The sun hung in the sky, yet there was no light. The day was at its peak, but they had just been plunged into a pitch black night. A night that seemed to swallow the world in its grasp, blocking out light, and hope, and replacing it with despair. Such is the power of the solar eclipse at which Applejack was staring.
"This isn't good" she said, a wave of cold running through her body. Not only was the moon blocking most of the suns light, but also its heat.
"It's downright scary" said Fluttershy, timidly walking at the back of the group
"Dont'cha worry, we've been through worse." Pinkie bounced over to Fluttershy and gave her a reassuring smile. It seemed to have a calming effect on the timid pony, however nothing could fully wipe away the fear and emptiness the eclipse filled the landscape with.
"I don't know how much farther I can go" she said
"Shy, you're doin great. Ah'm sure i's not tha' much farther anyway, right Dash?" Applejack said
All three of them turned towards the rainbow pegasus, who looked slightly lost at the head of the group. She gave a nervous chuckle.
"Ya, not much farther." he turned back to the compass. "Oh, cummon. You were just pointing ahead a minute ago, where are you pointing now? This could be my only chance to prove I'm a capable leader, and you're ruining it!"
"Trouble with th' compass, Dash?"
"The crazy thing keeps on leading us in circles." She turned towards the compass once more. "Why can't you just point straight for one! We're running out of time!"
The compass swung around to the one side, and than the other, and than behind them.
"For crying out loud!" Dash threw the compass towards the ground
"Easy there, sugarcube. Le's just calm down for a bit."
"I know, I just don't want to let you all down." Dash sat down on the ground, staring at the compass
Fluttershy walked towards the dejected pegasus. "You know, Dash, you could never let us down."
"But I've failed as a leader. I'm not even able to help guide us towards the spring."
"Maybe tha's cause you're tryin' too hard t' be a leader, and not hard enough t' find the spring."
Dash looked down at the compass, lying in the grass, barely visible in the darkness.
"Cummon Dashie. You just gotta get up and try again. I now you can do it! Do you wan't me to sing about it? Huh, do ya do ya?" Pinkie was already bouncing on the spot as she asked
Rainbow Dash picked up the compass and just stared at it for a while, letting Pinkie contemplate bursting into song in the middle of the dreary landscape.
"Please compass. Guide us to the spring. Not for me, but for the princesses. For my friends. For Equestria. Guide us forwards."
The compass came to life once more in her hands, pointing forwards with the same vigor as before, and nearly pulling itself from her grasp.
"Pinkie, I don't think we'll need that song!"
"Awww, but I just though of the perfect rhyme for 'Try once more'"
"We'll have to hear it later, let's go!"
Rainbow Dash immediately flew out to the lead again, followed by an excited Applejack, tentative Fluttershy, and disappointed-yet-still-happy Pinkie Pie.
"Dash, how do we know when we're gettin' close to th' spring?" The pony who was always sure of herself surprised them all by asking Dash the question, as if she was trying to bolster Dash's confidence as a leader.
"Well, the spring itself is magical, so I think we'll know..."
A blinding wave of light erupted from the center of the compass, blinding everypony. When it cleared, they were no longer running along the open plains of Equestria, but towards the side of a mountain.
"... when we're there."
"Alright, wha' just happened?" AJ asked
"The ground around us, it just... changed!" Dash replied
"Do you think we're at th' spring?"
Rainbow Dash looked down at the compass, stationary once more. "I certainly hope so" she replied. "Let me fly on ahead around that mountain and check."
The skies above were still dark and ominous underneath the mid-day moon, and the low hanging clouds made even Rainbow Dash hesitate as she took to the skies. Gliding around the mountain, she saw the moon reflecting off of the pristine surface of a lake, surrounded by forests at the foot of the mountain. Somepony was standing on the shore. She swooped lower to get a closer look, and immediately pulled up. That wasn't a pony standing there. It was a Draconequus!
Startled, she bolted away. But if that truly was Discord, why hadn't he stopped her? Before returning to her friends, she had to get another look, just to be sure. Silently gliding above the clouds, she approached the lake. Peering through the clouds, she glanced at the figure. It was indeed Discord. But he wasn't moving. Tentatively approaching, she glided down from the clouds until she was a few feet from the creature. It was still frozen in stone! She landed beside it.
"Ha, you're not that scary. Still stuck in stone I see?"
.........
It stepped out from the trees surrounding the forest, behind the oblivious pony. It couldn't use its magic, but needed to get rid of that pony. However, perhaps it could use that pony. It lifted a large rock above its head, and brought it forcefully down upon the pegasus's head. She crumpled immediately into an unconscious form on the ground. Dragging her into the forest, she hid the pegasus in the darkness. Out of the shadows, stepped Rainbow Dash
.........
Twilight lay in a heap upon her bed, door barred, light blocked from the room, completely overcome with grief. She had been crying ever since consciousness returned to her mind, refusing to see the real world and the mess she had made of it.
"Twilight, darling, there's no need to shut yourself in there. Now open this door up and let me come talk to you."
"Go away Rarity." Normally she would have felt poorly of herself for addressing her friend so sharply, but at this point there was nothing that could make her feel any worse.
"Twilight, I insist you let me in."
"Just leave me alone!"
"Twilight, you're being silly, let me in and we can work something out together." Rarity tried opening the door again, but found the same immense resistance blocking her path. She had never been the strongest pony, and had always relied on her words to open doors for her. But when dealing with such an overwhelmed pony, drastic measures had to be used.
"I really hoped I would never need to try this" she said, more to herself than anypony in particular. "But here goes. She needs me in there."
A magical field started to materialize around Rarity, as she felt the portal between her world and the world of nothingness used for teleportation come closer to her. Have I ever teleported before? Twilight's tried to instruct me how to, but never sucessfully. No time to worry, she needs me. Mustering up both the energy, and the courage, to delve into the world, she started to press the magic around her.
Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her back, and turned to see the pure white color of the sun princess's coat.
"Rarity, do you know what you're doing?"
Was it that obvious she was un-experienced?
"In all honesty, no. But I don't see what else I can do."
"I may not have magic, but let me guide you through it."
At that point, she was willing to take any help in the world. "Alright, Celestia. How do we do this?"
"First, expand your magical field to encompass both of us."
The glowing magic returned, brighter than before, and around both ponies.
"Now bring us through that gap into the other world."
It was wired hearing of the vast emptiness that teleportation brought you through called a world, but Rarity did as she was told. The castle around them twisted around them disappearing into the blackness of a void.
"Hold your magic together, don't let the pressures break it apart."
Rarity heard that not a moment too soon, as the oppressing, and overpowering, wall of force came at her from all angles, threatening to tear them apart from reality. The princess was literally putting her life into her hooves, and Rarity wasn't going to disappoint.
"Your doing great, Rarity. Now come with me."
The complement made her fight with renewed vigor, as she looked up to see the princess travel a few meters out into the void, still surrounded by Rarities magic. She followed suit.
"This should be far enough. Return us to our world once your ready."
Eager to escape the dreary nothingness of the void, Rarity brought them back to the castle almost too quickly, disorienting herself on the way. In a bright flash, the world around them twisted to the shape of the inside of Twilight's bedroom. The purple unicorn was still lying on her bed, head in her pillow, balling her eyes out. Ignoring her weariness and the Princess beside her, she rushed over to her friend
"Twilight, everything's going to be all right. Stop crying, dear Twilight, and look at me."
"No, Rarity, it's not going to be all right." The words were barely distinguishable between the chocked sobs. "I've failed all of Celestia's expectations, and destroyed the harmony that has prevailed for milennia in the process. It's my fault that the sun isn't in the sky, and that the moon is in front of it. All my fault. I wouldn't blame her for whatever punishment she brought upon me. I deserve it. I've failed. And worst of all, there's nothing I can do to make it right."
For the first time in her life, Rarity was at a loss for words. The only thing she could think of say were a few 'it's going to be alright's', and she knew just how little they would help. Pleading in her eyes, she turned to Celestia
"Twilight, may I speak with you?"
Twilight nearly jumped off her bed at the sound of the sun princesses voice.
"Celestia, your here! Oh no, Celestia I'm so sorry and I didn't mean for anything bad to happen and I was just trying to..."
"Twilight, relax. There's no need to cry, and no need to panic." She wanted to say everything was going to be all right but knew that the words would sound hollow, because she didn't truly believe them.
"Celestia, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that would happen."
"And how could you Twilight? You just did what you thought was right. And even though it caused great troubles, I'm proud that you would stand up to an unknown force to try and protect the sun, and Equestria."
"Really?" Twilight looked up from her pillow, mane streaked with tears and eyes still wet. But somewhere deep inside them was a glimmer of hope. Hope that perhaps she wasn't as much a disappointment as she feared
"Really Twilight. Though I must be honest with you. I'm scared"
"Scared? Why?"
"Disharmony. Now it truly does rule the skies, and it's only a matter of time before it comes to the ground. And when it does, Discord may finally be able to break from his prison."
"What can we do?"
"Nothing. All we can do is trust in the elements of harmony to guide our friends on their journey."
.........
"We're almost there, hurry up!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the ponies below. They rounded the corner, bringing the spring into view of the others on the ground
"Tha's some rough terrain gettin to the spring though. Give us some time, i's not goin anywhere." Applejack said
"Ya, but we could be getting out of here and headed back home."
"Well, if ya wanna try to speed us up by findin an easier path round the mountain, tha' would be mighty helpful."
"Just give me the chalice. I'll fill it up and be back before you know it."
"Alright, Dash"
Applejack reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the gleaming diamond chalice. It reflected the faint light of the eclipse, and emmited an eerie glow. She threw it into the air, where Dash was patiently waiting to catch it. The pegasus swooped low over the lake, chalice held tightly in her hooves. But instead of gathering water, she pulled up and began flying away from the pond at a rapid speed
"See you later fools." The words echoed from the pegasus, but in a sinister voice unlike Rainbow Dash's normal one.
"Dash, what are you doing?" Fluttershy leaped into the air to try and get to her friend, but knew that trying to outrace her was futile.
Suddenly, a rainbow blur streaked out of the forest, and crashed directly into Rainbow Dash. Two rainbow forms started tumbling out of the sky, as two Rainbow Dash's righted themselves in the air, one holding the chalice.
"Wait a minute. Two Dashies? I didn't know you had a twin!" said Pinkie
"I don't. That's not me" the one with the chalice said
The Rainbow Dash not holding the chalice began to be surrounded by a black magic, as its equine form melted around it. The levetation spell around it slowly raised it towards the sky. It was a pure-black pony, with 4 legs, a horn, and a single wing.
"You have meddled in my affairs for the last time." The voice seemed to resonate from every particle of air surrounding them. "I will see to it that you never see the light of another day!"
A black magic started to build up around it.
One more spell couldn't hurt it thought to itself.
Those were the last words it ever thought.
.........
The magic had consumed it so much, that calling it a pony at this point would be inaccurate. The creature became surrounded in a black field, radiating out pure power. Rainbow Dash was thrown away from the black circle encompassing it, sending her flying into her friends, and the chalice towards the mountain. An explosion radiated out from the center of the darkness, pressing the ponies into the earth and nearly suffocating them with it's overwhelming force. It was clear that the creature was not controlling itself; it was being controlled by the very magic it had used.
Applejack pulled herself up off the ground and stood tall.
"If i's a fight it wants, than i's a fight it'll get!"
"AJ, I'll stand strong with you!" Rainbow Dash took her place beside her friend.
"But... But... Applejack. I don't want to fight it" Fluttershy said, nervously.
"Alright Shy, if you don't wanna fight than you'll need ta go an' get the chalice from the mountain."
"Oh, Oh, can I go with Shy to get the chalice. Please please pleeeeease?" begged Pinkie.
"We can handle it ourselves, right Applejack?" said Dash, perhaps a bit too confidently.
"Alright Pinkie, you can go with Shy."
"YAY. Cummon Shy, let's go get that chalice!"
Fluttershy seemed much less tentative now that Pinkie was going with her, and much more enthusiastically than anypony would have suspected, hurried after the bouncing pink pony.
"Are you ready Applejack?"
"To stand with mah friends for the fate of Equestria? Ah'm ready."
They slowly advanced towards the black magical ball, bracing for any attack that could come at them. As they approached, a sinister voice blasted through the air, echoing off the mountain.
"So you wish to stand against me? I shall enjoy destroying you."
The black magic started to dissipate, and out of it emerged a creature, surrounded by such a thick field of magic, that it's very form could not be made out.
"You go high, ah'll go low?"
"Just what I was thinking"
Rainbow Dash launched herself high into the air, while Applejack braced herself on the ground against the advancing creature.
"You'll never harm ma'h friends." she said, launching pointed rocks towards it with her back hooves. Meniacle laughter rolled through the air, as each rock stopped by magic mere inches away from the black shield. Each rock then returned towards the earth pony, at a much faster speed then before. She had a single second to avoid being smashed into a pulp, and was able to escape with only a glancing blow landing upon her flank. Pain shot through her body, but she pressed it down with her mind. She could deal with it later.
"Ya'll will need more than tha' if ya want past."
She couldn't see the smile appear on its face, as much as feel its amusement at her resistance fill the air. Thousands of tiny rocks started levitating beside it, spinning around and building up speed, until
The entire world disappeared into a brief flash of white. Applejack used the distraction to make her way up the mountain, barely able to see because of the... was that a cloud that crashed into the ground? She hear the sound of a thousand tiny rocks colliding with the mountain behind her, and picked her pace up even more until she was partially up the mountain. She glanced upwards, to see Rainbow Dash send another cloud flying towards the ground, keeping the creature blind in a viel of pure white.
"How are we doing on time?" Dash shouted down
Applejack turned around to see Pinkie and Fluttershy still searching for where the chalice could have landed.
"Still need a bit more" she shouted back
"I see it!" came a cry from Fluttershy, flying over to a small yet dark cave in the mountainside. She entered without hesitation, and emerged with the chalice a few moments later. She began triumphantly soaring down the mountainside towards Pinkie.
The ground beneath her exploded in a flash of black, launching the pegasus across the lake and the chalice into the air. As Applejack turned her attention to the creature once more, Pinkie turned it to the chalice.
"I've got it! I've got it!" she shouted repeatedly, bouncing up the mountain as if it were flat ground. She was matching the movement of the chalice foot for foot. It started its fall to the ground, as Pinkie headed for it.
"I've got it!"
The ground underneath the pink pony suddenly shifted, sending her tumbling forwards. The chalice plummeted towards the ground uncontrollably. The ground where the chalice was going to land molded itself into rock spikes. As the chalice crashed into the ground, it shattered into hundreds of tiny fragments
"But, but. I was going to catch it!" Pinkie shouted, almost breaking into tears. A maniacal laugh filled the air, cut short as a sharp thud filled the air. Pinkie turned around to see Applejack's hooves make contact with whatever the creature beneath the magic was, and send it flying into the spring
Immedeately, Applejack rushed over to Pinkies aid. Rainbow Dash was already at Fluttershy's side on the other side of the spring, inspecting her for injuries.
"You alright Pinkie?"
Pinkie answered the question by returning a sad smile to AJ.
The black creature levitated out of the spring, in the middle of the two pairs of ponies.
Applejack picked up a shard of the chalice, and put it in Pinkies hoof. "D'ya think you can get this t' Dash?" she asked
"Okie Dokie Lokie" Pinkie replied, taking the shard from Applejack.
"And tell her 'The skies the limit.'" Pinkie jumped off of the mountain, landing in the spring and disappearing under the water. Applejack picked another shard up off the ground before turning around. The creature was slowly advancing on the two pegasi, one cowering in fear while the other trying to protect her.
"Hey ugly. Don't you take another step towards mah friends, ya hear?"
The creature turned around, glaring at the earth pony.
"And what are you going to do about it?"
"Oh, you do not want t' know what a friend does when she's mad"
"Try me"
"You asked for it"
Applejack charged forwards towards the spring, as the creature turned around to meet her. A black beam of concnetrated magic launched itself towards the earth pony. She nimbly flicked the shard in her hoof around, blocking the beam and absorbing it's magic. The shard started to heat up, but Applejack forced herself to withstand the pain.
Dash, you better be ready she thought.
Launching herself through the air, she crashed directly into the creature, and they tumbled into the spring. It wasn't very deep, so she was able to pin the creature to the ground with her hooves, while struggling to hold her breath. Looking up she saw a rainbow streak flying towards them. She felt struggling underneath her, and brought her hooves sharply down upon the creature. The fire that seared up her legs made her gasp in pain, causing her to lose some of her already diminishing oxygen supply. Her lungs screamed for air, but she would not give it to them. Just a few more seconds.
An explosion filled the air, as a rainboom radiated outwards over the sky, with the pegasus heading straight for them at super-sonic speeds. A streak of light launched out from the pegasus, glowing and reflecting all the colors of the rainbow, and aimed straight for them. The pegasus banked sideways, as Applejack held her position until the last possible second. Using all her might, she launched herself out of the way as a diamond shard pierced the magical shield of the creature, and embedded itself in its heart.
The black veil surrounding it disappeared, as dark magic leached out of it and dissipated into thin air. It let out a shrill cry, before its coal black eyes closed, as it passed into unconsciousness.
.........
It layed there, broken wings, broken heart, broken dreams. Everything it had tried bounced harmlessly off these ponies. They worked together in such harmony, that nothing could harm them. It felt despair, at having come so close to its goal, yet to not reach it. Thousands of years of planning and preparing, to end like this. It just wasn't fair that no matter what, it could not succeed. It wasn't right. But it was life, and there was nothing to be done about it. Pain shot through its chest, as it felt the diamond spike being pulled out of its chest. Its eyes shot open
"Oh, no, mister pony. You seem awfly hurt. Let me help you."
A yellow pegasus was crouched over it, gently removing the spike and lying it on the ground next to where it had been dragged to
"You were just misunderstood, and let your magic and jealousy control you. Your not a bad pony. Your just like Nigtmare Moon. All you need is a second chance, and perhaps a friend"
The pegaus pulled out some bandages and medicine from bag and went about fixing up the wound. The bandages stung, and its chest throbbed with unimaginable pain, but it was alive. At least that was good. The pegasus put some sort of herb into its mouth, and forced it to swallow. The pain receded to a simple dull throb, clearing its mind enough to think.
"Dash, could you come and help me bring him to the water? I need to finish cleaning the wound."
It felt itself moving, and than being set down at the edge of the lake. It looked towards the water, only to see a pure white pony looking back at it. The magic had been destroyed by the shard. It tried to stand, stretching it's wing out, but collapsed upon itself.
"Oh my, what happened to your wing?" the pegasus asked, examining the lone wing. It gave no response.
"Don't worry. It's not that bad." It could hear the doubt in her voice. It knew just how bad it looked to be a pony with one wing. "In fact, it looks old. When did this happen?" That was a piece of information it shared with no-one. It hadn't allowed the memory to live for such a long time, it silently wondered if it still possessed that knowledge.
"Nevermind" she said, "let me just finish bandaging you up"
It turned its head to the side, looking around the lake. The moon was still in an eclipse, but now that they were here it doubted that would last much longer. The orange earth pony and cyan pegasus were staring down at a pile of diamond shards.
"How are we ever going to get the water back to the castle now?" Rainbow Dash asked
"Ah dunno."
A pink pony bounced past it, picking up the diamond shard that the pegasus had removed from its chest as she passed. It watched as she dumped the shards onto the pile.
"Here we go, every last fragment!"
"Thanks Pinkie, bu' what can we do now?"
"The waters magic silly, it can fix broken cups!" Before anypony could react, she pushed the pile into the water
"PINKIE!"
There was a bright flash of light, and Pinkie reached into the water and pulled out a intact, full of water, diamond chalice. Applejack took the cup, still in disbelief, and walked over to the hurt pony.
"It's time to go Fluttershy. You've done all you can to help him."
The yellow pegasus looked down at the hurt pony. "Do you want to come with us? Be my friend?"
It simply shook its head
The cyan pegasus walked over to them. "Well, next time your looking for a fight, don't pick it with the elements of harmony."
Its eyes grew extremely wide.
"What, you didn't know?"
It shook it's head, eager to learn more.
"We defeated Nightmare Moon by harnessing the element. Of course, there were 2 more of us, but there back at the castle taking care of the princesses."
"Speaking of the caste, ah would love to be headed back there. But how the hay are we going to bring this back?" Applejack said, walking over to the statue of Discord still standing a few feet away
It got up and walked over to the earth pony. With a bright flash of white light, the statue disappeared.
"Where the hay did you send it?" the pony said, threateningly
It didn't answer, but simply looked out over the mountain and into the distance
Pinkie walked up to beside Applejack, taking the compass from her bag. "Cummon girls. You said there'd be a party here and there wasn't. So now we need to get back to canterlot to throw a 'we saved the world again' party! Compass, can you please please please please take us back to canterlot? Cause I really really really really want another party again!"
The compass swiveled around and pointed over the mountain and into the distance.
"Canterlots that-a-way" she said, pointing her hoof in the direction of the compass. It was the same direction the injured pony was looking in
"Did you send it back to canterlot?" Applejack asked
It simply nodded its head
"Wow. That was mighty nice of you. Your not such a bad pony after all."
"If you ever want to visit ponyville we'll be more than happy to have you." Fluttershy said, following the pink pony already disappearing over the mountain
The four adventurous ponies left the spring, glad to finally be headed home. Behind them remained the injured pony, allowing its wounds to heal in the magic of the spring, while contemplating the future that lay before it.