Mondays are never the day anyone looks forward to. Be it a working adult or innocent child attending school, very few are happy to see their free time come to a temporary end. For eleven teens, this was a grief that they wished could be the top of their lists of troubles again. For the whole day, their thoughts constantly drifted to the disappearances of three little girls. For three of them in particular, this was especially trying on their psyche as they struggled to get through their school day. The helplessness and if only's of the situation continued to eat at them, tearing their concentration away from their teacher's lectures as they tried to think of a way to help. The eleven girls ran themselves mentally ragged through out the whole day, but all they succeeded in doing was make themselves irritable around others. Even Sunset and Derpy were not immune to it as they bitterly snapped at each other through out the day. That became the first night in their relationship that they didn't share a bed. The stress was so great among the girls that sleep that night came with the speed of a lightning bolt. As they drifted off to sleep, eleven magical forces had decided to put their plan into action.
The time for their training had begun.
***
Rarity groaned, the sting of cold polished rock rousing her from her slumber as she dragged herself into a sitting position. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, but what she saw made her wonder if the loss of her sister had finally driven her mad. She sat in the heart of a massive elegant ballroom straight out of a fairytale. Solid gold walls with silver floral scenes welded into them greeted her on all sides with a giant domed ceiling covered with thousands of tiny gems and crystals. It was all so beautiful to her, but that was nothing compared to the figure that stood before her. The woman was a near mirror image of her, but only in the most superficial of ways. This Rarity held herself with a natural form of ladylike poise and confidant grace. Her attire was a work of pure art, a dress that shimmered in constant shifts of color like an aurora that flowed across her form like water. Matching formfitting silver gloves that came up to her exposed shoulders that shined like full moons covered her arms and hands.
The young girl could only stare in awe at her double as she made her way across the room to where she sat, a gentle smile on her face as she met her gaze. Once she closed the distance, she bent down and reached out a hand towards her. Still stunned, she accepted the hand and let herself be gently guided to her feet.
"It is nice to finally speak with you," the other Rarity said. "If only the reasons for it were less dire."
"Wh-Who are you?" Rarity asked, finally finding her voice.
"Of course," the double giggled. "How rude of me. I am Sacrifice. An element born from your heart and the living embodiment of your magic."
"M-My magic?" Rarity stammered, then stiffly giggled as she said, "Oh my, darling. You must be mistaken. I don't have any magic. At least, none of my own anyway."
Sacrifice sighed and placed a hand on her host's shoulder as she said, "Not yet anyway, but for what is to come, that must change."
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, worry creeping into her heart.
Sacrifice took a deep breath, then said, "A great evil sits in the shadows. You and all of your friends have already felt her wicked touch and all of the things she is capable of. I and the other elements wish to awaken the power that resides in all of you to combat this threat. For both yourselves, and the children she has stolen."
"Stolen?" Rarity asked, only for her eyes to widen with understanding a second later. "This monster took them?"
Solemnly, Sacrifice nodded.
Her eyes narrowed and jaw clenched as white-hot anger filled Rarity's veins. A new threat had entered their lives and she failed to keep her dear sister out of harms way. The fact that she apparently had the potential power to do so only added more fuel to the fire.
With clenched fists, she said, "Let's do it. I don't care what I have to do, so long as I bring Sweetie Belle back home safe and sound."
"Excellent," Sacrifice beamed.
With that, the element waved her hand and a cloak made of the same fabric as her dress appeared around her host.
"Let us see what you are willing to give up and if the prize is worth the loss."
***
Applejack grunted, the air around her as heavy as a lead weight as she tried force herself to stand. All around her stood tall and fertile apple trees, each of them ignoring the intense gravity barreling down on them as they reached towards a clear orange sky. The farm girl refused to yield as she stared up at Responsibility, the element's face impossible to read as she stood ten feet away from her with her arms crossed. Her double wore a simple gray skirted suit akin to the kind of attire a lawyer would wear with shiny black heals and elegant wireframe glasses to complete the look. When she told her why she was there and what they were going to do, she was admittedly leery of her. That went right out the window the second she mentioned Applebloom and this monster's involvement in her disappearance.
"You are strong," Responsibility intoned. "But this isn't a battle of might. Push back my magic!"
"Ah-Ah'm tryin'!" she grunted.
"Try harder. This is your magic. Learn it. Understand it. Tame it."
Applejack growled as she pushed against the forces trying to drag her to the ground.
"Ah-Ah'm tryin'!"
Responsibility sighed, seeing that a different approach might be in order. She approached her host and kneeled down to her level.
"What does responsibility mean to you?" she asked.
Applejack paused for a moment, nearly falling flat on her face as her focus was dragged away from her current situation.
"I-It's taking your lumps when you mess up. Facing your mistakes head on."
"And?" she asked, raising a brow.
"A-And what?"
"Is that really all responsibility is? Self-flagellation? Guilt? Surly you know better than that."
Applejack thought about that, the stress on her muscles growing by the second as she struggled to make sense of her elements words. It was then that her thoughts drifted towards Sunset and a thought drifted into her head. Something she hadn't considered.
As the pieces started to click into place, a faint smile formed on Responsibility's face. The smile grew a little when the farmer stopped fighting the pull on her body and let herself slam into the hard dirt beneath her. Applejack let out a pained cough and groaned where she laid. Then, with shaky limbs she dragged herself to her feet, breaths coming out as pants as the intense gravity around her vanished.
"What did you learn?" asked the element.
"You can't fight against your responsibilities. You gotta' accept them first or ya'll won't make any progress."
"Exactly," Responsibility smiled. "Remember that and this will go by a lot smoother in the future."
"Gotcha'," Applejack nodded with a determined smile.
"Shall we move on to the next lesson?"
"Let's do it!" she cheered.
***
Rainbow let out an irate growl as she ran, soft grass crunching under her feet and a gray cloudy sky hanging high over her head. Ahead of her was her element, a version of her wearing the green fatigues of a solder running and jumping just out of her reach.
"Is that all you've got?" Conviction taunted, jumping away from her host as she grabbed at her. "Geez, I thought you were the fast one in the group."
"Shut up!" she barked as she continued the chase.
Conviction sighed as she dodged yet another grab from her host.
"Do you know what the definition of insanity is?" Conviction asked casually.
"I'm not crazy!" Rainbow snapped as she tried to grab her.
"It means to do the exact same thing over and over again expecting to get a different result," the element continued, ignoring her host's comment as she dodged her grab.
"What do you want from me?" Rainbow panted, finally coming to a stop. "You told me that if I catch you, you'll tell me how to use my magic!"
"Not this," Conviction sighed, not even winded as she frowned at the girl. "Your driven. That's good, but that's not enough to use your magic or catch me. You need to break from the beaten path. Bend that tunnel vision of yours. C'mon Rainbow, I know you're no genius, but you're not stupid either! Think!"
Rainbow glared at her double, but as much as she didn't want to admit it, she had a point. This wasn't working, but what else could she do? The field was completely open with nothing she could use to corner her. On top of that, she was at least as fast as Rainbow herself in every way.
If I was just a bit faster, she thought glaring at the element. No, that wouldn't do me any good. She'd probably move just as fast anyway. I need to trick her somehow.
She took a deep breath, clearing her head as she breathed out.
"Alright," she sighed. "Let's try this again."
With that, she bolted towards her element again. Conviction sighed as she ran backwards away from Rainbow, expecting the same tactics as before. Her eyes widened in shock as, instead of grabbing at her, the teen suddenly leapt to her left at the last second and reached out towards her. Conviction let herself fall backwards to avoid the hand, legitimate surprise filling her as she jumped back to her feet before the girl could catch her.
I think she's finally starting to get it! Perfect! Keep it up!
They kept it up, Rainbow combining her speed with her agility to constantly keep Conviction on her toes while the element dangled only just out of her host's reach. Rainbow new that she was close, that if she put more into it that she'd win this dance. And that wasn't all. She would gain the power she needed to help her friends. That she'd be able to save Scootaloo.
As she faked-out Conviction an image of her sister-figure's smiling face flashed into mind. The world seemed to slow down as she reached a hand out to grab the element's arm, said appendage moving just a hare outside her reach.
Just a bit more! JUST A BIT MORE!!!
At that moment, a surge of power shot from her chest down to her legs and a blast of air shot out of the souls of her feet, rocketing her forward. Both girls let out startled yelps as they collided and fell into the grass in a tangled heap. The two were silent, both needing a moment to process what had just happened.
A proud smirk slowly spread across Rainbow's lips as she said, "Caught ya!"
Conviction burst out laughing at that as she sat up, Rainbow doing the same as she rolled off of her.
"Yeah you did," she chuckled. "Think you could do it again?"
"Chase you?"
She shook her head and said, "That thing that let you catch me."
"Maybe?" she shrugged.
"Then it looks like you're gonna have to catch me again," she smirked.
***
Octavia stood at the heart of a vast flower garden, a clear blue sky shining above her with the kind and gentle warmth of spring. Standing before her was a version of herself dressed in a simple white summer dress with her hair tied back into a ponytail.
"Are you sure that I can do this?" Octavia asked, second thoughts running through her head as she stared at her element. "I'm not what one would consider a combatant."
"You sell yourself short," Generosity mused. "Who was it that saved Vinyl from a life of despair?"
"That was different," Octavia insisted, staring at the ground.
Generosity chuckled as she placed a hand on her host's chin and guided her face back up to her level.
"A great fire burns inside you my host," she smiled. "Believe me, I have seen it myself."
"Bu-But, will it be enough?" she asked, worry heavy in her features.
"That is why I am here," Generosity smiled, gently placing her hand on her shoulder.
"O-Okay," Octavia sighed. "H-How should we do this?"
"Close your eyes."
Nodding, Octavia complied.
"Now, I want you to imagine that you have your instrument. Imagine that it is in your hands right now."
Slowly, her hands moved into position as she imagined that her prized cello was in her grasp.
"Now play."
Octavia didn't argue as she went through the motions, countless hours spent with her treasured cello telling her what sound each subtle motion would create. A song formed in her head as she continued to "play", a simple thing not worthy of a major symphony. The song slowly started to become more real to her as she played, almost to the point that she could actually hear it. When her finger actually gripped what felt like a string, she yelped in shock and shattered the illusion. When she opened her eyes, she swore she saw the fragments of a single glowing lavender string fade out of existence. She blinked, then gave Generosity a questioning look. The element nodded, urging her to try again. With a faint smile, she nodded and moved back into position.
***
Vinyl laughed as she charged towards her double, a wide grin plastered across her face as she threw a swing at her. Laughter lived up to her namesake as she met the girl's punch with one of her her own, the two fists colliding with a loud boom of sound from the speakers in the walls and ceiling of the room they stood in. Solid concrete covered with glowing graffiti made up the entirety of the one hundred-by-one hundred square room not covered by wires and sound equipment. Laughter looked like a wild biker version of her host, complete with black leather jacket and ripped jeans.
Both girls sported wide smiles as they continued to brawl, the speakers in the room filling the room with thundering booms every time their fists connected. Vinyl's heart was pounding excitedly in her chest as she met her element blow for blow.
"Ata girl!" Laughter laughed, voice somehow audible over the explosion of sound around them. "Let that passion flow! You want that magic to wake up damn it! Get wild! let the world hear you howl!"
"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Vinyl cheered, throwing a punch.
Laughter caught the punch and used the resulting blast of sound from the speakers to help her push her host back.
"Not enough!" Laughter yelled. "You want to save those kids, right? Are you going to let that monster get in your way?"
"HELL NO!" she cried, her fists tightening at the very thought.
"Then quit holding back!" Laughter demanded. "Drop her like a bass!"
"FUCK YEAH!" Vinyl cried, rushing towards her with a punch fully loaded. "ALL OR NOTHING!!!"
Like before, a blast of sound filled the room the second Vinyl's fist made contact, only this time it didn't come from the speakers. Laughter let out a startled yelp as the sonic boom from her host's fist sent her flying into a wall, only to peal herself off of the wall a second later with an even wilder grin then she had before.
"Now that's more like it!" the element cried, applauding her host as she walked towards her. "Let's see you do that again!"
"On it!," Vinyl cried, a wide smile on her face as she charged forward.
***
Total darkness surrounded Bonbon, the silence interrupted by the occasional drip of water from the cave's ceiling and the crack of crumbling stone. In spite of the shadows that enveloped her, she was perfectly calm where she sat indian style on the cave's rough and bumpy floor. Sitting across from her was a version of herself dressed in a dimly glowing silver cloak, the lower half of her face the only thing visible about her under her hood.
"Can you feel it?" Honesty asked, her voice a soft whisper. "The light beat of the earth?"
Silence, then Bonbon uneasily said, "I think so. It's so faint."
"It should be," the element nodded. "The earth holds many secrets. It will not give them away easily."
"That's rude," Bonbon commented with a frown.
"Or stubborn," Honesty chuckled softly. "The earth is old and the elderly can be as stubborn as they come."
Bonbon nodded, more than familiar with that aspect of the more weatherworn members of her family.
"How do I get it to talk to me?" she asked.
"That is the question, isn't it?" she chuckled. "How do you get a stubborn old grandmother to tell you her secrets?"
Bonbon thought about that for a good long moment. Honesty's words felt like a riddle, a funny concept in and of itself considering her name. The clue was there, she was sure of it. Slowly, she mulled over what the element told her. How does one ask the earth about its secrets. No. That wasn't right. How does one ask an elder to tell you their secrets? An idea crept into her head as she shifted her way of thinking.
Could it be that simple? No way. Their has to be more to it, right?
Willing to try anything at this point, she closed her eyes and placed a hand on the cave's floor. Slowly, she found the low pulsing she felt earlier.
"Will you teach me, please?" she whispered.
At first, nothing happened. Then, a small pulse of power brushed against her fingers and an image drifted into her mind. She saw a small crystal buried miles under the ground slowly grow to the size of a mountain, the energies and materials needed for such a feat revealing themselves to her in a rush. Half on instinct and half guided by the forces she had tapped into, she drew power that was alien to her from her chest into the hand she had flat against the ground. A small flash of light pierced the darkness for a brief second before small beams of light peeked past Bonbon's fingers. Her eyes widened as she pulled her hand back to reveal a glowing white gem no bigger then a penny.
Honesty smiled at her host as she stared in wonder at what she had created.
"Well done my host," she chuckled. "Shall we see if you can make a bigger one?"
Bonbon smiled and nodded, once again placing her hand on the ground and closing her eyes.
***
Howling winds and pelting rain fell all around Lightning, the dry and cracked stone wasteland finally able to quench its thirst as her name lit up the sky. The teen stood her ground in spite of all of that as she glared at her opponent. Loyalty glared back, wearing something akin to a leather bikini with arm and leg guards made of the same material covering her limbs up to her knees and elbows. A black wolf fur cloak shielded her from the rain while a hood made from the wolf's head did the same to her head. Lightning was the first to strike, a flash from the storm hiding her for a second just before her attack. Loyalty did the same and they met in a cross counter. The two girls glared daggers at each other as they tried to push their fists further into the other's face before they pulled their hands back. A flurry of blows flew between the two girls in a mass of blurs, neither willing to drop or yield. With a savage snarl, Loyalty delivered a powerful punch that sent her host flying. Lighting let out a pained grunt as she slammed into the rain-slicked ground twelve feet away, a dull groan coming out of her as she dragged herself to her feet.
"Not good enough," Loyalty hissed, wiping away a trail of blood from under her nose. "You need to do better than that if you want to keep your friends safe. You're The Lightning Bolt, right? That's what Lyra calls you, right? Then show me. Show me how you got that name!"
"You got it!" Lightning growled, her blood boiling as she charged her element.
Again they rained blows upon each other and again Loyalty sent her flying with a powerful blow. She could feel that her host was close to awakening her magic. All she needed was one more push to get her started.
She grimaced as she prepared herself for what was to come, no part of her looking forward to what she had to do or the consequences said action would bring.
Oh god almighty this was going to hurt.
"If this is the best you can do, you're not going to save anyone," Loyalty huffed.
"Shut up," Lightning growled as she forced herself to her feet.
"And you know what the worst part is?" Loyalty asked, crossing her arms. "Your friends are going to be right on the front lines trying to save those kids."
"Shut up!" Lightning hissed, her fists trembling as her anger grew.
"They're all gonna die because you couldn't figure out how to use your magic!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" she screamed, pure rage pouring through her veins like white hot fire as she threw a punch.
The second her hand made contact blue electricity burst from her whole arm, the blast sending her element flying twenty feet away. She watched with wide eyes as Loyalty skipped across the wet ground like a stone on a lake.
"Oh shit," she stammered, quickly running to Loyalty's side.
"Are you okay? Shit, I'm sorry! I-I don't know what happened back there! I just-"
A burst of laughter from Loyalty knocked all of the worry out of the girl as she got back up.
"Nice shot!" the element laughed, playfully slapping her host across her back. "Let's see if you can do that again!"
"Uh... right," Lightning blinked.
Why'd I get the weird element? she thought as she assumed a fighting stance. Damn it all.
***
Shining silver walls surrounded Derpy, glowing blue and black lines covered them like the connecting circuits on a circuit board. The floor was a glowing pane of dark blue glass that echoed under her feet with every step she took. The ceiling was a single glowing white sheet of cold light that added to the futuristic look of the gymnasium sized room.
"So...cool! she gushed, then turned as she asked, "This is where we're going to train?"
Kindness nodded, a light giggle slipping past he lips as she approached her host.
"Indeed. Shall we get started?"
Derpy nodded eagerly, earning another giggle from the element.
"First, I need you to close your eyes."
"Okay?" Derpy shrugged then complied.
"Next, I want you to imagine everyone you care about. Friends. Family. Everyone."
Nodding, she thought of her family, her friends, and finally, Sunset. Out of all of them, Sunset's face stood out the most to her. A small blush and smile came to her face as she remembered all the good times they spent together. Kindness noticed and smiled as well, glad to see her host was on the right starting point for what was to come.
"Now imagine that something has come to hurt them."
Her smile vanished as she did as she was told. While she was still afraid of something happening to her family and friends, her mind again drifted towards Sunset. She still remembered the nightmares that haunted her both during and for several days after the Annon-a-Miss incident. A dream where she was too late to save her and watched her fall to her death. A dream where she found her lying dead in her bed with a knife in her chest. Another where she was hit by a car as an act of revenge from some unknown student. The worst of all being the one where she walked into Sunset's room and found her hanging from the ceiling, her dead eyes staring at her as if to ask why she couldn't save her. Tears started to run down her face as the horrible images played over and over again before her eyes.
"Now imagine they are all at your side just moments from what you are imagining."
The second she imagined Sunset was next to her, something in her mind clicked into place. She saw a great golden shield falling into place between them and every threat. It came down to stop her from reaching the edge of the bridge. It blocked the car that tried to kill her. It protected her heart from the knife some random killer tried to use on her. Derpy became that shield and for as long as she stood, her greatest nightmare was never going to happen. She would make sure of that.
When she opened her eyes, she swore she saw a glowing wall of golden energy. It was only for the tiniest fraction of a second, but she was sure she saw it. Kindness beamed at her as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You are a truly kind soul Derpy. Sunset is lucky she found someone like you."
"Nah," she giggled. "I think I'm the lucky one."
***
Lyra floated in an empty void. No ground. No sky. Nothing. At her side floated an exact copy of her, a lazy smile gracing her lips as she casually drifted across the surrounding nothingness like a fish through water. The girl took in her surroundings with confusion as she drifted along. When her element explained their situation to her, she was all for doing what she needed to do to help. So when Magic started talking in riddles, it didn't take long for her enthusiasm to turn into annoyance.
What did she mean "Magic is nothing here"? It is something. Hell, she's the Element of Magic for peat's sake!
She huffed and crossed her arms, her body ramrod straight as she floated aimlessly. She let out a depressed sigh as she looked around.
There isn't a whole lot of anything around here, really. Its so quiet and lonely.
Her eyes drifted shut as her mind drifted back to her days in Junior High when she had no friends. Back when her Grandmother was still alive and the closest thing to a family and a friend she had at the time. It was all so bitter sweet, just like the empty peace of the void she drifted in now. She knew that her Grandmother was going to die to cancer. She knew that her parents were going to leave her alone. She knew that her depression was going to come to crush her under it's heel.
Then Bonbon appeared. A small smile spread across her lips as she remembered how green the blue player was and how sad she was that she lost. Then came all of the memories of how they started hanging out after that and became best friends. Then Derpy entered the picture. And Octavia. And Vinyl. And Lightning. And Fluttershy. And finally, Sunset.
She gasped as she felt a warm hard surface against her back, shocking her eyes open to a new scene. A clear blue sky greeted her, the peak of a mighty mountain underneath her to give her a birds eye view of everything around her. From her perch she could see rich forests, dense swamps, and vibrant plains for miles in every direction, a wide and endless ocean at the halfway point towards the horizon. Glowing blue birds flew through the sky close enough to her peak that she could almost touch them, the roars of mighty beasts hidden from her sight making their presence known to all as the teen continued to gawk.
Footsteps behind her drew her attention away from the view and towards her forgotten companion. Now Magic wore a hooded black and white sorcerer's robe, the left half black while the right was white. A wide smile spread across her face as she pulled back her hood and looked at her host.
"Now there is magic here," she smiled. "Shall we get started?"
Lyra smiled and nodded, ready to do whatever she could to help her friends get out of this in one piece.
***
A dense fog crept through the trees, the chirping of crickets serving as the only sign of life beyond the two figures standing at the forest's heart. Fluttershy hissed as she took a swipe at her element, her rapier easily redirecting the blow with its flat as Forgiveness maintained the pressure of her attacks. The two combatants traded blows in an elegant dance, Forgiveness' rapier stopping just short of a fatal blow to force her host to yield as she tried to get at her with her claws and fangs. More than once, she tried to use her wings to give her an advantage, but Forgiveness' defenses were too strong to bypass with such a simple trick.
"Have you forgotten your mother's lessons?" Forgiveness asked, casually dodging a sweeping blow from her hosts claws. "Don't tell me those instincts of yours are stronger than her teachings."
Fluttershy paused at that. The idea of using her mother's martial art while in this form had never crossed her mind before. As she briefly considered the possible applications, Forgiveness took advantage of the opening to take a stab at her with her rapier. At the last second, Fluttershy side-stepped around the blade, grabbed her element's sword arm, and jabbed two of her fingers into the gap in her armer around her armpit area. The swordswoman let out a yelp as she jumped back, the sudden shift in tactics catching her off guard.
"Well done," Forgiveness smiled, clutching her shoulder.
"That was a cheep trick," Fluttershy pouted, glaring at her element in disappointment.
"I'm sorry," Forgiveness sighed. "But our enemy will do much worse when we face her. You will need to be ready for any kind of surprise she might throw at you."
"I guess your right," she sighed.
"Besides," Forgiveness smiled, pointing at the girl's hand. "I think we're on the right track on how you can use your magic."
Confused, she looked down at her hand just in time to see a few small flecks of green energy fade away from her claws.
"What was-?"
"Instinct and training can be a powerful combination," Forgiveness smiled, earning her a confused frown from her host as she took her sword out of her other hand. "It might be a while before I can use my other arm thanks to you."
"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy gasped, hands flying to her face in shame for what she did.
"Don't be," Forgiveness giggled as she leveled her blade at her. "Try to do it again instead."
***
Sunset stood in the middle of Canterlot High's gymnasium, not a soul in sight save for herself and Acceptance. The element lacked her usual playful nature as she stared down her host. Sunset could sense her intent as she prepared herself for what was to come. She knew that she would need to bring back the CMC. She knew that she needed to have better control of her new magic to compete this task. She knew what was about to happen.
"Are you ready?" Acceptance asked.
Sunset nodded, then closed her eyes.
"On the ashes of my past, I stand alone. With the weight of my loved ones on my back, I move forward to a new dawn."