//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - The Elements // Story: Puny Purple Pony: From Padded to Proud // by Autum Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter 8 The Elements ___________________________________________________________ “Scootaloo, would you slow down for one second?” Twilight asked in annoyance as she and her friends trudged down the path. “We shouldn’t even be here!” “But you said this was where you found the Elements of Harmony, back in your world,” Scootaloo called back, stopping and hovering as she waited for the other five to catch up. When they did, Twilight gave her a sour look. Behind Scootaloo, not too far off in the distance, was the ruins of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. “Yes, I did. I also remember that the only reason we came back in my world was to stop Nightmare Moon, who, as you can see, isn’t really a problem right now, so there’s no point in us walking around in the Everfree Forest!” she shouted in one breath. Scootaloo frowned, folding her forehooves across her chest. “If you ask me, this is a great time.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “And just how do you figure that, Scootaloo? If your parents and my host parents, heck if anypony finds out about this, the fact that I’m an alicorn won’t make a difference to the punishments we’ll all receive!” “Well, think about it,” Scootaloo said, doing a flip in the air. “You and your friends all had to do this while Nightmare Moon was here in Equestria and at night.” “Your point?” Twilight deadpanned. “She’s not here now,” Scootaloo replied, waving a hoof around them. “We don’t have to worry about her finding them first. We can take all the time we need.” “But the Elements vanished over five thousand years ago,” Twilight explained exasperatingly. “This isn’t like back in my world, where they were left in the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. They vanished. As in, disappeared. There’s no telling where they are! They could be on the other side of the world, for all we know!” “Or maybe they’re down this staircase,” Cheese chirped, bouncing up next to Twilight. Twilight turned to Cheese, her and the others all giving her confused looks. “Staircase? We’re not even inside yet, Cheese,” Twilight said, resisting the urge to shake her head. Cheese was just like her world’s Pinkie Pie. Random. Cheese giggled. “I know that, silly billy. Wait, you’re name’s not Billy, it’s Twilight. Who’d call their little filly Billy. Hey! That rhymed!” She giggled again and Twilight had to fight the urge to face-hoof. From the expressions on the others faces, they were doing the same. Just. Like. Pinkie Pie! Twilight blinked, before remebering about the Tree of Harmony and hurried over to where Cheese was. There was indeed a flight of stairs built right into the ground, leading down to a small empty chasm with a cave opening carved right into the rock-face that Twilight remembered from her own world. There was a glow coming from within the cave. "The Tree of Harmony's down there!" Twilight pointed, then frowned. "But I don't see how that's going to help us find the Ele—" “Well, then let’s head down and find out!” Scootaloo shouted, flying down. “Scootaloo!” Twilight shouted angrily, teleporting in front of the Pegasus just before she went into the cave. “Are you insane? You can’t just rush into a glowing cave and— Are you even listening to me? Scootaloo?!” Scootaloo was looking passed Twilight, into the cave, her eyes wide. Frowning, Twilight turned around, and her own eyes widened. Standing in before her was a large, almost crystal-like tree, with orbs of white that glowed around it. However, what really caught her attention was the mark in the tree’s branches centre that looked like her Cutie Mark and the five outer branches that ended with a different coloured diamond each. They were coloured like... “The Elements,” Twilight murmured, unable to look away and not hearing as their friends arrived at the cave entrance. “The Tree of Harmony had them this whole time,” she whispered, taking a few steps forward. At once the tree seemed to shine even brighter than it had before. Twilight’s friends all hurried towards her, their instincts to protect both their friend and a princess making them forget about their own safety. The centre of the tree, where Twilight’s Cutie Mark was, opened up revealing— “The Element of Magic?!” Twilight gasped as the purple, star-shaped gem floated towards her. At the same time, the other Elements flew out from their grooves in the tree and towards Twilight’s friends. There was an enormous flash of light that blinded Twilight as her mind seemed to burn. ___________________________________________________________ Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She was somewhere she had only been once before. It was where she had become an alicorn. “The Celestial Space?" she frowned, looking around. “What am I doing here?” “It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Twilight.” The alciorn’s eyes widened. That voice. She whirled around to see Princess Celestia, who looked just as tall as when Twilight was a filly, standing there, smiling warmly down at her. For a split-second, Twilight wanted to run and hug the sun goddess; before her mind caught up with her and reminded her this wasn’t her Celestia. She bowed to the monarch, before something caught her attention. Celestia was dead. She looked up, shocked and confused. Celestia smiled sadly. “In the Celestial Space, living alicorns can visit with the dead.” Twilight looked down, uneasy knowing that she had such an ability, yet hadn’t realized it. Celestia cleared her throat. “However, I did not summon you here for idle chit chat, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight looked up, knowing that tone. Her Celestia had used it whenever there was something important to discuss... and when she’d gotten into trouble as a filly. Celestia sighed. “As I am sure you are aware, my sister shall soon return from the moon.” Twilight’s eyes shot wide open. “What? Luna’s coming back?” Celestia sighed. “Sadly, she is still under the control of the Nightmare that possessed her so many millennia ago.” Twilight froze. “Then, what can we do? I’m not strong enough to face Nightmare Moon alone!” Celestia chuckled. “You will not be alone. I am giving you and your friends the Elements of Harmony to use to stop Nightmare.” She looked away, her eyes downcast. “I only hope you can also free my sister.” Twilight nodded. “I... We won’t let you down, Princess.” Celestia smiled. “Thank you, Twilight. Now, go. Go with your friends and when Nightmare returns, stop her with the Elements. Once you have done that, I must ask you to return them to the Tree of Harmony. Am I understood?” Twilight nodded her confirmation. “Yes, Princess. Don’t worry. I know what is likely to happen if the Elements aren’t returned.” She blinked, frowning as he head hurt. “Wait. How do I know that, but I feel like I shouldn't?” She moaned, shaking her head. "Why does this keep happening?" Celestia sighed, then leaned her horn in and placed it to the tip of Twilight’s. Twilight’s eyes widened as memories flooded her eyes, becoming clear for the first time in years. She’d come back. She hadn’t simply arrived and remained all this time. She’d come back and somehow forgotten about all those months back in her Equestria had happened after she left this world, but thought they'd happened before. Celestia sighed. “The Discord of your world wanted to have some fun.” She shook her head. “However, he caused much trouble. My counterpart in your world did not go easy on him.” Twilight snorted. “For what he did, he deserved it.” Celestia shook her head. “While what he did has caused some problems, if he had not, my sister would come and none would be able to stop her.” Twilight frowned, thinking about that. True, if Discord hadn’t left her here without her memories, she would never have helped so much in this world. Without her, Fresh and Pitch would have been so sad, since Fresh couldn’t have a foal and, for whatever reason, the orphanages in this Equestria had been empty for the first three years she’d been here. And, if she hadn’t been here, Apple Bloom would’ve been alone on the farm, with no filly to talk to her own age. And what about Gilda? If Twilight hadn’t been there, would Gilda have killed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? She sighed. “I’m going to have to thank him when I go back, aren’t I?” Celestia said nothing, just looked away, as if there was something she was hiding. “Celestia?” She sighed. “Please, watch over my sister, Twilight. Goodbye.” ___________________________________________________________ “Twilight? Twilight!” Twilight moaned, opening her eyes. She was lying on the ground, her friends all crowded around her, worried looks on their faces. As soon as she sat up, Apple Bloom pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’ ever scare me like that again, ya hear?” “Um, okay,” Twilight said, wondering why she felt so touched by Apple Bloom’s hug. Was it because the two of them had been living together for so long that Apple Bloom felt like family to her? “What happened?” Derpy asked, then looked away. “Um, if it’s alright that I asked, that is.” “I spoke with Celestia.” Scootaloo frowned. “Yours? I didn’t think you could. Aren’t are world separated sorta?” Twilight nodded. “I spoke with this world’s Celestia.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “But... isn’t she...?” Twilight nodded again. “Dead, yes. But I was able to speak with her in the Celestial Space.” Scootaloo frowned. “What in the hay is that?” She sighed. “A place only alicorns and the dead may travel. Being an alicorn, I was able to go there and speak with her. She has news.” “What kind of news?” Cheese asked, bouncing forward. “Is there gonna be some kind of big danger to Equestria and she gave us the Elements to stop it and save the world?” Twilight mouth hung open. How...? How did...? URGH! She face-hoofed. Probably Cheesy Sense, like Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense. Twilight only now noticed the golden necklaces adorned on each of her friend’s necks, each hold a gem shaped like their Cutie Mark. Apple Bloom had the Element of Honest, Derpy had the Element of Kindness, Cheese had the Element of Laughter, Sweetie Belle the Element of Generosity and Scootaloo the Element of Loyalty. That only left Magic. She looked up and, on her head, sat the tiara she’d been given when she first became a princess. The same tiara she’d had to give up to save the Tree of Harmony in her world. “Wait,” Scootaloo frowned. “Why do we have these things?” Twilight turned and looked out at the sky. “We’ve got to stop Nightmare Moon.” Her friends all gasped. Scootaloo flew up to her, a nervous look on her muzzle. “Uh, Twilight,” she said, chuckling nervously. “I’m normally not an anxious kinda filly, but are you sure we could do that? We’re not your friends from your world.” Twilight smiled. “But you are my friends. And I know, as long as we stick together and our friendship remains strong, we will stop Nightmare Moon and, hopefully, free Luna from her control.” They walked out of the cave, the others looking a little more convinced, though only a little, when they all stopped in their tracks. Standing at the top of the stairs were both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s parents, Derpy’s mother, Mr. Cake and Pitch and Fresh. Twilight and the others gulped, saying in unison, “We’re in so much trouble.”