Facing off against Nightmare Moon
Back in Equestria, all ten friends all finally make their way to the Castle of the Two Sisters where the elements are said to be held inside. The castle itself due to being abandoned as very well maintained since it has been years since anyone has ever visited the place but was still sturdy to still remaining standing. With all things considered it was pretty good considering the poor architecture.
They all made their way to the room just as soon as they all walk in where said elements are said to be held and in front of them was a statue with five stone circular cases with various shape images carved into them with a sixth stone in the center bigger than the other five while covered with overgrowing weeds and moss on the top.
For Twilight, it was something she has waited for quite a while, and is pleased to finally be able to get them. She couldn’t have done it without all of her new friends both the five ponies and the majority of the Lion Guard to which she for the first time in her life is pleased to see how far their newfound teamwork has gotten them.
“Finally! We made it!” Pinkie happily expressed her joy that they have arrived at their destination.
“Great! Now to get the elements, find and stop Nightmare Moon, and save Bunga.” Kion also said very pleased that they have all made it here at last.
“Come on Twilight!” Applejack called out to her as she is the last to come inside. “Isn’t this what you have been waiting for?”
Twilight approaches the statue as she silently answers yes to the farm pony’s question in her mind as she looked onto the statue in question.
“The elements! We found them!” Twilight happily expressed as Rainbow and Fluttershy fly over to two of the stones and pull them over from the places and down onto the ground.
“Um, those are all just stone pieces of a statue in an old dusty building.” Fuli brought up with a questionable expression at the statue as Ono can’t help but wonder exactly how these circular stones are supposed to help them save Equestria
“They are where the elements are and as exactly in the book.” Twilight briefly turned her attention to the cheetah and egret to clarify. “They need something to get the magic working on them to be able to use them.”
“Careful. Careful.” She instructed the two Pegasus ponies to handle all five stones with delicate care.
“One, two, three, four um…there’s only five?” Pinkie counted each one with a pointing hoof at each one while her count turns to confusion as there is supposed to six accounted for as the lavender mare examines the stones.
“Where’s the sixth?” Rainbow asked.
"The book said when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed."
“What could that mean?” Beshte curiously wondered.
"Exactly! What in the hay is that suppose to mean?" Applejack asked looking very confused and somewhat agitated that the answer isn’t very specific from what Twilight tried to describe what she read to the best of her knowledge.
"I'm not sure. But I do have an idea.” Twilight could only answer as she thinks. “Stand back." She instructed the others to do so as the girls and the Lion Guard stepped back. Twilight then closes her eyes and focuses her magic on the stones. Applejack and Ono then see that she's trying to perform a spell.
“I get it!” Ono got the idea of what she is doing. “A magical spark. Of course.”
"Come on now, y'all." Applejack said as she urged the others to leave the room. "She needs to concentrate." The girls nodded and took a couple of steps backwards while the guard watches from the doorway while Kion watched from a fair distance from Twilight as she tried to work her magic on them.
Kion tried to figure if there is something else that needs to work other than just a magical spark but can’t put a claw on it as he looked back and then widen his eyes at a sight approaching them. The mist from earlier slips inside and appears in front of them, encircling the five artifacts with her magic.
“Twilight, Watch Out!” Kion tried to warn the unicorn a little too late as she finds herself along with the elements sucked inside.
“Twilight?” The girls who were all waiting outside said out loud upon hearing the strange sounds from inside while Beshte immediately stands his ground and blocks Fuli and Ono from getting sucked into the tornado too.
“Hang on Twilight!” Kion said as he tried to stop Twilight by grabbing onto her tail with his teeth while trying to plant his claws into the ceiling tile floors. He struggled as his grip slipped from the tornado’s strength until he couldn’t hold on anymore and found himself sucked into the tornado too as it then dissipates and vanishes.
“KION!” Fuli, Beshte, and Ono cried out in horror as the Mane Five all arrived on the scene.
"TWILIGHT!" They also cried in the same tone as they voice out loud wondering where they could have gone as they all frantically looked around until Rarity spotted something from across the room.
"Look!" Rarity called out, pointing at another building of the castle which had bright blue light shining in the room with a stairway leading up to the place.
"Ono can you get a look?” Fuli asked of him who immediately flies and uses his keen sight to examine the commotion in said tower.
He looks on and sees blue smoke clearing up to reveal Twilight and Kion are there but so is Nightmare Moon as she is the one who was behind their teleportation to the other place.
“I see them!” Ono said as he found their friends. “But…Hapana…and so is Nightmare Moon!”
"Then we better get on over there!" Fuli said with determination as she leads the way towards where their friends are. “Come on!”
In said part of the castle, the ball of light reappears there and releases smoke as both Twilight and Kion appear unharmed while coughing due to being surrounded by it until it cleared up. Looking up, the two saw as they gasped of what was before them. Nightmare Moon, standing on a pedestal, evilly laughing as she holds the five Element stones in her magical grasp.
“Nightmare Moon!” Kion said in the mare’s direction with fierce anger.
"Well, well, well. If it isn’t the young lion with his little powerful roar?" She said in a mocking tone. “I see you have managed to make it all the way here along with your new friend.”
“Where’s Bunga?!” Kion angrily demanded.
“Bunga?” Nightmare pretended for a moment she didn’t know who he is. “Oh wait, you mean my hostage.” She then said as she presented said honey badger in her magical grasp.
“Bunga?!” Kion said in distress as his friend is unable to break from his restraints.
“Kion! Kion!” Bunga tried to call out but was unable to get his friends to hear him due to a sound canceling spell Nightmare cast on him.
“Bunga! What’s going on?” Kion tried to call out to him. “I can’t make sense of what you are saying.”
“Kion! She’s going to try to take over Equestria and send it in a reign of eternal night!” Bunga tried to speak but couldn’t get a word out to Kion due to the spell muting him.
“Bunga she’s using you as a hostage!” Kion called back. “She trying to bring on eternal night!”
“That’s what I’m trying to say!” Bunga called sounding annoyed that he can’t get a word out to him.
“Oh my apologies. But your friend was so annoying I had to cast a spell to get him to shut up.” Nightmare said with the last-part with eye-rolling and gritted teeth annoyance. “Honestly, how are you still friends with him?”
"Let him go!” Kion again demanded of the alicorn.
“And what? You’ll roar at me?” Nightmare scoffed it off with an amused expression and an raised eyebrow. “Maybe you haven’t realized what the massive power of your roar can do if you’re not careful.”
With an aura of magic she replayed the moment Kion used his Roar against her which did little to force her back while scattering many ponies around her who happened to be caught within the Roar’s range.
As Twilight shakes it off as an accident along with not letting her taunts get to her, Kion can’t help but feel devastated and mortified by what he did with the power of the Roar while Nightmare smirks seeing she’s got the lion right where she wants him.
“Hevi Kabisa.” Kion sadly remarked in shame as he looked down.
“Must be a real shame to hurt those you care about. Sure make’s you wondering if you are truly a worthy leader of your precious Lion Guard when you really are as worthless and pathetic just like your father said.” Nightmare further remarked to put down as Kion is left speechless as he recalls the last time he saw his father without a comeback as she turns to the unicorn with him. “At least you got spunk young one being able to get through all of my attempts to try to get you all away from this here castle yet you all managed to survive very well I might add.”
“Enough talk!” Twilight spoke in defiance to her attempts to manipulate her as she draws back a hoof ready to charge at her.
“You’re kidding? You’re kidding right?” Nightmare asked the unicorn in disbelief that she is serious about challenging her.
Twilight doesn’t reply but makes it perfectly clear as she charges her horn with determination not to give in to her with magic and charges right at her.
Seeing that this mare is not backing off, she also charges right at the unicorn too.
But before their horns collided, Twilight disappeared in a flash. The alicorn skids to a stop, confused by the unicorn's disappearance wondering where she went until she saw her reappearing right where the Elements are.
Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth upon seeing what her true aim was as she tried to work her magic on the Elements.
She works to try to find the spark as Nightmare reappears in front of her and forces her away with a blast of magic of her own back to the center of the room as Kion still is feeling downcast unable to gain the courage to fight. But she still managed to work enough magic to get to start taking effect.
"No! No!" She shouted as Twilight smirked seeing that her plan is starting to work as the five Elements began to glow until they immediately stopped working.
"What?” Twilight expressed shock that nothing happened. "Where's the sixth element?"
Nightmare Moon laughed seeing this attempt fall flat as she then with one stomp on the ground creates a small shockwave that shatters the stones as Twilight gasped and can only watch helplessly seeing her plan failed.
"You little foal and cub. Thinking you two can defeat me. Now you will never see your Princess, or your sun, or your king and queen, along with your home again!" Nightmare Moon then triumphantly said. "The night will last forever!!!" She then gives off a laugh while her horn begins to light up with powerful magic as Twilight had nothing up her hooves to counter whatever she is going to do next as much as her new lion companion while Bunga futilely tries to scream to Kion not to give in to her.
“Don’t listen to her! Use the Roar!” He tried to speak out to him with zero result.
It was now hopeless as it seems Nightmare Moon has left Princess Celestia no choice but to comply with her demands as secretly watches the scene with her travelers watching on from her back.
“We got to do something?" Simba voiced seeing his son and friend are facing a losing battle right now.
“Fly us down there!” Timon also voiced agreeing with the lion king as he and Pumbaa prepared to dive down to try to do something only to be caught and stopped by the alicorn princess’s magic.
“Just watch.” She calmly told everyone as Nala is also looking visibly worried of how this is going to turn out while she calmly watches the scene unfold.
At that moment a newfound spark shined in Twilight’s eyes when she heard both her pony friends and the Lion Guard friends calling out for her and Kion’s names.
Fuli was the first to run in at her super speed as she charges ahead and tackles Nightmare Moon by surprise as she finds herself tackled by the cheetah before forcing her off with a kick to force her back to where the others are.
Seeing their arrival gave Twilight a warm smile on her face and with new means of how they can defeat Nightmare Moon and save all of Equestria along with Bunga.
“You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here.” Twilight then confidently said in the villainous mare’s face as she continues with the shards of shattered stone rise from the ground.
“What?!” Nightmare said in surprise seeing them rise.
“Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty!” She said as she recalled the memory of nearly falling over the cliff. “Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness!” She said as she recalls that particular moment. “Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!” She said as she recalls the memory of scary faced trees. “Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!” She said as she recalled Rarity’s generous gesture. “And Rainbow Dash, who gave up her heart's desire to help her friends, represents the spirit of Loyalty!” She said as she recalled Rainbow’s important decision. “The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us. Nightmare Moon!"
As Twilight speaks the shards all encircle all of the mares who represent their elements.
“You still don’t have the sixth element the spark didn’t work!” Nightmare protested to assert that she has still won. “None of these creatures from wherever they are from represent it!”
"But it did. A different kind of spark." Twilight said as she turned to her friends. "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, and how much I cared about you, just as you cared about me. The spark ignited inside me, when I realized that you all, are my friends!"
At that moment above the group, a bright powerful light shined through the room, the sixth stone that floated over them. The stone had an engraving of a six pointed star which is the same as Twilight's cutie mark. Nightmare Moon could only shield her eyes as it descended above Twilight's head.
"You see, Nightmare Moon." Twilight further went on. "When those Elements are ignited by the spark, the spark that resides in all of our hearts. It creates the sixth element. The Element of Magic!" The light from above then shines a bright light over all six of them, while the Lion Guard and Nightmare Moon watches, the former party watching on in amazed awe.
Nightmare in an effort to stop them tries to fly over to the six ponies to stop them.
Ono’s keen sight managed to catch it just as she was thinking it.
“Hapana! Fuli! Beshte! Quick!” Ono alerted the two as they quickly see what she is going to do as they quickly take action as Fuli tackles the mare to force her back again while Beshte follows it up with a quick straight plow to knock her silly to stun her momentarily and briefly buried in a pile of rubble that had formed from the impact of being forced back into the weaken castle walls.
“Huwezi!” Fuli shouted as she knocked aside Nightmare.
“Twende kiboko!” Beshte shouted as he plowed right into her causing the latter to lose her grip on Bunga as he falls right on Beshte’s back before leaping back over in front of the villainous alicorn.
"Zuka Zama!" He shouted as he unleashed a very gassy fart against her.
"Oooh." Nightmare said as she passed out from the gas while Rarity resisted the urge to throw up enough as she loses her load out of a nearby broken window.
"That oughta teach against messing with the Lion Guard's Bravest." Bunga boldly declared as he reunited with Beshte.
“Beshte!” Bunga happily said as he reunites with him.
“Little B.” Beshte said just as happily as he returns the favor as Twilight turns to still see Kion looking down in despair.
“Come on Kion! Get ready!” Twilight called out to the lion cub. “As soon as the magic charges up we need you to use that Roar of yours. With it by our side we can really get force out all of darkness in her heart.”
“Twilight I can’t…” Kion still refused to step up. “I don’t have what it takes to be a lead. Or use the Roar.”
“Yes you do!” Twilight asserted otherwise. “You have what it takes to be the fiercest since you persisted throughout this journey and past all of these obstacles and did whatever you could to get out all the way here just to save your friend. Even if he is annoying at times.”
“Hey!” Bunga tried to protest in offense to that comment. “Since when am I super annoying?”
“Like all the time.” Fuli stoically commented as everyone shows the same deadpan reactions minus Beshte and Fluttershy who aren’t as blunt as the other’s.
“Okay point taken.” Bunga accepted that while still annoyed with crossed arms.
“Any point being…” Twilight then said to quickly move things along with time at the essence while looking at the other group of companions one by one. “…You have what it takes to step up to lead your Lion Guard and so do your friends. Back when the cliff fell apart, along with Applejack, Beshte was there with the strength to stop us falling over. Fluttershy was also able to show kindness to the manticore thanks to Ono’s keen sight catching the thorn in his paw. Like Pinkie, Bunga even while captured was brave in the face of danger standing up to Nightmare. And Fuli like Rainbow had the speed to save me from falling over the cliff while Rainbow was dealing with the Shadowbolts which means she is also the fastest.”
All four Lion Guard members smile proudly seeing that Twilight has faith in them to step up to the challenge.
“They have what it takes to step up to the challenge and so do you!” Twilight further encouraged the young lion. “Just trust your instincts!”
Kion turned to his friends who give silent encouragement and smiles that agree with Twilight’s assessment as the Mark of the Guard, an image of a roaring lion appears on his left shoulder.
“All right.” Kion said feeling confident. “Let’s do this! That is if you all are in.” She said the last part in the Guard’s direction.
“I'm in.” Fuli voiced her support.
“Ditto.” Ono agreed on board with this.
“Let’s do this!” Bunga also said in agreement.
“Lay it on us, Kion.” Beshte said in agreement with his friends too as a mark featuring a roaring lion appearing on Kion’s left shoulder to cement that Kion is ready to lead the Lion Guard with the very mark to show for it.
Kion then walks over to his friends one by one starting with Bunga.
“Bunga…” Kion started as he tapped his shoulder making the same mark appear on his shoulder leaving the honey badger excited seeing this. “You are the bravest.”
“Fuli…” Kion then said in her direction as he approaches her and does the same to her to give her the Mark of the Guard with the cheetah looking very pleased to see her new mark. “You are the fastest.”
“Ono…” Kion turned to the egret as he repeated the process as he admires his wings as Kion turns to Beshte. “You are the keenest of sight.”
“Beshte...You are the strongest.” Kion said as he finished the process with giving Beshte’s mark as the hippo flapped his ears in delight. “And we are the Lion Guard.”
As soon as the Lion Guard was officially assembled the crystal shards around the five mares transformed into five golden necklaces, each with a special jewel in the shape of the wearer's cutie mark all appearing around their necks. The orange apple represents Honesty, the red lightning bolt represents Loyalty, the purple lozenge represents Generosity, the pink butterfly represents Kindness, and the blue balloon represents Laughter, and the unbroken stone transforms into a gold tiara with a magenta colored six-pointed star, which appears on Twilight's head. Her eyes glowed bright white as Nightmare Moon began to regain consciousness and emerge from the rubble.
“Ready?” Twilight called out as she pointed a hoof in Nightmare’s direction with Kion getting in position right besides the floating group of ponies. “Now!"
Kion then focuses his concentration as the clouds began to form with thunder rumbling leaving the stunned mare wondering what’s happening next and when Kion was ready…
He unleashed the power of the Roar on her just as the girls joined hooves together to create a rainbow colored wave of magic to appear up and right toward Nightmare Moon, trapping her into a rainbow colored twister.
"NOOOO!!!!!" She shouted as the power of the Element’s and the Roar’s magic overwhelmed her, with a bright hot white flashing light shining the entire room, flashing all over through the castle windows.