"Sketch wake up..." A voice called out to her in the night, when she turned around from the dark prison she was in she could see the outside of ruins. Trapped in some sort of field of magic she was unable to leave, Sketch didn't care though she was literally almost unable to respond with much other than a turn of the head. "Do not worry, you'll get your colors back I promise. Your time is about to come..." A strange figure nuzzled against her cheek and immediately she felt a twinkling crystal blue tear break from the gray pools she had as eyes. "Please hold on to that last bit of hope Sketch, you'll find that it's the greatest strength you possess." The figure disappeared leaving her to lay her head back down as her tear soaked in her coat making a tiny colored stain.
Back at the bridge the fillies were ready to embark on their adventure.
"Alright well I'm going to check on the bridge just in case if we can use it." North made the call and walked over the bridge not liking to think they'd have to find another route, if all else failed her and Starlight would ferry them over the dangerous unknown beneath all the fog. The bridge wobbled about and creaked as the ropes were immediately snapping after she had made a fourth step! "Aghhh!" She lifted up in the air as the bridge fell and smashed to pieces on the other side. "Huh, that void thing was right, soooo how are we..." Before she could finish she heard a loud whizz as Bubblegum zipped by on her pogo-copter replying,
"Way ahead of you mare! WEEEE!!" North gave a deep sigh as the ridiculous pony just never ended her random conveniences.
"Pfftt... well at least what she pulls out of nowhere is consistent..."
"Heads up!" Bubblegum threw a rope with a grappling hook over to the other side!
"WHAT... Bubblegum how are you prepared for all this!" North was still having a hard time figuring out how this pony was so well prepared! Bubblegum just laughed answering back,
"Well duh it's an adventure, didn't you ponies come prepared!?"
(Flashback to Bubblegum at her home.)
"Mom, Dad... I'm gonna get some stuff out of the wagon mkay?" Her parents who were busy playing a trivia game with her Aunt and Uncle just nodded with her dad answering,
"If you take my pogo-copter out be sure to bring it back!"
"Ok daddy!"
(Flash forward to the bridge)
"Huh... wow, Bubblegum that's pretty impressive..." North was actually impressed and surprised to think being so random she still prepared accordingly for the trip. Lavender pointed her hoof out mumbling,
"I dare say she's a lot more intelligent than she let's on that's for sure..."
"Ayyeep..." Jaxx agreed with a short simple response. Bubblegum took a hammer and secured the rope down on one side and turned to the others barking,
"Well what are you ponies just standing around for get that rope tied down!" Lavender was staring across the dangling rope with a skeptical face whining,
"Oh you can't be serious can you? No of course you are..." Jaxx and North took the hook and secured the rope around a tree nearby slapping the hook securely and began to test the strength of the rope.
"Ok so what are they supposed to do walk on it or climb over...?" North answered as she still tried to figure out what bubblegum's plan was. Bubblegum pulled out a bunch of weird turning cranks and placed them all on the rope.
"Noooo, you don't walk on it or climb over it, you ride it see..." At that moment she came across the rope on a small sling attached to one of the cranks with a smile as she poked nose to nose with North.
"HA of course...." With a sarcastic tone and rolling of eyes North hopped into the air with Bubblegum looking confused.
"Gee you ponies just don't know how to adventure... I adventure all the time like there was this one time I met a dragon... ..." She stopped for a second and thought to herself as she cranked back to the other side, "Well actually that was today, but I also been on top of a mountain! Wait I did that today too... hmmm, well I know I definitely adventured a lot of places that was not here for sure!" Jaxx turned to Starlight as she hopped on the crank and mumbled,
"She sure as sugar knows how ta go on an adventure with that mouth of hers." Starlight giggled as she fluttered over with the rest of the group cranking over the rope to the safety of the other side. All the while Bubblegum continued to ramble on,
"So I was like nooo camelu is a country not a desert... and my brother was all nuhuh it's the desert and I called him a big jelly brain and he called me a sticky gummy liar and I was all oh no you didn't and he was all oh yes I did! So I said knock knock, he went who's there and I said Punch for... and he goes punch for who... I said YOU and I gave him a glass of punch..." Her story stopped as the girls were trotting up the small path to find where they were beckoned to. North gazed at a ruined tower peaking out of the fog where Pathfinder disappeared into.
"Yep, this is the place in the picture. This was where we were supposed to be the whole time... We had to do all those crazy things when the answer was that page all along! I hate that so much!" North felt her mind crunching with a headache. She realized they still had to do the journey or else they would still have no clue how to get there, but to have the answer as clear as day in the book was frustrating.
Starlight took one look at the ruins mumbling,
"Something just doesn't feel right..." North just shrugged and replied with a carefree expression,
"Meh, we're too close to the climax of this insane adventure for it to feel any kind of right..." And to make it worse a freak storm suddenly clapped overhead with a roll of thunder as rain began to drizzle. North's face growled with disgust as she snarled, "Grreeatt..."
The rain made Lavender weary of the journey ahead so she asked of her assistant,
"Oh no this won't do, my beautiful mane and tail has just seen no end of torture today! THIS WILL NOT DO! Red would you be so kind?" Red obliged with giving her a rain coat to go with her booties. "Thank you ever so much Red, where would I be without you..." Jaxx was feeling snippy with hunger pains and she replied to the rhetorical question,
"A bigger mess than ya are aight now and a whole lot more whiny..."
"Well now... somepony is rather crabby..." Lavender shirked the remark and trotted ahead with the group. Jaxx slowed beside Red and asked,
"Ya'll don't have any kind'o food hiding in those bags do ya?"
"Afraid not Miss Jaxx..." Red answered with a deep sigh. "I did not figure this journey would take hours..."
"Awww... salt licks!" Jaxx felt her stomach growl more as she thought about food. "Ahhhh i'm so hungry... I could eat a whole orchard'o apples aight now." Of course Bubblegum heard her complain and popped up out of the blue happily replying,
"Well why didn't ya say so I have plenty of tasty treats for you to snack on, like this Apply Pie!" She whipped out a piece of apple pie from her mane and slapped whip cream on the top smiling, "Here try it, it's really good!" Jaxx began to shy away from the offer not due to the fact it came from her mane but the possibility it could be a joke pie.
"Uhhhh... I'll pass on that Bubblegum." Bubblegum stopped in her tracks and looked at Jaxx weird.
"Fine suit yourself, you don't know what you're missing out on mare!" She began to eat the pie piggishly licking her cheeks, "Mmmm...mmmm that's good pie!" Jaxx began to regret not taking the pie offer now and lurched forward as her stomach seemed to yell at her vengefully for rejecting the treat!
They trudged through the rain as the dirt began to grow muddy. All of them were drenched with the exception of Lavender and DaisyChain. Red was kind enough to use an umbrella to cover her and Spike. The ponies heard claps of thunder roll through the sky like an avalanche in the clouds with lightning illuminating the darkness.
"EEEP!" Starlight was having fits of fear as the storm raged above their heads. The others joined in as they started to gallop faster. North began to see a clear opening in a ruined wall ahead making a flying leap for it yelling,
"OVER HERE COME ON!" She urged everypony to hurry as the storm began to grow more fierce.
Standing under the ruins in the dry stone and mortar the mares all sat around in a circle for a moment to catch their breath. "Welp something tells me the next week or so, is going to be miserable weather..." Lavender looked to North an responded,
"Oh don't even joke about that North... I'm a little curious though did they find out what was wrong with the weather factory in Cloudsdale?" North shrugged not knowing the answer to that mystery,
"I unno, the machine broke your guess is as good as mine derp... " Jaxx was fidgeting around as her stomach wouldn't leave her alone. She'd never missed a breakfast, lunch, or dinner before and this was messing with her.
"I'm sorry fer bein the impatient one aight now but if I don't eat somethin soon I'm gonna be might unpleasant to be round..." Bubblegum looked over at her and pulled out another tasty treat mumbling,
"Oh alright grumpy face here, it's my last slice of Blueberry..." Upset she had to part with her pie she gave it to Jaxx who didn't reject this time, as Jaxx chowed down Starlight had to be the creepy one and point out a feeling she couldn't get rid of,
"Do you girls have this ever slowly creeping sensation we're being watched?" They all looked around the ruins nervously, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark dilapidated halls. The main room of the castle like ruin had one large statue in the middle that seemed to be missing parts. North opened the book as it resembled something familiar and she immediately recognized it,
"Yep this is the same exact statue in the picture, but some pieces are missing..." Bubblegum followed North as she hopped up and ventured off to examine the main room more closely. "I can't help but feel there should be an out of place clue in here somewhere, I mean we're at the ruins where did that pathfinder go off to?"
"I ain't got the slightest clue sugar cube, after it disappeared in the fog I lost track of it..." Jaxx mumbled finishing off the last of the pie with her face covered in blue filling. Spike started to feel a chill running down his scales as if something was behind him. He turned around to check if his feeling was correct only to see a shadowy figure in the dark corner.
"Ahhh.... aaahggghghaaa... wwhaaaaa..." Stumbling on his words a flash of light and an echo of thunder revealed a shadowy figure looming overhead! "AGHHHH!" Starlight was startled by Spike immediately ducking her head to the ground screaming,
"EEEEEEPPP!"
"Whoa there dragon boy what's all the fuss?" DaisyChain felt him gripping her mane tightly so she decided to turn around and see what the scare was all about.
"Th...th...th...theres...ss..s.s.ss... something over there!" Spike stuttered pointing over in the corner. DaisyChain took a bit to focus her eyes in the dark when a flash of light revealed a statue of a pony.
"Oh relax it's just a statue." DaisyChain seemed to continue being the hard to scare one as everypony seemed to be unnerved. North and Bubblegum were the only ones willing to look around. Lavender took a little time before she whipped the hood off her head and walked around.
"Huh I didn't take you as the kind to go snoopin round in a place like this Lavender?" Jaxx commented as Lavender examined the strange sculpture in the middle of the room. Lavender just rolled her eyes and scoffed,
"I wouldn't dream of snooping around in this dreadful place..." She paused for a moment as her eyes caught something glinting over in the last standing tower of this castle ruin. "But the sooner we find Sketch, the sooner we can get back home. I'm practically out of styling products I'm on my last can of conditioning spray and my last bottle of disinfectant is dry."
"Well ya got a point there, I mean the part where findin Sketch means we can leave sooner an all that." Jaxx couldn't argue with that logic and hopped up from her spot to go join them in the hunt. Starlight and the others decided to join and look around.
Lavender stood by the window as the storm continued to roar watching the glint in the tower strangely feeling it was beckoning her over, but no amount of curiosity would get Lavender to leave the safe dryness of the ruins she was already in.
North had ventured upstairs where a hall of rooms was still partially in tact.
"This place is ooky cooky Spooky North..." Bubblegum mumbled as she started to get the chills. "I bet it has ghosties somewhere like when Jaxx was all 'Der's GHOSTIES!' and there was cause Lavender's tail was attacked, I just have this feeling there's somepony watching us like Starlight said..." Bubblegum continued to yap as they trotted through the hall. North rolled her eyes as she came to the first room,
"Would you calm down Bubblegum?" Bubblegum just gave a shrug with a concerned reply,
"I would if I could but something's just not right... and when something's not right, it's definitely wrong." Bubblegum tagged close behind North as they entered one of the rooms,
"Well I know something isn't right but you don't have to say it out loud..." As a flicker of light shot through the windows lighting the room North had her head turned to Bubblegum. Bubblegum's face began to twitch as her mouth opened wide to something behind her. "What's wrong with your face..." It didn't take any response for North's face to turn grim with a quiet response, "There's something behind me isn't there?" Behind her was the vision of a phantom mare floating in the room. North turned her head around to see what was behind her and as the lightning subsided the room fell dark and the visage disappeared before she could see it. Her fear struck face turned confused with a response, "Bubblegum what's wrong with..." As she turned her head back around she seen the phantom mare in the room across from them! "Oh sweet Celestia..."
"It's behind me now isn't it?" North nodded.
The two mares screamed in a panic and ran downstairs! Lavender turned her attention first when they galloped down with a phantom laughing maniacally as it soared into the main room!
"OH DEAR CELESTIA WHAT IS THAT!?" Lavender ran to the safety of the other ponies as the flying phantom centered in the room laughing!
"HAHAHAHA! So you foolish ponies think you could just waltz through this so easily!?" DaisyChain felt her itch to fight shoot through her hooves. North had turned to face the phantom and she remarked,
"Yeah well I wasn't expecting it to be a walk through the park you insane whatever you are... who are you anyway!?" The phantom just turned her head up and bellowed,
"My name is not important, what is important is that you will never make it out alive HAHAHA! You are doomed to die in these hollowed halls!!"
"What... what is all this is it a joke is it serious I can't tell anymore!!" North cried out as the storm began to grow more fierce as the phantom mare began to cause a torrent of magical energy around the ruins. The phantom just floated in the air manifesting shadowy figures of dark ponies.
"Your lost friend holds the key to escaping, but to find her you must fight for your life! HAHAHAHAHA!" The phantom suddenly began to grow larger as she sent forth a shock of lightning into the ground!
"AGGHHH!" North flew back as she dodged the bolt. The dark visages began to drop wasting no time to make their way for the mares!
"Finally some action! Sorry dragon boy but this is where you'll have to get off..." Spike hopped off DaisyChain as she stomped her hoof on the floor ready to throw down! North took this time to go back upstairs to look for Sketch, she felt there was a reason the phantom had appeared up there if that was even a reason, but so far it was the only lead she had in her mind.
Bubblegum spotted the sneaky mare. A huge crowd of dark shadows were closing in around her. Oblivious to this situation she cried out,
"WAIT UP NORTH!" She pulled out her pogo-copter and launched in the air. A pile of ponies landed on one another as she flew up into the air. The phantom threw a dark gaze over at her and inquired with a rather sarcastic and sharp tone,
"Where do you think you're going...?" Bubblegum suddenly found herself becoming target practice for the phantom mare's lightning bolts!
"EEEE, WOOOP... Alley OOP!" Bubblegum flew about and spun in the air as she dodged the attacks with sheer coincidental luck! "WEEEEE!"
"Stop that, stop it now, this isn't a GAME...!" With her attention off the others North slipped through to the top floor unnoticed. Slowly but surely she made it to the top of the stairs where the area was still silent.
"Don't worry Sketch we're going to get you out of here, somehow..."
Off in an unknown location to the mares Sketch was trapped in her prison feeling too weak and worthless to fight out still. She just lay lost in her thoughts.
'What do I do, do I just lay and wither or do something... is there really anything worth doing? I don't know I've always wanted to feel loved by my own family to feel that special feeling inside that only your parents and siblings could fill. I guess I'll never get that so what's the point. My greatest goal in life is gone...' Her mind raced as her soul inside weep from her loss. Unbeknownst to her a group of mares were nearby fighting to save her from the phantom's evil hooves!
"YAHHHH!" DaisyChain bucked her hind legs straight into her aggressor's jaw sending him flying into the air splattering the wall. "Scratch one bogie!" The shadowy pony exploded in a puff of dark shadows and soon another reformed from the dark fog.
"What in the Equestria, they just pop right back up! That ain't fair!" Jaxx reared up and popped one across the face and bucked another behind her, but another shadow pony had tackled her side while she was turned! "AGGHHH!"
"JAXX NO!" Starlight in the background watched her friend get knocked to the ground.
"WE GOT A PONY DOWN!" DaisyChain yelled as she witnessed Jaxx get tossed to the ground. Before DaisyChain could come to the rescue she began to have more than her fair share of shadow ponies! "Looks like these ponies really don't like me..." The odds were outnumbering her and she began to back up when she felt her hind leg touch a scaly figure.
"I got your back..." Spike muttered under a low breath behind her. DaisyChain turned her head nodding as he showed her a pile of good sized rocks in his claws.
"Well hop on dragon boy!" Spike hopped up on her back and she bolted off with a loud wail, "CHARRRGE!" Bringing up her front feet as she made contact with the line of ponies she bopped one across the face! Spike took one side and started tossing stones popping the others away from her as she took her flank and spun sideways bucking a chain of shadow ponies into the air!
"MY WORD, this is just absolutely barbaric! Can't we speak like civil ponies about this?" One of the shadow ponies took a swipe at her and razor bladed her tail. She turned with her eyes twitching as she looked upon her now mangled tail. "AGGGHHHHHH MY BEAUTIFUL TAIL! YOU FILTHY CUR! RED!!!" The pony looked at her as if she was stupid until he felt a poke on his shoulder as Red looked at him replying,
"Dreadfully sorry about this but when you mess with Miss Rose, you in turn mess with me..." With a dressed hoof and a loud grunt Red plowed the shadow pony in the face sending him flailing into a wall.
Starlight tried to think of what to do in the midst of all the fighting and the screaming. Bubblegum still flew about while the others were fighting or being captured. Before she could react she felt a gust of air fly by her face,
"Aghhhh what was that!?" Sebastian holding his place on her head was scanning the air but the shadow fliers were spinning circles around them. "Who's there!" Out of the blue she spun around to meet nose to nose with a shadow pegasus grinning,
"Boo..."
"AGGHHHH!" She flipped out and bucked him in the face as she darted away from everypony hiding behind the pony statue.
"Nothing here..." North peered in room after room upstairs and had no luck of finding Sketch. "Nothing there, where in Equestria are you Sketch!?" As she made it to the last room she trotted up to the window peering out, "Unless there's a basement then the only place left is the old tower over there... and..." A glinting light flickered catching her attention. "What's this...?" She took a quick glance around to make sure nopony was around and began to fly under the radar of everypony towards the tower in the torrential storm.
"ENOUGH OF THESE GAMES!" The phantom mare bellowed as she encased the room in darkness letting loose an onslaught of minions! One by one the ponies were being overpowered. DaisyChain and Red were of course under a pile of minions trying to keep them held down, but it didn't take much to detain the others. The only two not held at bay was the hidden Starlight and the still annoying Bubblegum. The phantom mare though was tired of Bubblegum's shennanigans and decided, "It's time for you to get... GROUNDED!" An orb of dark energy engulfed Bubblegum and without being able to see she flew straight into the wall!
"Agghhhh.... OOMPH!" She fell to the floor with her dad's now broken pogo-copter laying by her side. She felt stars flying around in her face as two shadowy figures detained her.
"I thought there was more...?" She counted the captured ponies and realized two were missing! "What where are they!" North had slipped over into the tower where the beckoning light called out to her and to her surprise she could see what was supposed to be pathfinder floating by some egg shaped prison cell holding none other than Sketch-It!
"SKETCH!" She hopped through the window making her way towards the chamber when a flash of light blinded her from the pathfinder! "Ahhh what was that!?" As the flash subsided the beacon alerted the phantom mare who instantly appeared in the room.
"THERE YOU ARE HAHAAHAHAHA!" A bolt of energy shot down and subdued North!
"GAHHH!!!" With a raise of her hoof the others were teleported into the room suspended with the alicorn! Starlight watched as everypony was gone with a poof! She emerged from the shadows looking around with Sebastian still keeping her company.
"Where'd everypony go... ohhh Sebastian I don't like this one bit..." As she trotted towards the window the sight of the lights in the tower caught her attention. "Ohhh I have a horrible feeling... but I musn't give up yet, be brave Starlight think, what would Shooting Star Strike do?" She decided to race for the tower in the raging storm!
"HAAHHAHAHAHA!!! So, how does it feel to be sooo close, but powerless to do anything!?" Struggling the ponies tried to break free. North attempted to use her magic to no avail! "There's no use fighting, it's over!"
"No it's not!" North continued to fight unwilling to give up. The ponies all refused to let their lives be forfeit.
The pathfinder flashed about strangely. Strangely the orb was quietly whispering to the imprisoned unicorn,
"Sketch, look... out there, what do you see?" Sketch raised her head up with a sorrowful expression.
"I see..." She began to look harder focusing on the faces outside the cell. She could hear voices,
"Why don't you give up already!?" She heard an evil voice growl as North's voice cried out,
"I won't give up!"
"Me neither!" Jaxx's voice raised up out of the depths as the ponies denied defeat!
"For once I try to be friends with someponies, a group of ponies who may not be like me, but they're pretty awesome! About the only few who I can call friends, someponies who I know despite their differences would have my back, and you think I'm just going to give up like that for them! NO CHANCE!" North's voice rang again as her eyes began to glow!
"What's this!?" The phantom mare began to feel the strength of the ponies as they began to one by one feel a power unlock inside.
"I've never really had the time of day to make friends, but when I came here with mah family, and met these ponies well I... I'll be honest with ya I AIN'T ABOUT TO GIVE UP SO EASILY ON THEM!" Jaxx's eyes flared up as something inside of her, despite being an Earth Pony, a power unchained in her.
As Sketch listened to them her colors slowly began to grow back.
"Do you see yet Sketch?" A voice cooed to her. Sketch was starting to understand slowly.
"I lived on the run from the mistakes I've done, and I outright REFUSE to keep running! This is where I make my stand, these ponies are the closest thing to what I could even call friends, sure I have been rude and stubborn, but they didn't give up on me like all the others! Why even my family gave up on me and threw me out, so I'm not about to lose this over some inconveniences! I came all this way torn mane and mangled tail to save my friend! I sacrificed my selfish behavior to show I can be a real friend! I REFUSE TO GIVE IN!" Lavender's eyes began to burst with fiery energy as she joined the two others in unlocking her inner strength.
"Is something really awesome about to happen?" DaisyChain commented. Spike obliged her with the answer,
"I'm pretty sure that's a yes!"
"That's awesome!" The others watched as Bubblegum added her strong words,
"You know there's always a time to laugh, but there's some times ya gotta get serious and this is serious... you broke my dad's pogo-copter and you trapped me and my friends in these mean thingies... THAT'S WHERE I DRAW THE LINE MISSY! NOPONY RUINS ME AND MY FRIEND'S FIRST AWESOME FUN ADVENTURE TOGETHER! Though I don't know this is still kinda fun hyahahahahaha!" Bubblegum's giggle sparked with a powerful energy releasing from the inner sanctum that is Bubblegum!
"This... THIS CANNOT BE!"
Sketch began to realize at that moment... she was not alone in the world. The gray color in her heart began to dissipate as the realization struck her like a blade! To them she was not just some other pony, she was a friend! What came even more shockingly to her realization was that she had become one of their closest friends. Her friends were all different in some way but if it was not for her they would've never met one another.
"Do you see now Sketch, you have never been alone in this world... I know this tragedy was very hard to take, but just look at what your friends have done, what a certain family has done for you. Sketch everypony here that came to your rescue cares about you, and they care about one another even if they do not think much of each other yet. Is that not what it feels like to be in a family, that care and the warm feeling inside when being around them in happiness, and harmony? Sure there may be arguments but they can always depend on one another. Their loyalty, honesty, their generosity, laughter, and their kindness..." Sketch was almost completely back in color when the final piece came into play as a Starlight jumped through the window with a fierce attitude,
"I always ran away from ponies because I've been hurt before. The ridicule, the pain of harmful words and actions made me scared to try and reach out to other ponies. This has been the first time I opened up and tried. I took a chance it was all or nothing! Shooting Star Strike would never give up on kindness and harmony and he spread it across an entire galaxy! I'll fight for kindness, and what it means to be a true friend! I don't want them to ever go through what I had been through, nopony deserves that and if I can I will STAND AND FIGHT FOR THEM!" Starlight's eyes flared with a powerful spark as she held steadfast ready to fight!
"I see it now!" Sketch stood up in her cell and her eyes peered out as she stated to herself, "I'm not alone in this world I was never alone, these... these ponies are just as close to family as my own would've been. They came all this way to save me! I remember now that this gray feeling had me feeling helpless before. Lady and Master Mareweather were there for me, and now my new friends are here for this moment! I UNDERSTAND IT ALL NOW! It all feels just like magic, and that's what it is..."
"With the five elements in play we need the sixth, a mysterious element that when combined with these creates harmony. This element is seen in few, they are not always leaders, they are not always the most important in the world of Equestria... but what they have deep inside is a dominating energy that has unimaginable power when unlocked! The element of Magic!" The voice echoed out into the room as Sketch's eyes began to glow. "Together you six hold The Elements of Harmony!"
"Nooo... What is this... It can't be!!" Sketch broke through the cell and the six mares began to circle the phantom mare. "NOOOO!" Their energy entwining around focusing all on Sketch. Around their necks strange objects began to appear out of nowhere. These badges of their cutie marks glowed brightly as the energy continued to pulse through all of them. Jaxx was four white Xs with a red orb in the center, Lavender's a paintbrush with a beautiful rose blooming from a stem, Bubblegum's of course a pink orb of gun with a blueberry and cherry inside it, Starlight had a bright Star with a question mark engraved on hers, North's was three green leaves jutting out from a stem. The final one was of course Sketch's badge with her pencil and paintbrush crossed one another with the artist cap above the two.
All together a jet of magical energy emitted from Sketch and blasted the phantom mare in a glorious and powerful light!
"NOOOOO!!!!" The phantom mare suddenly began to dissipate in the air as the power tore her dark energy apart! The brilliant spectacle to the others was completely radical! "WHAT IS THIS POWER... HOW DID YOU!!!" The Phantom Mare didn't stand a chance as the power dissipated her shadows.
As the blast subsided and they all began to float down to the ground DaisyChain, Red, Spike, and Sebastian came over to them to congratulate the mares and their amazing feat!
"Mares that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen since I witnessed the Majesty's Harmony fire all her guns at once... you just can't get much more awesome than that!" North looked down at her badge and gave a big giddy smile,
"OHHHH MARES, THIS IS SO SWAG!" Everypony felt excited to see their badges. They sensed something really special had just happened.
"Oh my this is very befitting of me, such a lovely piece to hang around my neck..." Lavender boasted with Bubblegum agreeing excitedly as she put her hoof over Lavender replying as she showed hers,
"And they match our cutie marks too!"
"What really... oh wow well ya look at that... they sure as sugar do!" Jaxx took a nice gander at her badge and felt proud of it. Spike seemed to be confused, he was trying to fathom why the mares were given the elements of harmony, were there supposed to be only one set if so, what happened to Twilight and her gang? this didn't settle with him well.
Out of the shadows a tall dark mare came towards them. North took the leadership once more and echoed,
"Whoever you are we're not afraid to use these...!"
"Yeah what she said!" Bubblegum interjected North puffing her chest out showing her badge ready to fight again. A voice of less malevolence began to answer,
"Now, now let us not be hasty mares..." She stepped out into the light where she had revealed her cosmic grace! It was none other than Princess Luna! Everypony gasped but DaisyChain who was caught off guard by the royal appearance and bowed stating with a loud clear tone,
"Lieutenant Major DaisyChain Mcloud At your service your Majesty!" Princess Luna gestured her to skip the formal greeting,
"There's no need for formalities, this is not a royal gathering or public appearance, this is more personal say friend to friend?" With an awkward smile she tried to be as friendly as she could. The orb just laughed at her replying,
"Oh sister you're still just as awkward as you were those years ago... have you not learned?"
"Sister don't start with me, you know these years have been unkind, and I've had no time to look at your research, a war is going on which takes my full attention..." With a regretting sigh she looked back at the ponies and continued, "So I'm guessing you all want an explanation?" Everypony nodded as they were still confused as to what was going on. "Ok well have a seat, it's going to take a bit of time to tell this story..."
The story she had to tell was not a pretty one. She spoke about the start of the war and why everything seemed to be out of whack. How an evil force of chaos was engulfing their world from some unknown place. She even spoke of the outer colonies and their constant fight to survive against the forces that continued to pour from nowhere. They all really just wanted to know why they had this crazy adventure, and Princess Luna nodded solemnly knowing this fact and she gave them the full explanation.
"My sister over here you all know as Princess Celestia, has been trapped for many years now in a location we still don't know. Risk of tracking her signal right now would provoke unknown consequences so she's kept her energy level at a low reading when projecting herself. She's spent years working on a project with me. It was to be a replacement for the Elements of Harmony we no longer have in possession."
"What... these are not the real elements of harmony?" The girls looked at their badges again in shock. Spike was now in more shock but his ill feeling filled back with a small hope, seeing Princess Celestia present even if she was not physically there made him eager to ask a question that has been hurting him inside to know. Princess Luna nodded and continued,
"These badges are a focused energy me and my sister had worked together to create, less potent than the true Elements of Harmony, but they will do the trick. You see ever since the disappearance of the main six, we've slowly begun to lose the fight with these chaotic invaders, our weakness is we don't have the elements of harmony anymore, it's begun to break apart through a crushing entropy..." Looking down with a rather serious expression she added, "Which is why I was so harsh on you mares, I've been under great deals of stress from this war, I've tried to keep it off Shining Armor's shoulders as he has plenty to deal with... but it seems to consume him everyday." North felt the whole harsh on them all was untrue as she felt their trials were nothing comparable to hers. Princess Luna paused a moment and turned to her sister's orb as Celestia spoke,
"I will admit sister you do have a great deal of problems to manage, but as of now this will change. The hope and fate of Equestria is in their hands now and I'm confident they will not let the kingdom down..." Celestia paused awkwardly as she felt a presence nearby, "I can't hang around too long though, I've already risked a lot being out here to lead you girls on your journey, I shall report to you later Luna, please be safe girls, and you all as well." Before she could leave she heard the sound of a familiar voice replying,
"Wait... Princess!" She looked quickly to see an adorable little purple dragon running up to her. "I know you have to go and all but I really need to know one thing!" She smiled warmly through the orb and nodded,
"Of course anything for you Spike..." Spike took a deep breath not knowing what the answer would be but he had to know.
"I have to know Princess, are... are they ok?" Princess Celestia immediately understood who he was asking about. She looked down at him with a very warm expression and replied,
"Don't worry Spike they are fine. I can sense their power of harmony is still strong and fighting valiantly..." She paused a moment as he smiled with his tail wagging, "But..." Suddenly as she began to speak on his tail began to stop wagging when she continued, "I'm afraid to say they are no longer in this world, they are beyond in a realm overwhelmed in chaos and evil. To say that they will never return is a lie, I feel everyday their power grows stronger. I know for a fact Spike you have not seen the last of them, so don't you lose that hope ok?" It was like somepony had lit a firecracker in Spike's soul! That sensation of assurance, that feeling that one day he'll see Rarity again, and Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy!
"DON'T YOU WORRY PRINCESS CELESTIA, I WON'T LOSE A SINGLE OUNCE OF IT!" Princess Celestia giggled as she answered,
"I know you won't Spike, now if you'll excuse me I have to play coy..." As she left, Spike turned to everypony and started hopping in the air yelling,
"I KNEW IT, I knew they were not gone for good! Oh this is amazing I feel like a whole new SPIKE, an even better Spike!" He started to flex his little muscles valiantly and DaisyChain laughed,
"With muscles like that dragon boy we don't have to worry about anything with you around!" Spike blushed as he answered back bashfully,
"Awww stop, you're killing me here!" They all laughed happily and as everypony was settled down, Princess Luna stood over them changing her attitude more seriously as she responded.
"Alright, now on to the real business, I'm sure you're wondering what you're going to be doing with those badges, well I'll tell you right now you're not going to be learning about the Magic of Friendship..." Spike began to grin really big as he pointed at Princess Luna replying,
"hehehehe I seen what you did there..." Princess Luna ignored Spike as she began to explain,
"First off these badges will not increase your abilities in any way shape or form, only when you six work together does the power activate. You're primary goal will be to protect the empire and it's core colonies from the forces of chaos, got it?" North speaking for the group as usual nodded,
"Yes your Majesty..." Princess Luna immediately responded,
"Good, Spike..."
"Yes Princess?" Spike looked up as he saluted to the Princess ready for his duty.
"You'll be receiving specific mission orders from myself only which you will dispatch to these ponies, and North I would like to have a word with you in private..."
"Yes your Majesty..." Princess Luna pointed over at DaisyChain and concluded,
"You, Lieutenant Major, you'll be in charge of physical training for these ponies, I want them to know how to properly defend themselves because these situations will have varying danger levels. Best to be prepared for the worst."
"You can count on me Princess!" DaisyChain saluted with her enthusiastic response. Before she forgot she added, "Oh yeah, I have a special message sent by Admiral Red Mane that Cloud Port Nine is occupied by enemy forces so, just a heads up it's a trap there." Luna acknowledged the relay of information as she carried on to summon North. The ponies all huddled together as the alicorn trotted up to the Princess.
"What is it you need?" Princess Luna turned her attention over to North and led her over to a window. The storm letting up to a light drizzle she responded,
"I know you have probably been wondering why you've been given a more serious treatment than the others..." North nodded slowly responding as she scratched her mane with her hoof nervously,
"Well yeah I was curious why it was so personal..." Princess Luna took a deep breath and mumbled,
"Loyalty is a strong element, and this kingdom needs a lot more of it. You see a dark discord has been growing more prevalent. Sources say an unspeakable force of disharmony is breaking down our own citizens into deceptive spies. I had to know that your loyalty was strong. Some of our greatest commanding officers had broke their loyalty to this discordian plague."
"Well you can count on me princess." Princess Luna nodded.
"It is good to hear. I am confident Northern Song you will not let our kingdom go astray into the hooves of chaos."
"Thanks." North replied back really expecting more of some super secret orders, but instead it was just a personal message to her from Luna though this meant her importance was highly valued by Princess Luna herself. She smiled as she walked North back over to the others stating,
"Well I best be heading back to Canterlot and don't you all worry, I will not be summoning you everyday, but be prepared when I do. Sketch I will wish to see you, North, and Lavender at Canterlot on your earliest conveniences..." She began to trot over to an opening in the wall as a chariot began to descend. She turned to the group and began to feel awkward as they had went through a lot to have to go back in the rain, "Well I don't suppose you all want to hoof it back home do you...?" Everypony shook their heads as they denied even wanting to think about it. "Well I think I can do something about that then." With a quick spell she began to teleport the whole group back to ponyville. She had even taken the liberty of teleporting them to their respective homes!
"Of course they could've just teleport us to the ruins but no they had to..." North paused her complaints turning her attention out the window in the rainy night. "Well I guess it all happened for a reason though." North decided that the first thing she would do was hit the hay and sleep off the extreme fatigue she felt! The one thing still buzzing in her mind was that huge pile of parts still soaking outside in that blasted rain storm.
Spike had no ounce of doubt he wanted to go to sleep right away. Jaxx could see her family was already doing the same, but she was not about to go to sleep without whipping up something really quick to feed her hunger. Bubblegum returned to her dad showing what had happened to the pogo-copter.
"No worries Bubbly Berry, I'll have this fixed in a jiff, at least you brought it back..." He gave her a happy noogie. Immediately making her feel happy she didn't make a big mistake. Starlight and Sebastian did the same as the others and slept off the ache of the trip. When Starlight had snuggled into her bed she giggled,
"I can't believe I got to see a Void Crosser, that was soooo cool! I felt just like Shooting Star Strike! SO AWESOME!" She squirmed around in her bed wanting to read her comics again, but she was patient enough to wait on that desire.
Over at Sketch's home Sketch-it had to sit on the couch and reflect on what had just happened. Lavender raced up the stairs crying out,
"Finally I can clean myself from this filth! I'll have myself a nice warm relaxing bath then I must tend to my destroyed mane, oh and my tail as well... then it is straight to bed in my cozy clean blankets." Red's eyes were sagging as he slowly made his way upstairs mumbling,
"I dare say that trip has me beat, I'm going straight to bed if nopony minds." The others dismissed him as he traveled to the spare room by Lavender's to sleep. Sketch-it began to mumble,
"I'm really sorry for having you all pulled into this." DaisyChain just acted like it was nothing replying,
"Don't sweat it mare, what could you do, you were picked by our royal majesties for a special assignment..."
"True, that's very true..." It didn't really require much thought to see that logic. "Still, I wish there was some other way this all could've ended... it feels as though they knew I was going to lose my brother or something..." Sketch still felt like crying about the loss of her only family. DaisyChain trotted over to her and refused to let her cry alone,
"Hey, hey..." DaisyChain felt awkward as she wasn't used to seeing this a lot, but she also had a very soft spot about these things. She kept thinking back at the hangar those sad eyes and the tears, the crying stallions who knew they probably were not going to see the outside alive. Watching Sketch cry just hit her deep inside. Peering around she could see Red was gone from sight and Lavender was probably not going to come down after her shower. Feeling secure nopony was around to see her soft side she nuzzled Sketch sweetly and whispered, "Shhhh, There there, come on girl let it out... I'm here for ya..." Patting her with a warm hug she felt the poor mare's tears getting her jacket wet.
"I mean he sounded like the greatest stallion ever in the whole wide world ya know, and I was going to be able to call him my brother... and he just, there's no getting him back! Just slipped away..."
"I know sugar pie, I know... it's rough... I know it's probably in bad taste but being respectful and all I brought his last letter to ya..."
"You... did..." DaisyChain nodded and trotted over to the envelope picking it up with her teeth, she brought it over to Sketch who levitated it in the air opening the fold slowly. That's when they both figured out his last words were missing as she picked up the only thing inside which was a photo. "There's nothing else there..." DaisyChain being really suspicious didn't like this one bit and she expressed it with a loud stomp of her hoof,
"WHAT... Ohhhhh I swear if I find whoever took it I'm gonna..." Sketch took a look over at the picture... that's when she finally seen her brother for the first time since ever! His blonde mane, pristine blue coat with a shining light pink heart on his flank. She giggled a bit inside as a tear dripped on the side of the photo. He looked really happy as he held his hoof with DaisyChain's... Sketch began to speculate what this was about as she looked upon the shining object wrapped around her hoof on the photo.
"What... what's that on your hoof?" DaisyChain looked over and smiled really nervously playing dumb,
"What hoof... my hoof?"
"Yeah the one you are using to hold my brother's..."
"Oh that's... ummm nothing really just some old piece of a cylinder I scrapped off a warbird engine, I wear it for well good luck... see..." Pausing awkwardly she smiled trying to slip by the question, she didn't hesitate to show the cylinder ring which was brand new and coated with shiny silver. "Blew it clean off my first bogie, yep... that's how I got it, now I remember it was back on my first tour of duty..." Sketch shrugged it off but knew better than to believe that story fully, how could something so brand new be a piece of scrap from her first fight?
"I don't understand why they are so happy?" This question was simple for DaisyChain to answer,
"Well they didn't want to be seen back home with sad faces, they went out smiling at the face of danger! FDDS..."
"FDDS?" DaisyChain nodded replying,
"You're brother had explained it in the somehow missing letter..." Still upset she pinned her ears back suspiciously darting her eyes around only to turn back to her finishing, "It stands for Fight like Dogs, but Die like Stallions. A saying in the army, we fight by our orders but when we die it is our own choice. If you were in the military you'd understand the importance of this. Them smiling was the only way they could feel confident in their final hours." Sketch-it brought the picture down to her hoof and ran it across the smooth photo seeing the words,
"To my lovely little Filly back home, here's something to remember me by..." The waterworks started up again as she sniffled and pouted and tried to keep herself from wailing the whole world awake! DaisyChain hopped on the couch by her side and cuddled up close to her with her ears drooped as she felt Sketch's pain.
"Awww, come on now if it makes you feel any better I really liked your brother too, and it hurts me a lot to have left him and the others behind."
"R....Really...?" DaisyChain nodded her head slowly nuzzling her cheek.
"It sure did, but they all told me I was the only one who could escape. If it's any consolation to you the reason I'm here is because of your brother..." Sketch looked up to her confused.
"W... Why what, how is he...?" Making sure nopony was in her sights she answered,
"He told me in his last words to take his place for you... now I like kicking some major tail, and I'd give anything to hop back in the military, but one thing I won't go back on is a last request, I figured it was time to hang up the fighting career anyway. My first major accident and it was by friendly fire... so that right there told me I better move on. So I accepted his request to come here and be your big sis, I felt close to your brother and I owed it to him for saving my life, oddly enough I was having strange dreams too, I guess Princess Celestia did know all about this..." Sketch felt that this reason for staying around was a whole lot more believable than just a simple rest stop.
DaisyChain turned her head slightly with a sad expression, "Out of all those odds, this one unicorn seen me and cared enough to catch me before I smashed through the clouds and fell to my death, odds were I was supposed to die... nopony was supposed to care really about one pegasus." DaisyChain looked at her wings, and down to her wounded shoulder. The more she thought about it, who in Equestria would've guessed she would've caught LightHeart's attention as she fell from the sky. He was a commanding officer not a medic. All the medics were bombed or scattered with no sense of where to go. She thanked Celestia Puppydog Tails and his small crew of aids were well prepared too. The more her thoughts ran by those odds the more she felt that maybe this was all a part of the Princesses' plan, it just all seemed too convenient. Her mind was halted when she heard a voice call over to her quietly,
"Daisy..." DaisyChain peered over raising a brow at Sketch. "Thank you..." She stopped thinking and started smiling as she rubbed Sketch's head with her hoof,
"Don't mention it kiddo..." She paused a moment and looked over at the cylinder ring she had on her hoof. As Sketch began to close her eyes, DaisyChain glanced at the picture of her holding LightHeart's hoof curled in Sketch's hoof. She quietly whispered, "Don't mention it..." as she began to lay her head by Sketch, a tiny tear broke out of her seemingly tough eyes. DaisyChain's eyes gazed off towards a window and it was plain to see on her face she was feeling a deep pain raging inside, one that was just as deep as Sketch's it seemed. When DaisyChain closed her eyes the tiny tear wiggled down her cheek and tickled Sketch's hoof. She opened her eyes quietly to see the small wet spot on her hoof guided by a tiny wet trickle from Daisy's eye. Sketch just nuzzled up closer to her placing her head on top of DaisyChain's hooves.