//------------------------------// // Matchmaking // Story: Elements of the heart // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// The form broke and the three friends skid across the ground. Steam rose from their coats as they panted heavily, exhausted after their twelfth attempt. "S-Sora...I think...we got...at least...another minute...that time..." Donald said between gulps of air. It was hardest on the unicorn; his magic was what kept the form stable alongside Goofy's strength and Sora's Willpower. "L-Let's give it...one more go..." Goofy said, shaking visibly. "Y...Yea" Donald said, stumbling over to Goofy. Sora bit back tears. "Are you guys sure?" he asked after catching his breath. They both smiled at him and nodded. "We need t' do this Sora." Goofy argued, Donald nodding agreement. "Alright, one more and then we'll rest." Sora walked over to his friends and sat down, leaning his head forward as his horn glowed. Donald's horn began to glow as he placed it against Sora's. Goofy lowered his head, resting it against their horns, the glow surrounding the three of them. "Within the greatest Darkness the brightest of lights shines. Within every light burns a dark flame." Sora spoke quietly as a light spread around them. It seemed to explode, pulling back together as a dark sphere that engulfed the three ponies, forcing their bodies into one. The Sphere vanished, leaving behind a tall pitch black Alicorn. Instead of hooves he had dragon claws; instead of a mane he had glowing yellow spikes; his eyes were large yellow orbs that seemed to twitch and stare in all directions at once. A heartless crest sat upon his flank, within it sat a Shield and on top of the shield was a Keyblade of light crossed over a staff. Darkness drifted across the Alicorns' body and out of his mouth. The tips and edges of his wings were sharper than his claws. The form only held for a few moments, suddenly breaking apart and sending the three flying in opposite directions. They all just lay there, their bodies screaming at them to stay where they were. Applejack sighed a little and walked over, scooping up Sora onto her back as her brother lifted Goofy and Donald. "Alright Big Macintosh, let's get em inside before they kill themselves." As big Macintosh turned to head to the house goofy started to drift off his back, quickly caught by Rainbow Dash. Big Macintosh turned to argue that he could carry the earth pony and stopped himself when he saw the look in her eyes. "I got this Big Mac." She said to him, walking beside Applejack. Applejack walked downstairs after making sure the three friends were comfortable. Sora had barely regained consciousness and tried to go back out to keep training. It had taken Big Macintosh to hold him down and convince him to rest. "Ah swear that colt is as stubborn as you are Rainbow." "It's just another amazing quality AJ. It's not Stubbornness. It's a need to help your friends." She said over her cup of cider. Applejack was a bit surprised at Rainbow. The Pegasus had never been serious like this before. She sat down, rubbing her cheek against her marefriend, smiling as her wings drifted upward slowly. "Yer thinkin bout him arn't ya rainbow?" Applejack asked teasingly. Rainbow gasped as Applejacks teeth found the sweet spot just under her wing. Applejack smiled to herself as the Pegasus began to blush "I admire his spirit AJ, that's all." she said shakily, setting her cider down "What do ya mean Dash?" she asked, stopping her teasing for a moment "He was on the brink of breaking down AJ. I know you saw it. And that unicorn friend of his, Donald. He looked like he was gonna be sick and don't even get me started on that earth pony. But what I noticed is how it affected Sora the most. He's good at hiding it, but I could see it in his eyes. He's tearing himself up inside." "Rainbow...Ah didn't know you could be this serious." "I had the same feeling back when I found out Scootaloo had been alone all those years. I hated myself for months. She was always tagging along with me and I never noticed, and when I finally did it was too late. She had already suffered so much..." Applejack pulled Rainbow into a hug as the cyan Pegasus cried. "Ya can't blame yerself for that Rainbow. Ya took her in in her time of need didn't ya? Remember how happy she was when ya adopted her?" Rainbow nodded. "It still hurts..." Applejack nodded, kissing her forehead gently. "I saw the same pain in Sora's eyes. The pain of being useless" ------ "Ok so, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Then Rarity and Spike. My mother and Princess Luna." "You aren't weirded out by that?" Scootaloo asked causing Nyx to whip her head around and stare at her in shock. "What? Luna is practically your mom. You were originally born from her feelings toward Princess Celestia. So technically your mom is dating your mom." Scootaloo laughed. "Well, put that way it does seem a bit weird. But I don't exactly have a birth mother. Besides, Twilight adopted me like Rainbow adopted you." "Doesn't make her any less your mother." Scootaloo argued with a smile. "Hey! Let's get back to work you two!" Sweetie Belle snapped at them from the kitchen. They both jumped at the unicorns' voice. Sweetie Belle was a force to be reckoned with when angered. "Ok so, after my mother we have you and Belle." Scootaloo blushed and cleared her throat as Nyx started to laugh. "Alright after that Fluttershy and Big Mac. Geez are you sure about this Belle?" Scootaloo asked. "Of course I am Scoots. Nyx has the right idea. Besides its all working towards the most important couple." "Pip and Bloom, right. Well if you're sure about it Belle then let's do it." "I'll get Mac and Shy. Scoot you get Applejack and Rainbow Dash. We'll meet up at the library after that and then go see Spike and Rarity." "Alright." Scootaloo stood, stealing a quick kiss from Sweetie Belle before rushing out the door. Nyx smiled at her blush. "I still think you two make a cute couple." "And we both still think that you should be looking for a special somepony too." "Belle, I've already explained this to you. Please don't make me do it again." Sweetie Belle sighed. "Alright, I won't pest you about it today. But if your gonna be playing matchmaker you should at least consider it." Nyx nodded and took off. ------ Scootaloo smiled a little to herself as she knocked on the door. A few memories drifted around in the back of her head, back when she use to live here with Rainbow and Applejack. For awhile it had just been her and Rainbow staying at her Cloudhouse, but Scootaloo was a poor flier back then. Rainbow always had to carry her home. Though for a while she had enjoyed the rides, she had realized it was becoming too much for Rainbow to have to always carry her around and her own attempts at flying had only led to her getting hurt. Though after a while Rainbow had gone back to staying in her Cloudhouse. Scootaloo had thought it had been her fault the two were drifting away from one another. She was pulled from her memories as Rainbow pulled the door open. "Hey squirt! It's good to see you." she said pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you too mom" Rainbow smiled and let her inside. "You just comin over for a visit or did you come up with a new trick I should know about?" She asked, sitting with her near the fireplace. Only long forgotten ashes remained in the fireplace, logs set aside and waiting for winter when they would be needed. Scootaloo smiled to herself, lost in her memories for a moment. She remembered cuddling up with Rainbow and Applejack in front of the fire, holding a warm cup of cider in her hooves while Big Macintosh sat with Applebloom nearby. She missed those days. Rainbow noticed the look in her eye and let her drift in her memories for a while. "Somethin happen Squirt?" Scootaloo shook from her memories and smiled. "Sort of. Belle, Nyx and I are plannin a par..." a pink blur zipped past her before she could finish. The blur came into focus as it stopped near them, bouncing in place. "Did somepony say Party?!" Pinkie asked as she bounced. Applejack poked her head out of the kitchen to see what was going on. "Pinkie Pie, what did ah tell ya about knockin before zippin in here?" "Oops! Sorry Applejack, but I couldn't stop myself. I just finished getting everything ready for Sora and his friends so when I heard there was another party goin on I had to find out what it was about cause if it was today then I'd miss it cause I'd be at Sora's party and if you were all at that other party then you'd miss Sora's party and then Sora and his friends might feel left out and nopony should feel left out and we can't all go to two parties at the same time." Pinkie gasped, amazingly not for air but because an idea popped into her head "Maybe we could! We could have both parties at the same time at sugarcube corner!" Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Uh, sounds great Pinkie but uh...this is a different kind of party." "A party is still a party silly. So whats this party about?" -- "Is that Pinkie Pie ah hear in there?" Braeburn asked. Applejack rolled her eyes and nodded, taking a seat at the table. Her cousin had arrived on the late train just last night. This visit had been planned for months now. Granny smith was getting on in her years and wanted to be sure as many Apples as possible knew how to make her famous Zap Apple Jam, especially with the harvest so close. The first sign would appear any day now. With the heartless appearing like this it would be hard for Applejack or Rainbow to get any work done. Applejack sighed a little. "Yea it's her cousin. Now about th' zap apple harvest. We're gonna need all th' help we can get." "Ah wonder if she remembers me." Braeburn said, having missed everything except "yea it's her" Applejack raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof in front of his face "Equestria to Braeburn, we have a serious problem on our hooves. Granny smith..." Applejack choked as she tried to spit the words out, pulling Braeburns attention back to her. She didn't notice the tears making their way down her cheeks and onto the table. She didn't notice as her cousin pulled her into a gentle hug. All she noticed was the terrible pain in her chest at the thought of losing Granny Smith. She had already lost Winona just a year ago. To everyone else she had just been a dog, but to Applejack she had been her oldest and closest friend. A pink bouncing blur next to her caught her attention. "Oh hey there Applejack, Hi braesy! We're throwing a huge super fantastic party for all of us and our friends. oh, but." the pink party ponies voice grew to a whisper now "You can't tell Applebloom, it's a special surprise, Scootaloo will explain everything. I gotta go get back to work. See ya Applejack, bye Braesy!" she ran out of the house, leaving the two sitting there confused. Applejack wiping away her tears and cheering up as a thought came to her. "uh...Did ah hear that right? Did she just call you 'Braesy'?" -- Rainbow smiled as she listened to the plan. "So little Applebloom is crushin on Pip? Does AJ know yet?" Scootaloo shook her head. "No But Bloom's been real depressed and we barely got her to admit to us that she likes him. We figured this might be a good way to put the two of em together." "Put who together?" Applejack asked, walking into the room with a tray on her back. The smell of fresh slices of Apple pie filled the noses of all in the room. Applejack sat a slice in front of everypony before having a seat herself. "The crusaders are plannin to help Applebloom with a crush of hers." Rainbow explained, digging into the pie. "Mah sister? It's 'bout time somepony caught her eye. Who is it?" "It's Pip." Scootaloo took a bite of pie, chewing slowly to savor the taste. She could taste a hint of cinnamon and honey as the pie rolled around her tongue. "Pip? that nice lil' colt ah hired? Can't say ah'm surprised. She's been eyein that pony up and down every chance she can get." "Hired? Pip works here?" Scootaloo asked in surprise. "Yea. He was gonna join the royal guard but he needs some official work hours before he can even get in th' gate. Ah decided to let him come and buck some trees here. His parents seemed pretty happy bout it." Applejack sat and gave Scootaloo a smile. She had missed the days when they just sat and enjoyed each other's company. She would have to visit more often. It had been so hard to ever since she started helping Nyx. "So whats this plan Pinkie was goin on about?" "Well, Bloom likes Pip. So we're gonna throw a party with Pinkies help. Me and Belle will perform a few romantic songs and get the two in the mood. Pinkie will make sure they end up sitting together and bam, the two of them will be a couple." Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other, laughing a bit. "It ain't really that simple Sugarcube, but if ya'll are gonna go through with it we won't stop ya." "But we'd like to make some requests. Sweetie Belle has the most awesome singing voice and you're an awesome dancer." Scootaloo blushed at the praise and nodded. "We we're kinda hopin for that." ------ Sora groaned, letting his eyes slowly open to find he was in a bed. The covers were gently pulled over him. He sat up slowly, finding bandages across his body. "Huh...Donald! Goofy!" he looked around the room, finding his friends in nearby beds. Donald had bandages around his head and goofy had some wrapped around his body. Sora sighed, putting a hoof to his head. He could hear the darkness calling him. Even with Donald's magic having held it back it still clawed at the back of his mind. He could hear the sounds of laughing close by and stood shakily. The instant he landed on his hooves he crumpled to the ground in pain. His entire body ached from head to tail. "Now what do ya think your doin?" Applejack scolded, lifting him up onto the bed. "Yer not goin anywhere til you and yer pals heal up. Well besides Pinkies party. And ah won't let ya go in this condition. Ya'll need to get some rest." "We need to be ready Applejack..." he tried to argue "And we will be sugarcube, but not if ya go and kill yerself. Get some rest alright?" he nodded and rolled onto his side. "Ah'll bring you and yer friends some lunch once yer feelin better." As she left he realized something. "A party?" he thought aloud. "She's throwing us a party?" ------ Applebloom sighed as she sat in sugarcube corner. Her friends were planning something and wouldn't let her in on it. Maybe they were planning on telling Pip behind her back and having him come to her. no...they wouldn't do that...they are mah friends and they said they wouldn't tell him without me. Maybe they were gonna come with him and blurt it out. That'd be just like Scootaloo to do something like that. She started to panic and hyperventilate, a cupcake suddenly appearing on her table. Pinkie gave her an all-knowing look as she skipped back to her decorations for the party. Pinkie kept zipping in and out of the store. Applebloom's curiosity got the better of her and she walked outside, her eyes wide as she looked around. There must have been hundreds of decorations out there. there was even a stage and a bunch of tables scattered across the yard, covered with party favors and balloons. Why did Pinkie need so much for just one little party? It didn't make any sense. ------ Nyx landed quietly in front of Fluttershy's cottage. She gently knocked on the door with a hoof and waited for an answer. usually the shy yellow pegasus would give an immediate, albeit quiet, response when anypony came to her door. Instead Nyx was greeted with silence. Again she knocked and could hear the sounds of movement behind the door. It opened slightly and Nyx could see a cute little bunny standing in the doorway, though he seemed upset. "Hi Angel, is Fluttershy around?" the bunny shook his head and stopped, nodding quickly. "She's not but she is?" the bunny nodded. "Well that doesn't make any sense. Is she busy or something?" The bunny looked behind itself for a moment before turning back to her with a nod. "Alright well...I have a really important message for her." Nyx's ears twitched at the sound of Fluttershy screaming and she bolted into the house and into Fluttershy's room "FLUTTERSHY!" she stopped at the scene before her, quickly slamming the door shut. "IMSOSORRY!IMSOSORRY!IMSOSORRY!"She called through the door over and over again. She jumped as Fluttershy opened the door, her face burning red. Nyx lowered her head, mumbling sorry over and over again. Fluttershy shook her head and the two walked downstairs. A hurried explanation of why she had rushed in so quickly made Fluttershy giggle a little. "I'm really sorry..." Nyx said again. "oh...well its ok Nyx. You were only trying to help." Fluttershy tried to comfort the Alicorn, unable to hide the rising blush on her cheeks. "I...I shouldn't have just barged in like that though...I'm really sorry..." "Yer startin to sound like shy. What brings ya 'round here?" Big Macintosh asked, entering the room with a blush of his own. Fluttershy cleared her throat and stood, giving Macintosh a kiss on the cheek before leaving to make them all some tea to ease the tension in the air. "I'm sorry..." Nyx said again, making Macintosh chuckle. He took a seat across from her. "It's alright Miss Nyx. Though ah hope you'll knock next time." she nodded, smiling as Fluttershy handed her a cup of tea to calm her nerves. She wasn't a little filly anymore but there were some things she really didn't need to see. "Ya'll had somethin important ya wanted to say Miss Nyx?" Big Macintosh asked of the shocked Alicorn "Huh? OH RIGHT! It's about Applebloom" "Is she alright?" the worry in his voice was so heavy it was painful. "She's perfectly fine Big Macintosh. She has a crush on a friend of ours so the cutie mark crusaders came up with a plan." Nyx explained what they planned to do and they both happily agreed to help out, as long as Nyx didn't rush into the house again. ------ Nyx and Scootaloo both arrived at the Library at the same time, smiling at one another. Without a word they knew the other had been successful. Though there was still a blush on Nyx's face. "Uh, you alright Nyx?" Scootaloo asked, making the Alicorn blush harder. "Yea! I'm fine." "um...ok...So get this, Pinkie is gonna help us out and I think she has a thing for Braeburn." "Braeburn?" Nyx had only heard of the stallion, she had never actually met him in person. "That's Applejacks cousin right?" Scootaloo nodded. "He's stayin over to learn how to make Zap Apple Jam. Granny smith isn't feeling well and...we're all fearing the worst..." Scootaloo said, her mood quickly shifting from happy to depressed. Nyx pulled the pegasus into a gentle hug. "I'm Sorry Scootaloo..." Scootaloo shook her head, wiping away unshed tears. "Nah...it's alright Nyx. Granny's led a full life and it's her time. We all know it but none of us wanna say it. But that's not what we're here for right now. We're here to get your parents in on the party." Nyx raised an eyebrow as the words 'your parents' fell from her friends' mouth. "My 'parents' ?" "Yea, Princess Luna and Twilight. It's already obvious the two of them are together Nyx. Next thing you know they'll be getting married and adopting a foal or somethin." Scootaloo joked. Nyx rolled her eyes and stepped into the library, finding the two mares they had just been talking about cuddling on a couch. Nyx and Scootaloo just stood in the doorway, staring at the scene for a moment. Twilight lifted her head from a book, a blush falling across her face. "Um..." Twilight and Nyx said together. Scootaloo and Luna burst into laughter. "Well, that cats out of the bag." Twilight said with a sigh. "I don't think it ever was in the bag Twi" Scootaloo said through her laughter. Nyx shook her head and took a seat near the couch. "Mom we need your help." Twilight nodded, setting the book aside. "Is something wrong?" "No, not really. We're trying to help Applebloom with her crush." It took a bit of explaining and Scootaloo just spitting things out while Nyx tried to beat around the bush on things. Both of them explaining that they had already spoken to everyone but Spike and Rarity. Luna and Twilight smiled at one another then back at them. "I think it's sweet of you to do this for Applebloom. But is it really a good idea to force them into this?" Twilight asked "We're not forcing them. We're just putting everything in place and letting them do it themselves. If it doesn't happen then it doesn't happen. We already learned our lesson when it comes to forcing ponies into a relationship." Scootaloo explained, remembering how she had accidentally poisoned her teacher. "I believe it is a good plan. And with Pinkie Pie's help it most certainly cannot fail. All that remains is to speak with Spike and Rarity and to have Pip and Applebloom both arrive at the party." Luna said with a small smile. Nyx nodded and started walking toward the door. "Nyx, you've told me about your matchmaking for others, but what about you?" Twilight asked. Nyx stopped with her wings half open, a hoof on the door. "I don't have a special Somepony mom." She said quietly, heading outside and taking off. Scootaloo sighed as Nyx vanished from sight. "She's been like that this entire time. Every time one of us brings it up she always gets like this." Luna nodded, understanding instantly. "She is afraid..." ------ It didn't take long for Scootaloo to catch up to Nyx. She found the Alicorn standing outside Rarity's shop as if scared of what lay beyond the door. "You sure you're alright Nyx? You've been actin pretty weird." "Well uh...I kinda saw somethin that I don't ever wanna see again..." She said quietly. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and knocked on the door. "Right...well do you wanna talk about it?" Nyx shook her head, sighing in relief as Rarity opened the door. "Oh, Nyx, Scootaloo, it's so wonderful to see both of you. Spike! We have guests!" she called out to the Dragon. "To what do we owe this visit?" Rarity said with her usual smile, though there seemed to be a certain sparkle in her eyes today. She invited them inside, Spike bringing them hot cups of tea to drink and took a seat next to Rarity. Rarity caught onto the plan faster than the others had, a wide smile on her face. "Oh this is going to be fabulous! You HAVE to let me make dresses for you and Sweetie Belle" Scootaloo almost choked on her tea, setting it down as gently as she could. She tried to think of a way out of modeling for a dress but could find none. Sweetie Belle would probably be angry at her but she saw no other way out. "Alright sure, but nothing too fancy." Rarity almost squealed with delight. "I'll have them ready as soon as I can dear, I'll need you to bring Sweetie Belle if I'm going to get the size just right. Time is of the essence. No doubt Pinkie Pie already has the party ready." Rarity thought for a moment, looking Scootaloo up and down with her lips pursed. "On second thought, Nyx dear would you go fetch Sweetie Belle for me? I'd like to start as soon as possible to have the dresses ready." Nyx turned to Scootaloo for a moment. The pegasus seemed to be begging her to stay. "Of course Miss Rarity." Nyx said, remembering her lessons with the unicorn. She set her cup down with a smile and a nod of her head before leaving. "I'll return shortly!" she called back. This was her small revenge on Scootaloo for a certain prank a few weeks ago. ------ The unicorn gasped as she was flung out of the bar, her box of tricks scattering across the ground. "HOW DARE YOU THROW OUT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!" the mare screamed at the bartender, only to have a glass go flying over her head. She threw down a smoke bomb, gathering as many of her things as she could in her magic and ran. This had become her life now. Performing at bars and parties, anything that paid money. "It's all that ponies fault. That Twilight Sparkle. She ruined Trixies' reputation. HUMPH. She only took out an Ursa Minor, Trixie easily handled an Ursa MAJOR!" the unicorn gloated to herself. She sighed knowing deep down she was only lying to herself. Slowly she trotted towards the next town, knowing this one had nothing left for her. Word of her ruined reputation had already spread here. "If Trixie had REAL power...then Trixie could hunt down Twilight Sparkle and all of those horrible ponies who made Trixie a laughingstock!" "So you seek power?" a voice echoed behind her. she squeaked and spun, finding nothing but shadows. "Y...Yes..." she said quietly. a tall cloaked figure took a step forward from the shadows. "Have you heard of, The Heartless?" ------ "SHE PROMISED WHAT?!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Nyx sighed a little and nodded. "She didn't really have a choice, you know how your sister gets." Sweetie Belle slowly calmed down. "Yea...I know, Scootaloo doesn't even like dresses. Well knowing Rarity she'll make something 'Fabulous!'" the Unicorn put a hoof in the air jokingly. The two of them burst into laughter. "Alright, let's get this over with." ------ Sora and his friends ate quietly, a young spotted stallion sitting across from them and talking to Applejack. "Ah've got yer weeks pay ready Pip. Ah gotta say, I feel a lot better about our situation havin you around to keep the apples comin. Heh, I remember when you were just a little colt, now look at ya, buckin trees almost as hard as Big Macintosh." The stallion grinned a little. "Thanks Miss Applejack, but I'm just doing my job. Besides you have these three here, I'm sure they could help more than I can." "Uh...not really Sugarcube, these three are special friends and they are just visitin t' help me and mah friends with a problem of ours. They don't really have time to buck trees." "Well sure we do." Goofy said, licking his lips after gulping down a cup of cider. "We're always happy to help out Applejack, it's the least we could do." Applejack shook her head a little, a smile on her face. "Yer already doin so much fer us Sora, ah don't wanna trouble ya with work like this." "It's no trouble at all. Phil use to put us through all kinds of drills without letting us rest. Its helped us push our boundaries and get stronger." "Stronger? Are you three Royal guards?" Pip asked excitedly. Sora was about to say no but when he thought about it, Goofy really was a Royal Guard, He was Captain of King Mickey's Royal Guard, while Donald was the Royal Mage. "Goofy and Donald are." Pip turned toward the two who instantly stared at Sora. Sora gave them a goofy smile over his cider. "In fact, Goofy is a Captain, and Donald is a mage." "Sora, we're not suppose t..." "A captain! Miss Applejack I knew you were famous but you are friends with ponies like this. Thats amazing!" Applejack sighed "Now why did ya have t' go and start tellin him stuff like that Sora." "It wouldn't feel right to lie to him." Sora said, setting his cup down. Applejack was silent for a moment and suddenly started laughing. "Ah guess yer right Sugarcube." Donald and Goofy did their best explaining that they weren't a part of Celestia's Or Luna's Royal guard, that they came from somewhere far away but what Sora had said was true. Pip was still interested, hoping he could learn something from the two of them. "Ah'm home!" a voice called from the door "We're in here Applebloom!" Applejack called back. She smiled as her sister stopped in her tracks, her eyes stuck on the spotted stallion in the room. ------ Scootaloo sighed, trying to keep still as Rarity took measurement after measurement, her magic lifting a quill to write something down on a piece of paper she wasn't even looking at. Scootaloo had always wondered what it would be like to use magic, though she still liked her wings better. In her eyes magic could never compare to the feeling of soaring through the air. Rarity finally nodded and she relaxed as the Unicorn quickly went to work on her dress. "Something that is breathable but gives an extra flair to your dancing." Rarity mumbled as she started working on one of her models, setting colors aside and rubbing her chin with a hoof. Sweetie Belle walked in, throwing Scootaloo a glance that said 'We'll talk later'. Scootaloo sighed and hung her head, blushing as the Unicorn kissed her cheek. Sometimes Scootaloo couldn't tell if the mare was mad at her or just poking fun at her. Scootaloo stepped down as Rarity quickly took several measurements from Sweetie Belle. "Perfect, simply perfect. I've got the absolutely perfect design in mind for you dear. Hmm, now where did I put those gemstones. Spike! Did you get into my sapphires!?" Sounds of stumbling downstairs were the only answer, the youngest in the room bursting into laughter. Spike poked his head into the room, setting a chest down. "Nope, although I did find this." He said with a sly grin, holding out a large heart shaped Fire ruby. Rarity gasped in surprise as he placed it around her neck. "I had thought I lost it...I was so devastated...I couldn't bring myself to tell you it was gone." Spike merely smiled, kissing her cheek. "Wherever did you find it?" "Opal was batting it around in the kitchen" he said with a small laugh. She threw her hooves around him and buried her head in his chest. A clock ringing above caught her attention. "Oh my! I need to get back to work if these dresses are going to be ready in time for the party." Spike nodded, turning toward Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, motioning for them to follow him downstairs. Once at the bottom he grabbed something from a nearby table. "I need your help with something." ------ Trixie grinned as large powerful black wings spread across her back. The darkness growing in her felt amazing! It was better than any power she had ever felt in her entire life! With this power she could easily take her revenge on Twilight Sparkle. "So, all Trixie has to do is destroy Twilight Sparkle and the Elements?" "That is correct." the cloaked figure spoke. Trixie smiled. Whoever this creature was he had just given Trixie everything she had wanted, and the only price was for her to take her revenge. It was perfect. Too perfect. "And what do you get out of all of this?" She asked, she swore she saw a smile under the hood the figure wore. "If you succeed then I'll have another job for you. There is a weapon known as a Keyblade. When you arrive in Ponyville you'll see what you call an Alicorn. He will have a Unicorn and an earth pony with him. I want you to destroy them as well." "Is that all? If Trixie does all of this will Trixie keep these powers?" "Well of course my dear Trixie, this is your power now. All I ask is that you do as I have said and destroy those who have shunned you as well as the holder of the Keyblade." "Very well then, Trixie accepts." The man smiled, a large dark mass forming behind him "Good, I will be watching Trixie, now go, show them what true power is." the figure vanished into the darkness, leaving Trixie standing there alone. She stared at herself for a moment, a massive grin on her face. Slowly she flapped the massive wings, gradually putting more into each flap until she took to the air. At most it would be a day's flight to Ponyville. "A day until Trixie has her revenge" the unicorn said with a laugh. ------ Applebloom froze as she entered the kitchen. There sat Pip as well as her sister. Had her friends told Applejack? Had Applejack told Pip?! She started to shake visibly and quickly turned, running out of the kitchen and into the orchard. "How could they betray me like that?! How could they tell them?!" She felt tears sting her eyes as she ran, faintly hearing her sister calling her name. She tried to think of somewhere she could go, somewhere nopony would follow her. She couldn't hide at the clubhouse, it wasn't the clubhouse anymore. She couldn't go to her room, her sister had a key. Her thoughts raced as she ran through the orchard, leaping over roots and ducking under branches. "Applebloom wait!" she heard a voice call to her. She froze in place as the voice called for her. "maybe...Maybe it'll be ok...maybe they told him and he feels the same way..." she told herself quietly. "No, that can't be right. Ah'm just talkin nonsense...Pip could never like me..." "Of course I like you Applebloom. We've been friends for years." She jumped and spun, finding the stallion standing behind her. He was a bit out of breath but he wore a smile on his face. She almost turned and started to run again, only to have him put a hoof on her shoulder. "Is somethin bothering you Applebloom?" he asked softly. She blushed, lost in his eyes. Deep pools of chocolate brown stared back at her. "ah...um...well..." she lowered her head, scuffing her hoof through the dirt a few times. She took a deep breath "Ahreallylikeyou!"she almost yelled. her blush grew as she threw her hooves over her mouth. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him. He must think ah'm crazy... She gasped as he pulled her into a hug. "Is that all? I like you too Applebloom, you were one of my first real friends here." he just likes me as a friend... she felt tears sting her eyes and shook her head, pulling away from him. "Ah like you more than a friend Pip..." she said quietly. He smiled, wiping away one of her tears with his hoof. She looked up at him, her eyes wide as he planted a gentle kiss against her lips. ------ Applejack lifted a hoof to make the others stop, smiling at what she saw. "Alright, Pip's got this handled, let's get ya'll back and get ready for that party." Applejack turned, giving the two their privacy and leading Sora and his friends back to the house. Rainbow was waiting for them at the door with her saddlebags. "Where did you guys run off to? I came back and no one was here" "Sorry 'bout that sugarcube, we went chasin after Applebloom." Rainbow just stared at her in confusion, getting a laugh from the orange work pony. "Ah'll explain in a bit, come on, we got a party t' get ready for." ------ Fluttershy sighed as she tried to get her mane right. She had never cared too much about it other than to brush it out. But this was a special occasion and she wanted to look the part. Especially with Big Macintosh in the audience. "Oh...Maybe Rarity can help me...she's always been good at this." Fluttershy set her brush down in frustration and walked downstairs, a few of her animal friends zipping around the house and cleaning up after themselves. It made her smile to see them working so hard. "Oh thank you so much. I've been meaning to clean up but I've just been so busy..." she mumbled, Angel shaking his head and pointing at a clock. "Oh your right! I'm going to be late if I stay here. Oh thank you again." Angel stomped her hoof and pointed to the clock again. "Right! Sorry, I'll be going now." she went out the door and tried to come back to thank the bunny and her friends again, finding the door was locked. "Oh...Ok, sorry. Thank you!" she called through the door, quickly taking to the air to reach Rarity's before the party started. Big Macintosh was already on his way to meet up with Applejack and check on Sora. He had told her about the Alicorn and his friends overworking themselves that morning and was worried they might try something stupid again. "I hope they are feeling ok" She thought aloud. ------ Twilight quietly went about putting away her books, blushing as she felt Luna's eyes on her. They had only been together for an afternoon and yet it felt like it had been so much longer. "Twilight...I am curious...Why did you not destroy me with Nightmare moon?" Twilight stopped, setting one of her books down and taking a seat. "When I was harnessing the power of the Elements...I felt...something, I don't know what it was. But for a moment I was connected to you." Twilight explained, the memory rushing back to her. -- Twilight found herself floating in darkness. The only light was that of the Elements floating around her. "Rainbow Dash? Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy? Rarity?" she called out, searching for her friends. None of them called back to her. Instead she heard...crying. She followed the sound, walking through the endless abyss around her. The crying kept growing stronger and stronger. Suddenly a figure came into view. Twilight carefully made her way to it. She gasped staring at the figure laying on the ground. Before her was Princess Luna, curled into a ball and crying her eyes out. She sat beside the wounded Alicorn, trying to think. This wasn't the nightmare moon she had been staring down just moments ago. This was the REAL Princess Luna. She was trapped inside the darkness of her jealousy. Twilight's horn began to glow as she tried to tend to the Alicorns' wounds, finding that something was blocking her magic from reaching her. She raised her head to find Nightmare moon glaring at her. "Did you think you could just take her back?! You little foal!" Twilight shook her head, glaring back at her. "I am taking her back. You may have had power over her before but now with the Elements..." "You cannot hope to use the Elements without your little friends. This is my domain!" A bolt of lightning flew towards her. It was too fast for her to stop it. She raised her hooves in front of her face for protection, shocked when she felt nothing. She lowered her hooves and gasped, finding Luna standing before her with smoke rising from her coat. "Princess Luna!" The princess turned, seeing Twilight and smiled. Twilight stared into her eyes, feeling tears sting her own. "You didn't have to do that Princess." "We could not let thee get hurt for us Unicorn. Tis our battle and we must fight it. Dost thou have the Elements?" She asked. Twilight nodded, surprised when the Elements began to glow brightly around her. "We cannot hope to face down Nightmare Moon on our own, We will need your help." Twilight nodded, standing beside the Princess. "You still challenge me!? You cannot hope to defeat me 'princess'" she said the word with as much disgust as she could manage. The Princess held her head high, stumbling forward as her strength gave out. Twilight moved quickly, catching the Alicorn and hefting her onto her back. More bolts flew at her and she quickly turned, running from the Nightmare that chased them down. "Where art thou going?! We must fight!" "You're hurt Princess. We can't fight her like this, we need a plan!" Twilight called back, screaming in pain as a bolt struck her hind leg. Still she stumbled onward, pushing herself harder than she ever had before. She skid to a stop as Nightmare Moons Shadow Bolts appeared all around her. Instead of the Pegasi that had tried to trick Rainbow Dash they were all Unicorns. They lowered their horns, throwing bolts of lightning at Twilight. She quickly threw up a barrier, most of the bolts bouncing back at their casters, though two managed to pierce the barrier, slamming into Twilights side. She screamed, falling to the ground. She slowly pushed to her hooves, still holding Luna on her back. She had to think, what would her friends do? She blinked, feeling hooves wrapping around her. "Thou woulds't do this to save us...Thou art truly kindhearted..." Luna said weakly. Twilight could feel her heart slowing "Princess? Princess?!" Twilight turned her head, gasping as she found the Alicorn had used herself to shield them from a blast Twilight had not seen coming. She screamed in frustration, her horn ablaze with magical power. Her eyes sparked, turning pure white as the magical aura surrounded her, throwing back the darkness around her. Nightmare moon shielded her eyes with a wing as the unicorn slowly walked toward her in anger. "How dare you..." a bolt flew from nightmare moon toward the Unicorn, only to bounce off the aura surrounding her and fly off into the abyss around them. Each step she took filled the abyss with more light. The Elements spun faster and faster around her, Luna slowly coming to, her wounds closing up. She gently hugged the unicorn holding her. She hadn't felt this safe in ages. Nopony had protected her like this before, nopony had fought like this for her before, except for her sister...Though not even she had gone to these lengths. Nightmare moon and Twilight charged toward one another, Luna gasped, seeing what Twilight did not. A piece of Nightmare moon's mane closing in behind them. Her horn began to glow dimly as she tried to call to her magic but nothing came to her. She had only one choice. She pushed herself off the Unicorn as the magic behind them turned into a spear, burying itself in her hind leg as she hit the ground. Twilight turned seeing the Alicorn, her eyes wide in panic. Nightmare moon took advantage of the situation, slamming into the Unicorn's side and pinning her to the ground. "And now you shall fall, as will the Elements and My night Shall last Forever!" Nightmare moon screamed, more from surprise then pain as her own spear slammed into her shoulder. Twilight slammed her hooves into the Alicorns stomach, sending her flying off of her. She quickly turned to Luna, finding that she had pulled the spear from her leg and thrown it with her magic. Twilight quickly rushed over to her, trying to heal her. "Thou must...use the Elements...and destroy us...it is the only way...to ensure Nightmare moon perishes...thou must do it..." tears stung the Alicorns' eyes. "Please tell our sister, that we are sorry..." Twilight shook her head. She couldn't condemn anypony to death, especially one of the royal sisters. She turned, letting her magic flow throughout her entire body. "No...I won't do it. There has to be a better way!" Luna painfully pushed to her hooves, leaning against Twilight. Her horn glowing dimly. "Very well, then thou must prepare thyself, for she is returning to finish us. Thou must focus the Elements and defeat Nightmare Moon." Twilight nodded, feeling the Princess' magic pour into her, the Elements forming into a crown atop her head. Nightmare Moon dived toward her. Twilight screamed in agony as the magic ran itself through her body, it was too much for her to hold. Slowly the pain faded as Luna let it flow between her and Twilight. Twilight smiled at the Alicorn and together they turned toward Nightmare moon, using every ounce of their magic and pouring it into the Elements. A bright light shone above them, growing and swallowing the darkness. Nightmare Moons scream echoed around them as the Darkness was turned into light. When Twilight opened her eyes she found herself lying on the ground, her friends nearby. -- "I couldn't bring myself to hurt you, especially after you had gotten hurt protecting me from Nightmare Moon." "I don't remember any of that...I just felt there was something strong between us. Maybe that was it." Luna said quietly. Twilight sat beside her and smiled. "If you hadn't helped me and protected me, neither of us would be here right now and everypony would still be under Nightmare Moons control. I had thought at first that all of that was just a dream. But it kept poking at the back of my mind whenever I thought of you and Princess Celestia. I remembered how painful it was seeing you hurt like that...I went a little crazy after that trying to figure out a few things about myself...when you confessed...I was so happy I thought I was going to explode." Luna blushed brightly and smiled, pulling the unicorn close to her. The door opened up and Spike poked his head in "Hey, you two comin to the party or stayin here?" he asked with a laugh. Twilight blushed bright red and cleared her throat. "We're coming Spike"