//------------------------------// // Elements // Story: A Dark Shade of the Past // by InfinityBreach //------------------------------// A Dark Shade of the Past by InfinityBreach Chapter 17: Elements "Are you sure this is a smart thing to do, Twilight?" I asked her unsurely as we walked by the creek at Fluttershy's house. "Oh, don't worry about it!" Twilight said ecstaticly. "… and why are you so excited?" I said, giving her a sideways glance. She blushed and then proceeded to say, "I just can't wait to figure out who you are and where you're from! I mean you're so mysterious, I end up with more questions than answers with you! I've always been excited by logic puzzles, and you're case is acting a lot like one." I could see the edge of Everfree forest right over the hill. "I'm a puzzle?" I said, shaking my head in amusement. "Sometimes it feels like you just want to learn everything." "Well as Princess Celestia's student, it is my duty to learn everything I can about magic, and friendship. You are my friend obviously, but I also need to learn more about you so I can figure out the workings behind your magic." she said, while examining the horizon of trees. "Ah, here it is!" I said, pointing a few yards to the right of us. We walked over to the crater in the ground, the hole expanding a few feet deep and being about 5 feet in diameter. Twilight then began examining it with some sort of tools she had, carefully sliding down into the center of the hole. I laid down at the edge of the crater, watching Twilight go about her work. 'Best not to interrupt the smart one in her process.' I thought to myself. I looked up at the sun, which was glowing as bright as usual. It felt different though… almost like- "Do you remember anything about that night, Eclipsal?" Twilight asked as she began taking samples of dirt, interrupting my train of thought. "Huh? Oh that night. I don't really remember much other than waking up in Fluttershy's house, and freaking out." I replied. "Hmm." Twilight looked over some notes she was taking, before stopping and looking out towards the border of Everfree. She shook her head, and walked back up to me. As she slowly trotted her way up and next to me, she had her ears perked up like she had some sort of idea. "Say, Eclipsal. Where did Fluttershy say you walked out of the forest at?" she questioned, waiting for an answer. I looked throughout the border, and my gaze set upon an area with a bunch of broken roots and twigs. "I believe it was from over there." I said, pointing at the spot. "That's what I was afraid of." Twilight mumbled to herself. "Follow me. I think I might know where you came from…" I cocked my head to the side, wondering what Twilight was thinking. As she began heading towards the opening in the forest, I decided to follow her. We were already deep into the forest when I decided to talk again. "Why are we here, Twilight?" I asked. All of a sudden, we were in a huge opening, and I could feel magic heavily in the air. It felt almost like the fog was the magic, heavily sticking to the earth. There was a broken bridge in front of us, but apparently that didn't matter as Twilight made a bridge for us to walk on with her own magic. As we walked across, the fog began to clear just enough for me to see an enormous building. "This… this is the castle that used to be the home of Princesses Celestia and Luna. It also used to be the holding place of the six Elements of Harmony." Twilight said, eyeing the area carefully. I felt my head beginning to throb again, but I held out the pain. "What are the Elements of Harmony?" I asked her unsurely, as she walked into the castle, with me following behind. "They are the most powerful weapons in our world. Each of them represents a different aspect of friendship. Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and finally Magic, the spark that connects them all." Twilight said as we reached a room that had a throne at the end of it. I staggered forwards, trying to endure the pain my head was causing me, until I collapsed right in the middle of the floor. … … … Darkness. I could feel it. I heard the sound of a gasp. There was a flash of light. No, not light. A spark. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony, just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!" The Elements of Harmony. What are they? … Who are they? Loyalty. Rainbow Dash did her best to stop by whenever she wasn't working or training. How LOYAL to stick by a friend like that. Especially when they need all the help they can get. Honesty. Applejack told me that the best policy is to always be HONEST. She always took what I told her at face value, and fully trusted me, because she was my friend. Kindness. Fluttershy treated me when I was sick, and even though I acted out and tried to refuse treatment, she continued to be KIND to me until I opened up. She probably saved my life because of that too. Generosity. Rarity took care of me at Pinkie's party, when I got hurt. She GENEROUSLY gave me her ice pack,a nd made sure that I was feeling okay. Laughter. Pinkie Pie was really good at making me feel happy All it took was a few words from her, and I would be feeling from down in the dumps, to LAUGHING with her. The pony that was with me now… what was she? "The spark didn't work!" "But it did! A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends. You see, Night Mare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic." Magic. Twilight taught me how to wield my MAGIC, and how to use it for basic things. Even when issues happened, she didn't get mad, but instead helped me more. There was another spark. These ponies were my friends. I care as much about them as they do about me. "NOOOO!" There was a flash of light, and a giant rainbow filled my vision. Behind the rainbow was a purplish cloud of smoke, slowly turning white. "I am no longer a part of that princess… Victory is mine. Darkness shall rule…" The world faded to pure white. A strike of thunder sounded. "DARKNESS SHALL REMAIN VICTORIOUS!"