Shining Armor looked at the others. They had all collected at Sugarcube Corner and looked like themselves once again. Their colors were back to normal and each had their element with them.
Seeing them back together, talking and smiling, made Shining Armor feel better. Still, he could not bring himself to smile. Not yet. His throat felt dry and his stomach quivered. Was there tension between them? He thought he could see tension between them. But was it actual tension, or was he imagining it because of his own nervousness. He should probably say something to make the others feel better. He was the leader, right? Leaders are supposed to be able to give inspiring and motivating speeches in tough times, are they not?
A pair of hooves wrapped around Shining Armor's neck. Before he had even realized it, Pinkie Pie had snuck up behind him and pulled him into a tight hug. The sight of those big blue eyes and wide smile made him feel a little better.
"Don't you worry Shiney-hiney," she told him with a gentle pat. "We're back together and ready for whatever happens."
He sighed and leaned back, letting himself be hugged for the moment. It felt comforting and familiar. So did her confidence.
"I hope you're right," he almost whispered. After a few more seconds, he pulled away and stood up. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out.
"Okay," he said, his horn glowing. "So our last fight with Discord did not go well."
"He messed with our heads and kicked our flanks," Rainbow Dash stated.
"Be that as it may," Shining Armor continued, "he underestimated us." Turning, he looked at Twilight and her friends, then smiled. "He didn't think that we would have others who would support us. To help us remember who we are. He didn't think we would have friends who would stay by our side. Ponies that we will fight for."
Holding up his helmet in his magic, he gave it one last look. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and slipped it into place on his head.
"So, now we get ready to face him again. This time, we are together and we know what we are trying to protect. Not just each other, but all of our friends. Our families. Be it by blood or by choice. We are here for them and because of them."
He turned and looked at his friends.
"Ready?"
"Ready!" the other five responded. The sound of them all agreeing sent a thrill of excitement and hope through Shining Armor.
"Alright then." He turned and looked toward where Discord was. "Let's show him what we can do."
*****
Discord slumped in his throne, having gone practically boneless. He felt so exhausted. Maybe he had used a little too much of his power in the thing, especially since he probably would not need it. Still, after what happened earlier, it would probably be better to have something ready. Just in case. Plus even if nothing happened to him, it would create so much fun and glorious chaos later on.
He could really use a snack.
Before he could get up and grab on, he caught sight of movement. Six ponies were walking together, heading right toward him. With a groan and roll of his eyes, Discord moved to sit up. He still had his pride after all, and did not want to seem weakened. His lion's paw and eagle claw pressed together, the first digits pressed together and pointing up. He smirked and narrowed his eyes, watching the approaching group and waiting.
To his surprise, it was Shining Armor and his friends. As expected, they had The Elements with them and none of them seemed to be in a happy mood.
Okay. That last part was inaccurate. Pinkie Pie seemed quite thrilled when she had stopped at one of the cotton candy clouds to get a drink of chocolate milk. The rest of them, however, did not seem to be smiling.
"So," Discord said once they got closer, "it seems your previous attack was too weak to harm me, so you've decided to try closer. Is that it?"
The statement gave the six ponies a moment of pause.
"What is he talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I think he believes that your sonic rainboom when you saved Scootaloo was us using the elements," Shining Armor answered.
Applejack took a step forward, eyes narrowing as she glared at Discord.
"We didn't try'n attack you earlier."
"Oh, Applejack," Discord said. He snapped his fingers, causing Applejack to float up and move toward the throne. "Don't lie to me." He pressed a toe-pad against the mare's nose. "After all, I'm the one who taught you how to lie to begin with."
Head low and ears back, Shining Armor called on his magic. His horn glowed as a bubble formed around Applejack, pulling her away from the Discord's grip and setting her back down with the rest of them.
Discord sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. He reached into his fur, pulled out a clock and looked at it.
"Listen," he told them. "I have a bit of a schedule to keep." He threw the clock behind him, creating an explosion and a foot wide crater. "Why don't we just hurry up and get this over with." With that, he put on a pair of sunglasses and made a motion over his chest to create a bulls-eye on his chest. "Go ahead then. Give me your best shot."
This was it. The moment of truth for the six of them. If it worked, they would be able to stop Discord and could start returning Ponyville back to normal. If it failed, they would have to flee and try to come up with a with a new plan. Each one of them closed their eyes and focused, trying to get in touch with their element's power.
"Come on, come on," Discord shouted, clapping his forelimbs together. "I don't have all day here."
Shining Armor's eyes shot open, glowing white. The jewel of his element lit off, giving starburst shaped beams of light. As the glow got brighter, it was joined one by one by the others. The energy engulfed the six ponies, lifting them off the ground.
"Just hit me already!" Discord shouted.
As if it had been waiting for that, a massive streak of rainbow colored energy shot out from the group. It rose high into the air before curving downwards and heading directly toward Discord.
He had just enough time to realize that this probably had not been the best idea.
As soon as The Beam of Harmony magic struck him, Discord found that he could no longer move. His feet were heaving, whiter, and much more stone-like than they usually were. As he watched, the petrification worked its way further and further up his body.
"No!" Discord shouted. "Not again. I don't want to go back!" His eyes grew wider and his chest heaved. "No! NO! NOOOOOOOO...."
With an explosion, the magic spread out from the now stone Discord and spread out across Ponyville. As the power spread further and further, it changed more and more of the town back to normal. The ground was once again dirt and grass. Cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain vanished. Fruit trees started growing the proper types of fruit again. Buildings were returned to their normal positions. Unfortunately any damage they had sustained remained. Ponies were also reverted back to their normal selves. This included a filly who was unable to fly normally and so ended up crashing face first into the dirt.
As the magic around them vanished, the six ponies dropped to the ground, letting out noises of exhaustion. Opening his eyes, Shining Armor looked around. A grin spread across his face as he saw the statue of Discord and what looked like good old regular Ponyville.
They had done it.