//------------------------------// // Great Task // Story: The Old Elements // by Anawnymous //------------------------------// As Princess Twilight Sparkle glided gently down to an open clearing in a thickly wooded area, she realized how much she had just overreacted to the chariot driver. She looked up at the stars and saw the chariot fly across the night. Twilight began thinking aloud “The decoy was made in haste and anger, a spellcaster’s worst conditions, so it would not be long before he notice- oh look at that.” Against the night sky, a sack of flour with a party hat could be seen falling out of the chariot door. Apparently the driver was furious enough to waste perfectly good flour on this…this…where am I? Twilight thought to herself. If we really were going to Canterlot, I would recognize this place. Judging by the flora it’s not the Everfree Forest. Could this be the Clover Grotto? Her head was too full of questions without answers to make any real progress, so she sat down to meditate the way Zecora had taught her. It couldn’t be the grotto, no caves or water anywhere. There was not a clear path, and any amount of clairvoyance was not helping. Only Pinkie Pie would know where to go. She thought. As if it summoned by her thoughts, a nearby bush started to shake, out of the bush burst…a seal? How is that possible? Twilight thought. Seals can’t survive in such a warm climate, much less in a forest! This defies reason. How could there be a seal. How! It can’t be a real seal. It must be an illusion. I need to investigate. She took a step towards the animal. Suddenly, the probably-not-seal flopped back into the bushes and into the woods. “Wait!” Twilight called, but to no avail. She had to study it, so she had to catch it. Without thought, she blindly charged after the animal, but for a seafaring mammal, it sure could move fast. In no time, it was already fifty yards ahead of her, and still going fast. This can’t be natural; it must be a spirit or something. Normally, she would have reasoned that spirits are only habitant in areas the creatures they represent are native to, but during the chase, her mind was in preoccupied with chasing a seal through the heavy forest. Almost instantly, the forest changed into a jungle, then a desert! The chase was taking her through whole biomes! The landscape kept shifting rapidly and sporadically. Twilight looked down to see the ground below her was moving at impossibly fast speeds, but the seal was still the same distance away, and she didn’t feel as if any speed had been gained. When her mind fully registered all of the irregularities, she understood what was happening. “A Sliptrail…” she said, awestruck. Although she could not hear herself speak as she had almost instantly passed by her own voice’s sound waves. She was just beginning to admire the amazing magic that was unfolding when she suddenly came to a halt. “Hello Princess Twilight Sparkle.” A soothing voice said. Twilight was too dazed to see clearly but the voice was easily recognized. “Princess Celestia! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She exclaimed. She tried to locate her mentor, but was still sprawled out on the ground with no sense of up or down. “I’m glad to see that you have made it here.” Princess Celestia said. “Where is here?” Twilight asked, regaining her footing. “This is the Clover Grotto, otherwise known as the Life Spring.” Celestia motioned to an icy-blue fountain. “This water is the lifeblood of the known world. All living beings, good or evil, can be traced back to this one spot.” Twilight came out of her daze and took a look around for the first time. “It’s breathtaking. How could you have managed to find this place?” “With the help of a close friend.” She said pointing to the seal. “A seal? Pardon me for not understanding how a seal could help you. Is it a spirit?” “Not a spirit, but a guardian. He can take the shape of whatever creature it needs.” Celestia explained. “Why would he have shown himself to me as a seal then?” “Because I asked him to.” She said as if that explained everything. “But…why a seal?” Twilight stammered. “I knew if you saw such a strange animal, you would be bound to follow it.” “I guess that makes sense, in a weird way. Wait, where is Princess Luna?” “I do not know. I asked her to investigate the Gravity Caverns.” “I’m sorry, the what caverns?” “Allow me to explain. When you returned your elements, you brought the Tree of Harmony back to full power. Those six elements were keeping the world from falling into chaos. There are more elements to this world though; seven more to be exact. They all make up an aspect of our world, and if they are disturbed or taken from their respective area, they will become weak. If they are all under one pony’s control, they could tear this world apart.” Celestia explained. “What are these elements then?” “They are Force, Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, Life, and Time.” “But how can only seven things make up this whole world? There are obvious parts of the world not encompassed by just those seven, like ice, air, plants even.” “All parts of this world are derived from those. Air is only Force and Life working together in harmony. Even if it is not obvious, they are all parts of these seven.” “I understand now, so plants would be Earth and Life together?” Twilight asked. “Exactly.” “So what do I need to do?” She asked full of determination. “We need to investigate each of the elements to make sure they are not altered, or even gone.” “Where do we go first?” “I’m sorry Twilight, but I cannot go with you.” “Why not? We could be done in no time if you we would just go together.” “This is the Life Spring, the most powerful of all the elements belongs here. All of the other elements have been assumedly compromised. I’m using my magic to keep a hold of all the other elements. If I leave, everything will fall. The seas will drain, the ground will crumble, life, will die out, the world will literally fall apart.” “How am I supposed to prevent that?!” Twilight began to have a nervous breakdown. Celestia put her hoof to Twilight’s cheek, smiling down at her. “I have faith in you, dear Twilight. Now go, and fast. I don’t know how long I can put strain on this one element.” “Okay, where do I go first?” “The first element you should investigate lies to the north, in the Unicorn Range. I need you to locate Terra Mountain and investigate the Earth Element. I fear somepony may be up to something sinister.” “North you said? So are we in the White Tail Woods?” Twilight asked. “Yes and no. If you were to look down at us from the view of a bird, you would see those woods. In all reality we’re in a completely different dimension.” “But…how…could we be…?” “I can’t explain now, we've already wasted far too much time. What you’re looking for is an ancient temple, most likely in ruins. It will be in the tallest mountain there. Now go.” Celestia opened a Slipstream tunnel in front of Twilight, which looked similar to a wormhole. “I’ll do my best, princess!” Twilight declared. “Be careful, my student.” Celestia told her as she walked through the tunnel. “Return to me safely.” She added, but Twilight was already miles away.