//------------------------------// // 3: Prepare for the Storm // Story: The Elements of Disharmony: Necessary Corruption // by Night_Shine //------------------------------// Princess Luna sat beside the wide window, gazing out into the night as her troubles passed one after the other through her mind. They aimlessly wandered across her thoughts like the storm clouds on the horizon, which infested the sky and blotted out the light of the moon. To her dismay, the night's silent guardian hid its face behind the bland gray of the storm. Suddenly she felt a familiar presence behind her, watching her and waiting. “Princess Luna?” Silver Tongue’s voice asked, sounding politely amused as always. “Yes, Lord Silver Tongue? Doest thou have a question?” she asked without turning around. A bolt of lightning flickered down from a cloud in the distance. “We found another Element.” The thunder rumbled softly in Luna’s ears. Her heart skipped a beat, and she whirled around to see Lord Silver Tongue holding up a black necklace, with a crystal in its center…the very shape that had ceaselessly tortured her mind with its cruel beauty for almost a week. A pale, teal-blue crystal carved perfectly in the shape of a lightning bolt hung innocently under the polished necklace stained black as night. The crystal silently swayed in midair, watching her expectantly. “Where didst thou find this?” Luna asked, too quickly. “I found it in the same place as the others: an associate of mine retrieved it from the Everfree Forest. He did not disclose with me the exact location, nor how he found it, I am afraid. In any case, now that we have it, the rush to prevent any national emergency is over. The only remaining Element that anypony could use against us can only be summoned by combining the power of all of these, if our theories are correct.” No, Luna thought, the bubbling sense of panic in her stomach rising as she fell deeper into the Element’s irresistible pull, the threat has just begun. “We still want the security status to remain on high alert until this team can figure out a way to properly contain or dispose of the Elements. Our magic is not strong enough to contain their auras completely, and if somepony got too close…” Luna faltered. “Princess Luna, are you suggesting that the Elements could corrupt somepony within this very team?” Instead of frowning with concern, Silver Tongue’s smug grin grew even wider and he looked the Princess of the Night directly in the eye. He knows…thought Luna. I must get rid of this Element as quickly as possible before it makes me any more obsessed. “For now, let us place this Element with the others in the protected box. We shall try and increase the power of our spell on the box, but…” “But?” asked Silver Tongue. Luna silently cursed herself. “But it still shall not be enough to protect against the Elements’ aura, and that is why we want the security status to remain on high alert.” Silver Tongue raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Spell Scholar and Twilight Sparkle suddenly entered the room and approached the pair with determined looks on their faces. They both stared directly at Silver Tongue... and Luna gave an inward sigh of relief. For the first time in quite a while, Twilight Sparkle paid absolutely no attention to the book sitting in front of her. Instead, she stared uneasily at the other side of the room as Princess Luna chatted casually with the most powerful, most vulnerable villain in Equestria. Her intense focus distracted her so much that she barely heard the polite voice of Spell Scholar behind her. “Miss Sparkle? May I speak with you for a moment, in private?” Spike, who leaned idly on the table while absentmindedly doodling pictures of diamonds on a blank scroll, groaned melodramatically. “Not again!” Ignoring her assistant’s complaining, Twilight slammed the ancient book closed and replied, “Of course. Why do we have to talk in private?” Spell Scholar leaned in close and whispered, “I’d rather Lord Silver Tongue not hear about any of what we are about to discuss…” Twilight nodded with a jolt of new understanding. Once again she stepped out through the door into the wide, empty hallways of the castle. She paused for a moment as a bright light floated over the deep red sea of the laced carpet. Looking up to find its source, Twilight saw the brilliant sky looming over the tower through the wide stained-glass windows. The temporary light provided a small, momentary pause in the storm—the bright light of the moon had broken through the clouds for only a few moments, providing a short relief for all those still awake through this dark night. The moonlight stayed only for a passing moment, and yet Twilight could swear she witnessed it…change. It transformed from a soft, pale glow that bathed the streets below in a beautiful milky sheen to a harsh, unnatural blinding white as the clouds passed over its surface. The bright echo of the moon faded away as the faceless storm consumed it, and Twilight heard the stallion behind her clear his throat quietly, not wanting to be rude. She turned around to face Spell Scholar, who had been patiently waiting as she sat moonstruck beneath the window. Spell Scholar took a deep breath. “Miss Sparkle, I am concerned about Lord Silver Tongue’s position on the research team. The ‘associate’ that he spoke about who apparently just so happened to discover the Elements could not have found them by accident, when thousands of years of scholars and villains have never even seen a trace of them. And how did he come by this ‘associate’? I think, based on this evidence, we may be able to conclude that-” “You’re absolutely right.” “Come again?” asked the stallion, bewildered. “You’re right. Silver Tongue isn’t even his real name; it’s just a disguise that he’s using to be on the research team, so he can be close to the Elements while he implements his master plan. He is planning to use them to overthrow Equestria tonight…and there’s nothing we can do about it!” “How do you know this?” “He told me, just now…right here. He has the Element of Betrayal with him, but he hasn’t pretended to have his associate discover it yet!” “We need to do something!” Spell Scholar said, completely paralyzed in shock. “But that’s just it. What could we possibly do to stop him before morning? There’s nothing we can do!” Twilight stamped her hoof on the thick carpet. Spell Scholar closed his eyes, concentrating. He remained still for almost a full minute as Twilight stood and waited across from him, fidgeting nervously. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and a look of determination seized his face. “I have a plan. You need to talk to Princess Luna and tell her the truth. Get her to lock up Silver-er-Puzzle Master and the Elements, but if you cannot, make plans for the worst. Your friends are the Elements of Harmony, correct? Get them here and get them ready.” Frustration boiled up inside Twilight until she wanted to scream aloud. “But I can’t talk to Princess Luna! Puzzle Master is right there, talking to her right now!” “That is where I can help you. I will distract Puzzle Master by leading him somewhere far away while you convince the Princess to help us.” She nodded, calming down slightly. “Alright, let’s do this. Remember, this means you will need to distract Puzzle Master as long as possible. Try and get him to argue with you about his big ‘master plan’…he loves to argue.” Spell Scholar opened the door, but turned around as Twilight said one last thing: “And whatever you do…do not let him get the upper hoof.” Twilight approached Princess Luna, a look of cold determination in her eyes, ready to bring Puzzle Master out from behind his mask of shadows. And yet one thing remained even after her discussion, lurking in the back of her mind, a subtle feeling of unease. The image of Puzzle Master’s face stared at her from the corner of her vision, smiling with total confidence that she would not tell Princess Celestia his plans. He acts like he has control over so many ponies...what would he do if I told Princess Luna who he really is? The Shadow could still be in Ponyville, waiting for orders...A shiver ran down her spine. Twilight hesitated. The fate of Equestria rested on her telling Luna what was going on, right now, but…she couldn’t. No. I must tell the Princess, whatever the cost. Maybe I could just…not mention Puzzle Master’s role in all of this, and tell Luna only about the impending threat of the Elements themselves? Regal Magus promptly broke the deafening silence by standing abruptly from his spot at the middle of the table, and he spoke up for the first time in several hours: “Well, Princess, I have arrived at a stopping point in my research. Not all of us are nocturnal, you know, and I simply must get my sleep if I am to work tomorrow. Good night.” Holding his head high, Regal Magus walked out the door, looking away from Twilight as he trotted past her. As Spell Scholar approached Silver Tongue to lead him astray, it dawned on Twilight that she was now the only pony to stay with Luna through the night…the only one who could protect her from her thoughts. Luna watched Spell Scholar step into the room first, confident and resolute. “Excuse me, Lord Silver Tongue? I need to discuss something with you in private,” he began, waiting by the door. “Well well well. So many conversations hidden in the shadows…and yet I cannot blame you for wanting to discuss certain matters that are best kept in secret. What is it that you wish to talk about?” “I will tell you once we are outside,” replied Spell Scholar, his eyes flicking uncomfortably to the ground before refocusing on the stallion in front of him. “If you insist,” said Puzzle Master, leaving his comfortable spot at the table next to Luna. She inwardly gave a sigh of relief. Twilight Sparkle marched towards her, wearing the same determined expression. But then…the young mare paused. The muffled sound of Puzzle Master and Spell Scholar walking through the hallway slowly faded into the silence. “Twilight Sparkle? Doest thou have a question for us?” asked Princess Luna. “What would you do if I told you that the Elements of Disharmony were brought here as part of a plan to overthrow Equestria?” Twilight blurted out. Princess Luna drew back, not sure what to think. What?! Why would--wait. That would explain why they all showed up individually, as if somepony was deciding when to discover them. Also it would explain why they were brought here of all places, to the heart of Equestria. “But who would do something like this?” she asked. Twilight’s eyes unconsciously darted to the door, avoiding Princess Luna’s. “I don’t know.” Interesting... “What I do know, though, is that we need to prepare in case the Elements of Disharmony are ever stolen or released. My friends and I need to find and keep our own Elements so we can be ready.” Luna nodded, forgetting about Twilight’s previous hesitation. “Of course. The Elements of Disharmony grant their wielders full power, whereas the Elements of Harmony ‘must be unlocked in order to reach their full potential’,” she quipped, quoting one of the many books she had read in the past hours. “My friends and I can use the Elements of Harmony for more than we already have?” Twilight frowned, confused. “But of course. Didst thou not yet read all of the books we gave thee...?” Luna trailed off, remembering all of the distractions Twilight had experienced since her arrival. “No. What do they say about how to unlock the Elements’ full potential?” the mare asked eagerly. Luna took a deep breath and thought for a long moment before replying. A clap of thunder resounded in the distance. “There is a spell listed here that will allow somepony to enter the direct center of their mind, a feat usually only possible through the deepest meditation. Through this spell they will come face-to-face with the most evil part of their self, t-the nightmare within. They may then be able to defeat the worst part of themselves—temporarily or permanently, depending on how the spell is performed—which in thy case would allow thee to use the Elements of Harmony at their full potential. The reason that we do not allow everypony to perform this spell for purposes of spiritual purification…” Luna faltered. An ice-cold chill ran down her spine as unpleasant memories flashed through her mind. “The reason that we do not let everypony perform this spell is because of the foalish attempt my sister and I made. The two of us thought that we could become better rulers if we defeated the evil within our minds...Celestia performed the spell successfully and defeated her inner darkness, although for several years afterwards she still flinched at the word 'Justice'. We, however…had less success with the spell.” Twilight took a step back as Luna trembled uncontrollably and her eyes squeezed shut. Emotions now accompanied the memories seared into Luna’s mind, panic and fear and the remembrance of hatred. “We could not defeat what lay in the center of our mind…the jealousy, hatred, and paranoia had grown too powerful as we watched our sister enviously for thousands of years. The monster within us told us that her name was Betrayal, but when she consumed us, she became a mare thou knowest by another name.” “Night Mare Moon,” Twilight whispered. Luna let the silence confirm Twilight’s guess. “Thy Elements of Harmony forced her back into the core of our mind, but we can feel her lurking, patiently biding her time, especially since…” Neither pony noticed the Element of Betrayal shaking softly atop the table at her last unfinished statement. Twilight broke the increasingly awkward silence: “So, could my friends and I use this spell to use our Elements to their full potential?” “Yes, of…course. Here is the spell.” Luna tossed Twilight a thick, dusty book from one of the haphazard piles on top of the table. “Page seventy-seven, paragraph four. But we must warn thee…if thy friends cannot overcome their worst Form, their worst Self, it shall consume them.” “Thank you, Princess! I promise we won’t let you down.” Twilight snatched the book and sprinted out the door towards her room. ‘We won’t let you down…’ Could I make the same promise? Twilight burst into her room, panting heavily. Sizzling energy rushed through her veins as she finally started to take action against the invisible forces that had toyed with her since she arrived in Canterlot. "Spike, take a letter.” “Ready.” the dragon responded, automatically pulling out a scroll and quill. “To all of my friends: I need you to come to Canterlot immediately. A set of dangerous magical Elements of Disharmony have arrived, and we need to prepare to contain them or fight their wielders before they make the next move. Please come quickly to Canterlot Castle. Your friend, Twilight Sparkle.” “So am I sending this to the Princess, or…?” Spike trailed off, confused. Twilight paused for a moment. “No. Could you copy this onto five more scrolls, and then send the letters to all of our friends in Ponyville? Owlowiscious can meet you at one of the windows, and you can grab some extra scrolls from the research room.” “I think so. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Spike hopped off of the chair he was seated in and rushed out the door, leaving Twilight alone with her nervous excitement. Several hours later, on the other side of Canterlot, Spell Scholar was in check and running out of options. “So you believed that, by stalling me, you could somehow prevent the inevitable collapse of the desperate, rotten attempt by this research team to lock away the power of the Elements of Disharmony, a power not even the Princesses can comprehend?” The bait is set. His queen shall take my pawn, playing right into my hooves, and then it is all over. Spell Scholar fidgeted nervously, racking his brain for ideas. Although Silver Tongue was a false name, Puzzle Master lived up to and past it in his intricate strategies of this war of words. Spell Scholar swallowed nervously, and then hastily pieced together his next offense: “Yes…and you fell right for it.” He grew more confident as he continued, “You left the Princess and Twilight alone, where right now Twilight is revealing all of your plans, and I bet right now they are discussing how best to get rid of both you and your Elements.” An antipositional…the perfect opportunity to end this. My most useful piece, hidden in the shadows until now, must be deployed. Puzzle Master looked down at his watch. “Really? Then why is it that the Princess is right now sitting alone in her throne room and Twilight Sparkle is in her luxurious suite, leaving the Elements completely unguarded? Why is it that all of her guards are currently on their rounds, unable to help her or guard her from her thoughts? Why is it that my associate, now having stolen every single one of the Elements, is on his way to the very same throne room?” Spell Scholar felt as if the stallion had dumped a bucket of ice on his back as the chessmaster finished his game with a flourish. The desired effect has been achieved…but can I not have a bit of fun in revealing just how foalish this stallion was? Puzzle Master continued, “Why is it that you have led me so far away from Princess Luna’s throne room that you would be tragically too late to reach her before my associate does? Why is it that Twilight Sparkle sent her little scaly friend out all by himself to the room that contained the Elements of Disharmony…and this very same scaly friend was the one who seemed so very intrigued by the Element of Greed earlier? So many questions you have failed to answer. You are truly only a Scholar of Spells, my friend…it is time to look up from your useless scrolls and face the reality of the situation.” Spell Scholar did not say another word, but turned around and sprinted down the road toward the castle. He’s headed to the throne room…thought Puzzle Master, a crocodile grin stretching across his face. The midnight-blue stallion nearly fell over backward in laughter, his screechy tones echoing through the empty silence of the Canterlot streets. Checkmate.