> My Final Pony Fantasy III
>  by Vimtrust5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue:  Nightmares and a Prophecy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Under the starry sky in the town of Ponyville, the citizens slept peacefully as soon as they shut their eyes, dreaming of whatever their hearts desired.  However, there were few ponies who didn't get a good night's sleep.  One such equine was Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship...



As Twilight found herself alone in the darkness, she heard several unfamiliar yet evil voices calling out to her and taunting her...

"Twilight Sparkle..."

"Who's there?!  Show yourselves!"

"You will never live a life of peace."

"That's not true!"

"Friendship is as meaningless as life itself."

"TAKE THAT BACK!!"

"You and your friends are nothing!"

"YOU LIE!!"

"It is coming..."

"Equestria will fall to the Void."

"The end is nigh..."



Twilight jolted up from her bed, gasping for air.  Panting heavily, the purple alicorn observed her surroundings, realizing it was only a dream.

Every moon I've had these nightmares... she thought.  Why now?  I've got to tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna...

She went back to sleep but continued tossing and turning until the sun rose.  Twilight wearily groaned, as she got up from the bed and made her way to the library where she found her dragon assistant and friend Spike writing something in a notebook.

"Morning, Spike..." said Twilight, yawning.

"Good morning, Twilight," he said, oblivious to Twilight's lack of sleep.

Rubbing her eyes and trying to stay awake, she looked for a blank piece of paper to write her mentor about her recent nightmares.  She finally found a few and was about to give them to Spike, but when she saw what he writing, her eyes widened.  They were various images and descriptions of all the monsters and villains she and her friends had faced since they first stepped into the Chamber of Crystals.

"Spike, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Just some info about all the creatures we've seen on our quests, no big deal," the dragon replied casually.

"But why?  And who sent that book?"

"Why?  Just 'cause.  As for the second question, I think this book's been here for quite some time.  Just about all the pages were blank, so I thought, 'Why not use this for our,' uh... be... something?"

"A bestiary?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

Twilight flipped the pages from the beginning, and to her surprise, found a drawing of Garland draped in his signature helmet, armor and cape.

"Wh-Wh-What the?!" she shouted.  "Spike, how were you able to draw Garland in such detail?"

"Well, you can thank Rarity and Pinkie Pie for that.  When you came back from the Crystal Empire, they told me everything in exquisite detail.  And when we got back from... you know..."

Twilight knew that Spike was referring to their previous journey but gave him a warm smile and a nod.  "You came up with the idea for this bestiary based on our experiences."

"Uh-huh," said Spike.

"Why didn't you say that before when I asked why you were writing it?" she asked.

"Uh...  Oops," the dragon replied.  "Slipped my mind, I guess..."

Twilight sighed.  "Never mind, Spike.  I want you to write a letter to Princess Celestia and Luna."

"O-Okay," said Spike.  "What about?"

Twilight lowered her head.  "It's about these nightmares I've had..."

"Nightmares?  Shouldn't Princess Luna...?"

"I know, Spike, but I think I need to talk with her personally.  And I want you to write that so she and Princess Celestia will know."

"We're going to Canterlot, then?"

Twilight nodded.

"Okay, then."

Spike wrote the letter as instructed.  After finishing it, he sent the message to the two sisters.  Five minutes later, the dragon coughed up a letter, indicating the princesses' response.  Upon reading the contents, Twilight rolled it back and put it in a saddlebag.

And so, the two friends left the castle to head for the train station.  Before arriving, they stopped at a familiar place:  the ruins of the Golden Oak Library, which they called their home... before Tirek appeared.  Twilight trotted over to the remains of the tree with tears streaming down her cheeks.  Spike, too, frowned at the sight and embraced his dear friend.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash soon arrived at the scene and noticed their friends' expression of sorrow.  The former placed her hoof around Twilight and gave a sad smile, reminiscing all the times they had spent in that library.  Rainbow placed her hoof on Spike's shoulder as he kept looking.

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity observed the display and joined their group hug.

"Thank you... everypony," Twilight smiled.

*music ends*

She smiled at them all and turned to leave.

"Where ya goin', Twi?" asked Applejack as she and the others followed..

"Canterlot," she replied.

"What for?" Pinkie Pie asked.  "Tell us!  Tell us!"

"Well..." she said reluctantly.  The purple alicorn looked over to Spike and sighed, finally deciding to tell her friends about her inability to sleep peacefully thanks to her unpleasant dreams.

"Yikes..."

"That's one way to put it."

"Are we gonna see Princess Luna about this?  She is the Princess of the Night after all, and with her powers she can pretty much see into somepony's dreams if they're really, really, really, really, REALLY terrible and--"

"We get it, Pinkie," said Rainbow Dash.  "All we gotta do is get to Canterlot, solve this little problem and that's that."

"I hope so, but I don't think it'll be easy," Twilight responded.

"Rainbow Dash, you must know it will take some time to move past such things," Rarity stated.

The ponies and Spike then went to the train station and hopped aboard the Friendship Express.




Canterlot


In the city high above Ponyville, everypony welcomed the Mane 6 and Spike as they disembarked the Friendship Express.  The guards cleared the crowd, allowing them to reach the castle.  As they approached the throne room, the door opened instantly revealing Princess Celestia sitting on the throne, with her sister Luna at her side.  To their surprise, Luna looked exhausted, almost as if she had been in a fight.

"Fellow princesses," Twilight spoke formally.  "I've come here to speak with you about these dreams I've had."

"What sort of dreams?" asked Princess Luna.

"More like... nightmares," Twilight replied.  "Nightmares that keep telling me things like, how life is meaningless or the end of Equestria is coming..."

"What?  What do you mean?" Celestia inquired.

"That's just the thing...  I've never heard the voices before, and..."  She stopped.

"Yes...?"

The Princess of Friendship sighed.  "Princess Luna, as I recall you have the ability to see into ponies' dreams, correct?"

*music fades out*

"I think I see what you mean...  And I think I may have an explanation..."  Everypony listened carefully.  "It may be that there is a dark influence that prevents me from interfering and offering you guidance while you sleep."

"How can that be?" asked Rarity.

"I don't know the answers myself, but it is likely that there is a dark and malevolent force at work, as it's actively trying to stop me.  I've tried several times to help, but every time they seem to drain me of my powers."

Everypony gasped.

Just then, Twilight's cutie mark began to glow, as did the rest of her friends' with the exception of Fluttershy.  But this was different than when the Cutie Map called her and her friends to solve a friendship problem.  Their mark flashed as bright as crystals...  This told Twilight they were needed somewhere else...

"Um, excuse me, everypony?" asked Fluttershy.  They all turned to her.  "Since you're all going without me, maybe I'll stay here with the princesses..."

"What about showing up for support?" asked Rarity.

"Oh, come on, Flutters!" Rainbow cried.  "Just because you've been in two other worlds doesn't mean--"

"Actually, I believe she's right," Celestia interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Like Cid of the Lufaine had said, Fluttershy has been through a lot last time.  I believe Twilight and Spike would agree."

"I do," said the purple alicorn.  "And I agree with your decision, Fluttershy."

They all came together for another group hug.

"Please be careful," said the yellow pegasus.

"Will do," said Spike.

As they left, Fluttershy let out a sigh and turned to face the princesses.  "So, um...  Did I tell you about the Chocobo I've adopted?"

The alicorn sisters turned to each other and then to Fluttershy with confused expressions.  "'Chocobo?'" they asked in unison.




The Friendship Express


"Hey, Twi," said Applejack.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Remember when you said that y'all kinda lost your wings and horns when you stepped in the other worlds?"

Twilight gave a weary sigh.  "I know, A.J.  Something tells me that this is going to be a recurring problem every time we get called to the Chamber of Crystals."

Rainbow scoffed.  "Yeah...  What's the point of taking away our most noticeable traits?"

"Maybe it's 'cause that would make our adventures easier and the author wouldn't want it that way?" Pinkie inquired.

Everypony looked at the pink earth pony with confused looks.

"What?  It's possibile."




The Crystal Empire


Our heroes disembarked the train and went straight to the Crystal Palace, where they spoke with the voice of the Crystal Heart once more.  Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were already there.

"What's going on, Cid?" asked Twilight.

"Come," he replied, invited them into the Chamber of Crystals.

Before stepping into the portal, the five ponies and Spike all looked around.  The rulers of the Crystal Empire gave approving nods and smiled.

"Be careful, Twily," said Shining.

"We will," she answered.

"Spike, are you going in, too?"

"Yep," the dragon replied.

"Good luck, everyone," said Cadence.

"Thank you," Twilight responded.  They all turned and stepped into the portal.




The Chamber of Crystals


Once inside, the ponies observed that the Roman numeral II was now flashing yellow.  They went near the crystal labeled under the numeral next to it.  The very first thing they saw was the world starting to shake violently.  This earthquake had formed an entrance to a cave near a small village.

"What just happened?" asked Twilight.

"To understand, you must know of a prophecy as foretold by sages called Gulgans."

"Huh?" said Spike.

"One Gulgan has said this:  'The earthquake was only the beginning.  The great tremors that swallowed the crystals, the light of our world, only to spawn monsters from the depths of the scarred land, are nothing but harbingers of what has yet to come.'"

"Okay," said Rainbow Dash.

"This prophecy tells of something coming... something powerful, ominous, and full of sorrow...  And I fear this being would bring great harm to Equestria if not stopped."

Twilight recalled Emperor Mateus' words from the battle at the Cyclone.  Wanting to make sure that the tyrant's prediction didn't come true, she patiently waited for anything else for Cid to say.

"There is still hope, however..."

"There is?" asked Twilgiht.

"The closing words of the Gulgan's prophecy:  'Four souls shall be blessed with light; six more shall come to aid them, and so it shall begin...'"

"'Four souls?'" asked Rarity.

"'Blessed with light...?'" asked Twilight.

"This sounds... mighty familiar," Applejack added. 

"It's just like our first adventure since we went in this place!" Pinkie Pie observed.

"So...  Basically, we're about to head into another world, team up with four humans to save that world by restoring magical Crystals?  Again?"

"In some ways, you are correct, Rainbow Dash," Cid replied.

"Well, what're we waiting for?  Let's go!" spoke an eager Rainbow Dash.

"Just one moment, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah...?"

"Unlike the ones you've seen before, the Crystals you will come into contact with will grant you the ability to change into several... 'classes,' shall we say?"

"Classes?" asked Twilight.

"What's that mean?" said Spike.

"Do you recall the Warriors of Light you have traveled with?"

"How could we forget?  There's Setro the warrior/knight, Zauver the thief/ninja, Flora the white mage/wizard and Teol the black mage/wizard!" said Pinkie Pie.

Twilight instantly realized, "Are you saying that we can be whatever we choose to be?"

"Correct," said Cid.

The crystal activated and opened the gateway.  The Equestrians dived in, hoping to help solve what kept Twilight from having a restful night.
> Chapter 1:  Luneth and the Crystal of Wind/Village of Ur
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere on a field near a small village surrounded by mountains, a flash of light appeared bringing the two ponies Twilight Sparkle and Applejack into this new world.  

As soon as Twilight opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her friend Applejack, struggling to get back on her hooves.

"Applejack!  Are you alright?"

"Ah...  Ah think so, Twi," the cowgirl replied.  "Where are we?"

"I don't know," said Twilight, "but I think we're definitely a few heads short again!"  

Sure enough, Spike and the other ponies were nowhere to be seen.

Feeling worried, Twilight called out, "Spike, where are you?!"

"Spike!" Applejack called.  "Rainbow!  Pinkie Pie!"

"Rarity!  Where are you?"

"Rainbow Dash!!"  No answer.  As Applejack looked around, she then noticed Twilight's current state.  "Uh, Twilight...?"

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to the cowgirl's voice.  From the look on her friend's face, she could tell right away what the problem was.  "Let me guess:  my wings and my horn are missing... again..."

"Eeyup," said Applejack, calmly.

Twilight's expression turned to one of annoyance.  "Figures..."

They returned to calling out to their friends and after wandering around and looking all over, found the entrance to a cave on their left.  Wondering if Spike one of the other ponies was transported on his own and found himself inside, the ponies went into the cave.




Altar Cave


As they stepped in the cave, Twilight and Applejack resumed calling for their missing friends.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called out.  "Pinkie!"

"Rarity!  Spike!  Where are y'all?"

Seeing as they didn't get a reply from either of their friends, the ponies grew worried and went down the stairs.  Once they reached the second floor, they heard the sound of a young male screaming as if he was falling down a pit.  They rushed over to the source and sure enough, there was a hole in the ground, surrounded by skeletal remains.  Not wanting a poor youth in any further danger, the two ponies jumped down the hole and encountered a young boy of 14 with long silver hair tied behind the back of his head and violet eyes struggling to get back on his feet.  He wore light purple turtleneck covered by a dark violet sweatshirt and a sienna vest, along with brown gloves, long light gray pants, black knee-high boots, and carries a light brown belt bag.

"You alright there, sugarcube?"

"Yeah, I... I think so," said the young lad.  As he turned to look at who the voices belonged to, he flinched and almost fell on his behind.  "W-Wait a minute!  Y-You're talking ponies!!"

Finally, someone actually calls us ponies... both girls thought.

"Yes, that's correct.  But you don't need to worry; we won't hurt you," Twilight reassured the teenager.

"Y-You sure?"

The purple pony nodded.  "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Applejack."

"...Interesting names," said the boy.  "Mine's Luneth."

"What exactly are you doing here, Luneth?"

"I'm here 'cause that big earthquake opened up this cave, and I thought this was my chance... my calling."

"Yer... callin'?" said the cowgirl as she tilted her head.

"A calling for adventure, of course!"

"That's pretty reckless, going in a place like this just because you want adventure!  What if--" Twilight stopped in the middle of her lecture, realizing who this boy reminded her of and why they came in the first place.

"Oh, no!  Our friends!!"

"Your friends?" Luneth inquired.  "So there are more of you?"

Twilight nodded.  "There are three more ponies and our friend, Spike."

"Who's 'Spike?'"

"You haven't seen a purple dragon anywhere in this cave, have you?"

"No...  No, I haven't.  Is it dangerous?"

"No," the girls replied in unison.

"Why not?"

"Because that dragon and the 'Spike' we're looking for are one and the same!  He's one my friends!"

"Friend?!  You're friends with a dragon?"

"Mm-hmm," said Applejack.  "Ah've known the little guy ever since he and Twilight came to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration.  He won't do ya any harm."

The boy took about six minutes registering the information in his head:  two--or rather, five--talking ponies and a dragon?  And a little dragon, at that.  Shaking his head, Luneth sighed.  "All right...  Let's go find your friends and get outta here."

"Right," said the girls.

The ponies helped Luneth back up on his feet; after reassuring them he can still walk, he went on forward, only to be attacked by a group of goblins.

"Uh-oh!" said Applejack.

"Looks like he'll need some help!" said Twilight.

The three did battle with the monsters, Luneth unsheathing his sword as the two ponies went into their battle stances.

Twilight made the first move as she rammed into one goblin's chest with her head.  Luneth then struck another with his sword three times, defeating the monster.  Applejack then attempted to kick one with her hind legs, but the goblin jumped sideways, dodging the assault.

The goblin that Twilight attacked returned the favor by punching her in the muzzle.

"Ow!" the purple pony exclaimed, rubbing her sore spot.  She turned and glared the little creature and charged her head into its chest again in retaliation.  This time, the goblin disappeared, signifying its defeat.  The last goblin chose to attack Luneth, ramming the boy with his shoulder, almost knocking him down.  

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." he answered, leering at the snickering goblin.  Charging at the goblin, Luneth slashed it twice and defeated it, ending the battle in our heroes' favor.

"We won!" Luneth shouted.

"YEE-HAW!!!"

*music fades out*

"Hoo-wee!  Ah ain't fought these things in a long time!"

"Let's celebrate later, A.J.  We have to find our friends and get out."

That sentence brought Applejack back to reality.  "Oh...  Heh heh...  Sorry, Twi.  Just got excited and all..."

"I know.  But we still need to move on.  And if they aren't here... then we'll just leave and explore the outside area."

"Speakin' of that," said the orange earth pony.  "Luneth, what's outside this cave again?"

"That'd be my hometown, Ur..." he replied.  The boy sighed.

"What is it?"

"Uh...  Never mind that, let's move on," he said.

Twilight and Applejack looked at each other, wondering what sort of trouble he'd gotten in.  On the way they found two treasure chests six feet apart from each other.  One contained a potion, and the other had a leather shield.  Moving on, the trio found a strange rock.  Pushing it, they opened a wall that blocked the way to the next floor.  Ascending the stairs, they opened a few treasure chests sitting at the end of two narrow passages.

Then they fought against new monsters:  one was a Carbuncle:  a gemstone-shaped creature with an eye, and a plant-like being known as an Eye Fang.  Though slightly stronger than the goblins they'd met, these monsters were still no match for our heroes.

Panting, the trio kept carrying on until Luneth noticed something on their right.

"What's that...?" he asked.  The ponies looked where he was pointing and trotted toward it.  They found it to be a beautiful spring gushing with fresh water.  The boy joined the two and was relieved, for he was suddenly thirsty and sought to quench his thirst.

When they drank the spring water, their wounds had completely healed.  Feeling refreshed the three resumed their trek through the cave and entered a mysterious chamber.

"Whoa, nelly..." said Applejack.

"What is this place?  It somehow feels... familiar.  No.  Something similar..."

Just up ahead, our heroes could see something glowing in the distance.  Before they could approach it, a form of evil energy appeared, surrounding the group.  It then backed away 3 feet from them, taking the shape of a giant Land Turtle.  The creature swung its foreleg at Luneth and observed the ponies with an evil glare.  Not wanting to be the turtle's next meal, the girls took up their battle stances.  Applejack ran up to it and gave it a good bucking.  Although her strength was lessened, the earth pony's attack succeeded in pushing the reptile near the edge of the platform.  Twilight bit the beast's tail, causing it to howl in pain.

The purple pony held on for her life, not wanting to let go.  Luneth recovered and charged at the Land Turtle, landing 5 blows with his sword.  Although the large reptile was formidable, it still fell to our heroes' attacks and was defeated.

As the three danced in victory, they noticed the object glimmering in the distance and resumed their walk toward it.  As they reached it, they realized they were standing in an altar housing a large green crystal.

"You have been chosen," said a mysterious voice, alerting our heroes to its presence.  They looked all around the chamber, but there was not a single soul to be seen:  neither human, pony, nor dragon.

"Wh-Who's that?!  Who's there?!" Luneth exclaimed.

"Where are you?!" Twilight shouted.

"Warrior from the land of darkness...  Equines from another world...  You have been chosen as the bringers of hope..."

The three looked around again, until their eyes stopped at the Crystal in front of them.

"Is.. Is it this crystal?  Is that what's talking to us?" asked the youth.

"You are correct, Luneth..."

The boy exclaimed.  How did this thing know my name? he thought.

"Darkness is threatening to engulf this world... and yours as well..."

The ponies gasped.

"Oh, no.  Not again...!" said Twilight, holding her hoof in front of her muzzle.

"When light is lost, the equilibrium will be no more."

"Hold on, there!" said Applejack.  "What in the hay are ya talkin' about?"

"There are others who share Luneth's destiny.  Seek them out...  And there are others like you as well, Applejack..."

"Huh?  It... it knows mah name!"

"Forget about that!  When you said there were others like her, do you mean to say there are more ponies?!" Twilight said, her eyes shimmering with hope.

"That is correct.  Once you find them, I will bestow upon you our last light... our last hope.  Now go!"

At that moment, a flash of light consumed the three heroes before they could protest.  Opening their eyes, they found themselves outside the cave and back on the surface.

"What was that?" asked Luneth.

"I dunno, sugarcube," said Applejack.  "But it ain't the first time me and Twilight met a talkin' crystal.  In fact, that's how we got here in the first place."

Luneth looked to the girls and wondered what they meant.

"We'll tell you later," said Twilight who then spotted a village in a short distance from the cave.  "Right now, let's go to that village over there."  Why didn't we just go there before?! she thought, scolding herself.  Wait a minute...  That's the same village we saw saw at the Chamber of Crystals!  What is wrong with me?

"That's my hometown," Luneth answered.  "Come on!"

They then proceeded to the small town of Ur, Luneth's home.




Ur


Once they set hoof in town, the ponies took in the sights as they had seen a most peaceful village.  There were butterflies fluttering about near some flowers.  The villagers saw our heroes and looked cautiously at the two ponies, particularly Twilight.  Feeling nervous, the purple pony tried to ignore their stares and whispers.

"Spike?" said Twilight.  "Rainbow?  Pinkie?  Rarity?"

"Excuse me," said Luneth as he went into a house on the left from near the entrance.

"Wait.  Luneth!" the purple pony said.  "Where are you going?"

They followed him into the building but were quickly denied access due to them not being human.

An exasperated Twilight groaned.

"Consarn it!" yelled Applejack slamming the ground with her hoof.

*music fades out*

Just as they turned to explore the village, they saw the townspeople staring at them in shock.  One woman held her hand over her heart as her eyes widened.

Twilight chuckled while Applejack displayed a nervous grin.  "Um...  Hi?"

"Oh... dear...!" the woman said in fright.  "Th-Th-There's... more t-talking ponies?!"

"'More'?" the mares said in unison.

"Y-Y-Yes...  I-It seems to be protective of one of the children living here..."

Just then, they heard sounds of mocking laughter, whimpering, and an angry snort.  The ponies went ahead to the source of the sounds; Luneth emerged from the house and saw the commotion as well.  He and the two equines saw three bullies harassing a young brown-haired, freckled teenage boy at whose side stood a familiar blue pegasus pony--who would have still been a pegasus had she not lost her wings upon arrival.

As for the poor youth she protected, he wore a yellow shirt covered by a long green coat, a white mantle, and a yellow scarf; he also wore fingerless gloves, black pants, and brown knee-high boots.

"Oh, yeah?  Ghosts don't exist?  Then go there yourselves and prove it!" said one of the bullies.

"Ha!" scoffed another bully.  "You don't have the guts!"

"Oh, yeah!  Why don't you stop harassing this kid and go there yourselves if you're so big and tough!"

"Last time I checked, we don't take orders from stupid horses!" one of the bullies mocked.

"I'm warning you..." Rainbow Dash growled.

"Hey, Arc.  What's going on?" Luneth called.  "And... is that a blue, rainbow-haired pony with you?"

As they heard his voice, the bullies turned around, seeing Luneth along with Twilight and Applejack who narrowed their eyes at the four youths, disapproving of their behavior.  Their bravado gone, the bullies quickly left Arc and Rainbow Dash alone.

"Huh?" said Rainbow, noticing her friends.  "Twilight!  A.J.!"

"Rainbow!" said Twilight.  The three friends trotted towards each other and embraced in a group hug.

"What are you doin' here?" asked Applejack.

"When we went into the portal, I think I may have conked out; the next thing I knew, I woke up here in this place," Rainbow stated.

"So this is one of the pony friends you mentioned," Luneth observed.

"Yep," said Twilight.  "Let me introduce you to..."

"The one...  The only...  Rainbow Dash:  best flyer in all Equestria!  And soon to be the next captain of the Wonderbolts!"  the cyan pony boasted, holding her head up high.

The mares sighed.  No matter where they went, their blue friend still had that same ego.

"'Wonderbolts?'" Luneth questioned.

"Oh, that's right," Rainbow said, chuckling nervously.  "Nobody knows about 'em here...  Heh heh...  Not even that old guy."

"Are you talking about Elder Topapa?"

"Yeah..."

"Is that whose house you went into?" asked Twilight.

Luneth nodded.  "He told me that... I was chosen by the Crystals.  That I was destined to save the world.  I even told him about you two.  He looked at me like I was confused, but then Elder Dahn came into the room and told him I was being followed by a purple pony and an orange one with a hat."

"Gee...  Who could those be?" the blue pony smirked, giving a knowing look to her friends, which they shared.

"Well, anyway, we're so glad to see you Rainbow Dash," said Twilight.  The purple pony turned to Luneth's friend.  "Arc, was it?"

The boy, tearing up, ran away.

"Hey, wait, Arc!  You don't have to run away from us!" said Luneth.

"Come back here!" said Applejack.  "We won't hurt ya!"

As he went to the center of the village, Arc lamented his weakness, wishing he were stronger.  He vowed to do prove it, even without his friend's help.  And so he left the village and headed south...
> Chapter 2:  Curse of the Djinn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Arc!" Luneth called.  "Where are you?"

"Hellooo...!" said Twilight, looking around the town.  "Has anyone seen a young brown-haired boy walk past here?"

"Excuse me," said a young boy.

"What is it?" asked Luneth.

"If you're looking for Arc, he just ran south of here."

"Thank you."

As the three ponies were reunited, our heroes set off in search of the missing Equestrians along with the boy and the other three mentioned by the Crystal of Wind.

With everything they needed to begin their search, our heroes left the town of Ur and headed south for the village that was said to be inhabited by ghosts.  The search was not a long one, for they had found it situated next to a small desert.




Kazus


As they neared the village they saw the boy they had met earlier.  Luneth approached him and gently placed his hand on his elbow, only to startle the boy.

"Good going," Rainbow said sarcastically.

"You're not helping, Rainbow Dash," Twilight whispered.

Ignoring the comment, Luneth reassured his friend of his presence.  "Arc, it's me, Luneth!  Don't be afraid."

The brown-haired youth calmed down a little and turned the other way to see his friend and the ponies.

"Howdy, there," said Applejack.

"I-It's you three."

"Why exactly did you come here in your own?" asked Twilight.

"What are you trying to prove, anyway?" Luneth inquired.

"I...  I want to prove myself to everyone.  I want to show those bullies that I'm not a coward!" he said.  "Luneth, will you help me?"

"That's it?" asked Twilight.

"Y-Yeah...  That's it.  I want to show everyone that I'm no weakling!  I did manage to come here all by myself...  You'll take me with you, won't you?"

The silver-haired youth agreed.

"You sure this is alright?" said Applejack.

"Of course.  He's my friend after all.  We've known each other since we were kids."

Arc nodded, confirming the story.  "The two of us were raised together by Elder Topapa and Nina."

"Yeah...  I don't even know my real parents."

Applejack gasped softly and placed her hoof over her heart.

"I'll... tell you what I know after we settle whatever we're dealing with here."

The ponies agreed.

With their newest companion, the party continued onward, hoping to gather some information when all of a sudden...

*CRASH!!!*

A pink streak appeared and tackled our heroes.

"Whoa whoa whoa!!" said Rainbow Dash.  "Alright, who's the wise--"  She stopped as she saw who it was that pounced them.

"Pinkie Pie!" said Twilight.

Sure enough, it was the fun-loving pink party mare whose smile almost never left her.  Pinkie gasped.

"OMIGOSH!  TWILIGHT!  DASHIE!  APPPLEJACK!!  YOU'RE ALL HERE!!!"  She shouted, bringing everypony into a group hug.  She then inhaled.  "I GOT SO EXCITED I ACCIDENTALLY ADDED AN EXTRA 'P' IN APPLEJACK'S NAME AS WELL AS ANOTHER EXCLAMATION POINT WHEN I CALLED HER NAME AND I'M SAYING ALL THESE WORDS IN ALL CAPS AND..."

The two human boys stood in shock, their jaws gaping as the energetic earth pony kept talking until...

"PIIIINKIIEEE!!!" Twilight yelled, making everyone cover their ears.

"Yeah?" Pinkie said innocently.

"We're really glad to see you, too," Twilight said sincerely.  "But don't you think you should at least keep your story to a minimum?"

"Oh, right," she chuckled.  "After we went into that portal, I found myself here in this seemingly empty village.  You must've seen, or rather sensed it, too, right girls?  Boys?"

They shook their heads, not knowing what Pinkie was talking about.

"Well, that's the thing.  Everyone here might be a ghost, and the reason I think they're ghosts is 'cause this place is cursed by some big meanie they call a 'Djinn' or something."

A brief moment of silence later...

"Ghosts?  Really?" an incredulous Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow.

"A Djinn?  You mean like the being who grants its master three wishes?"

"I dunno," said Pinkie.  Maybe it's best we talk to someone at the inn."

"If there's anyone there."

"Of course there is.  And yes, they can talk too!  How else would I have known about this 'Djinn' thing if they couldn't?"

They knew the pink earth pony had a point and so went with her into the local inn and found more ghosts.  One figure stood in front of the bar and introduced himself.

"Howdy there!  Cid's the name," he said.  The ponies' eyes widened at the mention of the name.  "I'm from Canaan, but I've been stuck here ever since Nalv Valley got blocked by this giant rock."

The girls turned to each other.

"Did he just call himself...?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight and Applejack nodded.

"Wasn't the name of...  you know...?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Note to self:  talk to the one we know after our quest ends here, Twilight thought.

They turned their attention to the ghost.  "Uh, anyway... you were saying?"

"Hold up!" said Rainbow Dash.  "You don't seem surprised that there are talking ponies in town."

"Ask your little pink friend.  She's been laughing and talking nonstop since she appeared out of nowhere."

The group turned to Pinkie.

"What?" she asked.

"Well," Cid stepped in.  "Getting back on topic:  on top of the whole giant-rock-blocking-Canaan thing, I got a curse cast on me along with these other folks?  Ain't that a trip an' a half?" he chuckled.

"I'm not exactly sure what's so funny about this," said Luneth.

"Me neither," Rainbow agreed.

"Nope.  Can't think of anything funny about this," Pinkie added.

"Luneth!  Girls!" said Arc.  "We have to do something to help these people."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Say, if I lent you my airship, do you lads think you could help me and the others?"

The ponies' eyes widened again.

Seriously? Twilight thought.  Another Cid and another airship?  A world where the currency is the same as the last?  What next?  Mythril?!

"From what I've heard, this curse can be dispelled through the power of a Mythril Ring.  Unfortunately, we all seem to be out of Mythril Rings here..."

That answers my question...

"Ooh," said Pinkie Pie.  "By Mythril you mean that metal used to make all kinds of stuff like swords, armor, and accessories?"

"Yeah, that," said Cid.

"Ain't there someone in this town who can make some?" asked Applejack.

"That's the problem, lass.  This town's blacksmith Takka was cursed as well... and his daughter, the apprentice, has gone missing!"

"Oh... great.  Just great," said Rainbow Dash.

Cid chuckled, "No need to mope, little pony.  My airship's hidden in the desert west of here.  Use it to find a way to lift this curse!"

The heroes turned to another and nodded, agreeing with the invisible man.  They left they inn but first Twilight curiously turned to look at the cave to 




Mythril Mines


The group went inside the mines and obtained two Mythril Swords and went all the way back to the entrance fighting more monsters.  With the Mythril Swords in hand, our heroes exited the mines, left the village, went into the desert and found the airship Cid had spoken of.




Cid's Airship


As they entered the bridge, they saw a young lady of 17 at the helm.  Turning around, she gasped.

"Who are you?  What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I should ask you the same thing!" said Luneth.

"This is Cid's airship, missy, and he gave us permission to use it!" Applejack argued.

The girl gasped upon hearing the orange, hat-wearing pony speak.  "Y-You...  You just--"

"Ah know, Ah know.  This is the first time you're seein' talkin' ponies."

"Trust us, this isn't the first time we got something like this," said Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie added.  "Well, yeah.  There were these elves and other humans from another world we went to and--"

"We know, Pinkie," said Twilight covering her muzzle.  "Look, we really need this vessel."

"I see," the girl said.  "I'm Refia.  And I'll have you know that my father and I forged the parts for this ship back in Kazus!"

"Your father?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.  "Are you saying you're Takka's daughter?"

"If that's true, you must help us make a Mythril Ring!" Luneth pleaded.

"Yes...  That's the only the curse can be broken," Arc added.

Refia lowered her head.

"What's wrong?" said Arc.

"I cant."

"Huh?" asked the ponies.

"I can't make Mythril Rings.  I didn't study that far.  I didn't want to..."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow yelled.  "Seriously?!"

"Swell," said Luneth scratching his head.  "I don't think Cid's gonna be happy with that news..."

Everyone else agreed.

"Well, this has been a waste of time," said Twilight, her head lowered.  Her friends shared the same disappointed look.

"Wait," said Refia.

"Now what?"

"I know where we can find a ring!"

The ponies' ears perked up.

"You do?  Where is it?"

"My father forged a ring for King Sasune a long time ago.  He should still have it!"

The group looked at each other and nodded, not denying the possibility.

"Let me go with you.  I can't make Mythril Rings, but I want to help my father and the people of Kazus."

Arc turned to face his friend.  "I think she should come with us, Luneth."

"Me, too," the silver-haired boy agreed.  "Her slacking off saved her from the curse after all.  So maybe that 'luck' will rub off on us!"

Rainbow Dash laughed with him much to everyone else's annoyance..

"Hey!  That's not funny!" an offended Refia fumed.

"Refia, right?" Applejack said.

"Yeah...?"

"Ah'm probably not the one to tell ya what to do, but ah think you should start workin' harder as soon as we take care of this Djinn."

The human girl sighed.  "Alright."

With Refia now on their team, our heroes helped unearth the airship and took off.  They piloted the vessel west and docked near the castle situated near a vast forest.




Sasune Castle


As they approached the castle gates, a blonde-haired teenage boy stood guard.  Needless to say, he was distraught.

"Excuse us?" said Luneth.  "What are you doing out here?"

"I had just returned to the castle myself, but...  A terrible curse has befallen the people in the castle while I was away...  Only the power of a Mythril Ring might save them, I am told.  But Kazus is suffering the same fate as Sasune...  I must do something, but...  Where would I find such an item?"

Refia stepped forward.  "Pardon me.  My name is Refia, and I am the daughter of the blacksmith of Kazus.  The king must still have the ring my father gave him!"

"We've come to borrow the Mythril Ring to save Kazus.  Will you let us through?"

"Same with us?" asked Twilight.

The boy jumped when he heard the purple equine in front of him speak.

"Wh-Where did these animals come from?" he said out loud.

"Excuse me.  We may not be humans, but we have feelings like everyone else here," said Twilight.

"We're lookin' around for our friends," Applejack added.  "You ain't seen any of 'em here, have ya?"

"W-Well.  No not really," the teenager stuttered.  "After all, I only arrived here a few moments ago."

"Please, sir," said Arc.  "They don't mean any harm."

"Well, um...  If what you say is true, then I have no choice.  Permission granted.  Please come with me."

Upon their arrival in the throne room, they saw the boy kneel before an empty throne... until they saw an outline of a figure sitting upon it, realizing this was King Sasune.

"We have all been cursed by the Djinn, and I am no exception..."

"Sire, these younglings and their equine friends have come seeking the Mythril Ring to counter the curse."

"The Mythril Ring..."

"Yes, that's correct," said Twilight.

"Am I hearing things, or did that purple pony speak just now?"

"I believe your hearing is quite fine, Your Majesty.  This little creature did indeed speak."

"Ordinarily, I would dismiss such talk as mere fairy tales, however..." the king gestured at his "body."  "As you can see, I am willing to accept anything.  Now, you say you want the Mythril Ring in order to banish the Djinn."

"That's correct," said Twilight.

"I would grant you this boon...  However, my daughter holds the ring, and she went out shortly before the curse was cast."

"Oh, no!" said the blonde youth.  "If the princess holds the ring, the Djinn may have already taken her!"

"If it is so, I fear for my precious Sara."

The ponies' eyes grew wide once more.  Another princess named Sara? they thought.

The soldier knelt before his liege.  "Sire, I would like to ask you for your leave to accompany these brave souls to the Sealed Cave and rescue Lady Sara."

"Very well...  You have my leave, Ingus."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said the now-identified soldier in red.  But as he and the others turned to leave...

"Oh, that reminds me..."

"Yes?" said Twilight.

"A little while ago, there was a small white pony with a purple mane here."

The ponies' eyes widened as their jaws dropped.

"Did... did this pony also have some kind of diamonds imprinted on her flank."

"Something like that," said the king.  "I believe she and a small purple reptile had chosen to accompany my daughter to the Sealed Cave."

At that moment, the ponies' pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks and their muzzles twitched.  At that moment Twilight closed her eyes and yelled, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Everyone covered their ears as the purple pony shouted.  This was certainly not what they had expected to hear:  Rarity and Spike about to take on something they knew next to nothing about with a complete stranger?  Were they safe?

As these questions filled Twilight's head, something else was on her and everyone's mind:  What were they to do now?
> Chapter 3:  Breaking the Curse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight began pacing back and forth around the throne room, breathing heavily upon hearing the news of her two remaining friends putting themselves in danger.

"When did this happen?"

"It was... oh, just a while ago, several hours after the curse taken taken its effect," said King Sasune.



A flash of light appeared in Sasune Castle.  And from it emerged a familiar white unicorn and a purple dragon.

"Where... where are we?" asked the dragon.

"I'm not sure in the slightest, Spike," the pony replied.  "But if I had to guess, I'd say we are in some deserted castle with no talk to..."

"Who goes there?!" a voice shouted.  Looking around, the two couldn't find the source of the voice until they gazed upon the throne and found an invisible, yet outlined figure.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!  GHOOOOOOOOOOOST!!" the mare screamed.

"Goodness me!  A little pony and... a lizard...?"

Spike sighed.  "First off: I'm not a lizard.  I'm a dragon.  And second:  Why are you inivisible?"

"It's... because of the Djinn's curse," said a new voice.  The two creatures turned to see a beautiful young woman in a white dress with a blue collar and circlet.

"And you would be...?" asked Spike.

"I am Sara, the Princess of this castle and daughter of King Sasune."

"Oh, please accept our apologies for coming unannounced," the white mare said.  "I'm Rarity and this is Spike.  We come from the land of Equestria."

"'Equestria?'" asked the king and his daughter.  The Equestrians told the two humans everything about where they came from and why they came here.  The princess pondered this and asked if they could come with her to break the curse of the Djinn, for she held in her hands a Mythril Ring.



"And that is how your friends came here and joined the princess," the king finished.

"There's only one thing to do then," said Twilight.

"Ooh, what's that?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Luneth answered, "Go to the Sealed Cave, find Princess Sara, your friends, and fight the Djinn."

Agreeing with their new companions, the group left the castle and went back aboard the airship.  The trip wasn't a long one, for their destination was only a few miles northeast.




Sealed Cave


As they entered the cave, our heroes looked around and went through the maze-like area and obtained items such as a potion and a book that taught its reader how to use Cure.  Refia read the tome and the incantation was placed in her mind.

On the second floor, the group opened a chest containing 500 gil.  Continuing their trek through the cave, they heard voices coming from the other side of a seemingly closed wall.  As she and the others were looking around for an opening mechanism, Applejack saw three skulls lying on the ground.  Normally, she wouldn't hesitate to get her hooves dirty, but there was also the risk of disrespecting the deceased.

While staring straight at the wall, Pinkie Pie absentmindedly placed her hoof on a nearby skull, inadvertently moving it, and causing the cave to shake.  The rest saw what had happened:  the wall had disappeared revealing a path leading further into the cave.  With the doorway open, our heroes made their way through.  There, they encountered a young blonde-haired woman in a white dress with a blue collar and circlet.  By her side were a certain white, purple-haired unicorn and a puprle, green-scaled dragon the Equestrians recognized right away.

"Spike!  Rarity!" Twilight cried.

"Oh, my stars!  You've all come!" Rarity cried in joy.

The Equestrians ran towards the two and embraced once more.

"Are these your friends?"

"Why, yes, Your Highness.  Let me introduce you to Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack."

"Pleasure's all mine," said Twilight, bowing before the woman who they knew to be Princess Sara.

"Ingus!  Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Yes, milady." the soldier replied.  "You must hurry back to the castle!  We will take care of the rest here!"

"But before you go," said Refia, "we'll need to borrow your Mythril Ring."

"There's no need, I'll go with you."

"Really, milady," said Rarity.  "You should listen to them.  My friends and I have faced dangerous creatures before.  I'm sure they will be--"

"It will be fine," Sara insisted.

"It's gonna be dangerous," said Applejack.

"This young lady here," said Twilight, gesturing to Refia, "came to save her people."

"Her Royal Highness has spoken," said Luneth.  "What should we do?"

Refia spoke up.  "She should be alright, as long as Ingus, Rarity and Spike look after her."

The soldier agreed, "No harm will come to Lady Sara, as long as I live and breathe."

They all nodded in agreement.  Thanking them, Princess Sara joined their team.

As the group walked down the path, they introduced themselves to each other and told them of each of their accomplishments.

They trekked through the third floor which consisted of only several pathways leading them to a large area where at the top sat a rotund figure with pointed ears and a full beard.  This being wore only a pair of light blue harem pants and red pointed footwear.  At long last, our heroes came face-to-face with the evil force that had caused misery to the people of Kazus and Sasune Castle.  The group stood their ground as Sara stepped forward with the ring in hand.

"Prepare to meet your doom, Djinn!  This ring will banish you once and for all!"

As she held it up high, the ring began to glow a warm light.  However, the effects of the ring did not work on the spirit as expected.

"Um..." said Rainbow Dash.

"...Nothing's happening!  Buy why?"

Grinning, the Djinn let out a haughty laugh.  "Your little bauble has no power over me now that I am infused with the power of darkness!"

"The power of... darkness...?" Twilight inquired.  She then gasped, realizing that the Wind Crystal was correct:  the balance between light and darkness was shifting in favor of the latter.

"No time to be lost in your thoughts, Twilight!" Applejack said.  "We've got a curse to break!"

"Right!" the purple mare replied.

The Djinn laughed once more, finding their confidence amusing.  Unfolding his arms, the evil being unsheathed a scimitar, inviting them to do battle with him.  The ponies requested that Sara stand back as they took the positions, protecting the four youths.  Ingus made the first move slashing at the Djinn with his dagger, followed by Applejack kicking him with her rear legs.  The evil being responded by attempted to slash the cowgirl with his scimitar, only for his target to dodge sideways.  Angry, the Djinn cast a Fire spell this time hitting the mark.

"Applejack!" cried the ponies.

Thankfully, the orange earth pony shook off the effects of the spell and stood guard.  Luneth struck the Djinn three times causing considerable damage.  Refia quickly cast Cure on Applejack, making sure of the mare's safety.

Arc began to close his eyes and began chanting, and at that moment Pinkie Pie dug into her mane and grabbed her trademark Party Cannon and blasted it at the Djinn, succeeding only in annoying him.

"Oops," she said sheepishly.

Now seething with anger, the Djinn attempted to slice Pinkie into two until Rarity pushed her out of harms way; the white pony attempted to dodge the next attack, however...  Only her beautiful tail was not so lucky.  The Djinn laughed loudly, leaving Rarity surprised... and angry.

"First you curse innocent people..." she said, getting angrier and angrier with each passing word.  "Next you try to kill my friends... and then you destroy my beautiful tail, and now you LAUGH AT OUR MISERY...!  It... is... ON!!!" she yelled as she charged toward the Djinn and delivered a powerful kick to the abdomen, causing the Djinn serious pain as she backed away.

Arc finally completed his chanting and unleashed a Blizzard spell, greatly weakening the creature and bringing him to his knees.

*music ends*

Upon the spirit's defeat, Princess Sara used the power of the ring to seal it away forever.  The Djinn screamed in denial as it was sealed away, never to harm anyone ever again.

As our heroes celebrated their victory over the wicked Djinn, Twilight and Rainbow Dash's bodies began to glow and flash rapidly until they discovered that they had gotten certain physical traits back.  Twilight's horn and Rainbow's wings had returned much to their joy.  The celebration had to be put on hold when they and their friends found themselves becoming transparent.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Luneth.

"I don't like this," said Rarity.

"You must return to the castle, Milady," said Ingus, attempted to reassure the princess.  "Do not fear for us--we will be fine!"

"What is happening?" Sara cried.  Just then everyone vanished.  The princess called for Ingus and rushed toward him only to trip and fall.



The group materialized once more, only to find themselves in a place very familiar to Luneth, Twilight and Applejack. Except for the aforementioned three, everyone began thinking the same thing.

"Wh-Where are we...?" asked Ingus.

"I know this place," said Luneth.

"Us, too!" said Twilight.

"We're back in that cave with the big crystal," Applejack added.

"Correct," said the voice capturing everybody's attention.  "It is I who summoned you."  Recognizing it, Luneth walked toward the crystal and the others followed.  "These four have been chosen to be the Warriors of Light, the bringers of hope.  And you, visitors from Equestria, have been summoned to aid them on their journey and prevent the darkness from destroying our worlds...  You must take with you the last of my light... and the last of our world's hope.  Unless you act, the light will be lost and the balance forever broken...  Once you take in the light, you will be able to extract the power from the other Crystals."

As the Crystal flashed, our heroes shielded their eyes; at that moment they began to feel something:  warmth.  The warmth of light emanating from the Crystal.





The four young humans began to imagine themselves as different people, reflecting their most notable traits.  Luneth, courageous saw himself as a powerful warrior.  His friend Arc kind and wanting to help his new friends overcome anything imagined himself as a black mage.  Refia, as motherly as she was, saw herself becoming a white mage.  And Ingus, loyal soldier of Sasune Castle, found himself in the robes of a red mage.

The Equestians, too, began to feel as if their most positive traits transforming them into more powerful classes.  Twilight, wanting to study all forms of magic possible, saw herself as a red mage.  Rainbow Dash, eager to look for adventure and a fight, imagined herself as a warrior.  Applejack, with the strength of several men, saw herself as a monk.  Rarity, wishing to do what was best for her friends, imagined herself as a white mage.  Pinkie Pie saw all the possibilities but chose to become a black mage.  And finally Spike had found himself as a monk, believing that he could help protect his friends not only with his fire-breathing, but with his bare claws as well.

*music changes*

As our heroes opened their eyes, they found themselves wearing new attire, fitting the classes they had somehow seen themselves as.

"Wha...  What's happened?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"We've been granted the powers of the Crystal," Luneth answered.  "We've become warriors that best fit our personalities...  At least, that's what I think."

"Why am Ah wearin' this... this... whatever this is?!" said Applejack not too pleased at her new gi.

"Well, I can't certainly speak for Applejack," said Rarity, "but I love this white cloak with the red patterns!  It's simply divine!"

"Look at me!  Look at me!" said Pinkie Pie.  "I'm all dressed like a black mage just like Arc is now!  Does this mean I get to use magic on whoever we meet as long as they're our enemies and whatnot?"

Just then, our heroes heard the sound of a magic spell not too far from them.

"Behind the altar is a magical circle that will return you to the surface.  The path to the other Crystals is now open...  Go, Warriors of Light!"

I knew it... Twilight said to herself.  She then adjusted her new red cap and gestured for everyone to follow her.

Armed with the power of the Wind Crystal, our heroes went straight behind the altar as directed and stepped onto the circle, ready to begin their journey...
> Chapter 4:  The Princesses, Fluttershy and the Chocobo; Dark Powers at Work
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Back in Equestria...


In the town of Ponyville, Fluttershy was busy taking care of her animals, including the large Chocobo she had received as a gift from Cid of the Lufaine.  To say she was ecstatic to have a new animal friend was an understatement:  the minute she laid her eyes on the creatures, she just knew she had to make friends with them.

During her time with the creature, the yellow pegasus learned it was a male and struggled to come up with a name for him.  At first, she considered naming after the Chocobo cry "Kweh," but he refused.  Then she thought "Benjamin" would suit him well, but he did not approve.  The Chocobo did consider taking names like "Leonard" and "Arthur" but shook his head, refusing to take their names.  After suggesting several other names including "Larry," "Victor," and so on, they finally settled on "Randi."

Speaking of which, Randi chirped happily seeing Fluttershy return.

"Take a look at this," said Fluttershy, holding a letter with the Canterlot royal seal on the envelope.  Tearing it open, the yellow pegasus read the contents of the letter and gasped in surprise and joy.  "It's from Princess Celestia and Luna; they want to meet you and learn all about you."

"Kweh," the Chocobo squawked.

"It's all right.  I'm sure they'll like you."

True...  Ever since Fluttershy said the word "Chocobo," the royal sisters couldn't help but feel curious so they decided to pay Ponyville an unofficial visit one morning and went straight to Fluttershy's cottage.  When they arrived, they found its owner playing with a large yellow bird the size of an ostrich.  Needless to say, the sisters were speechless at the sight of this avian.

The bird took notice of the two alicorns and his eyes went wide in shock.

"Kweh?"

"Princess Celestia!  Princess Luna!" said Fluttershy.

The sisters looked on in amazement; they had never really seen such an animal before, and here it was, right in front of them:  a creature from another world was standing right in front of them.

"Is... is this it?" Celestia asked, her eyes not leaving the Chocobo.

"Yes.  I wanted to name him 'Kweh' after the Chocobo cry, but after coming with several other names, we settled on 'Randi.'"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Randi."

"Kweh," Randi chirped happily, causing the two monarchs to giggle.

"There's something that's bothering me, Fluttershy."

"What is it, Princess?"

"Is there anything it can eat?"

"Oh, he told me that Chocobos eat some special greens; they came to Equestria with him," the yellow pegasus said, holding a bag of gysahl greens.

"Well that certainly seems convenient," Luna observed.

"...Yes, it appears so," Fluttershy agreed.

"Kweh," Randi chirped.

"Flutterhsy," said Celestia.

"Yes, Princess?"

"I was wondering it were alright to spend the day with your new friend."

"Oh, I'd love it, but wouldn't that take you away from your duties as rulers of Equestria?"

"There's no need to worry about that," said Luna.  "We asked for Princess Cadence to take over royal duties at Canterlot.  We knew she'd be skeptical about leaving the Crystal Empire, but we made sure to have her ask Shining Armor to keep everypony save over there."

The yellow pegasus took all this information and looked over to her avian friend.  He chriped, accepting their offer.

*music ends*

For the rest of the day, the princesses spent several hours with Randi and were enjoying their time together; their activities including feeding him, running around with him, and even speaking with him (and Fluttershy translating for both parties).  The last activity for the day included a little picnic where the three ponies helped each other to some tea while Randi had himself a drink of water.

*music fades out*

"Well," Celestia chuckled, "it was nice meeting you, Randi.  But we have to go back to Canterlot, now."

The innocent creature titled his head with a puzzled look.

"It's our home," said Luna, pointing to the city above Ponyville.

"Good night, Fluttershy."

"Good night, Princess Celestia.  Good night, Princess Luna."

"Good night, Randi," Celestia and Luna said together.

"Kweh..." Randi chirped sadly.

And with that, the royal sisters flew back to Canterlot, leaving the two yellow creatures near Fluttershy's house.

"I wish everypony's alright," said Fluttershy.

Although she didn't join her friends on their next journey, she still wished them the best of luck and hoped for their safe return.




Later that night in Canterlot


All was quiet in the castle halls; so quiet not even a mouse slipped by the patrolling guards.  Earlier Princess Cadence bid her aunts farewell and returned to the Crystal Empire.

Luna slept and used her powers to find anypony in need of help if they had terrifying dreams.  This time was different.  She felt the same odious presence that had prevented her from helping Twilight earlier at work once more.  From what she could tell, it was a feeling of darkness and evil set on completely destroying everything without mercy.

*music ends*

Luna felt herself back in the real world as she jolted up from her bed and began hyperventilating.  Feeling as if she was losing her powers, she went straight to her sister's chamber.

"Sister!"

Princess Celestia's eyes instantly opened and gazed upon Luna.

"What is it, Luna?"

"It is worse than I thought..."

Celestia trotted toward her sibling and stopped within a few feet of her.

"I fear as if," Luna said before pausing.  "...As if... as if I can't reach Twilight or the others!"

"What?!"

"That same entity that I encountered before...  I've met with it again."

"Oh no!" Celestia gasped.  "We must head for the Crystal Empire at once!"

And so the sisters left the palace to check up on the purple alicorn and her friends...
> Chapter 5:  A Trip to Canaan/Desch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere far away from the Altar Cave, a mysterious figure was sitting in deep meditation.  They opened their eyes as if they had sensed something... unnatural.  This figure sensed the presence of interlopers from far away, believing them to be a hindrance to whatever they were planning.

Just then a monstrous creature arrived delivering news of the Djinn's defeat in the Sasune region.

"Just as I suspected," said the figure.  "I have felt the presence of other beings...  Find these meddlers and destroy them."

The creature knelt before the figure, acknowledging their command.







Our heroes had once again found themselves outside the Altar Cave, near the town of Ur.

"What?  What happened?"

"We definitely need to talk," said Twilight.

After explaining everything to Refia and Ingus that had happened so far, they decided to head back to the village and recover.

"Before we enter Ur, I want to confirm this one more time," said Ingus.  "You truly want to help us save this world?'

"That's right," Twilight confirmed.  "No matter where we go, there are still people living.  And we want to keep it that way."

"There's nothing to it," Rainbow added.

The others all agreed and continued towards the village.




Ur


"Ah'm not sure about this, sugarcube," said Applejack.  "What if they don't let us in again like last time?"

"It'll be fine, Applejack," Luneth replied.

"I thought I'd made it clear, but in case you don't remember:  NO ANIMALS ALLOWED!!"

"You wanna taste of this, pal?!" Rainbow Dash warned, waving her hoof.

"Enough!" cried a voice.  Out came Topapa the Village Elder.

"Luneth...  Arc...  I'd heard that the Wind Crystal had only chosen one, and that was you, Luneth.  However, I see that Arc and several others had answered to the call."

"But sir!"

"That is enough.  Tell me, little ones.  Where do you come from and why have you come to this world?"

"Please, let me explain..." said Twilight.

Twilight did so...  With everything that he had learned from the four-legged creatures, he understood that their world is in peril from the same evil that now threatened this one.

"Well," said Topapa.  "I never expected sentient creatures from another realm to appear and aid our Luneth.  I never even expected Arc to be chosen as well..."

"Elder..."

"Still, if you truly believe you can aid these children, then I will not stop you."

"Luneth...  Arc...  Please be careful," said the woman.

"We will, Mother."

"Mother?"

"Yes," said the woman.  "My name is Nina.  I've been taking care of these two boys since they were little."

"We'll help them."

"Yeah!  And if anyone comes close enough to hurt 'em, they'll regret it!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed.

"Then it's settled," said Luneth.  "Our journey has just begun."

"But first, we have some unfinished business with Sasune Castle."

Ingus gasped.

"You're right.  Princess Sara must be worried.  We must return!"

And so, our heroes quickly left the village of Ur.

"Hey, wait!"

Everyone turned to Pinkie Pie.

"What is it, Pinkie?" Twilight sighed, knowing Pinkie's usual antics.

"I just noticed.  Weren't you supposed to be Onion Knights when we first met?"

"'Onion Knights'?" the children said in unison.

"Yeah!  The beginners class with very low stats, but one of them does show up in Dissidia representing this game and..."

The whole group stared at Pinkie in confusion, wondering if she was insane.

Twilight sighed in annoyance.  "Let's just go, alright?"




Sasune Castle


As they went into the castle, our heroes went down the stairs and met with Princess Sara.

She gasped, "Ingus!  Everyone!  You're back!"

"Sorry we didn't come sooner, Your Highness," said Ingus.

"It's alright, Ingus.  I'm glad you're safe!"

"What do we do now?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Now we must cleanse the ring in the blessed spring, and that should lift the curse."

"Where is this spring?" Luneth inquired.

"The spring is just below the castle.  We must hurry!"

They all followed Princess Sara downstairs into a a chamber with a spring of pure water.  She threw the Mythril Ring into the spring.

"The curse should be lifted now.  You should go speak to Father."

"At once, Your Highness," said Ingus.

"I know I should have done so earlier when the Djinn was defeated, but I was overwhelmed when you all vanished into thin air."

"Actually," said Pinkie Pie, "we were transported to this big place with a giant Crystal giving us some cool powers and then we talked to the village elder--"

"We know, Pinkie!  We were there," said Twilight.

"Sorry about that," said Spike.  "She gets a little excited."

"Anyway, let us go speak with King Sasune."

As they stepped into the throne room, our heroes noticed that the curse was indeed broken:  King Sasune and his guards were no longer invisible for they had finally regained their physical appearances.  Humbled by his presence, our heroes knelt before the king.

"You have all returned!  Your courageous deeds have saved the kingdom!  You have my deepest gratitude, children!  And that includes you as well, little ponies and dragon."

"Please...  We didn't do much," said Twilight.

"Thank you, sire," Luneth added, "but we were chosen to be the Warriors of Light."

King Sasune's eyes lightened up.

"Warriors of Light, you say?"  He then turned to his loyal soldier.  "Ingus, are you leaving, too?"

Ingus lowered his head and closed his eyes.  "Yes, sire...  I must go," he replied.

"I see," the king stated.  "Then I bid you all well.  Know that all our hopes rest within you, young champions!  And visitors from... Equestria, was it?"

The ponies and dragon nodded.

"I must confess I was quite skeptical at the thought of such little creatures defeating the Djinn.  However, your efforts have proven me wrong; therefore, I bid you good luck in aiding these warriors on their quest."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Twilight.

"Now before you go, you should take something with you.  Guard!"

"Sire!" said the guard, holding a magical folding canoe and handing it to our heroes.  With the canoe in hand, our heroes left the castle and raced for the village.  But before they could leave the castle grounds, they heard a voice calling for them.  They turned around and looked up to see Lady Sara.

"Everyone, be safe!  Promise me you'll come back to Sasune when your duty is done!" she called, waving her hand.

"Fear not," Ingus replied.  "Our word is our bond!  We shall return!"

Twilight Sparkle, however, was uncertain.  Would she and her friends succeed as they had done two times since they were led to the Chamber of Crystals, they would either be transported right back to Equestria or stay long enough to say their farewells.

"Twilight?"

"Huh?"

"You alright, sugarcube?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." said Twilight.  The orange earth pony put her hoof on her friend's shoulder and gave the purple alicorn a warm look telling it would be alright to tell.  "Actually, Applejack.  I'm a little worried about... you know..."

The ponies looked toward the humans and immediately knew the answer.

"It's alright, Twilight," said Rarity.

"Yeah!" said Rainbow Dash.  If we can go through this like last time."

"Or last two times in Twilight's case," Pinkie added.

"Then surely we will have time to say goodbye to our friends after we overcome this mysterious menace."

"I guess you're right."

"Well, what are we waiting for?  Let's go!" said Spike.

The heroes regrouped and left for the entrance to the cave in order to retrieve the airship, but not before battling and defeating a few goblins.  With the use of the canoe, they crossed the water and boarded the airship, traveling back to Kazus.




Kazus


"Hey look!" said Spike.

"Everyone's back to normal!" Luneth observed.

Little did everyone know that Refia wandered off in search of her father.  He was a well-built man 

"Father?" Refia said.

"Refia!  You're all right!  Thank heavens!  I... I..."

"It's alright, Father.  I'm glad to see you..."

Applejack smiled and took off her hat, placing it on her heart.

Going back to the pub, they met with Cid once more.  He was an elderly man with a great big bushy beard and dark glasses.  He also wore a hat equipped with goggles.

"Good work, everyone!  I knew you'd pull it off the minute I saw you all!"

"It was nothing," Rainbow bragged.

"Really, Rainbow?" asked Twilight.

Cid laughed.  "I'm guessing you can make better use of that airship than I ever did!  But first, I want you to take me back to Canaan.  My wife's been waiting a long time for me to come back!"

"But what about that big rock blocking the way?  How're we gonna get past that?" asked Pinkie.  "Do we find some dynamite?  TNT?"

"Nothing like that," Cid answered.  "Maybe we should pay a visit to the blacksmith.  I've got something in mind."

"Please... please let me join these three, er nine!  I promise...  I promise I'll come back!"

At the smithy...

"Ah, Cid!  You old dog!" said Takka.  "It's good to see you--and not through you--again!"

The two men laughed at the joke before giving each other a big hug.  After discussing everything that happened so far, the party gathered all their treasures in a large bag and left town.  Aboard the airship, they found Refia.

"Finally!  You guys are late!"

Luneth did a double take.  "Wha--?  But I thought...  Shouldn't you...?"

"Hello?  Did you forget already, Luneth?" Rainbow said incredulously.  "She's a Light Warrior, too!"

"That's right," said Refia.  "We all promised the Crystal we'd go on our journey.  And I don't want to be a smith just yet.  I am grateful to Father for taking care of an orphan like me all these years, but this is something I have to do."

The rest of the group, sans Cid, reacted to this news.

"You're an orphan, too...?" said Luneth.

"'Too'?  That means..."

"The truth is:  I, too, have no parents," Ingus added.

"Wait, what?!" Pinkie said.  "All four of you don't have any birth parents?"

Applejack lowered her head upon hearing this news.  Like these four humans, she too was an orphan.

"Don't y'all know anything about your birth parents?"

The humans shook their heads.

"That's too bad," the orange earth pony said.

"Still," said Luneth.  "There's no way this can be a coincidence.  The Wind Crystal must've known."

"Sounds like this could be an interesting journey," Cid mused.  "Now let's break that rock!"

The group piloted the ship until they faced the large boulder.

"This is it..."

A few seconds before the airship was about to impact the boulder, our heroes immediately jumped off the vessel and crashed onto the ground.  After that, the airship struck the boulder, smashing both into a million pieces.

With the boulder destroyed, our heroes could finally reach Canaan.  It was a small settlement based near a large mountain.




Canaan


Upon approaching the peaceful village, our heroes took a look at their surroundings.  Stopping by the fountain, Cid turned and faced the group.

"Thanks for your help, kids!  Let me know if there's anything I can do to help out!"

"Cid," said Twilight looking guilty.  "We're sorry about your airship..."

The old man laughed heartily at that.  "Oh, no need to worry!  I can always build a new one--a ha!  That's it!  I can get you all a new airship!"

"Really?" said Luneth.

"Yes, but first, you'll have to meet with King Argus.  See, I only worked on the ship's hull.  The king's the one who knows the secret of airship engines.  Come see me again once you've spoken with King Argus!"

"We will, Cid," Twilight replied.

No sooner did Cid leave that Refia noticed they were short a few people.

"Say," she said.  "What happened to Pinkie Pie?"

"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight looked around and sure enough, Pinkie wasn't with the group.

"Ugh..." Rainbow groaned.  "Where could that pony be at a time like--"

"HI GUYS!!"

The party jumped when they heard those words.  They saw Pinkie standing right near the fountain.

"Pinkie Pie!  Where have you been?" Rarity scolded.  "And please, don't scare us like that."

"Sorry...  Hee hee hee." Pinkie apologized.  "I had a pretty good hunch about that patch of grass in that corner of town over there and found this!"

"What's that?" asked Twilight.

"A potion of some kind?" Luneth inquired.

"It looks like an elixir," Ingus observed.

"Let's keep it then," Rainbow added.

The group agreed and placed in one of their bags.  They then went into the item shop and purchased some eye drops and antidotes, though they were appalled by the combined price of echo herbs and gold needles.  

At the weapons shop, the party had purchased more powerful weapons but soon found that they were running out of money.

"How much gil do we have?" asked Applejack.

"About 500 left, I'm afraid," Rarity confirmed.

"You know, before we leave town, I'd like to check on Cid."

"Already?  But why?"

"I don't know."

They traveled up to the house in the northwestern corner of the village and knocked on the door.

"Cid?  You there?"

"Ah, it's you..." said Cid, forlornly.  "Please, come in..."

Our heroes did so and found an elderly woman on the bed.

"Cid, is this...?"

"Yes, this is my wife.  I just found her like this as soon as I came in."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"It looks like she can be cured with an elixir of sorts."

"Elixir?" Pinkie questioned; she then dug into one of their bags.  "You mean this?"

"Y...  YES, THAT'S IT!!  Where'd you find it?"

"From a small patch of grass in the southeastern corner of town," she replied, giving Cid the elixir.

"I think we should leave," said Twilight.

"Oh no, my friends.  You helped save my wife.  Just for that, I'll share a secret with all of you."

Cid opened the back wall, revealing it to be a secret passageway.

"Take whatever you find."

"Thank you."

The old man smiled brightly, even with his great bushy beard.

"You four have grown so much."

"Huh?" said the ponies.

"You've only been with us for a couple of days," said a suspicious Luneth.  "We couldn't have grown that much!"

Caught off-guard, Cid then bid the heroes farewell.  Before Twilight and the other Equestrians could join the humans, however, they stayed behind and looked at Cid with a wary look.

"What exactly did you mean?"

The old man fidgeted and looked to the side.

"Perhaps, it's not the best time to talk about this.  I'll tell you and them when the time is right."

The ponies and dragon sighed, believing him to be right.  So they left the house and regrouped with the teenagers.

"I still feel like we should gather some information."

"Why?"

"Well, we hardly know about this area as well as that mountain near us."

"True," Applejack agreed.

The group looked all around town in search of answers.  Luneth and Rainbow walked straight into an inn and found a poor young woman lying on a bed, looking despondent.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, Desch..."

"Who's Desch?"

The woman turned and saw the two visitors and was wide-eyed upon first seeing the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane.

"Oh...  My..."

"Easy there, lady," Rainbow assured her.

The woman gasped.

"You... you can..."

"I know, I know," said Rainbow Dash.  "A talking ponies.   Nothing we haven't heard before."

"'We'?"

Luneth nodded.  "That's right.  There are other ponies besides my friend here."

"I-I-I'm sorry...  My name is Salina."

"Is there something wrong, darling?" asked Rarity, who walked in along with Applejack, Refia, and Twilight.

"Yes.  It's... my beloved Desch," she sobbed.  "Oh...  When will you be back?" she asked, addressing her beloved.  "Why would you go to the mountains in the east, where a dragon is said to dwell?"

"Dragon?!" said the ponies.

"Why in the world would this 'Desch' go to such a place by himself?" Rarity said in shock.

"Anyone in the mood for mountain climbing?" asked Pinkie Pie, appearing out of nowhere.

"Pinkie?!"

"Seriously, Pinkie, stop doing that!" Rainbow scolded.

"As much as she scared me just now," said Refia giving the pink mare a dirty look, "let's do it!  Let's go look for this Desch guy and bring him back here!"

"What do ya call that place?"

"Dragon's Peak," Salina answered.

"What an original name," Rainbow said sarcastically.

"Alright.  Dragon's Peak, it is!"

Before leaving town, however, our heroes were able to purchase scrolls from the magic shop with the gil they received from Cid's basement.  Arc learned the spell Thunder, while Refia and Ingus acquired the Cure spell.




Dragon's Peak


Setting foot near the mountain, our heroes began their climb in search of the one called Desch.

"That must be... the dragon!!"

Rarity let a high-pitched scream, making everyone cover their ears.  Just then she noticed something familiar about the creature before her.

"Wait.  Is that... Bahamut?!"

"WHAT?!" The other ponies said in unison.

"It's coming this way!!" said Luneth.

Before they could escape, the beast grabbed our heroes and dropped them near the peak of the mountain.

"Ow..."

Looking around, the group discovered that they were brought to the creature's nest, as there were several eggs lying about.  Some of them had already hatched with infant dragons looking at their next prey.

"Do something, Spike," said Rainbow.

"Why me?"

"'Cause you're a dragon, too!  Now do something!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

The sound of laughter caught their attention; they turned to see a young man in purple smirking.

"I can't believe you guys let yourselves be caught by that dragon!" he said.

"Speak for yourself," Luneth retored.  "It got you too, didn't it?"

"Uh... well..."

"Can't think of a good comeback, can ya?" asked Applejack.

"Whoa!  Did that little... horse just talk?"

"Ah'm a pony, not a horse," Applejack sighed.

How many times is that now?  I've lost count, Twilight thought.

"I believe you must be Desch," said Rarity.

"Yeah...  How'd you know my name?" he asked.

"That's the thing," said Refia.  "We've come to--"

Just then, a loud screech ended their conversation bringing their attention to the sky.  There, they saw the dragon hovering over its nest and leering at our heroes.

"The dragon's back!  Let's get outta here!" screamed Desch.

"No WAY!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.  "We're not letting any monster get the best of us!  We've faced worse, haven't we?"

The other Equestrians were too paralyzed with fear to acknowledge Rainbow's statement.

"Don't even think about fighting that thing!" Desch said, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

Luneth unsheathed his weapon, pointing it at the large reptile and shouted.

"CHARGE!!"

But as Luneth rushed forward, one swipe from the dragon's wing knocked the youth aside and caused him to lose consciousness.

"Luneth!!" everyone screamed.

"Here!" said Twilight, using a Phoenix Down.  As Luneth opened his eyes, his expression turned to fear.

"You know what?" he asked.

"What?" they replied.

"I'm thinking...  We should run for now."

"Ah'm with you on that, sugarcube..."

*music stops*

"RUN AWAY!!" Luneth shouted.

"Run away!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Run away!" Twilight yelled.

"Run away!" Rarity shouted.

"Run away!" Pinkie said over and over.

The heroes quickly fled along with the young man.  Once they were out of the winged reptile's sight, they all stopped to catch their breath.

"Phew," Desch sighed.  "Glad we got outta that."

"Easy for you to say," said Luneth.  "I almost got killed."

"And... who was it that charged headfirst into that thing?" asked Twilight.

"Well..." Luneth said, scratching the back of his head.

"My thoughts exactly," Refia agreed.

Could that dragon really have been Bahamut...? Twilight thought to herself.

"Well, anyway...  Why don't you take this?" said Desch, handing out a scroll.

"Oooh!  What's that?  A magical scroll?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Yes.  It's a scroll that teaches the spell Mini.  Turns out I don't have the skills enough for me to use it.  But... maybe you can."

"Thank you," said a weary Twilight.

"Please... take me with you!"

"Huh?"

"The truth is... I've lost my memory.  The only thing I know is my name and nothing else."

"Sure, I don't mind," said Luneth; the warrior turned to the rest of the group.  "Is that okay with you?"

"Why are you asking me?" Refia asked.  She sighed.  "Hey, Desch!  Did you know that Salina's been worried sick about you, waiting for you to come back?"

"That's right!" said Pinkie.  "So why are you not heading back to the village?"

"Yes, Desch.  Tell us why," Applejack glared.  The young man lowered his head.

"Yeah...  But you see, even though I've lost my memory, I know there's something I have to do out here."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes thinking, Yeah, sure.

"Well, I'm sure it'll sort itself out somehow!  I've got you guys to count on."

Twilight sighed.  "Alright, Desch.  You can join us."

With Desch as their new partner, our heroes left the mountain for the small forest nearby, with no knowledge that an evil being became aware of the group's presence...
> Chapter 6:  Gnomes, Vikings, and Dragons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Equestria


Throughout the entire land, the citizens of Ponyville, Manehattan, the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, and all the other major areas experienced terrible nightmares; worse still Princess Luna, the guardian of the ponies' dreams had attempted to fight off with the source of it all, only to find herself nearly drained of powers and physically exhausted.  It was time that she and Celestia went off to to check on Twilight and her friends' progress.

Everypony in the Crystal Empire was discussing among themselves the countless and horrifying nightmares they endured the past moons.  Just then, they saw a chariot in the sky, carrying Celestia and Luna.  They arrived in the presence of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.

"How goes their journey?"

"We heard they encountered and escaped a large dragon," said Cadence.

"And that's not the most shocking thing about it."

"What is...?"

"This dragon...  It's called Bahamut!"

"'Bahamut'?" Luna said in disbelief.  "If I recall, the Dragon King they had met the first time going into the Chamber of Crystals was named 'Bahamut,' was it not?"

"Yes, but I don't think this one's quite as friendly..."

Shining Armor shuddered at the thought of his little sister and friends facing this creature.  "I hope they're alright..."




Meanwhile...


Upon escaping the wrath of what Twilight assumed to be Bahamut, she and the others left Dragon's Peak and headed for a small oasis where they found a creature the size of a Breezy.

"What's that?"

"It appears to be a gnome," said Ingus.

"A gnome?" the Equestrians asked in unison.

"There aren't any in your Equestria?"

"Not as far as I know," said Twilight.  "Anyway, let's go talk with it... if it'll talk."

"Excuse us," said Luneth.

The gnome turned to see the creatures bigger than he.

"Easy.  We're not going to hurt you."

"Y-Y-You can speak?"

"Eeyup," said Applejack.

Seriously, Rainbow thought.  How.  Many.  Times?!

"Anyway...  What are you doing here?" asked Desch.

"Me?  I just came to take this strange water back to the gnomish village in the southern woods.  Only gnomes can enter the village."

"Only gnomes?"

"Yes, but I can give you an extra scroll for the Mini spell!"

"Why, thank you, good sir!" said Rarity.

As they left the spring, they looked around the area sighed in relief.  Using the newly acquired Mini spell, Twilight shrunk herself and everyone else to the size of gnomes and entered their village to the south.




Tozus


"Wow...  This is... just like almost every other village or town we've been to," said a disappointed Rainbow.

"Except it's smaller," said Pinkie Pie.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Pinkie."

"You're welcome," Pinkie said cheerfully, making the blue pegasus plant her hoof on her forehead.

"I see a a magic store over there," said Refia.

As they went in, our heroes looked around and learned that the interior was the same as the other stores in the human villages.

Twilight made sure to purchase a scroll containing the Cure spell.  Elsewhere, the Warriors of Light purchased some Mythril Bracers for better defense against what was to come in their next destination.

"Dr. Shelco isn't doing any good."

"Doctor who?" asked Rainbow, unintentionally causing Pinkie Pie to hum a strange song to herself.

"Dr. Shelco, our resident physician."

"Yeah.  He's been eating some strange berries out in the woods and he's been poisoned because of it."

"Some doctor," Rainbow muttered to herself.

Inside Doctor Shelco's home, they gave him an antidote, curing him almost instantly.

"Phew, you saved me," he said.  "That'll teach me to randomly sample berries in the woods..."

"You know, Doctor, you really should be careful with strange objects."

"I suppose I should," he chuckled.  "Anyway, you all deserve a reward!  I'll share with you one of my most treasured secrets!"

"Ooh!" said Pinkie Pie.  "What is it?  What is it?  What is it?"

Shelco walked over to the small table with a lamp on it, pressing a hidden switch, revealing a secret passage!

"Go down the stairs at the end of that passage, and you'll find the way to Miralka Basin!"

They did so and as they went downstairs, they saw two treasure chests on opposite sides of the small room; each contained a Phoenix Down.  They went down another set of stairs and went straight into...




Tozus Tunnel


The tunnel was a grim place, littered with several large bones in the first corridor.  Not helping was the large monster in their way called a Darkface.

"What is that thing?"

"Whatever it is, let's get it!"

"WAIT!"

"What?"

"Given our current size, we can't take on any monsters with physical attacks.  You have to use magic spells against them."

"Seriously?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"'Fraid so."

It was decided; Twilight and Arc each cast a Fire spell upon the monster.  It turned out to be much weaker than any other monsters as it was easily blown by the two magic users' attacks.  And so, Twilight and Arc's skills as mages increased.  Upon crawling through the dungeon, the party faced several more Darkfaces, sometimes accompanied by leprechauns.  After their last battle, Twilight's body began to glow.  When it stopped, Twilight found that she had regained her wings once again.

"Did... did she just...?"

"Eeyup!  Now she's back to bein' an alicorn!" said Applejack, proudly.

Twilight awkwardly rubbed her hoof.

"Well, let's press on," she said.

Our heroes finally exited the tunnel and entered the Myraluka Valley; there, they went back into their regular size and went into yet another cave-like area.




Vikings' Cove


Traveling through the cave, the party encountered several humans dressing in winged helmets and armor.  Along the way they collected treasures to help them in their quest.  Near the end of the cave, they encountered who was presumably the leader of the vikings.

"Are you in charge here?" asked Spike.

"Yes, I run things around--" he said, turning around and seeing Spike.

"A dragon!!"

"No no no!  He's our friend."

"Your... friend?" he asked reluctantly.

"Yeah!"

Lower his weapons, the viking said, "My apologies...  It's just that...  Well, ever since this sea dragon appeared and destroyed most of our ships, there hasn't really been that much to run."

"How can we help?" asked Luneth.

"Hmm...  You look capable adventurers.  If you can somehow defeat the dragon, our best ship, the Enterprise, is all yours!"

"Really?  Promise?"

"Promise--viking's honor!  If you come back alive, that is..."

"Oh, we'll make it back alright!" Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"I wouldn't be overconfident if I were you, Rainbow," said Refia.

"To be honest...  I'm not sure these little creatures can help."

"Oh, yeah?!" said Rainbow.  "You just wait!"

The others sighed.

"Why is that Rainbow Dash has to be the impatient one and almost gets in trouble for it?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know, Twilight.  I don't know," said Rarity.

"But we'll still prove it," said Applejack.




Later...


"What exactly are we going to do?" asked Rainbow Dash.

*ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARR!!!*

"We've got to do something about this Nepto Dragon, quickly," said Luneth.

"Yeah..."

"No sudden movements, alright, Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight's question was unanswered, for Rainbow was no longer with the group at that moment.

"Rainbow?  RAINBOW?!"

"Oh, no..." said Applejack.

To their horror, the group saw Rainbow Dash attempting to fight the large sea dragon, only for her to be knocked back near the exit to the Vikings' Cove.  The group rushed over to her side and carried her back to the Inn.

Later that day, Rainbow Dash regained consciousness and found her fellow Equestrians giving her the evil eye.  Rarity calmly walked toward the bed and took a deep breath; Rainbow gulped, feeling she was about to be lectured harshly.

"Rainbow Dash, dear," said Rarity.  "Have you forgotten the very first time we'd faced a dragon before?"

"No..."

"Then let me ask you:  WHY IN THE NAME OF FAUST DID YOU DARE TO REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE?!"

The cyan pegasus could only lower her head in shame.

"Just as I thought..." Rarity said in a disappointed tone.

"Rainbow," said Twilight.  "Stick.  With.  Us.  OKAY?!"

"Okay, okay!" said Rainbow Dash, rubbing her ears.

"Let's head into that cave."

"Alright."




Nepto Shrine


"WHOA!!"

As they entered the chamber, the group came face-to-face with a large dragon head!

"Is that thing alive?"

"If it is, it's probably sleeping," Rarity replied.

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone turned their attention to Applejack.

"Ah'm pretty sure that's a statue.  Right?"

They looked towards it once more and found that, yes, it was indeed a statue of a dragon.  Only, this dragon was missing an eye.

Observing the mouth of the statue, Arc said, "It looks like this hole goes on for a bit.  We could squeeze in there if we use Mini."

"I agree," said Twilight.

"Me, too," Pinkie added.

"Likewise," said Ingus.

They went into the statue's mouth and found themselves on a path high above floating water; they followed the path and soon discovered on opposite ends two staircases.  The group separated with the humans going down on the left and the Equestrians on the right.  Luneth and his group entered a small area and opened two treasure chests which contained a Shell Helmet and Shell Armor, helping to increase their defenses.  After finding nothing else of interest, they went back the stairs and went to catch up with the ponies and dragon.

The Equestrians found only one treasure chest, opened it, and obtained a Serpent Sword.

"You think this might handle that big guy out there?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Ah dunno, sugarcube," said Applejack.  "But at least we got something good here."

"There you are!"

The Equestrians looked and saw the humans catch up.  With the party reunited, they proceeded to move forward and descend even further into the shrine.  Before they could reach the stairs, however, they were waylaid by a pair of Blood Worms.

"I've got this!  Stand back!"

Desch stepped forward and unleased a powerful Thundara spell on the two monsters, destroying them.  With the Blood Worms defeated, our heroes went down the stairs and found themselves on the the fourth level, turning left in a long corridor taking them to a large chamber (given their current size).

In the chamber, a large rat appeared before our heroes' eyes, guarding a red gem identical to the eye of the dragon statue.

"That's one big rat," remarked Pinkie Pie.

"We can see that," Twilight said, making the pink pony giggle.  "What is it now?"

"You just said a rhyme."

"Forget that, Pinkie.  Let's get him!" said Rainbow Dash.

"SQUEEEAK!!  Who you be?"

The Equestrians gasped.

"It talked!" Spike cried.

"You no take shiny, squeak!"

The large rat lunged at Spike and sank its fangs into Spike, poisoning the little dragon.  Twilight took out an antidote and immediately cured her friend before he could even succumb to its deadly effects.  Now furious, the ponies charged at the giant rodent with Applejack giving it two strong kicks from her hind legs.  Arc cast a powerful Fira spell, greatly injuring it.  Luneth slashed it twice his sword.

During the battle, the Equestrians thought to themselves:  what would happen if Fluttershy were with them at that moment?  Would she use her Stare against this beast?

The rat collapsed, no longer able to fight, granting our heroes a well-earned victory.  Luneth stepped forward and grabbed the gem and upon inspecting it, discovered that it was indeed the missing Nepto Eye!

"That was pretty rough," said Applejack.

As soon as our heroes came out of the statue's mouth, Twilight undid the Mini spell and the party grew back to their normal size.  Luneth proceeded to place the missing eye in the socket.

"There!" Luneth said.

"You have done well, Warriors of the Light," said a mysterious voice.

"Huh?  Who said that?" asked Twilight.

"I am the Nepto Dragon, guardian of the seas.  I thank you for returning my missing eye.  The eye is more than a simple gem--it is my soul.  Without it, my physical manifestation, the dragon, could not be controlled."

"That explains why the dragon was acting wildly," Ingus said.

"Yes...  And now that I am whole once more, I may rest in peace and watch over these waters...  However, the water itself has lost its light.  Someone created the great earthquake, and the light was pulled into the depths of the nether..."

That earthquake again... Twilight thought to herself.  Just why would someone want to do such a thing?

"Warriors of Light, ponies and dragon, I will bestow upon you the Fang of Water.  It will infuse you with new powers that will allow you to overcome new challenges."

"Ooh, new powers!" said Pinkie.

"Now you must go forth, and recover the light..."

"We... we did it!"

"Let's get back to Vikings' Cove."

Before they could get into the forest, two Basilisks appeared.

"Uh-oh!" said Desch.

"Oh, no!  Not Basilisks!" Rainbow cried.  "I don't wanna be turned to stone!"

"Don't worry, we've got Golden Needles," Pinkie Pie reassured them.

"I don't think these things can do that, so we're safe somewhat.  But they can put us to sleep!"

"Oh..."

After dealing with the wild lizards, the party pressed on and returned to the cove.




Vikings' Cove


"We're here!"

"Welcome back!  We vikings will never forget what you have done this day!  As promised, the Enterprise is yours!  Take it and sail forth, young heroes.  May the wind guide you!"

"Thank you," said Arc.

"I believe I owe each of you an apology," he said, addressing the Equestrians.  "I doubted you, and yet you still conquered the Nepto Shrine and calmed the dragon."

"Apology accepted," said Twilight.  "Before we go out into the world, though, I think we should take a rest."

"Likewise," Luneth agreed.

"Yeah.  I think we deserve it," said Spike.

"No problem.  The inn is right over there," said the viking leader.

"Thank you."

The party went in the direction of the inn, checked in for the night, and closed their eyes.




The next morning...


Heading outside the cove, our heroes discovered their new vessel, the Enterprise, docked near the shore and boarded it.  Where the second Crystal lay was still unknown, but there was still hope...
> Chapter 7:  Gulgan Gulch and the Tower of Owen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The wind was calm, as calm it could be with the power of the Crystal.  The waters, too, were tranquil, thanks to the efforts of the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light, calming the Nepto Dragon.  Aboard the Enterprise, our heroes looked all around taking in the sights they could see and feel the cold breeze blowing in their faces.

"So, where to?" asked Luneth, as he was steering the ship.

"Ooh, ooh, me, me, me, me!" Pinkie Pie said repeatedly as she waved her hoof again and again.

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"Let's try this little town, right here!"

The rest of the group looked to where Pinkie was pointing on the map:  it was a small village several miles southwest of the Nepto Shrine.

"Looks like we might need some more information," said Twilight.

"Let's go!"

*music fades out*

Before they could continue, two monsters emerged from the sea.

"Are those...?"

"They look like..."

"No way...!"

"SEA PONIES?!"

"What?!"

"I know!" Pinkie said.  "I'm not sure if sea ponies exist in our home, or whatnot, but I think we'll run into them pretty soon on another adventure at some point."

The rest of the group again looked at Pinkie Pie, thinking she had finally lost her sanity.

"I don't think these things are friendly... or sentient!" said Twilight.

"We've got no choice," said Ingus.

The sea creatures--known as Tangies--glared at the party as they roared.  The effects of the glare caused Pinkie Pie's eyes to grow heavy, as she suddenly yawned and lay herself on the deck.

"Pinkie, this is no time for a nap!" Rainbow reprimanded.

"It's not her fault," said Ingus, who averted his eyes.  "Apparently, these beasts are to blame.  If they glare at you, there's a chance that they will put you to sleep, just as they did our friend."

"WHAT?!"

"Let's get 'em!" said Rainbow Dash, her eyes closed.

As she charged towards the sea monsters, however, they quickly dodged.  Realizing she missed her targets, Rainbow immediately went back and knocked one of them in the back headfirst.

"Pinkie, wake up," said Twilight.

"I didn't want to do this, but," said Refia.  "Please forgive me, Pinkie."  The white mage knelt before the pink earth pony and flicked her on the ear.

"Who, what, where, how, why?"

Pinkie Pie instantly woke up and looked all around.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie," said Refia.

"That's alright; I kinda really needed that."

Now awake, the pink mare closed her eyes and chanted an incantation.  Curious, the monsters tilted their heads.

"Thundara!!" she shouted.  The spell struck the Tangies, one of them fell to the sea.  The other growled and attempted to lunge at Pinkie, who jumped straight up into the sky.  Luneth then finished it off with his sword, our heroes emerging victorious.

With the creatures defeated, the group decided to take a rest, dropped the anchor, and began to nurse their wounds.  Afterwards, the ponies leaned toward the deck and surveyed the area.  While the others observed their surroundings, Desch felt his head beginning to throb in pain.  He placed his hand on his forehead, hoping to ease the pain.

"Desch?"

"It...  It's nothing," he said.

"Okay..."

Raising the anchor, the Enterprise made its way to the Tokkul area.

"Well our first stop has to be this village.  Come on, everyone."

The party agreed and stopped the ship, disembarked and approached the nearest village...




Tokkul


As our heroes went closer, they saw that the village had apparently been either abandoned or destroyed by a horrible storm.

"Wow..."

The village looked as if it had been attacked by a storm or a warship.

"Ah'll be sayin' it:  this place has seen much better days," said Applejack.

"You're right about that," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"What a dismal village," Rarity added.  "Wouldn't you agree, Pinkie Pie?"

To everyone's surprise, the pink earth pony was nowhere to be seen!

"Pinkie?!" said Luneth.

"PINKIE PIE?!" the Equestrians shouted.

"Oh, where could that pony have gone to, now?!" Spike complained.

"Hi, guys!"

The group screamed.

"How many times do I have to tell you?  Don't.  DO THAT!!" Twilight scolded.

After several minutes of investigating, none of the heroes could find anything worthwhile.




Village of the Ancients


"Wow..."

Luneth approached a villager near the item shop.

"Excuse us," he said.

The villager turned his attention.

"We're the Warriors of Light, and we're looking for the nearest crystal."

"Oh, my goodness!" he said.

"Is there anywhere where we can find the next Crystal?"

"There is," the villager replied.  "There is, however, a task you must undertake before continuing your journey."

"And what would that be?" asked Desch.

"You must go to the Tower of Owen, for if it falls, this entire continent will fall from the sky!"

*music fades out*

After a few minutes of silence...

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh...  WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Did you just say this continent will... FALL?!"

"Does that mean...  WE'RE HIGH IN THE SKY NOW?!"

"B-But that doesn't make any sense whatsoever!  I mean, how do you explain there being water?!  How can there be a river if..."

Twilight felt as if her mind came to a crashing halt.  She then took out the map and realized.

"Look at this!"

Rainbow looked hard and asked.  "Wh-What am I looking at?"

"This!  It's a shadow!  A shadow of this WHOLE CONTINENT!!"

Refia placed her hand in front of her mouth.

"So...  It's true..."

"Ah...  Ah feel like ah need to lay down..."

Before she knew it, Applejack fell to the ground.

"Applejack!"




One hour later...


"...plejack?"

"...Applejack...?"

"Huh...?  Twilight?  Rainbow?"

Applejack's vision began to focus when suddenly...

"WAKEY WAKEY, APPLEJACK!!"

The orange earth pony jolted in surprise and let out a startled yell.

"Oopsies!" said Pinkie Pie.

"'Oopsies?'  Really?" said Luneth.

Applejack shook her head and rubbed her cheek with her hoof.

"Sorry 'bout that, everyone.  Ah just... felt a little shocked there, what with the fact that we're REALLY HIGH UP IN THE SKY NOW!"

"Calm down, Applejack," said Twilight.  "You're not the only one.  I'm still trying to wrap that around that my head, as well."

"Likewise," Rainbow Dash added.

"Like they said, all of us," said Luneth.

"Now that you're awake, A.J., let's get goin'," said Rainbow.

"I think we need to pay a visit to this forest..."

Agreeing with Twilight's suggestion, the group began to move north, when suddenly...

"Gorgons?!"

"That is just great," Rainbow sighed in annoyance.

"What?  Wait a minute!"

"These things don't look like gorgons!" said Twilight.

"Yeah," Pinkie added.  "Usually gorgons are like half-woman, half-snake and if they stare you down, you get turned to stone."

"True," said Ingus.  "They may not petrify us, but they can still be dangerous."

One of the creatures lunged towards Refia who then kicked it on the chin.  Twilight then blasted the other with a burst of magic.  Ingus then blew the other gorgon away with the new Blizzara spell.

With the gorgons defeated, the path to the mysterious forest was clear.



Once they entered the forest, the ponies encountered a familiar species.

"It... it's..."

The group smiled looking at the yellow creatures frolicking throughout.

"Well, bless my heart and soul.  It's a group o' Chocobos!"

"Kweh!"

With their new avian escorts, our heroes safely moved towards their new destination:  Gulgan Gulch, home of the blind seers.




Gulgan Gulch


Upon entering the area, they noticed a group of elderly men standing in a circle.  They were wearing green robes with collars that only reached the lower backs of their heads.

"They must be..."

"Are you the ones who predicted our arrival here?" asked Twilight.

"Correct, Princess Twilight."

The ponies gasped.

"So, it's true.  You do know us.  But how?"

The first of the Gulgans stood up.  From what they could see, the Gulgans seemed blind.

"We had received visions, you see.  Visions of color equines traveling with human warriors to save other worlds and making new friends along the way."

"You had even vanquished four great evils, banished a ruthless creature to her domain, and fought against an evil empire to save your infant niece.  Your true home is a world inhabited by ponies, and built on friendship and harmony."

The heroes stood in amazement, but none more so, than the four youths with them.

"You... did all that?"

"Well, not all of us..."

"Friendship and harmony," said Arc.

"That sounds lovely."

"But..."

Emperor Mateus' words still haunted Twilight even now, along with the nightmares of Equestria's doom.

"There's something we'd like to know for sure."

"Go ahead, my dear."

The purple pony took in a deep breath and then exhaled.

"Is what the villagers saying about this continent true?  That it's floating above the rest of this world?"

"It is," said one Gulgan.  "And the continent is in great peril, for the Tower of Owen is under enemy occupation, and you must save it."

"No... no way..." said Rainbow Dash in disbelief.

"Use this spell, and enter the Tower of Owen to the north.  Desch, your destiny awaits..."

The scroll that was handed to Luneth contained the Toad spell, which, needless to see, turns whoever the spell targets into a toad, much to the disdain of both Rarity and Refia.

"The Tower of Owen is filled with machinery.  That is where Desch's destiny awaits."

"You said the exact same thing ten seconds ago," said Rainbow.

"We're not really going to use that... spell, are we?" asked Refia.

"Oh, I certainly hope not, darling.  I can't stand being a slimy amphibian for who knows how long!" said Rarity.

"It's not slime, Rarity.  It's mucus!" Twilight replied.

"Please, don't correct on that, Twilight.  If anything, it just makes the thought sound even more revolting!"




Tower of Owen


"So, here we are."

"Are those frogs?" asked Spike.

"Yes, Spike, those are frogs," Luneth replied.  "I think..."

Several pugmen appeared blocking our heroes.

Rarity's body began to glow, and when it was over, she found her horn protruding from her head once again.

"Oh, thank heavens!" she said.

When they reached the corner.

"Time to take a dip?" said Desch.

"Well, we can't dive too deep in there... unless we were toads or something," Luneth retorted.

"Ugh...  I think I've said this before, but...  I hate toads!  Don't turn me into one!"

"Likewise," Rarity agreed, turning her head to the side and sticking her nose up high.

"I don't like the idea of turning into toads, either," said Twilight.  "But I don't think we have much of a choice."

With one glow of her horn, Twilight transformed herself and the rest of the party into toads.  Letting out a croak, she led the others down the drain and into the next floor.  As soon as they went in, they croaked at each other, leaving Twilight to undo the spell and turn back into their regular forms.

"Let us never speak of this again," said Rarity.

"Agreed," said Refia.

"I welcome you to the Tower of Owen... and your doom!"

"Who's there?!"

Going up to the next level, they opened a chest and took out the echo herbs.

The next level, the same voice from earlier let out an evil chuckle, sending chills down the Equestrians' spines.

"You will never find your way through this place!"

"Oh, yeah?  Why don't you show yourself, huh?!" Rainbow retorted.

"Such a feisty little thing..."

Rainbow growled.  You just wait, whoever you are... she thought.

Our heroes reached the top floor of the tower and encountered a disembodied head near the power source.

"Eek!" screamed Pinkie Pie.

The scream altered the creature to our heroes' presence, and as it turned around, its eyes were completely shut.

"So, it is you who seek to restore the Crystal's of Light....  Under the orders of Master Xande, I, Medusa, shall destroy this tower and send this entire continent crashing to the world below!"

"'Xande?'  'Medusa?'  Nice names."

"You dare mock me and my master?!"

Rainbow stood silent.  Pinkie, on the other hand, or hoof...

"Ooh, I bet you've got plenty of tricks for us, like maybe turning us to stone, and laughing at our miserable state, and--"

"Pinkie!" Twilight scolded.

"And this master of yours, is he responsible for the earthquake?" Luneth inquired.

"You will have enough time to ponder the question where you will end up!  DIE!!"

The floating gorgon head opened her eyes and began to turn Twilight to stone.

"NOT AGAIN!!" she shouted, before becoming completely petrified.

"Twilight!!" the Equestrians yelled in unison.

Using a Golden Needle, Applejack was quickly able to bring her lavender friend back to normal.  The others quickly averted/closed their eyes.  Rainbow quickly charged at Medusa, who dodged.  The cyan pegasus landed straight onto the wall.  Groaning in pain, she got back up and snorted.

"You're not gettin' away with this!" she declared.  She made to attack the gorgon once more, this time her attack connected.

"You FOOL!!"

One of Medusa's snake-like strands of her grabbed Rainbow Dash and tossed her to the floor.

"Arc!" said Applejack.  "Ya have somethin' that can help us?!"

"I-I'll try..." the little boy began chanting... and then... "THUNDARA!!"

"Cura!"

Rainbow was healed thanks to Refia.

A large bolt of lightning struck Medusa from above, and she screeched in pain.

"FIRA!!" Pinkie shouted.

Large flames consumed the evil creature, nearly bringing her to the brink.

"This... this cannot be...!"

Medusa let out one final scream as she felt the life leave her being.  With the wicked gorgon vanquished, our heroes looked toward the core and pondered what to do next.  Sensing his memories' return, Desch approached the core.

"Desch!  Don't too close!" Refia warned.  "The fire...  It looks like it's going to blow up!"

"Get away from there!" said Luneth.

"I...  I finally remember..."

"Desch?" said a worried Refia.

"I was the guardian of this very tower!"

The group reacted in shock as their eyes widened at this news.  Once again, fate had played its hand.

"That's right.  I'm an 'Ancient,' as you would call us.  I was asleep for a very long time.  I was supposed to awaken when this tower was in danger."  He then turned to face the group.  "I guess I slept too long.  Took me forever to remember my task."

"I'm glad your memory's back," said Twilight.  "But what we do now?"

"The damage is extensive... but it's not too late."

"Desch?" Refia said worriedly.

"At this rate, the floating continent will be flung away from the sun...  The negative effects on its inhabitants are unimaginable..."

Worried about the situation, our heroes wondered if there was anything they could do to stop the crisis.  At that point, Desch said something that would shock them greatly.

"I'll go inside and try to stabilize the tower."

*music stops*

"Wh...  WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"What in tarnation are ya sayin'?!" Applejack shouted.

"I thank you for everything you've done for me.  And... it was fun being with you guys."

"But... but... what about Salina?!  She's still waiting for you!" Rarity argued.

The utterance of that name gave him brief pause.  Still not looking back, he said, "Tell her...  I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with her...  But...  This is my destiny..."

"Desch!  Stop!!" Rainbow argued.

"NO, DESCH!!" Pinkie yelled.

"I won't forget any of you...  Good-bye."

"Desch, no!" Luneth cried.

"Stop!!"

But it was too late; their friend jumped inside and, to their knowledge, perished.  The ground rumbled, knocking our heroes unconscious.



Sometime later, the group opened their eyes and found themselves aboard a familiar vessel.

"Is this...?"

"The Enterprise?  Did Desch send us here...?"

"That... IDIOT!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed.  "What the hay was he THINKING??!!"

Pinkie Pie lowered her head to the ground, her puffy mane deflating.

"Look!" Arc pointed out.  "The maelstrom's weakening!  We can get out!"

Sure enough, the storm that blocked our heroes' path dissipated completely.

"We are in Desch's debt," said Ingus.

"Desch...  Please be safe," said Refia solemnly.

The rest of the group bowed their heads, hoping that Desch survived, despite what appeared to be his demise.  The heroes then made their way to the dwarfs' island...




Fluttershy's Cottage


One night, Fluttershy was tossing and turning in her sleep...

"We shall engulf Equestria as we did the realm of Light.

All shall be sent to the Void!"



"AAAAAAAH!!"

Panting, a panicked Fluttershy looked around and heard a whimper come from outside.

"Randi?  Is that you?"

The yellow pegasus pony exited her house and found her Chocobo friend shivering in fear.  She approached him slowly, trying not to frighten the bird.

"Randi?"

Randi jolted and let out a fearful cry.

"Randi?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"Kweh... kweh..."

It didn't take long for Fluttershy to understand what sort of dream the avian experienced.  She placed her hoof around him and embraced him protectively.

"Oh, Randi..."

She looked up towards the night sky and wondered for her friends' safety once more.  It was decided then that she would take the next train to the Crystal Empire, whenever that would be...
> Chapter 8: Gutsco the Rogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In spite of saving the Tower of Owen and the Floating Continent, our heroes felt their victory to be empty since Desch had to sacrifice himself to keep the tower stable.

Twilight let out a sigh of sadness.  "What now?"

Everyone turned to her.

"How can we face Salina and tell her?"

No one had can answer to that, not even Applejack.  She could only let a sigh of guilt for not stopping him.

The group had no choice but to go through what was once blocked by a maelstrom until they reached a small town on the edge of the Floating Continent.




Gysahl


"What is this?" a villager near the magic shop cried.  "Little colored ponies?  And children?"

"Yeah?  So what?!" said an indignant Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded.

"K-Keep away from me!"

"Hold on there, fella," said Applejack.  "We don't mean ya harm.  We're just honest travelers lookin' for a Crystal."

"Crystal?"

"Eeyup."

"Sorry, I don't know anything about Crystals."

"Ya sure?"

"Yes.  I'm really, really sorry."

The group looked despondent.

"Where is this anyway?" asked Luneth.

"This is Gysahl, home of the Gysahl greens."

"Gysahl greens?  Ah think Fluttershy must've said somethin' about that," Applejack pondered.

"Yeah!" said Pinkie Pie.  "I think she said that her Chocobo friend Randi likes that.  So it has to be a favorite food of his, as well as other Chocobos of course."

Just then, Rainbow Dash let out a heavy yawn.

"I'm gettin' sleepy.  How 'bout you guys?"

"Yes, I do believe we should all turn in for the night," Ingus agreed.

"Me, too," said Luneth.

"Oh, the inn's just north of here," the villager directed.

"Thank you," said Refia.

The party went to the inn as directed and checked in.  They had some trouble with the staff due to the fact that several party members weren't even human, but after some talk about their journey and their recent hardships, the innkeeper gave in and granted special permission for the Equestrians.

"Good night, everybody.  See you in the morning!" said Twilight.



Twilight's eyes opened.  Once again, she found herself in a dream.

Please be a good dream, she told herself repeatedly.  Wandering through an empty void, she began to call out for her friends.  But no response had come.  She tried again.

"Spike!!  Rainbow?  Applejack!  Pinkie!  Rarity!"

No answer.

"Luneth!  Arc?  Refia!  Ingus?!"

Just then a new voice was heard, but it wasn't any of her friends.

"Twilight Sparkle..." it called in a hushed whisper.  Twilight could feel a sense of dread upon hearing it.  "Twilight Sparkle!"

The alicorn gasped at the figure she saw.  Although shrouded in darkness, it appeared to be humanoid.  "Prepare yourself for the coming of the void..."

The next she thing she saw was Equestria cast into eternal darkness.  And then...  To her horror, all of her friends were dead.



"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

Twilight's scream woke the rest of the party up.

"Twilight!  Twilight!!"

The lavender alicorn gasped and panted, looking around.

"I'm sorry, everyone.  I didn't mean to scare you..."

Refia held Twilight closely.

"It's alright, Twilight.  It's over."

"Thank you."

"Where's Spike?"

They all looked around for the purple dragon until they heard voices coming from the other end of the hallway.  They walked over to see Spike speaking with an elderly, bearded man.

"Spike?"

"Oh, hey everypon--er, everybody," Spike corrected himself.  "I was just talkin' with this guy here about the monsters we've faced."

"Why?"

"Well, lookie here," said the old man.

"What's this?"

"A bestiary."

"Hey, wait a minute.  I saw Spike her working on a similar work back home in Ponyville."

"Ponyville, eh?  That your home?"

"Yep."

"Well, it's been nice meeting ya kids.  Take care!"

"Alright."

The group checked out of the inn and left for the magic shop, purchasing several Blizzaga scrolls, which would later be read by Twilight, Arc, and Pinkie.  The shopkeeper was wary of having to sell his spells to non-human creature but still treated them as civilly as possible.

As she and the others left the village, Twilight let out a great sigh.  She knew that the nightmare she had last night was the worst one yet.  Stepping aboard the Enterprise, our heroes set sail for the home of the dwarfs who would guide them to the Crystal of Fire.




Dwarven Hollows


"Excuse us," said Twilight.

"Lali-ho!"

"Gutso the Rogue has stolen our ice horns!"

"So..."

"Aye, if you want our help, you must retrieve our ice horn!"

"Alright.  We'll do it!" said Twilight.

Our heroes then descend to the bottom of the hollows discovering a lake, and according to the dwarf, had to use their "amphibious" abilities.

"That dwarf... didn't imply what I think he did, did he?" asked the nervous Refia.

"I believe so," said Twilight.

"Well, what are we waitin' around for?  Let's head in!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah!" Luneth replied.

"Must we become TOADS AGAIN?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I can't stand feeling slimy," said Refia.

"For your information, it's mucus, not slime," Twilight corrected, though it did little to calm the two white mages.

"I don't mind!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Let's just go, okay?" said Applejack.

With one flash, Twilight transformed herself and her friends into toads once more.




Underground Lake


The Equestrians let out a gasp of awe as they stepped into the cave.

"It's so lovely." said Refia.

Twilight then undid the Toad spell, allowing everyone to turn back into their regular forms.

"Ribbit."

Rarity and Refia shrieked.  They then found out it was Spike.

"Sorry," he said.

"Please, Spikey-wikey.  Don't ever do that again," Rarity pleaded.

Rainbow couldn't help but snicker, only to step when she saw Refia looming over her, arms crossed and with a cross look.

"Heh heh heh...  Let's move on."

The group moved from the entrance crossed the suspension bridge; before they could cross the next bridge, they felt as if they were being followed.  Turning around, the Equestrians were shocked to see they wer ambushed by familiar looking creatures... creatures that had the shape of fireballs with fangs!

"Oh, no!  BOMBS!!" Twilight shouted.

"Mind fillin' us in, Twilight?  Spike?" said Applejack.

"Have you not read Spike's bestiary, Applejack?!" Rarity scolded.  "These monsters have a tendency to self-destruct when they're on the verge of defeat!"

Of the children, it was Luneth and Arc who recoiled.

"Then we need to take care of these things.  And fast!"

Just before the last Bomb could explode, Ingus easily launched it away.

"Whew, that was a close one," said Rainbow.

"I didn't wanna even think about those things again," said Spike.

"Let's move on," said Luneth.

With the Bombs gone, our heroes crossed the second bridge and opened a treasure chest; it contained a Gold Needle.  They then went down the stairs, followed the path to another staircase.  Spike leaned against one of the walls, completely exhausted.

"Do we even know what this Gutsco guy looks like?"

"We will see him when we continue our search," Ingus reassured.

The party gasped in awe as they approached the fourth floor of the dungeon.  The entire area was surrounded by pure water.  Pinkie looked at her reflection and waved happily.  The Equestrians smiled while rolling their eyes, and continued onto the path.  At the end, they finally found the enemy they sought:  Gutsco the Rogue.  He was a pale-skinned muscular man wearing nothing but a yellowish orange loincloth, and wrapped around his body, from his right leg to the left arm was a large snake.

"So, those dwarfs sent little kids and cute little horses and a lizard after me?" the thief chuckled.  "What a joke!"

"No," said Luneth.  "We're not leaving without that horn!"

"You just go away, little brats!  Scat, skittle, skibobble!  The horn is MINE!  MINE, I TELL YOU!"

"Oh yeah?" said Rainbow Dash.

"So, you can talk."

"So what?"

"I'm not about to let some stupid little brats and their stupid little horse friends everything for me."

Rainbow Dash growled in frustration.  "We.  Are.  Not.  Horses.  We.  Are.  PONIES!!  P-O-N-I-E-S!  PONIES!!  GOT IT?!"

"Not that it matters," the bandit scoffed.  "Ready to die?"

"Not today!"

Luneth charged first, but the thief quickly jumped to the side, dodging the attack.  However, he didn't see a certain rainbow-maned pegasus fly towards him; Rainbow Dash flew headfirst into the man's torso, crashing into the water.

The bandit was furious.  He then noticed Pinkie Pie chanting an incantation and tried to make a move, but...

"Blizzara!" the pink earth pony shouted.  Gutsco found himself at the mercy of the cold icicles headed his way, and they surrounded him, the icicles shattered leaving him in great pain.

At that point, Gutsco began to fade away into nothingness, allowing our heroes to retrieve the Horn of Ice.

"Now let's get back to the dwarfs," said Applejack.

Everyone nodded and went back the way they came, but they didn't notice a strange shadow following them to the cave...




Dwarven Hollows


"Lali-ho!  Lali-ho!  Thank you for returning the horn!"

"It was nothing," Rainbow bragged much to her friends' annoyance.

"Put it back on the shrine, beside the other!  I'll take down the ward!  Here we go, lali-ho!"

With those words, the protective barrier around the shrine vanished, allowing our heroes access.

"You can approach the shrine now, and put the horn back where it belongs!"

The group did so, still unaware of the shadow's presence.  Once Luneth put the horn on the pedastal, a haughty laugh echoed throughout the chamber.

"I was disguised as your shadow!  Thanks for leading me up onto the shrine!"

"Oh, no..." said Rarity.

"It couldn't be, could it?" asked a scared Pinkie.

They turned around and much to their horror, a familiar foe revealed himself on top of the pedastal!

"GUTSCO!!"

"Now both horns are mine!" he cackled.

"Wha...?  How'd you do that?!  And why do you keep stealing the horns in the first place?!" Luneth shouted.

"Ha!  You silly twits!" the thief taunted.  "These are the Horns of Ice, wards against the Fire Crystal's flames!"

"The... Fire Crystal...?!" asked Spike.

"That's right, little dragon.  They are the key to the tunnel leading to the Crystal itself.  Now that I have both horns, the power of the Crystal of Fire is mine!  Mine!"

"Such power is not meant for a hoodlum as yourself!" said Rarity.

"And what do you intend to use it for?  Helping people in need?"

"That's right!"

"If you want the power, then follow me to the Molten Cave!" Gutsco laughed.

As the thief ran off, the party gave chase; there was no telling what would happen if Gutsco laid his hands on the Crystal.




Molten Cave


Upon entering the cave, the ponies were immediately reminded of the stepping inside the volcano Mount Gulug.  Like before, Twilight cast an anti-heat spell on the group as they moved forward.

On the second floor, the ponies discovered a chest.  Opening it, they obtained an Ice Blade.

"Is that what I think it is?" Spike asked fearfully.

"A water... no, uh... LAVAFALL?!"

It was a good thing Twilight cast her anti-heat spell, so without the threat of horrible burns gone, they went through and acquired some hi potions along the way before heading down to the next level.  There, the group split with the young human children heading north while the Equestrians took the western path.  There wasn't much in the western end, since the Equestirans only found a potion, so they rejoined their companions up north.

"What's this?" asked Luneth.  He pushed the stone, revealing a hidden doorway.

"This must be it," said Twilight.

"Let's do it!" said Rainbow Dash.

As they opened the door, they finally entered the crystal chamber.  There stood the Crystal of Fire in all its beauty...  And in front of it, was Gutsco.

"What do ya think yer doin'?!" Applejack shouted.

"Isn't it obvious, cowgirl?  I've already gained unlimited power with these horns!  The Fire Crystal is mine!!  And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Oh, please," said Luneth.  "We've beaten you once, we can do it again!"

"Yeah!"

Right in front of their eyes, Gutsco had transformed into a dragon.

"A dragon?  Really?" said an incredulous Rainbow Dash.

The dragon then attempted to chomp down on Pinkie Pie who jumped over its head.

"Missed me!"

He then attempted to attack Rainbow Dash, though she too had escaped harm.

"Hey!  Over here!"

The dragon turned to Luneth, charging headfirst.

"Luneth!  What are you doing?!" said Arc.

"You fool!  Stop!" Ingus shouted.

It was too late; Luneth was swept to the walls.  Twilight levitated him and healed the boy with her magic.  Arc, seeing this, felt a deepening anger within him and proceeded to cast several ice spells on the enemy.  The Salamander barely stumbled and was able to fight back.

"Take this!" said Rarity, throwing a rock with a nearby rock with her levitation spell.

"One last spell:  Blizzaga!"

Arc's attack had done it; the wicked Salamander, Gutsco the Rogue had fallen.  The villain collapsed with a look of great shock on his face, one that would stay forever.  The group noticed the horns falling from their enemy's grasp and retrieved them.

When they reached the Crystal of Fire, our heroes once again felt the warmth of the light emanating from it.

"Warriors of the Light...  Visitors from Equestria..."

"I will bless you with the light contained within my eternal flames.  Bringers of equilibrium...  You must restore the light of hope lost from this world..."

Closing their eyes and basking in the warmth, they felt new positions.

Luneth had seen himself as a geomancer.  Arc believed himself wearing the attire of a ranger complete with cap and feather.  Refia found herself as a knight.  Ingus imagined himself as a scholar.

As for the ponies...  The intelligent Twilight Sparkle found herself as a scholar.  Rainbow Dash then imagined herself as a ranger being able to fire arrows.  Pinkie Pie, too, had chosen the ranger class.  Applejack somehow pictured herself in a suit of armor being called a knight.  Rarity who always had an eye for detail saw herself as a scholar.  Spike saw himself wearing a green bandana, which gave him the job of thief.

Opening their eyes, they all surveyed the situation.

"Wait a minute!  I'm a thief, now?!" said Spike.

"Well, you did kinda get greedy that one time, ya know?" Applejack said.

"And turned into a large adult dragon as a result?" Twilight added.

"It was just one time!"

"True!"

"Regardless," said Refia, "we've found and saved two of the four Crystals so far.  Which means..."

"We gotta find the other two," said Applejack.

"And if we can't find them here on this continent, then they must be..."

"Down below," Luneth realized.

"The surface world."

"But how do we get down there?  What can we even do?" asked Arc.

As they were about to exit the dungeon, Twilight, Refia, and Ingus turned to look sternly at Luneth.

"When we get back and puts these items back to their rightful place, we have a lot to discuss," said the purple alicorn.

Seeing how he had almost perished for his brashness, Luneth lowered his head in shame.

One by one, the party stepped onto the tile sending them back outside.



"Master..."

"Yes...?"

"The Crystal of Fire is saved... by those children and those strange creatures!"

"WHAT?!"

"It was them..."

"What shall we do, master?"

"Go to the other Crystals, and if those interlopers cross your way...  You know what to do."

"Yes, Master Xande..."
> Chapter 9:  Unrest in Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Meanwhile, back in Equestria...


As if it were a terrible disease, panic began to spread all across Equestria as the nightmares continued to invade the minds of its population and leave them fearful and worried.  Images of a dark, lifeless world invaded their thoughts and dreams.  And most terrifying of all, they all dreamed of several evil figures standing over them, sneering and laughing at their misery...




Ponyville Town Hall


Within the headquarters of Ponyville's government, Mayor Mare and her aids were swarmed with panicking citizens.

"Everypony, please.  Please! Calm down!" the mayor said.

"'Calm down?!'  CALM DOWN??!!'" one citizen shouted.  "How can you ask us to keep calm when we're still having these nightmares?!"

"You should know that it's Princess Luna's duty to clear away any nightmares you experience!  I'm just an elected official; I don't know how to handle this!" she replied.

"It's not just you citizens," said one of the guards.  "Some of us had restless nights as well.  From what I've heard, Her Highness Luna tried to fight off the source of these visions but was almost completely overwhelmed."

Another guard added, "And not only is Ponyville going through this, every city in Equestria is experiencing the same thing.  Think how they feel!"

Surrounded by angry complaints, the mayor could do little to cease the squabbling and arguments.



Outside, the Cutie Mark Crusaders--Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo--were discussing the recent experiences as of late.

"Ah dreamt that some big plant monster with rose petals around its body was tramplin' the fields and smashin' the farm!" Apple Bloom recalled.

"I saw a big, green, tentacled plant-thing poison everypony with its horrible breath!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"Scoots, what did you see? "

"There were some kind of... some kind of..." Scootaloo couldn't finish.  Although she didn't want to admit it, it was clear that whatever Scootaloo had seen in her nightmare was nothing short of terrifying.

"This is really serious, Apple Bloom," said Sweetie Belle.

"You're tellin' me," the yellow filly replied.  "I tried callin' out Princess Luna, but ah couldn't get to her!  It's almost like..."

"Like something's holding her back on purpose!" Scootaloo proclaimed.

"If ah'm right, our sisters are out travelin' with Rainbow Dash and the others to another world again."

"Yeah," Sweetie said.  "Maybe they can find whatever's keeping Princess Luna back."

"I hope so," said Scootaloo.

The three fillies began to close their eyes and pray that their sisters and friends make it through and solve this problem before it could get worse.

From the distance, Diamond Tiara and her close friend Silver Spoon saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders discussing recent events.  The two hugged one another, for they too had seen horrible things.  The former recalled that, in her sleep, she had encountered a strange round one-eyed monster with purple bat wings, screeching at her.  Silver Spoon recalled her dreams of facing a gold-colored, two-headed dragon.



Fluttershy quickly began gathering all necessary items for her trip to the Crystal Empire, bade her animal friends goodbye, and began to march towards the train station.  But first, she had to speak with somepony...  So she went all the way to the Ponyville Schoolhouse to speak with her.

"Miss Cheerilee, I've got to go to the Crystal Empire to see if my friends are alright.  Do you think you can take care of my animals?"

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," she said.  "But I have to go to a meeting with several parents considering my students' dreams.  Celestia knows I have trouble sleeping at night."

"You, too?"

Cheerilee nodded sorrowfully.

"Oh.  This is more serious than I thought.  I've got to go!  Oh, wait..."




Sweet Apple Acres


"If it's not too much trouble, um..."

Big Macintosh and Granny Smith tilted their heads, waiting for the yellow pegasus to finish her sentence.

"Could one of you do me a favor and... um... look after my animals friends please?"

"I'll do it," Big Mac answered.

"You willl?"

"Eeyup."

"Don't mind me, I'll just stay here takin' care of the kids," said Granny Smith.

"Thank you."

"I'll have to ask anypony else here to help harvestin' the apples," said Big Macintosh.

As Big Macintosh left, Fluttershy quickly ran towards the train station, purchased her ticket and went onboard the Friendship Express.

Please, please, please... she prayed to herself.
> Chapter 10: Save the Living Woods
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon defeating Gutsco the Rogue once and for all, the party members' strength, speed, skills and agility had increased once more.  But that did little to brighten Luneth's day, for he had endangered his own life and was about to receive a hard lecture on his actions.  It wasn't going to be easy for Twilight, Rarity, Refia or Ingus for that matter.  Arc wasn't looking forward to the lecture either.




Dwarven Hollows


"We've done it!" said Luneth.  "We got the Horns back!"

"Aye, good work, lads and lasses!"

The ponies made sure to watch their own shadows as well as those of the children's this time.  Seeing that there was no sign of abnormal shadows or foul magic, they went ahead and placed the Horns of Ice back to their rightful place.

"Now then..."

The group turned to a certain youth.

"Luneth," Refia said in a strict tone.

"What you've done back there in that cave nearly cost you your life."

"Not only that, but the rest of us could have injured as well, or worse," said Ingus.

"Oh, come on!"

They all turned to Rainbow Dash.

"Just give the kid a break, will ya?  Sure he was reckless and made a stupid mistake, but...  So am I, sometimes, you know? Even I did some stupid things," she admitted.

"Like the time ya kicked that big dragon in the snout, which almost got us killed?" said Applejack.

"What?" said Refia.

"You kicked a dragon... in the snout?" Ingus said incredulously.

"I wasn't thinking rationally, alright?!  Besides, I've made other... bigger and stupider mistakes," she said, hanging her head in shame.  "But enough about me.  Look at him."

They did, and from what they could tell, Luneth felt very ashamed and guilty for his actions.  Holding his arm with one hand, the boy looked away, but they could see his pained expression.  Twilight walked over to him.

"Just promise me--no, all of us--that you won't ever, EVER do something like that again, okay?"

Luneth put himself at his knees, looked the purple alicorn in the eyes and nodded his head.

"Promise," he said sincerely.

"Pinkie Promise?"

Luneth and the other young warriors looked to Pinkie Pie in confusion.

"Cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?"

He looked to the other Equestrians who urged him to make and keep that promise.  The other humans simply shrugged.

"Alright.  Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

What in the world is a cupcake? he thought to himself.

"Alright, so where's our next stop?" asked Spike.

"Remember Tokkul?"

"Oh, yeah..." said Rainbow.  "We didn't really do anything back there, let alone find some supplies."

"Before we do that, though..."

Pinkie's turn to speak came once more as she pulled out the map of the Floating Continent.

"How about we pay a visit to this place here?"

"A forest?" Applejack inquired.  "Ya think we'll find another herd of Chocobos there?  Ah'm all for hitchin' another ride, but we gotta focus on our journey."

"Applejack's right," Refia said.  "We can't get distracted."

"No no no no.  It's not like that.  Just trust me on this one; I know we might learn something."

The party did indeed remember visiting the inhabited village once before they left for Gulgan Gulch.




The Living Woods


"Why couldn't we have a place like this next to Fluttershy's house?" asked Spike.

"Welcome..."

"Hey, are those are what I think they are?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Fairies!" Rarity gasped.

"Never thought we'd see these creatures here," Twilight observed.

Just then, a wounded man limped toward the heroes.

"What happened?"

"Hein...  You must..."

The human fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"'Hein?"

"He was... the advisor for... King Ar...gus...  I was... a resident of the village of Tokkul...  Warriors... of the Light...  Please... stop..."

Before finishing his sentence, the man fell foward and breathed no more.

"Oh my goodness!"

Twilight and Refia looked at each other with horrified expressions and embraced one another.  The former then looked to the fairies.

"Can you see if... he gets a decent burial?"

"We will do so," one of them responded.

"Tokkul...  Let's see what we can find there."




Tokkul


Once they entered the village, the Warriors of Light were stricken by an unseen attack.  Unable to move a musckle, the group was then captured and taken away by mysterious soldiers.




Castle Hein


After a few minutes, Luneth was the first to regain consciousness.

"Ungh... Where are we?" he asked wearily.

Spike got up next, the rest of them thereafter.

"I don't like this," the baby dragon said, shuddering.

"We have been imprisoned," Ingus observed.  "Let us investigate the vicinity."

They nodded and looked all around them.  Our heroes observed several roots surrounding them, and the floor as well.  From what they could gather, they were inside a great tree.

"I cannot believe we've been captured," Rarity said with a sigh.

"Great.  Just great," Rainbow stated sarcastically.

"Come on, everypony!  We gotta get outta here and advance the plot!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"I have no idea what you're saying, Pinkie.  But you're right!  We need to escape," said Refia.

"This is..."

The group turned around and saw a knight staring at them.

"Young children, a small... dragon... and ponies?"

"Yeah...  That's right," Twilight confirmed.

"Where is this place?  And what are y'all doin' here?" asked Applejack.

"This... is Castle Hein."

They turned around again and found a man decorated in royal attire, wearing a crown atop his head.

"A...  Are you...?"

The man nodded.

"Yes...  I am King Argus.  I rule over the lands north of the desert.  That is to say, the king of an empty kingdom... now that Hein has cursed my soldiers into doing his bidding.  I had placed my trust in him...  His betrayal cannot be forgiven," he stated, coughing afterwards.

"Are... are you alright, Your Majesty?" Twilight asked.

He looked down and was mildly surprised to see the purple pony next to the children speaking in his native tongue.

"My word...  It seems that there was some truth to what the Gulgans had said after all."

"You mean... about us?" asked Pinkie.

"Yes...  I admit I was skeptical about non-human creatures arriving in our world to save it, but your appearance has proven me wrong."

"This sounds kinda familiar," Applejack remarked.

"In any case, I am fine.  But I must ask you to do something for me.  You must defeat Hein!"

"We will," Luneth assured the king.  "But can you tell us how or why this Hein betrayed you?"

"Yes...  Until the earthquake struck, he was my most trusted advisor," he said with regret.  "But now he has been consumed by the forces of darkness and become evil."

"We'll stop him, Your Majesty."

"Not on my watch."

One of the brainwashed soldiers appeared and transformed into a hideous winged demon missing a lower half.  It carried a long-bladed sword and intended to use it to silence our heroes.  But they were alert and went into defensive battle stances.  The creature brought its weapon down, aiming for Luneth who dodged from one side.

"Take this!"

Applejack gave the demon a good hard kick.

And just like that, the demon was exorcised, and the soldier regained his human form but not his consciousness.

And so, our heroes escaped the cell and began their trek through the castle.  Throughout the dungeon, they collected several items, including a Rune Bow, Phoenix Downs, and Holy Arrows.  As they reached the main hall on the seventh floor, they came face-to-face with the wicked being that held the king and his men prisoner:  Hein.  He had literally lost whatever humanity he had and was transformed into a wicked, skeletal creature wearing nobleman's attire.

"Ah... the power of darkness is a thing of beauty, a black tapestry of chaos!" the creature said to himself.  "A tapestry on which I shall paint an all-encompassing nocturne!  With this fortress, Argus' soldiers, and the power of darkness...  I will rule the world!"

"Not so fast!"

"You must be the ponies and dragon I've heard of.  Time to die!"

Hein stretched out his arm and sent a blazing ball of fire towards Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash launched herself high into the air.

"Ha!  What a coward your friend is!  She knows that she cannot withstand my powers of darkness!"

"I'm getting the feeling you don't know much about pegasi..."

"Is that so?" he mockingly replied.

At the moment, a set of arrows rained down on Hein; the sorcerer shielded himself and scoffed, but Rainbow dropped down from high above and knocked him down on the ground. 

"You wretched beasts!!  You will not outshine ME!!"

"Take a look here!"

Hein turned to Spike and noticed him taking a hi-potion off his person.

"You... DARE?!" he shouted, knocking the dragon away with the brunt of his sword.

"SPIKE!!"

Hein then turned his attention on Rainbow, kicking her in the face.

"You... will not get away with this!" Twilight shouted using a Bomb Arm, which unleashed the spell of Firaga upon the wicked being.

"You think you are clever, little pony.  Behold!"

A strange aura then enveloped Hein.  Unfazed, Rarity threw another Bomb Arm.  Firaga was cast.  However, there was even little effect.

"You haven't faced an opponent quite like I, little ones," he chuckled.

Then it was time to change tactics.  Twilight used a scan ability on Hein and discovered that he could indeed change elemental defenses.  But that didn't stop Twilight from casting one certain spell.  She then fired a huge magic beam towards Hein's way and pelted him on the wall.  He was shocked to receive a large amount of damage from the blast.

"H-How... could this... happen...?"

Hein began to dissipate, signifying his defeat.  The party's abilities (natural and job-related) increased.

Refia then noticed Spike unconscious and woke his up with a Phoenix Down.

"Huh...?  Twilight...?  Rarity?"

Just then, the ground began to rumble.

"An earthquake...?"

"Thank you... Warriors of Light..."

The ponies gasped.

"Wh-Who said that?"

"The walls... they speak!" Ingus exclaimed.

"I am the Elder Tree of the Living Woods.  Hein had put a curse on me to do his bidding.  But you have freed me from his bonds.  Thank you again, Warriors of the Light...  And you as well, heroes from another world...

"I will now free the people held captive within me and return them to where they belong.  Then I will go back to the Living Woods once again."

The Equestrians were dumbfounded.

"So...  We were inside the tree that the fairies wanted us to save the whole time?"

"Eeyup," Applejack replied.  "Looks like it."

"Thank you!"

The party turned around and found two soldiers smiling gratefully.

"Now it is time to return..."




The Living Woods


The group looked around and sure enough, they found themselves back in the forest, being greeted by the smiling fairies.

"I am back where I belong...  Thank you for your help, young ones..."

"You're very welcome," said Twilight.

One of the fairies flew over to the team showing them a Fang of Wind.

"Take this.  Use it when the power of darkness stands in your way."

With the Fang of Wind in their hands (and hooves and claws), our heroes left the Living Woods and made their way to Castle Argus to finish their task for Cid.




Castle Argus


"Thank you for saving my kingdom."

"You know what, everypony?"

"What?"

"This calls for a party!"

"A party?  NOW?!"

"Come on, Rainbow Dash.  You should know we should celebrate all our accomplishments so far:  we've saved half the number of Crystals in this world, gotten some new jobs as a reward, and we should be at least one or two steps closer to saving Twilight those horrible dreams she's been having since the last--"

"We get the point, Pinkie," said Applejack.

And so, the group agreed and a celebration was held within the walls of Castle Argus.  Twilight and Rarity were conversing with Refia and Spike, still wondering how he felt at the moment.  Spike couldn't be any more relieved to know that he and the others were alive.  Rainbow Dash was bragging about the battle with Hein--of course--and was enjoying all the praise and attention, much to Applejack's dismay.  Arc and Ingus held a conversation concerning the former's childhood and how he was bullied for his shyness.  Ingus was appalled to learn that his friend had to endure such a thing.




The next morning...


"Ah, good morning, heroes.  Resuming your journey, I presume?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Take this."

"Is that... a gear of some kind?"

"'Tis not just a gear, little one.  It is the Wheel of Time.  You will need it to restore the last two Crystals."

"Does this mean...?"

"Yes.  I know that you are the Warriors of the Light.  It is your destiny to restore the balance between darkness and light.  And you little ones."

The Equestrians tilted their heads.

"Be sure to help them, and be careful.  No one knows what dangers further await you on your quest."

"We will, sire," Ingus declared.

"Good luck, Warriors of the Light.  And godspeed!"

The Wheel of Time... Twilight and Luneth thought.  Surely this must have been what Cid was wanting.  And so, the heroes exited Castle Argus and with Twilight's teleportation spell went straight for Canaan.
> Chapter 11: The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Crystal Empire


The Crystal Ponies, too, had felt the same fear as the rest of Equestria's citizens.  One couple was seen arguing over whether or not Princess Luna should face impeachment for not aiding her subjects when they needed her the most.  Another pair argued that the Crystal Empire should be evacuated.  All in all, panic was rampant.

"BE STILL!"

The loud Canterlot voice of Princess Luna caught the citizens' attention.  They turned to face the Princess of the Night herself standing along with Celestia, Cadence and Shining Armor.

"Now, everypony please keep calm and listen..."

Around this time, the Friendship Express reached its destination, and Fluttershy disembarked to find out about her friends.

Please be okay... please be okay... please be okay... she repeated to herself as she ran toward the Crystal Palace.




Canaan


The Enterprise soon docked near the town of Canaan.

"There's... something we need to take care of, first," said Twilight, solemnly.

The rest of the party immediately knew what they had to do next.  They stepped into the inn and met with with the individual they needed to meet.

"Salina?"

"Oh!  You're all safe!" she replied happily.  But then...  "Where's Desch?!  Is he alright?!  Where... is... DESCH?!"

The group exchanged looks of grief and regret.  Salina saw and gasped in horror.

"No...  It's not true...  Please tell me the truth! Where is Desch?!"

"I'm so sorry..."

"No!!  NO!!"

Soon after, the group left the inn and proceeded to enter Cid's residence to give him what they needed.

"Welcome back!" the old man chuckled.

"We have something for you," said Luneth.

"The Wheel of Time!  So you met King Argus!"

"That's right!" said Pinkie Pie.

"All right, then!  It's time to get to work.  I'll turn your ship into a brand new airship!"

"Thank you, Cid," said Twilight, happy that the Enterprise would now gain flight.  The man ran outside to get to work; Applejack followed.

"It's done, everyone," said the orange cowgirl.

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow cheered.

"Remeber though, that you can land only on water.  It was a sea ship to begin with, you know?  Now you can finally get away from the Floating Continent and back to our own world."

This sentence caused the party to give him a questioning look.

"'Our own world?'" Luneth inquired.

"What do you mean...?" asked Arc.

"Cid...  What are you talking about?"

The old man sighed."I guess it's time you knew the truth.  The thing is:  I brought all four of you to this continent from the world below."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"It all happened ten years ago.  One day while I was flying my airship carrying several passengers onboard, the whole ship was engulfed in darkness.  I tried to steer the ship away, but the force was too great; I had no choice but to make an emergency landing on this Floating Continent.  And when it was over, I saw the aftermath:  my vessel was destroyed, and yet there were only five survivors:  me and four others, the children.

"I don't know what happened to our world after the darkness came...  But you... you must go and find out!  You were chosen as the Warriors of Light!  I know you'll make it!"

The ponies couldn't believe what they had heard:  their new friends were originally born in the world beneath the continent where they now stood.

"With all due respect, Cid," said Ingus.  "I believe we must rest first.  This is so much to take in."

The rest of the party agreed.

*music fades out*



Luneth sat on the bed, still contemplating what he and the others had heard.  Never did he think that ever since the day of the earthquake, he would learn of his origins.

Refia placed her hand on her heart; it was without a doubt, a lot to take in.

"Howdy," Applejack said silently.

"Oh.  Hi, Applejack."

"Still thinkin' about... y'know?"

Refia nodded.

"With all that's happened so far... and what we've just learned...  I just..."  The girl sniffled.  "I don't even know what my parents were like.  Or even my friends'..."

Applejack took off her hat.  "Ya see this?"

Refia nodded.

"Ah got plenty of other hats back on the farm, but this?  Mah folks gave me this before they... passed on," she said.

"Do you... miss them, Applejack?"

"There isn't a time where I don't miss 'em," she replied.  "But my hat?  I wear it just about everyday to remind myself a part of 'em's still with me, no matter where Ah go.  No matter where I sleep, I can still see their smilin' faces."

Refia smiled with tears streaming down her face, knelt and pulled the orange cowgirl into a warm hug.

"I know what we should do," said Rainbow Dash.

"What's that?"

"Isn't is obvious, kid?  Go down to the world below and stop the creep that's trying to stir things up!  And if any of 'em get in the way and try to hurt you, we'll stop 'em!"

"You're right."

"Granted, he's probably been after you since... since we came along...  But we still have to help."

"Not to mention, Twilight here's been havin' some awful nightmares about what may happen to our homes if this doesn't stop.

"There's no tellin' how everypony in Equestria's sleepin' at night with whatever's causin' this still out there."

"I say:  Let us proceed!"

"Same here," said Twilight.

"Likewise," Applejack added.

"Rainbow?"

"What are we waiting for?  Let's do it!" said the cyan pegasus.

"Yeah!"

"To the Enterprise!"

"You take care of 'em, little ponies!" Cid shouted.

"We will, that's a promise," said Applejack.

"Thank you, Cid," said Twilight.

"You'd better watch out, Xande.  We're coming for you!" Rainbow Dash said.

And so, our heroes stepped aboard the Enterprise, activated the transformation sequence, and began their descent to the world below.  What they would find is unknown, and yet, they continued onward in hopes of preventing Xande's plans from coming to fruition and saving Equestria from certain doom.

*music fades out*
> Chapter 12: The Sleeping Maiden and the Surface World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sometime ago...


"I wish to speak with you, Master..."

"What is the matter, my pupil?"

"It is about what you have given me... what you should have bestowed it upon the other two.  Why have you given me this gift? I did not ask for this!"

"You must understand--"

"Enough!  My destiny is my own to create!  Not yours!"



Aboard the now-airship Enterprise, our heroes were looking forward to see what the surface world beneath the Floating Continent had in store for them.  It had been a strange journey thus far but none could prepare our heroes for what they were to experience next.





"AAAH!!  Wh-What is this cloud?!  It's... it's draining my strength away!" Luneth cried.

"Hold on!" said Ingus.  "Our answers lie on the surface!  We must reach it!"



"I hope they reached the surface all right," Cid hoped.  "And those ponies and the dragon, too...  Warriors of the Light, you are our last hope!"



After several minutes of braving the storm...

*music fades out*

"We're through!" said Arc.

"Oh, thank goodness for that," said Spike.  "I thought we were gonna get blown away!"

The group ran to the starboard side and noticed something strange.

"Is... is this the surface?" Luneth asked.  "It's so... sprawling!"

"Wh...  What happened here?"

"It looks like... like everything's..."

"...covered in water."





Indeed...  The world in front of our heroes had been flooded.  As far as the eye could see, the surface stood covered in endless water... as well as endless darkness.  Just then, something caught Rainbow Dash's eye:  an abandoned ship situated near an island in the middle of the ocean.  Luneth and Twilight had noticed as well and after informing the others, they agreed to land the Enterprise on the island.  Once outside, it was decided that they explore the mysterious ship.  Well, except for one.

*music fades out*

"Rarity?"

The fashionista was slumped over on the other side of the ship, panting heavily.  Spike approached her carefully.

"Are you alright, Rarity?" he asked.

"If... if it's all right with you, everypony... I'll stay here...  I'm a little..."

The white unicorn slowly made her way inside the cabin and lay on a makeshift bed.  With the party agreeing that she needs to rest, they had no choice but to leave her behind as they made their descent.




Wrecked Ship


Our heroes looked around, seeing that the vessel seemed eerily vacant and abandoned; some of the wooden walls rotted as did some of the floor.  They were careful to avoid any dangerous areas as they explored the ship.

"Hey, Twilight!  Look!" said Spike as he showed her the contents of the chest he'd opened.

The alicorn gasped:  "Spike... isn't this...?"

The design of the weapon could not be any clearer.  The bell-shaped hilt...

"It's a Blood Sword!"

Memories of their previous adventure beyond the Crystals began to surface.  The moment when Firion finally finished off Emperor Mateus and saved Flurry Heart from his grasp.  Unfortunately for Twilight, this also brought back memories of the Emperor's ominous words...

"Even if you defeat me, there will be others..."

Arc patted Twilight on the back of her head, gaining her attention.  He pointed in the direction of an old man watching over a young girl lying in bed, wearing a plain white halter-dress.

"Oh!  Oh no!  Miss Aria, are we ever in trouble!  Alas!  Alack!  If nothing is done, our own time will cease as well!"

"'Time will...?'"

"'Cease as well...?'  What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey gramps," said Luneth.  "Calm down.  Just what's going on?"

"The land," the old man exclaimed as he turned to face the party.  "Darkness has covered the land and stopped our time!  Miss Aria tried to stop, but...  Oh, Miss Aria!"

The girl then groaned.

"We have to help her.  I wonder if there's anything in the bag that can help!"

"I know!  I know!" said Pinkie Pie.  She pulled out a potion and handed it to the old man.

"What--?!  Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is there a little pink horse trying to give me something?"

"First of all, I'm a pony, not a horse.  Second, I think your eyes are just fine, silly-willy.  And third, I think this potion can help her."

"Oh, my!  Have you come to... to kill me and Miss Aria?"

"NO!" the Equestrians said in unison.

"We've come here to help.  To help save this world."



A few minutes later, the group stepped aboard the Enterprise with their new ally in tow.  Rarity was still recovering from her uneasiness; she awoke from her "bed," walked out of the cabin and was greeted by her friends as well as the mysterious maiden.

"So there is life somewhere in this world," she said.

"Not quite..." said Luneth.  "You see, she's been asleep since the whole world stood still, waiting for us."

"Oh, my stars...!" Rarity gasped.  "To think that you've slept so long."

"Yeah!  And she didn't need to be kissed by a prince or anything!" said Pinkie.

"My name is... Aria."

"Well then, Aria darling.  It's a pleasure to meet you."

The group shared her story with Rarity.  The white unicorn closed her eyes deep in thought, taking everything in.

"My goodness...  To think that you would awaken now, all because of the prophecy."

"Yes...  That's right."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Spike.

"First thing's first:  we go to the next shrine and save the Crystal there."

"Sounds like a plan," Rainbow agreed.

"Let's do it."

And so it was settled; our heroes alongside the mysterious Aria would venture forth to the resting place of the next Crystal and activate it.



Meanwhile...

"So... they have arrived," said Xande.  The sorcerer raised his arms, calling forth one of his followers.

"For what purpose do you summon me, master?" the creature said.

"I entrust you a task of the utmost importance.  There are those who seek to bring back the light to this world, believing they can restore the balance between light and darkness.  They have come here to the surface via airship; it is likely they will reactivate the Crystal of Water first.  Now go!"

"Yes, Master.  I will put an end to these interlopers."

As the minion left, Xande then rested his eyes once more.  He then felt a presence... one familiar to him.

"Xande..."

The wizard opened his eyes and lifted his head.

"Do you know nothing of the creatures that have joined forces the Warriors of the Light?"

"From what I have heard, they are mere equines that believe in the 'Magic of Friendship.'  Hmph.  As if such a concept exists," he scoffed.

"Indeed...  However, you must be wary...  These creatures have meddled in the affairs of humanity twice:  first they had revived Crystals from another world and placed themselves in a war against a mighty empire.  They are not to be taken lightly..."

"I know what these ponies are capable of; they have defeated my most loyal followers," Xande politely retorted.  He then narrowed his eyes.  "But he will exterminate them!  He must.  I will not allow anyone, not even mere pastel ponies or those children undo everything and send me into the abyss."

After a few seconds, the mysterious voice fell silent, leaving the sorcerer by himself.  He closed his eyes once more and began to meditate, believing his enemies would no longer interfere with his business.
> Chapter 13: An Old Enemy?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With their newest companion, the maiden Aria, our heroes set off in search of the next Crystal.  Knowing that they would have to explore the rest of this new world, it was decided they should seek out the Crystal of Water.

"If only we had a map," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Will you stop complaining, Rainbow?  We already have one, see?" said Pinkie Pie, pulling out the map they had been using since after the incident at Sasune Castle.  There was only one problem, however...

"Pinkie Pie?" Rarity interjected.  "I do hate to point out the obvious, but that map is... no longer useful to us."

"Huh?"

"Yeah.  That's for the Floating Continent."

"But we can go back there anytime, right?!  I'm just saying."

Twilight sighed.  Pinkie was right, after all.  On the other hoof, they still had a mission to complete.

"I think I may know where the Crystal is."

"Where?"

"We must go south from here.  There is an island on which stands the Temple of Water."

"TEMPLE OF WATER!!" Pinkie gasped.  "Did anybody bring a pair of iron boots or waterproof clothing?"

Aria chuckled.  "Surely, that will not be necessary."

"Let's move on, shall we?" said Rarity.




Temple of Water


The party stepped in and observed their surroundings.  It was what the Equestrians expected the temple to look like:  a large shrine with pillars and unlit torches.  Following the straight path, they reached the altar only to find it empty except for a single Crystal shard.

"Thanks heavens!" said Aria.  "There is still light within this shard!"

"So our next stop is the sealed Water Crystal?" asked Refia.

"Yes.  It must be imbued with the Crystal's light."

"Where'd this little thing come from?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Before the world was doomed, when we saw the darkness expanding... we priestesses sealed the Crystal to protect it from the darkness, in the hopes that one day, the Warriors of the Light would come.  This shard was created to break the seal.

"Come.  We must go to the Cave of Tides, to the north."

"Alright then," said Twilight.

"To the Cave of Tides!" said Pinkie.

Before going inside with the others, Arc and Pinkie Pie stopped.

"Are you gonna be okay?" the pink earth pony askied.

"I... I think so," he replied, not feeling sure what to really say.

"Aww...  Don't worry, Arc.  Your auntie Pinkie Pie will protect you!" she said, jumping up and patting him on the head.

"I'm pretty sure we're not related," Arc retorted, following Pinkie Pie into the dungeon.




Cave of Tides


The interior of the cave was filled with sparkling water, and yet it stood still as the rest of the world.  Our heroes look at their reflections on the surface of the frozen water and moved on.  The group stopped when they reached a large door situated in the center of the area.

"Lady Aria, is this it?" asked Arc.

"Yes... this is the Sealed Portal.  It was created to keep outsiders away from the Water Crystal.  Only priestesses of the temple may pass through."

"Can ya open it?" Applejack asked.

Aria nodded and faced the portal, kneeling before it and started to pray.  Within a few seconds, the door to be to flash rapidly as it disappeared, allowing our heroes access to the rest of the cave.

"The path... is open," Aria confirmed.

"Alright!" Luneth and Rainbow Dash said in unison.  But their celebration was short-lived as two monsters blocked their way.  The group went into their battle positions and did away with the two-headed creature and the Roper.  With the monsters defeated, our heroes proceeded to pass through the doorway, crossed an old wooden bridge and made reached the other side safely.

They had just reached the second floor when suddenly, a large creature resembling a basilisk appeared.

"Be careful, this is no basilisk."

"Then... wh-what IS it?"

"This creature is a cockatrice."

"A cockatrice?!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Twilight flew up to the ceiling clinging to a stalactite, quivering with fear.  Her Equestrian friends all planted their hooves (or claw in Spike's case) on their faces.

"Is this gonna be a thing now?" Rainbow sighed, rubbing her forehead.  True, the Equestrians still remember when she was petrified in the Everfree Forest.  But it still annoyed them.

The Warriors of the Light drew their weapons and prepared themselves.  After dodging the paralyzing stare of the monsters, our heroes were able to overcome the two and could continue their trek.  After traveling two more floors...

"There it is!"

Sure enough, they had discovered what they had sought.  Floating in the center of the altar was the Crystal of Water, its beauty captivating the eyes of our heroes.

"I can feel the warmth again," said Rarity.

"Ooh, I can't wait to know what jobs we have next," said Pinkie Pie.

Aria stepped forward and knelt before the Crystal, offering the shard.

"O Crystal of Water... it is time for you to regain your light!"

The maiden began to pray while the others watched.  After two minutes of waiting anxiously, they saw the Crystal regain its light, answering Aria's prayer.  The group was ecstatic; their journey was almost nearing its end, for after this, they had to seek out the final Crystal.

"It is now your turn," said Aria.  "You must merge the light within you with the one within the Water Crystal.  Only then will the Crystal regain its true light, and then banish the darkness from this world--then time will flow once more..."

"I agree," said Twilight.  "Everyone, let's do it."

They all agreed, but just as they were preparing to restore the Crystal, Aria noticed a strange figure and...

"Look out!"

Aria pushed Luneth out of the way; a powerful force of energy struck her.

"ARIA!"

"It seems luck is on your side today, Warriors of the Light...  And you as well, my little ponies..." a sinister voice laughed humorlessly.

The figure appeared in a pink cloak which concealed their upper body; however, their legs were neither human nor pony.  They were arms of a cephalopod.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

"Salutations, children...I am Kraken, servant of Lord Xande."

"K-K-Kraken?!"

Memories of their battle with the Fiend of Water came rushing back to the ponies.  They had thought they defeated him for good at the Shrine of Chaos, and yet, here was a creature similar to it and bearing the same name.

"It seems my reputation precedes me.  I am surprised that little creatures such as you recognize my name.  No matter.    You are all about to DIE!"

After cradling the unconscious Aria, Luneth rose with a furious expression and took up a battle pose, his friends following.  The creature removed its cloak, revealing itself to be an even more hideous version of Kraken than the Equestrians had encountered before.

Kraken unleashed a mighty Blizzara spell upon our heroes, the cold wind blowing Spike away and into the water.

"SPIKE!!"

The small dragon struggled to get back on his feet, the evil Kraken laughing heinously at his misfortune.

"You will answer for that!" said a furious Rarity.  She then cast Thundara, sending the evil creature back a few steps.  Shaking it off, Kraken used one of his lower arms to swipe the white unicorn, knocking her aside and into one of the pillars.  Laughing to himself, he didn't notice Rainbow Dash and Applejack sneaking behind him.  Rainbow pulled out her bow and readied an arrow.  She let go of the string, firing the projectile into Kraken's back.  Applejack then lifted her rear legs and kicked the evil creature, knocking him into the wall.

Kraken lifted himself up and launched himself from the water and back onto the floor.  Luneth then swiped at Kraken's tentacles, but the monster lifted each of its arms, laughing at the party.

"Your efforts are worthless, Warriors of the Light," Kraken said mockingly.  "I am much stringer than your previous foes; I will not allow myself to be so easily defeated.  Especially by a group of human children and their little pony friends!"

Pinkie Pie fired several arrows, stunning Kraken and bringing it to its knees.  Applejack then finished the battle with a swing of her sword.  The wicked servant of Xande screamed and collapsed, disintegrating, leaving no trace behind.  Its defeat, however, did not elate our heroes.   No, Aria was still lying on the floor, breathing heavily.  Luneth knelt and lay her in his arms.

"Aria!" he spoke desperately. 

"Light has returned to the Crystal...  You must take this...  The...  The power of water..."

Aria then closed her eyes and raised her hand with what little strength she had left and imbued her companions with the power of the Water Crystal.

"Ya gotta stay with us!  We'll help you get better!" Applejack pleaded.

"N-No...  It's too late... for me.  You must go...  My purpose is... fulfilled...  Thank you for everything...."

"No, Aria!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Hang in there, Aria!" said Luneth.

"It is my time," the maiden panted, closing her eyes.  "You must continue your journey... without me.  The world needs light... to counter the darkness...  Please do this for me.  Bring... back... peace..."

"Aria, no!  Don't do this!" Arc cried out.

"You can't leave us!" Ingus pleaded.

But it was too late.  The young blonde maiden had breathed her last.

"Aria?" Pinkie called.  "Aria?  ARIA?!  ARIA!!  WAKE UP!!"

Rarity closed her eyes, tears streaming.

Spike threw his arms around Twilight as they sniffled.

Luneth couldn't bear it anymore.  "ARIAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Just then... the ground began to shake violently!

"What?!  An earthquake?  At a time like this!!"

"OH, SWEET CELESTIA!!!"

"We need to leave.  Now!"

"Watch out!" Refia cried.

The group lost consciousness.

Outside the cave, the entire world shook as the darkness that covered the world dissipated; no longer was it flooded by water or frozen in time, for it had started to regain life.



Elsewhere, Xande had sensed the failure of his minion and the beginning of the restoration of the world.

"It cannot be...!"
> Chapter 14:  A World Uncovered; Save the Airship!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Crystal Empire


Inside the palace, Princess Cadence was pacing back and forth at a dangerous rate.  She had been anxious to learn of her sister-in-law and friends' progress for quite some time but had received no word as of late.  Because of this, several thoughts plagued her mind.  Were Twilight and the others safe?  Have they fallen?  What terrors awaited them?  Just as she was thinking more and more, a certain yellow pegasus arrived, escorted by two royal guards.

"Princess Cadence!"

"Fluttershy!"

"I...  I need..." the pegasus said, panting.

Cadence didn't need to hear the rest; she immediately knew why Fluttershy came.  They went directly to the Crystal Heart.

"You have arrived, Fluttershy," the voice of Cid spoke.

"Y-Yes...  Everypony in Ponyville is panicking and...  I just couldn't wait any longer for my friends.  Where are they now?" she asked.

Using the powers of the Crystal Heart, Cid looked deep into the world of the four youths and discovered Twilight and the others unconscious.

"The others have successfully restored three of the Crystals, but they have paid a high price."



"Princess Twilight..." a voice called out.

"Huh?"

"You and your friends must go see Doga."

"Wait!"

Just then, a familiar voice made itself known.

"You and your friends have come so far, Princess Twilight.  We are most impressed."

"Just who are you really?!  Why are you tormenting me?!"

"As we had stated before, we intend to plunge this world and yours into a state of everlasting darkness..."

"No..."

"Yes...  No one--not you, your friends, or even the Warriors of the Light--can stop us.  For we are... the Cloud of Darkness."



*music fades out*

Twilight immediately sat up and opened her eyes.  Panting, she looked around and found herself in what appeared to be a room within an inn like the others she and her friends had seen.  She hopped off the bed, opened some drawers to look for any belongings and looked in the mirror to find herself wearing a frilly white cloth under green sleeveless armor, and on top of her head was a small, black pointy hat.

How... how and when did I change clothes...? Twilight thought to herself.  Unless...  Unless I've been granted a new job by the Crystal of Water.

In the lobby, she found the rest of the group waiting.  They, too, were granted the powers of the Crystal.  Spike wore the armor of a dragoon, instantly reminding her of Ricard Highwind, who risked his life to save her and Spike from the evil Emperor Mateus.  Rainbow Dash, too, was decorated in the dragoon outfit.  Rarity was also the same as Twilight herself, dressed in the same outfit.  Pinkie Pie was somehow given the abilities of a black belt, and Applejack was dressed as a viking.  To her surprise, Luneth was dressed as a dark knight, similar to Leon.  Arc was dressed in the attire of a bard, complete with a scarf around his neck and a bandana with a feather attached.  Refia, like Applejack, appeared in the viking.  And finally, Ingus was made the same class as Twilight and Rarity.

Although they were granted new powers and abilities, not a single one of them was in the mood to celebrate, not even Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash.

"We've only known her for a short while..."

"But she still sacrificed herself for us."

"So, where do we go now?"

"We need to head for the continent of Dalg, wherever that is," said Luneth.

"Huh?  What makes you say that?"

"Just before I woke up, I had this strange dream--no.  It was more like, like... a vision of sorts."



Deep within his subconscious, the boy Luneth received a visit from an old woman.

"Warriors of the Light," she said.

"...?  Wh-Who's there?" he asked.

"You must seek out Doga...  He is the only one who can help you defeat Xande...  Seek Doga on the continent of Dalg..."

"Wait...!"



"And that's what happened.  When I woke up, we, well..."

"You can tell that the Crystal of Water had given us new jobs," said Pinkie Pie.  "I really wish we'd gotten them under better circumstances..."

"Yeah, you're right," said Rainbow Dash.

"But we must not let Aria's sacrifice be in vain," said Ingus.  "We must move on."

"I've got so many questions," said Twilight.  "Like, how'd we get here in the first place?  And where ARE we?"

"This is Amur, the City of Water.  Gramps found us in the temple and brought us here."

"Gramps?  Are you talking about...?"

"Yep...  We told him about Aria, and..."

"He took it... pretty well," Rainbow added with a sad smile.

"Strange thing is, we've been sleepin' like logs for three days straight, and the world's been gettin' back on track 'round that time," said Applejack.

"No one remembers having their time stopped.  It's as if it never happened," Refia added.

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought.

"Oh. lookie here!  A Magic Key!" Pinkie pointed out.

"Where'd you get that, Pinkie?" asked Rainbow.

"Remember when we went to Gysahl?  I bought a few there."

"A few?"

"Just so you know."

After strolling through the village, our heroes come across a child near the entrance.  At first he was afraid, mainly of the ponies and dragon accompanying the humans.

"It's alright, little one.  We won't hurt you," Rarity assured the boy.

"You... you sure?"

Arc stepped forward, sympathizing with the youth.  "It's true.  We don't mean any harm."

"Can you tell us about this village?"

"Well... I suppose.  One of our village legends says how four warriors will appear to banish the overflowing light and darkness."

"Banish LIGHT and darkness?" said an incredulous Twilight.

"HO!"

The Warriors of Light turned around seeing four bald, middle-aged men arriving and striking strange poses.

"Who the hay are you guys?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"You asked for the Warriors of the Light?!

"Woooooo!"

"That's us!"

"Oh, it's true, it's true."

"What?" Twilight said in a deadpan manner.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack each raised a single eyebrow, not believing what these men had said for one second.  Pinkie Pie could barely contain her laughter.

"What's that all about?" asked a disbelieving Luneth.

"Oh, the peanut gallery?" the boy said, chuckling.  "Those old guys think they're the four legendary warriors!"

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow Dash answered, rolling her eyes.  If those guys were pegasi, I wouldn't recommend ANY of them to try out for the Wonderbolts.  They'd probably mess up the very first day!

"Inconceivable," Ingus muttered.

*music fades out*

Refia cleared her throat.

"So...  What shall we do next?"

"Let's get to the Enterprise and--" Twilight's eyes widened.  "Wait a minute...  Does anyone know where the Enterprise is?"

The others reacted accordingly.  Ever since the battle with Kraken, none of them knew what had happened to their vessel.

"If you're talking about that ship, it's right over there on the docks."

"Thank you."

"But..."

"But... what?"

The group went towards the area where the Enterprise was docked, only to find it chained to the shore.

"What the what?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Who did this?!"

"If there's a village elder or mayor, we should go talk with him."

"Agreed," said Ingus.

The group returned to town and found the village elder Gill.  He wore a blue hooded robe and had a great, bushy gray beard.

"Who's there?"

"No need to panic."

"Wh-What?!  Are my ears playing tricks on me?  I thought I heard..."

"We know, we know.  Talking ponies and a dragon," said Twilight.

"We're the Warriors of Light, and these our friends.  They came from another world to save ours."

The elderly man rubbed his head, trying to absorb the information.

"We've just found our airship, the Enterprise, chained to the ground.  A golden chain is keeping it afloat," said Rarity.

"A golden chain?"

The heroes nod.

"If you're looking for the key to the chain, it must be in the hands of one man.  His name is Goldor, and he resides in a golden mansion he named after himself."

"A large gold mansion owned by someone named Goldor?  Who'd have guessed?" Twilight said sarcastically.

"Not me," said a smirking Rainbow.

"Me neither," Applejack added.

"So how do we get to his mansion?"

"No one can, not without Levigrass Shoes, unfortunately."

"You see, Goldor Manor can only be accessed by means of Levigrass Shoes which allow their wears to cross a bottomless bog that helps protect it."

"Oh?"

"There's only one chance.  Why don't you visit the owner of the Levigrass Shoes?  Her name is Delilah and she dwells within the sewers beneath this village.  Here's the key."

"Thank you," said Arc.  Unfortunately for some...

"Oh, no...  I am not going down into the sewers," said a disapproving Refia.

"Likewise," Rarity agreed.

"Not even to save your adoptive father?  Or Equestria?" Twilight countered.




Sewers of Amur


"I can't believe we are in the sewers," Refia complained.

"Likewise," said Rarity.

The filth of the sewers permeated the air and penetrated everyone's senses; everyone held their noses in disgust.

"To think whoever we are looking for is living in such a repulsive place."

"Yeah, and it's not a bunch of masked, pizza loving mutant turtles or a wise, old rat."

The group looked at Pinkie Pie as if she had lost her mind.  Again.  Disregarding the pink mare's remarks, they pressed onward.  Rarity and Refia in particular held their breaths.  Navigating through the underground, rank chambers, our heroes found something they did not expect to see...

"HELP!!"

...was the group of four men they had met earlier.  Apparently they had overheard the party's conversation about the Levigrass Shoes and, hoping to prove themselves the true Warriors of Light, went into the sewers before them.  The men only found themselves cornered by four Gigantoads.

"What are you doin' down here?" Rainbow asked incredulously.

"It-It's too much!  TOO MUCH!!  Please!"

Our heroes let out a collective sigh of annoyance.

"We must aid them!" said Ingus.

"RIGHT!"

The party then charged and stood between the four men and the monsters.  One of the Gigantoads leapt towards Rarity who stopped it from licking her.

"Keep that tongue to yourself!"

She then tossed it to the ceiling; her aura faded, allowing the toad to fall onto the ground and hard.  It quickly got back up only for Applejack to strike with a hammer.

"That'll teach ya varmints!"

Observing the battle from a safe distance, the four old men realized they were out of their league and that the ponies, dragon and human children risking their lives for them were true heroes.  Earlier they were bragging to everyone that they would be the ones who could save the world, but once they were surrounded by those giant amphibians, they were hopelessly outmatched.

The Gigantoads were defeated, and Rarity and Spike found their strength had increased as a result.  The four men, humbled, approached our heroes.

"A hearty helping of thanks upon you!" one of the men said.

"Huh?"

"He's saying 'thank you.'"

"Yeah...  We thought we were done for!"

"We thought we were the warriors of legend...  But I guess we weren't.  Oh well, that's settled." another chuckled nervously.

"We advise you to head back to town for your own safety," Ingus said sternly.

"And try not to get yourselves killed, okay?" Applejack added.  "Y'all were pretty reckless."

Venturing further into the sewers, our heroes fought against several more monsters including Gigantoads, Twin Ligers, Black Flans, and what came to be Rarity's most hated by far, a Darklegs--a giant spider.  With the monsters defeated, the Equestians and Warriors of the Light came across an old woman in a brown robe.

"Excuse us," said Twilight.

"Eh?  Who are you, and what do you want with old Delilah?"

"It seems she is the one we seek.  We must ask her about the Levigrass Shoes," Ingus whispered.

Luneth nodded in agreement and told her about their adventure.  The old woman responded by laughing in a condescending manner.

"Hey, what's so funny?" said a displeased Rainbow Dash.

"Everything, of course!  Turnip-squeezing kids like you, the four warriors of legend?  And small pastel ponies and their pet dragon, aiding them because of so many bad dreams?  HA!"

"Don't push it, lady..." Rainbow growled.

"No matter.  Here are the Levigrass Shoes you seek.  Here, catch!"

"Huh?"

"Watch out!"

The group dodged to different sides; the shoes exploded upon impact.  They turned to see the so-called "warriors."

"What the hay's the big idea?!"

"I distinctly remember Ingus telling you to return to town," said Rarity.

"And how'd ya know these shoes were fake?" asked Rainbow.

One of the men stepped forward and said, "We only wanted to help."

"Yeah, we've seen Levigrass Shoes before, but those didn't look anything like them!"

The group then glared at the now nervous Delilah.

"Are you tryin' to pull a fast one on us now?!" said Applejack.  "Ah hate charlatans!"

"Now, now..."

"Allow us, please," said one of the four.  He then approached the elderly woman.  "Delilah, these four kids and their animal friends are the real heroes.  In fact, these kids are the real legendary Warriors of Light!"

"Delilah, please give them the Levigrass Shoes!"

Regaining her composure, the old woman rubbed her chin with her finger.  She then came to a decision.

"Well, if it's you asking, I don't have much of a choice, do I?  Fine, take them."

She then took out another pair of shoes.  Everyone stood guard, but when the shoes hit the ground, there was no explosion this time.  These were the real Levigrass Shoes.

"Now we can cross the bottomless bog!" said an elated Luneth.

"Thank you," Twilight said, addressing the four men.  "To think after all you've been through, you've actually shown us you can be brave."

"That took real guts," Rainbow added.

"Oh, it was nothing," the apparent leader said modestly.  He then told everyone told hold on to each other as he cast the Teleport spell, bringing them straight back to the village.

With the Levigrass Shoes, our heroes left the sewers (much to Rarity and Refia's relief) and proceeded to the bog that led to Goldor Manor.  Using their new footwear, the humans were able to cross the deadly marsh while the ponies, thanks to Rainbow Dash's wings and Twilight's magic, floated across without any problems.  And just in front of them stood the mansion of the man who chained the Enterprise.  Surrounded by a large mountain range, the mansion was indeed solid gold as the village elder described.  Steeling their resolve, the group opened the gates went inside.




Goldor Manor


Everything within the manor was just as it was on the outside:  gold.  Solid gold.

"Oh.  My.  Stars!  Everything here is solid gold!"

"Duh...!  The text already said that, Rarity!" said Pinkie Pie.

"What 'text' are you talking about?"

"The line right below the Goldor Manor sign of course."

Disregarding the pink earth pony's remarks, the group began their trek through the mansion.  Using the Magic Keys, they unlocked several rooms and even found shining swords which they couldn't use, given their current jobs.  And after several attacks from golden monsters, they came across something unexpected.

"Is that...?"

"A CRYSTAL?!  HERE?!"

Our heroes were elated to see the Crystal of Earth in front of them...  Most of them, rather.  Twilight and Rarity felt something was off about this crystal.

"Halt!"

The voice belonged to a tall man in gold armor.  The helmet he wore was--surprise--golden as well.

"So, you're Goldor, I take it?" said Luneth.

"No one touches my treasure; especially this beautiful golden crystal!  It is my pride and joy.  When I heard of your exploits, Warriors of the Light, I had your airship chained to the ground."

"Excuse us," said Twilight.

"What do you--"

Shoving the man aside with their magic, Twilight and Rarity inspected the crystal.  To their surprise, they felt nothing.

"This is NOT the Crystal of Earth at all!" Rarity declared.

"WHAT?!"

"What are you talking about?  It's right there!"

"This is just a golden crystal.  Nothing more!"

"Can't you all feel it?"

"No...!" Luneth said, then realizing.  "So...  It's not really--"

"Of COURSE IT'S REAL!  This crystal is MINE!" Goldor exclaimed in fury.  "And I have no intention of letting you have it."

"You can keep this crystal, but you still have something we want!"

"Try and take it if you can!"

Rainbow Dash groaned.  "Will you please just give us the key to the airship?  We don't wanna be drawn into some pointless fighting!"

"NO!  All this gold is mine!  Mine!  Mine!  MINE!!"

*Whump!*

With one hit on the head from Applejack's hammer, Goldor's helmet cracked and the man fell unconscious.  They searched him and found precisely what they expected:  the key to the chain holding the Enterprise.

"Now then...  Shall we?" said Rarity.  With the key in hand, they proceeded to exit the manor.  Though one question remained:  where was the real Crystal of Earth?




Amur


As our heroes stepped into the village elder's house, the elder himself stood up and greeted them warmly.

"Welcome back.  Were you successful?"

"Yes," said Ingus.  "And we have discovered a crystal within Goldor Manor.  Alas, it turned out not to be authentic."

"But we've got what we need to get our ship back, and we're going to find the real crystal," said Luneth.

"That's good.  Now... here's something to help you in your quest."

From his robe, the village elder pulled a scrolled paper.  Unraveling it, Luneth discovered it was a map of the entire world.

"Thank you."

"You are more than welcome.  Now go, and set things right."

And with that, the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light unlocked the chain holding the Enterprise, boarded the ship and set sail.  It was decided they should head for Dalg and seek out the mysterious Doga of whom the equally mysterious woman spoke in Twilight and the Warriors' dream.  But first, they had to travel to other locations.  So they found a small village on a small land just east of Amur.




Duster


The village, situated on the small island, was a tranquil town.  In the center lied a river flowing with water.  Rarity closed her eyes, taking in the sight around her and sighing in content.

"What a wondrous place," she said.

"It sure is," Refia agreed.

"I could stay here forever if I wanted to," said Luneth.

"Ya know we got some things to do, don't ya?" said Applejack.  "Now I don't mind bein' here for a while.  It sure is pretty, but we're still tryin' to explore the rest of this here surface world."

"Applejack's right," Twilight sighed.

After touring around town and purchasing all necessary items and selling the swords from Goldor Manor for a vast amount of gil, most of the group elected to sleep for the night, though Twilight declined.

"Ya sure?" Pinkie asked.  "We should at least get 40 winks and--"

"NO!"

*music stops*

The group flinched as Twilight yelled.  Realizing her mistake, Twilight held her hooves to her muzzle and hung her head in shame.

"Twilight...?"

"I-I...  I'm sorry.  I don't...  I don't think I can sleep anymore.  Not with all these horrible dreams...!" she sobbed.

Refia and Applejack walked over and wrapped their arms around the weeping alicorn; the rest of the group followed.

"You're not alone, Twilight.  You're not alone," said Spike.

Twilight sniffled and closed her eyes, letting her tears roll down her cheeks.

"Thank you... everyone..."



Meanwhile, back at the Crystal Empire...

Fluttershy had just learned of her friends' travels to the world that was once covered in darkness; she had also learned of the apparent fate of Desch who risked his life to save the Floating Continent and the water maiden Aria's sacrifice to protect her friends.  She wept softly, for the news reminded her of Josef and the dragoon Ricard Highwind, who put their own lives at risk to protect her, Twilight and the others from their previous journey.  Cadence pulled the yellow pegasus into a comforting embrace.

"Why...  Why do so many people have to die...?" she asked herself.

"That is not all," said Cid.  "I fear that Twilight is suffering the most from these nightmares.  And if she cannot overcome them..."

Fluttershy and Cadence didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence.  All they could hope for was the best and that their friends could come out of this unscathed.



The next morning at Duster...

The Equestrians and the children awoke and discussed their next destination.  With an agreement reached, the party left the village stepped aboard the Enterprise once more.  The group noticed a large city to the east, but before they could do anything else, a loud boom could be heard.  The Enterprise had taken damage from a large cannon below.

"Brace for impact!" Luneth shouted, as everyone else screamed.  Losing power, the airship rapidly descended into the ground and crashed upon impact.
> Chapter 15: The Saronia Civil War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four teenage humans, four pastel ponies and one small baby dragon lay unconscious but only for a moment or so.  Luneth was the first to awake.  Groaning from the pain, he saw his friends nearby.  Slowly, one by one, they came to and opened their eyes.

"What in tarnation...?" Applejack said, slowly getting back on her hooves.

Next was Rainbow Dash.

"Where... where are we?  And how long were we out?"

"Did I miss a party already?" Pinkie Pie said, looking around.

Each shook their heads, regaining their senses.  They looked around, surveying their surroundings.  Arc, Rarity, and Refia took notice of several pieces of burnt wood scattered around them, letting them know that their beloved airship Enterprise was no more.

"I don't believe this!"

They all turned to see a fuming Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"We've been out cold, had the Enterprise stolen from us, got it back, and now THIS happens!" Applejack exclaimed.  "This ain't right!"

Everyone hung their heads, knowing that they were trapped in an unknown kingdom, unsure of why their vessel was destroyed or who was responsible.

"This is really, really bad, Twilight," said Spike.  With no response from his friend, he then turned around and noticed something...  They were only one head short.

"Wait a minute!  Where's Twilight?!"

Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity.

"Maybe she's playing hide-and-seek."

"Pinkie Pie!  This is a most serious situation!" Ingus scolded.

"She never takes anything seriously... that is unless someone's in danger," Rainbow sighed.

"Let's split up," said Luneth.  "A small purple pony with a horn and a pair of wings can't be hard to find."

"I agree," Ingus replied.  He then looked around narrowing his eyes as he looked around once more.  "And be on your guard.  This wind carries the sound and scent of war..."

They agreed and did as Luneth said, searching each and every inch of the large city for the missing alicorn.  This was the kingdom of Saronia, a kingdom torn apart by civil war.  Each of the groups went in different sections in search of their friend.  Spike, Arc and Rainbow Dash went to the southwestern portion of the city, while Refia, Applejack and Pinkie Pie went to northwestern division.  Ingus and Rarity explored Southeastern Saronia while Luneth investigated the northeastern portion on his own.

"Twilight?  Twilight, where are you?!" Spike cried out.

"Where is she?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Where did she go?" Refia wondered.  "Twilight Sparkle!"

"Yoo-hoo!  Twilight, where are you?" Pinkie Pie called.

"Twilight, darling.  Please answer us," said Rarity.

The citizens of Saronia were taken aback by the presence of the sentient creatures walking side-by-side with the humans and ran toward the nearest doors.

"'Scuse me, but did you see--"

A door slammed shut before the pink earth pony could finish her question.

"Do y'all just happen to know where--"

Applejack had the same result.

"Pardon me, darling, but do you by chance--"

No luck for Rarity.  Or Spike, or Rainbow.

"Thanks for nothing," the cyan pegasus grumbled.

During his own search, Luneth discovered a standoff between two armies:  one decorated in crimson armor, and the other in gold.  The boy quietly sneaked beneath their feet and made his way to the gates of a large stone castle.  Upon being denied entry, Luneth retreated and quickly ran before being caught in the middle of a potential battle.

Ingus definitely wasn't kidding, he thought.  Those guys looked about ready to cross swords at any moment.

Rainbow Dash, Arc and Spike kept calling for Twilight until suddenly, they heard a scuffle of sorts in the northernmost building.  Reaching it, they found it was a pub; the sounds of fighting were unmistakable.  Inside the heroes found a trio of knights in gold armor surrounding a young boy of 10, laughing cruelly.

"Ha!  Get a load of this!  This boy here thinks he's the crown prince!" one of the thugs said, laughing.  "I hope you know what the punishment is for impersonating a member of the royal family."

Recalling the times he was bullied before this journey began, Arc could no longer stand by and watch from the sidelines.  The others joined in as well.

"Uh... stop that!" said Arc, with all the courage he mustered.

"Yeah!  Pick on someone your own size, you jerks!" said Rainbow Dash.

"A talking horse?!  Hilarious!  Some kid bard, a talking horse and a lizard are wantin' us to stop!"

"What are you going to do, boy?  Sing us a song of death?  Bah ha ha ha ha!" said another one of the bullies.

The two Equestrians did not take this insult well.

"We'll show you!" said Spike.

"Stand back, kid!  We'll handle these bozos!"

Spike jumped up in the air, crashing through the roof of the pub, much to the ponies' amazement, including Rainbow Dash.

"Whoa."

"Looks like your little lizard friend's too afraid."

"He's a dragon, you morons!  And also... a dragoon."

As soon as those words were uttered, a spear shot down upon the leader of this band of so-called knights with Spike landing on the blunt end of the weapon.

"Please... no more!  We yield!  We yield!" the thugs said, retreated.

"How's that?!"

"You okay, kid?"

"Yes.  I must say I am surprised to see my saviors being sentient equines and a dragon alongside humans.

"We get that a lot," said Rainbow.  "And I MEAN a lot."

"Regardless, let me introduce myself.  I am Alus, son of King Gorn and the rightful heir to the throne of Saronia.  I thank you for your help, brave ones!"

"A prince?" asked Refia.  She and the others bowed.

"It was nothin'," Spike said.

"Prince Alus, what's happening to this country?" asked Arc.

"My father, the king...  He suddenly ordered our soldiers to fight amongst themselves!  I tried to stop him, but not only did he refuse to listen, but he also threw me out of the castle!"

"What?!"

"That's just plain wrong!" said Applejack.  "What kind of parent would kick their own kid out of their home?!"

"Yes..."  The prince looked up and stepped forward.  "Adventurers, I must ask for your help...  I need to return to Castle Saronia and convince my father to cease this nonsense!"

"We're with you, Prince Alus!  We'll do our best!" Arc replied.  The others agreed.

"We must see the old man."

"Here, Alus.  Take this with you."

"We thank you."

"This is only a rumor.  But I've heard there is a large bird monster within the castle halls.  It is called Garuda.  Only dragoons can defeat him."

"In that case, leave this Garuda guy to me!" Rainbow Dash declared.  Upon hearing a clearing of the throat, she turned to see an annoyed Spike crossing his arms.  "And Spike, too."

The rest of the group rolled their eyes.

Arc and Rarity looked up to the sky.

"Twilight...  Where could she be?"

"Wherever she is, I hope she's okay."

Rarity wrapped her hoof around the boy.




Castle Saronia


Reunited, our heroes gathered near the entrance to the castle.  They noticed the two opposing sides were still locked in a defensive position, neither one daring to make a move.  Realizing that they have no intentions of fighting, the heroes passed them and marched to the castle gates.

"Halt!"

"Guards..."

"P... Prince Alus?  Your father has exiled you and has forbidden you to set foot!"

"And that is why I am here.  To speak with my father."

Just then, another guard approached the gatekeeper from within the castle.

"Sir, King Gorn has given permission."

"Are you sure?"

The guard nodded.

"That changes things considerably.  Very well, you and your party may enter, except for those little ones--"

"Actually, sir...  The king has requested their presence as well."

The gatekeeper gave the guard a look of confusion and disbelief.  He could tell his fellow guard wasn't lying, so he had no choice.

"Fine.  You may all enter."

The ponies and Spike sighed in relief as the guards led them inside the stone castle.

"Please rest here for the night.  Your audience with the king is scheduled for tomorrow.  Good night..."

Little did they realize that were being watched by a sinister man with red hair wearing a light green outfit.

Later that night...

"Are you asleep?" asked Prince Alus.

"No, not yet," said Arc.

"I can't help but wonder...  What has happened to my father?  Why would he expel his own son?  Do you think... he doesn't love me anymore?" he said, trying to hold back tears.

Arc shook his head.  "Sire...  No parent would ever lose their love for their children!  Your father must've had a good reason for doing this.  Don't worry, I'm sure the king will explain everything tomorrow."

"I... I guess you're right," Alus replied.  Soon sleep finally overtook him and Arc.  Applejack was the only one who kept her eyes open, and yet she couldn't resist the urge to fall asleep with the rest.  One thought had kept racing in the orange mare's head:  why would the king cast out his own kin?

Two hours later, the gray-haired King Gorn arrived within the chamber and approached his slumbering son.  From within his robe, he pulled out a dagger, and poised to strike the prince!

"Alus... it is time for you to die!"

At that moment, Arc and the prince awoke; the others arrived soon afterwards.

"Father!  What are you doing?!"

"Yes, what ARE you doing?!" a voice called.

From the stairs descended the same man who eyed our heroes with disdain, the king's evil advisor, Gigametz.

"Are you actually gonna go through with it?!  This is yer own son, for Celestia's sake!" Applejack argued.

His hand shaking, the king then raised the dagger...  He then turned to the ponies and dragon.  His eyes... his eyes had regained color, and as he looked on, he realized the horror of what he was about to do.  Gigametz's brows furrowed.

"Finish him, you fool!  Finish him!"

"Wrong game, Mr. Evil Chancellor," said Pinkie Pie.

The king faltered, his eyes turning to Gigametz.

"I... am your slave no longer!"

"'SLAVE?!'"

"You fool...!"

Gigametz then took the dagger and stabbed the king.

"Father!!"

"OH MY GOODNESS!!"

"No matter," the evil advisor scoffed, turning his attention to our heroes.  "I, Gigametz, shall destroy you all myself!"

At that moment, Gigametz transformed into the winged, eagle-like beast Garuda.

"So that big bird thing those soldiers were talking about was you, huh?!" Rainbow Dash glared.

"Why would ya control the king and kick out his own boy?" Applejack glared.

"Because with Gorn under my power, I can control this land however I see fit.  That little brat only stood in the way."

"And what about this war?  Why tear the kingdom apart?!" Ingus glared.

"Heh heh heh heh.  No real reason.  It is no more than a game to me.  That's all."

"That's just sick and you know it!" Applejack cried.

"Messing with other people's feelings?  That's one game I don't ever, EVER wanna play!" said Pinkie Pie.

Garuda responded by swiping his talons a the the pink earth pony.  Pinkie almost hit the wall, but she was saved by Rainbow Dash.

Electric sparks manifested from the wicked being's talons.

"I got a bad feeling about this," said Spike.

"No time, Spike!  You and Rainbow Dash jump!" Pinkie Pie commanded.  "Do it!  QUICK!"

Without another word the two dragoons launched themselves in the air.  Stretching his arms out, Garuda unleashed a mighty wave of lightning upon our heroes.  It would have been lethal, if not for Rarity conjuring a magical diamond shield protecting them.  As strong as it was, the shield withstood the attack in ten minutes, allowing the spell to nearly electrocute our heroes; the caster of the shield in particular suffered the most.

"Oh no!  Rarity!"

Arc gave the white unicorn a hi potion, healing her wounds.

"Ha ha ha!  Was that the best effort that you could put together?!"

"Hey, featherbrain!" called a voice from above.

Looking up, Garuda saw two spears descending from the skies and before he could react, the impact of the weapons blew him down across.

"RARITY!!"

Spike grew angry, inhaled and let out a powerful flame, nearly roasting the creature.  Shaking off the flames, Garuda leered at the small purple dragon/dragoon.

Luneth then charged at the being, and slashed at him.  Applejack approached the avian villain, jumped and smashed him with her hammer, causing a good deal of damage.  While this was happening, the two dragoons jumped high above once again.

"Enough!  I am through playing with you!!"

Garuda charged his talons once more, but with Rarity still recovering, there was nothing they could do but wait and brace themselves.  That is... until Garuda's face was immediately covered in streamers and confetti.

"Yoo-hoi!  Mr. Evil Chancellor!" Pinkie called out excitedly.

Sure enough, Pinkie fired her party cannon at her enemy.

"What is this?!"

"A distraction, silly!"

One of the spears came done and made another powerful impact, knocking the evil being onto the ground.  Spike then came after, grabbing it and making way for Rainbow Dash and her spear to end the battle along with Garuda's reign of terror once and for all.  With one final screech, Garuda fell and dissipated, leaving no trace behind.  Not even a single feather.

"We did it!!" Pinkie cheered.  Indeed, their victory had given our heroes a great increase in strength, speed, and their capabilities for their respective jobs.  However...

*music fades out*

The prince rushed to his father's side and carefully lifted his head.

"Father!  Are you alright, father?!"

"My son...  Alus...  Please... forgive this fool of a father..." the king said with a weak cough.

"Father...?"

"As he stated... Gigametz took... control of me... and plunged our fair kingdom into a meaningless war... for his own amusement...  He even went as far... as to have me exile my own flesh and blood...  By I could never take... your life...  That was his downfall..."

"Your Majesty!"

"Ponies... dragons... Warriors of the Light...  I thank you for saving Saronia...  Alus...  I leave the kingdom in your hands...  Rule wisely...  Rule... well..."

"FATHER!!"

King Gorn closed his eyes for the last time.  The guards arrived and promptly carried their fallen ruler's body away to bury him properly.

"I will carry out your wish, Father."

"All hail.. the new king!" Arc said, tears streaming.

Ascending upstairs, our heroes faced the newly crowned king and bowed respectfully.

"Is this...?"

"Aye, lass.  We've only discovered this beauty.  We call her the Nautilus."

"All RIGHT!!  New airship!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Let's talk with the king some more."

Returning to the throne room, our heroes informed him of their departure.

"It will take some time for construction of the ship's completion.  In the meantime, why don't you pay the Great Library a visit?" Alus suggested.

Pinkie gasped loudly.  "Library?!  That big building in the upper left part of the city?"

"I believe you mean the northwestern portion, right?" Ingus asked.

"Yeah!  Me, Refia and Applejack went there looking for Twilight, but then...  Oh," the pink mare said.

*music fades out*

"It's alright, sugarcube," said Applejack.  She then looked in the opposite direction of the throne.  "Don't worry, Twilight.  We'll find ya."




???


Somewhere far away from the kingdom of Saronia, Twilight Sparkle lay unconscious, not knowing what where her friends were or what they had been through.  Her eyes felt heavy.

"Awake..." said a voice

"...?"

"You must awaken..."

Her eyelids began to move, slowly opening...  Her vision had not yet returned.  However, she could barely make out an image:  an elderly man dressed in red.

"Where... where am I?" she asked.

"You are in my humble abode on the Dalg continent," the man responded.

"Then... you must be..."

The figure nodded.
> Chapter 16: Reunion with Twilight; The Two Magi
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Great Library of Saronia


Upon entering the hall of knowledge, the ponies couldn't help but feel if Twilight were with them, she would stare at the books that lay before them on the shelves.  Within these books, whatever information about this world and what happened many years prior had to be of great help, so they split up and found some interesting information.

"Let's see here..." said Refia, holding one book in her hands.  Upon seeing the title, her eyes widened. 'Book of... Owen, Vol. 1'?!"

"Check this out!" said Rainbow.  "The one I got here says, 'Book of Owen, Vol. 2'!"

Refia took notice and the two friends opened their respective books and read aloud certain passes that gained their attention.

"'As the engineer who invented the reactor that powers the continent's flotation, I have decided to name it after myself: the Tower of Owen.'"

"Here's what this one says:  'The Wrath of Light was a miscalculation.  I will have to place my son Desch into cryogenic sleep to protect him if all goes wrong...'"

Seeing that name brought back memories of their old comrade from the Floating Continent.  Continuing the passage:

"'If something should happen to the Tower of Owen, he can wake up to repair it.  He can keep the continent afloat...'"

"'Wrath of Light?'  What's that mean?"

"Ah think Ah may have figured that one out," said Applejack, holding a book that said 'Ancient Tome, Vol. 3.'  Ingus and Arc each held books titled 'Ancient Tome, Vol. 1' and 'Ancient Tone, Vol. 2," respectively.  Luneth eventually met up with them holding 'Ancient Tome, Vol. 4.'

"'The great stone effigies set aflame all who seek the Crystal.  Only the four fangs grant us passage through their midst.'"

"'Our experiment with the Floating Continent succeeded.  All that remains is to place west of the Dalg continent.'"

"'DALG?!'"

"That's where this Doga guy's supposed to be, right?!

"'We abused the power that light hath brought us, and thus doomed the world to ruination.  The Wrath of Light cannot be stopped.  There is no hope...'"

"But we're still here!"

"This one should explain a dew things," said Luneth.  "'Though the four Warriors of Dark managed to forestall the Wrath of Light, we do not know from whence they hail.  But we must be grateful for their help...'"

"Did that book just say, 'Warriors of Dark?!'"

"Don't you remember our purpose as Warriors of Light?  It's to restore the balance between darkness and light," Ingus argued.

"I have to agree," Luneth added.  "These Warriors of Dark must've had the same goal in mind."

"Look at this."

"'Those serious about training in the way of the Dark Blade often make pilgrimages to Falgabard, a hidden mountain village west of Saronia...'  Sounds tempting, but I've already set my priorities.  First, we need to Twilight."

Upon leaving the library, the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light had more questions than answers:  what was this Wrath of Light the tomes spoke of, and who were these Warriors of Dark?  They decided to rest for the night at the nearest inn.

"Good night..."

The party rested their eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, the group left the inn and made their way to their new airship.

"First stop, the Dalg continent.  If there's anyone who can help us find Twilight, it's this Doga feller," said Applejack.

The airship lifted off the ground and sped to the northwest.  Rainbow Dash kept a lookout for anything that could hinder their progress, and yet so far no monster went anywhere near the ship.

Our heroes landed the Nautilus near the large mansion encased by a forest.  There was only one way to find out:  enter.




Doga's Manor


"HELLOOOO!!"

"Keep it down, Pinkie!" Rainbow warned in a harsh whisper.  "Who knows what's gonna happen if you keep...  Uh-oh!"

At that moment, our heroes found themselves surrounded by Doga's bodyguards... several little white cat-like creatures with pom-poms hanging from their heads.  Upon seeing them, a few of the party members' (Refia, Rarity and Pinkie Pie) eyes shone up.

"What are y'all?" asked Applejack.

"Those are Moogles, in case you didn't know," said a male voice.

The creatures then backed off upon hearing the voice.

"'Moogles?'" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.  The creatures then lined up in two rows, allowing their master to pass and greet the visitors.  The master was an elderly man dressed in a red-orange cloak, his head concealed by its hood but not his white mustache.  He wore a long necklace with a large golden key pendant.

"Kupo!"

"'Kupo?'" said the ponies in unison.

"That's sort of a verbal tic, you see," the man answered.

"You must be Doga," said Luneth.

"That is correct, young man," the magus replied.

"Welcome to our master's abode, kupo!" said one Moogle.

"It talks!" Pinkie squealed.

"I can't believe it," said Arc.

"Uh...  Nice to meet you all," Spike replied awkwardly.

"Well, uh...  Howdy, y'all... I guess?"

The Moogles look led at each other in confusion.

"Um...  Howdy, kupo!"

One of the creatures walked over and inspected Rarity, much to the unicorn's confusion.  After it was done, the Moogle lent out its paw in a friendly manner.

Rarity chuckled, "Oh, aren't you such a darling little thing!"

"Nice to meet you, kupo!"

Pinkie and Rarity chuckled with glee.

"You seem to be a lot of fun."

"They're adorable," Refia chuckled.

"Now then...  You all must be... the Warriors of Light and..." he said, eyeing the Equestrians.  "My word...  I believe my unexpected guest knows you quite well."

"Whoa, hold up there, pops.  Did you just say, 'unexpected guest?'" said Rainbow.

"Everyone!" a voice gasped.

"T-T...  TWILIGHT!"

The group raced to Twilight's side and embraced the lavender alicorn.

"I"m glad to see you all again!"

"Ah don't understand somethin', Twi," said Applejack.  "How'd ya end up in this here mansion?"

"Well..."



At the moment of the Enterprise's destruction...

"When the Enterprise was attacked, the force of the explosion blew me several miles away from that castle.  I landed in the water.  Then I found two pieces of wood and clung onto them with what little strength I had left.  I tried to find dry land but lost consciousness...  I guess I must have drifted for a day or so."



*music fades out*

"And when I woke up, I was in this bed.  Doga and these little guys did keep me company at least," Twilight giggled.

"Kupo!"

Looks like they've taken a liking to Rarity, Luneth thought.

"I think Fluttershy would like these little guys, too," Rainbow Dash remarked.

"I'm so sorry, little ones  but my friends and I must make haste.  We've got to find the last Crystal, or all will be lost!"

"We all understand, kupo..."

The white unicorn placed her hoof around the little creature and brought it into a warm embrace.

"Thank you for looking after our friend."

Twilight smiled at the display, and turned to Doga to ask a serious question

"I'd like for you to tell us about this Xande.  "Who is he, really?"

"We've been hearing this guy's name from left to right, but we know next to nothing.  And I'm sick of all these monsters and villains not tellin' us anything," Rainbow remarked.

"Very well."

The ponies sat on their haunches, ready to learn everything about their enemy.

"It all began many eons ago...  Xande, Unei, and I were pupils of the Great Magus Noah.  He had granted the three of us special gifts.  I was bestowed with the gift of magic, and Unei the ability to rule over the dream world.  As for Xande...  He was given the gift of mortality, but Xande did not appreciate that, for he believed that he was given a curse.  A limit to his lifespan."

"Why make him mortal?"

"That I do not know, though I speculate that he wished for Xande to enjoy life as the mortals do."

"You mean... when their time's up?" asked Rainbow Dash.

At that point, Twilight began to wonder if it was right for her to be an alicorn at all.  True, she had been given exceptional magic... but the possibility of outliving her friends whom she held dear in her heart?  Another question came to Twilight's mind:  If this Unei was powerful regarding dreams, then why did she not stop this "Cloud of Darkness" whenever it appears in her dreams to taunt her?

"What about... the real Earth Crystal?" asked Ingus.  "We found that--"

"The Crystal in Goldor Manor was not genuine?  Yes, that is correct.  It was a rock I made out of stone."

"Wait a minute.  YOU made that?!" Rainbow said, pointing her hoof at Doga.

"Yes.  Rest assured, it was all to protect the real Crystal."

"I see.  By the way... what is that evokers do?" asked Luneth as he looked at Ingus, Twilight, and Rarity.

"Evokers...  Your main role is the ability to summon Phantom Beasts."

"'Phantom Beasts?'"

"Yes...  Powerful entites such as the Chocobo--"

"A Chocobo...?  You mean we can call a Chocobo at will without Gysahl greens and all that."

"Yes...  And there are also the ice deity Shiva, the thunder lord Ramuh, the fire god Ifrit, Titan--the master of earth,  the all-powerful Odin, the serpent Leviathan... and Bahamut the dragon king."

"BAHAMUT?!" the party exclaimed in unison.  It was a name none of them ever expected to hear again, not since they first met with Desch and escaped its nest atop Dragon's Peak on the Floating Continent.

"Before that, did you just say, 'Leviathan?!'"

Twilight and Spike recalled being swallowed by a creature during their conflict with Mateus.

"Thank you...  Lord Doga."

"I'm sorry, but we need to go and complete our journey," said Refia.

The Moogles hung their heads; they were sad to see their guests go, especially Rarity and Pinkie Pie.  The latter hopped over to the first two in front of her and patted their little heads and giggled, eliciting a happy "kupo" from it.

"You don't suppose we can keep contact with these critters  right?" asked Applejack.

"There was a service we used  but it's been discontinued, kupo."

"That's too bad," Twilight answered.  "I wish we could stay a little longer, but..."

"If you're ready, please follow me."

"Let's see here...  Ah, yes.  Luneth, will you please remove this candle for me?"

"Yeah, I guess," the boy said, not sure of what was going to happen.  He did what he was told to do, and there was a loud rumbling sound.  The wall opened, revealing a secret passage.

"Ooh.  Just a like a mystery novel."

Following the magus, the party discovered a small door leading to the Cave of the Circle.  Knowing what was needed to be down, Twilight shrunk everyone down, Doga included, and proceeded to walk through the door.




Cave of the Circle


"Whoa.  Look at this place."

"Ooh....  Glittery," Pinkie Pie observed. 
"Look!  There's some mushrooms!  If you eat them, can you grow?"

"Very doubtful," Doga remarked dryly.

Upon reaching the second level, a Bovian--a minotaur-like creature blocked the path.  Knowing they were in a miniature state, the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light could only rely on their magical skills.  Doga stood between them and the monster, unleashing his most powerful attack.

"FLARE!"

And with that spell, the monster was incinerated and turned to ash.  Afterwards, our heroes continued their trek through the cave until they descended down the stairs and found a magic sigil.

"This sigil will help your vessel dive underwater."

After the light vanished, our heroes were elated now that the Nautilus could function under the sea.

"Before you run off to the sunken temple, I suggest that you pay the village of Replito a visit; there is a store which sells you the spells needed to summon the first four Phantom Beasts I had mentioned earlier:  Chocobo, Shiva, Ramuh, Ifrit, and Titan.  You'll find it somewhere to the northwest of Saronia."

"We'll remember," said Luneth.  "And thank you."

"Thank you so much," said Twilight.  "I don't think there's anything we can do to repay your kindness."

Doga bowed his head in silence.

"I must return home."

"When can we see you again?"

"After you have awakened Unei and accomplish the task she may assign to you."

"You know...  Those Moogles were little darlings!" Rarity gushed.  Letting a sigh, the white unicorn lamented bringing one of them to Carousel Boutique with her; no doubt Sweetie Belle would find herself overwhelmed with delight upon seeing a new creature to play with and help take care.  Opalescence, on the other hoof, would be jealous of the attention the Moogle would receive.  Pinkie Pie even wanted to bring one home just to play be friends with it.

Our heroes stepped aboard the Nautilus once more and flew to the northwestern continent.




Replito


The party looked around the village to see that some of the villagers were evokers.  They then went into a magic shop and purchased the scrolls that were needed to summon the "phantom beasts" Doga spoke of.

"Why I do I see two little ponies dressed in our garb?" one villager whispered harshly.

"I'm not sure, but I sense no ill will from them," another replied.

Aboard the Nautilus, Twilight and Rarity summoned the scrolls they had purchased and studied the figures.

"Who would've thought we'd be calling forth such powerful creatures?" asked the purple alicorn.

"You know, I'm willing to bet this isn't gonna be the last time we hear about summoned monsters," said Pinkie Pie.  "Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they're gonna be relevant to the plot of the next story, or the next one, or the next one..."

As she kept repeating those words, the rest of the Equestrians shook their heads.




Temple of Time


Using one of the magic keys, Pinkie unlocked the room and acquired a Diamond Helmet.  Next, Twilight unlocked the room next door and obtained a pair of Diamond Bracers.  With a new set of equipment in their possession, the party then waded through the ankle-deep water and made their descent to the next level.  The second floor had only one treasure chest which lay to the left in our heroes' line of vision.  Rainbow Dash flew to the chest, opened it and grabbed the contents.  It was a large sword that the pegasus knew Luneth could carry, so she handed it over to the dark knight.

As soon as they neared the stairs to the third floor, a menacing growl echoed throughout the halls.

"That don't sound good," Applejack said, shuddering.

"I knew we were gonna fight some big monster," Rainbow smirked, much to her friends' dismay.

"Spike, Rainbow Dash!  Wait!"

Upon arriving at the final floor, Spike's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped in horror at the sight he beheld.  When Rainbow Dash saw what Spike was seeing, her expression changed form one of confidence to one of terror.  Her eyes widened and her ears drooped.

"T-Twilight..."

"Whoa."

"What is it, Spike?"

"L-L-L-LOOK!!!"

Twilight looked where her dragon friend was pointing, and her eyes expression matched that of Spike.

"It's..."

A large, blue, quadrupedal beast with horns and fangs blocked their path to their prize.

"Is that a... Behemoth?!"

"Someone you know?"

"This thing was one of Emperor Mateus' pets when Spike, Cadence, Fluttershy and I went to save Flurry.  He captured a princess and used her as bait to lure us into battle with this thing!  ...Or something similar!"

The Behemoth roared, making the ponies flinch.  All except Rainbow Dash.

"Alright, tough guy!  You want a piece of Rainbow Dash?  Come and get it!"

The monster lunged toward the cyan pegasus with great speed, but Rainbow Dash was quicker as she flew upward.

"Missed!"

Twilight charged up for a magic attack while Luneth slashed at beast five times, causing a good deal of damage.  Then Twilight unleashed a powerful magic beam at the monster, infuriating it further.  Suddenly, a spear shot down and impacted the ground, harming the Behemoth.

"Over here, you big dummy!"

The beast growled at the taunting pony; it lunged at her again, this time swiping her away and knocking her into the wall.  Rainbow struggled to get up, groaning as she did so.  Opening her eyes, she finally saw the Behemoth for what it was:  the most difficult, most dangerous monster she had encountered as of yet.

"Can't... lose now..."

Ingus gave Rainbow an elixir, restoring the pegasus' strength.

"Thanks!" she said, jumping in the air once again.

Twilight and Rarity each fired a magic beam.  While the effects of the ponies' magic was successful, the beast was still standing on all fours.  Luneth then slashed it six times with the defender, causing it moderate damage.

Spike closed his eyes, inhaled and unleashed a powerful breath of fire on the Behemoth.  Angered, the monster attempted to brush the little dragon aside as it did to Rainbow, but before the large claws could touch him, Spike jumped into the air.

The Behemoth roared and began backing ournhweoes into a corner until Rainbow's spear impacted once more and sent the giant back five steps.  Just when it was about to lunge for Rarity, another spear followed.  Spike appeared, grabbing the spear and jumped back to join the others.

Applejack then jumped a great height and  swung her hammer sideways, bringing the Behemoth down once and for all.  After letting out one last roar, the monster then vanished, leaving the party victorious.  Soon after celebrating their victory, our heroes marched onwards to the next level.  They went for the room on their right and found their prize.  They walked on the path and gazed upon the instrument laying atop the pedestal.

"This must be..."

"Noah's Lute!"

As soon as Luneth touched the lute, it began playing a beautiful melody.  One that could awaken those who had fallen into a deep sleep.

"Such a soothing melody," Rarity said to herself, smiling dreamily.

"Let's go."

Twilight then teleported everyone back to the Nautilus.




Unei's Shrine


Upon crossing the narrow path, the Equestrians and the Warriors of the Light stopped near a small section of the cave and walked through a small entrance on the western side.  They discovered an elderly woman sleeping in her bed, with only her parrot to keep her company.  Approaching the old woman, our heroes knew this had to be the other disciple of Noah.  They unveiled Noah's Lute which began to play the soothing melody, which reverberated around the room and passed into the world of dreams.  Upon the melody's end, Unei's eyelids started to move.  Slowly opening her eyes, the magus lifted her head, yawning and stretching her arms.

"That was a nice nap.  Come here and sit on my shoulder, sweetie bird.," said the old woman.

"Yes, ma'am!" the parrot squawked as it flew and perched itself on its master.

"So you're..."

"Yes...  I'm Unei.  No doubt you've come to awaken me from my slumber, and you have succeeded.  I oversee the world of dreams.  And I see we have five little ponies and a dragon."

The Warriors and Equestrians nodded.

"That earthquake which started all this?  Xande was the culprit.  However..."

"However?"

"I have the feeling that there is something far more sinister at work.  Something driving his actions and feeding on his desire to live forever."

It must be... Twilight thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

"Yes, dearie...  One of the Fangs you've been collecting.  This is the Fang of Fire.  All that's left... is the Fang of Earth."

"And where do we find this last Fang?"

"You'll need a much more powerful airship: the Invincible.  What do you say we pay a visit to the Ancient Ruins up north?"

The party agreed and hopped aboard the Nautilus.
> Chapter 17: Search for the Phantom Beasts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Fluttershy's Cottage


While Fluttershy was at the Crystal Empire to check on her friends' wellbeing, her animal friends were looking after her house, fulfilling their daily duties.  Randi the Chocobo made friends with Harry the Bear.  Angel Bunny... not so much.

The peace, however, was short-lived when all the animals experienced the same thing as their pony friend: nightmares of a lifeless Equestria, no food, no water, and no Fluttershy to keep them safe.

Randi sat near the cottage and looked upwards to the sky, hoping everything would turn out alright.



Meanwhile in the other world, the rest of the Equestrians had just Unei's Shrine with the elderly woman herself among the group's ranks.

"It feels so good being outside again," she said.  "In fact..."

Unei stretched her arms and performed a happy dance.  So happy that Pinkie Pie joined in.  The others just stood where they were in confusion; Refia smiled for she appeared to be the only one enjoying what she was seeing.

*music stops*

Afterwards, the group climbed aboard the Nautilus and took off.  They steered the airship towards the Ancient Ruins in hopes of obtaining a more powerful airship: the Invincible.  The air was warm, but the ponies could feel a chill in the air.  None more so than Twilight Sparkle.  Being haunted by the nightmares most, she felt a great a sense of fear and anguish ever since the battle with Mateus.

"Madame Unei--"

"Oh, you can call me Unei."

"Unei...  I've been having these horrible dreams since before my friends and I came to this world.  This person... this... thing...  Some sort of entity keeps haunting me and torturing me with these images of our home in ruins...  And I just learned about your abilities; you sort of remind me of Princess Luna.  Could it be that...?"

"Yes, I suppose...  You want to know why I couldn't drive this being away from you....  It's most likely that this force grows stronger each passing day.  And I suspect that it was this force that Xande plans to unleash..."

Twilight closed her eyes, taking in everything the old woman has told her so far.  She thought back to what Princess Luna had told her and her friends:  that this force was so powerful, it fought with Luna and nearly drained her of her powers.  And if Xande were to succeed...  Twilight pushed the thought of her mind aside and listened to one simple question from Unei:

"So... what did this entity tell you?"

"It spoke in first-person plural and called itself the 'Cloud of Darkness.'  Does that name mean anything to you?"

Unei's face turned more serious than before.

"The Cloud of Darkness..."

"Anything you know could be of help."

"Before we do that, I believe we find some the other Phantom Beasts.  Starting with Odin.  You find him in the catacombs of Saronia."

"But..."  Twilight sighed wearily.  She knew that knowing so much at once was too much for her brain, but all the same she needed to know.

"And there's something else.  Like...  Where did my friends here really come?  Is Luneth from Saronia, or was it Arc?  What about Refia and Ingus?  That question?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I just... want to know a little more about our friends.  Not to mention, Arc seems to have bonded with Alus, the new king of Saronia.  But then again, it's because both of them were bullied."

"Yes...  I see."

The Nautilus flew north of Saronia and navigated through a maze of water.  Arc noticed the entrance to a cave resting near a grassy area in the middle.

"I think we've found it."

"Good eye, Arc."




Ancient Ruins


As soon as they entered the ruins, the group discovered a group of explorers.  The explorers were befuddled upon seeing pastel ponies and a small reptile among the ranks of the new explorers.

"We seek this airship called the Invincible.

They directed our heroes' attention to a roadblock:  large stones made up of adamantite.

"Twilight," said Rarity.  "Isn't that the same material those dwarfs made into Setro's best sword?"

"Y-You're right, Rarity," Twilight observed.

"Let me handle this!  Striking dreamworld stones against any material in the physical world--even adamantite--should annihilate both objects.  Stand back!  Here we go..."

The group complied as the magus raised her hands, emitting a glowing light that raised all three stones and destroyed them, one after the other.  The party was no doubt impressed, none moreso than Rainbow Dash.

"That.  Was.  AWESOME!!"

"Not too loud, little missy," said Unei, covering her ears.  "I may be old, but I'd rather not lose my hearing now!"

"Oops.  Heh heh heh... sorry."

"You'll have to forgive Rainbow Dash.  She's easily excited by a lot of things," said Twilight.

"And mighty reckless at times, but she's a good girl by heart."

"Well, come on.  Don't just stand there.  The Invincible awaits."

Our heroes went through the hallway and turned right, only to have a Pyralis, a large, green dragon-like monster attack them from behind.  The beast swiped its tail, gaining the group's attention.  It then attempted to use its jaws on Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus dodged to the side and gave it a powerful uppercut.  Applejack then put the beast in its place by striking it down with her hammer.  With the monster defeated, our heroes grew even more powerful, and their job capabilities increased.

Going up the stairs before them, the group discovered a treasure chest containing reflective mail.  Continuing onward, they returned to the same area as before and went to the next flight of stairs, only to discover a portion of the team of explorers they met earlier who set up shop, selling various items.  After purchasing everything they needed, the group went down another flight of stairs, this time taking them down.

While they explored the ruins, Twilight and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel these ruins wouldn't look out of place in a Daring Do book.  The latter had wondered what it would be like if the explorer/author would feel if she heard of the Chamber of Crystals taking them to other worlds.

After a series of battles with unsightly creatures and acquiring more items, our heroes finally reached the bottom level of the ruins.  There was water everywhere, and the only dry place was the cobblestone ground they stood on.  Walking around where they came, they saw a rope ladder on the distant wall and ran up to it.  Looking upwards, the ponies' eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"Whoa.  This thing's HUMONGOUS!" Rainbow observed.

"I've never seen an airship like this before," said Twilight.




Aboard the Invincible


Walking up the stairs, the whole group was surprised to see how big the ship was from the inside as well.  Unei cleared her throat, gaining their attention.

"Now listen up.  The stairs, as you know, are the way out to the surface.  When you want to board the ship, simply stand under its shadow."

"Got it!" said Rainbow.

"You can also put the engine into overdrive so that it may fly over high mountains," she continued, moving over to a lever next to the wheel.  "And if you want to stop the ship, just pull this brake here.  Any other questions?"

"I'm good," said Luneth.

"Alright.  Now, follow me, kids!"

They did so as she gave them a tour of the grand vessel.  First she led them to an inventory where several items were displayed.

"Is this?  Is this like an item shop?" Twilight inquired.

"Yes, that's right," Unei replied.  "All you have to do is put your gil in these thingies here, and you can buy items, weapons, and even armor."

"Well, that's certainly convenient," said Spike.

"There's also a certain someone I've brought along."

"Huh?"

"What?  You haven't met Fat Chocobo yet?!"

"'Fat Chocobo?'"

"Well, I suppose first thing's first," she said leading them to a corner.

"Fat Chocobo!  Where are ya?!" 

A large puff of smoke and appeared a large, rotund Chocobo!

"What the hay is that?!" asked Applejack.

"That's Fat Chocobo, of course.  What else would it be?" Unei chuckled.

"What's it do?"

"Allow me to explain if you will," it said, surprising the entire party except for Unei.

"Did that big bird just talk?!"

"Why, yes it did."

"My role is to help lighten your inventory by storing away any unnecessary items or equipment."

"Well... alright," Rarity said, giving the large bird a few potions and one antidote.  "There are you, darling."

"Thank you," it replied, tossing the items in the air.  It then opened its beak and swallowed the objects.

"Ew...!" the ponies said in unison, cringing at the sight.

"Oh, don't worry.  You can ask for this fellow to give you the items back if you want," said the old woman.

"Y-You know what?  I think it's best that it... you know, keeps them for a while..." Twilight chuckled nervously.

The others muttered in agreement.

"Oh well," said Unei.  "Moving on."

She then turned 180 degrees and pointed to a room decorated with large beds in each corner.  The party didn't even need her to explain.

"Awesome!  We've got a moving hotel in the sky!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"And a shop, too," Applejack added.

Unei then lifted her head and took two steps.

"What's the matter?" asked Arc.

"I have to go; Doga's calling me."

"What?  You're leaving already?" Refia asked in disbelief.

"Yep.  The Invincible is yours," Unei said.

"Luneth, you and the other Warriors of Light go to the Cave of Shadows and fetch the Fang of Earth.  Once you do that, please come back to Doga's Manor.  Princess Twilight, you and your fellow ponies and dragon ought to find the rest of the Phantom Beasts; their strength and abilities will surely be of help.  Your first stop should be Replito."

"Actually, we already went there,"

"Oh, you did already?"

"Yeah.  In fact..."

Twilight then revealed the scrolls containing depictions of the creatures in question.  Unei studied them carefully and nodded, confirming one fact:

"Yes...  These are the powers you seek.  Use these spells, and the Phantom Beasts shall appear to aid you in battle."

"Some of these things don't look quite like beasts.  Especially this 'Shiva.'  She seems so beautiful," Rarity pointed out.

"But Ifrit certainly does.  Look at those horns!"

"Look how big this Titan feller is!"

"A Chocobo?  Really?  How can a Chocobo win in a fight?  And why does it look pink?!" Rainbow complained.

"We only rode some on the field, Dashie.  We won't know 'til somepony tries calling it!" Pinkie answered.  "Not sure why it's pink though, or why it looks like... something...  Oh well!"

"Ramuh here looks wise and powerful," Twilight noted.  "Wait a minute.  What about the other three?"

"Very well...  First, Odin lies in the catacombs of Castle Saronia.  You'll need to dive underwater."

"Thank you..."

"Good luck, everybody," she said, vanishing.

Luneth walked over to the helm and started the engine.  After a few tries, the engine finally roared.

"Oh my goodness!  It's moving!"



A large rumbling occurred among the ocean.  Soon all eyes turned toward the water and saw an incredible sight:  a large airship long forgotten had risen from the depths and was now fully functional.  Those who had known the legends knew this airship to be the Invincible, once used as a weapon by the Ancients.  Now it had returned in time to save the world and restore the balance between light and darkness.

The airship itself was much larger than either airship the party had been on before.  Two times bigger, in fact.  On the mast of this vessel were the propellers helping it fly.

"There's the Nautilus!  Stop right here, Luneth," said Twilight.

"Does that mean...?" said Arc.

"Yes...  We have faith in you.  Good luck and be very careful," said Twilight, just before leading herself and her friends back to the last place where the Nautilus lay:  the entrance to the Ancient Ruins.




Saronia Catacombs


"I never thought we would be looking for a mystical creature underneath a castle," Rarity wondered aloud.

"Neither did I," said Spike.

After clearing the path of all dangers, the Equestrians came face-to-face with a lone figure in the back of the chamber.

"You must be the ponies that have come to restore the balance between light and darkness," the figure spoke.

"Yes.  That's right.  And you must be..."

"Odin.  And you wish to challenge me, do you?  Very well.  Let us see if you have the resolve to save this world!"

Odin called forth his steed and his steel-bladed sword, prompting the party to enter their battle stances.

Rainbow Dash was the first to attack by slashing Odin with her spear.

"Take this!"

Twilight fired a great laser beam from her horn, engulfing the Phantom Beast in a wave of powerful magic, but it was not enough.  Odin then tried to slash Rarity who dodged.  She was unharmed, but a small portion of her mane had been sliced off.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!  MY BEAUTIFUL MANE!  YOU WILL ANSWER FOR THIS!!!"

The white unicorn then uttered several words summoning the ice spirit Shiva.  She then gave Odin an icy stare which did great harm unto him, causing his horse tumble over.

"Very well.  I concede," said the rider.  "From this moment, I am yours to command...  As for the others... you will find them on the Floating Continent."

He then glowed a bright light and shrank, transforming into a small black orb.  With the essence of Odin in their hooves (and claws), the Equestrians exited the catacombs and with the help of Twilight's teleportation spell, returned the Nautilus to the section of the continent that led to Doga's Manor, and teleported everypony to the Floating Continent.  As soon as they appeared, the ponies and dragon found themselves near a familiar village.




Ur


The Equestrians quickly rushed into the house of the village elder.

"Topapa!"

"Well, if it isn't the ponies and dragon!" Topapa greeted warmly.

"Where are my boys?  And the other children?" Nina asked.

"They're fine.  They--"

"Fine?!  FINE?!  They're all alone and--"

"Please, please calm down," said Rarity.  "I'm sure the children are alright."

"Anyway, Topapa," Twilight spoke, "we're looking for these things called 'Phantom Beasts,' and we were told that Leviathan is somewhere on this continent."

"Yes...  I suppose you're right.  Ordinarily I would ask that people not risk their lives, but if this is for the boys... I'll make an exception."

"Thank you," said Applejack.

"Leviathan dwells on Lake Dohr.  You'll find it to the west and it's below Gulgan Gulch."

"Thanks again," said Twilight.

Upon leaving, the Equestrians headed westward and--with the help of Twilight's magic as far as Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack are concerned--flew over the mountains and landed in Lake Dohr.  A large shadow appeared in the lake and emerged, revealing Leviathan!

Rarity screamed with all her might, but it was useless as the serpent created a strong whirlpool, dragging her and her friends into the depths of the unknown.




Lake Dohr


When they swam up to the surface, our heroes gasped for air and found themselves in a subterranean cavern.

"The outsiders awake, I see."

From the pool emerged the great sea serpent Leviathan!

"WHOA!!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Leviathan.  We've come to ask for your help."

"You need my aid?" the creature asked skeptically and laughed mockingly.  "You?  Mere creatures the humans could easily pick up."

"Hey!  Don't underestimate us, buddy!" an angry Rainbow Dash argued.

"So reckless...  Know this: only those strong in the light may receive my aid."

"My word," said Rarity.  "Do you seriously mean we have to do battle with you?"

"Correct..."

"Very well.  You've given us no choice," said Twilight.




Cave of Shadows


Luneth was shocked upon seeing another dark knight inside the cave.

"You...  You must have come for the... Fang of Earth..."

The Warriors nodded.

"Beware, children.  Without the power of the dark sword, you are no match for the perils that lie within these caverns..."




Lake Dohr


The Equestrians' battle with Leviathan took a turn for the worse as the serpent whacked Twilight to the side.  The alicorn struggled to get back on her hooves, but it was useless.

"Twilight!" Spike called out, tossing a Phoenix Down on his friend, reviving her.  Pinkie then gave her a hi-potion, allowing her to recover.

"It's not over, yet..."

Twilight then began chanting, while Rainbow Dash jumped up in the air.  Applejack then attempted to attack Leviathan with her hammer, but the sea serpent craftily dodged, leaving the orange earth pony up in air until she came splashing down into the water.  Seeing that Twilight was preparing for a huge spell, she quickly swam to the dry surface in order to avoid further harm.

At that moment, Leviathan summoned the waves of the pool and created a large tidal wave that threatened to consume its enemies.  Rarity panicked and conjured a crystal shield to protect the group.  The waves passed over them, allowing Twilight to successfully summon Odin.  Being summoned by an evoker, Odin was not able to cut Leviathan down, but his attack proved enough to turn the tide in the Equestrians' favor.




Cave of Shadows


Within the bowels of the cave, the Warriors of Light had finally reached what they had come to obtain.

"There it is!"

Luneth cautiously walked toward the Fang of Earth, looking left and right...

Suddenly, a voice spoke out:

"Who dares awaken me from my sleep?!"

Luneth backed away and as he did, he and the others saw a large humanoid figure appearing in front of them.  It appeared to be a giant muscular man of dark red skin and white hair.  He wore a yellow cape clasped to a dark brown chest plate with gray shoulder pads.

"Who are you?!"

"I am Hecatoncheir, guardian of the Fang of Earth.  If you wish to claim it, you must overcome me!" he said, drawing his sword and pointed it at them.




Lake Dohr


Meanwhile, the ponies and Spike had succeeded in defeating Leviathan when Spike attacked from high above.

"You are certainly far stronger than you appear, little ponies and dragon...  There is but one more whose power you must obtain to complete your quest.  He was sealed away eons ago by the Great Magus Noah on this continent...  The dragon king, Bahamut.  You will find its dwelling in a cave southeast of the Vikings' Cove."

The great sea serpent, like Odin before it, transformed into a small black orb, containing its essence within.  There was but one thing left to do before rejoining their friends...



Meanwhile, the Warriors of Light had successfully defeated Hecatoncheir and claimed their prize: the Fang of Earth.  It was not an easy batttle since, the being attacked some of them two times in a row; he even used the Quake ability nearly wounding Ingus.  But with all four Fangs in their possession,  they could now confront their destinies.

"Well done, Warriors of the Light."

"You have acquired all four elemental Fangs.  I ask that you return to the manor at once."

"Wait!  What about the ponies?  And Spike, too?"

"Only you four must come.  They are about to take on the last Phantom Beast..."

"Oh, no..." Refia had realized.

"Don't worry...  I am sure they will succeed.  Now come..."

Reluctantly, Luneth and the others boarded the Invincible and traveled all the way back to the Dalg continent.  However, the winds were too strong too let the giant airship through, but luckily for them, the Nautilus was planted right near them, so they used that ship instead.
> Chapter 18: The Dragon King and the Magi's Final Gifts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just outside the Vikings' Cove, a bright pink light brought forth five little ponies and a baby dragon.  Their eyes were locked in the mountain range in front of them.  None of them had thought they would face the Dragon King Bahamut once more; all they could think about was their previous encounter with it at Dragon's Peak, how powerful the beast was, and the fact that they had no choice but to escape its wrath.  However, given their recent experience and the new powers they obtained, perhaps it would be a much simpler matter of acquiring Bahamut's strength.  With that in mind, the Equestrians proceeded to enter the cave next to the cove and complete their task.




Bahamut's Lair


It may have looked like any other cave the Equestrians had paid a visit to, but the fact that this was where the dreaded Bahamut resided, which made this place all the more unnerving.

"Be careful, everyone," said Twilight.  "You never know know what's going to come out."

"Ah...  The little ponies again..."

That voice...

Descending from the skies came the great dragon from before.  Yes, it was the same Bahamut they escaped along with Desch.

"Have you come to acquire my power, to challenge the sorcerer Xande?"

"You've heard of him?"

"Xande was one of the Great Magus Noah's disciples, after all.  And it was Noah who put me here atop this mountain.  Now come!"

"We're not runnin' away this time," said Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie whipped out her party cannon and fired a ball of confetti and streamers at the beast.  Much to her confusion, the dragon felt no effect from the blast and casually flicked the party items off its face and attempted to swipe Pinkie.  Thankfully the party mare jumped backwards, dodging the attack.  At this point, the dragon opened its mouth; a light blue had formed.  It sent a powerful beam that nearly decimated everything it touched... all except for the Equestrians  thanks to Twilight conjuring a magic barrier.

"Impressive, " it said.  "Few have survived the Mega Flare."

"M-M-M-Mega F-F-Flare?!"

Bahamut then swiped away at the terrified Spike, nearly knocking him off the mountain if not for a certain orange earth pony.

"Ah gotcha, sugarcube!"

Twilight then placed her front hooves together and began chanting an incantation.  To keep Bahamut distracted, Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and in ten seconds, launched her spear near the dragon's right wing.

"Leviathan!  Come to us!"

The sea serpent then manifested and encircled Bahamut, creating a powerful tornado, lifting the dragon king and quickly throwing him into the ground.

*music fades out*

The ponies then slowly and cautiously approached the fallen dragon.  Slowly lifting his head, he eyed the creatures that had defeated him.

"Your magic and your skills are unparalleled...  You win.  I now give you my essence..."

Soon after, the Equestrians left for the surface world, and as they arrived on the Dalg continent, they stepped aboard the Invincible to meet with their friends.

"Hey guys!" said a cheerful Rainbow Dash.  "We got 'em!  We got the Phantom Beasts!"  She then noticed the collective look of sorrow and guilt on the children's faces.  "What's wrong...?"

"It's about Doga... and Unei..."

The Equestrians didn't like where this conversation was heading.  Not one bit.

"They told us... to... to fight them in battle!"

"Unei and Doga told you to do WHAT?!"

Luneth nodded as he and the others began to tell them everything.




Doga's Grotto


"Greetings, Warriors of the Light."

"Thank you," said Luneth.

"What's the matter?"

Unei spoke up, "In my hand is the key to the Syrcus Tower, where Xande dwells.  The entrance is already opened, bit with this key, you will gain full access to the tower.  But I fear Xande will be waiting for you."

"The Eureka Key is nearly finished, and there is only step to comp."

"You must defeat us in battle."

"Wh-Wh--"

"B-B-B-B--"

"But we can't do that!" Arc cried.

"You're our friends!" Refia added.

"No excuses!  You innocent fools!"

The old man in red took the initiative and transformed.  Instinctively, Luneth drew his sword and slashed at his opponent four times.  Ingus could do nothing but call forth Ifrit and unleash an Inferno attack on Doga; the old man turned creature withstood the attack with all his strength, but he still couldn't escape the effects of the spell, for he found a part of himself on fire.  He did, however, cast a small healing spell, extinguishing the flames.  Refia closed her eyes and swung her weapon barely missing the target.  Arc played his harp to try and help, but the music did little to aid them, for Doga was unaffected, at least physically.

"This can't be everything you've got," the magus said, disappointed.  "You MUST fight as if your lives depend on it!"

He then cast the fearsome Flare spell on the group.  Refia then charged on instinct and delivered a critical blow to her opponent.  Arc gave his childhood friend a hi-potion, allowing him to recover.  Luneth then swung his weapon ten times, finally ending the fight.  When Doga changed back to his original state, the Warriors of Light were immediately horrified by their actions.

"Doga!!" they cried in unison.

"Don't be sad," said the old man.  "I've done... my part..."

"Now you must deal with me," said Unei.  The woman then transformed into a witch-like being.  "Come!"

The Warriors of Light grew even more anxious.

"Unei, please," said Arc.  "We don't have to do this.  Isn't there another way?"

"No," Unei replied.  "The Eureka Key must be completed by the energy of combat."

With no other choice, the youths took up their arms once more.  Refia stepped forward and struck Unei with her hammer.

"Aeroga!"

The powerful wind spell nearly brought the four's health to half, but they weren't giving up.  Luneth slashed at Unei with his katanas, bringing the battle to a swift end.  Just after, Luneth dropped his weapons to the ground.

"Well done... Warriors of the Light..."

"No, don't die!" Refia cried.

Doga gasped, "Do not grieve...  Even if our bodies die, our souls... are forever..."

The two magi closed their eyes and breathed their very last.  The Warriors of Light could only look at the ground where they stood, but one thing was clear:  Doga and Unei were dead.



"And that's what happened," a tearful Refia stated.

"As soon as we laid our hands on that fang, I had a terrible feeling, but I just brushed it off!" Luneth cried.  "Some hero..."

"Afterwards, the gave us final gifts:  The key to a magical place called Eureka and the key to the Crystal Tower," Ingus added.  "But to... to do what they told us to...?"

Upon hearing the whole story, the Equestrians sat there numb.  Doga and Unei had convinced these children to take their lives all for the sake of powerful weapons.  Was it really worth it?  Pinkie Pie's normally poofy hair deflated like a balloon.  Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity saw the tears flowing from Arc and Refia's cheeks, knowing they bear remorse over the deeds, but... did the blame really lie on the four Warriors of Light?  Or the two magi with who requested they do battle?  Twilight didn't know what to say, except for one question:

"What... what was the last thing they said?"

Luneth looked up, his eyes red.

"Stop Xande.  That's all."

The ponies knew this to be true, for if Xande was not stopped, this "Cloud of Darkness" Twilight had mentioned, he would eclipse the light forever and destroy this world, and after that... most likely invade Equestria.



Deep in the recesses of his dwelling, Xande felt a great disturbance.  The sorcerer sensed two lifeforms had just perished; his former colleagues had sacrificed themselves to give his enemies the key to Eureka.  He sported an emotionless expression and called forth his strongest lieutenant.

"Phlegethon."

"Master."

"Those children and creatures have gathered all of the elemental fangs and will approach the Ancient Maze."

"You wish for me to dispose of them at the Ancient Maze?" the entity asked.

"Correct.  Now go."

"Yes, my lord."

The entity disappeared, leaving its master alone within the chamber...

"Should they succeed and arrive...  I will handle them myself."

Xande closed his eyes, awaiting the arrival of his enemies...
> Chapter 19: The Crystal of Earth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Doga's Manor


Before they could continue their journey, our heroes had something to take care of:  the news of Doga and Unei's demise.  Once they entered the mansion, the humans each wore an expression of guilt on his or her face.  They entered the room where the Moogles conducted their business and sighed.  One of the creatures stepped forward.

"Where is Master Doga?  And Lady Unei?" it asked.

Neither of the Warriors of Light nor those of the Equestrians gave an answer.  All at once, the Moogles understood.

"The masters... they...  We knew this day would come soon, kupo..."

Luneth's expression changed into shock.

"You mean...  You knew this would happen?!"

"Master Doga and Lady Unei had lived a very long life...  They had seen so much happen in this world.  Not to mention... that they gave you one last gift, kupo.  Correction: two gifts."

"The Eureka Key, kupo.  The land of Eureka holds the most powerful weapons in the universe.  With them, you'll surely stand a chance against Xande, kupo."

"And this," said Arc, holding out another key.  "Unei said this was the key to he Syrcus Tower."

"That's right, kupo," the little creature replied.

"If you're wandering where Eureka is, the entrance is inside the Syrcus Tower," said another Moogle.

"The same one that Xande's using as his base of operations?!"

"Yes, but the entrance was sealed for some time."

"Hold up a minute!" said Rainbow.  "Does that mean we have to use the Crystal Key first and then the Eureka?"

"Nope.  Only the ground floor of the tower is open.  Xande surely sealed the path to keep out intruders, kupo."

The party stood quietly absorbing all this information.  With these weapons the Moogles were speaking of, they could easily defeat Xande... or so the Moogles claimed.

"One more thing..."

The party turned back to the Moogles.

"When you enter the Ancient Maze surround the tower, kupo.  Go to the first door you see in front of you."

Confused, the party looked at each other and then left the manor.

*music fades out*

Our heroes stood in front of the effigies with the Fangs in their possession. They held out the Fangs and...  One by one, the statues crumbled; the magic barrier they emitted was no more, leaving the path to Xande's tower open.  After raising the Invincible over the short rock formation, they discovered a large tower made entire of crystal situated in the center of the of a large square structure which itself lay encased in a forest.




Ancient Maze


"Let's go, everyone!"

The Equestrians and the Warriors of Light raced through the entrance and found a large room in the center of the area.  Upon entering this room, our heroes stood before the Crystal of Earth.

"So, it's here!" Refia declared.

"Finally!" Rainbow exclaimed.  "We've reached all four Crystals!"

With their resolve strengthened, the party was about to activate the Crystal, until...

"By Master Xande's orders, you will be crushed!!!" said a booming voice.

The owner of the voice appeared in the form of dark orbs which then materialized into the fearsome warrior Phlegethon, a brown-skinned humanoid with a white cape clasped onto his dark brown chest plate with orange armored shoulder pads.  The Warriors of Light gasped at the sight.

"What is it?" asked Applejack.

"He looks just like the last enemy we faced!" said Refia.  "Just before we got the Fang of Earth, we fought someone who looked just like this!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if the one from before was one of Xande's followers," Ingus added.

"Regardless, we've come too far to stop now," said Twilight.

"Wait a minute...  Isn't your name Titan?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Some call me that," Phlegethon answered dryly.

"Twilight, can you call forth our Titan?" the pink mare requested.

"What for?" Twilight replied, not sure what Pinkie was up to.

"C'mon, Twilight!  Do it!" Rainbow said impatiently.

"Alright already!"  The purple alicorn closed her eyes and chanted.  "Titan, master of the earth.  I call upon you!"

Upon Twilight's call, the giant appeared right on front of their very eyes.

"EEEEEE!  A clash of the Titans!" Pinkie squealed.

The Phantom Beast then proceeded to punch the evil giant and then disappeared altogether.

"Nothing more than a flesh wound," Phelgethon muttered, clutching his face.

Luneth wielded his dark blade and attacked the entity ten times, dealing moderate damage.  Pinkie Pie then pulled out her party cannon and blasted a ball of confetti in the giant's face.  Spike and Rainbow Dash took the opportunity and jumped in the air, preparing for their next strike.

"You fools!" Phlegethon bellowed.  "Do you think mere pieces of paper can defeat me?"

"Maybe not," said Applejack.  "But Ah reckon these can!"  She then charged at Phlegethon and kicked his right knee with her hind legs, causing him to stumble three steps backwards.  Upon regaining his balance, the entity menacingly walked to the pony that assaulted him and attempted to slash her, only for Applejack to jump in the air.

Refia then followed by striking the being in the jaw with her hammer.

"You are strong as my lord fears, but not for long!"

Before he could attack, a lance fell from the ceiling, throwing him off balance.  Spike also appeared, grabbing his lance and rejoining his friends.  Rainbow came next after her spear harmed the giant.

Twilight then chanted another incantation... this time, the Phantom Beast that opposed the evil being was none other than the Dragon King.

"Bahamut?!  You tamed the King of Dragons?!"

Bahamut then turned his attention to our heroes.  He then spread his claws and increased their physical strengths, one-by-one.

"Alright!  Let's do this!" said Twilight.

With their new strength, Luneth, Rainbow, and Applejack each took turns on Phlegethon, causing the giant to fall to his knees in defeat.  The last lieutenant of Xande had finally fallen, leaving only a few words of warning:

"Fools!  You cannot stop the coming of the Cloud of Darkness!"

Twilight gasped upon hearing that name; her gasp was not quite loud but was quickly noticed by her friends.

"Warriors of Light," said the Crystal.  "Xande is using my power for his own evil purposes...  He will soon engulf the world in darkness once again.  A great evil lies beyond this world, waiting for the moment of freedom.  I bless you with my power; use it to banish the darkness that threatens this land!"

"We will," Luneth assured.

"The Syrcus Tower, known to you mortals as the Crystal Tower, was created long ago out of solid light.  Xande has used this element against us, and has used our power to bring forth the Cloud of Darkness.  You must infiltrate the Syrcus Tower and stop his nefarious plan!"

Receiving the powers of the Earth Crystal, our heroes opened their eyes and discovered that once again, they had been given new jobs and classes:  Twilight was decorated in the attire of a sage; Rainbow Dash was a ninja, much to her delight; Applejack found herself a black belt; Rarity, a magus; Pinkie Pie, a devout; Spike, a ninja as well.  As for their human friends:  Luneth had appeared as a ninja as well; Arc, a magus; Refia, a devout; and Ingus in the garb of a summoner.

The party exited the chamber and walked clockwise around it, ready to explore the Ancient Maze.  Just like the entrance, the ground almost set in a sea of lava.  They trekked through the maze, gathering whatever items they could get their hands, hooves, and claws on, fought whatever monsters dared to stand in their way and reached the exit.  But before they could leave, the ponies stopped.  The four youths stopped as well and turned to their Equestrian comrades.

"Twilight," said the earth pony turned black belt.

"I know, Applejack.  It's time to tell you everything.  About the nightmares... and the figure who's been haunting me in my sleep..."

*music fades out*

The rest of the group gathered together and, eager to hear what the purple alicorn had to say.

"Ever since Spike, Fluttershy, Cadence and I rescued Flurry Heart and saved the world where she was taken to, I've been having these horrible visions in my head, even here."

"Ya mean...  All the nightmares everypony back in Equestria's been havin'..."

"Yes.  I saw it in my vision:  the one who even Princess Luna couldn't even stop.  It calls itself the Cloud of Darkness."

"But isn't that...?"

"I'm sure it's the same evil that Xande's going to unleash.  And if we don't stop him here and now..."

"Oh, we will," said a confident Rainbow Dash.  "When we get to Eureka and find these things the Moogles told us about, he's history."

"Twilight?"

The alicorn turned to Luneth and Arc.

"Do you think that this 'Cloud of Darkness' is responsible for all this...  I mean," Arc said, worriedly.

"I'm certain.  The Cloud of Darkness may be the one behind Xande as well."  She then turned to face the rest, and with great determination said, "Let's go, everyone!"

Once outside the dungeon, the party could see only one thing in front of them:  the Crystal Tower, where Xande was working to break the balance between darkness and light.  After overcoming the perils through the Ancient Maze, our heroes were more determined than ever to end this madness.

Rainbow Dash flared her wings and said, "Let's do this!"

And so, the Warriors of the Light and the Equestrians rushed into the entrance, ready to take on Xande and prevent the catastrophe from ever happening.
> Chapter 20: Eureka; the Curse of the Five Wyrms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Crystal Tower


As our heroes entered the tower, they looked around for any signs of Xande and his minions.  To their surprise, no monster was in sight, not even their master.  They took a moment to observe their surroundings.  The interior of the tower was as beautiful as the exterior; the walls, the ceiling and the floor were all made of crystal, giving the structure its common name.  Yet, there was no hiding the fact that a sorcerer who couldn't bear the gift of mortality wss using in his bid for eternal life, even going as far as plotting to throw the world into darkness.

In the center of the area was most likely the entrance to Eureka, the land of which Doga and Unei spoke.  Cautiously, the party approached the doorway within the chamber.  Holding out the Eureka Key, the seal cast over the doorway dissipated, granting them access to the mysterious realm.  But before




Eureka, the Forbidden Land


Once they stepped through, the group looked all around them; it was a different feel than the Crystal Tower or any other place they had visited on their quest.  The ground even looked similar to the moon because of the small craters on it.

After acquiring the treasures in the area (a Fuma Garb, ), the party then went to the next room.

"Let's split up," said Rainbow Dash.

"Wait, what?!"

"I got a feeling that that things we're lookin' for won't just fall into our hooves... or hands... or claws."

"Alright," Twilight sighed.  "Spike and Refia, come with me.  Luneth, you and Ingus are with Rarity and Rainbow Dash.  Applejack, you and Pinkie join Arc."

Reaching an agreement, the group split into three parties.  As the other two groups ventured further into the realm, Rarity, Ingus, Rainbow Dash and Luneth followed a path and encountered a Ninja dressed in purple.

"You seek the treasures of this land? First  you must face me!"

With the Ninja defeated, Rainbow Dash opened the chest and discovered...

"A ribbon?  This is it?!"

Luneth sighed.  "This... is what we came for?!"

"Not to worry," said Ingus.  "According to my research, this item, when worn, protects its wearer against all abnormal statuses.  In other words, the wearer will be immune to poison, mini, and toad."

"Oh, thank Celestia," said a relieved Rarity.  "I never, EVER want to be turned into a slimy amphibian again!"

"With all due respect, Rarity, it isn't slime; it's mucus."

At that point, Rarity's eyes began to twitch uncontrollably.  "Let's... not... talk... about... that... AGAIN," the white unicorn said, gritting her teeth.

Meanwhile, Twilight, Spike and Refia came across a circular weapon floating above a pedestal.  Twilight flared her horn, but before her magic could even touch the item, a voice called from nowhere.

"I am Amon.  Let us see what you are made of!"

Taking shape, the owner of the voice appeared in the same form as that of Hein, the evil sorcerer who tried to take over the kingdom of Argus.

With a swish of his cape, Amon pushed Spike away and then turned his attention to Refia and did the same to her.  Twilight flared her horn and fired a powerful Thundaga spell while Refia took this moment to cast Cura on Spike.  The dragon then threw one of his beloved dragoon spears at the skeleton-like enemy causing a good amount of harm.

"Impressive," said Amon.  He then activated his Barrier Shift spell, the same as Hein.  Acting on a hunch, Twilight cast a Blizzaga spell on him.  It worked.  Spike then finished the battle by slashing at the entity five times.

The mysterious Amon's defeat awarded Twilight's group with the Moonring Blade.

"This looks so cool!" said Spike.

"Be careful with that thing, Spike," said Twilight.

Luneth's group then appeared and rejoined the three.  They then witnessed a katana floating above another pedestal.  Just as what happened before, a disembodied voice spoke.

"Defeat me, and I will be yours to wield!"

The spirit of the katana took shape as the beautiful, yet deadly Kunoichi, a female ninja with beautiful, wavy pink hair..

With their combined strength, the Warriors of Light and the Equestrians were able to defeat the ninja.  Upon overcoming the fearsome Kunoichi, Luneth grabbed his prize:  Masamune, the most powerful sword in the ninja's arsenal.

While all this was happening, the team of Arc, Applejack and Pinkie Pie discovered a floating golden sword.

That...  That looks just like...! Applejack thought.  Indeed, it was Excalibur.  A sword that Setro had commissioned in their quest to defeat Chaos.

"Ooh, shiny!" said Pinkie Pie, who was just about to grab it when suddenly...

"Let us see if your light burns brighter than mine!"

Taking shape, the spirit of Excalibur appeared as a powerful General.

Applejack delivered a flying kick, sending her adversary back four steps.  After regaining his balance, the General attempted to strike back at the orange earth pony but was countered by a powerful uppercut.  Arc then cast a Firaga spell on him.

The General knelt before our heroes.  "Well done.  Excalibur is yours."

"Thank you!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, A.J.!"

"Arc!  You alright?"

After consulting each other, the party then made their way further inyo Eureka and found yet another weapon.

"I am Ragnarok, the Demon Blade.  Let us test your strength and see if you are worthy!"

Ragnarok's spirit manifested itself into a Guardian wearing an outfit similar to a ninja.  

The Warriors' victory over the Guardian awarded them the great blade Ragnarok.

"You must best me in battle if you wish to use me!"

The spirit in the staff took form as a horrifying, six-headed beast with a cloth-wearing human torso and a lupine lower body with eight legs.  Luneth took his battle stance, as did the others.

"Take this!"

With three sharp objects thrown at it, the creature fell and yielded.

Syclla's defeat gave our heroes a new reward:  an Elder Staff.  Rainbow Dash then inspected the sharp weapons in Luneth's hands.

"Hey, what were these things you threw at it?!"

"Be careful, Rainbow Dash," said Ingus.  "Those are shurikens!  These sharp objects can be thrown from a great distance at any target.  Only the ninja can use them."

"So... just me, Spike and Luneth, eh?"

"Correct."

Going further, our heroes discovered a recovery spring and drank the water, healing their wounds.  Believing their trek through Eureka complete, our heroes quickly returned to the entrance.  There was one more task to finish.




Crystal Tower


Upon returning to the entrance of the tower, our heroes went beyond the chamber in which Eureka's entrance was contained and proceeded to the end of the room where they encountered yet another sealed door.  Luneth took out the other key; the object glowed a bright light, breaking the seal, allowing our heroes access to the rest of the tower.

The second floor consisted of the typical maze where one could get lost or wind up at a dead end and be forced to find another route.  Pinkie Pie took a right turn and found a treasure chest at the end of the path.  Opening it, she let an audible gasp, making the others run in her direction.

"Lookie here, guys!  I got an elixir!" she said.

"Come on, Pinkie!"

Rainbow grabbed her friend and rejoined the others as they trekked through the rest of the maze and found another elixir along with a Phoenix Down.  Proceeding to the third floor, the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light went through a hidden passage on the right, turned left and right to go through another passage.  They followed the stairs to the fourth floor and opened two treasure chests.  One contained another Phoenix Down and the other:  another Elder Staff.

"So many Phoenix Downs," Pinkie remarked.  "It's like the story's prepping us for the final battle."

"In a way... you're right, Pinkie Pie," said Twilight.

Upon climbing down the staircase, the party found themselves taking more hidden passages, taking another staircase upwards, and finally going around a bizarre crystalized structure, entered the fifth floor.  There guarding the stairway to the next level was a large yellow dragon.  Going around the floors carefully, the group slowly and cautiously approached the beast.  Letting out a deafening roar, the yellow dragon stood in a battle stance with no intention of letting its enemies through.  Throwing the shurikens they obtained from Eureka, Luneth and Rainbow Dash quickly disposed of the beast.  After defeating the dragon, our heroes reached the sixth floor.

"I am Thor.  You'll never get past me!"

"Thor?  Like I'd buy that!" said Pinkie.  "I wouldn't even mistake you for that handsome Australian guy!"

"Who?"

"I think his name's--"

"SILENCE!  I will not be made a fool of!  As a servant of Xande, I cannot let you pass!"

"If it's a fight you want, buddy, I'll take you on!" said Rainbow Dash.  "Alone, in fact."

"What?!"

"You guys go on ahead.  I'll take care of this?!"

"Did I not say this earlier?  I cannot let you pass.  If you wish to proceed, you must face me in battle!"

Rainbow sighed.  "Alright.  But here, it's just you and me!"

The monster roared and swiped at the cyan pegasus, but she ducked and kicked the beast in the knees.  She then circled around the creature, creating a powerful whirlwind that carried it to the ceiling and brought it down swiftly, knocking the monster out.

"Good work, Rainbow Dash.  Now let's head on up," said Luneth.

When they marched inside the room, they found five dragon statues placed around a large mirror that stood in the center.  Looking upon the mirror, their reflections immediately appeared along with an evil laugh from somewhere beyond.

"Xande..."

"Fools!" the voice said.  "Those who see their reflections in that mirror become affected by the curse of the five wyrms!"

Then, just as the voice finished taunting them, our heroes felt their bodies freeze as if they had been turned to stone!

"Wh-What's happened?!" said Twilight.

"I... I can't move!" Luneth cried.

Twilight attempted to use her magic to try and break the spell, but her horn wouldn't flare, and neither could Rarity's.

"Do not fear!" said a familiar benevolent voice.

"Doga?"

"Is that you?!" said Pinkie Pie, wanting to move her eyes.

"I told you that our souls are everlasting, did I not?  Only five souls who possess hearts of pure light may break the curse of the five wyrms...  I will go and find them!  Do not lose hope!  I will be right back!"

"Please... hurry!" Twilight pleaded.




Sasune Castle


"Ingus and the others are in danger!  Princess Sara, please come with me."

The princess gaso3ed and immediately went through the portal left by Doga's spirit.




Canaan


"Cid, we need your help!"

"Luneth and the others are in trouble?  No need to ask me twice!"

The old man followed.




Tower of Owen


"Desch...  I had hoped you'd still be here..."

At that moment, something quite unexpected occurred.  Desch, thought to be dead, emerged from the flames of the tower.

"That was close!"

"Desch?  You're alive!"

"Yep.  Who are you?"

"Never mind that.  The Warriors of Light are in jeopardy!  They need your help!"

"Geez...  I put out one fire, only for another one to show up."




Castle Saronia


"Alus, king of Saronia!  Arc is in peril!"

Upon hearing the news, Alus immediately hopped off the throne and following the spirit.




Amur


"The Warriors of Light are in great peril!"

"Looks like it's time for us to be the heroes!"

"I only need one of pure heart to save them."

"I'll go.  You stay and look after the village," said the leader.




Crystal Tower


One by one, the five people Doga had encountered were transported in front of the five statues.

"Luneth!  Arc!  Refia!  Ingus!" cried Desch.

"D-Desch?!  You're alive!"

"Twilight!  Rainbow!  Applejack!  Pinkie!  Rarity!  Spike!" said Sara.  "We will hold off the wyrms' power!  Quickly!  Into the mirror!"

"You must stop the darkness from covering the world again!" said Cid.

"Everyone..."

"Be careful, little ponies!  And you, too, Spike!" said Alus.

"Don't go dyin' on us, ya hear?" said the lead fellow.

"We won't..." said Rainbow Dash.

Once they looked into the mirror once more, the entire group felt themselves being pulled into another dimension.  It was time for the confrontation with Xande.  As they traveled through the space in the mirror, our heroes were filled with determination and resolve.  Twilight thought to herself: should they stop Xande, her nightmares would surely cease.  If not, Equestria would face certain doom.  And finally, the Warriors of the Light reached the end of the gateway.
> Chapter 21:  The Sorcerer and the Evil From Beyond
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Crystal Empire


Since her arrival, Fluttershy had been eagerly anticipating news of her friends' well-being as well as their progress on their current journey.  She was relieved that they had been alright so far, but she still couldn't help but worry still.

Fluttershy was hardly the only one; Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence all shared a look of concern for the ponies and dragon ever since the nightmares began.  Luna especially, since this new evil was somehow able to prevent her from performing her duties as Princess of the Night.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Cid began to speak.

"Ah, I have found them."

"Where are they?" asked Celestia.

"Somewhere within the Syrcus Tower; as of this moment, our friends are to do battle with the sorcerer plotting to bring forth a malevolent power in an attempt to make himself immortal.  And yet, I fear the worst..."

"Please don't say that, Cid.  I don't even want to think of it."



Opening their eyes, the group found themselves in a chamber overtaken by darkness.  Moving forward, they surveyed their surroundings.  No longer were they in the world of light they had grown familiar with but rather a nightmarish purple area where they felt an evil presence lurking nearby.  After braving the perils of the tower, our heroes finally came face-to-face with the wicked Xande.  He was a blue-skinned man with evil yellow eyes and bore a metal staff.  All he wore were a long cape, pointed shoulder pads and bright orange pants. 

"So, you're the one that's been causing all the trouble around the world, aren't you?" Luneth accused.

"Correct," he stated.

"If I understand correctly, you've caused an imbalance between darkness and light, just so you can live forever?  How can you be so selfish?!" Twilight scolded.

"Hmph," Xande scoffed.  "I care not for the fate of inferior beings.  The Great Magus Noah had erred in his ways the second he had granted me mortality, a gift upon which I did not asked to be bestowed.

"I am quite envious of you, Twilight Sparkle."

"How so?" she glared.

"I have been informed that you were once a unicorn and yet upon completing a spell left behind by another, you had received a gift:  a pair of wings, greater magic, as well as longevity.  An unnaturally long life."

Twilight narrowed her eyes.  "Don't you dare compare me to you," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Sorry, but your past doesn't excuse or justify your actions," Refia added.

"I can't believe you!" Arc added.

"Had you simply accepted your master's gift, perhaps you would know the value of life itself," Ingus argued.

"Enough!  I admire your persistence.  You have come very far to reach me.  However, you are too late!  The darkness draws ever so close and is almost upon this world!  As such, I cannot afford to have you waste my efforts with the power of light that you hold...  Once you are gone, eternal life will be mine!"

"Oh, please..." said Rainbow Dash.  "Will you just quit your monologuing and fight us already?!"

Xande's brow furrowed upon the pegasus' remark.  "Such impudence...!  You will pay dearly for your disrespect as well as your constant meddling!  Perish!"  He said physically attacking Rainbow Dash with his staff and then casting Thundaga on the whole party.

"You're not taking us down that easily!" said Luneth.

"Xande!  Why can't you just stop what you're doing?!" said Twilight.

"Why should I?  This wretched curse of mortality should have been in the hands of either Unei or Doga!  Eternal life...  That is what I yearn for!"

"I've heard ENOUGH!!  You're not getting away with this!" said Refia.

"Do not underestimate me, child."

Xande's staff glowed as he raised it to the sky, calling forth a swarm of meteors to crush the party.  Twilight conjured a magic shield to guard her friends.

Rarity summoned forth Shiva who unleashed her Diamond Dust attack on the sorcerer.

Pinkie Pie cast Curaga on her friends.

Applejack then put away her weapon and gave Xande a hard quick sending him sliding across the room.  The villain caught himself before hitting the floor and flew towards the party, casting Firaga.  Arc countered with Blizzaga, followed by Spike throwing his Moonring Blade.  The sorcerer dodged, but because the weapon functioned as a boomerang, it flew back and struck Xande in the forearm.

Seeing himself bleed made the sorcerer furious as he glared right at the group.

"Why couldn't you just accept your gift?" Twilight Sparkle asked.  "You could've easily used the time left to you to--"

"'Build friendships?'" Xande countered.  "Is that what you wish to say?  As I have said before, I care nothing for inferior beings.  I am superior.  It is both Doga and Unei who should have had limits to their lifespans, not I."

"The end result of a life doesn't matter.  It's the time you use that's important."

"Enough!  You and your friends must die!!"

Once again, Xande raised his staff and cast the Meteor spell, this time greatly injuring his enemies.

This time, it was Refia who healed the party with Curaga.  Soon after, Rainbow Dash threw several shurikens at Xande, causing him great pain.

With just a little adrenaline, Luneth charged and with one swipe of Masamune brought the sorcerer down.

"AAAARGH!!" Xande screamed as Luneth delivered the final blow.

*music changes*

With that scream, Xande fell forward.  He struggled to get back up but collapsed once more.  With what little strength he had left, the sorcerer lifted his head and faced his enemies.

"Give it up, Xande!" Twilight yelled.  "You've lost."

"Fools...  You may have defeated me, but it matters not...  Soon, the Cloud of Darkness will arrive and plunge this world into everlasting darkness!  As for you creatures," he said addressing the ponies...

*music fades out*

"I never intended for your world to be a target...  But... if the Cloud of Darkness destroys it along with this world... so be it...!"

No sooner had he spoken those final words, Xande had perished.  As our heroes went to close the portal, the earth shook and out came a shadowy figure appearing before our heroes' eyes and taking the shape of a long-haired woman surrounded by several mouthed tentacles.  Her eyes were as void of any emotion, her face expressionless.

"What in Celestia's name?!" Rarity screamed.

"What IS that?!" said Spike.

"We are the Cloud of Darkness," she said.

Twilight gasped, "YOU!"

The ethereal being looked down on the purple alicorn.

"You're the one whose voice I've been hearing!  The one who tried to stop Princess Luna!"

"So, it is... Princess Twilight Sparkle," it replied.  "It was we who guided you this far, and it was we who allowed Xande to tip the scales in favor of the darkness so we could gain a physical form and bring this world and Equestria to the Void."

"The Void?" asked Applejack.  "What're you talkin' about?"

"A world of nothingness...  Where there is no life...  An empty sea devoid of any living creature...  That is what we strive for!  We shall engulf your worlds in shadow...  And both light and darkness shall return to the Void!"

*music stops*

"Well, you're not gonna get away with it!" Rainbow Dash declared, flaring her wings.  

"Very well," the entity replied.  "We shall start with you..."

"Let's get her!"

The blue pegasus charged and tried to ram her head into the evil being only to find her attack had no effect.

Luneth attempted to slash the Cloud of Darkness, but the result was the same.  Twilight fired a magical beam of energy only to find it still at her current position unharmed.  Applejack even tried to strike it, but not even the earth pony's strength was enough and neither were Arc or Rarity's magic.

The Cloud of Darkness countered by firing a massive Particle Beam at its adversaries, killing nearly the entire party.  Twilight managed to endure but had to see the fallen bodies of her friends.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  YOU MONSTER!!"

She attempted to strike at her friends' killer with a great magic beam only to be knocked back with a forceful blow into the wall, losing her life in the process...

Satisfied with its victory, the Cloud of Darkness disappeared leaving its enemies for dead.




The Crystal Empire


"No..."

The Crystal Heart's light grew dim.

"What's happened?!"

"The girls... Spike..." Cid hesitated to say, "and the young Warriors of the Light... have fallen in battle..."

A collective gasp had gathered.

"This 'Cloud of Darkness,' the source of all the nightmares... has taken their lives."

"No..." the yellow pegasus whimpered.

"Twilight..." Celestia muttered, collapsing, her eyes tearing up.

"That... that can't be true!  IT CAN'T BE TRUE!!" Shining yelled.

"NO!!" Cadence cried.

With no words, Luna lowered her head now knowing she had failed to stop this from happening; the Princess of the Night shed a single tear.

"This is all my fault!  If only... if only I'd gone with them!" Fluttershy cried.




Crystal Tower


"No!" Sara gasped, witnessing Ingus and his companions' defeat.

"Come on, you guys!  Get up!" said Desch.

"Come on!  Don't you die before I do!" Cid added.

But there was still hope:  Unei and Doga had arrived.

"There is only one way..." said Doga.

"Yes..." Unei replied.

Doga looked upon the fallen heroes.  "Our souls are yours, our energy one with yours.  Now stand, Warriors of the Light!"

With those words, Doga and Unei had poured the last of their energy to revive the group.  Waking up, the heroes looked on each other and saw Doga and Unei's spirits fading away.

"We... We're back?  How...?" Refia inquired.

"It's you guys!" said Rainbow Dash.

Yes, the others arrived through the mirror and were relieved to see our heroes alive again.



Fluttershy and the others, too, saw what had happened and smiled once more.

"Oh, thank goodness," said the yellow pegasus wiping away her tears.



"Come on!  You've still got work to do!" said Doga.

"Xande's actions have weakened the presence of the light in this world, bolstering the darkness."

"And Xande was overcome by the overwhelming darkness he called forth."

"The darkness is very strong now..."

"Our souls will soon join the Great Soul beyond...  We have to go now.  We've done all that we could."

"You are our only hope.  You must bring balance between light and darkness!  Now, go forth!  To the World of Darkness!"

"Doga...  Unei...  Thank you...  You're right.  We won't let that... that CREATURE get what it wants!!" Twilight said, determined.

"To the world of darkness, then!" Luneth exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Refia nodded.

"We can do it!" said a confident Arc.

"I'm all for it!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Me, too!" Spike added.

"Me three!" said Pinkie Pie.

"As am I," Rarity added with a smile.

"Onward!" said Ingus.

"Let's go, everyone!" said Applejack.

Their resolve strengthened, our heroes proceeded to march into their final destination:  the World of Darkness.
> Chapter 22: Into the World of Darkness; Last Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


World of Darkness


Within the center of a large, dark area, our heroes appeared via a brief flash of light.  No longer did they feel the warmth of the light they had grown accustomed to.

"This place sure feels strange..." Luneth said.

"We gotta hurry and beat that Cloud of Darkness!  Let's go!"

"Wait!"

"What now?" the pegasus groaned.

"Look, Rainbow Dash."

The area they were in led to five different places; straight ahead of them was surely the path to the Cloud of Darkness, and yet Twilight felt they needed to explore the other areas.  But if they were to do so, they had to do it swiftly, for time was not on their side.  With whatever items they had left in their inventory, the group proceeded through the northwestern portal.

The portal took our heroes to another area where they could somehow walk on dark clouds and black platforms.

*music fades out*

Once they passed through the doorway, the Equestrians and the children gasped at what they were looking at which lied in the center of the area:  a Crystal.  Not a Crystal of Light, but rather, a Crystal of Darkness.  Once they approached it, a large three-headed canine appeared.  To the Equestrians' surprise, it looked just like Cerberus, the guardian of Tartarus.

"You cannot stop the flow of darkness!  This will be your final resting place!"

Taking up their battle positions, the Equestrians and the Warriors of Light prepared themselves.  Spike quickly threw a shuriken at the beast, causing it to howl in pain.  Cerberus glared at the dragon ninja and charged at him but was intercepted by Applejack who gave him a good buck, sending it sliding across the area.  Luneth then launched some shurikens of his own which sent the monster back whence it came.

Upon Cerberus' defeat, the Crystal shone a vast light, which manifested as a warrior in special armor.

"Who are you?!"

"I am one of the Warriors of Darkness.  One thousand years ago, we Warriors of the Dark prevented a calamity brought on by the Wrath of Light.  I have come to join you."

"You, a Warrior of Dark, join us and the Warriors of Light?" Rainbow Dash asked, skeptical of the mysterious warrior's words.

"Yes.  Light and darkness... are attracted to each other, and yet they keep themselves at a safe distance.  They coexist in a precarious balance.  Should the two come into contact, they cancel each other out, and nothing left is where they meet...  That is the Void."

"That's such a terrifying thought," said Rarity.

"Indeed," the Dark Warrior replied grimly.  "This universe began with the Void, and soon it will return to the Void.  However, there is one force that stands against the ever-present threat of the Void.  It is what you call 'hope.'  In time, the Void shall consume all.  But now is not that time!  As long as there is hope in the world of light... and in this world of darkness.  For as long as hope prevails, the Void shall be kept at bay!"

"Wow.  I guess it's true...  Just because you're from this world, it doesn't mean all its inhabitants are."

"Correct.  I sense that the rest of my comrades are trapped within the other Crystals.  Free them, and we shall aid you."

Returning to the entrance, the group headed straight and took a left turn to the northeastern portal.

Another minion of the Cloud of Darkness took physical form; it was a giant two-headed dragon.

"Darkness will flood the world and return it to the Void!" the dragon laughed.  "We will devour your meager light!"

"That's not going to happen!" Twilight retorted.

The dragon was even more difficult than Cerberus, for its health was higher and had more devastating attacks.  It started off by striking Pinkie Pie with its claws, injuring the fun-loving earth pony.  She then tried to speak, but somehow she couldn't!  Twilight then cast Protect on everyone while Refia cured Pinkie of her silence.

"Thank goodness for Esuna, otherwise I wouldn't talk again," she said.

Our heroes fought with almost everything they had, until finally...  The dragon was put to rest by the combined strength of Excalibur and Masamune.

With the dragon defeated, the second Warrior of Dark appeared in front of our heroes.

"The Warriors of Light!  Thank you for freeing me."

As before, the party listened to everything the Warrior of Darkness had to say.

"The balance between light and darkness is kept by the four Crystals--the Crystals of Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth.  When Xande halted the flow of time, the light of two of those Crystals was sealed away...  Because of this, the balance between light and darkness shifted drastically and gave birth to the Cloud of Darkness... an entity whose sole purpose is to return the entire world to the Void.  The Cloud of Darkness tried to seal away the two remaining Crystals on the Floating Continent...  It created the earthquake that you have witnessed; it almost drew the Floating Continent to the surface world."

"So, it wasn't Xande like we thought," said Twilight.

"Correct.  The Cloud of Darkness is powerful, but with our powers of light and darkness combined, we may be able to defeat it!"

"Alright, that's two down, and two to go."

Going through the southwest portal next, they defeated several ninja called Kage and reached the next Crystal.  Then appeared a large creature with long red claws, a snake-like tongue appeared in front of them.  It appeared to be attached to the ceiling.

"Wh-What the hay are you supposed to be?!" cried a flabbergasted Applejack.

"I am Echidna.  You have done well to come this far... but this is as far as you go!  The darkness will engulf the world and return it to the Void!"

"'Echidna'?!  Can I call you Knuckles?"

"Do not mock me, weakling," it said, knocking Pinkie Pie away.

"Hey!  You mess with any of my friends, you mess with me!"

The creature pounded the ground with its fists causing a huge earthquake.  Twilight levitated the whole group and brought them back down when the tremors ceased.  Rarity then cast Thundaga, dealing moderate damage.  Soon, Echidna then summoned a powerful tornado, but Rainbow Dash countered by circling around the funnel and directed it back at its caster.  It groaned in pain, unable to believe that a mere pony could use its own attack against it.  At that point, Luneth threw four shurikens at it, causing tremendous damage.  Twilight then summoned Bahamut, who then fired a devastating Mega Flare, finishing it off.

Suddenly, like before, another Warrior of Darkness appeared.

"I am one of the Warriors of Darkness.  I thank you for releasing me from my prison.  The Cloud of Darkness had also appeared when the light threatened to engulf the world ages ago...  We, the Warriors of the Dark, had managed to stop back then, at a great cost...  A millennium later, the balance between light and darkness has inverted once again.  Light had existed around the core of darkness, but darkness now revolves around the core of light.  But the light has lost its brilliance.  The overflowing darkness is threatening to extinguish the light that remains.  A flood of darkness...  Only you, Warriors of the Light, have the power to stop it!  And you, the ones from another universe.  As you know, your world is under threat as well.  You know what must be done."

The Equestrians nodded.

As expected, the final guardian appeared before them.  It was a floating monster with bat wings and a ball-shaped body with only one eye.

"The ebb of darkness is getting stronger!  Soon, none will be able to stop it!  As for you, you will never leave this place alive!"

"Oh yeah?  Bring it!"

The Ahriman started off with a screech causing the ground to shake; the group jumped backwards but were unable to escape the tremors for long.  Twilight cast Curaga on herself and the rest.  Rainbow Dash then swiftly threw shurikens at the creature, followed by Spike and Luneth.  Rarity then summoned Leviathan who then called forth its signature Tsunami, knocking away the Ahriman around the chamber and against the wall to the left.  The creature then barely returned to the air, but its wings were starting to tire out.  At that moment, Spike finished the battle with his MoonRing Blade.

Defeating the Ahriman allowed our heroes to release the last Dark Warrior.

"Thank you for releasing me, Warriors of Light.  And you as well.  Light and darkness... one cannot exist without the other, much like and the sun and the world."

"Or night and day," Pinkie Pie added.

"Indeed.  Xande has severed the link between the world and the sun, creating a world without day or night, a world devoid of time..."

"All just to make himself immortal," Twilight recalled.

"Yes, but he was blind to the consequences of his actions, for he could not foresee that he would even call forth the Cloud of Darkness, or that he would fall under its control...  If we do not stop it here and now, not only will your world be engulfed in darkness, but the ponies' universe and our worlds of light and darkness will both be devoured by the Void."  He then turned his attention to Twilight.  "It would also appear that the Cloud of Darkness had gained a new ability as well:  to enter the dreams of those sensitive to its presence."

Twilight looked away, knowing exactly what the Warrior of Darkness was implying.

"If we, the Warriors of the Dark, and you, the Warriors of Light, combine our powers, we may be able to stop it.  Let us unite, and defeat the Cloud of Darkness!"

With all the Warriors of Darkness free, our heroes then returned to the ventral area and set forth to end this, once and for all. They returned to the central area and marched to the north, battling even stronger monsters on the way.  Before reaching their destination, a pair Kage stood in their way, but the party easily overcame the two, thanks to Luneth and Spike throwing the shurikens, allowing them access to the next chamber.

At that point, our heroes stopped in front of a large circle on the ground.  They could feel an overwhelming aura emanating from it; there was no doubt that their goal was in reach.  

"I have something to say," Twilight spoke, addressing the human children.  "We never did find out where your old homes used to be."

"Hm?  Oh," Luneth realized.  "Yeah...  I...  I guess I never thought about 'til now."

"Me neither," Arc added.

"Likewise," said Refia.

"I must admit, the thought never even crossed my mind as well," Ingus spoke.  "We've been completely focused on this journey and because of that, we never did seem to uncover our true origins.  After all, the only thing I can remember throughout my life is serving the royal family of Sasune."

"And me being the blacksmith's daughter," Refia added.

"Arc and I have been living in Ur for the longest time, and I can't even remember my real hometown," Luneth recalled.

"I can't remember either," Arc said sadly.

"There is one thing we do know," said Applejack.  "Y'all got each other right now, sugarcubes, and that's what's important."

"No matter the hardships, you've always looked for each other," Rarity added.

"We've been through a lot, but we still had fun times," said Pinkie.

"Arc, you've pretty much proven your own bravery when you stood by us the whole time," said Rainbow Dash.  "Heck, you even stood up to those creeps that bullied Alus back at Saronia.  I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," the boy smiled.

"And we're gonna help ya put this no-good Cloud of Darkness away for good," said Spike.

Gathering together on the circle, our heroes teleported straight to the lair of the Cloud of Darkness.  Filled with determination, the group stepped toward it, ready to do battle once more.  They found the entity in the form of a glowing green orb floating in the center of the area.

"We are the Cloud of Darkness," it proclaimed.  "None shall stand before the flood of darkness.  With it, we will bring the Void to this world, your light world, and Equestria as well..."

"We won't let you!  Not if we have anything to say about it!" Luneth argued.

"That's right!" Rainbow Dash added.

"You're not gonna cause any more problems for our friend!" said Applejack.

The rest of the group agreed.  The evil entity laughed mockingly.

"You forget one important detail, our little ponies.  This is the world of darkness where light is powerless; you cannot touch us!"

"That's why we're here!"

The party turned to see the Warriors of Darkness standing firm.

"The hopes of light and darkness unite!  We shall not let the Void reign free!" said the leader.

"Fools!  Do you not know the consequences of what you are about to do?!"

"We do," said another Dark Warrior.  "If it means saving all of existence, then so be it!"

The Dark Warriors charged toward the creature, each disappearing one by one, undoing the Cloud of Darkness' invincibility.

"You may have destroyed the Dark Crystals, but that is of no consequence," the Cloud of Darkness scoffed.  "We will devour your light and use it to return this world to the Void!"

Taking the humanoid shape from before, the Cloud of Darkness glared at the Warriors of Light, intending to end their lives once more.

Twilight braced herself as the evil entity's tentacles lunged at her.  Spike threw the Moonring Blade at one of them, slicing it off.  Luneth then finished off the other.

The Cloud of Darkness once again fired its Particle Beam.  This time, however, the group was able to endure, thanks to the Warriors of Darkness.

"You are as persistent as Xande was..."

"Don't you DARE compare us to him!" said Twilight.  "Everything that's happened so far is because he couldn't accept that gift from his master."

"Like you, Twilight Sparkle?  Were you not given a gift that you did not ask to be bestowed?  Join us, Twilight.  We can give you the gift of mortality once more...."

"No!  Not if it means sacrificing my friends, family and all of existence!" she cried, flaring her horn and summoning Bahamut.  Thanks to the dragon king's Mega Flare attack, the entity suffered a great deal of harm.  Next, Arc cast Blizzaga, followed by Ingus summoning Leviathan and having the sea serpent call upon a powerful Tsunami.  The gigantic wave did as much damage to the entity as Bahamut's Mega Flare.  Rainbow Dash then threw several shurikens, causing even greater damage.

"Now so tough now, are ya?!" the pegasus taunted.

Spike then threw his Moonring Blade, but at that moment the entity caught the weapon, threw it back and unleashed yet another Particle Beam.  Refia responded by casting Curaga on everyone, but the Cloud of Darkness wasn't finished.  Seeing that the entity inhaled, Twilight then began to brace herself.  The being then exhaled a foul breath that nearly robbed nearly the entire team of their senses and abilities.  Thankfully, Ingus, Pinkie, Rarity and Refia were the only ones to wear ribbons, thus ensuring their safety.  Unsatisfied, it then shoved Applejack across the chamber much to Rainbow's anger.

"Why you...!"

The pegasus then attempted to unsheathe her weapon, but not before she too was struck by the Cloud of Darkness.

"Submit!  And you may be spared..."

Our heroes panted heavily, still glaring at their opponent.  If they were to lose this battle, it would then absorb everything into the Void, undoing everything they had managed to accomplish.  Topapa the elder, Nina, Princess Sara, Desch, Cid...  They knew everyone was counting on them, and not just the inhabitants of this world, but all of Equestria as well.

Pinkie then gave Twilight the final Elixir.  The purple alicorn then summoned Bahamut once more, dealing a ton of damage.  Luneth then fired his last shurikens, bringing the evil being to its last leg.  Twilight Sparkle then walked up to the monster that had been haunting her for several moons with a firm look.

"We are not afraid of you! I am not afraid of you anymore!"

With one final flare of the horn, Twilight summoned a very powerful wave of magic, engulfing the Cloud of Darkness for an extended period of time.  How long... no one could say.  As soon as the magic attack ceased, the Cloud of Darkness began to disintegrate just like Chaos and Emperor Mateus had done.  The only difference was that the entity appeared to accept her fate as it closed its eyes and wore the same blank expression.

"So...  we have been defeated once more...  Very well..."

And with those words, the Cloud of Darkness was gone, living no traces behind.  Twilight collapsed, both from exhaustion and relief.

"Twilight!"
> Epilogue:  Nightmares' End?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the beginning, there was the Void...  Then there was light and darkness.  And everything was born.  The sky, the land, water, fire... and life.  Since the beginning, time had flown to take them back from whence they came.  But life gave birth to something unique:  a shining force that divided light and darkness, and illuminated the world.  A force called "hope."

Twilight Sparkle and her friends had been carrying hope since they learned that the source of the nightmares was revealed to have come from this universe, and now, finally peace would return... for the time being.  That's what the others were thinking when they felt themselves being pulled back into the World of Light.



Back in the Crystal Tower, a flash of light filled the room, and there appeared th he heroes who successfully vanquished the Cloud of Darkness.

"Everyone!" said Luneth.

"Luneth!  Arc!  Refia!  Ingus!" Princess Sarah cried with relief.  "Girls!  Spike!" She then gasped at what she saw.  Refia was cradling an unconscious Twilight. 

"She's alright.  I think she may need some rest."

"Ah'd be lyin' if Ah said she doesn't deserve a little rest after what we've all been through," Applejack added.

"Hm, yes.  I agree," said Cid.

"Let's take her to Doga's Manor.  I bet she'll be glad to see those Moogles again!" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Moogles?" the five asked in unison.




Doga's Manor


Twilight struggled to open her eyes.  But when she did, she saw many familiar and relieved faces.

"Guys!"





Her fellow Equestrians then pulled her into a group hug.  Each of the Warriors of Light soon came in.

"It's over," Twilight said.  "It's all over.  Where are we?"

"Doga's Manor," said Luneth.  "Pinkie's the one who suggested we come here."

"How come?"

"Well..."

"Kupo!"

"Oh!" Twilight gasped.  "You guys again!"

"I kind of thought you'd be happy to see them, that's why!" Pinkie smiled.

"Congratulations, kupo!"

"Well... thank you!"

"I think it's time we headed home," said Luneth.

While the rest of the party began to exit the mansion, Pinkie Pie stopped upon seeing a lone sad Moogle.

"Oh, I think I know a place for you little guy," Pinkie whispered.



Later, upon leaving the manor the Equestrians' bodies began to glow; the Warriors of Light shared a confused look.

"I guess this is it..." Twilight said sadly.

"You mean..." Arc replied.

"Yeah...  This is where we part ways."

The children lowered their heads.

"So, you're going back to your own world?" Luneth asked, though he knew the answer already.

The ponies and dragon nodded sadly.

"We have to.  We've done what we set out to do.  We've helped you carry out your duties as Warriors of the Light, and made friends along the way."

"Luneth, you were awesome," said Rainbow Dash.  "And Arc, don't ever forget us, okay?"

"You mind your pa now, Refia," Applejack added.

"I will," Refia replied, holding her tears back.

"Ingus, your wisdom and intelligence was most helpful," said Rarity.  "But really, had it not been for any of you...  Well, best not think about that."

"Totally," said Spike.  "Good bye, everyone."

"Good bye," the warriors said in unison as the Equestrians disappeared.




The Crystal Empire






Fluttershy, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and the two sisters anxiously awaited the arrival of her friends.  Suddenly, a portal manifested in the center of the chamber and emerging from the portal were the very friends they had been awaiting.

"Oh, Twilight!" Celestia cried, pulling her student in a warm embrace.  The others soon followed.

"We saw everything that happened at that tower!" said Cadence.

"You mean...?" Twilight said with a sad look.

"Yes...  But we're so happy you're back!!" said Shining Armor, his head leaning on his sister's shoulder.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Fluttershy wept.  "I'm so sorry, everypony.  If only...  If only..."

"It's alright... Fluttershy."

"It isn't!  You were almost killed!  If those two hadn't helped you...  I..."

"From now on...  Whenever Cid calls us...  We all go together."

"Yes...  If anything else happens, how can I ever forgive myself?"

"Would that be agreeable?" Rarity asked, turning her attention to the Crystal Heart.

The relic gave no reply at first, its light only glowing softly.

"Very well," Cid finally answered.  "And I must apologize for sending you all on a dangerous mission..."

"It's... it's alright, Cid," said Twilight.  "I was so sure we'd had it when the Cloud of Darkness appeared in front of us, but if it hadn't been for... for Doga and Unei...  We probably wouldn't be standing here in this chamber right now."

Fluttershy embraced her friends once more.  Hopefully, all of Equestria could sleep peacefully tonight and every other night afterwards.

"Glad to be back again," said Rainbow Dash.  "Oh, and Cid?"

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"Everywhere we go, all these people just look at us and have the exact same reaction whenever we talk.  It's like, 'Oh, my goodness!  Talking horses!' and so on and so on.  It's kinda annoying!"

"Rainbow, are you suggesting perhaps that I transform you into humans the next time I send you into another universe?"

"Well," Rainbow thought.  "That, or...  Maybe share our adventures with some other worlds."

*music stops*

"WHAT?!"

"Rainbow Dash!  Please tell me you're joking, right?  RIGHT?!"

"Ah don't think this is a good idea, sugarcube."

"Why?"

"Allow me, if you please."

All eyes turned to the Crystal Heart.





"As you aware, Emperor Mateus somehow had a vision of your battle against Queen Chrysalis, the Changelings, Garland, and the Four Fiends.  Through you, I had discovered that Xande had no intention of invading Equestria, but the Cloud of Darkness wished to pull this world, along with Luneth's into the Void, where there is no light, darkness, or life itself.  Should I spread knowledge of your existence, the inhabitants of these worlds may fear and ostracize you.  And some would exploit that knowledge and twist the truth to their own ends.

"Wow...  That sounds super scary!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Yes, and--"

*music stops*

Just then, Pinkie's mane began to shake uncontrollably, making the party girl giggle.

"Dare I ask what happened?"

"Don't look at me," said Twilight.

From out of Pinkie's mane popped a familiar looking ball of fur on an antenna.

"Is that what I think it is?" said a wide-eyed Spike.  Rainbow Dash could only stare at the object with wide eyes and an open jaw.

"Pinkie...  You didn't," Twilight said, her eye twitching.

"She did," Rarity replied with a sense of dread.

"Let's go, everypony!  The Friendship Express awaits!" Pinkie said, zooming off faster than the speed of light.  Fluttershy stared in the direction the pink earth pony ran off in, wondering what had happened.

"Do you think Pinkie Pie may have... brought something back?" she wondered.

"Yes, and I'm 100% certain I heard a voice saying 'kupo,'" Rarity answered.

Applejack sighed.  "Ah reckon we need a long talk with that pony."

"Eeyup," Twilight agreed.




Castle of Friendship


Later that night, Twilight climbed into her bed, covered herself and gently shut her eyes.  The Princess of Friendship had finally earned a good night's sleep once more.




Elsewhere, on another plane of existence...


Two sets of eyes gazed upon a magic crystal ball, enabling them to observe the events unfolding in the multiverse.  One was particularly displeased with what they had just seen.

"These... these feeble looking creatures..."

"Chaos--master of the Four Elements...  Mateus--the Emperor of Palemecia...  and the Cloud of Darkness...  All have failed..."

"Do you think me unaware of what has happened?"

"No.  Not at all, my lord..."

"And to think, bringing Queen Chrysalis earlier would help upset the balance..."

"Yes...  But she had failed, thanks to them..."

"No matter...  Soon the inter-dimensional rift will tear itself apart, and we will attack and rule Equestria."




The Chamber of Crystals


Within this chamber, the Roman numeral XVI that was darkened began to radiate a warm glow.  It then glowed a white color as the rest of the unopened portals.

"In due time..." said Cid.  "In due time..."


THE END