Ah have to warn ya, it ain't exactly Sweet Apple Acres."
"'Sweet Apple Acres?'" asked Setro.
"It's a farm I run back in Ponyville."
"Did she just say she's a farmer?" Zauver asked confusedly.
The ponies gasped at the sight they had beheld: a village in shambles. Several buildings were destroyed, including their church, and the soil of the land was in bad health.
"Told ya it wasn't gonna be pretty," Applejack said, looking downcast.
"So, um, Applejack?" said Flora.
"Yeah?"
"You've been here for some time. Do you know why the village is destroyed?"
"Everyone's sayin' a Vampire caused all this. He lives in a cave about south o' here; it's called Terra Cavern."
Fluttershy gasped. "A Vampire...? You don't mean a vampire bat, do you?"
"Ah don't think so, Fluttershy. Not this time."
"What do you mean 'this time?'" asked Zauver, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a long story," she said, not wanting to remember the time she and Fluttershy argued over how to handle the vampire bat problem back home.
"I see," said Setro. "Let's explore the town and get some information."
They all nodded and split up.
While shopping, Flora learned a powerful magic that could send the undead back where they belong, as well as stronger healing spells. Teol learned a stronger fire-based spell as well as the ability to teleport to the previous floor of any monster-infested cavern or tower they would visit. He also acquired a spell that would further decrease an enemy's speed in battle.
Now reunited, the party came across a man wondering about.
"Oh, boy..." said a weary Applejack.
"What is it?" asked Twilight.
"It's that guy again, wonderin' about, talkin' about ancient civilizations and whatnot..."
"Pardon me, sir," said Twilight. The man looked behind him and saw the group, not knowing the voice belonged to the purple pony among them.
"Down here."
He looked down as was shocked to see a talking pony standing alongside humans.
"H-How is that possible...?" he asked. "Oh wait... You're... Applejack's friends, aren't you?"
"You are correct, sir," Twilight answered.
"Yep!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Thaaaat's right!" Pinkie Pie added.
"Of course," said Rarity.
"Mm-hmm," said Fluttershy.
"Well, this is quite the surprise. More talking horses."
Applejack cleared her throat. "How many times have ah told ya?! Ah ain't a horse. Ah'm a pony! And so are mah friends!"
Twilight sighed in annoyance. "Don't worry, Applejack. We've gotten that a lot since we've come here."
"My apologies. My name is Dr. Unne. I am a scholar."
Twilight gasped. "Really?"
"Why, yes. I'm researching a civilization from long ago. The Sky People they are called. And I believe the inhabitants of the city of Lufenia are their descendants, and they speak in their native tongue which can only be translated with the help of a stone slab located in..."
The party stood dumbfounded as the scholar rambled on and on, looking around for someone else to talk to.
"Thank you for that wonderful story, Dr. Unne," interrupted Setro. "But I think my friends and I ought to be going now... Again, thank you." They quickly left, leaving the good doctor oblivious.
"Anytime, friends. Anytime."
As soon as they were out of his sight, the group took a collective sigh, unable to bear a long and unnecessary history lesson.
"That was close," said Zauver, rubbing his forehead.
"He's like Twilight times 4!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Hey!" said the offended Twilight. "I'm not like that, am I?"
"Of course you are! You and that Dr. Unne guy are such eggheads!"
"Says the 'ultra cool' pegasus who likes to read Daring Do books," Applejack said bluntly, making the other ponies chuckle.
Rainbow sighed. "Okay, we're even."
"Daring Do?" asked Flora.
"She's an adventurer that Rainbow Dash and I are huge fans of!"
"Sounds interesting," said Teol.
"All right, all right," said Setro. "For now, let us go to Terra Cavern; we must restore the earth if we are to save this village."
On their way to the cave, our heroes talked about everything that had happened since their arrival, keeping Applejack up to date. Just when they were nearing Terra Cavern, they came across several ogres and dealt with them in three minutes. With their victory, the party had grown even stronger.
Terra Cavern
The heroes entered the cave, seeing what one would typically find in such an environment: large and small rocks on the ground and stalactites hanging from the ceiling, water dripping, and several cracks on the ground but not too large. Fluttershy walked right next to Flora and Teol, knowing they would protect her in case a horrible monster popped out in front of them.
The group split up with Fluttershy and the mages going right from the entrance and found themselves near a door which led them to a treasure chest. But the moment they reached the chest, a brown monster appeared from the ground ready to strike!
"Firaga!" Teol chanted, easily taking care of the creature.
"Thank you, Teol!" said Fluttershy.
The black mage nodded, acknowledging her gratitude. The three opened the unguarded chest and found 1,975 gil inside. They took the treasure and left the room to join the others.
Twilight, Applejack, Setro, and Zauver went straight ahead walking around in a circle fighting several horrible giants.
The remaining ponies went in the opposite direction of the four and found the entrance to the next floor. However, they decided not to go just yet as they preferred staying together and there was still much to find. So they went back and made a left turn finding a new room. Rarity flared her horn to find some jewels for her work back at Carousel Boutique but there were sadly none.
She sighed in defeat. "If only there were such valuable gems here..."
"Yeah, yeah..." said Rainbow Dash. "Save that for when we get outta here."
"Of course!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "There'll be plenty more caves for us to go through! I'm sure we'll find some pretty things and whatnot!"
The other two sighed as they continued onward. As they reached the treasure chests, another earth elemental appeared and attacked the intruders. Without the aid of Teol's black magic, the ponies were at a slight disadvantage, but with Rainbow Dash's strength and agility, they overcame the monster and grabbed the potion in the right chest as well as the gil in the left chest.
The three ponies exited the chamber and made their way to find another room with two chests. The same thing had happened and Rainbow defeated another elemental. Inside the chests were an antitode and more money.
They went right back where they started and found the others waiting for them and moved on to the second level.
Along the second floor, our heroes found several bats floating around the maze-like area.
In the northeastern chamber, there was no elemental monster waiting for them, so they took all the items with little resistance: a Coral Sword, a tent, and 330 gil.
On the third level, our heroes trekked through several corridors, fought more earth elements, acquired several more items, and reached a small chamber and saw a purple bat floating in just one place.
"All living things are born to die," it spoke. "No one can defeat me, the Vampire!"
Everyone raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?" said Twilight. "A talking bat?"
The bat transformed into a pale pointy-eared human-like creature wearing a cape. It was the same Vampire they sought!
"Let's get 'im!" said Applejack, bucking the creature.
Twilight fired a beam of light on it, making it hiss in pain.
"Party Cannon!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she fired said object. No effect. "Not good!"
Setro struck him with one swipe of his Falchion.
The Vampire gazed upon Fluttershy, paralyzing the poor pegasus.
"Diaga!" Flora chanted. The spell was successful, injuring the pale creature.
"Firaga!" Teol chanted. His attack also worked.
The Vampire screamed in anguish and fell to his knees in defeat, releasing Fluttershy from paralysis.
*music stops*
"Ugh... I am defeated... Forgive me... master..."
"'MASTER?!'"
"Did you... really think... that I... was the cause... of the earth's decay...?" he panted, chuckling. "No... I... am but a mere servant, I am... My master... is the first of the four...!"
Before he could say more, the wicked creature fell face-first on the ground and vanished.
"Now I'm more confused than ever."
"That Vampire..." Applejack interjected. "He could be lyin' to us, y'know."
"He could be," Teol answered, fiddling with his hat.
"He did leave some treasure behind, though," said Zauver.
In the chest, the group discovered a shining jewel: a Star Ruby. Rarity couldn't keep her eyes off it.
"Settle down, Rarity," said Applejack. "Let's get back to town first. Ah wanna know if that guy was lyin' or not."
"Agreed," said Setro.
Melmond
To the heroes' shock, the Vampire wasn't lying; the soil in the village was still rotten!
"What the...?!" Setro uttered.
Applejack stood still, silent as a rock. Then she fell on her haunches.
"So it was true... The Vampire was right."
"I may have a solution."
"Yes?"
"Why don't you... go to the Sage's Cave west of here? He'll know what to do. Of course you'll have to give the Titan blocking the path a ruby. He likes them."
They traversed their way through the Titan's Cave, giving the giant a Star Ruby. Its enthusiastic eating reminded everypony of Spike. The party exited the cave and found another south just like the villagers said.
Sage's Cave
In the rocky cave, the party walked into the nearest room but found no one inside. In the next chamber, they found an elderly man with a walking stick standing in front of a fireplace.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome, Light Warriors!"
"You know about us?" asked Teol.
"Indeed. I suspect the reason you're here is to find out why the ground is still rotting."
"Yes," said Setro. "We defeated a Vampire whom we and the inhabitants of Melmond believed to be the source of the earth's declining health. But in his last words, he revealed that he was doing the bidding of another."
Sadda closed his eyes in deep thought. "I'm afraid what you've heard is true, my friends."
Applejack spoke up. "Hold on there, old timer!"
"Applejack!" Flora scolded.
"Oh, my... A small talking equine."
The cowgirl realized her mistake and chuckled nervously.
"S-Sorry... didn't to mean to insult ya."
"It's... quite alright."
"Anyway, are you sayin' we gotta go back in that there cave and beat the real cause of all this?"
"Yes, that is precisely what I'm saying. And to help you reach this evil, you will need this."
"What is it?"
"It's my Earth Rod. I've been waiting so long for the Chosen Four to appear, and now that day has finally come!"
"We'll do it, Sadda," said Twilight. Flora took the Earth Rod and nodded, now that they have the means of saving the village. The group thanked the elderly sage and bid him farewell as they left the cave. They noticed that the sun had begun to set, and it would be too late to reach Melmond and stay at the inn. They walked all the way through the same path as before, passing through the Titan's Cave and headed south.
Before they could go on, the heroes were exhausted given everything they had been through. So it was decided that they take a rest for the night. The Light Warriors planted two tents near the entrance to Terra Cavern and went to sleep.
The next morning, our heroes awoke knowing that the time was near and without any hesitation re-entered the treacherous dungeon.
Terra Cavern
Our heroes trekked back to where they defeated the Vampire and went through the door. They found a large door and used the Earth Rod to break the seal. To their surprise, a hidden stairway revealed itself.
The earth on the fourth floor was even unhealthier than on the previous levels, and as they went deeper in the cavern, our heroes felt a sinister presence. One that made the ponies' skins crawl.
"Are you feeling alright...?" asked a concerned Flora.
"Well," said Twilight, "to be honest... I feel like there's something horrible down there. Something... evil..."
"Isn't that the whole point of goin' through this place, Twilight?" said Rainbow.
"Well, yeah..."
"I feel it, too..." said Fluttershy. "I'm kind of scared... I'm scared of what we may find..."
Flora knelt and placed her hand on Fluttershy and Twilight's heads, giving them a knowing smile that said she and the others would protect them. The ponies, too, swore to protect the Warriors of Light from whatever dangers they faced. After trekking along the maze, the party came across an altar and found something none of them ever expected to see...
"Is that a...?" Twilight gasped.
"Yes... It's a crystal!" said Setro.
"What about that orb in front?" asked Zauver.
"Ah dunno," said Applejack.
An ominous voice laughed, startling everyone.
*music fades out*
From within the orb merged the evil presence felt earlier: a giant skeletal figure who rose as if it had come back from the dead. It wore a purple cloak and helmet, and was surrounded by several swirling souls. This was Lich, the Fiend of Earth! Its appearance was so frightening that even Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash screamed.
Teol cast a haste spell on the entire party, hoping to finish off their demonic adversary quickly.
"We can't let this thing win!" he said.
Applejack charged and bucked Lich with her legs; despite her best efforts, even her physical strength was no match for the undead foe. Lich responded by almost freezing her with the spell Blizzara.
"Leave her alone!" said Rainbow Dash, charging the demon and giving him a strong uppercut. Lich responded by backhanding the blue pegasus onto the ground.
"Party Cannon!" Pinkie shouted. No effect.
Rarity used her magic to cause some nearby rocks to levitate and crush him, but like Pinkie's party cannon, the attack had no effect on the Earth Fiend.
Setro and Zauver each swiped at the undead creature greatly injuring it.
"Diaga!" Flora chanted.
Lich grunted. "Ha! It will take more than a few weapons and spells to destroy me!"
"Is that so?" asked Twilight, firing a strong beam from her horn. The demon screamed an uneartlhly death cry and froze in place.
"Even if I die..." it said, "the other Fiends of Chaos will live... and extinguish all life!"
And with those words, the wicked Lich evaporated. The party went into their victory poses once more.
*music stops*
Just then Twilight's body began to glow once more. The rapid flashing stopped and out came a pair of purple wings!
Setro placed his crystal shard with the larger one, which began to glow.
"May the Light of this Crystal shine," he said. The group closed their eyes and lifted their heads, embracing the warmth of the revived artifact. Behind the altar was a small portal leading them back to the entrance of the cavern.
"Your Crystal shard is glowing!" said Twilight.
"Well, ah'll be!" said Applejack.
"I see now," said Setro. "If this crystal was brought back to life after defeating that monster..."
"Then there are three more!" said Teol.
"Well, you know what they say," Zauver answered. "One down, three to go."
Leaving the cave, our heroes began to think.
"Say, Twilight?" asked Zauver.
"Yes?"
"If we restore all the crystals, do you think that'll be when the Changeling Queen will show up?"
"Probably... Why?"
"It's not that I'm eager to see all you leave, but..."
"But... what?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I... apologize for my behavior when we first met."
This made everyone stop.
"It's alright, Zauver," said Fluttershy. "We forgive you."
"W-What? This easily...?"
"Yeah I guess so," Rainbow Dash said. "We kinda came outta nowhere when you found us, and even though you seemed to be a jerk, I understand."
"We all do," Twilight added.
"It is only natural to fear what we do not understand," said Setro. "However, when one overcomes their prejudices, they will become a better person."
They agreed and continued forward.
Princess Celestia? Twilight thought, looking upward. Cadence? Please wait a little longer. We'll be back as soon as we're finished here...
Princess Cadence and Shining Armor paced back and forth in the sanctum of the Crystal Heart, anxious for the girls to return.
Princess Celestia sat on her haunches, looking over Twilight's friendship reports, wondering if she would ever see her student and friends again. Her sister trotted over and sat next to her, patting her on the shoulders for comfort.
"Don't worry, Celestia," she said. "They will return. I know it..."
"You're right, Luna," Celestia answered. "Twilight and the others have overcome several hardships. I've no doubt whatever obstacles they encounter, they can handle it."
Arriving in Melmond, our heroes saw that the land finally showed signs of recovery.
"Finally!" said Zauver.
"So..." said Pinkie Pie. "What do we do now?"
"Good question," said Teol.
Setro, Twilight, Applejack, and Flora paced around in deep thought while Fluttershy sat on her haunches.
"There's one person we haven't thought of until now."
"And who would that be?"
"Lukahn."
"Lukahn? Who's that?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"Apparently, he's the one who predicted the appearance of the saviors of this world. Namely, four Warriors of Light."
"But ah don't think he said anything about six ponies..."
"Even so, we can't ignore the fact that he's somewhere around."
The ponies looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"Well, what are we waitin' for?" said Rainbow Dash. "Let's go!"
*music stops*
And so our heroes set sail in search of Lukahn, the prophet who foretold the arrival of the Warriors of Light. They traveled to several places they had visited before including Mount Duergar, Elfheim, Pravoka, and Cornelia. From what information they had gathered, Lukahn resided in the town of Crescent Lake along with his peers. Consulting the map, they found the town on the southeast surrounded by a lake in the shape of a crescent moon, hence the name "Crescent Lake." Traveling south, the group encountered several more monsters but with their combined strength, they easily dealt with their foes.
The group stopped the ship in the port east of their destination and disembarked. Along the way, stronger enemies were encountered. Like before, however, the monsters were defeated and our heroes grew even stronger as a result. They found the lake on the map and walked towards the town.
In the small town surrounded almost entirely by a wall, there were plenty trees and flowers as well as a small body of water, giving the area a peaceful vibe.
"This place is so beautiful," said Fluttershy, marveling at the city.
"I concur," said Rarity.
The group looked around town and spoke with a woman near the black magic shop.
"Excuse us," said Setro.
"Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?"
"We seek the one called Lukahn."
The woman's eyes lit up. "Ah, you must be the Light Warriors."
"That is correct, miss. And these are our companions."
"Just go past the town and on your right, go through the forest and you'll find the Circle of Sages."
The party found a group of elderly men standing in a circle.
"Excuse us."
The men looked and stared at the visitors, particularly the six multi-colored ponies.
"Funny. I didn't say anything about such small horses accompanying the Chosen Four."
*music stops*
Twilight and her friends groaned. "Look. For the last time, we are not HORSES! We! Are! PONIES!! PONIES!!!"
The leader was taken aback. "My sincere apologies."
"'Tis alright, good sir," said Setro. "We have come here to consult the prophet Lukahn. Do you know him?"
*music resumes*
"Of course. He's me. We will tell you all we know of the crisis the world faces."
The party sat down and listened intently as the Circle of Sages told their story.
"This whole ordeal began 2000 years ago. The four elements--earth, fire, water, and wind--kept the world in balance and the people lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Four Fiends of Chaos appeared."
Another sage added, "These unholy creatures have been draining the energy from the Crystals and therefore the life force from this planet."
"Four hundred years ago, a great civilization lived in the sky, but thanks to the Fiend of Wind, there are no Sky People. To this day, it is said that she still inhabits the stronghold where they once dwelled: the Flying Fortress.
"However, their legacy lives on through their descendants: the residents of Lufenia."
"Lufenia...?" Twilight muttered.
"I believe Dr. Unne from Melmond mentioned something like that," said Rarity.
The others nodded.
"Then 200 years later, the Fiend of Water destroyed a great shrine, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. And because of that, the seas raged on, destroying several ships."
The ponies couldn't believe their ears.
"You all have done well restoring the Earth Crystal, but now you must travel into the depths of Mount Gulug."
"Mount Gulug?" asked Twilight.
"Yes. It's a volcano situated west of Crescent Lake, where we now stand."
"A VOLCANO?!" Rarity exclaimed. "WHY, OF ALL PLACES, DO WE HAVE TO GO INSIDE SUCH A HORRIBLE PLACE TO SAVE THE WORLD?! WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN A SAUNA FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE?!"
"Calm down, Rarity!" Twilight shouted. "We won't get anywhere by just staying here."
"Very well..."
"Ah ain't keen on makin' a trip inside a volcano, but if one of these 'Fiends' has control of it, this whole place is gonna burn faster than--"
"A.J.," said Rainbow. "We gotta get to the crystal quick!"
"But, how?"
"Duh...! Me, Twilight, and Fluttershy can--"
"Allow me to provide an answer," one of the Sages interrupted.
Rainbow grimaced. "What is it?"
The Sage pulled out a canoe. "Here, take this. It will get you access to the volcano from here."
"You know we could just--"
"With this, you can even go places you couldn't before because of--"
*music stops*
"QUIEEEEEEEEET!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
Everyone looked at her.
"What I'm trying to say, is that me, Twilight, and Fluttershy can fly. So why can't we just carry everypony--er, i mean, everybody else over to the mountain?"
Twilight thought about it and said, "How many people can go in that canoe?"
"Just four..."
"Four?"
"Hmm..." Rarity thought. "I wonder..." She thought and thought... "You know, we've been traveling for quite some time now and I need my beauty sleep."
Everyone groaned.
"Rarity!" Applejack said in annoyance. "Haven't ya heard anything these fellers said?"
"I did, and I am well aware of the crisis we now face."
"I... kind of agree with Rarity on this," said Twilight. "We just restored the Earth Crystal and came all the way here. So I wouldn't mind resting my eyes for the night."
"But, Twilight!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Um, Applejack? Rainbow Dash?" said Fluttershy. "I'm with the others. Going inside that volcano now after all we've been through would only make things worse."
Applejack growled and stomped the ground with her hoof. "Fine!! Y'all just stay here 'cuz ah'm goin' there by myself!" And so, the impatient cowgirl turned to leave.
"Not by yourself! 'Cause I'm goin' with you!"
"Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Don't!" called Flora.
"Don't try and stop us!"
Twilight and Fluttershy flew in front of the two ponies and glared at them.
"What about your family, A.J.?"
Applejack's eyes went wide. This got the human heroes' attention.
"She has a family?" asked Teol.
"Yes, that's right. A big brother, a little sister, and a grandmother."
Applejack could do nothing to counter Twilight's argument and shamefully hid her face with her hat.
"And you, Rainbow Dash. I'm surprised at you. Weren't you the one who said 'I never leave my friends hangin?'"
Rainbow looked away; her eyes averting those of her friends.
"Shame on you," said Fluttershy. "Shame on you both."
Rarity sighed and faced each of the sages asking, "Would it be alright if you held onto that canoe of yours until we make a decision."
"Not at all, Miss..."
"Rarity."
Later that night...
"We're really sorry 'bout what happened back there," said a remorseful Applejack.
Setro walked in and said, "You're probably lucky to have a family, Applejack."
"Whaddya mean by that, pardner?"
Setro told the farmpony everything he told Twilight and the others...
"Ah... ah don't know what to say..."
"That is alright."
"Yeah, let's just get some shut-eye now," said Rainbow Dash.
"And by the way..." said Pinkie Pie.
"Yes?"
"You two have got to promise we'll all go to Mount Gulug together, right? Pinkie Promise?"
Not wanting a repeat of what happened at Dodge Junction, Applejack immediately agreed. "Sure, Pinkie," she said as she and Rainbow recited the Pinkie Promise. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Zauver looked at them with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What was that?"
"A Pinkie Promise, silly!" said Pinkie. "If somepony... I mean, someONE makes a Pinkie Promise, they must keep it FOREVER!"
"Ooookay..." Zauver said, unsure of how to make a proper response. "Good night."
Applejack found herself back home on Sweet Apple Acres. But something was wrong. Among the extensive Apple family, she found Granny Smith, Big McIntosh and little Apple Bloom holding each other in sadness.
"What's goin' on?" she asked, only to find her name engraved on a tombstone. "What happened?!"
"Why'd ya have to--have to go, sis?" Apple Bloom sobbed.
"Ah'm right here, Apple Bloom! Don't cry."
"Apple Bloom! Big Mac! Granny! Can't y'all hear me?! Please!! Ah'm over HERE!!"
It was no use; Applejack was dead and there was nothing she could do but scream in despair.
Applejack sat right up, gasping for air. Panting, she looked around and found everyone still asleep. Except for Twilight and Teol.
"Are you all right, A.J.?" said Twilight.
"Yeah... Again, ah'm really sorry 'bout what happened back there. Ah was just... ah dunno. Maybe ah was just a little too eager to face whatever's inside that volcano we're goin' to."
Teol walked over and knelt and petted her head. As much as she hated to admit it, Applejack felt at ease from the pets.
"We forgive you, Applejack. Let's get back to sleep for now."
"Sure..."
At sunrise, the party awoke and went back to the Circle of Sages.
"Have you come to a decision?" asked Lukahn.
"Yes," said Rarity. "We've decided to use your canoe after all. Of course, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash will fly over us to make sure we don't run into any trouble."
The group nodded and left the city. Their destination: Mount Gulug. As Rarity had stated, the three ponies flew while the rest used their new vessel. The alicorn and the pegasi looked around, making sure no harm would come to their companions, not just from the waters below but also from the sky. After the encounter with the changeling army before reaching Melmond, they weren't willing to take chances.
Finally after going through a maze of water, our heroes found the volcano. Before going in, Twilight made sure to cast a heat-resistant spell to protect everyone not just from the heat, but the magma flowing from within.
Mount Gulug
The gurgling heat of the volcano was made clear as soon as our heroes set foot inside.
They turned to see Pinkie Pie humming a strange tune. Needless to say, the group was confused at Pinkie's behavior.
"Pinkie?" asked Zauver. "Why are you...?"
"I dunno. It just came to while we were at Terra Cavern so I figured why not sing it here? Ba ba DA da da daaa da ba ba ba da DAA da..." she sang to herself.
"Relax," said Twilight. "It's Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie."
Ordinarily, the magma on the floor would burn any who dared walk across, but thanks to Twilight's spell, she and the rest strolled through without any repercussions. On the next floor, the party found a straight path to the next level with the ground covered almost entirely in magma. They found a door next to them and stopped. Pondering on what do, Setro rubbed his finger on his chin with Twilight thinking the same thing. It was decided that they should split into two groups again: Twilight would go through the door with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Teol, and Zauver while Setro would go along the path with Flora, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.
"Are y'all sure 'bout this?" said Applejack.
"I'm certain, Applejack," Setro answered.
"Alright."
And so, our heroes split up once more. Twilight and her group entered through a doors and found themselves wandering through a maze filled with treasure chests guarded Fire elemental monsters similar to the Earth elements they fought in Terra Cavern. Defeating the monsters, they obtained a Mythril Helmet, a Giant's Sword and a total of 13,825 gil.
Setro and his group went straight ahead to the third level of the volcano and blazed through the magma-ridden floors and fought several monsters including a pyrolisk, a relative of the cockatrice. They went inside a small room on the fourth level to catch their breath and rest for a while. A few minutes later, Twilight and her group reunited with the others.
"Is everyone alright?" asked Setro. The group nodded. "Then let us be onward!" As they resumed their march toward the Fire Crystal, the party marched across the magma that was seeping on the ground.
At the lowest level of the mountain, the group felt as if Twilight's spell was weakening, so they quickly ran across the magma and entered all the rooms, taking whatever treasures they could get their hands and hooves on. In one room, the group encountered a large red dragon guarding a chest, much to Fluttershy's horror.
"D-D-D-DRAGON!!" she shouted.
"It's alright, Fluttershy," said Flora. "We've got this."
The group lunged at the fire-breathing beast one-by-one; the dragon countered Rainbow's attack by swiping her with his claw. Teol cast Blizzara on the fearsome creature weakening it greatly. Upon defeat, the dragon roared and collapsed, landing on its stomach.
"Now let's take this treasure and find the crystal," said Zauver. The others agreed. Inside the treasure chest was a piece of Flame Armor, protecting its wearer from fire-based attacks.
Exiting the chamber, our heroes went through the southwest corridor as Zauver felt his Crystal shard was resonating.
But as they approached the Fire Crystal... They saw in front of it was an orb, much like at Terra Cavern.
"So," an evil voice spoke, "you are the ones who eliminated the Fiend of Earth. I commend your efforts, but now your lives end here!"
From the orb emerged yet another creature that the Equestrians had never seen before: a female human-snake hybrid with six arms, each carrying a sword. The snake half of this demon's body was bright purple with black spots.
"So, it was you that slew Lich, the Fiend of Earth. I am Marilith, Fiend of Fire!"
"'Marilith?'" said Pinkie Pie. "I thought her name was gonna be 'Kary' or 'Kali.'"
The others looked to Pinkie in confusion. The demon, however, was less than amused.
"Do not make light of me, accursed beast."
"Hey! You need to watch your mouth. There are--"
"Um, Pinkie?" said Twilight. "I don't think 'accursed' is a bad word. Even if she did insult--"
"SILENCE! Prepare yourselves, Warriors of Light!! And you as well, ponies from another world!"
"Very well," said Setro, unsheathing his sword. "We will defeat you and restore the power of the crystal you have corrupted."
"Fools! The power of fire is mine alone! Those who dare disturb me shall me BURN!"
Our heroes went into their battle stance in response. Rainbow Dash charged headfirst only to smacked in the face by Marilith's tail. Setro slashed at her four times doing some moderate damage; Teol cast Blizzara effectively weakening her, but not to the end. The demon tried to swipe Zauver with her tail but he jumped over it just in time.
By this point, however, Twilight's anti-heating spell was beginning to weaken. Not wanting to lose quickly, our heroes did all they could to withstand Marilith's attacks and counter her. Just then the spell had finally broken, leaving the party of the mercy of the evil demon. The Fiend of Fire cast a dangerous Fira spell scaring the ponies and causing them and their human friends to step back.
Rarity panted, "I... I... I don't know... if I can go on...!" The fashionista felt as if she was actually going to die, whether from heat exhaustion or another strike from Marilith.
Applejack also panted, "Can't... lose here...!"
"No!" Flora shouted. "We won't! NulBlaze!"
"Fools!" Marilith exclaimed. The Fiend of Fire knocked the white mage aside and cackled in delight. "What is the matter, feeble beings?! Have you had enough?" she taunted.
"Not... yet!" Zauver shouted, driving his blade into the fiend's stomach. He withdrew his weapon and stepped back.
"This... cannot be...!" she screamed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!"
And with that cry, Marilith had perished and our heroes stood victorious once again.
*music fades out*
With the Fiend of Fire defeated, our heroes' journey was almost half complete.
"It's time," said Setro. Zauver nodded and held out his crystal next to the larger one.
"May the Light of this Crystal shine!" he said. His crystal shard was glowing alongside the larger as once again, the party embraced the glow. With two crystals regaining their light, our heroes began to feel elated. They went over the to the portal beyond the altar and found themselves back outside Mount Gulug.
"Phew...!" said Twilight. "I don't know about you all, but I thought we were finished."
"Same here," replied Setro.
"I agree," said Flora.
"Me too," said Teol.
"Likewise," said Rarity. "It was a close call for us though."
"Let's get back to town," said Applejack. "The sages have to know."
"I'll go on ahead... that is, if it's alright with you," said Fluttershy.
The others nodded. And with that, Fluttershy flew off toward Crescent Lake.
As soon as they got back, our heroes immediately noticed something different: the inhabitants were nowhere to be seen. Fluttershy stood near the entrance, looking around for any signs of life.
"H-hello?" she said.
"Hello? Anyone home?" said Pinkie Pie.
"This is weird," said Zauver. He tried opening a door, but it wouldn't budge. The thief wouldn't give up just yet, as he tried pushing and pulling it. Not even the Mystic Key could unlock it. "Definitely weird."
"I don't like this either," said Setro. "Let's get back to the Circle of Sages. Hopefully they'll know what happened."
The party agreed and went back to the sages' meeting ground. Something was different, however, and our heroes could tell right away.
"Ah, welcome back." said Lukahn. "Now that that the Fire Fiend is defeated, I must ask you to hand over the Crystals."
"What?!" said Setro and Twilight.
"But why?" asked Rarity.
"We feel that your journey has ended. Please let us handle the rest."
"Lukahn... Where are the villagers?" asked a disconcerted Setro.
"Oh, who cares about those humans... I mean, er... Just give us the Crystals!"
*music fades out*
"Twilight?" asked Pinkie. "Did that old guy just say what I think he said?"
This was enough to confirm Twilight's suspicions. "Where are the real sages?" she asked darkly.
Exposed, the changelings ripped off their disguises with the Lukahn impostor in charge; he was a little larger than the others, and his eyes glowed an eerily green color.
"What did you do to the villagers?!" said Teol.
"Oh, they're alright," the leader replied. They're just a bit... tied up at the moment. For now it's payback time for what happened near Melmond! Changelings! ATTACK!!"
And with that command, the changelings took their battle stances, as did our heroes. Flora and Applejack (mostly Applejack) dispatched two of the shape-shifting creatures while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash struggled with four more of their enemies. Taking flight, the two pegasi and the insect-like beings charged at each other, hoping to bring this battle to a swift end.
Teol, Rarity and Pinkie fought with three of the changelings with Pinkie making funny faces, much to the insectoid creatures' ire.
"Pinkie Pie!" scoled Rarity. "This is no time for your humorous antics!"
"Oh, right!" Pinkie said cheerfully, as she did a backflip and pulled out her party cannon, firing it at the angry chagnelings and knocking them out.
Setro, Zauver and Twilight stood face-to-face with the remaining three shape-shifters.
"You and your human friends have disrupted our plans for the last time, pony!" shouted the leader.
"Not until we find and defeat the other Fiends along with your queen!" Twilight responded, glaring at the evil creature.
"Enough! Die, Twilight Sparkle!" he shouted, firing a deadly beam at our heroes' direction. Twilight's eyes closed...
"NO!!!" Fluttershy screamed. Flora gasped. As soon as the dust settled, everyone was protected by a magical shield that Twilight conjured just in time to stop the blast.
"Oh, thank goodness!" said a relieved Flora.
The changeling leader growled. "Damn you!"
"Language!" Twilight said angrily as she dissolved the shield, allowing the others to corner the changelings and end the fight.
"Retreat! RETREAT!!" the leader shouted once more, he and his comrades taking flight.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Rainbow Dash as she flew and intercepted the fleeing changelings and spun around them, creating a semi-powerful tornado, one strong enough to make the remaining changelings unconscious. The black creatures fell to the ground but were saved by Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy.
Amazing, thought Setro, watching the scene. Those girls have grown stronger since they arrived here.
As the girls floated down with the changelings in tow, the others rushed over.
*music fades out*
"Now then," said Setro, pointing his sword at their vanquished foes. "Release the townspeople and the sages."
The changeling leader growled once more and lowered his head in defeat. "Very well." His horn glowed, unsealing the doors to the houses. "But don't think this is over, you meddling fools!" he warned as he and his colleagues started to disappear.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Rainbow Dash. But before she could tackle the morphing beings, they vanished without a trace. "Ugh, again!" she growled.
"Relax, Rainbow," said Teol. "We've got more important matters."
With the changelings defeated once again, our heroes went back into town and rescued the villagers. In one house they found six of the wise men, whom their captors impersonated. The others were tied up behind the counter in the armor shop. Everyone returned to the Circle of Sages' gathering spot.
"Thank you, Light Warriors! And thank you, ponies!" said Lukahn. "You have saved our village and our lives! For that, we are eternally grateful."
"Aw, it was nothing," said Pinkie Pie.
"I honestly can't believe those changelings were here," said Rarity. "How did this happen?"
Lukahn and the others looked at each other and nodded. "It all started around the time you all left for Mount Gulug. A visiting group of travelers came to town and all of a sudden attacked us and locked up everyone in our own homes and stores."
"It was rather unbearable, but thanks to you, we are free once again," one of the other sages added. "Now, tell us. Have you succeeded in restoring the Crystal of Fire?"
"Yes," Zauver answered, showing his crystal.
"Ah..." said Lukahn. "Very good. What do you intend to do next?"
Applejack stepped forward and spoke. "Well, before we do that, ah gotta ask y'all somethin'."
"Yes, my dear?"
"Do y'all know of a good place where we can, um, whaddya call that... 'upgrade' ourselves?"
"'Upgrade?'" asked one of the wise men.
"What Applejack means is, we had a difficult battle against the Fiend of Fire, and we wish to become stronger," said Setro.
"Yeah," Zauver agreed. "We almost had it back there."
The sages' leader stroked his beard. "There is one place I know of..."
"Yes?" said Twilight.
"You must journey towards the Cardia Islands and travel underground to meet Bahamut, King of the Dragons."
Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "D-D-Did you say 'd-d-d-d-dragons?!'" she stuttered. "There are more dragons here?!"
"Oh, boy," said Rainbow Dash.
"What is the matter, child?" asked Lukahn.
"She's kinda scared of dragons."
"We battled with one inside the volcano," said Setro.
"Y-Yes. We don't have to fight this 'Bahamut'... do we?"
The sages chuckled a little, much to yellow pegasus' discomfort. "My dear, there is no need to worry. The dragons on the Cardia Islands may look fearsome, but I hear they are much friendlier than the one you encountered."
"I hope so," she whispered. Teol knelt and rubbed her head.
"All right," said Zauver, "let's get back to the ship and--"
"Hold on, son."
"What is it?"
"You cannot reach the islands by sea, I'm afraid."
"So," Teol spoke up, "how do we get there?"
"First, you must travel to the Ice Cavern north of Mount Gulug and find the Levistone."
The group shared a confused look. "What's a 'Levistone?'" asked Rainbow.
"The Levistone is an artifact that is said to raise an ancient Lufenian airship buried deep in the sands of Ryukahn Desert south of here."
"An airship?" said Rarity. "You mean the type of vehicle we can use to fly all over the world?"
"That is correct."
"'Lufenian...'" said Flora softly. "There's that name again."
"Never mind that," said Rainbow Dash. "Let's go get that stone!"
"We should probably get some rest first," said Zauver.
"Oh... right." Rainbow laughed nervously.
*music fades out*
And with that, our heroes went back into town and slept at the inn once more. With this new information, their quest was looking more and more difficult.
The changelings who had lost to the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light, stood before their queen trembling in fear as she glared at the leader of the group with utter disgust.
"You have failed me for the last time," she said.
"But, Your Highness!" the groveling changeling said. "Please give me another chance!"
"No."
"PLEASE!! I swear I will--"
"I said, 'NO!'" she yelled. With one blast from her horn, the changeling who had failed his task was incinerated, gone without a trace. The others gulped, fearing they would join him soon.
"Leave us!" the Changeling Queen commanded.
"It would appear that these creatures are stronger than I realized," said the voice of Tiamat.
"Don't remind me," replied an annoyed Chrysalis.
"Your Excellency!" said another changeling.
"What now?" she asked incredulously.
"Forgive the intrusion, b-but... Marilith has been defeated!"
Chrysalis stood silently with a blank face, knowing exactly what happened.
"Did I come at a bad time? I-I'm sorry!"
The changeling left as quickly as he had arrived, leaving his evil queen seething with fury. "How am I supposed to get rid of those pests?!"
Tiamat only chuckled. "Do not worry, Chrysalis. For if the Light Warriors and Equestrians set foot inside this stronghold, I have a most pleasant surprise for them once they cross that bridge."
The Changeling Queen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I doubt that they will survive of the wrath of Kraken, but in case they approach this altar..." Tiamat chuckled some more. "Yes, they will be in for a most pleasant and very deadly surprise..."
As the Fiend of Wind said this and laughed, metallic footsteps could be heard...
Inside the local inn at Crescent Lake, our heroes slowly but surely began to open their eyes after a long slumber.
"Good morning, everyone," said Setro. "I trust you all slept well."
Everyone nodded. They got up from their beds and gathered around in a circle of their own, preparing for what lay ahead.
"Let us go through this once more..."
"Uh, I think we've already got a idea what to do next, Setro," said Rainbow Dash. "Go to this Ice Cave, get the Levistone and use it to get an old airship so we can find this Bahamut guy."
"Very well put, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight.
"Ah dunno 'bout you, but ah'm itchin' and rarin' to go!" said Applejack.
"Then let us be onward."
The whole group cheered in agreement.
"After we drop off some excess baggage," Zauver added.
The party groaned and muttered.
"Oh, c'mon! You know we can't exactly carry everything, even in this big bag."
"All right..." said Rainbow as she and the others left the inn and went to sell some unnecessary equipment in the weapon and armor shops.
"At least our sack's getting a little more room," said Twilight.
"I agree," said Rarity. "The less things we carry around, the better."
"All right, that's it," said Teol.
"Now, let us be onward!" said Setro.
*music stops*
Leaving town, our heroes ventured forth to the Ice Cavern in order to retrieve the Levistone in order to raise the ancient airship spoken of by the sages. They went aboard their ship and set sail to the north arriving at the port as marked on the map. Disembarking, the party went through some wet grass and found themselves in a maze-like river leading to the cave; they (except Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy) went aboard their canoe and navigated the maze; as they reached their destination, Rarity flinched, for as she and the others had to walk through a marsh to enter the cavern that soon stood in front of them.
As soon the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light set foot inside, the temperature dropped to near freezing, leaving our heroes shivering.
"How c-c-cold is this p-p-place?" Teol stuttered.
"I don't kn-know," said Twilight. "Probab-b-b-ly about about 15 degrees."
Pinkie Pie felt her teeth chattering and tried stop with her hooves. "S-S-Sorry, everyb-b-b-body..."
Our heroes turned right and went down a flight of stairs taking them down a level. Suddenly, a frost giant appeared along with several white wolves. Wasting no time, our heroes did away with their enemies and grew even stronger. Going back up the second floor, they found themselves in another area. In the center of this new area was one chamber where three treasure chests lay; the group also discovered a hole in the ground, which the party presumed would lead them to the object they sought. After acquiring the treasure, they jumped down and sure enough found themselves in another room with multiple cracked tiles. And in front of them was a floating stone.
This must be it! thought Twilight. The others were thinking the same thing. They went towards it when all of a sudden...
"Whoa!!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Out of nowhere, a giant skull-shaped monster suddenly dropped below and frightened the ponies.
*music stops*
"What's that?!" Twilight yelled.
"This creature must be guarding the Levistone!" said Setro.
The monster, known as the Evil Eye, gazed its piercing glare upon the entire party, injuring them somehow.
"What the...?!"
"Healara!" chanted Flora, healing the group.
"Thanks," said Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus charged towards the creature with her eyes closed and executed a powerful uppercut sending it into the wall.
"Go, Dashie! Go!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
But she spoke too soon, for the Evil Eye recovered and paralyzed her friend with one stare.
"C-Can't... move...!"
Fluttershy flew towards the creature and gave it the Stare, trying to convince to free her fellow pegasus, only to be paralyzed as well. Setro, Zauver, and Applejack all charged at the Evil Eye and unleashed a fury that did not end until the monster breathed its last.
The monster collapsed, allowing the pegasi to break free from paralysis.
"I think so," said Fluttershy. "How about you, Rainbow Dash?"
"Probably..." Rainbow replied.
*music fades out*
With the Evil Eye gone, our heroes grabbed the Levistone and held it up in the air.
Twilight sighed in relief. "Now that that's taken care of, let's get out of here and head to toward that desert! Uh, what was it called again?"
"I think it was 'Ryukahn Desert,'" said Flora.
"One problem..." said Zauver. "How do we get out of here?!"
"Simple," said Rainbow Dash. "Step on those cracked tiles and fall through the floor, remember?"
"Oh, right."
They did so and went through the exact same route as they did before. Just a few feet from the room with the three chests was a flight of stairs that took them right out of the cave.
"Oh, thank Celestia!" said Rarity. "It's great to feel the warmth of the sun again!"
"Same here," Teol agreed.
"Let's get back to the ship."
Everyone nodded in agreement and went back the way they came. They boarded the ship and set sail for the desert just south of Crescent Lake.
Ryukahn Desert
Setro released the Levistone from his possession, allowing it to float in the center of the desert. The earth shook as a large vehicle rose from the sands.
"AH YEAH!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
The group went aboard the airship looking over every aspect and detail.
"Is there a manual for this?" asked Twilight.
Pinkie Pie looked around the cabin, found a big red button, and of course pushed it. The ship rumbled.
"It's working! It's working!!"
Flora exited the cabin and gasped. "We're in the air!"
Sure enough, the machine rose off the ground and stood 6,000 feet in the air.
The group took their new mode of transportation for a test drive and with some difficulties, they were able to master controlling the airship.
"Hey, Twilight!" said Pinkie, holding a book in her mouth. "Look what I found!"
"What's that?" the purple alicorn asked. She levitated the book as soon as Pinkie let go and looked at the contents within. She gasped as she realized, "It's the manual!"
The instructions on how to control the ship were just as Zauver had demonstrated. Unfortunately, it also stated that the vehicle could only land on grassy areas, not in places that were wet or were surrounded by trees.
"In other words," said Zauver. "If we wanted to go somewhere quickly, we would have to find a grassy place that may be far away from wherever we're headed?"
"I guess so," said Twilight.
"That's just great," the thief sighed.
"Alright!" said Twilight. "Now that we know how to control this thing, where do we go now?"
"To the Cardia Islands!" Setro answered. Despite the enthusiam from their human companions, the Equestrians felt rather uneasy, given the fact that they were about to encounter several dragons. The location in question was a set of islands situated in the north; to the east of these islands lay an ancient castle.
"Let's see," said Zauver as he lowered the airship. "Here's a good spot." As soon as the vehicle landed, the propellers stopped. The group disembarked and
"Is everyone ready?" asked Setro. Everyone looked eager and was ready to go in... except for Fluttershy who was shaking; her fear of dragons was evident.
Within the caves, our heroes found several dragons walking about and talking casually amongst themselves; Fluttershy's fear had somewhat subsided when she went up to one of them and said, "Um, excuse me."
The dragons turned and saw the four humans, wondering which one of them spoke.
"If you're looking for whoever addressed you," said Teol, "she's... down there."
The creatures gazed at the floor and found the six equines looking as if they were their next meal.
"Interesting," said one of the reptiles. "Very interesting."
"Humans have appeared," said the other. "It's not often we see such creatures visit our humble home. What is your purpose?"
Setro stepped forward and answered without hesitation. "We seek an audience with your lord and master."
The two dragons' eyes widened. "Are you serious? One does not simply speak with Lord Bahamut."
"We know," said Flora. "But I think these will convince you." She pulled out her crystal shard as did the others much to the dragons' astonishment.
"Can it be?" said the first dragon. "Are you the Warriors of Light?"
"That is correct," said Setro. "And as you can see, we have succeeded in restoring two crystals."
The two winged creatures looked at each other and whispered quietly. The one on the left particularly looked at the ponies and whispered something into the other's ear. They walked back to the group.
"Very well," said the second dragon. "Lord Bahamut will see you on the island where there are two entrances. Take the easternmost one on your map."
"Thank you," said Twilight.
Back outside, the group boarded the airship, went to the island as directed and made their way using the right entrance. They went through a long corridor to find a flight of stairs that took them to a large chamber surrounded by candles. Also in this chamber were two dragons and a larger one sitting regally on a throne. Fluttershy gulped as she and her companions walked towards the large creature, not knowing what to expect.
"Welcome, Warriors of Light and you as well, ponies from another realm," it spoke in a deep voice. "I am Bahamut, King of the Dragons."
"You know of us?" asked Twilight.
"Indeed I do. My subjects and I have heard of your exploits."
"If you please, Your Majesty," said Setro. "We have heard that you grant anyone who seeks an audience great power."
"I see my reputation precedes me. Yes, I will accept your request."
"Yay," Fluttershy cheered weakly.
"But only if you perform one task: You must go to the Citadel of Trials and bring me a Rat's Tail."
"R-Rat's Tail?" said Rarity and Fluttershy in unison.
"Yes, but do not worry. The rat is long dead."
"That's... not what I even meant," Fluttershy spoke. Rarity looked as if she were sick.
"If you please, Lord Bahamut," said Twilight. "What is the purpose of this task?"
"It is no more than a test of courage, and if you succeed, I will grant your request."
Twilight put her hoof on her chin. "This 'Citadel of Trials...' It wouldn't be that castle we just passed on the way here, would it?"
"You are correct, my little pony. You may now leave."
The group looked at each other and back at the Dragon King; they bowed respectfully and left.
Back on the airship, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were less than pleased.
"I don't believe this," said the blue pegasus. "We've fought a big one-eyed monster, raised this big airship, went all over the world to see this big dragon king, and now he tells us to find a Rat's Tail?!"
Inside the ancient citadel, an old man stood in the center, awaiting any who would take on the challenges that lay ahead.
"Welcome, travelers," he said. "Have you the Crown?"
"Crown?" asked Setro.
"Are you talkin' about this?" said Zauver, showing him the object in question.
"Why yes," the man answered. "It is."
"WHAT?!" the ponies, except Applejack, shouted in unison.
Pinkie gasped. "That's the same crown Astos tricked us to get and tried to take from us! And that was four chapters ago!"
Everyone looked at Pinkie like she had lost her mind again. Still, this information had cast a new light on the Dark Elf King's intentions.
"Well, whatever Astos was planning, it's too late to think about it now," said Setro.
The others agreed. They went up the stairs to the next floor and found magic columns that transported them to the next room. After several mishaps, the party soon learned the pattern and found the stairs taking them to the next floor.
At one point, a large plant-like monster appeared before them; its torso with little more than a giant mouth and beneath the mouth was a set of purple petals resembling a skirt. The creature, known as an Ochu, was known to several for its abilities to poison its foes, but luckily none of the heroes suffered such an attack, for as it was about to make its move, Teol easily dispatched the monster with his Firaga spell. Moving along, our heroes also encountered four Piscodemon-like sorcerers, only these wore purple and emitted a much more dangerous aura.
"Mindflayers! I've heard of them. They mainly target physical fighters, but they can also paralyze all their enemies at once!"
"Oh, no!" Rarity exclaimed. "We must stop them before they even get the chance to do so!"
"Ah'm on it!" said Applejack.
"So am I," Zauver added. They charged the two monsters and easily did away with them.
The remaining sorcerers began to chant, preparing to use the dreaded Mind Blast ability, but not before Setro and Rainbow Dash stopped and made quick work of them.
"That was a close one," said Fluttershy.
"We'd better move on," said Flora.
In front of the chamber at the end of the hallway, they encountered a horse-like monster called a Nightmare (no relation to Nightmare Moon). It snorted right in Twilight's face, much to the alicorn's disgust.
"Thanks, whoever you are," she said sarcastically.
Fluttershy was not amused. She flew up to the Nightmare and gave it the Stare, paralyzing the creature. "You listen here," she lectured. "It is not nice to sneeze in anypony... er, anybody's face. What would your mother think if she saw you doing something like this?! HMM?!"
The beast cowered in fear, its legs shaking.
"Now you leave this place, and think about what you've done! Understood?"
The creature nodded and ran off, leaving the whole party--except the ponies--stunned.
"Okay, okay," said Zauver. "I know you have a way with animals, Fluttershy. But this... h-how did you...?" the thief was such at a complete loss for words, he couldn't even finish his sentence.
"It's just what happens when animals who misbehave," said Rarity.
"Eeyup," said Applejack. "As soon as a critter don't act right, she stares at 'em straight in the eye and puts 'em in their place."
"Are you alright, Twilight?" asked Flora. "You look a little disoriented."
"I think I'll be okay," she answered. "Except there's one little problem... I can't see a thing!"
"Don't worry about that," said Teol. "We've got just the thing." Out of the sack, he pulled a bottle of eyedrops and used them on Twilight. In a couple of seconds, her vision came back, making her sigh in relief.
The rest moved onward and took several turns, until finally they reached a treasure chest next to an empty throne. They opened the chest and found what they were after.
"Is... that what I think it is?" Rarity squeamishly asked.
"I believe so," Setro confirmed. "We've got the Rat's Tail."
"Now we can get back to Bahamut," said Teol. But before they could leave via the abandoned throne, a Zombie Dragon rose and prepared to do battle with the intruders. Flora immediately cast a Diaga spell against the undead beast with Teol following up with Firaga, easily vanquishing it.
"Well that was a short fight," said Zauver.
"You said it," Rainbow agreed.
"Now let's get out of here."
Everyone agreed and used the throne to teleport back to the entrance. They left the Citadel of Trials and went back onboard the airship, returning to the Cardia Islands.
Returning to Bahamut's chamber, the group presented the Dragon King with their prize.
"You have done well," he said. "Now... as promised, I shall grant your request. Stand still, my guests."
Bahamut raised his claws and surrounded the ten companions in a blinding light. A few minutes later, the ponies and humans opened their eyes and gasped for they had seen they had been transformed!
"My goodness!" said Fluttershy. "Setro! Your armor's different than before!"
Sure enough, Setro's armor was much more elaborate, and the horns on his helmet now pointed straightforward at whoever's direction. Zauver was now wearing a full suit of cloth with armor underneath and not only that but he also a mask covering his face. Flora's robe was even longer than it was previously, and her hood was lowered revealing her beautiful blonde hair. Teol was still wearing his face-concealing hat, but his robe and unraveled his clothes. Just then, he noticed something about the Equestrians.
"Girls?" he asked. "What happened to you all?"
The ponies looked at each other and gasped. Their bodies were all rainbow-colored, with their manes and tails even longer than before.
"These are the same forms we took when we defeated Tirek!" Twilight observed.
"Tirek?"
"The one who destroyed my home and tried to conquer Equestria. But we put him back where he belongs."
"I see," said Bahamut. "It would appear you are familiar with these new forms you have taken, so there is no need to explain."
"I guess so," said Pinkie Pie.
The Dragon King then addressed the humans. "Setro the warrior, loyal and courageous, you are now a knight. Zauver, you who were once a mere thief... You are now a ninja, master of stealth and speed. Flora, healer and caregiver, you are no longer a white mage, but a white wizard. And you, Teol, have been promoted from black mage to black wizard, a wielder of even more powerful magic."
"We thank you, Your Majesty," said Setro.
"There is more you should know. Not only have your appearances changed, but also your skills! Now you are able to learn advanced magic spells, and equip certain sets of armor and weapons you were unable to use before."
"All right!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"We thank you again, Lord Bahamut," said Setro who bowed along with the others and turned to leave.
"Good luck, Warriors of Light! And you as well, ponies."
Back on the airship, everyone was chattering about everything that happened so far.
"You know what I can't believe is that there are very friendly dragons... here..." Twilight trailed off. She gasped, then realizing something she hadn't thought before. "I forgot about Spike!"
"Who's Spike?" asked Teol.
"He's a dragon, who's also my assistant... and friend."
"You... have a dragon?"
"Like I said, he's a friend, but he's actually a baby dragon. One that can talk, too. I wonder how he's doing now."
"He'll be alright, Twilight," Rainbow Dash assured her. "He's got your brother and the princesses for company after all."
"Yeah, but... I've known him even since he hatched."
Teol knelt and comforted the purple alicorn. "Whatever happens, we'll make sure you get home safe after our journey ends. That way, you can see them again."
Twilight looked up and smiled, hugging the black wizard. "Thank you, Teol." The others soon followed and came into a group hug, as the airship lifted off.
Spike paced back and forth, wondering if he'll ever see his pony friends again. He and Twilight have been together since he emerged from his egg, courtesy of Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom.
"Twilight," he said. "Wherever you are, I hope you're alright."
"I'm sure she is, Spike," said Princess Cadence.
"Yeah... You're right. I know they'll come back. They have to!"
The Equestrians and the Light Warriors have landed near a marsh (much to Rarity's chagrin) and made use of their canoe to reach a small town in the woods on the edge of the sea. According to the world map, this village was called Onrac.
Onrac
Our heroes could not help but marvel at the beauty of the village; the trees and the river flowing gave off a peaceful vibe. Near two of the buildings stood wells. In the southwestern part of town, there stood the local inn with a water fountain in front.
"Look at my legs! Aren't they wonderful?" said a villager excitedly, making the group question her sanity.
Whatever you say, lady. Zauver thought to himself.
"I love having legs! Look! Look!" she shouted, moving her legs up in the air. "Did you see the move I just did?"
"Why, yes," Setro said nervously. "We did. If you'll pardon us." They quickly walked past the woman and went south and found something unusual; they spotted a dragon casually walking by as if he were a natural citizen.
"I see you've conquered the Citadel of Trials and have been honored by the Dragon King," he said. "Take the road on your left, and you will find the means to take you to the next crystal."
Twilight walked up to the woman in front of the barrel. "Excuse us," she said.
"Yes?" she asked. The woman couldn't help but feel shocked that a small purple equine could speak to her. "May I help you all?"
Setro spoke up. "We were told by a citizen that we could gain access to the resting place of the Water Crystal from here."
The woman gasped. "You wish to venture to the Sunken Shrine? Then you must be...!"
"Yes," the knight replied as he and his fellow humans showed her the crystals.
"So it's true. The Warriors of Light have come!" she said excitedly, jumping in joy. Pinkie Pie enjoyed seeing this so much, that she decided to jump as well.
"Ooh, she's so happy!"
"We can see that," said Zauver.
Twilight stepped in and spoke. "Excuse me."
The woman stopped. "My apologies; I just can't help but feel elated." She took notice of the horn on Twilight's head. "Oh my goodness! You're a unicorn!"
"Actually, I'm an alicorn," she said showing off her wings.
"Then... are you here to help them?"
"That's what we've been doing since we came to this world."
The woman looked upon the heroes and stroked her chin. "Hmm... Can any of you use magic?"
Teol and Flora stepped forward, as did Twilight and Rarity.
"Do any of you know a spell that could transform someone into merpeople?"
The team looked confused. "'Merpeople?'" asked Rarity.
"Creatures with the ability to breathe underwater and on land."
"You mean like a seapony?" asked Twilight.
Zauver raised an eyebrow. "'Seapony?' Now I've heard everything."
Ignoring the ninja's comment, Twilight pondered this new information.
"No," she said sadly.
"What?!" Rainbow yelled. "C'mon, Twilight! Remember the time you turned us all into Breezies?"
"Or the time ya cast a spell that made us walk on clouds?" Applejack added.
"Or when you completed the spell Starswirl the Bearded couldn't finish and became in an alicorn in the process," said Rarity.
"I know, guys. I know!" she said. "I think this one may be too advanced for me."
"It's worth a try, Twi," said Applejack.
"But..."
The woman stepped in. "Actually, there is another option."
They all turned towards her. "And that would be...?" said Teol.
"Have you ever heard of Oxyale?" The woman's question made everyone look at each other in confusion. They turned back to her and shook their heads. "No? It's what lets non-merpeople to breathe underwater in the first place."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash were annoyed. "Why didn't ya say that in the first place?" they said together.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it."
"Where can we find this Oxyale, miss?" asked Setro.
"In the small village of Gaia surrounded by mountains."
"'Gaia,'" the knight said as he pulled out the map. Flora walked over to the knight and helped pinpoint the town's location.
"Is it here? On this bird-shaped continent?" she asked pointing to the land on the northeastern portion of the map.
"Yes, that is correct. In Gaia, you will find a fairy near the spring on the edge of town."
"A fairy?" asked Fluttershy. "What's a fairy?"
"It's a small winged creature that can use magic."
The yellow pegasus gasped in delight. "Oh my goodness! I've got to go see it."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Zauver. The ponies nodded and were just about to leave the dock when they say Setro standing still with his finger on his chin. "What is it?"
The group's leader looked towards the others and said, "How about we split into two groups this time?"
"How come?" asked Twilight.
"I have a feeling there's some unfinished business here; something else that may help us on our quest."
"You mean other than the fairy that can help us get to the Crystal of Water?"
"No, I didn't mean that... It's... just a feeling," he said almost uncertain.
"We'll see you later, I guess," Twilight said to the woman as they left. But just then...
"Excuse me?" said a male voice. They turned to see a man as they were about to pass by.
"Can we help you?" asked Setro.
"I couldn't help but overhear, but please listen to me." The others nodded. "My name's Koppe. I saw a shining object fall from the sky."
This caught their attention.
"A 'shining object,' you say?" asked Rarity.
"Mm-hmm. I think it came down somewhere near the waterfall to the north. No one believes me, but I think it was some kind of mechanical creature!"
"A mechanical creature?!" asked Twilight.
"I think so."
Could it be a robot? In this day and age?! she thought. That's just not possible... or is it?
"Thank you for this information," said Rarity.
They nodded and left the area at last. While trotting with the others, Twilight thought over what the group should do. Should we really separate into two groups, she thought, or do we do this together? Hmm...
The party decided to spend the night at the inn, and before they went inside, they met with a man who told them of the Sky People who spoke an ancient language that was recorded on several stone tablets, one of which was said to be hidden somewhere and if found, would be brought to one who knew said language. One such person was brought up, much to Applejack and Rainbow Dash's dismay.
"Dr. Unne?" said the orange earth pony.
"That egghead?" Rainbow Dash.
"A.J.! Rainbow!" Twilight scolded. "Whatever we learn from this 'Rosetta Stone' may be helpful."
"Alright, Twi," said Applejack. "Ah gotcha."
"Thank you for your time, my friend," said Setro.
"You are most welcome," the man said. As soon as they walked through those doors, it dawned on him. "Wait, did those horses just...?"
Our heroes checked in and spent the night, contemplating their next move. The next morning, the ponies and Light Warriors left the hotel and made their decision: Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were to fly over to Gaia and acquire the Oxyale, while the others stayed behind to gather more information and find the "shining object" Koppe spoke of.
"Alright, see you guys later," said Rainbow.
"Be safe," said Fluttershy.
"You be careful too, girls!" said Teol.
"We will." And with that, the two pegasi lifted off the ground and flew to the east.
"Good luck, friends," said Setro.
*music fades out*
As soon as Rainbow and Fluttershy were out of sight, it was only Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack along with the Light Warriors.
"Let's go," said Twilight. The others nodded and spoke with several villagers; they learned that Oncrac was once a thriving city until 200 years ago when the Fiend of Water struck down their Shrine, sinking it to the bottom of the water. They also learned of a merchant named Underhill, who carried an expensive item at his caravan in the desert west of the village.
"Oh, joy," said Zauver. "Now we have to decide where to go first: the waterfall or the desert."
"The waterfall, definitely," said Twilight.
*music stops*
The others immediately agreed and left the village. They went back to the airship, grabbed the canoe and used it to paddle north to the waterfall cave.
As they traversed the misty cavern, our heroes went through several twists and turns, fought with deadly pyrolisks and cockatrices, and ran into several bats along the way.
"EEK!" Rarity shrieked. Is there any other way?"
"I don't think so," said Twilight. "We need to keep pushing onward."
"Very well," the unicorn sighed.
They found a door which they deduced would lead them to the "object" Koppe had seen, but just as they opened the doors, they were ambushed by several mummies!
"Stand your ground!" Setro commanded.
Before the undread creatues could strike, Teol cast Firaga on their leader (a King Mummy) while the others attacked the rest. Setro slashed through two of them with ease; Flora cast Diaga which sent one back whence it came, and Twilight flared up her horn and blasted the rest. One mummy, however, survived the assault and went straight for Pinkie Pie, but what the creature didn't expect to find was the pink earth pony's signature party cannon, sending it to the ground. It stood back up, growling at Pinkie, terrifying her. As it lunged towards Pinkie, Zauver intercepted it and slashed his adversary.
With the mummies gone, the group stepped into the room and found several treasure chests along with something they had never seen before: a life-size mechanical being which walked slowly towards them.
"Is this the 'shining object?'" asked Flora.
"Look at the size of this thing!" said Zauver in amazement.
The ponies, Twilight in particular, couldn't help but stare in astonishment. Never before had they encountered something like this, not even in Equestria.
"You humans must be... the WARRIORS of LIGHT," it spoke in a metallic voice.
Setro regained his composure and replied, "Yes. That is correct."
The automaton held out his hand saying, "I have BEEN waiting... take this WaRP CUBE... TIAmat... Flying Fortress... please..."
"Of course."
With the Warp Cube in hand, our heroes could now gain access to the Flying Fortress. But before they could leave, the robot started short-circuiting and came to a halt, shocking the ponies.
"What happened to him?" asked Pinkie Pie, tearing up.
Setro hesitated and spoke gently. "It must've been dying... It gave us one--and only one--gift to aid us in our quest."
Our heroes paid their respects to the automaton and left the way they came. As they left the cave, the party couldn't help but wonder what happened to the two pegasi.
Meanwhile in Gaia...
Fluttershy and Rainbow landed near the item shop just next to the entrance. They panted heavily, not expecting a long flight all the way from Onrac.
"That was..." Rainbow Dash panted, "further than I thought. You okay, Flutters?"
Fluttershy looked up, panting. "Y-Yes... I'm alright... Just... give me a moment... to catch my breath..."
After several minutes, the girls caught their breath and observed the village. It was yet another lovely town with several trees, giving it a peaceful vibe.
"What a beautiful village," said Fluttershy.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Flutters," said Rainbow, "but we're just here to find this fairy."
"I know."
They trotted over and attempted to speak with some of the villagers only to scare the poor people away.
"What was that all about?" said Rainbow.
"I don't know," Fluttershy replied. The yellow pegasus tried to approach another villager, only to get the same reaction as before. "Wait, please! We won't hurt you, honest!"
"S-Stay away! Stay away from me!"
Rainbow raised her eyebrow. "Okay... What's goin' on here?"
"Get back, demons! Just give us back our fairy and begone!"
"What?!"
"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.
"Don't mess with me, monsters!" the man accused, angrily pointing his finger at the girls.
"We just got here, buddy!" Rainbow retorted.
"Prove it!"
"Look at our wings!" The man did so, and from what he could see, the pegasi's wings were drooping to the ground. His face softened immediately as he stepped back.
"I... I'm sorry," he said, bowing apologetically. "Please forgive my stupidity!"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at each other. Sure, this man came across as rude, but if he said was true, then the fairy they were looking for was gone.
"Well, I suppose so," said Rainbow.
"Thank you," he answered. He then cleared his throat and welcomed them informally to Gaia, or as he and his fellow villagers called it, the "Eye of the Hawk."
"'Eye of the Hawk?'" Fluttershy questioned. She then remembered. "Oh, that's right! This continent's shaped like a big bird, isn't it?"
"That's right. South of here you'll find a village we call the Wing of the Hawk. Thing is, we can't understand a world the people say there."
The girls' eyes lightened up at that statement. "What do you mean by that?"
"The villagers there are speaking some sort of ancient language or something I don't know. Anyway, the village is called Lefein or Lufenia or something..."
"'Lufenia?!'" the girls said in unison. That was the last name they expected to hear.
"Um..." said Fluttershy. "Before we go, may we look at the spring?"
"You can," said the villager. "Just go on the path to the church and turn right at the entrance and go through those trees over there.
The ponies went as directed and found a gushing spring where normally the inhabitants of the town would meet with a fairy, but as of that moment, it wasn't there.
"What do we do now, Rainbow Dash?"
"I don't know," the blue pegasus replied, "but we gotta get back to the others." She tried flying off the ground but realized too late that her wings were still tired out from flying all the way from the west. "On second thought, let's just wait here and rest our wings."
"Hmm... I guess," Fluttershy agreed.
Outside of Onrac
Within the small desert, they found an oasis and right next to it, the caravan they sought. And in the caravan was Underhill dressed in a white cloth and a headdress.
"Welcome, travelers!" said the merchant. "What can I do for ya?"
"We've heard that you are selling a very expensive item, good sir," said Setro. "What is it, precisely?"
"Ah, you wish to see it?" Underhill went underneath the cabinet, grabbed a big bottle, and placed on the counter. What shocked our heroes was not the size of this bottle, but the contents: a fairy! "That'll be 50,000 gil."
Rarity gasped. "How dare you, good sir?! In fact, I don't even think we should address you as such!"
The merchant was taken aback. "A talking horse!"
"We're PONIES!"
"More of them! Do you want to trade?"
Teol slammed the counter. "No! Our friends are not for sale!"
Applejack stomped forward and slammed the counter as well. "Just give us that bottle, or ah'll knock y'all into next week!"
"Hmph!" the greedy man scoffed as he jumped over the counter and began shoving our heroes out of the caravan. "I'm afraid not! No deal, NO FAIRY!!"
He closed the door, much to the group's ire.
"How dare he do such a thing?!" said Flora. "Trying to sell a poor innocent creature just for profit."
"Now we'll never get to the Water Crystal," Twilight lamented.
"About that bottle," said Zauver.
"Not now, Zauver," said an irritated Applejack.
"You don't mean... this?" he said, pulling the bottled fairy.
"W-When did you...?"
While you were arguing with that idiot, I switched with another bottle: an empty one!" he laughed.
Applejack raised her eyebrow. "Ain't that stealin'?"
"I believe Zauver said something like this: he only steals from those who would do others harm. And because he tried to sell this poor thing to make quick money, he had done her harm. Isn't that, right, darling?"
"I think so," said the ninja.
"Besides, Applejack," said Twilight, "you've dealt with ponies like him before, right?"
The hat-wearing pony thought back to the Flim-Flam brothers and figured the others were right; they would pull something like this. "Well, ya got me there, Twi." She turned and faced Setro "To Gaia?"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were resting near the spring when they heard the sound of propellers. They looked up and saw a familiar airship land at a short distance. They looked at each other and nodded, knowing their friends had come. The girls stood up and trotted over to the entrance only to be a tackled by a pink ball of energy.
"Dashie! Fluttershy!" said Pinkie Pie, hugging her friends tightly.
"Happy to see you, too, Pinkie," said Rainbow with a strained voice as she struggled to free herself and her fellow pegasus from the party mare's embrace.
"Pinkie... Pie," said Fluttershy. "We need.. to b-breathe!"
"Oh," she said, finally releasing her friends and laughing nervously. "Sorry about that. It's just that I'm SOOOOOOO happy to see you again!"
The rest of the party chuckled as they came forward.
"What are you guys doing here? Did something happen?" asked Rainbow. After exchanging information, Zauver pulled out the bottled fairy. "We found this in a merchant's caravan outside of Onrac.
Fluttershy gasped. "Oh the poor thing! Did he hurt you?" The fairy shook her head but smiled at the yellow pegasus.
The party went back to the spring and released the fairy.
"Thank you, humans and ponies," she said. "Please accept this as your reward." The little winged creature placed the liquid from the spring in the bottle and gave it to Setro.
"Ah!" Rainbow Dash responded. "So this was really..."
"That is correct. This is Oxyale, which will allow you to breathe underwater. I understand that you are the Warriors of Light, yes?"
"That's right," said Setro. "And these ponies are our friends and allies."
"Thank you so much!" said Twilight.
"No," said the fairy. "Thank you for saving me! This was the least I could do for you."
As soon as our heroes gathered what they could from the shops, it was time to the restore the Crystal of Water. With the Oxyale, they gained the ability to breathe underwater, making their trek through the shrine much easier.
"There's just one problem," said Rainbow Dash. "That thing's too small for all ten of us! We'll never fit in!"
"Oh, you will," said the woman as her appearnce began to change. The group was shocked to see that her true form was that of a cross between human and fish. She was, in actuality, a mermaid. "I have faith in you all, and I know that you will succeed where we had failed centuries ago..." she said, as her spirit faded away.
Flora and Fluttershy gasped, their eyes tearing. The party paid their respects and went inside. What surprised them was within the small barrel was an even larger command room.
"What the...?!" said Twilight.
Rainbow, too, was befuddled. "Okay. This is weird."
Pinkie gasped. "Oh my gosh! This place is much bigger on the inside! I guess it goes to show you can't judge things by the outside but what's inside that really matters, and what looked like a small insignificant barrel turned out to be a super-duper big vessel that's super-duper big for all of us..."
As Pinkie rambled on, the rest of the team examined the interior in detail. Setro sat and stared at the control panel with a puzzled look on his face, wondering how anyone could operate this device.
"Pinkie, you take the..." Setro paused and looked back at the manual. "periscope."
"Okey-dokey-lokey!" the pink mare said with a salute.
"To the Sunken Shrine!"
The vessel dived and went underwater. Rarity and Fluttershy marveled at the wonders of the sea, admiring the tranquility and the sea life. One little fish caught the yellow pegasus' attention by waving with its fin. Fluttershy giggled and waved back.
The ponies and the Light Warriors looked around and marched through the shrine, looking for the altar in order to face the Water Fiend.
On the fifth floor, our heroes split up and went into different rooms, with Pinkie Pie taking several gil from the treasure chests and an diamond armlet. Setro and Zauver went into two separate chambers and obtained a total of 9150 gil. Rarity found herself an antidote in one of the southeastern chambers while Teol found a diamond shield.
Twilight found three treasure chests in the northeastern-most chamber of the floor and found more pieces of diamond armor along with a strange stone tablet.
Getting back together, they all went over what they discovered and gave Setro the diamond armor.
"Interesting," said the knight. "What could this slab mean?"
"I think I may know what it is," Twilight answered. "But after we finish our business here, we may need to find someone who can translate."
The others agreed, going back down where they went back downstairs and fought with several cockatrices. The ponies gasped.
"Oh, no!" said Twilight, closing her eyes. "I've already turned to stone once. I'm not doing it again!"
With the chicken-serpent hybrid defeated, our heroes moved on down to the first floor of the shrine. There they found the altar with the weakened crystal and a blue orb floating in front of it. As they approached the orb, a giant squid-like figure with ten tentacles draped in a purple cape appeared laughing haughtily at the heroes.
"Ho ho ho ho ho... To think, my adversaries would be such puny creatures."
"And you are...?" said Setro.
"I am the Kraken, Fiend of Water."
Rarity felt as though she was about to faint at the sight of this being, but she stood her ground ready to fight and restore the crystal.
The humans unsheathed their weapons and the ponies went into their battle stances.
"Take this!" said the Kraken, spewing ink on the entire party, blinding seven of them--Setro, Flora, Twilight, Applejack, Teol, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.
Fluttershy looked on as the sea creature sadistically toyed with her friends. "You... you big... BULLY!" She charged at the Kraken and successfully struck it in the head with her hind leg.
Zauver and Pinkie Pie quickly ran over to the group and gave them several eye drops.
"Thanks, y'all!" said Applejack. The orange earth pony turned and glared the monster that enjoyed their pain and bucked the Fiend of Water, sending it crashing into a column. The evil cephalopod rose and quivered with fury.
"How dare you!" he growled. "No one strikes down the Kraken that easily!"
"Well, ah just did," the farmpony retorted.
"I should have done this earlier," said Flora. "Invisara!" With that spell, the group's evasion rate increased moderately, making it harder for the Kraken to land a single blow.
"Firaga!" Teol chanted. The Fiend of Water screamed as it was burning, evaporating completely. Our heroes stood triumphantly once more.
*music stops*
Flora stood in front of the crystal on the altar holding out her crystal shard. "May the Light of this Crystal shine," said the white wizard. As before the party felt the warmth of the light and embraced it wholly. They used the portal behind the Crystal and immediately found themselves outside the town of Onrac. Tired from the battle, our heroes rested at the inn once more.
At daybreak, our heroes left Onrac and hopped onboard the airship.
"What should we do now?"
Zauver spoke up. "I think we should go back to the places we've already been to, learn so that Setro and I could learn some magic."
Setro thought about it. True, they already had magic users in their group, but they still needed more skills to complete their journey.
"Not to mention that stone tablet you found in the Sunken Shrine, Twilight," said Teol.
"Do you remember what that man in Onrac said about lost languages?" she asked. The others nodded. "It might be the Rosetta Stone he was talking about."
"Very well then," said Setro. "After Zauver and I learn some spells, we return to Melmond."
"Ah hear ya," Applejack said dejectedly.
And so, it was settled. The party took off and went towards several towns with Setro and Zauver learning several magic spells, selling unneeded equipment, and purchasing more items. After they were done with Elfheim, our heroes went back to the village where they needed a certain someone's help.
Setting foot and hoof into Melmond again, our heroes found Dr. Unne at his usual spot.
"Ah, the Light Warriors and my little pony friends," said the scholar. "What brings you back here?"
"We've brought you something that may be useful for our quest," said Setro, holding the Rosetta Stone.
"Where did you find this...?" he asked.
"It was in the shrine the Kraken attacked 200 years ago."
Dr. Unne observed the artifact closely and came to a conclusion. "Without a doubt, this is Lufenian!" He proclaimed. The scholar then proceeded to teach our heroes how to understand and speak the language. In just 8 minutes, the group became completely fluent in Lufenian.
"Thank you, doctor!" said Twilight.
"Thank you very much," said Fluttershy.
"Wow! That was pretty quick," Pinkie Pie added. "From what I heard, learning a new language takes a while, like a say several months, to learn."
"We know, Pinkie," said Twilight.
"Let's be off to Lufenia!" Setro commanded.
"Thank Celestia," Applejack said under her breath.
The party left the village, got back onboard their vessel and headed east. Below they discovered a tiny village enclosed in a deep forest; they were forced to land on a small patch of grass in the north of town, far away from their destination. The group was very annoyed.
"Seriously?" asked Zauver. "I can't believe this was the only place we had to land."
Twilight sighed, "I guess we'll have to hoof it... or eh... You know what I mean." She chuckled nervously. The group disembarked and traversed through the land, fighting off several winter wolves, trolls, and a large reptilian creature. Once they dispatched their foes, and scared the wolves away, our heroes grew even stronger. After trekking through the forest, our heroes finally reached the village they sought.
Lufenia
The village was just as beautiful as the others. Rarity couldn't keep her eyes off the architecture and looked all around.
"So this is Lufenia," Twilight observed. "Oh, there's someone there."
"Excuse me," Setro spoke in Lufenian. "We are the Warriors of Light, and these are our friends from another world."
"You can speak our language," the man said in astonishment.
"Yes, thanks to someone from the outside world."
"So you're the Lufenians," said Twilight.
The man gasped. "An equine that speaks Lufenian as well?"
"Please don't be frightened," said Fluttershy. "We won't hurt you."
"Oh, I'm not frightened. I'm just... shocked." He quickly got his shock and continued. "Anyway, yes. We are the Lufenians, descendants of the race that once lived far above the land--the Sky People, they were called. You use a vessel that you call an airship..."
"That's right," said Zauver. "That's how we got here in the first place."
"I see. Anyway, your airship was built by one of our ancestors... a man by the name of Cid."
Cid, huh? Twilight thought. That's a strange name.
"Thank you for your story, sir," said Setro.
"You are most welcome, warriors. If you wish to know more, ask around."
"We will."
Going around the city, our heroes learned several things about Lufenian culture and how Tiamat changed everything. They even learned that in order gain access to the Flying Fortress, they must travel to the Mirage Tower situated in the desert that lay in the center of the continent. The group also learned that the Lufenians suspected someone else masterminding the appearance of the Four Fiends, and that five Lufenian warriors were turned into bats. Finally, they spoke with one citizen who gave them the item necessary to gain entrance to the Mirage Tower, a bell-like chime.
Before they left the town, our heroes discovered a small house that housed both black and white magic spells. Inside, Teol and Flora learned the powerful spells: Flare and Full-Life. Their errands finished, the party exited the town and went all the way back to the airship and traveled to the Great Desert on the center of the continent and found what they were looking for. They landed on a grassy area just outside the desert and trekked through.
"There it is!" said Zauver. "The Mirage Tower!"
As they approached the gates, Setro brought out the chime and rang it, opening the gate and allowing them access to the tower and the Floating Fortress.
Once inside the tower, the Light Warriors and the Equestrians looked upon the walls and floors, finding several bricks lying about. All of a sudden, the group was waylaid by three vampires similar to the one they defeated in Terra Cavern.
"What in tarnation?!" said Applejack.
"More vampires?" Rainbow Dash added. She and the others went into battle formation. Flora's Diaga and Teol's Firaga quickly eliminated two of the undead creatures, while Zauver dispatched the last of them with ease.
"VICTORY!!" Pinkie Pie shouted loudly, making everyone cover their ears.
*music fades out*
On the second level, our heroes found more treasure like always including a hammer that could cast Thundara when used. On the third and final floor, they found more robots, similar to the one found in the waterfall cave. They pleaded with the ponies and humans to revive the Wind Crystal. They assured the machines that they would and proceeded to the central room; in the middle was a strange platform. But before they could activate the platform, a giant blue dragon appeared; however Setro and Zauver immediately disposed of the beast.
"Well, that didn't last long!" said a disappointed Rainbow Dash.
"I feel kind of sorry for it, though," Fluttershy lamented.
"Me, too," Teol agreed.
"Kind of?" asked Zauver.
"Well, yes. But let's... move on."
*music stops*
Using the cube given to them, our heroes found themselves transported to a place where none of them had ever thought of ending up.
Flying Fortress
Our heroes found themselves in an unfamiliar room with nothing like that had seen before.
"Hey, Twilight!" said Pinkie Pie excitedly. "Look at these things!!"
"This doesn't look like any castle or fortress we've been to before," Setro observed.
Our heroes went outside, looked down and saw stars along with something they never expected to see... the whole planet beneath them! It then dawned on Twilight as she slowly lifted her head, her eyes wide as saucers.
"This isn't a castle or a fortress..." she deduced. "It's a space station...!"
"A what?!" said a bewildered Zauver.
Don't ask how they can breathe in space.
Just then, an evil female voice made its presence known by cackling in utter glee. Surprised, the group looked around in confusion.
"That laugh..." said Twilight.
"It's been a long time, Twilight Sparkle," said the voice.
"The Changeling Queen!" the ponies said in unison.
"Correct. It is I, Queen Chrysalis in case you wanted to know my name. And those humans with you must be the Light Warriors I've heard so much about."
"Show yourself, demon!" Setro commanded.
"'Demon?' What makes you think of me as such a thing?" she said mockingly. "If you want to see me so badly, come to the fourth floor of this fortress."
"You bet we will!" said a determined Rainbow Dash. The others agreed.
*music stops*
They turned to Pinkie Pie holding her breath, looking blue in the face.
"Pinkie?" said Applejack. "Ah think you can breathe now."
"You sure?" she said, muffled. Applejack nodded. The pink earth pony finally exhaled, panting as she joined the others.
*music resumes*
They went off to explore the dungeon and found several treasure including more gil and a healing helmet. Suddenly, as they were about to find their way to the next floor, a group of four manticores appeared. Fluttershy, believing them to be as friendly as the one she and her friends encountered on their journey to defeat Nightmare Moon, approached them, despite the others' objections.
"Fluttershy, no!" Flora called out. The others shook their heads and waved their hands/hooves, fearful for their friend's well-being.
"It's alright," she assured them. "They shouldn't hurt me." Unfortunately, the kind pegasus was proven wrong the second one of them pounced at her and roared. She dodged and countered by giving it the stare, only to have the creature roar in her face even louder. She chuckled nervously. "On second thought..." she ran back to her friends and took a fighting stance. Everyone else did likewise, seeing they can't be reasoned with.
"Y'all need to learn some manners!" Applejack shouted, bucking one of the beasts, and knocking it into one of its fellow manticores.
"Take this!" said Pinkie Pie. "Party Cannon!" Said cannon fired a ball on confetti at the monsters who ripped them to shred. Pinkie's eyes shrunk. "Uh-oh!"
Teol stepped in and cast the Firaga spell, scaring them off once and for all.
With the manticores gone, our heroes continued onward to find their way to the next level. Fluttershy looked down on the ground, disheartened. All she wanted was to be friends with the manticores, not fight them or endanger the group. She stopped and sighed heavily; Flora, Teol and Rainbow Dash walked over to the yellow pegasus and embraced her.
"Hey, lookie here!" said Pinkie Pie, pointing to a strange tile. She stepped on it and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"PINKIE PIE!!!" Everypony shouted.
"Where is she?" asked Teol. His question was answered as Pinkie Pie appeared yet again on the same spot.
"Right here, silly!" she said. "You've gotta try this thing out! It'll take you to another room, possibly the next floor in the dungeon where we can find some neat things..."
As the hyperactive pony rambled on, Setro and Twilight had the same look on their faces; they nodded to each other and stopped Pinkie from talking more.
Everyone sighed, brushing off Pinkie's obliviousness. One by one, the group stepped on the tile and sure enough found themselves on another level of the fortress. They split up again to explore the rooms. In one room in the southwest corner, Setro found a strange metal. Could this be...? he thought. The knight exited the chamber and met up with his comrades once more. They found the next warp tile and found themselves on the third floor. There, they went around a particular section and found giant orb that functioned as an observation window, looking upon the world below. Our heroes were shocked to find the four elements flowing to one place in the center of the world: the Chaos Shrine. Setro pulled out the world map to pinpoint its location; his eyes widened in shock.
"Setro?" asked Twilight.
"What's the matter?" Flora also asked.
"Look at the viewing globe and this map," he instructed. "Do you recall anything about this region?" They all did as told, and like Setro, their eyes widened.
"That's the temple where Princess Sarah was being hostage!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"That's right."
Twilight overcame her shock and placed her hoof on her chin. "I guess we shouldn't be too surprised," she said.
"What do you mean?" asked Zauver.
"That place is also called the Temple of Fiends, right?" They all nodded. "So I guess that makes sense why it's called that and the 'Chaos Shrine.'" Something tells me we may have to pay that shrine another visit, she thought.
"Let's move on."
After examining every room on the level, they found yet another warp tile transporting them to the next section. As they reached the fourth floor, our heroes went straight down the corridor passing two pillars, but as they turned left they were greeted by a most unexpected sight: Queen Jayne of Cornelia was standing right in front of them! Or so they thought...
"Your Majesty?!" said Setro. "What brings you here?"
The party rushed to her side only to be met with the "queen" laughing haughtily as a green flame consumed her, revealing her true form. The ponies went into their battle stances immediately upon seeing their enemy, while the others stood in shock. True, they had faced several creatures over the course of their journey along with the changelings, but she was much different. With green eyes, a blue mane, a bigger horn and a larger appearance than the rest of her kind, Queen Chrysalis stood tall.
"Salutations, Warriors of Light," she said mockingly. "I am Queen Chrysalis of the changelings!" She then turned to see the beings responsible for her first defeat. "We meet again, my little ponies. How have you been?"
Twilight and her friends glared at the evil creature. "Busy," the purple alicorn said. "Taking care of the mess you've created!"
"The mess I created?" she chuckled. "Think again, Twilight! It was your brother and foalsitter that sent me here, after all."
"Don't play mind games with us, Chrysalis!" Setro retorted. "The ponies have told us everything about how you deceived them and turned almost everypony against their friend."
The Equestrians turned their heads in shame, unable to forget that painful moment.
"So what?" she answered without a hint of remorse. "Just the fact you forgave them and still call them your friends makes me sick. Friendship is disgusting."
"You're the sick one, Chrysalis!" Rainbow Dash. "I oughta press you into jerk cider!"
"You are more than welcome to, Rainbow Dash. But not here."
"What?! But you said--"
"I only goaded you into seeing me here on the fourth floor," the queen interrupted. "However, if you wish to fight, follow me to the top!" the queen challenged, as she flew away and used the warp tile near her, laughing evilly.
"She's getting away!"
"After her!" said Setro.
Upon reaching the top floor, the group found themselves standing in front of a bridge that would surely lead them to the final crystal. As they took a few steps on the structure, footsteps were heard a distance.
"What's that sound?" asked Flora.
"I don't know, but I don't like it." Teol answered; the footsteps grew even louder. Suddenly, Chrysalis appeared and began to laugh.
"Consider this a gift from Tiamat and myself, heroes." she taunted. Knowing whatever they'd face was coming, our heroes unsheathed their weapons, but nothing could have prepared them for what they saw next: a giant bipedal machine designed to kill.
"INTRUDERS DETECTED," it spoke. "OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE AT ALL COSTS."
"E-Eliminate?"
"We've come this far; there's no turning back now!" Setro proclaimed.
"You're right!" said Flora. "Protera!" The party members were instantly encased in each of his or her own protective shield.
Twilight and the two pegasi took flight while the others stood on the bridge, ready to fight. Little did they realize this machine, known as Warmech, was much more dangerous than any adversary they had encountered. As the battle raged on, Queen Chrysalis observed from the shadows and kept a watchful eye on her adversaries.
The machine fired a dangerous laser beam in Flora's direction; Setro stood in front of his companion and intercepted the beam, falling to one knee.
"Setro!"
The knight panted and gasped for air. "Everyone... we've got to stop this machine..."
"But I cast Protera! How...?"
Her answer came from Chrysalis's magic. The white wizard gasped. "Oh no! She must have dispelled my magic!"
"Right you are, human!" the Changeling Queen said mockingly. "You've got them now, Warmech! ATOMIZE!!"
"AS YOU COMMAND," the bipedal robot responded, its "eyes" glowing bright red.
Flora gasped. "Invisara!" she chanted. But it was too late; a blast came from the robot, engulfing everyone on the bridge. Warmech's attack succeeded, leaving the non-flying heroes at its mercy. The three ponies gasped; Rainbow Dash flew up in the air, while Twilight struck the robot with a magic beam. The white wizard panted, and cast Healaga, bringing everyone else back on their feet and hooves. Zauver quickly struck the machine with his new hammer. Warmech responded by firing a laser beam at the ninja, who jumped over it.
"Hey, metalhead!" cried Rainbow Dash. She swooped down, knocking Warmech down to the ground. Fluttershy took the opportunity to dismantle the machine's legs.
"Get away from that thing!" Teol shouted. But the black wizard's warnings were ignored as the robot threw the yellow pegasus across the bridge like a rag doll. Full of rage, Teol blindly charged at his metallic adversary.
"Teol, no!" Setro warned. It was too late, however. One laser blast later and the black wizard was pushed back toward his allies, only to be caught by Setro.
"Thank you..." said Teol. He gasped. "Fluttershy!" He ran to his yellow friend, and from what he could see, she needed help. "Flora!"
"I've got it!" the white wizard responded. "Curaja!" Soon Fluttershy was back to full health. She decided to stay on the ground this time.
Twilight fired yet another powerful beam at Warmech, this time weakening the machine. Zauver saw his chance to finish the fight, so he struck the final blow with his hammer, dismantling their mechanical enemy for good.
*music fades out*
"We... we did it," Rainbow Dash said weakly.
"Impressive," said Chrysalis. "You may have turned Warmech into no more than mere scrap, but the Fiend of Wind will send all of you to your graves!" She laughed loudly and teleported herself out of the fortress.
"Get back here, you coward!" said Twilight.
"Twilight," Setro panted. "As much as you want to settle things with her, it can wait."
"But..."
"I know how dangerous she is, but we've got one more thing to do here. And then we can pursue her."
Twilight didn't want to admit it, but Setro was correct. There was one final objective to complete. The party went inside the altar and found the Crystal of Wind and front of it, an orb.
"Warriors of Light..." said an ominous voice. "Ponies from the land of Equestia... You deserve some praise for coming this far." The orb glowed and out came a giant multi-headed dragon: Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind. Fluttershy's eyes grew wide as her jaw hit the floor.
"However, in doing so, you have slain my fellow elemental comrades and have been a thorn in our side. Your quest and your lives end right here, right now!"
Our heroes stood their ground once more as they did battle with the evil beast. Being the first to have awakened long ago, Tiamat was the strongest of the Four. She proved this as she was resistant to fire, thunder, and ice magic. Not even the strongest variations of the three spells could harm her.
"Shoot!" cried Applejack. "This gal's tough!"
"Tougher than all the others!" said Twilight.
"Don't give up!" said Setro.
Teol stood by and chanted while the Fiend of Wind laughed. "Fool! None of your magic spells can do me harm."
"Flare!" With one burst of light, Tiamat lost a moderate amount of health.
"What? You have learned the ultimate black magic?! It cannot be!" she screamed.
"It is, monster!" Flora shouted. "Holy!" Like Flare, Holy entrapped the multi-headed dragon in a bright light and greatly weakened her.
"How...?" she questioned, panting. "I am the last Fiend of Chaos! I will not lose to the likes of you!!" All of the Wind Fiend's heads unleashed poison gas, intending to bring their lives to a slow and painful end.
"Flora," said Setro as he winced. "You remove the poison. We'll finish this." He charged and slashed Tiamat three times.
"Poisona!" Flora shouted, curing Setro. Fluttershy gave the white wizard an antidote and Teol did the same with the yellow pegasus.
"Thank you," they said to each other.
Zauver rushed and slashed one of Tiamat's necks, causing her to scream in agony. The Fiend of Wind jumped in the air, ready to strike once more. Before she could do so...
"Break!" Teol shouted, casting a petrification spell on her. She slowly began turning into stone, struggling to resist the spell, screaming and roaring until she finally ceased moving. Her stone body dropped to the floor and shattered on impact, destroying the evil creature once and for all.
*music stops*
"Heavens to Betsy!" Applejack said silently.
Regardless, our heroes had overcome Tiamat, thus defeating all Four Fiends. After celebrating their victory, Teol stepped forward and held out his crystal.
"May the Light of this Crystal shine," said the black wizard. As before, the Crystal of Wind glowed a warm, bright light. The team embraced the light with clarity, knowing that they had succeeded in reviving all four crystals. With their quest nearly completed, our heroes left the fortress. But there was one question on everyone's mind: why did Chrysalis taunt them by disguising herself as Queen Jayne?
Finding themselves back outside the Mirage Tower, our heroes trekked back through the desert and boarded the airship ready to make their next move. They were to revisit Lukahn and the Circle of Sages and consult them.
The town was just as beautiful as ever, but there was no to re-admire the scenery. Our heroes went straight back to the Circle of Sages.
"Warriors of Light!" said Lukahn as they approached. "Our pony friends! You have done well! Thanks to you, the Crystals have been restored!"
"But there are a few more challenges you must undertake," another sage added.
"We know," said Rainbow Dash. "Beat the Changeling Queen and whoever's responsible for sending those Four here, right?"
"Exactly," one of the other sages agreed. "It is that entity responsible for this time loop."
"Time loop?" said Applejack.
"Are you saying this has happened before?" asked Setro. "And it's going to continue until the mastermind is defeated?"
"I'm afraid so, young ones. It all began 2000 years ago. Someone from our present has gone back in time and sent the Four Fiends here."
"Then that means..." Twilight said before pausing.
"Yes," said Lukahn. "You must travel 2000 years into the past and confront the master of the Four Fiends."
Our heroes sat in the circle, all at once attempting to make sense of what they had been told. Go back in time and stop the Four Fiends from entering this time period.
By going back in time and altering the past, Setro thought, we could undo everything that has happened so far. But doing so would mean... He glanced towards the ponies who were thinking the same thing. None of them were willing to admit it, but the fact was that everything our heroes went through together would be erased. Nevertheless, the entity who sent the Four Fiends to disrupt the peace was one enemy that was not to be trifled with; if left alone, it will once again attempt to send the Four and plunge the world into chaos.
"We'll do it," said Setro and Twilight in unison. They looked at each other and chuckled. Soon the others joined in.
Lukahn bowed. "You have our gratitude, young ones."
"No need to thank us, Lukahn," Setro replied. "In several ways, we're all working together to bring peace and light back to this world."
"Aw yeah!" said Rainbow Dash. "Off to the Temple of Fiends!"
"Not yet, Rainbow."
"What?! Why?!"
Setro held out the metal he obtained from the Flying Fortress. "There's someone that needs this."
"And who would that be?" asked Applejack.
Twilight knew the answer right away. "I agree. Let's head back to Mount Duergar."
"Where the dwarves live?" said Rainbow.
"Correct."
Before leaving, Setro spoke up. "Lukahn. You and your fellow sages have aided us greatly in our quest, for without your wisom and knowledge, we would never have learned the true purpose of the Crystals, nor our purpose."
"We are honored, O Warriors of Light."
*music fades out*
And with that, the team left Crescent Lake, hopped aboard the airship once more and set off to create an all-new powerful sword.
"It's been a while since we've been here," said Twilight.
"It sure has," answered Setro.
The group went to the blacksmith and gave him the metal from the Flying Fortress.
"Ah! This is it!" he said excitedly. "This is the Adamantite I've been lookin' for!"
"How long do you suppose it would take to forge the new weapon?" asked Zauver.
"Oh, about twenty minutes or so. Come back when it's ready."
"Thank you," said Setro.
In the twenty minutes that passed, the party sat outside, waiting for the project to be completed; some of them--Teol and Fluttershy--nodded off. Finally, they woke up and went back into the smithy.
"Welcome back, my friends!"
"Is it done?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Indeed, it is!" the blacksmith said excitedly, presenting his masterwork. "Behold! Excalibur!!"
"We thank you, kind blacksmith," said Setro. The good knight grabbed the sword by the hilt and raised it in the air for all to see.
With a new weapon in hand, our heroes felt it was time to return to Cornelia and learn the truth about Queen Jayne.
Cornelia
When they returned to the city, all the inhabitants stood still and gave our heroes a blank stare. Regardless, they pressed onward to the castle and found the guards drawing their weapons on them! The King, the Chancellor and Queen Jayne soon appeared, the former two with the same blank stare as the citizens while the queen smiled wickedly.
"You!" said Setro recognizing the same impostor.
"Guards!" she commanded. "Seize them!" The brainwashed guards did so and pointed their spears at the group. "Place them under arrest!"
"On what charges?" Twilight demanded.
"Kidnapping the queen!"
"You liar!" Flora accused.
"Too bad you can't prove that, not with everyone under my control." Chrysalis looked over to the guards. "Lock them up."
Our heroes were then dragged into the dungeon where they were greeted by familiar friendly faces.
"Light Warriors! Ponies!" said Princess Sarah.
"Princess Sarah! Queen Jayne!"
"What happened here?!" asked Setro.
"About three days after you left, this monster appeared and cast us into the dungeon where we now stand."
"She was the one who planted that impostor chancellor, wasn't she?"
"Yes," Rarity immediately answered. "She was."
"And if we don't stop her here and now, she might escape this world and wreak havoc in Equestria," Twilight added.
Just then, Chrysalis appeared and shed her disguise, frightening Sarah. Unlocking the cell door, she walked over to them and began to sing.
This day has been just perfect. The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small.
*stop music at 0:14*
"Perfect?" Setro interrupted. "How so?"
"Simple. With all of you as my prisoners, I will have you executed at dawn. And no one can stop me this time!"
"That's not going to happen!" he proclaimed, drawing his sword.
Surprised, Chrysalis gritted her teeth. "I thought those imbeciles confiscated your weapons!"
"Heh," Applejack chuckled. "Ya said 'take 'em to the dungeon,' didn't ya? They did. But ah guess you didn't tell 'em to take away everything."
The Changeling Queen snorted and stood in her own battle stance. "Very well, heroes," she growled. "You may have bested the Four Fiends, but it won't be the same with me." She glared at Twilight. "Your big brother and foalsitter can't help you now, Twilight! Let's end this, here and now!"
"You've got that right, Chrysalis!" said Twilight.
Knowing that Chrysalis can dispel her magic at any moment, Flora decided to take a different approach: attack the queen directly.
"Ha!" she mocked. "Don't make me laugh!" Her arrogance was short-lived as the white wizard's staff struck the right side of her face, leaving the evil creature growling.
Zauver rushed and delivered a swift blow with his hammer, right on Chrysalis' jaw. Applejack followed up with a swift kick on the left side of the queen's face. Chrysalis then used her wings to hover and charge at the ponies but was stopped by Teol's Blizzaga spell. Pinkie then grabbed Twilight and like before when they fought the changeling army at Canterlot, used her purple friend as a gatling gun which successfully brought Chrysalis back on solid ground.
Now furious, the Changeling Queen fired a green beam from her horn at the party knocking them into the wall. "Ah, the royal family's love for each other is quite powerful indeed. Powerful enough to defeat the Warriors of Light!"
The humans struggled to stand up. Knowing that Chrysalis fed off the love the royal family had for each other and their subjects, they knew from the start she was their most dangerous opponent yet. But this did not deter them, for if they didn't stop the Changeling Queen, victory would be hers and they would be unable to prevent the time loop.
"It's..." Setro panted. "...not over, yet..."
"That's right..." Rainbow Dash grunted. "We're not done... yet!"
"You're still trying to win?"
"Watch me!" said the blue pegasus charging the queen and striking her in the abdomen. She was caught unexpectedly by Twilight and Fluttershy who tossed her onto the walls.
Rarity used her magic to levitate the wicked Chrysalis on ground once more, followed by Setro slashing her wings with Excalibur. The Changeling Queen was left panting and gasping for air as she glared at her enemies.
*music fades out*
"This... can't be...!" Chrysalis exclaimed. The rainbow-colored ponies began to glow a bright light. "IT CAN'T!!!"
"It is, Chrysalis," said Twilight. "It's time to send you back to our world. Far away from Equestria!"
The evil being narrowed her eyes at the Equestrians, especially the purple alicorn as she and her friends fired a magical wave sending her and her subjects back to the Changeling Kingdom. "Don't think this will be the last time we meet, Twilight Sparkle! You and all your pony friends will bow to me! I will have my revenge!!"
With that, Chrysalis and her band of changelings were gone, and the spell over the king and his people was broken. After Flora cast Healaga on everyone, she and the rest of the group exited the dungeon with the queen and her daughter and found everyone in the castle in a state of confusion.
"Your Highnesses!" said the guard.
"My queen! Sarah!" said the King. "What in the world happened?"
"Queen Chrysalis, the villain we've been chasing happened," said Twilight.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added. "She impersonated Queen Jayne, threw her and the princess into the dungeon and brainwashed all of you to make you do her bidding."
"My god! Where is that vile creature?"
"She has already been defeated, Your Majesty," said Setro. "Our pony friends banished her and the changelings back to their own domain."
The King slowly but surely formed a smile across his face; he and the others knelt before the heroes. "Once again, you have done a great service to the Kingdom of Cornelia. Not only have you rescued my daughter and queen, but you have also saved our people from those wicked beings."
"'Twas the least we could do," said Rarity.
"As modest as always," said the King. "Now with Queen Chrysalis gone for good, what will you do now, my little pony friends?"
"That's obvious," Twilight answered. "We're going with the Light Warriors to save the world."
The royal family was confused. Queen Jayne said, "How come?"
"Because they're our friends. And friends should always help one another."
"I see," said the King. "Very well. By the way..."
"Yes, Your Majesty?" asked Fluttershy.
"Why have your appearances changed?"
"Oh, about that..." said Pinkie Pie. She and the others explained everything that happened. Everyone present was in awe.
"So you've restored all the Crystals, but you intend to return to that temple?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Teol. "Someone from our time went back 2000 years in the past, and sent the Four Fiends here."
"And we intend to stop them," Flora proclaimed.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Zauver. The others agreed.
*music stops*
As our heroes left Cornelia, they took one final look at the city where they met and began their adventure. It was truly a city of dreams as one resident said. But now the time had come for the Warriors of Light to meet their destiny; they and the Equestrians marched towards the one place they never expected to return...
Back inside the very ruins where the journey began, our heroes went inside the central chamber, but not before Zauver unlocked the other rooms and found a Werebuster, a Golden Needle, and a Rune Blade. The Crystals the Light Warriors carried began to resonate, catching the attention of the bats surrounding them. And to the group's surprise, one of the winged beings spoke and in a familiar tongue.
"Ah, that light!" it said.
The ponies took a quick step back in shock. "Did that thing just... speak? And in Lufenian?" asked Rarity.
Fluttershy trotted forward alongside Teol and communicated with the bat. "Was that you who talked just now?" the yellow pegasus asked.
"That is correct, little pony."
"We are the five Sky Warriors sent to prevent the Four Fiends."
"What happened to you?"
"Chaos..."
"Chaos? Don't tell me Discord's behind this?!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy scolded and whispered. "You know that Discord's good now, right?"
"Relax, Flutters," Rainbow whispered back. "It was just a joke." The yellow pegasus rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"'Discord?'" the Lufenian questioned. "No, my friend. We have yet to encounter such a being with that name. 'Chaos' is the name of the entity that corrupted the four elements, creating the Four Fiends who drained the light from the Crystals."
"Why are our Crystals glowing?" asked Setro.
"Hoist them in the air and use it to destroy that Black Crystal in the center of this room. Once you do, you will be able to travel back in time, 2000 years ago. The true enemy awaits."
Chaos... The true enemy... Twilight thought. The party thanked the transformed Sky Warriors and gathered around the Black Crystal.
"Well then," said Setro. "Shall we?"
They raised their crystals which gathered all their strength and surrounded the spherical object, shattering it to pieces and opening the path to the final battle. Our heroes took one last look the world behind them and stepped onto the portal.
Everypony gathered around the Crystal Heart, wandering when the girls would return. Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Spike had a look of worry on their faces. At the moment, the voice from earlier began to speak through the Crystal Heart.
"Ah, it appears that their quest is nearing its conclusion," it said.
"It's you again!" said Spike angrily. "Where are our friends?!"
"As I said before, Spike, their journey is almost over."
"How do you know of this?" asked Celestia.
"Because their final enemy, the source of that world's misery, lies in that world's past."
"The past?!" Cadence said. "They're going back in time?!"
"That is correct, Princess Cadence. They will return here immediately once their business is finished."
"That's great!" Spike said excitedly.
"However, there are some downsides to this."
"What would that be?" asked Luna.
"For one: should they succeed in vanquishing their final foe... I will cease to exist."
*music stops*
The voice's last statement left everyone in shock. Shining Armor spoke up. "But if you fade from existence, how will Twily and her friends come back here?"
"There is only one possibility... One that I know for sure would be most likely to occur."
As soon as they opened their eyes, the Equestrians and the Light Warriors looked all around them, exited the chamber and discovered that the area was no longer in ruins but in perfect condition.; they had successfully arrived two millenia in the past. There were no fallen pillars, and the entire stone structure was in perfect condition.
"Let us be onward," said Setro. They agreed and cautiously followed the knight throughout the shrine and battled dangerous monsters such as white dragons and giant worms. With their physical skills and magical abilities, our heroes quickly defeated the beasts and moved on. They found that some of the paths were blocked by impenetrable stone partitions, so they went downstairs to the first floor basement only to find there was no treasure chest or anything that could help them in the room they went into, so they went back upstairs and went east finding another flight of stairs that took them up the next level. From there, they found another set of stairs right in front of them and moved on.
On the third floor, the party went around the pillars, went inside the central chamber and encountered a Death Eye not quite unlike the Evil Eye they met in the Ice Cavern. Cautiously, the group approached the demon and swiftly defeated it. They found a slab blocking the way to the next area. Recalling their second visit to Terra Cavern, they attempted to use the Earth Rod, but it was futile.
"This is impossible!" said Rainbow Dash. "How are we supposed to get to this Chaos guy now?"
"Looks like we could use this," Zauver answered, pulling out the Lute Princess Sarah gave them.
"It looks like we have to play this melody," said Setro. The ninja responded by playing the melody inscribed on the slab.
"It sounds beautiful," Fluttershy said to herself. As quickly as the tune was finished, the plate disappeared, revealing a ladder that took them back to the second floor and granting them further passage. The party left the room and after finding nothing in any of the other chambers, went downstairs back to the first floor. They went straight ahead to the next level: the first floor basement.
The group went straight through the narrow corridor, feeling as if the walls could close in on them at any time. Going around the chamber from before, they went into another room and found nothing of use, so they decided to descend to the next level. Before they could reach the stairs, a bright flash emanated and revealed itself to be Lich, the Fiend of Earth!
"What the hay?!" said Applejack. "Why's HE here?!"
"Remember, Applejack," said Twilight. "This is the Temple of Chaos, 2000 years in the past!"
Before the party could attack, the Lich cast Flare upon the party.
Flora groaned, casting Healaga. "He's stronger than we last met."
"Don't let that discourage you, Flora," said Setro as he charged and slashed their oppoent three times almost defeating him. Applejack finished the job, bucking the creature with her hind legs. As before, the heroes were able to send the Fiend of Earth back whence it came.
Lich's defeat allowed the group to press onward. The second floor basement was riddled with fire-elemental monsters, but our heroes had no time to waste. They trekked their way to the next flight of stairs on the opposite side of where they came, but before they could do so, they obtained several treasure such as the Katana, a new weapon for Zauver. As they went near the stairs leading down, they ran into Marilith, the Fiend of Fire!
"Oh yeah," said Rainbow. "There's definitely a pattern here."
"Yeah, a boss rush!" said Pinkie Pie.
*music stops*
"A what?" asked an incredulous Twilight.
"A boss rush, you know. Like in that... uh..." Pinkie trailed off apparently realizing her mistake. Again, everyone looked at the pink earth pony like she was crazy.
"Don't ask. Let's just get her!" said Twilight, pointing to the evil woman-snake.
*music resumes*
Flora cast NulBlaze on everyone just in time to reduce the damage done by Marilith's Firaga attack. Zauver used his new weapon and sent Marilith panting. Twilight took the opportunity to blast the beast with a magic beam, evaporating her.
Going downstairs in the third floor basement, our heroes found a room with several stone slabs but couldn't read them.
"Not like it really matters," said Zauver.
"You're right," Setro agreed. "We are only here to defeat Chaos."
The rest agreed as well. They exited the doorway facing the stone tablets and found themselves almost surrounded by several columns; luckily, none of them blocked the way to the next level. That is, except for one familiar Fiend of Water!
After Flora cast Invisira, Fluttershy immediately charged and tackled the evil cephalopd not wanting a repeat of what happened in the Sunken Shrine. Teol cast Thundaga, electrocuting the Fiend of Water. Kraken, however, survived and struck the group with his tentacles. Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and finished the battle by tackling him and sending him into the wall.
The Kraken was defeated once more, allowing the group to proceed to the fourth floor basement. Going to the right of the stairs, our heroes went down a path that led them to a treasure chest containing yet another powerful sword: Masamune. After pondering on who gains the weapon, it was Teol who volunteered.
"Teol?" asked Fluttershy.
"I know, everyone," said Teol. "I may not have been able to help you all physically until now, but I want to prove myself to you."
"You don't need to, my friend," Setro assured. "With or without a sword or an axe, you have been a great help to us in battle. And out of battle as well." He patted the black wizard on the shoulder. Teol smiled and nodded, accepting his comrade's words and moving on with the rest back to where they came. Going straight ahead, they ran straight into the Fiend of Wind once more.
"Once we win this one," said Twilight. "We're one step closer to the end!"
Teol agreed, casting Temper on Applejack, Setro, and Zauver, while casting Saber on himself. He quickly proved himself efficient handling the Masamune, slashing the multi-headed dragon four times. Applejack lept towards her and executed a perfect somersault kick on the jaw of the monster's middle head. Setro and Zauver quickly finsihed the beast off once and for all with their blades. Tiamat screeched and collapsed, never to rise again.
With Tiamat stricken down, the Four Fiends were no more. There was but one final adversary for our heroes to overcome: Chaos.
At the lowest level of the Temple, our heroes went around a series of pillars arranged to look like a pentagram; in the center lay only one chamber. Stopping in front of the door, they looked at one another, knowing this would be the deciding battle to save the world. They opened the doors and walked in, ready to face the mastermind of the Four Fiends. Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy stopped in their tracks gasping at the sight they had beheld: a figure clad in silver armor, a horned helmet, and a purple cape.
"Well, well, well..." he spoke in a familiar voice. "Isn't this amusing?"
The four human warriors recoiled in shock. "You... couldn't be!" said Setro.
The evil knight chuckled. "Yes. It is I, Garland."
He walked forward, causing the heroes to back away slowly and cautiously.
"Ain't you that knight our friends...?" Applejack asked before being interrupted.
"Correct. Two thousand years in the future, these four humans and those three ponies left me on the brink of death. But I was brought back here by the four elements of the world."
"The Four Fiends?!" said Twilight.
"Correct again. I repaid the favor by sending the four great forces back to the future in order to complete the time loop."
"In order for them to send you back here again," said Setro, clenching his fists. "Is that it? Is that why the whole world had to suffer? Because of your arrogance?!"
"Indeed. Though this time, I did not anticipate the arrival of the changelings or these ponies."
Twilight stood bravely and glared at the wicked knight. "Did Chrysalis even know about you? She hid herself in the Flying Fortress working with Tiamat after all."
"True, she did aid the Fiend of Wind and cooperate with my plans to rule Cornelia, but she knew nothing of my importance in the grand scheme of things."
"Just what are you hoping to accomplish, Garland?" asked Zauver.
"Eternal life... That is all."
"What? You're immortal?" Rainbow Dash said.
"Exactly!"
"Puh-lease!" the cyan pegasus said. "If we beat you once, we can do it again!"
Garland laughed. "Can you really defeat me...? Even with greater numbers than before?"
"Yeah!"
"Regardless, you cannot defeat me. And as you deduced, I sent the Four Fiends to your present. And they shall once again send my future self here in the past! Two thousand years will have passed, and I will remember none of this..." He lifted his arms, summoning the power of the four statues in the room.
*music stops*
A bright light engulfed the chamber, making everyone shield their eyes. As the light dimmed, a collective gasp was heard. In Garland's place stood an evil golden beast with giant bat-like wings, skulls for kneecaps, a dragon's head emerging from his stomach, sharp claws, and a tail. Seeing the horns on the head of this creature brought back horrifying memories for the Equestrians, especially Twilight. Memories of the evil centaur Tirek who absorbed the magic of ponies and destroyed her beloved library home.
"But in that past I will be reborn yet again," he spoke in a deeper and more menacing voice. "I am Chaos, the new ruler of this world! Thanks to the four elements, I will live forever and you shall meet your doom!!"
"That's not going to happen, Garland... er, Chaos!" Twilight declared.
"We will defeat you, and break this cycle for good!" said Setro.
The party stood their ground. Setro slashed Chaos three times, causing moderate damage to him. The evil creature responded by swiping at him.
Twilight fired a magic beam, but the demon flew off, dodging the attack.
"NulFrost!" Flora chanted. Soon, Chaos cast Blizzaga, but the white wizard's magical was able to reduce damage done to the group. Teol cast Haste on Zauver increasing the ninja's speed, but the demon was quicker swiping his claws onto Zauver before he could strike.
"Feel my HATRED!!" the beast declared. "BURN!!!" The group braced themselves and found themselves almost burned by several flames. They only sustained mild but serious injuries from Chaos' Blaze attack.
"How DARE you harm our friends!!" Rarity charged and attempted a flying kick on to Chaos' face, but one swipe of his tail sent the white unicorn flying.
Flora cast Healara on everyone, and rushed over to Rarity's side along with Fluttershy. An angry Rainbow Dash saw this and made a mad dash towards Chaos. "Take THIS!" she shouted. She attempted to give him a swift uppercut only to be grabbed and tossed aside.
"You still never learn..." he sneered.
Zauver, now embracing the Saber spell from Teol, rushed and slashed the demon six times sending Chaos down to the ground on one knee, but suddenly...
"Curaja!"
"What?!" the Equestrians yelled. They couldn't believe what they had seen and heard; of all the magic in his arsenal, Chaos having the ability to fully himself was the last to come to mind. Applejack snorted and charged, ready to give him a good bucking, only for her opponent to nearly break her legs!
"Applejack!" Twilight yelled.
"We... can't give... up...!" said the determined farmpony.
"What do we do, Twilight?!" said Pinkie Pie. "What do we do?!"
The purple alicorn thought of one thing and thing only: the Magic of Friendship.
"Together... We've got this together!" said Twilight. The Equestrians' bodies began to glow, as if it were their darkest hour. Reducing Chaos' speed and defenses, our heroes now had their chance to end this madness once and for all. Pinkie cartwheeled in front of the golden demon and somersaulted him on the jaw; she jumped over him and stuck him on the back, sending him to the ground and landed a huge grin on her face. Teol followed slicing off Chaos' wings with Masamune.
"No...!" the evil creature growled. "You cannot defeat me! Not again!"
"We can!" said Twilight, firing another powerful beam, this time striking Chaos down.
"And we WILL!" Setro proclaimed, horizontally slashing the demon with Excalibur. The knight withdrew his sword and stepped back.
*music stops*
Upon defeat, Chaos began to disintegrate while the heroes watched. He screamed the most unholy death cry as he faded away slowly but surely. The Chaos Shrine began to rumble, alerting the group.
"The shrine's starting to collapse. Let's--!" Before Setro could finish, a flash of light consumed the party robbing them of their consciousness...
All Twilight Sparkle could see was a bright flash of light. She shook her head to rub off the pain, but as she did, her hearing began to improve.
"...ily?"
"Huh?" she muttered. "Shining Armor...?"
"Please wake up, Twilight..."
"P-Princess...?"
"Everypony give them some room!" shouted Cadence.
As her vision returned, she saw her friends regaining consciousness as well. The purple alicorn observed their surroundings: they had returned to the resting place of the Crystal Heart. She then turned and saw several smiling faces; faces that she knew very well.
"Princess Celestia!"
"Twilight Sparkle, my prize pupil!" the white alicorn proclaimed as she trotted to her student and gave her a motherly hug.
"Twily!" Shining Armor approached and embraced his little sister. Cadence and Luna got in on the hug, too.
"Twilight!" cried Spike as he gave his friend a warm hug. The purple dragon ran over to the other girls and embraced them as well. "Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Fluttershy!" Everypony returned the hug.
"It's nice to see you again, Spike," said Fluttershy.
Twilight trotted over to her friends and joined in on the hug, and so did everyone else.
"Well done, my little ponies..." a familiar voice spoke.
The Equestrians looked up toward the Crystal Heart and noticed something different about the voice.
"You have successfully broken the time loop and restored harmony to the world. Control of the four elements--Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind--once again belongs to nature."
The girls stood silent.
"I thought you said you'd 'cease to exist,'" said a suspicious Princess Luna.
"What?!" our heroes exclaimed.
"But if that same voice is here now," said Shining Armor, "then that must mean this is one of those 'possibilities' it mentioned!"
"Correct, Shining Armor," the voice confirmed.
"Just..." Rainbow Dash said, straining her thoughts. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Excited as ever, Rainbow Dash. Just as you were when you and the others took my airship off the ground, am I right?"
This caught the girls' attention. "What did you say...?" asked Twilight.
"Your airship?" Rarity added.
"'Airship?'" Cadence voiced. She then thought back to the images the Crystal Heart had displayed before all this began.
"But that's just can't be...!" said Applejack. "Yer the one who built that thing?!"
The voice stood silent for a moment and answered, "Yes... I am Cid of the Lufaine."
"Cid?!" said Twilight. "But what if we changed history, shouldn't you be--"
"As perplexing as this seems, I will tell you."
Everyone looked at each other and thought the same thing. They agreed as the voice of Cid explained everything.
"As you six are well aware by now, Garland was sent back in time two millennia after you had defeated him in combat by the very four elements that brought peace to the world. For those same millennia, Garland's hatred for you and the Warriors of Light had burned, leading to his transformation as Chaos as well as the birth of the Four Fiends, and thus darkness had veiled the world in shadow."
"But what does have to do with you...?"
"Simple. I was one of the people who evacuated our stronghold, the Flying Fortress. Tiamat arrived and occupied our home, corrupting the Crystal of Wind and sending me to my death."
Everyone gasped. "How terrible...!" said Cadence.
"Yes, it was. However, my spirit was able to rest within the nearest crystal: the Water Crystal which brought tranquility to the Shrine. From there, I was able to learn the languages of several other creatures and the abilities to look into other worlds beyond my home."
"And that's how you found Equestria and learned about us," said Twilight.
"Correct. At least, that is how it was at first. But with Chaos defeated and the past altered, my fate remains the same."
"But how could that be?" asked Princess Celestia. "Since Chaos was defeated, these Four Fiends shouldn't exist. So why...?"
"It is because of the new legend: the legend of the four humans and the six ponies who traveled across time and saved the world from the grasp of evil."
Twilight gasped in realization. "Speaking of which: what happened to them? Where are Setro and Zauver and Flora and Teol?"
Cid answered by showing everyone the human warriors regaining consciousness out on the field near the ruined Temple of Fiends. "They have successfully returned to the present and as they did, the world returned to normal. The entirety of Cornelia waits for them. The King, Queen Jayne, Princess Sarah, her sister all wait... As does Garland."
"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash and Rarity shouted.
"That jerk's there, too?! I bet he's just ready to kill them!"
"That is where you are wrong, Rainbow Dash," said Cid.
"Why do you think that monster is there?" Rarity asked, eyes burning with fury. "After all he done, from kidnapping the princess and bringing the world down to its knees? Is there anything he is incapable of?!"
"It's because none of the events you experienced had happened. When did it...?"
Pinkie Pie gasped. "It's 'cause we went back in time and beat the Four Fiends of Chaos and Chaos himself before they got back through that portal, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I?"
Cid chuckled at the pink earth pony's antics. "Yes. You and the Chosen Four had become one and fought against the evil forces that set darkness upon our world. This is not their present, but their past. All signs of the battle with the Four Fiends has been erased."
"You mean...?" Twilight said in horror. "No one knows?"
"No, but the legend will live on, passed down by the dwarves, the elves, and the dragons... Passed on by those who are unsure of the story's origin."
"'Dragons?'" asked Celestia and Luna.
"We saw them, too," Cadence confirmed; she and Shining Armor nodded as they saw the images before.
"But what about our friends?" the purple alicorn cried, her eyes tearing up. After all they had been through, surely they wouldn't have been forgotten, the girls hoped.
"No need to fear, Twilight Sparkle," Cid assured her.
The Crystal Heart continued displaying the Light Warriors marching towards Cornelia. As they arrived at their destination, they stopped and looked upwards to the sky.
The knight Setro spoke, "Twilght, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy... Thank you for your aid. We will never forget your kindness, your generosity, your penchant for laughter, your loyalty, your honesty, and your friendship. You have given us the strength we needed to overcome several hardships and save the lives of millions. You have our gratitude... forever..."
"Again, I'm sorry for my behavior when we first met," Zauver added. "But hey, we did pretty good, didn't we?"
"Please be careful, my little ponies," said Flora with a smile on her face. "Ever since you came into our lives, you've been like another family."
"That's how I feel about you all as well," said Teol.
The girls smiled at their friends words. "The memories stored deep in their hearts will protect their world. They must never forget the good and true, never turn the Four Powers to evil. And truth will always live on in the hearts of people.
"And as for me, I heard of this legend and decided to study the Crystals further. As before, I had gained the knowledge of several other worlds and found myself in the Chamber of Crystals, where I discovered many other worlds like the one you returned from."
"Speaking of the Chamber of Crystals, Cid," said Twilight.
"Yes, my dear?"
The lavender pony stepped forward and asked, "How will we know if you contact us again?"
The entire group was shocked.
"Are you serious, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Celestia said sternly.
"I am indeed serious, Princess, but what I mean is..." she looked over to her friends. "Everypony's been through a lot and we all need to rest for a while."
Cid immediately answered. "Very well. You all deserve it. I will not contact all of you exactly, but only the ones I believe to be most capable of handling whatever tasks there are to undertake."
"Thank you, Cid."
"It is I should thank you, my little pony friends. The warriors who have restored peace and harmony to my world alongside the Chosen Four were you all! Consider yourselves honorary Light Warriors!! May the Light of the Crystals shine forever...!" As Cid finished his speech, the Crystal Heart began to return to normal as the light of the spirit faded.
"We're so sorry to have worried you all," said Fluttershy.
"It's alright, Fluttershy," said Princess Luna, hugging the yellow pegasus. "There is no need for apologies."
"All that matters now is that you have safely returned home and you even saved another world in the process," said Celestia. "You've all done it again."
Twilight chuckled. "Yeah... we sure did." She glanced over at Spike who was still looking worried. "What's wrong, Spike?"
Spike put his claw on his chin, as if he were thinking about something...
"Spike?"
The purple dragon still thought...
*music fades out*
"Spike!" Twilight yelled causing him to scream.
"What is it?"
"You've been in deep thought ever since we talked with Cid. What's on your mind?"
"Well, I've been wondering..."
"Yes...?"
Spike took a deep breath and blurted out, "Can I go to the next world with you? I don't wanna be by myself while you're out somewhere else, Twilight!"
"Oh, Spike," said Twilight. "Of course you can... Just as long as you stick by me and whoever else comes with me, right?"
The others nodded as they left the chamber and headed for the Friendship Express, making a return trip to Ponyville.