//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Elements of Equestria // by Bookpony579 //------------------------------// The creature laughed the same, echoing laugh from Twilight's dream as she admired her new form. Then she fired a beam of dark magic at a terrified Snips and Snails, turning them into similar demon-like creatures. "This is gonna be so cool!" Snips said, also admiring his new form. The girls (besides Twilight) began to back away from them in fear. Suddenly screams could be heard from the school. The students, curious about the commotion outside, came to see what was going on and were horrified by what they saw. When Sunset turned to them, they screamed and ran back into the school as though it could protect them. Sunset responded by using her magic to destroy the front entrance. Exposed, the students huddled in fear as Sunset flew towards them. "I've had to jump through so many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown, and it really should have been mine all along." She growled, hew voice now hollow and echoing. Suddenly she started smiling. "But let's let bygones be bygones. I am your princess now, and you will be loyal... to me!" Sunset's eyes turned into swirled and rings of magic flew towards the students. They tried to run but it was too late. Their eyes now glowed a solid cyan color. Twilight could only watch in horror as the students she had just started to be on good terms with be transformed into the mindless zombies from her dreams, only now with actual faces. Sunset laughed again and turned back to Twilight and the girls. "Now there is nothing to stop me from getting what I want! This world is mine! And there is no one who can stop me!" she gloated. "I can!" Twilight said, gathering her courage. She honestly doubted her own statement, but she had to at least try. So this is what those dreams were warning me about... She couldn't just stand by and watch this. Sunset just laughed at that, and wiped away a tear. "Oh, please! What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have the most powerful magic in the world, and you. Have. Nothing! "She has us" Rainbow spoke up as she and the other girls stood beside Twilight. She couldn't believe this. Why were these girls willing to rink their lives just for her. Them helping her earlier had been confusing enough, but this? Sunset just continued to laugh. "Oh how noble of you! Standing beside someone you just met a few days ago!" She mocked before getting serious. "Now step aside! Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!" She then summoned a huge ball of fire and aimed it directly at Twilight! Just before it hit, Twilight felt the other girls hug her protectively. She felt the same warmness inside her from a few days ago and felt it spread out just as the fire hit them. Sunset grinned as the ball hit her target and implode. Those other girls had been minor collateral damage, after all she had the whole world at her mercy now! But when the magic cleared, she was shock at what she saw. "What!?" The girls were still there, still hugging each other, only now surrounded by a magenta aura over each of them. The girls opened their eyes and were just as confused. "How is this possible!?" Sunset demanded. Twilight was confused for a second, before it finally hit her. She looked at each of the girls and thought about how they had personally helped her throughout the week, even when they didn't have too. How they were willing to risk their lives for someone they just met, and the warmth she felt when they were around. Twilight felt a spark inside her and turned confidently towards Sunset. "You think you've mastered the full power of the element, but your wrong! You need all six to unlock their power!" "But the other five were destroyed! This is the only one remaining!" "Tell me...do you even know what element you have?" Sunset just waved Twilight's question. "Does it matter? What's important is that the others are gone and nothing can match it's power!" "Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here." Twilight gestured to the girls, who continued to stand beside her. Suddenly, they began to float as each were surrounded by their own magic. "Each of them embody an aspect of harmony that you don't have!" "Honesty!" Applejack's magic created a golden necklace with an orange gem the shape of an apple in the middle. She also grew pony ears and her hair became longer in a ponytail. "Kindness!" Fluttershy's magic also created a golden necklace on her, but with a pink gem in the shape of a butterfly, Like Aj, she grew pony ears and ponytail, but also a pair of wings like a pegasus. "Laughter!" Pinkies necklace had a light blue gem in the shape of a balloon. "Generosity!" Rarity's necklace had a dark purple gem in the shape of a diamond. "Loyalty!" Rainbow's necklace had a red gem in the shape of a lightning bolt. Like with AJ and Fluttershy, the others grew pony ears and ponytails, with Rainbow getting wings like Fluttershy. Sunset stared at them in shock and horror. "You still don't have the sixth Element! You need a spark for it to appear! There wasn't any!" "But there was! A different kind of spark! I felt it the moment I realized how much I care for them, and how much they care for me!" Twilight turned to the girls." The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all...are my friends!" Suddenly the crown flew off of Sunset's head and landed on Twilight's. The crown turned into real gold and Twilight gained the same pony features as her friends did, though her wings were slightly different from Rainbow's and Fluttershy's. "When these elements combine they ignite the spark that resides in the heart of us all, and they create the sixth element; the element of magic!" Sunset screamed in pain as she felt the magic leave her. Twilight closed and opened her eyes, they now glowed bright white with power. "Together they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don't have the ability to control! The crown might've been on your head Sunset Shimmer, but you could not wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the Magic of Friendship!" The magic of the girls combined and formed a giant rainbow,which flew towards Sunset. She tried to cover herself but it was too late, as the rainbow completely engulfed her. Strips of the rainbow broke off and hit the students, releasing them of their mind control. As the bright light dissipates, Twilight and her friends float back to the ground, unconscious. Spike quickly ran up to his owner and licked her face, awakening her. The others quickly joined her. "That. Was. So. AWESOME!" Rainbow cheered. She admired her new wings and began to test them out. She began performing various ariel stunts. Twilight just stood there, a blank look on her face which worried AJ and Spike. "Twilight?" He asked. "Are ya'll alright sugarcube?" "That...was...AMAZING!" Twilight burst out, the excitement of the night finally catching up to her. "Did you see us up there!? We need to do tests! Take notes! Are these part of the elements of harmony or something else!? Are these temporary or permanent!? Are there any other cool abilities!? Can we....!?" Applejack cut off Twilight's ramblings. "Woah, woah, slow down sugarcube, let's take this one step at a time." "Sorry" Twilight meekly said, blushing. "Oh Rarity, it's so lovely." Fluttershy gushed. "Oh! I know darling aren't they adorable!" Rarity gestured to her pony ears."I'll need to come up with some clip on earrings and something that looks good in a longer ponytail..." "I mean you necklace, it's so lovely." Fluttershy pointed at Rarity's neck. Rarity stopped her ramblings and finally noticed her new accessory. "Oh my! Your right! And you have one too!" The other girls stopped examining their pony parts and began examining their new accessories. "What in the hay are these?" Aj asked, looking at her new necklace. "I'm not positive.." Twilight said, examining the crown. "But I think we're meant to have them." Twilight then noticed the giant crate below where Sunset once stood and went over to examine it, the others following right behind her. Inside, she saw Sunset crouched down, de-demonized, smoking, but awake. "You will never rule here or anywhere else. Any power you might've had is gone.Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart." The other students finally came out and looked down at Sunset, still processing what had just happened. Sunset looked up at Twilight, revealing trails of tears coming from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way." she sobbed. Twilight couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Sunset. It was hard seeing someone who had been so confident and arrogant her whole life suddenly become a sobbing wreck. Like her, Sunset thought she didn't need any friends and tried to go about her life all alone. "Why did you do all this?" Twilight wasn't angry anymore, just curious. "I-I just wanted people to notice me! I wanted them to think I was special! I-I never wanted to actually hurt anyone!" She continued to sob. "Seriously!?" Rainbow shouted, only to be elbowed in the gut by Applejack. As Sunset continued to sob genuine apologies, Twilight realized that these years alone had hurt Sunset as much as they hurt her, maybe even more so. Twilight then went down and helped Sunset out of the hole, much to everyone's surprise. "Why...why are you helping me?" Sunset asked. "Because I understand you." This certainly got her attention. "B-But I was horrible! I tore apart friendships, I humiliated and blackmailed people, I kidnapped your dog, I turned into a monster and I tried to kill you!" Sunset listed. "Why are you doing this, after everything I did to you?" "Because I forgive you." Everyone just stood there, shocked as Twilight continued. "I didn't think I needed friends either after what happened. But when I came here, I discovered people who cared about me, even if I was different and weird. Even when I got upset at them, they forgave me and still had my back. They were rilling to risk everything for me. I realized just now that I shouldn't have given up on friendship..." Twilight looked into Sunset's eyes. "..and neither should you." Sunset blinked. "But... But all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don't know the first thing about friendship!" Twilight pulled Sunset into a hug. "I bet we can both learn it...together" Sunset returned Twilight's hug. "Thank you." Everyone was touched by the heartwarming scene. Some were even wiping away tears from their eyes. "That's my girl. Woo-hoo!" Spike cheered, grabbing the attention of a few nearby students. "Did that dog just talk. Whoa. Weird." Spike just gave the boy an incredulous look. " Seriously? The talking dog is a weird thing about all this?" " I, for one, think you're adorable." Rarity picked up Spike and began to pet him, which he enjoyed. Twilight and Sunset broke their hug as Celestia and Luna approached. "Well done girls, we're so proud of you!" Celestia beamed at the six human embodiments of the Elements. "To be honest, we've always suspected it to be one of you." Luna addressed Twilight and Sunset, who looked surprised. "Huh!?" "You both had the power and the potential to bear the element of magic, but after the...incident, we gave up on that theory...at least until tonight." "We'll deal with Sunset and the damage tomorrow, but for now, let's get back to the Fall Formal!" Celestia announced and the students cheered in agreement. Flash approached Twilight nervously. "Would now be a completely awkward time to ask you for that dance?" Twilight just giggled and took his hand as everyone made their way back to the gym. This is our big night We made it happen Now let's party all night We're here now and we worked so hard to make it come around To tonight so let's try to make it last forever The school lights so bright, beat is pumping through the night Party's starting, DJ's got the music just right! The girls and other students enjoyed the rest of the night. Dancing, hanging out with friends, it was truly a night to remember. Once she finished her (not so graceful) dance with Flash, Twilight rejoined her new friends who began giggling at something. "That was adorable!" Twilight blushed at Rarity's statement. "It's nothing like that, we're just...friends." Twilight herself used the term 'friends' uncertainly. "Of course you are darling." Rarity said, taking a sip of punch, obviously not buying it. "I wonder what's going to happen tomorrow." Aj asked, flicking one of her pony ears. "Celestia and Luna are taking Sunset to the magic council tomorrow to figure out what to do with her, and we're going with 'em." "Why?" FLuttershy asked. "Hello?" Rainbow rolled her eyes."Because we're literally living legends and they want to reward us!" Rainbow held up her necklace, letting the gem shine in the disco-light. "Oooh! Maybe they want to throw us a party!" Pinkie said, throwing confetti. "Rainbow's right, this is big." Twilight said, before smiling. "But that can wait for tomorrow. Right now let's just enjoy the rest of the night." The others nodded in agreement, and went to enjoy the night, as friends. Six friends on the way up now Six friends here to show you how This is our big night This is our big night This is our big night...