Battle of Alexandria The Battle of Alexandria ( February 6 , 1800 ) takes place in Alexandria soon after Garnet is crowned queen in " Final Fantasy IX " when Kuja returns with the intent of showcasing his newly acquired power to summon Bahamut . Battle . Kuja summons Bahamut , which blasts the town with fireballs , destroying many buildings and setting their remains on fire . The Knights of Pluto are called before the new queen to deal with the situation , and she must select the right tasks for each knight . Two are ordered to gather information , two are sent to protect the citizens , two are ordered to prepare the cannons , and two are ordered to contact Lindblum and request reinforcements ( the reinforcements , if ever sent , did not make it in time ) . Steiner and Beatrix work together to slay the hordes of Mistodon s that infest the town , and have some success clearing the streets . An Alexandrian soldier confirms after the battle that the Knights of Pluto succeeded with the evacuation of civilians , and that Alexandria subsequently had few casualties . Zidane ' s party is in Treno , but Mog , Eiko ' s pet moogle , senses something is wrong . The party rushes to return to Alexandria on Cid ' s latest airship , " Hilda Garde II " . Garnet stays in Alexandria Castle and hears a mysterious voice calling out to her . A previously inaccessible portion of the castle opens up when she investigates and Garnet climbs to the top of the structure , her pendant beginning to glow . Eiko , flying above Alexandria on " Hilda Garde " , hears the voice and knows what it means . She jumps off the ship to reunite with Garnet atop Alexandria Castle and explains to the bewildered queen the phenomenon that they can sense is the Summoner ' s Call — Alexander , the legendary eidolon , is calling for the pair . Eiko and Garnet combine their magic by bringing the four crystal shards together and summon Alexander who spreads its gigantic angel wings to shield the castle and deflect Bahamut ' s energy blast . Alexander unleashes holy beams of energy that defeat Bahamut while Kuja watches on in fascination of its power . Kuja repeats the tactic that won him the First Battle of the Iifa Tree and attempts to enslave Alexander using the " Invincible " . Opposed to Kuja ' s plan to control the eidolons , Garland intervenes and halts his plan . Zidane ' s party rush to save Garnet . Upon reaching the top of the castle , Zidane - regretful that he didn ' t confess his feelings for Garnet earlier - insists on continuing alone , and tells the others to leave the castle before it is too late . Garland uses the " Invincible " to destroy Alexander , along with the castle and most of Alexandria . As Alexander ' s wings wither and the castle begins to crumble , Zidane jumps down and grabs Garnet , with Eiko taking hold of the rope as well . They briefly share a tender moment where Zidane apologises for not being honest with Garnet , but have to evacuate as the castle comes apart . For the second time in 500 years , Alexandria is destroyed . Aftermath . Zidane rescues Garnet and Eiko from the ensuing chaos and together , along with rest of the party , they escape on a ship stolen from the port , courtesy of Tantalus . They return to Lindblum where Zidane recovers from his injuries . Traumatized by both losing her mother and of being unable to protect her kingdom , Garnet blames herself and falls into despair , resulting in her losing her voice . Alexandria sustains heavy damage , and the connection between the port and the city is blocked by debris . However , thanks to the evacuation Queen Garnet ordered , very few civilians lost their lives during the attack . The party can return to the city later and find its citizens busy in repair work , although much of the castle is no longer accessible . By the time Tantalus returns to the city to perform " I Want To Be Your Canary " Alexandria has recovered with the castle and town rebuilt to their former glory . The attack on Alexandria shows Kuja ' s true colors to Garland , and from then on the two are enemies . This sets the stage for their final confrontation in Terra .