The Elements of Harmony rested in the Tree of Harmony. The bearers had a new power, which they used to defeat Tirek, and countless other monsters. Pinkie Pie, element of Laughter, had affectionately called it the Poofy Power, based on the fact that their manes and tails became significantly more... Poofy. Twilight Sparkle, element of Magic, preferred to call it the Rainbow Power. But whatever it was called, it had never faced an enemy like this.
Made up of evil forces, it was known only as the Id. A giant wall of shadows, ready to suck out every last drop of good and happiness in a pony. The six element bearers were only protected by the power they held. But it was wavering. The Id had targeted them, knowing of the elements power. Their plan of taking off bits off the edges was blown out the window as it surrounded them, forcing them to put up a shield in an effort to stop it.
"Twilight, what do we do?" Applejack, Element of Honesty, stood steady, holding her ground in an effort to stave off the Id.
"I- I can only think of one spell that might do it." Twilight's voice was faltering. She wanted to find another way.
"Well what is it, we need something right now!" Rarity, Element of Generosity, looked nervously at the wall of blackness before them.
"But- there's less than a five percent chance of a survival, and-" She was cut off by Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty.
"What chance of it getting rid of the Id?"
"Eighty Six..."
"Then it's worth it. You're an alicorn, you're sure to survive!" Rainbow flew around in the small bubble of safety, attempting to sound as sure of herself as she could.
"I- I'm not sure I want to" Twilight said under her breath.
"Twilight. We've all been through so much with you. Princess Celestia said this is the biggest enemy we've ever had to face. We have to destroy it." Rarity turned around the purple alicorn, with a look of sheer determination.
"Twilight, we've got to do it." Pinkie Pie, more serious than she had ever been before, gave her a nod, showing her agreement.
The rest of the group, though somber and quiet, all voiced their vote. Except for one, pale yellow pegasus.
"Fluttershy, dear?" Rarity walked up to the element of Kindness, who had her head down in fear.
"I... I want to save Equestria... But I don't want to die..." Her voice trembled.
"It's okay Fluttershy... But we have to." Applejack looked up to the looming presence of the Id, reminding the group of how little time they had.
"Okay."
"I-I guess this is it. If I survive, I-I'll tell everyone how brave you all are." Twilight blinked furiously, trying to stave back tears.
"It's okay Twilight. Could you tell my family, that I'm sorry I didn't come back, and that I'm so proud of Apple Bloom..." Applejack walked up to comfort the princess, who was taking note of the message, yet dearly hoping she wouldn't have go deliver it. Was she being selfish, for wanting either everyone to survive, or all of them to perish?
"Could you tell Sweetie Belle and my parents that I said goodbye, and Melody and Blues, I love them?" Rarity shook her head, attempting to put on an air of pride, yet still biting back tears.
Twilight just nodded, mentally imagining herself making these conversations.
"Tell Scoots I'm sorry I missed her big show"
"Give Pumpkin and Pound a big hug from Auntie Pinkie, and Mr and Mrs Cake too, and Mum and Dad, and Marble and Limestone, and Gummy, and tell Cheese I'm super duper sad for missing his big party" Pinkie Pie tried to smile with each name listed, trying desperately to show what her element entailed.
"Take care of all my animals... And my family..." Fluttershy's message was the quietest of them all, and the one that brought almost all of them close to crying.
Twilight went over each message again and again, to ensure she wouldn't miss a word, or a name, so that she wouldn't forget a single part of it. Just in case she had to do it.
"Okay girls. I love you all." Choked sobs came from Twilight, a tear dripping from her face, as her horn glowed brightly, preparing the spell. She had intended for that to be it. The final words in the matter. But it was not. The final words came from Pinkie. And they crushed all five who listened deeper than any last messages had before.
"Girls... I'm scared."
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Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fought the Id valiantly. They had seen with their own eyes the bearers of the Elements of Harmony surrounded by the dark mass before them. They had, since then, operated on the belief they had perished. Celestia however, held out hope. She knew the six would not be beaten just like that, and hoped that they would figure out a way to best it. Her hopes were rewarded when a large pillar of rainbow light shot into the sky.
Pink, Purple, Blue, Orange, White, and Yellow.
The two Princesses paused as the Id stopped fighting, moments before a wave of pure positive energy burst from the centre of the rainbow, enveloping the Id, and destroying it. To the left of the Sun Goddess, Luna grinned, mentally adding another enemy to the list of the great feats the Six had accomplished. But Celestia watched the rainbow, high above the sky. It was wavering. Before her eyes, the yellow beam suddenly shut off. As if someone had pulled a light switch. Then the white disappeared from view. The remaining four beams stood valiantly, until the bright pink light disappeared. Celestia attempted to fly closer, to help, to do something. But the sheer force kept her from venturing and further. She prayed for the remaining three lights. The purple shone strongly, but the blue and orange wavered, until one slowly vanished into the air.
Only Purple and Blue remained when the spell finally wore off.
Celestia and Luna sped towards the centre, finding six small bodies in a circle. The large, white alicorn scanned, looking for signs of life. Only two showed it.
"Sister, Take Twilight and Rainbow to the hospital, immediately." The Princess of the Night nodded curtly, teleporting the purple alicorn and cyan pegasus away, leaving Celestia with the four remaining bodies.
There was no chance of resuscitating them. A magical scan showed their spirits had already left their bodies. She gazed sadly at the scene before her. Applejack, always so proud and strong, lay on one side of the circle, in between where Twilight and Rainbow had lain. Pinkie Pie's limbs laid outwards in different directions, yet her hair had sagged, no longer bouncing with the energy of life she had had. But the saddest scene was that of Rarity and Fluttershy. Best friends in life, and together in death. Rarity had one protective hoof around the small pegasus mare, who seemed so much smaller than she had seemed when she lived. Curled up in a ball, her face was hidden from view.
Celestia created four blankets, gently wrapping them around the four former elements of harmony. She then teleported herself to a place she never liked going to. The morgue.
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A rainbow, with six bands, straight up in the sky. Then the yellow collapsed down onto its bearer as she perished. Followed shortly by the white. The two lights left their owners as balls of light, floating through the sky, guided by some unknown force. The pink and orange soon fell as well, following the two leaders towards its new resting place.
The four spirits flew across the land, in varying stages of grace. The first two stayed with each other, floating past the clouds, in perfect harmony with each other. The pink bounced off objects, despite the fact it can go through them. The orange split off from the rest, flying close to the ground through the apple trees and farms. But all four went across Equestria at amazing speeds. All four converging at one place. The Tree of Harmony. It was here that the four spirits ventured into their respective elements. The pink bounced into a blue balloon, with a flourish that, if anyone were to witness it, they would be quite amazed. The orange flew into an orange apple more smoothly. The yellow and white flew around each other once more before separating, the former into a pink butterfly, and the latter a purple diamond. The four elements lit up for a moment, welcoming home another bearer.
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Fluttershy's spirit materialised into the pegasus pony she had been in life. Surrounding her was a large room, bigger than the biggest room in Celestia's castle. Above her, a large glass dome, with strained glass, full of different ponies, and some other creatures. Some she recognised, like diamond dogs, dragons and manticores, even a lone changeling. Others she did not, like one particular beast, who had a horn in the center of his head, like a unicorn, but further down, in between his eyes. He was a dull grey, and much more muscly than the average pony. Yet, every so often, one of the windows contained someone oddly familiar to her.
Fluttershy had barely any time to accustom herself to her new surroundings, when she realised that all the ponies and creatures in the glass windows above were around her. She saw hundreds of unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, with other creatures dotted in between. A small squeak was emitted from her, and right when she thought she was going to have to meet all these ponies, there was a 'pop' sound, and a flash of white and purple light, before a certain unicorn was standing beside her.
"Rarity!" Fluttershy said happily, thankful for a familiar face.
The pony in question looked very much confused, going through the same motions Fluttershy did. However, she lingered on the view of the glass dome much longer.
"Oh that glasswork is simply exquisite!" She said, before realising the huge crowd of creatures before her.
"Oh my." She then had a start of realisation, as if remembering what had happened.
"Where am I? Is this heaven?" A few ponies in the crowd chuckled, prompting a frown and louder voice from Rarity.
"Well? Fluttershy dear, do you know?" The pastel yellow pegasus shook her head, before there was another pop and a flurry of pink tumbled down.
"Pinkie Pie?!" Fluttershy looked curiously at the jumble of pink lying before her.
The pink pony had not landed on all four hooves like the two before her, but rather had rolled over and come to rest in a position one can only describe as 'gymnastics gone wrong'. However, she soon righted herself, untangling her legs, and immediately seeing the sea of new faces before her.
"Woah! That's a lot of new ponies! And... Other creatures. Hello! My name is Pinkie Pie! I'll just have to get to know all of you by having the biggest party ever!" Her bright blue eyes then honed in on a pony right in the front of the crowd.
"Hey, do I know you? You seem familiar." She ran up to the pony, a small, pale orange pegasus, with a short, red and dark orange mane, that covered one of her blue-green eyes, bearing a cutie mark of two bright yellow stars. She started laughing, surprising the bouncing pink pony before her.
"I ought to seem familiar, you're an element of Laugher too!" It took a moment for this to sink in, and there was a loud gasp from the most recent bearer of the 'happiest' element.
"You're an element bearer too?" Rarity walked up to the pegasus, before peering at the ponies surrounding her.
"We all are. The afterlife is for all ponies, but we get a sort of rest stop. A place for just us."
"So everyone in this room used to hold one of the elements?" Rarity's voice held an air of wonder. She'd heard all sorts of theories about the afterlife, but a place for element bearers? Unheard of.
"I just said that. My name is Starburst, Element of Laughter. I would introduce you to everyone else, but there's so many of us, and we have eternity so there's no rush. So I'll introduce you to the other five in my group." Starburst gestured to the ponies behind her, and five stepped up.
It was obvious to the three new ponies that this happened often. Well, Starburst seemed to be the go-to guide.
"This is-" Starburst's introductions were interrupted by one last pop sound, and Applejack appeared, looking dazed and very confused.
"Alright. What's going on?" She walked up to Fluttershy, who had stayed close to where she had arrived.
"These are all previous element bearers." She explained softly, feeling quite overwhelmed, as one might be in her situation.
"Really? That's incredible!" The orange earth pony was shocked.
"It's true! I'm Starburst, an element of laughter. And these are my friends." The pegasus was taking the whole situation in stride, gesturing towards the other five ponies that had stepped forward.
"My name is Lily Pad. I'm Starburst's little sister, and I was the element of Loyalty" A pegasus, with a pale violet coat, and a baby blue and yellow mane, longer than her sisters, in tight curls, with a water lily cutie mark, stepped forward.
"You look a lot older than Starburst!" Pinkie Pie burst out suddenly, earning a shocked look from Rarity and chuckles from the two sisters.
"We can change our ages. We don't do it often, but Star likes to be younger than I am." Lily Pad rolled her eyes, smiling. Starburst was quick to defend herself.
"Because being old is boring. Contrary to what you may believe, adults eat less chocolate." Three of the newcomers looked confused, but Pinkie Pie nodded her head knowingly.
"Anyway, I'm Maple, element of Generosity" A stallion with a burnt umber coat and short, scruffy amber mane, with three maple leaves on his flank, bowed his head.
"Well hello there Maple! I am Rarity. Oh my! I don't believe we've all introduced ourselves! How rude. So, I am Rarity, Element of Generosity, this is Applejack, Element of Honesty, Fluttershy, element of Kindness, and it's quite obvious what Pinkie Pie's element is." Gesturing to each pony, the white unicorn frowned slightly upon seeing Pinkie on her back, playing with the top curl of her mane. Starburst was also playing with it.
"Well, those two are definitely the same element." Maple said, watching the two ponies play with Pinkie's mane. There were murmurs of agreement from some, and giggles from others.
A pegasus stallion, with a pale grey coat, light orange-yellow hair, and three swirls of paint for a cutie mark, stepped forward to continue the introductions.
"I'm Etch, element of Kindness." Here, Fluttershy made an eep sound, nervous of meeting one of her predecessors.
"Come on Fluttershy, say hello" Applejack gently nudged the shy pegasus towards Etch, who stood patiently, with an understanding smile.
"Um... Hi." It was barely heard, but Etch didn't seem to notice, nodding happily.
"Hello Fluttershy. Don't worry, it took me a while to get settled, but I'd be happy to help with any questions, no matter how small."
Fluttershy's ears pricked up, as if thinking of something that she had wanted to know a long time ago.
"Um... Are there animals here? Like, bunnies?"
"Not here exactly, in the normal afterlife. But you can go there easily!" Etch sensed that there was someone the yellow pegasus had lost and wanted to see, and based on her cutie mark, it wasn't a stretch to think it might be an animal.
Sure enough, Fluttershy looked happier than she had before. Angel Bunny had been gone a few years, and she had always wanted to see him again. Granted, she didn't think it would be so soon, but what was done was done.
"Oh Fluttershy how lovely! You'll get to see all of your critters" Rarity smiled for her friend, glad to see her happy. In her head, she made a note to find Opalescence as soon as this little tour was over. Looking over Applejack, she could see a look of disbelief. Perhaps the farmer was making plans to find Winona. Pinkie didn't have to worry, Gummy was still alive and well, somehow.
Many ponies had predicted he wouldn't last as long as he had, with all the sugar she would feed him. Rarity had a start of realisation. They had died, were meeting ponies from centuries ago, and we're making plans to visit their lost pets. Why wasn't she sad that she was dead? Was it just impossible to be sad in the afterlife? Perhaps Starburst or Maple knew. She would have to ask when the introductions were over.
"I'm Koratan Carrot, element of Honesty, glad to meet you all!" Applejack's eyebrow raised at this new pony, her own predecessor. She had the bright orange, wavy hair of a Carrot. She was an Earth pony, and her coat was the same shade as the current leader of the Carrot Clan. Her cutie mark was the titular Koratan Carrot. Definitely an ancestor of the Apple's biggest rivals.
"Are you part of the Carrot family?" The orange pony asked. Koratan eyed the Apple, seemingly noticing who exactly was another bearer of her element.
"Yes. I am. Are you part of the Apple family?" Applejack nodded, noticing for the first time her Stetson was no longer on her head.
"Where's mah hat?" She asked. Koratan looked a bit taken aback.
"We don't really wear clothes here. Umm, are you okay... Rarity?" The white unicorn had fainted.
Well, she would have if she could in the afterlife. Instead, she fell to the ground dramatically.
"No clothes? Oh what will I do with myself!" She wailed, and more than a few ponies stepped back.
"Is she going to be ok?" Starburst looked over at Pinkie Pie, unsure of how to handle this. Many ponies had come through the elements, but Rarity was a whole other league.
"Oh yeah, she'll calm down soon. Like... Now!" Sure enough, Rarity picked herself up, fluffed her mane, and attempted to act as if nothing had happened.
Rarity had always been dramatic, but over the years, had mellowed out slightly. Slightly. She was still prone to crying out over minor details, but only had one fainting couch now. A few ponies were wondering if Generosity had picked the right pony. Many had wondered over the many years the six friends had been together. They were always proved wrong, for although Rarity could be selfish, she knew it, and had always tried her hardest to overcome it, and prove to everyone she could live up to her element. She succeeded, in a way. When the story of what happened in the Id became common knowledge, many regarded Rarity's actions a final act of generosity, willing to give herself up for everyone. Anyone who heard of her final action, laying a hoof over Fluttershy's small body, regarded her as one of the strongest bearers, even above Twilight.
"Anyway, we must continue" The white unicorn had lost all focus for the last introduction, as she was busy devising a way to somehow get fashion into the afterlife.
"Um, okay. I am Rosemary, Element of Magic" A pale cream unicorn, with a long, mint green mane and a sprig of rosemary as a cutie mark, bowed at the four newcomers, despite two not paying attention, one busy hiding behind her own mane, and the last ruefully looking at the others in disappointment.
"And I think that concludes the introductions for now! You'll have plenty of time to meet everyone else later, but does anyone have any questions?" Starburst got up from poking Pinkie's mane (in an attempt to discover the reason behind its poofiness) and looked at each bearer in turn, pleasantly disregarding the fact that she had told them just enough to send one into a panic, another into a rush for this to be over, another into the mother disappointed in her children's disregard for manners, and the last was simply being herself, which involved not paying attention.
"How do we get into the other afterlife, with all the animals?" Fluttershy was uncharacteristically eager to get away. She didn't want to be rude, but by Celestia, there were thousands of critters she had to meet. Or was it re-meet? She didn't care.
"Oh, there's a portal out there. We can go after I've answered all the questions." Starburst, pointed in the direction of the portal, and the yellow pegasus took one look and became more agitated.
"Do we have parties here?" Pinkie suddenly appeared next to Starburst, eyeing her as if this were the most serious of matters in history. The orange pegasus treated it as such.
"Oh yes. There are about five hundred elements of Laughter here-"
"Five hundred?!" Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy stared at Starburst. Five hundred Pinkie Pies? They'd been ready to blow when there were about fifty clones of her. But five hundred? Some who have probably been here for mellenia? Images of thousands of pranks being pulled on them at the same time flooded their minds, and the three wondered if it was possible to go back to the real world.
"Yup! Five hundred and seventeen, now that you're here." Starburst seemed completely oblivious to the inner horror the three were having, and to the maniacal grin on Pinkie's face. Oh, this was going to be better than when she, Rainbow Dash, Celestia and Discord had all gone on a massive pranking spree across Equestria. It took Hoofington weeks to get all the custard off their buildings, and Luna still jumped whenever she heard a bouncing sound.
It was obvious the same thought had occurred to her three friends.
"Oh no Pinkie, none of that!" Applejack put her hoof down firmly.
"We're going to have to put her on a pranking limit." Rarity whispered in the earth pony's ears, who nodded curtly.
"Please no." Fluttershy looked absolutely horrified.
"Yeah, so anyway, we have parties all the time, and wait til you see all the pranks Gumdrop can do! He's amazing! Did you know there are so many pranks you can pull with a unicorn, and..."
Starburst continued rambling to Pinkie, whose grin got wider every second. The other three had had their worst fears realised. They had often wondered what it would have been like if Pinkie were a pegasus, or a unicorn. Now there were both. And five hundred and fourteen others of various races. For eternity.
"Don't worry, you can avoid most of the pranks if they get pulled on you enough. It's the unicorns you gotta watch out for. One second of looking away, and they got you." Koratan looked around knowingly at the crowds of ponies, knowing that mixed in somewhere, five hundred and fifteen were currently doing who knows what. And that could mean anything. An-y-thing.
"I think you'll find Pinkie is like that as well. She doesn't even need one second." Koratan gulped. New elements of Laughter were always untested.
And they all loved pranks.
Everyone else had to be prepared. It was an occasion for joy when a new bearer arrived. It was also an occasion of worry when said bearer was Laughter. There was a reason Starburst was the greeter. She instantly recognised her fellow element, and gave everyone (pony or otherwise) enough time to gauge the level of danger this new pony possessed. Never since Gumdrop had the danger metre gone this high. Gumdrop himself, hidden in the crowd, was already devising a plan to have the most epic. Prank. Ever.
At least until his next one. Hah. In his lifetime ponies thought he couldn't go further. Centuries of observing other pranksters proved them wrong. He considered himself the biggest prankster in history. Pinkie would soon challenge that title. In the afterlife, mellenia after this story, the day the two decided to put their rivalry aside, ending the years long pranking war, everyone had breathed a sigh of collective relief (not other elements of Laughter, they had all taken sides.). The day they all teamed up was considered one of the most horrific events ever experienced in a dimension without fear.
Eight ponies watched two of their own chat together about pranks, whipped cream, balloons, and sledgehammers.
"Umm, Starburst? I have a question."
The pegasus was suddenly right next to the unicorn. Years of Pinkie doing it meant she didn't react, though a bit of her was worried that everyone single element of laughter there could do it too.
"Yes Rarity?"
"Can we watch Twilight and Rainbow Dash somehow?" The other three started listening immediately. Starburst took a moment to reply, as if fingering over her answer.
"Yes you can, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Spirits are susceptible to emotions in the real world, and you might find it gets a bit overwhelming. It hasn't been long since you died, and it's bound to be pretty raw." Some of the other ponies looked away. Apparently, more than one had gone into the real word soon after their arrival here.
"I want to. I want to make sure they're okay." The unicorn was adamant. Despite Starbust's better judgement, she had to be a good guide.
"Alright. If the rest of you want to come, just follow me."
The pegasus walked away from the crowd of ponies, towards a small, light purple door with etchings carved into it. She looked around, seeing all four newcomers had followed.
"Okay. When we find the other two, it will probably be really sad. If you feel like you're going to cry, don't worry. It goes away after a while. We'll end up outside the Tree of Harmony. No one can see or hear us after we leave the cave, except other spirits. So don't try. We can go anywhere, and if we get seperated, just concentrate and try to hone in on our signal. If you really can't find anyone, just go back to the Tree." Starburst looked a bit sad, which was concerning, since no one had looked sad since they got there.
Worried maybe, but not sad. The happy atmosphere from before seemed gone. As if all the emotions from the real world, the world of the living, was seeping in through that door.
"Okay. Let's go."
Starburst opened the door, revealing a little window into the world. It only showed the cave the Tree of Harmony rested in, and Starburst walked though, followed by her four companions.
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Princess Luna sat down awkwardly in a chair. These things were designed for normal-sized ponies, and though she used to be smaller than her sister, she had recently had a growth spurt of sorts.
It was her job to watch over the two remaining Element Bearers until they were stable. While her sister took care of the four who perished. A sad day for Equestria. A terrible day. Yet, there was the miracle of Rainbow Dash surviving. The spell Twilight had used was designed in the Civil War many thousands of years ago. It was used by unicorns who had been sent to run into enemy bases... And blow it up. Twilight had modified the spell to draw on the elements, so that other, innocent creatures were not harmed, but it had the same effect.
Twilight surviving was expected, but Rainbow surviving was not. If anypony were to survive, Luna would have though Applejack or Pinkie Pie. Applejack for her superior strength, and Pinkie for her peculiar abilities. However, it was Rainbow Dash, and the theories on why would be speculated and torn to bits for centuries.
"Excuse me Princess, but I'm afraid visiting hours are over. They're both stable, and I'll send for you immediately if there are any changes." A white earth pony, with the head band that signified a nurse, bowed at the dark blue alicorn, before gesturing to a sign that stated visiting hours ended when the sun went down.
Luna hadn't even realised her sister had lowered the sun.
"Oh, thank you." The Princess left the room, though two of her own Guard were allowed to stand outside the ward. The patients were what remained of the five hundred and eighteenth group of Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. (1)
Luna walked outside, and quickly raised the moon, not caring that she has been behind schedule. Who cared? Not her. A much more tragic event had occurred. She could already see in the distance, a huge crowd gathered around the Princess' castle, despite the late hour.
The Princess of the Night debated on whether or not to teleport into the castle, but knew that the crowd would only continue. Best to answer any questions she could now. However, she made a mental note to not give out the names of those who perished, before their families could be contacted. Perhaps not saying any had perished for now would be a good idea.
Upon arriving at the edge of the crowd, more than a few reporters shoved microphones, tape records and notepads at her, without giving her a chance to speak.
"What happened today?"
"Where did the Id go?"
"Where are the Elements of Harmony?"
"Silence!" Fanning out her wings, she tried to look as regal and important as her sister always did. Luna was a much more, casual type princess. She made an effort not to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, as apparently she still used it far too much.
"Today has been a confusing event. Thy Sister and I are working to repair any damage. Rest assured, the Id has been defeated, and will not trouble us ever again. Please, wait until tomorrow for any further questions." Dodging any mention of the Elements of Harmony, Luna flew up and over the crowd, and went into the castle, with reporters and confused citizens tried to push their way in.
Thankfully, the guards were well-used to this, and Luna had not a single pony make it through to heckle her.
Luna walked up to her room, where her chief hoofmaiden, Artemis, was sorting through shampoo bottles.
"Oh Princess! What a great day! The Id has been defeated, and- Princess? Have you been crying? What is wrong?" The dark purple unicorn looked up at Luna, concerned.
The Moon Princess looked thoroughly haggared. Most ponies outside would not have noticed the stains on her eyes, but Artemis had an extremely keen eye.
"The other hoofmaidens are where?" Artemis has been Luna's chief hoofmaiden for a long time. She knew many of her employers secrets, and had always kept them well hidden. Some of the others, not so much.
"In the kitchen, having dinner. I thought I would prepare for when you came back."
"A tragic thing has occurred." Luna sat down, and Artemis automatically began fixing up her mane, wiping dirt off her face, and listening intently.
"The Bearers destroyed the Id, but they used a spell that was designed to explode the nearby vicinity." Artemis gasped.
"Why would they do that?"
"They had no choice. Twilight had modified it so that it used their Rainbow Power, but it did the same thing, just less deadly to normal ponies outside the epicentre."
Artemis polished Luna's hooves silently.
"Unfortunately, they had to amplify it a hundred-fold to destroy the whole monster. It drew on their power, and their energy." Another small gasp came from the dark purple unicorn.
"Four of them perished. Twilight survived, being an alicorn, and it is truly a miracle that Rainbow is still alive. But the other four..." Luna sighed sadly.
"Oh Princess, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have-"
"No Artemis, it's fine. The four died to save Equestria. You are the first pony other than the nurses at the hospital who know, and they have all been told quite clearly not to tell anypony."
"But still, I-"
"Artemis. I need to tell somepony. The masses out there are demanding answers I am not willing to give them. Celestia will be the one to tell them. But I will most likely be the one to tell their families." Luna went over the list of ponies she had to tell to Artemis.
The Apples, likely the whole clan, but Applejacks immediate family first.
Rarity's mother and father, and her little sister. And her husband and child.
Pinkie's family, along with the Cakes, and probably the rest of Ponyville. And Cheese Sandwich.
Fluttershy's parents, and Discord. Luna dreaded telling Discord the most.
Then of course there was Twilights family and Rainbow Dash's family who needed to know of their conditions.
It was bound to be a tragic, tearfilled day. And she was going to have to be the instigator. She would have to get started now. First, to the Castle of Friendship.
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"Oh! I hadn't thought of how Discord would react! Oh Discord!" A sobbing Fluttershy was watching the exchange between Princess and hoofmaiden. The somber mood in the air was affecting them all, but Fluttershy was the most hurt. She was rivalled by Rarity though.
"Oh my poor little Melody! Having to grow up without her mother! And what will Blues do!" The spirit was horrified for her family, only just starting to grow, but stopped by this event.
"Cheese will be so upset, he said he'd have the biggest party ever planned for when I got back!" Pinkie was trying desperately not to cry.
Applejack didn't say a word, instead choosing to be a silent comforter for her friends. She had her own sorrows, so she worked through them by helping her friends.
Starburst, to her credit, recognised that the four would be best off working out their pain by themselves, with each other. She had not had that luxury, being the first of her group to perish, but she would give it to these four. Friendship was a powerful thing, even in death. She knew that more than most ponies.
She stood back, watching Luna curiously. This pony had been a previous holder of the element of laughter. Yet that connection had been broken a long time ago. Starburst had once gone into the real world, when it had been a thousand years since the last element bearer had ever arrived. She wanted to see what was taking so long. After all, she didn't want to be out of a job.
She found two alicorns, wielding three elements each. It had been quite amazing. The one wielding Laughter, Loyalty and Honesty though had looked different. Younger. She supposed even magical immortals aged, just very slowly.
The alicorn got up and left. Starburst looked over at the four ponies. She wondered if she could still feel the elements in the Princess. Closing her eyes, she focused, searching the world for the presence of the elements. She could feel two pulses, from Magic and Loyalty. The two still alive. She could also feel two other pulses, much weaker. The connection had been broken, but they still held on to a residue of its magic. They could no longer use it, but it was there. That was nice to know.
If they ever came to the Tree, she would have to try and contact them, once again.
"Hey Starburst, Ah reckon we're ready to go back now." Applejack tapped the Pegasus on her shoulder, and gestured to the other three, who were all still very sad.
Yes. Getting them back would make them feel better. She hated seeing them sad. Like her. At least they had each other to comfort them. She had had no one. Absolutely no one.