As morning arrived far sooner than Rainbow had thought, she got out of her bed, though she had been restless the previous night. The reality of the past few days had come crashing down on her like a tidal wave, which only reminded her of the carnage that too place yesterday. She walked down the stairs, yawning loudly, not feeling as energetic as she should be. At least her wing was finally better, the bandages taken off and giving her the ability to fly once again.

She exited the inn, nearly tripping over a colt who was running around excitedly, unsure if she overheard him saying something about being a blitzball. She couldn't tell, too distracted by the other day's events. One of the Aurochs ran up from the docks that were still being repaired, approaching the tired pegasus.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" he greeted, though his name was lost to the mare. "Captain Applejack's been looking for ya. She's down fixing the docks."

"Got it." Before she was able to walk down to the docks, they overheard somepony crying nearby. Rainbow headed the other way, gasping in shock as she saw a filly in the middle of a crumbled hut that would threaten to collapse at any minute. She accidentally moved and began to panic as it shook. "Whoa!" Reacting quickly, Rainbow Dash grabbed her and leapt out right as the foundation fell, the heavy material probably would have trapped the filly under the water and make her drown. "You ok?"

"T-Thank you, miss." After making sure she was alright, the filly ran down the docks to her family.

"That was a close one," the Auroch said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You got some serious speed. Unlike most of us on the team."

"Is that why your team is basically all earth ponies?" Rainbow asked.

"Uhh...well...maybe," he said, completely unsure. "I mean, other teams have a variety of ponies, and there's even an all dragon team. They can be pretty brutal."

"Yeah. As if getting attacked by one dragon's not enough, I'll be facing a whole blitzball team of them too." Rainbow groaned, imagining getting herself beat up by several clones of Spike in the blitzball field.

She followed her teammate over to the repaired docks, where the others were hard at work finishing up. Applejack spotted Rainbow, wiping her brow after doing what she could to fix Kilika.

"There ya are, Rainbow. Thought ya were gonna sleep in on us," she joked, oblivious to the pegasus's exhaustion. "Alright, ya'll! Huddle up!" The Aurochs stopped their work and stood before their captain. "We've done all we can to help this poor town. Now, let's head on up to the temple to pray for victory!"

"Victory!" they cheered, running on ahead as they were psyched up for the coming tournament.

"Wait, I thought we were going to rest in Kilika for the night, then get on the ship to Luca," Rainbow said.

"We gotta stop here first anyway. One of the temples Fluttershy has to visit is here," Applejack explained.

"Oh." The pegasus understood, though having to go up there just to pray for a win in the tournament just seemed ridiculous to her.

"Are ya feelin' ok, sugarcube? Did ya sleep at all last night?" Applejack asked, worried about her friend's condition.

"No. I'm still trying to...let all this sink in..." She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake. "And why are we going to pray for victory? Are you superstitious or something?"

"Are ya serious!?" Applejack exclaimed, fully waking Rainbow at the sudden shout. "Every team prays at the temple before leavin' for Luca! Blitzball is the only sport that's been around for so long, and it steers everypony away from the pain and sufferin' that Sin causes. Without all the teams competin', Ah don't think anypony could live with their losses."

"...Whatever you say." Rainbow was technically right; Applejack was superstitious.

Blitzball's a rough contact sport, something fans would get fired up over to see their favorite teams and players win and ram each other. To Rainbow Dash, it was the exact opposite of alleviating sorrow, building up adrenaline and rage if their team loses. She had a few instances where fans had rioted in Zanarkand when her father always won for the Zanarkand Wonderbolts, ponies going mad as they destroyed part of the city in celebration.

Putting those horrible thoughts aside, she followed Applejack out of the slightly repaired village and toward the jungle on the island. Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy waited for them near one of those Save Spheres Rainbow was told about, though the former two seemed to be glaring at the pegasus.

"Twi, what's goin' on?" Applejack asked.

"...Fluttershy wants HER to join us," the unicorn said with disdain, both her and Smarty Pants pointing at Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy approached Rainbow, despite the other three guardians' protests. "I would like to ask you if you want to be my guardian...That is, if you want to."

"Whoa, hold up, sugarcube!" Applejack shoved Rainbow aside, the pegasus leering at the earth pony. "Ah know Rainbow's a pro blitzball player, but she ain't that smart when it comes to fightin'."

"Hey! I survived on my own in some random temple in the middle of the ocean before meeting you guys!" Rainbow said, offended by Applejack now seeing her as an incompetent fighter.

"And she's also suffering from the worst case of toxin in Spira's history," Twilight uttered.

"Ok..." Fluttershy perked up after her suggestion was overruled by her protective "sisters". "Then I just want her nearby."

Smarty Pants fell comically off Twilight's back as the unicorn, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash held shocked expressions. "...I think she's trying to come onto me," Rainbow whispered to her captain, receiving a hard jab in the chest.

"For the love of Faust..." Smarty Pants climbed back up on Twilight's back, the doll rubbing its temples as if it had a headache. "Can we discuss all this when we're not in a dangerous jungle filled to the brim with wandering fiends!?"

Thankfully, they were distracted from the awkward situation, hearing Spike fighting a fiend nearby. The dragon was fighting some sort of strange plant monster, shooting a large seed out of its bulb, hitting his chest. Rainbow was about to help, but Applejack stopped her.

"What are you doing!? Spike's in trouble!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"He can handle a Ragora. Besides, you'll see just how unique Spike is as a dragon." They continued watching, leaving Spike room to fight the plant fiend.

He used the same energy absorbing skill he had used on the Sinscales back on the S.S. Liki, stealing some of the Ragora's life force. Spike smirked, taking in a deep breath, but instead of flames, he shot a seed at the fiend, damaging it more than it used that same attack on him. Rainbow's jaw dropped, having no clue how in Spira the dragon was physically able to do that. He then ended the plant's life, watching it disappear.

"...What. Was. That!?" Rainbow finally said after a moment of silence. "How did he do that!?"

"Dragons know the fiend's way of fighting," Twilight explained, holding out a book detailing the dragon tribe. "Dragons have an ability they use that can regenerate their health and mana by stealing it from their foes, which is called Lancet. Not only is this a power they can use to heal injuries in desperate situations, but they can also copy specific abilities from fiends and use those abilities against them. This is known as 'Dragon Rage', unleashing any of their skills in desperation or with enough trauma inflicted upon them to release any ability they copied."

"...That...is...AWESOME!" Rainbow flew up to Spike, grabbing his shoulders as she was dangerously close to his face. "What other awesome moves can you know!? Can you increase your speed!? Or maybe even punch something so hard, they fly all around the world, slamming into the ground mere feet behind you!?" The dragon growled, baring his fangs, deflating the pegasus's excitement as she backed away, chuckling sheepishly. "Or...you can just say nothing...and not kill me."

Fluttershy giggled at Rainbow's excitement while Applejack and Twilight shook their heads. They made their way through the jungle, having to take a different path when the Crusaders warned them of a fiend named the Lord of the Wood. Ironically, the ones that warned the group were Octavia and Vinyl, both mares being on the S.S. Liki on some kind of delivery mission for the Crusaders. Heeding their warning, they traveled along a different route to avoid the giant pitcher plant fiend, finding it worth going around a longer route than risk getting killed by the dangerous monster.

Along the way, they encountered more fiends, quickly taken care of as they hindered their progress. They finally reached the steps leading up to the temple in Kilika, finding the Aurochs waiting for them. They were doing some stretches, all of them smirking as they had some kind of challenge for the new member of their team.

"So, Rainbow Dash," one of them said. "I told the others how quick you were saving that filly back in the village. We're kind of wondering to see just how fast you really are."

"Oh. You guys really wanna race me?" Rainbow stomped her hoof, accepting the challenge. "You have no idea who you're messing with. You guys are gonna eat my dust."

"No flyin' though," Applejack warned, joining her team as they lined up.

"Pth. I'm not gonna cheat. I don't need my wings to leave you all a mile behind." Rainbow stretched as she boasted, the whole team crouching as they prepared to run.

"Fluttershy, care to do the honors?" Applejack asked, the summoner nodding her head.

"Ready?" She lifted up her hoof to start the race, only to run on ahead while giggling.

"Huh!? Hey! You cheater!" The Aurochs chased after her, while Rainbow Dash stood aghast as Fluttershy became an added racer, and cheated before starting it.

"And Applejack accused me of cheating." Twilight facehooved, unable to hide the grin on her face, and Spike shook his head, a smirk the only positive emotion he had ever shown since Rainbow met him.

The fun quickly died as they heard Fluttershy scream in terror, the Aurochs quickly fleeing from something that lied up ahead. "Twilight! Spike! Sinspawn!"

The two guardians immediately ran up the stairs after hearing Applejack, Rainbow chasing after them, greatly worried about Fluttershy's safety. As they reached a flat portion midway up the temple, the pegasus gasped as she saw the young summoner caught in a tentacle-like hand, along with another similar one with a strangely gigantic shell in the center. Applejack was busy throwing her ball at the shell, but it didn't seem to do much to it.

Spike leapt up at the tentacle gripping Fluttershy as it tried to squeeze the life out of her, stabbing it with his spear, forcing it to let go of her. Rainbow flew up and caught her as she fell, setting her back down on the ground.

"You ok?" she asked, receiving a nod from the slightly shaken mare.

The tentacle tried to lunge at the two, only to have Rainbow slash its appendages as she protected Fluttershy. As the group fought, Twilight tried to cast her magic, but her mana was being absorbed by the tentacles.

"Oh no. I'm completely useless with those tentacles sapping away my magic!" Twilight exclaimed in fear.

"I thought you knew everything, egghead!" Rainbow said, getting smacked away by the other tentacle.

"Sinspawn are always different, and not one of these kinds of fiends are ever written in any tome or beastiary because they're not common fiends!" Twilight quickly avoided a tentacle's strikes toward her, very evasive for a mare wearing a dress that looked like it should hinder her movements. "And don't call me an egghead!"

"Then let's take out them tentacles first!" They all heard the shell behind them give out a sigh, expelling a foul odor that made them gag and hurt them. "Ugh! And fast!"

Applejack, Spike, and Rainbow Dash, being the only stronger physical attackers, struck down the tentacles. Finally freed from the magic absorbing appendages, Twilight was freely able to cast spells, though she had no idea what spell to cast. It looked like a giant shellfish, though looks can be deceiving if something inside of the shell was something that could absorb an elemental spell she'll accidentally cast and heal the enemy.

"Twilight, don't just stand there! Shoot magic at it!" Rainbow yelled, rushing at the Sinspawn, her sword bouncing off the hard shell.

"I can't just cast black magic like crazy, Rainbow Dash!" she argued, all of them coughing yet again as it breathed out its disgusting stench. "Some fiends may be weak to one element, but they can also absorb or resist other elements, and I don't want to wast my mana for nothing!"

Spike leapt in, stabbing his weapon right through the shell's defences, growling intensely as he began to pry the fiend's shell open to reveal what was inside it. He managed to pop the shell open, revealing a strange plant creature, smaller tentacle hands similar to the larger ones that were already slain.

"Ok, NOW you know!" Rainbow rushed at the Sinspawn again, but the fiend thrust one of its appendages at the pegasus.

One of the tentacles managed to pierce her skin, sending her tumbling back to the others. The moment she stood up, she suddenly felt incredibly ill, her cheeks turning green as she was poisoned by the fiend. Rainbow could barely moving, feeling like she was going to vomit as the poison slowly began to drain away her health.

The others quickly took care of the Sinspawn, smacking it, stabbing it, and blasting Fire spells in its face. Eventually, the dangerous fiend disappeared in a flurry of spirits, leaving behind the craters it made from its appearance. Fluttershy approached the ill pegasus, pulling out a vial of clear liquid from her dress.

"Here, Rainbow Dash. Drink this." She took the antidote, gulping it down in one swig, feeling the poison leave her body instantly. Rainbow cringed at the taste, which was far worse than the potions, but at least her face was healthy again. "I'm sorry I don't know Esuna just yet. I know antidotes taste bad."

"Bleh...The hay is Esuna?" Rainbow coughed, unable to get the horrible aftertaste in her mouth. "And what's a Sinspawn? I heard Applejack say that big jellyfish thing we both fought yesterday was one of those things."

"They are what they're called; the spawn of Sin," Twilight explained, going into another lecture. "They fall off it and are left behind after Sin wreaks havoc. They're very dangerous if left alone. Sin will come back for its spawn, and its destructive rampage will only get worse if they aren't killed."

"...Oh...Well, good thing we took care of the other one in the water too." Rainbow puffed out her chest. "I did most of the damage to that thing. Applejack can back me up on that. Guess that means I can be guardian material, huh?"

"Don't count your cockatrices before they hatch," Twilight said, deflating any praise Rainbow expected as they continued walking up the stairway to the temple.

As they continued up the long stairway, Applejack decided to strike up a conversation. "So, Rainbow, do they have fiends in Zanarkand?"

"Yeah. But it was kind of a big deal, everypony panicking and-" She froze, turning to face the mare. "Wait a minute! When did you start believing me about Zanarkand!?"

"I was thinkin' some things," Applejack said, not noticing the angry expression growing on Twilight's face. "Maybe, if Sin kills somepony, they aren't really dead. Sin might have taken them through time, maybe several years in the future. Then, one day, they might just pop back, like nothin' happened."

Rainbow's eyes widened as she chuckled nervously over the irony of Applejack's theory. "Yeah...That would be a little funny. Heh."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. That sounds logical, Applejack," Twilight said sarcastically, gaining everyone's attention. "Every single time you want to face reality, you have to have some stupid theory about what really happened to Big Mac, when all it ever is is just that! A flawed theory that makes no sense!"

"But, Twilight-" Applejack was immediately silenced as Twilight actually slapped the mare in the face, the sound echoing through the jungle.

"NO!" the upset unicorn shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sick of hearing it back in Besaid, and I'm sick of hearing it now! Big Macintosh wasn't 'taken' anywhere! He was CRUSHED by Sin! Nopony can came back to life, especially when their entire body is smashed into a pancake! He can't come back! Big Mac can't come back! And neither can Sir Jet Stream or High Summoner Kindred Heart!"

Smarty Pants suddenly reacted the moment Twilight had mentioned "him", somepony she had known and the others didn't. Before Rainbow could ask who she meant, the unicorn shoved her way past Applejack and the pegasus, stomping up the stairs to the temple, the doll falling off her back. It looked up at the others, shaking its head sadly as it leapt up the stairs after her.

The cyan pegasus turned back to Applejack, the earth pony's hat veiling her eyes as she looked down, a red hoof mark beginning to appear on her cheek. Rainbow was about to ask her if she was ok, but she began to trudge her way up the steps depressingly. Hoping for an answer from Fluttershy, she didn't seem to know what to do either.

Rainbow looked up at the stoic dragon. "Got anything to say, big guy?" Spike just stared at her, offering no change in emotion, or even a grunt. "...Yeah. I thought you'd say that..." Next Chapter: Chapter 11: Kilika Temple Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 10 Minutes