//------------------------------// // The Seventh Element // Story: The Element of Courage // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// They stepped inside the building as the light of the moon illuminated into it. In the middle of the room was a mysterious contraption that looked like a miniature solar system made from stone, complete with five spheres around it. Flash, Rainbow and Fluttershy gently flew up to the five orbs, quickly grabbing them and putting them down on the ground. "Come on Twilight." Applejack said as she pointed at the statue. "Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" Twilight stepped forward, her eyes filled with wonder, "The Elements of Harmony. We finally found them." "One, two, three, four." Pinkie counted as she tapped the orbs. "There's only five of 'em." "Where's the sixth one?" Rainbow asked as she looked around impatiently. "The book said, 'When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed.'" Twilight explained as pushed Pinkie aside. "Well, what in the hey is that supposed to mean?!" "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back everypony, I don't know what will happen once I try this." she said as her horn began to spark. Applejack turned to the door. "Come on y'all, she needs to concentrate." Five of them left the room but Flash stayed behind. "Flash? Why aren't you leaving?” "I'm staying behind." he replied while crossing his hooves. "Something's been trying to stop us from getting here and I doubt it'll just quit now." "If you say so." Applejack said before leaving with the others. Flash stood firm, watching Twilight work as she flowed magic into the elements. He had a feeling, like something bad would happen if he wasn't there to watch out for her. Then it happened. Purple smoke began to cloud around her without her knowledge. "Twilight, look out!" he yelled, getting her attention away from the Elements. She soon saw the smoke and jumped back as the mist spiralled around the stone spheres, lifting them up into a tornado. "The Elements!" Twilight exclaimed as she suddenly rushed towards the tornado, quickly leaping into it. "No Twilight! Don't do it!" Flash called out, flying into the tornado as well. He felt himself spinning around and around and around until eventually, in a puff of smoke, he found himself standing in a new room of the castle next to Twilight. "Are you okay? What happened there?" "I'm fine." she replied, panting. "But the Elements..." they both looked up and gasped, seeing Nightmare Moon stand before them. The Elements of Harmony were floating around her as she shined an evil grin. Flash took a battle stance and whispered, making sure only Twilight could hear him, "Remember how we got that book back when the neighbour's dog stole it?" "I'm with you." she said, the memory quickly replaying in her head. Nightmare Moon hadn't heard this and simply thought Flash intended to fight. "You're kidding, you're kidding right? You believe you can take me on, little colt?" Flash shot into the air, straight at Nightmare Moon as she started firing spells at him. He dodged with ease and got so close that she had to fly up so he didn't tackle her. Flash spun around and flew at her again, which she dodged before firing another spell. This one hit the mark, sending him crashing into the ground. "Do tell?" Nightmare Moon asked as she landed and towered above him, laughing at the sight. "What was your plan here?" "Trojan Horse." Flash moaned out, confusing Nightmare Moon until she realised Flash had distracted her from Twilight. Spinning around, she saw Twilight standing where she had been, her horn ablaze with magic. "Just one spark! Come on, come on!" the elements began to glow, but Nightmare Moon warped towards her. "Twilight! Hurry up!" Flash called as he tried to get up. Twilight could feel something happening. A spark of light shot from her horn and into the elements. The light that shined from it was so strong that it sent her flying back. "You okay?!" Flash yelled as he finally got up and ran next to her. "I'm fine." she replied triumphantly, seeing her incoming victory. Lightning flashed around the elements as Nightmare Moon stood between them. "No!" she said in fear as she watched the weapon that had beaten her before start to activate. "NO!" But then, the lightning stopped and the elements became still and lifeless. "What happened?!" Flash gasped as he watched their hope go up in smoke. "No! Where's the Sixth Element?" Twilight screamed as her eyes began to water. Nightmare Moon laughed as she raised her forehooves forward and slammed the ground, shattering the elements into nothing but small pebbles. "Oh no." Flash said as he looked to Twilight, whose looked like her heart had broken. "You little fools!" Nightmare Moon mocked. "Thinking you could defeat me! Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night shall last forever!" she began to laugh as her mane spread out, creating a cloud of thick smoke. Flash couldn't believe it. They had failed. Celestia was lost and now the world was doomed into nothing but darkness. But then, something caught his ear...voices. Twilight looked back, having heard it too. It was the voices of the ponies who had come with them, their new friends. Twilight gasped as a spark lit in her head. She turned back to Nightmare Moon with a confident grin. "You think that you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?!" Twilight yelled, a new strength appearing in her voice, "Well you're wrong! Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!" In that moment, the five girls appeared next to her. The shards of the elements began to rise and flew towards them. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of HONESTY!" As she said that, some of the shards flew to her, circling her body. "Fluttershy, who tamed the Manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of KINDNESS!" another set of stones began to fly around her as well. "Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by laughing in the face of danger, represents the spirit of LAUGHTER!" "Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of GENEROSITY!" "And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own hearts desire, represents the spirit of LOYALTY!" "The Spirits of these five Ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Twilight explained, a smirk appearing on her face. "You still don't have the sixth Element!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, barking at the ponies as her body began to shake in fear. "The spark didn't work!" "But it did...a different kind of spark happened." she turned back to her new friends. "Ever since I was young, my only friend has been Flash. But when I heard your voices, an amazing feeling spread through me, when I realised that you all." she spun back around, confidence flashing through her face. "Are my friends!" Above her, a bright light ignited as a new stone sphere appeared before them. "You see Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element. The Element of MAGIC!" As the six were all encased within the light, the first five elements reformed and wrapped around each bearer, quickly morphing into a necklace, each with a different coloured jewel in the center. The Element of Magic however, created a crown that sat atop Twilight's head. Flash watched in amazement as the six of them began fly into the air, a rainbow-coloured magic swirling all around them. "Go get'em girls! Kick her flank!" he cheered. As the six of them united, a rainbow beam of magic shot towards Nightmare Moon, ready to hit it's target. But Nightmare Moon wouldn't allow this. "Not again! I won't be stopped again!" she exclaimed as a purple wave of magic blasted out of her, pushing the rainbow back and sending the girls crashing into the ground. Seeing the sudden turnaround, Nightmare Moon began to lose herself in endless laughter. "Are you all okay?!" Flash yelled as he ran up to them. "What happened?" Rainbow asked as she tried to get up. She soon found out she couldn't as her legs quickly gave out. "I don't understand." Twilight said, despair obviously filling her voice. "The elements worked last time." "The Elements of Harmony may have overcome me once." Nightmare Moon replied, a large grin shining on her face. "But my power has grown since then. You six on the other hoof, only just got them." Twilight realised what she was saying and shivered at the thought. "We're not strong enough." "Maybe with a little more practice, you would have a shot at standing up to me. Unfortunately, you won't be around long enough to get that practice." Flash knew they had to escape, but Nightmare Moon would defiantly be able to follow. There was only one option that came to mind, "Twilight, you and the others need to get out of here now!" he told her as he stepped forward, quickly standing in front of them. "What about you?" "I'll hold her off as long as I can." he explained as he flared his wings. "The six of you are the only hope for Equestria. You need to escape." "Oh, how brave." Nightmare Moon mocked, "I do still owe you for tricking me earlier, so you can be the first victim of my new unending night!" her horn flashed and a large bubble shot out, encasing the two of them. "FLASH!" Twilight pulled herself up, trying to spark some magic against the bubble. However, despite her new strength, the force field remained strong. "You have to go." was all Flash said before he flew at Nightmare Moon, ready to fight her head-on. "Pathetic." Nightmare Moon hissed as she began firing a barrage of spells. One quickly caught his wing, causing him to crash into the ground. She began to fall into another fit of laughter as she watched him slowly get up from the blow. As he slowly got up, the stallion went into a full bull-charge, only for her to fly above him easily. Before Flash could do anything else, Nightmare quickly swooped down and bucked him away with ease. "Please stop Flash!" Rarity almost screamed, tears in her eyes as she watched his reckless actions. "GO!" he called again, “Why aren't they leaving?” He charged again, but Nightmare Moon's horn began to shine, instantly grabbing his body like it was nothing. She then flew him around like a rag doll, his limp body swinging around as it hit the floor and walls. After a few hits, Flash fell to the floor, his body twitching in pain. The girls were horrified to see him go limp, his body barely moving. Pinkie Pie was frozen in place, biting her teeth as tears began to form in her eyes. Fluttershy tried to close her eyes but her tears prevented such an action. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were slamming the force field with everything they could give, trying to get through. However, Twilight just sat there and stared. She could only stare at her best friend's motionless body, "Flash...please. No..." Flash finally began to move, getting up again slower then before as he tried to stand tall. After a few moments as Nightmare Moon began to laugh again, he stood once more, ready to face the evil Alicorn. "No Flash!" Rainbow yelled as she hit the barrier again. "Stay down! Run away!" Even if he could run, he wouldn't as his legs shook from the pain. "A knight...never...flees...his foe." he wheezed, looking back at the blue pegasus, "Right?" He charged again, but this time was hit in the face as a spell sent him flying into the force field's wall. "How noble." Nightmare Moon said with a laugh. "But don't you know little stallion? Chivalry is dead!" Flash once again rose as he panted, his head hanging from the exhaustion his body was facing, "It was never about chivalry for me. I've just gotta do what I've gotta do, that's all." "And what must you do?" Nightmare Moon asked, her tone dripping with scepticism. "Protect my friends." Flash said, throwing his head up as fire burned in his eyes, "AND STOP YOU!" he charged again as her horn began to spark. "FOOL!" she yelled as she prepared to fire her most powerful spell at him, one that would surly end him in a single blow. His six friends watched in horror, unable to do anything. In that moment, their hearts unified in a single desire. "I want to help Flash." was what their hearts said in unison. The dark spell reached Flash and an explosion of smoke formed. Everypony believed the worst had just happened, Flash was a goner. But, as the smoke cleared, they all gasped at what they saw. Flash was completely fine, protected from the spell by a orange force field, "What the-" he gasped, looking at himself as his fur began to glow and his injuries started to fade. The barrier around him exploded into a wave of energy, easily knocking Nightmare Moon back and destroying her force field. The six friends began to race up to their friend, wanting to help him, but a new sight stopped them. Their Elements of Harmony shone once again, only this light felt different. Without warning, the elements detached themselves from the necklaces and flew to Flash, spinning in a circle above him. The light of each one then fired a beam connecting together right above Flash's head as an orange coloured energy swirled around him and flew upwards into the light. This went on for several seconds until a great shining light appeared, leaving something new in the center of the circle. An orange gem in the shape of a shield floated above the ponies until it lowered itself onto Flash's head. A large golden helmet appeared on his noggin as the gem attached itself into a slot right above the forehead. The gem fit it perfectly as it began to shine a new light. With this done, the six elements returned to their owners, each necklace and crown attaching themselves to their respective pony. "What just happened?!" Rainbow Dash asked as she tapped her new necklace. "I'm not sure" Twilight said as she watched Flash rub the side of his helmet in confusion. Nightmare Moon finally managed to get up and looked at Flash and gasped, "A Seventh Element?! That's...that's impossible!" Flash looked up at his helmet as a small grin appeared on his face. "Seventh Element? Huh." then a thought occurred, 'She could stop the power of six elements, but could she stop seven?' He turned back to the girls and smiled. "What'd you say we try this again?!" The girls were confused for just a second until they realised what he meant and nodded. The Elements glowed once more and the seven of them took to the air. Like before, their powers merged together and formed a rainbow of magic that once again shot itself at the evil Alicorn. Nightmare Moon saw it coming and began to spark her horn, trying to fire another dark spell. However, this time was different. Instead of nullifying the elements' power like before, they were at a stand still. "Keep pushing! We can do it!" Flash yelled as they continued to focus. As they did, the rainbow began pushing Nightmare Moon's spell back before breaking it completely and spiralling around the Alicorn. "No...no....NOOO!!!" She screamed as she was encased inside a brilliant white light that filled the room. As the light continued to shine, her screams were slowly silenced until the light finally disappeared. It was over. As the light died, everypony found themselves on the floor with minor headaches, the most severe one in Flash's head. "Oh...my head..." Rainbow groaned as she rubbed the sides of her noggin. "Everypony okay?" Applejack asked, shaking off the pain. "Oh my goodness." Rarity said, making them all turn towards her only to see that her tail had returned to it's proper length. "Rarity!" Fluttershy gasped with a hoof over her mouth. "It's so lovely." "I know." she replied as she looked at her tail with a ray of affection. "I'll never part with it again." "No." Fluttershy said as she pointed to Rarity's neck. "Your necklace. It looks just like you cutie mark." Rarity compared her blue diamonds to the purple jewel shaped gem on the necklace. A smile shined on her face as she then looked at Fluttershy's "Oh my! So does yours." she pointed to the pink butterfly gem. The rest of them all looked at the Element's new forms. They included a blue balloon, a red lightning bolt, a green apple, and a purple star and of course, Flash's orange shield. "Wow Twilight." Applejack said as she admired her new accessory. "Maybe yer right, maybe we do represent the Elements of Harmony." "Indeed you do." Flash had to cover his eyes as light poured into the room from a nearby window. The sun rose over the horizon and brought a new warmth to the world. As the light shined, the new light came into the room in morphed into a very familiar form. Princess Celestia now stood before them, smiling at the seven ponies who had saved her and her kingdom. "Princess Celestia." Twilight ran over to her as the rest of them bowed. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student." Celestia said as she patted her student's head. "I knew you could do it." "But..." Twilight asked, confused. "You told me it was all an old pony's tale.” "I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more." the princess explained as she hugged her. "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. The friendship you shared with Flash proved that you were capable, but it wasn't until you allowed your circle of friends to expand that you were able to call upon your true power." Twilight looked back at all her new friends and nodded "I understand." Celestia smiled as her response and then turned to Flash, who had a doubtful look on his face. "What is troubling you Flash Sentry?" Flash looked up at her as he removed his new helmet. "I'm just a little confused. The book said there were only six Elements of Harmony. So...where did this one come from?" "It came from you." Celestia explained as she went up and patted his head. "The Elements of Harmony were created long ago through the magic of friendship combined with power of many different ponies. Many ponies who were kind united to forge the Element of Kindness, while some of the most loyal ponies known in the past forged the Element of Loyalty. This was how the six were formed. But now, your bravery, determination and selfless spirit combined with the feelings of your friends allowed a new element to be forged. One which embodies your greatest trait, can you tell me what it is?” Flash looked down at the golden helmet with the orange shield shaped jewel that it wore. He gazed into it, feeling like he knew what it represented. "Courage." "Indeed." Celestia nodded. "You are now the first bearer of the Element of Courage, and I am so proud of you. Since coming into the lives of Twilight and her family, you have truly grown Flash Sentry. Like Twilight, you have accepted the Magic of Friendship into your heart." she turned away and walked off to a far corner of the room. "Now, if only another will do that as well.” Nightmare Moon lay before them, except now she was very different. Instead of her pitch black coat she wore, her coat was now a light purple. Her mane was a light blue and she was smaller than before, only being a few inches taller then them. "Princess Luna." Celestia called out, the Alicorn's eyes shot open. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." Celestia sat down besides her, sadness filling her eyes as she thought about the past. "Time to put are differences behind us, we were meant to rule together little sister." "Sister?!" the seven of them repeated, surprise taking them by force. "Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia asked as she stood back up, her hoof extended. Nightmare Moon, or Luna as she seemed to be called, flinched at the question. She continued to sit there, shivering. But, as she looked up at Celestia, her kind warm smile caused all of regrets go away for just that second. She jumped up and hugged her sister, crying. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I missed you so much big sister!" Celestia embraced her, a small tear descending down her face. "I've missed you to." There wasn't a dry eye in the castle. Pinkie Pie broke out into a waterfall like tears before she suddenly stopped. "HEY! Do you know what this calls for?!"