Luna smiled, tears dripping down her face with in her joy. It was finally time. As she used her magic to coax the sun over the horizon, she could not contain her joy: Twilight was returning tomorrow. All that was left was for the new Element of Magic to read the signs, just like Twilight did for Luna herself, a little over a thousand years ago. A letter appeared in front of her, and she used her magic to levitate it so she could read it out loud.
"Dear Princess Luna, my continuing studies of magic have led me to discover that an ancient evil is returning! A thousand years ago, Nightmare Ether was banished to your moon, and she's about to return to Equestria to wreck havoc with necromancy spells! Something must be done to stop her before it's too late. What can I do to help?
Your Faithful Student, Starlight Watcher."
Luna chuckled. Of course she knew that Twilight was returning! However, Starlight Watcher could not know that Luna knew, at least not yet. Glancing at her list of the new Element Bearers, she knew that everything was going to be fine.
Apple Pie: Earth Pony, laughter (Farmer)(Related to Pinkie Pie, Applejack)
Gem Seeker: Earth Pony, generosity (Rock Farmer)
Prism Armor: Pegasus, loyalty (Rainboom pony)(Related to Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash)
Truth Finder: Pegasus, honesty (Detective)
Starlight Watcher: Unicorn, magic (Related to Twilight Sparkle)
Fancy Belle: Unicorn, kindness (Related to Rarity Belle, Fancy Pants)
She readied her reply to Starlight's letter.
"My faithful student Starlight, you know that I trust you with tasks of the upmost importance. However, not everything you read in books is true. This year's Summer Sun Celebration will be held in Ponyville. Your task is to make sure everything goes as planned, according to the attached list, as the Official Preparations Overseer for the Summer Sun Celebration. I also have another task for you: Make some friends!"
----------Starlight Watcher's Tower----------
"Make some friends!" Starlight's dragon, Claw finished reading. Claw was a small red dragon that Starlight had hatched when he had passed his test into Luna's School for Gifted Unicorns. Well, Starlight had done more than just hatch him there. He also accidentally changed everypony in the room into different plants, grew claw larger than the room, met Princess Luna personally, and got his Cutie Mark: A shooting star, with five smaller pieces of a comet behind it.
Starlight groaned. "Let's get this over with."
"At least the Princess arranged for you to be staying in a library! Doesn't that make you happy?" Claw asked.
"Yes! It does. Because after I oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, I'm going to look for evidence that I'm right!"
"But when will you make friends like the Princess said?" questioned Claw
"The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends!" Starlight replied, not knowing how ironic her answer was. "Let's go!"
----------At Ponyville----------
Starlight arrived at Ponyville, thanking the Thestrals who pulled the chariot before glancing at the list she held in her magic.
"First on the list is Apple Pie, a farmer. She's in charge of the food." Starlight told Claw as they headed down the path to Sweet Apple Acres, where the Apple family lived. As she arrived, she saw Apple Pie baking what looked like the last of the pies.
"Howdy! Why are you here today? Are you here to buy something? Do you want a pie?" Apple Pie said, before grabbing a pie out of nowhere, hoofing it to Starlight.
"Actually, I'm here to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration..." Starlight replied, still holding the pie. "Well, it looks like everything here is fine! I guess I'll just be going now." Starlight chuckled nervously.
"Wait! You can't go yet!" Apple Pie called. "You need to meet the family!"
Claw whispered to Starlight. "At least try to make some friends! It would be rude to refuse."
"Oh, alright." Starlight said grudgingly, heading over to a table where Apple Pie motioned her to sit down. Suddenly, the Apple Family who lived at Sweet Apple Acres came seemingly out of nowhere.
"Hi, I'm Lily Macintosh." said a strong-looking mare, presenting an apple. Starlight used his amazing powers of deduction to find out that the apple was a Macintosh apple. "Apple Pie is my sister."
"Hello, I'm Starlight." replied Starlight.
"I'm Crab Apple." a red earth pony grumbled, presenting the apple that represented his name.
"Starlight." said Starlight once again.
"I'm Ambrosia Apple." a yellow earth pony smiled, giggling as she handed him her apple. "Nice to meet you, Starlight."
"Now you have to eat!" Apple Pie said, grinning. "Each of us brought foods that represent us!"
"That was delicious!" Starlight grinned. "Maybe making friends won't be so bad after all!"
"I just wish I could have tried the dishes..." Claw grumbled.
"Next on the list is decoration, with Gem Seeker and Fancy Belle." Starlight announced, coming across the town hall where the celebration would be held. He opened the door, to see beautiful decorations of gemstone and cloth.
"Woah..." he breathed. "This is amazing!"
"Hello!" Fancy Belle said, levitating one last gemstone into place. "We just finished. What did you need?"
"I'm in charge of making sure everything goes as planned at the Summer Sun Celebration, and I just came from Sweet Apple Acres, where the food was wonderful. I heard you two were in charge of decorations?"
"Why, yes." Gem Seeker declared. "So, you've already met Apple Pie? Her cooking is simply divine."
"I agree." Starlight chuckled. "So, you're friends with Apple Pie?" he blushed nervously, hoofing the ground. "I wanted to try to make some friends here, I didn't have many back in Canterlot."
"Try, didn't have any." Claw scoffed.
"Why, of course you can be our friend!" Fancy Belle smiled. "In fact, later tonight I can introduce you to some of our other friends!"
Starlight smiled. "Thank you! It looks like the decorations are perfect, I'll see you later."
"Oh, wait, before you go." Gem Seeker added. "A welcome gift."
Starlight's eyes widened as Gem hoofed her a precious gem, a diamond. "This is expensive." she breathed. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.
Gem smiled broadly. "Of course I'm sure. I have plenty of gems, I grow them for a living. Even if the one I gave is particularly rare."
Walking out the door smiling, Starlight looked back to ask a question. "Do you know where Prism Armor is? He's supposed to clear the clouds, but it doesn't look like he's been doing that."
Gem Seeker chuckled. "He's the only pony who lives in a self-built cloud house, you can easily see it. He claims he's distantly related to royalty, but nopony believes him. He's quite fast with clearing the clouds, once he wakes up. You might need to yell a bit to wake him."
Starlight smiled. "Thanks! See you tonight!" he said as he walked out the door, waving a hoof. Walking through town, Starlight made his way to a cloud house that looked so odd, even he could tell it was hoof-made.
"Hello! Is Prism Armor there?" he yelled. "Hello?"
"Yeah, I'm coming!" a white pegasus with a rainbow mane said, poking his head out of the cloud. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to check up on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I heard you were in charge of clearing the skies?"
"You bet I am!" the pegasus crowed. "Only fitting, that Royalty like me helps out in such an important event!"
Starlight rolled his eyes. "The sky's not clear."
The pegasus blushed. "Oops. Here, be back in a moment." he said as he took off, smashing clouds as he went. It only took about eight seconds for her to finish. "There. Is that good enough?" he commented.
Starlight's jaw dropped. "That was fast." Claw said, Starlight still too stunned to respond. Claw snapped in from of Starlight's face and he blinked, snapping out of it.
"I didn't know anypony could move that fast!" he gasped.
"That's me, Prism Armor!" he said, strutting in the air. "Fastest pegasus in Equestria!"
"I might be able to believe that." Starlight muttered. "Now, I've got to go. See you later!" he called, waving at Prism as he walked to the library where he was staying.
"Where's the light switch..." Starlight mumbled, feeling about with a spell, about to light up her horn so he could see the room.
"SURPRISE!" was roared by what was probably all of Ponyville, leaving Starlight stammering in shock.
"W-wha?" he mumbled confusedly, sitting back on his flank. "How did you all fit?" he asked pointing at the seemingly impossible number of ponies present. He glanced up, seeing the banner that welcomed him to Ponyville, and smiled. "Thanks. Who planned this?" he asked.
"Of course, I did!" Apple Pie exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I throw a party for everypony who comes to Ponyville! It's a Pie family tradition."
"That certainly was surprising." Starlight said, smiling. "So, is this effectively a pre-Summer Sun Celebration party?"
"YEAH!" everypony shouted, starting the party.
Starlight sighed. The party had been going on for hours, and he decided to get a few hours of sleep. He glanced at the moon in trepidation, seeing four stars closing in on the celestial object. He gulped audibly, before relaxing. If the tale were true, Luna would almost certainly have a plan to deal with Nightmare Ether.
Nightmare Ether stood over her impact site, grinning. However, this was not a pleasant grin. It was the grin of the crazed, the grin that told you not to mess with the pony that wore it, the grin that was on the pony's face in the dark alleyways where all feared to tread. It was time. In a flash, Nightmare Ether returned, behind the familiar stage where Nightmare Moon stood so long ago. Seeing Luna, she cast a quick spell that sealed her away, grunting as Luna fought back. Luna was no match for Ether, but she was clearly trying her hardest to resist. The curtains were drawn, and Nightmare Ether walked out in place of their beloved Princess Luna. Her lips curled into a mean sneer.
"TREMBLE IN FEAR, MORTALS!" she screamed. "YOUR BELOVED PRINCESS CANNOT SAVE YOU NOW. I WAS DENIED THE CHANCE TO SAVE THOSE I LOVED. I WILL DENY YOU THAT CHANCE AS WELL."
Panicked murmuring filled the room, with several shouting, "Who are you? What did we do to you?"
"DOES NOPONY REMEMBER ME?" she asked, chuckling. "FITTING THAT SHE WOULD ERASE MY LEGEND, MY LEGACY, AS HER OWN WAS ERASED."
"I remember you!" one pony shouted bravely. Starlight Watcher stepped forward. "You're Nightmare Ether, returned to wreck havoc with your Necromancy spells, banished for practicing forbidden magic!"
"I remember as well." a female pegasus pony said in an even tone, walking forward. "As a detective, it has been my job to learn everything I can about history, be it myth or fact. You never know when it becomes useful."
"Who are you?" Ether asked, Twilight's old curiosity slipping into her personality slightly.
"I am Starlight Watcher, Princess Luna's personal prodigy." Starlight declared, stepping forward.
"I am Truth Finder, the detective of Ponyville." the pegasus said, stepping next to Starlight.
Ether gave a low chuckle. "How amusing. I used to be the student of a Princess once. She died, just like everypony I cared for. The forbidden magic was to bring them back."
Nightmare Ether surveyed the crowd of ponies, searching a few of their faces. She was looking for any trace of sorrow, grief, or sympathy. Anything that might hint that they knew her suffering. Any way to tell that they might have dealt with the loss of a dearly loved one.
She found none.
Thorns gripped at her heart tightly and squeezed.
"No you cannot..." She whispered. However, her words were lost to the ponies below as she vanished in a puff of shadow.
"Starlight Watcher." Starlight said to Truth, extending a hoof.
"Truth Finder." Truth replied, taking the hoofshake. "Let's do this."
Starlight and Truth went through the library once again, looking for something that could help them discover the locations of the fabled Elements of Harmony. The door burst open, and four ponies stepped through. Apple Pie, Fancy Belle, Gem Seeker, and Prism Armor stood before Starlight Watcher and Truth Finder.
"What's going on?" Prism Armor asked. "Findey, how did you know about this?"
"Findey?" Starlight asked, snickering. "Do all of you know each other?"
"Yes. We have no time, look for something on the Elements of Harmony. I'll explain later." Truth muttered, still looking through books.
"Elements of Harmony, a Reference Guide!" Gem Seeker announced, holding a book in one hoof.
"How did you find that?" Starlight asked, shocked.
"It was in the 'E' section." Gem Seeker replied.
Starlight and Truth exchanged glances, facehoofing. "Why didn't I check there first..." Truth muttered.
"It says the the Elements' last known location is in a castle in... THE EVERFREE FOREST?!"
Ether grinned as she began weaving a spell. It would take a while, but as long as no new bearers had been chosen, all of her friends would be resurrected. She would only have to hold off anypony that tried to stop her. She frowned as she felt her first trap activate, false evil beings to scare away anypony who entered the Everfree. Her frown deepened as she felt them dissipate, somepony good with laughter. Her next trap sprung, a giant wall illusion that could only be penetrated by those who completely and fully understood that it was not real. She began to get worried when the group of ponies passed that as well. Her next trap sprung, the old Manticore-and-the-thorn trick Nightmare Moon used on her. After a few minutes, she began smiling. It didn't seem like they could pass this trap. Soon it would be too late. Her smile flipped as they passed the Manticore, and Twilight took the oppertunity to tell the Nightmare they stood no chance.
"They will stop you."
"Nopony but the wielders of the Elements of Harmony can stop me!
"And who is to say they are not the Elements?"
"We bear one of them. Without Magic, they would be nothing."
"You have not been paying attention. We lost the power of Magic about twenty years ago. It is very possible that they have a full set. You have already been defeated."
Nightmare Ether let out a grunt, ending the mental conversation. She could only keep casting her spell, and hope that Twilight was wrong.
Starlight and his new friends entered the Everfree together, only to be stopped a short way in by shadowy but scary creatures. Everypony held back in fear, wondering what strange spell was cast over what must be souls of those long gone. Suddenly, a hoof moved, poking one of the shadows in the nose. Apple Pie giggled and bopped it again and again, falling on the ground laughing.
"They can't hurt us, they're only shadows." she explained to the rest of her friends, still laughing. "Let's not let them keep us from stopping Nightmare Ether."
The group of friends hurried along, soon coming across a wall of unfathomable hight and length. "Oh no, we'll never get past this!" Starlight moaned, only to stare in surprise as Truth Finder stepped right through it.
"It's only an illusion." Truth Finder said. "Ignore it."
Starlight felt the wall with a hoof, it was clearly there. "What do you mean? I can feel it with my hoof."
"It's just an illusion. A well-made illusion, but an illusion nonetheless. Believe me."
Starlight took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and believed. Walking forward confidently, he felt no wall stopping him. He opened his eyes and glanced back, seeing the rest of his friends walk through as well. They regrouped and continued walking. Suddenly, a Manticore came out of nowhere, roaring in anger. Before anypony could react, Prism Armor pulled them all out of the way of a blow, just in time.
"You will NOT hurt my friends!" Prism insisted with a roar.
Starlight cast a shield spell, protecting himself and the rest of his group as they walked past the Manticore. Starlight winced whenever a blow connected with his shield, but held strong. Fancy Belle paused, noticing the thorn in the creature's paw, and plucked it out with her magic. "It wouldn't be right, leaving any creature in pain." she explained to her friends. They continued on, finally reaching an extremely worn out castle, damaged near the point of collapse. Starlight led his friends inside, only to find Nightmare Ether sobbing on the ground, what looked like a Rune around her.
"I can't revive them, the embodiments of Friendship have been chosen anew." Ether looked up in rage. "But if I kill you, maybe then their souls can return to me!"
Starlight dodged out of the way of Ether's first attack, a simple magic bolt. However, he wasn't the target. The bolt barely missed Apple Pie, Prism knocking her out of the way just in time. His new friends smiled and nodded at him, confident in his abilities to lead them. In that moment, it clicked for Starlight, and time seemed to slow down. The Elements, the embodiments of Friendship, the reference guide, it all made sense. Ether had openly admitted that new 'embodiments of Friendship' had been chosen, immediately before attacking Starlight's new friends. Each Element seemed to correspond with one of his friends as well, compounding the evidence. He and his friends were the bearers. Starlight's eyes began to glow, and his body flew into the air beside his friends.
"We are the Elements of Harmony." he said simply. "Gem Seeker, who was generous enough to give a precious gift to a pony she just met, Apple Pie, who laughed when nopony else could, Truth Finder, who alone could see what was true from what was false, Prism Armor, who could not let her friends be injured, Fancy Belle, who was kind to even a ferocious beast. Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, and Kindness."
"You still don't have magic, though." Ether countered.
"Magic is me, Starlight Watcher. I understand what it means to be a friend now, and a Bearer of Magic. To be Magic is to be the bond between the friends, the one who everypony comes to when they need help. Magic is what keeps friends together."
With that, the Elements that were lying on the floor rose up above their respective bearers, transforming into necklaces representing their Cutie Marks. Starlight had a crown instead, and colored beams of light all struck the Element of Magic at once, which released a rainbow colored beam of its own. The rainbow struck Ether, and the Nightmare was washed away. Starlight caught a glimpse of happiness and relief in the Alicorn's eye, and then it was over. The new Bearers of the Elements floated softly to the ground, staring at Twilight.
"You have done well." a warm voice said, and everypony turned.
"Princess Luna!" the friends chorused, bowing.
"You have done well, to let friendship into your heart." Luna spoke to Starlight. "Let us hope that Twilight can do the same." she said as she turned to Twilight.
"I'm so sorry!" Twilight said in a rush, hugging Luna. "I thought I could control it, I just wanted my friends back." she chocked back a sob. "I understand now. Death is a part of Life. Necromancy doesn't work."
Luna turned back to the new Bearers. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and she was the Bearer of Magic a thousand years ago. She was apprenticed to my sister, Princess Celestia, who passed away just over a thousand years ago."
"You had a sister?" Starlight asked curiously.
Twilight smiled. "I lived with Princess Celestia in Canterlot Castle for years. If you want, I can tell you some stories about life back then."
Starlight looked confused. "Canterlot Castle? Where is that?"
Luna chuckled. "It no longer exists. Princess Twilight here will be having an enormous culture shock, things worked very differently a thousand years ago. That long ago, Princesses still ruled over all."
Twilight stared at her in shock. "Wait, you no longer rule? What happened?"
Luna smiled. "Remember the deal you made with Strife Shade and Crystal Shade? Well, their relatives succeeded. Equestria is a Democracy now." she turned back to Starlight and his friends, still staring. "We can catch up later. A thousand years of history is a lot to catch up on, and I speak from experience. For now, a-"
Apple Pie cut her off. "PARTY!" she yelled, already planning everything out.
Twilight smiled. There was a lot of problems still to come, but for now, she was with Luna. That was all that mattered. Everypony else she had ever known had died, but at least she still had somepony.