//------------------------------// // Episode Two: The Elements of Harmony // Story: My Little Brony: Mateship is Magic // by Rainy Meadows //------------------------------// MY LITTLE BRONY: MATESHIP IS MAGIC My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Rule 63 Edition EPISODE TWO: THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY Developed by Rainy Meadows Cover image by Trotsworth CHARACTERS: Dusk Shine: Prides himself on being the star student of Lord Solaris – an antisocial who is uneasy about meeting new ponies. Spines: Dusk Shine’s assistant – a baby dragon and his best friend/little sister – sometimes feels unappreciated, and occasionally has to prompt/coerce Dusk Shine. Applejack: Belongs to an extensive family of apple farmers, and is strong and reliable in a bad situation. Speaks with a thick Southern American accent. Rainbow Blitz: An athletic weather pony who idolizes the Wonderbolts and is renowned for boasting and bragging about his achievements. Elusive: Speaks with a heavy Mid-Atlantic accent – very critical when it comes to details and fussy about his appearance. Butterscotch: An extremely shy and easy-to-scare pony who enjoys anything to do with animals, but is not as antisocial as Dusk Shine. His voice is very quiet. Bubble Berry: Quite possibly the happiest, most energetic, most RANDOM pony in the whole of Equestria – obsessed with parties and finds it impossible to be quiet. Lesser characters: Sea serpent: ‘Nuff said. The Shadowbolts: A group of flyers which try to seduce Rainbow Blitz. Lord Solaris: Ruler of Equestria Nightterror Nebula/Prince Artemis: Lord Solaris’ younger brother, corrupted into an evil overlord who wants to bring about eternal night.   Previously on My Little Brony... Dusk: Elements, Elements, E, E, E... Aha! (stops skimming) Elements of Harmony. See Stallion in the Moon? Spines: But that’s just an old pony’s tale. Dusk: Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars shall aid in his escape, and he shall bring about night time eternal! Dusk: It’s imperative that Lord Solaris is told right away! Dusk: What’d I say? Spines: My dear Dusk Shine, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying. Spines: Make some friends! Bubble Berry: (leaps into the air) *GAAAAAASP!* Dusk: All the ponies in this town are CRAZY! Elusive: He’s gone! Dusk: Oh no. Nightterror Nebula! Nightterror Nebula: (laughs) (theme song) Nightterror Nebula: (laughs) Mayor: Seize him! Only he knows where Lord Solaris is! A group of royal guards takes off and tries to attack NN. NN: Stay back you foals! (zaps them away with lightning and laughs) Everypony panics and runs around screaming. Applejack loses his grip on Rainbow Blitz’s tail, and he flies outside after the wisp of purple smoke that NN has become. Rainbow Blitz: Get back here! (stops flying and hovers in midair) Night time? Forever? (sees Dusk Shine running back to the library with Spines on his back) And where are YOU off to? In the library, Dusk is putting Spines in her bed. Spines: (tired) We-we’ve gotta stop Nightterror... (falls asleep: Dusk drapes a blanket over her) Dusk Shine: You’ve been up all night, Spines. You are a baby dragon after all. He turns the light off and goes downstairs, and begins desperately searching through books. Dusk: Elements, Elements, Elements... How am I supposed to stop Nightterror Nebula without the Elements of Harmony? Blitz: (flies right into Dusk’s face) And just what ARE the Elements of Harmony? And how did you know about Nightterror Nebula, huh? Are you a SPY? Whoa! He is pulled back by AJ, and they are joined by Bubble Berry, Butterscotch and Elusive. Applejack: Simmer down, Sally. He ain’t no spy... but he sure knows what’s goin’ on. Don’t ‘cha, Dusk Shine? Dusk: *sigh* I read all about the return of Nightterror Nebula. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop him. But I don’t know what they are, or where to find them. I don’t even know what they do! Bubble Berry: (looking at a bookshelf) The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. Dusk knocks him out of the way. Dusk: How did you find that? Berry: (singsong) It was under E! Dusk: (quietly) Oh. He pulls out the book and starts to read aloud. Dusk: There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the Elements of Harmony was in the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Brothers. A wisp of purple smoke flies, unseen, away from the window. Dusk: It is located in what is now... Everypony: The Everfree Forest?! The six colts are standing outside the Everfree Forest. Berry: Whee! Let’s go! Dusk: Hold up! Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’d really rather do this on my own. AJ: No can do, haystack. We sure ain’t lettin’ any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. (Begins walking into the forest) We’re stickin’ to you like caramel on a candy apple. Blitz/Butterscotch/Elusive: (following AJ) Mm-hm. Berry: Especially if there’s candy apples in there! (sees Dusk staring at him) What? Those things are good! He walks into the forest; Dusk follows him. Some time later; they are being followed by a cloud of purple smoke. Dusk: So... none of you have ever been in here before? Elusive: Oh, heavens no. I mean, just look at it: it’s dreadful! The purple smoke seeps into a cliff side, which the colts are soon standing upon. AJ: And it ain’t natural. Folks say it don’t work the same way as Equestria. Dusk: What’s that supposed to mean? Blitz: (spooky voice) Nopony knows! You know why? AJ: Blitz, quit it! Blitz: (crawling towards Elusive, Berry and Butterscotch, who appear frightened) ‘Coz everypony who’s ever come in has never... come... OUT! The cliff cracks away and AJ, Elusive, Berry and Dusk fall down with it: Blitz and Butterscotch take to the air. Blitz: Butterscotch, think fast! (flies down) Butterscotch: Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness! (Follows Blitz) Blitz catches Berry, and Butterscotch grabs Elusive’s tail. AJ catches a root with his teeth, but Dusk keeps falling until he is hanging over another cliff by his forehooves. He screams. AJ: (slides down the cliff) Hold on, Ah’m comin’! (He holds Dusk’s hooves and stops him falling, but it is clear he can’t hold on forever) Dusk: Applejack, what do I do? AJ glances up. AJ: Let go. Dusk: What are you NUTS?! AJ: No Ah ain’t. Ah promise you’ll be safe. Dusk: That’s a load of horseapples! AJ: Now see here. What Ah’m sayin’ ta you is the honest truth: let go and you’ll be safe. Dusk gulps and lets go of the cliff. He screams as he falls, but is soon caught by Blitz and Butterscotch. He is almost dropped as Butterscotch slips. Butterscotch: Sorry guys. I’m not used to carrying anything more than a bunny or two. Dusk watches thoughtfully as AJ hops down the cliff like a mountain goat. Meanwhile, the purple smoke flies away and finds a creature, which roars angrily. Some time later: five of the six are walking while another flies excitedly around overhead. Blitz: And once Elusive and Berry were safe, whoosh! Me and Butterscotch loop-de-looped around and WHAM! (lands next to Dusk) Caught you right in the nick of time. Dusk: Yes Blitz, I was there, and I’m very grateful, but we gotta- He is cut off when a monster stamps in front of him. Dusk: A manticore! The manticore roars. Dusk: We’ve gotta get past it. Butterscotch: (quietly) Wait. Elusive gallops over to the beast and kicks it square in the jaw. Elusive: Take that you ruffian! (the manticore roars in his face) My hair! Eek! (runs away) Butterscotch: (still quietly) Wait. The manticore makes to attack again, but looks up and finds AJ standing on his back. AJ: Yee-haw! Get along, little doggy! WHOA! (the manticore throws him off) All yours, partner. Blitz: I’m on it! (zooms towards the manticore) Butterscotch: (just above a whisper) Wait! Blitz flies around and around the manticore, creating a multicolour tornado similar to the Rainblow Dry. The creature simply swats him away with its tail. Dusk: Blitz! The named pegasus lands in the dirt in front of him, before getting up and joining his friends. They paw at the ground and snort fiercely, and begin to charge the manticore. Butterscotch: (leaping in front of his friends) WAAAAAIT! The others draw to a halt. Butterscotch smiles and turns to the manticore, which growls as he approaches. Butterscotch: Shhh, it’s okay. He nuzzles the manticore’s paw, and it shows him the purple thorn embedded in it. Butterscotch: Oh you poor, poor little baby. Blitz: Little?! Butterscotch: Now this might hurt for just a second... He pulls out the thorn, and the manticore roars in his face. Everypony else: Butterscotch! The manticore gives Butterscotch’s face a thorough licking. He laughs to himself. Butterscotch: Oh, you’re just a li’l old baby kitty, aren’t you? Yes you are. Yes you are! The others walk past him, but Dusk pauses. Dusk: How the hay did you know about the thorn? Butterscotch: (hair sculpted by the licking) I didn’t. Sometimes we all need to be shown a little kindness. As Dusk smiles, the thorn disintegrates into a cloud of purple smoke which flies away. Some time later: the colts (minus Berry) are walking through a particularly mucky area of forest. Elusive: Ugh, my eyes need a rest from all this disgusting mud! The moon disappears behind the trees. Elusive: I didn’t mean that literally. Dusk: That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn’t even notice it! The colts begin to argue, not noticing the purple smoke seeping itself into the trees, until: AJ: Oh wait, I think I stepped in something. (His hooves are covered in mud) Butterscotch: *screams* AJ: It’s just mud! (Sees a tree behind him that has a terrifying face) Whoa! The colts all scream as they are surrounded by faces contorted into the trees. (commercial) The colts are still screaming, except for one: Berry: Hahahahahaha! Others: Huh? Berry: *makes faces at the trees* Bleh! Oooh? Bloolooloolooloo! Hahahahahaha! Dusk: Berry, what’re you doing? Leg it! Berry: You guys, don’t you see? (singing) When I was itty bitty and the sun was going doooooown... Dusk: Tell me he’s not- Berry: (singing) The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frooooooown... Elusive: He is. Berry: (singing, bouncing around) I’d hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw, but Grandpa said that wasn’t the way to deal with fears at all... Blitz: Then what is? Berry: (pops up next to him, still singing) He said ‘Bubble, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears, you’ll see that they can’t hurt you: just laugh and make them disappear’ (at a tree) Ha! Ha! Ha! The face disappears: the others gasp. Berry then shoves them all in front of trees and they laugh the faces away to the tune of- Berry: Sooooo, giggle at the ghostly! Guffaw at the grossly! Crack up at the creepy! Whoop it up with the weepy! Chortle at the kooky! Snigger at the spooky! And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he’s scary then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes me wanna hahahaha! Heh... LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH! By the end the colts are all rolling around on the ground, laughing like there’s no tomorrow, and the scary faces are all gone. Some time later: The colts are all bouncing through the forest laughing, Bubble Berry style, but stop and all crash into Dusk Shine when he stops in front of a raging river. Dusk: How are we gonna cross this?! They hear the serpent. She is bawling her eyes out and thrashing around in the river, turning it into a rush of rapids. Serpent: Oh hohohohoho! Oh hoho! What a world! What a world! Dusk: Excuse me miss, but why are you crying? Serpent: Well, I don’t know! I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this gaudy little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore one of my beloved pigtails (points at the torn hair) clean off! And now I look absolutely appalling! She splashes the river and douses the colts in water, drenching them from head to hoof. Blitz: Ugh, gimme a break. AJ: That’s what all the fuss is about? Elusive: But of course! How could you be so tactless? (starts stroking the serpent) Awww, just look at her. Such lovely luminescent scales! Serpent: *sniff* I know! Elusive: Your expertly curled eyelashes. Serpent: (proudly) Oh I know, I know! Elusive: And your fabulous manicure! Serpent: *gasp* It’s so true! Elusive: All ruined without your beautiful pigtail. Serpent: It’s true, I’m HIDEOUS! Elusive: I simply can NOT let such a crime against style go uncorrected! (He pulls off one of the serpent’s scales) Serpent: OW! What did you do that for? Dusk: Elusive, what’re you- SWISH. Serpent: Oh! (faints) A pan out reveals that Elusive has cut off his own tail. He picks it up and attaches it to the severed end of the serpent’s pigtail. Naturally, she is overjoyed! Serpent: Ohohoho! My pigtail! Elusive: You look sensational! Dusk: Elusive, your tail- Elusive: Aw, it’s okay. Short tails are in this season. Besides, it’ll grow back. Dusk smiles. Blitz: So would the pigtail. Dusk: (starts to cross the now calm river) We can cross now! Let’s go- AH! The coil of a serpent’s body comes up underneath him. Serpent: Allow me, good sirs. The colts hop across the coils of her body like stepping stones. Some time later: Dusk stops walking when he sees the ruins on the other side of a mist-filled chasm. Dusk: There it is! The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony. We’ve made it! (starts running) AJ: (he and the others start running too) Hey Dusk! Wait for us! Dusk: We’re almost there-WHOA! (He starts teetering dangerously over a fallen bridge – Blitz pulls him back) Blitz: What’s with you and falling off cliffs today? Berry: *sigh* Now what? Blitz: Um... (wiggles his wings and takes off) Berry: Oh yeah! Blitz flies down into the mist and grabs the fallen side of the bridge before pulling it up and landing on the other side of the chasm. He quickly secures one side and makes to tie the other. Shadowbolt: (out of shot) Blitzy. Blitz: Huh? Who’s there? Shadowbolt: Blitzy! Blitz: (rears up on his hinds legs and punches the air) I ain’t scared of you! Show yourself! Shadowbolt: We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the greatest flyer in all of Equestria. Blitz: Who? Shadowbolt: Why, you of course! Blitz: Eh? I mean, oh! Of course! Duh! Hey, you wouldn’t mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would you? ‘Coz I’ve been trying to get into that group for, like, EVER. Shadowbolt: No Blitzy, we want you to join us: The Shadowbolts! The Shadowbolts – two stallions and a mare, all pegasi – gallop into view. The mare does all the talking. Blitz looks incredulous. Shadowbolt: We’re the greatest aerial flight team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we’ll be the greatest in all of Equestria, but first we need a captain. Blitz grins widely. Shadowbolt: (circling around Blitz) The boldest... Blitz: Yep. Shadowbolt: Swiftest... Blitz: Yep. Shadowbolt: Bravest flyer in all of Equestria. Blitz: Yes, heh, it’s all true! Shadowbolt: We need (whispers in Blitz’s ear) you. Blitz: WOO-HOO! Sign me up! Just let me this the bridge real quick, and then we have a deal. He makes to tie the bridge, but is stopped by the Shadowbolts. Shadowbolt: NO! It’s them or us! Blitz looks nervous. Dusk: Hey Blitz, what’s taking so long? (Sees the Shadowbolts) Oh horseapples. BLITZ! The Shadowbolt’s eyes glow, and fog from the chasm flows up and hides Blitz’s friends. Dusk: (muffled) Don’t listen to them! Shadowbolt: Well? Blitz: You. The Shadowbolt mare grins triumphantly. Blitz: Thank you. For the offer I mean. (Secures the bridge) But I’m afraid I’m gonna have to decline. He flies away across the chasm, and the Shadowbolts disappear in a rush of purple smoke. Blitz’s friends cheer as he lands, striking a superior pose. Dusk: Good work, Blitz! Blitz: See? I’d never leave my friends hangin’. Dusk smiles. When they have entered the ruin, they fan out and admire the statue holding the Elements of Harmony, which consist of five stone orbs with images of gems carved into them. AJ: C’mon, Dusk. Ain’t this what you ‘bin waitin’ for? Dusk: The Elements of Harmony. We’ve found them! Butterscotch and Blitz take down the orbs and set them in a circle on the floor before Dusk. Berry: (counting) One, two, three, four... what? There’s only five! Blitz: Where’s the sixth? Dusk: The book said that when five are present, a spark will cause the sixth to be revealed. AJ: What in the hay is that s’posed to mean? Dusk: (kneels down in front of the orbs) I’m not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back: I’m not sure what’ll happen. (He bows his head and his horn begins to glow) AJ: C’mon now y’all, he needs to concentrate. The rest of the colts leave Dusk alone with the orbs. A rush of purple smoke picks up the orbs and starts to spin them around in a whirlwind. Dusk: *screams* Everypony else: (outside) Dusk! Dusk: The Elements! He jumps into the whirlwind, and it vanishes alone with him, without a trace. Everypony else enters and looks around, confused. (commercial) AJ: (everypony else is running around in a panic) Dusk, where’ve you gone? Elusive: Look! He points out the window at a different part of the ruin, the windows of which are glowing. AJ: C’mon, boys! They gallop out in search of Dusk, who reappears in the same part of the ruin that Elusive had pointed to. He sits up and rubs his head, then stares in horror at Nightterror Nebula, who is standing before him, laughing and supporting the Element orbs in the air. Dusk lowers his head and prepares to charge. Nightterror Nebula: You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right? Dusk is not kidding: his horn begins to glow and he charges NN, who starts to gallop towards him in an almost identical fashion. When they are about to collide, Dusk vanishes, and NN draws to a halt, confused. Dusk reappears next to the stone orbs. Dusk: Just one spark... He starts to work some magic on the orbs, which begin to emit a glow. NN scowls and rushes to the Elements, knocking Dusk back, but the orbs keep glowing. NN: No. No! Dusk smiles smugly, but the glow fades and the Elements are still. Dusk: But-But where’s the sixth element? NN laughs triumphantly, and uses his armoured hooves to smash the orbs into irreparable smithereens. Dusk stares in horror as the fragments and all hope for Equestria falls to the ground. NN: You ignorant foal. Thinking you can defeat me? Now you will never see your ruler, or your sun. The night. Will last. FOREVER! (evil laughter) Dusk looks on in despair, but turn around when he hears AJ, Blitz, Berry, Butterscotch and Elusive coming up the stairs. He gasps, and a spark flashes in his eye. Dusk: You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like THAT? You were wrong! Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right HERE! The other colts assemble behind him as the fragments levitate and start to glow. NN: What? Dusk: Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... Honesty! Glowing orange fragments start to orbit AJ, who is confused. Dusk: Butterscotch, who tamed a manticore with his compassion, represents the spirit of... Kindness! Glowing pink fragments start to orbit Butterscotch, who is startled. Dusk: Bubble Berry, who banished fear by laughing in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... Laughter! Glowing blue fragments start to orbit Berry, who hops up and down excitedly. Dusk: Elusive, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of... Generosity! Glowing purple fragments start to orbit Elusive, who is thoughtful. Dusk: And Rainbow Blitz, who could not abandon his friends for his own heart’s desire, represents the spirit of... Loyalty! Glowing red fragments start to orbit Blitz, and everypony looks fierce as they face Nightterror Nebula. Dusk: The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us! NN: (desperately) You still don’t have the sixth element! The spark didn’t work! Dusk: But it did – a different kind of spark. (Turns to the others) I felt it the very moment I realised how glad I was to hear you... to see you... how much I care about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realised that you all (turns back to Nightterror Nebula) are MY FRIENDS! Above his head there is a flash of light, and a sixth stone orb floats down and hovers above Dusk. Nightterror Nebula shields himself from the glow. Dusk: You see, Nightterror Nebula, when those elements are united by the... the spark which resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element. The Element of... MAGIC! The fragments band together into something on Blitz, AJ, Berry, Elusive and Butterscotch’s necks, and a crown on Dusk’s head, and they all begin to hover together and glow like the sun. A rainbow shoots into the air from this glow, and strikes Nightterror Nebula in the chest. NN: NOOOOOOOO!!! *screams* Dusk opens his eyes and everything is bathed in white light. He and his friends wake up after an indeterminable amount of time has passed. Elusive has regrown his tail. Blitz: Ow... my head... what did I drink last night? Elusive: Oh, thank goodness! (waves his tail in the air) Butterscotch: Why Elusive, it’s so pretty! Elusive: I know! (snuggles his tail) I’ll never part with it again! Butterscotch: No, your collar. It looks just like your cutie mark. Elusive sees the golden collar he is wearing: it has a purple gem in the shape of a diamond, the same shape as the diamonds that make up his cutie mark. Elusive: So does yours! Butterscotch sees that he too is wearing a collar, with a gem in the shape of a pink butterfly. AJ has one in the shape of an orange apple; Berry has a light blue balloon, and Blitz has a red lightning bolt. Berry: Look at mine, look at mine! Blitz: (Quagmire-style) Alright! Dusk looks up: he is wearing a gold crown with a gem in the shape of his cutie mark: a magenta six-pointed star. AJ: Wow, Dusk. Ah thought you were just bein’ gay, but Ah reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship. Lord Solaris: Indeed you do. The room is flooded with light as the sun rises, and Lord Solaris appears in a flash of light. Everypony bows – except Dusk. Dusk: Lord Solaris! (runs over and hugs him) Solaris: Dusk Shine, my most faithful student! I knew you could do it. Dusk: But... But you said it was just an old pony tale! Solaris: I told you that you needed to make some friends; nothing more. (The other colts begin to rise) I saw the signs of Nightterror Nebula’s return, and I knew that you had the magic inside to defeat him, but you could not utilise that magic until you allowed true friendship into your heart. Dusk nods to his friends. Solaris: Now if only another will as well: Prince Artemis. Prince Artemis opens his eyes and gasps. Solaris: It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little brother. Everypony else: (quietly) Brother?! Solaris: Will you accept my friendship? Dusk and his friends lean forward expectantly – Berry so much that he falls over. Prince Artemis: I’m so sorry! (Hugs Solaris) I missed you so much, big brother! Solaris: *sniff* (hugs him back) I missed you too! Berry starts to bawl loudly, massive fountains of tears erupting from his eyes, until he interrupts himself: Berry: Hey! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!!! The ponies have returned to Ponyville, and a massive celebration is in full swing, with confetti, streamers and balloons everywhere. Spines parts the crowd and embraces Dusk tightly. Solaris and Artemis arrive in a golden chariot, and everypony bows to them. A pair of tiny pegasus fillies drape a garland of flowers around Artemis’ neck, and he looks at his brother happily. Dusk Shine, however, looks rather down in the dumps. Solaris: Why so glum, my faithful student? Are you not happy that your quest is over and you can return to your studies in Canterlot? Dusk: That’s just it, your highness. (look at his friends) As soon as I find out how awesome it is to have friends, I have to leave them. Solaris looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles. Solaris: Spines, take a note please. (Spines starts writing) I, Lord Solaris, hereby declare that the unicorn known as Dusk Shine shall take on a new mission for Equestria. He shall continue to study the magic of friendship. He shall report to me his findings, from his new home in Ponyville! Blitz/AJ/Butterscotch/Berry/Elusive: *cheer* Dusk: Thank you, Lord Solaris! I’ll study harder than ever before! Everypony cheers. Bubble Berry then obliterates the fourth wall. Berry: (to the audience) Isn’t this exciting? Are you excited? ‘Coz I’m excited! I’ve never been so excited! Well, except for the time when I went *GASP!* But I mean really-