-The Advantages of Being Yourself
Hour 8
"You shall not win! You can't!!" Alicorn Twilight was kicking, and thrusting her hooves forward. Her body was weakening, and she could barley stand anymore.
"Twilight! We believe in you!" Pinkies voice broke the evil alicorns weak shouts. Her eyes were looking straight into those deep purple eyes. She could see Twilight's face within.
"She isn't th--" The alicorn was cut off. Another voice seeped through her lips. The voice of their friend. Twilight Sparkle.
"Help me!"
Pinkie's muzzle began to quiver. Her eyes lit up, and her mane began to curl once more.
"She's there! She's really there!!" A huge smile formed over the pink ponies face. Her grin was contagious to her friends. The sound of Twilight's voice caused all of their scratched up faces to smile.
The large purple alicorn began to shake. Her eyes were bulging. She shook her head about, causing her mane to sway all around. Her eyebrows lowered in a look of anger.
"Do you really think you can stop me!? Fools!! Can you not see that you have no chance? You're weaklings! Common ponies that don't even know how to use your new found magic! Even Celestia could not stop me! So what makes you think that you can?!" Her voice was booming loud once again. The five alicorns could no longer see Twilight within her purple eyes. Her face had disappeared.
Applejack's face was filled with remorse. Rarity could sense that she was on the verge of giving up hope, and she was too beginning to feel hopeless. Rainbow Dash didn't even feel confident anymore. Her eyes lowered to the ground, and her head began to throb. Fluttershy could no longer feel hope either. Twilight was right. They couldn't defeat her. They didn't have enough strength or courage to take her on. Their time was running out, and they no longer felt the need to carry on their hopeless journey. What would ever come of it? Twilight would only cause them more harm. Maybe even worse. Was it really worth the chances of losing their lives?
"Because Twilight needs our help, and we will save her."
Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all looked up at the voice that had answered. Pinkie Pie, with her mane like cotton candy, and her eyes glaring directly into the face of evil, stood above them all. Her wings were spread far apart, and her legs were ready to sprint. They couldn't believe it. Pinkie Pie was the only one that still had hope. They all glanced at each other. Their eyes were regretful, and their hearts were too. How could they have given up on their dear friend? How could they have been so selfish? If risking their lives was what it takes, then they were ready to put them on the line.
"She is most certainly right!"
"Twilight needs us!"
"And we sure ain't gonna' let y'all get yer way!"
"Um...what they said...."
The four cowering alicorns all stood up together. They joined Pinkie Pie, and side by side they stood together as friends. All five pairs of eyes stared into Twilight's.
"What?! You still dare to challenge me?! You're foolish! Foolish indeed!" As she spoke, her horn lit up. Black magic began to swarm around them once more. Clouds of black smoke began to fill the air, and the friends were separated by the thick mist.
"Y'all okay?"
A blue light began to break through the darkness. Rainbow Dash was creating her own magic now. She spun her head in the direction of Twilight. The blue ball of light flew off towards her. Twilight lowered her head, and shot out another black mist. It struck Rainbow Dash's magic head on, and they both devoured each other.
"We will have to do this together if we want to defeat her!" Rainbow's voice echoed through the blackness. She could faintly hear the responses that was sent back to her by her friends. She took this as an agreement.
"On my count!" Rainbow shouted.
The purple alicorn was enraged. She was now blasting black lightening bolts all around in the darkness. The ponies were filled with fear, but they stood their ground. They were going to keep their word. They were going to save Twilight, and defeat the black magic that had indulged her.
"One!"
The five alicorns began to focus themselves. They could feel their bodies become lighter. They could feel their heart increase in speed. Their minds were completely cleared from all thoughts.
"Two!"
The purple alicorn was now thrusting herself about. She was aimlessly trying to attempt to strike one of the other alicorns, but even she could not see within her own darkness that she created. A light suddenly began to form. One by one a stream of colors began to fill up the blackness. The light was becoming so bright that it began to blind Twilight. She lifted one hoof over her eyes to protect them from the sudden colors that surrounded her.
"Three!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs. The countdown was over. It was time to free their friend.
The five alicorns lifted themselves in the air. All at once they unleashed their magical power upon the evil Twilight. An extreme gust of wind blew past them. Screams could be heard coming from the purple alicorn, but her words were not heard. A blinding light devoured the blackness, and the five friends had to shield their eyes with their own hooves.
The wind began to die down. The light was no longer blinding, and the alicorns let their hooves fall to the ground. The darkness was no longer surrounding them. They were back in the streets of Canterlot. Their eyes greeted each other, and they all smiled to one another.
Their manes were all tangled, and their faces were all scratched up, and dirty. But they hardly noticed this at all. Their eyes were drawn to the ground. Laying upon the grass was a small pony. A unicorn to be exact. A purple unicorn. Twilight Sparkle.
Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna greeted them all at the castle doors. When the black magic was defeated, everything that was caused by it disappeared along with it.
"Well done, my little ponies. You've succeeded in your journey. I congratulate you on your bravery, and persistence to save your friend." Celestia's eyes followed over to Twilight's. Her eyes were staring at the ground below her.
"We thank you for saving her, and saving us." Luna smiled graciously towards the five, now normal once more, ponies.
"It was an honor." Rainbow Dash saluted. Fluttershy gently nuzzled Rainbow, who warmly nuzzled her back.
Celestia, and Luna both turned to Twilight Sparkle. Her head was lowered, and they could sense sorrow.
"What is it that is troubling you, my most faithful student?" Celestia knelt down before Twilight, and met her eye to eye. Twilight had tears streaming down her face.
"It was all my fault...I should have never been so foolish!" Twilight clenched her eyes shut.
Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all gathered by Twilight's side. She opened her eyes to see all of her best friends hugging her tightly. She could feel all of their warm bodies nudged against hers. She felt safe in their embrace.
"Could you guys ever forgive me?" Twilight's voice cracked as she looked deep into all of her friends eyes.
"Of course sugarcube." Applejack answered for them all.
Twilight's eyes filled with more tears. Tears of joy. She cuddled closer to her friends, but she could feel Pinkie's body the most. She was so warm, and caring, and she never gave up on her. She never had one doubt about her. She had been there for her the whole time when all hope appeared to be lost.
"It seems as if there was a great lesson on friendship that was learned today." Celestia smiled at the cuddling friends. Luna looked at her sister, and smiled.
"Yes there was, Princess..." Twilight meekly let out. Mere foolishness almost caused their friendship to be destroyed completely, but in the process there was still a lesson to be learned.
Celestia glanced a smile of approval. Knowing that their friendship withheld something this dark, and dangerous was knowing that there was nothing that could stop the love that they felt for one another. Twilight was surely beginning to fully understand the power that her friends possessed, and the power that she possesses too. The two princesses began to walk away back to their chambers, implying that the friends were free to go back home, but suddenly Celestia turned back around. She glanced one more time at the six friends. She had one more question to ask them.
"I do wonder how you managed to defeat the dark arts. Care to tell?" Mischief was twinkling in her eyes. Luna smirked at her sister.
"The magic of friendship, Princess." Pinkie Pie answered. Her smile was wider than ever, and her voice was happy, and giddy.
"That's good to know." Celestia smiled one last time, and then turned back around, and with Luna walked out of the throne room.
Spike was sleeping in his bed. He hadn't even known what had happened that day. He had been sleeping all day long apparently. Twilight made sure her baby dragon was tucked in nice, and cozily. It was dark out now, and the air was quite refreshing to her.
Twilight trotted down the stairs of her library, and walked over to her podium. An orange was sitting upon it, and a big black book.
Twilight lifted her hoof on the cover. She lined the sides of the book with her hooves, and studied the golden alicorn on the center of the old cover, and moved her hooves through every groove. She lightly brushed off the golden plates that lined it, and read the title.
She moved her hoof to the side of the book where the opening was. She slightly lifted the first page up, but then suddenly slammed the book shut.
A purple glow began to form around her horn as she lifted the book up with her magic. She dropped it into her fireplace, and with another flash of magic, fire began to burn inside the fireplace.
Twilight watched as the book was being devoured by the licks of the flames, and the crackles from the heat. The pages within began to instantly burn away, and the cover was slowly demolishing. The room was being filled with the smell of burnt leather, and heated metal.
The book was almost completely gone now. The last thing that Twilight saw before going to sleep for the night was the words, Dark Arts.
The End