The Everfree forest. By the opinions of most ponies, it was a dark, and sinister place that did not operate by the natural laws of Equestria. The weather worked on its own, it was dark and creepy, and filled with dangerous creatures. Most ponies wouldn’t even consider entering the place. But that did not apply to the six ponies standing on the very edge of it.
These six were not entering the forest for fun, or to prove their bravery. They were doing it because they knew they had to. For only by venturing through the forest would they find the fabled Elements of Harmony, the only things that could stop an ancient villain, Nightmare Moon. The ponies stood there in silence, trying to work up the courage to enter. That was until the silence was broken by a pink mare, who either possessed great courage, or great ignorance to the danger ahead.
“Wee! Let’s go!” cried Pinkie Pie. She began to trot forward, before she was stopped by a lavender Unicorn with a purple mane and tail.
“Not so fast!” said Twilight Sparkle. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’d really rather do this on my own.”
“No can do sugarcube!” objected the orange mare known as Applejack. “We sure ain’t letting any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone! We’re sticking to you like caramel on a candy apple!” The others voiced their agreements, and the group made their way into the forest, unaware of the two forces at work.
The ponies eventually found themselves on a thin and brittle path, hugging the side of a mountain, with cliffs dropping to the depths below. As the ponies crossed, none of them noticed a purple mist, traveling below them. The mist merged with the rock, weakening its structure. The ponies crossed, with one in particular joking around, and trying to playfully scare the others. It was all fun and games, until the ground beneath them gave way. As the two pegasi went air born, the earth ponies and unicorns screamed in terror, as they slid down the mountain.
Rainbow Dash’s speed was not limited to her flight, as she was quick to react to the situation. “Fluttershy, quick!” she yelled, and then the two dived forward in order to save their friends.
Rainbow used what strength she had to lift Pinkie Pie into the air, saving her from plummeting to her death. Her companion, Fluttershy managed to catch Rarity by the tail, but the other two ponies continued their fall without anypony there to catch them. Applejack managed to catch a hanging root, halting her fall, while Twilight found herself hanging by her hoofs at the edge of her cliff. Applejack released her hold of the roots, in an attempt to aid her friend.
“Hold on! I’m a comin!” said the Cowpony.
“Applejack! What do I do?” cried Twilight. After a few seconds of contemplation, Applejack gave her her answer.
“Let go,” said Applejack calmly.
“Are you CRAZY!” yelled Twilight.
“No I ain’t. I promise you’ll be safe,” replied Applejack.
“That’s not true!” shouted Twilight.
“Now listen here. What I’m saying to you is the honest truth. Now let go, and you’ll be safe.” Twilight thought about what the mare was saying. After a few seconds of contemplation, she closed her eyes, and let go. Her stomach rose, as she let out a scream of fear. Her eyes opened, to see both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying towards her. But as fast as they were flying, Twilight was falling faster. Gravity was working against her. She was the two flying after her, and she could see the doubt in their eyes.
Twilight thought for sure she was going to be splattered against the ground. But even with her screaming, she could hear a faint noise, a voice that she had never heard before. She heard the voice say “-Za”, and in an instant, Twilights fall seemed to slow. She felt her entire body functioning and falling slower, while Rainbow and Fluttershy seemed to be flying all the more faster. In a second, the two reached her, and grabbed a hold of her. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, as the two pegasi lowered her to the ground.
Even though she was relieved to be safe, she couldn’t help but wonder what had caused her fall to slow. Perhaps it was adrenaline, but Twilight could remember feeling a faint tingling on her horn, which was how powerful Unicorns liker herself were able to tell if magic was being used. But who had used it? And what kind of spell was used?
Just then, Twilight caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. It was black, and dark, as if it was eating light itself, like a black hole. Twilight turned her head to glance in its direction, but the moment she could see it clearly, it was gone.
“You all right Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, and turned her attention back to the situation.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, just thinking…. thanks for saving me,” replied Twilight.
“No problem! Now let’s go get those elements!
The ponies continued their trek through the forest. Rainbow Dash was busy bragging and reliving her saving of Twilight, with Twilight becoming increasingly annoyed. Just then, out of nowhere, a large manticore jumped in front of them, blocking their path.
“A Manticore!” cried Twilight. The beast let out a mighty roar. “We’ve got to get past him!” The manticore leapt toward Rarity, prepared to smite her with his paws. The fashionista delivered a surprisingly well-executed buck at the manticore, pushing it back.
“Take that you ruffian!” yelled Rarity, only for the manticore to roar right in her face. The ponies worked together to fight the beast, except Fluttershy who was trying to gain their attention. The ponies attempted to subdue the mythical beast, but could not manage to beat him.
The ponies regrouped, and charged the manticore. The hybrid let out a roar, and charged the ponies in response. That was, until Fluttershy leapt in between the two forces, and yelled, “Wait!” When the two sides ceased their charge, Fluttershy calmly trotted towards the manticore.
The beast roared, and raised his paw, ready to strike. The ponies averted their eyes, preparing for the worst. But instead of hearing screams of pain and death, they heard the calm whispering of the Pegasus.
“Shh. It’s okay.” Fluttershy’s voice calmed the hybrid, which then held out his claw to Fluttershy, revealing a large thorn. “Oh you poor little baby,” cooed Fluttershy. She then proceeded to remove the thorn. The manticore let out a roar, causing the ponies to believe that he was about to harm her. Than was, until they saw the manticore licking Fluttershy affectionately.
With the manticore calmed, the ponies were free to pass through the chasm. But as Twilight passed through, she saw something, high above on the top of the cliffs. She could not tell what it was. It was some dark fog, rounded like an oval, and about the size of a door. Just as Twilight saw it, it dissipated, fading into nothing.
Twilight decided to turn her attention back to Fluttershy.
“How did you know about the thorn?” asked the unicorn.
“I didn’t. Sometimes, we all need to be shown a little kindness.” Twilight thought about that. Fluttershy was one of the kindest ponies she’d ever met. And that brought a smile to her face.
Twilight and her friends continued their venture through the forest. The group continued to face many obstacles in their quest for the elements. They faced a forest of dark and scary trees, only for Pinkie to laugh away their fears. They came across a rapid river, but thanks to Rarities generosity, they calmed the tears of a crying sea serpent. Finally, they came to an old rope bridge. But the loyalty of the fastest Pegasus in Equestria saw them through, and allowed them to cross, and make it to the abandoned castle.
Twilight was now alone in the room with the Elements of Harmony. She shut her eyes, and began channeling her magic. Because of that, she did not notice a dark purple cloud wrapping around the elements. The dark purple magic began circling, causing a mini tornado, with the elements being carried by the winds. Twilight let out a cry of surprise.
Twilight leaped towards the elements, trying to stop them from escaping. In a flash, she and the elements disappeared, just as the other ponies arrived to help her.
Twilight arrived in a different part of the castle, in a cloud of smoke. Her eyes widened as she saw Nightmare Moon standing there, the elements levitating around her. Twilight clawed at the ground, and prepared to charge the mare in the moon.
“You’re kidding. You’re kidding right?” questioned the dark mare. The two charged each other, with Twilight lighting her horn. Just as they were about to make contact, Twilight teleported behind Nightmare Moon, appearing right beside the elements.
As Twilight used her magic on the elements, Nightmare moon attacked, launching Twilight backward. As Nightmare stood in the middle of the elements, the spark from Twilights magic bounced between them.
“No, NO!” cried the dark mare. Fortunately for her, the elements lost their spark. As Nightmare Moon laughed, Twilight gasped.
“But…where’s the sixth element?” Nightmare Moon laughed in triumph as she slammed her hoofs onto the floor, shattering the elements.
“You little foal, thinking you could defeat me. Now you will never see your princess, or your sun again. The night, will last forever!” announced Nightmare Moon. It felt hopeless for Twilight. The elements had been destroyed, and now, there was no way to stop the mare in the moon. That was, until Twilight heard the sound of her newfound friends approaching. Suddenly, Twilight felt hopeful. Her eyes widened with her sudden realization.
“You think you can destroy the elements of harmony just like that? Well you’re wrong! The spirits of the elements of harmony are right here!” announced Twilight. As the shards of the elements of harmony began to rise, Twilight explained to the dark mare that each of her new friends represented the elements of harmony. Applejack represented honesty, Fluttershy the element of kindness, Pinkie Pie Laugher, Rarity generosity, Rainbow Dash as loyalty, and finally Twilight herself as Magic.
“The spirits of these 5 ponies lead us through all the obstacles you threw at us!”
“You still don’t have the sixth element! The spark didn’t work!” replied Nightmare Moon.
“But it did! A different kind of spark! I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you,” said Twilight as she turned to face her friends. “To see you. How much I cared about you. The spark ignited in me, when I realized that you all…Are My Friends!” Just as Twilight finished her sentence, a shining flash of light appeared above her, revealing the sixth element of harmony: The Element of Magic. The element shards rotated around their bearers as the element of magic descended onto Twilight. There was a large glow that caused Nightmare moon to shield her eyes.
“You see, Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark, that resides in us all, it creates the sixth element! The Element of…MAGIC!” With that, the elemental shards magic caused them to form into beautiful necklaces, with magical gems in the center, except for Twilights, whose element was a golden tiara. The combined power of the six elements caused a large rainbow to fire directly at Nightmare Moon, who cried out as the magic blasted her. Then, a large flash of light illuminated the entire room.
When it subsided, the six mares found themselves lying on the floor of the castle. They rose themselves up, and soon found that their element necklaces were still present. Each pony marveled at their newfound jewelry.
“Wow Twilight. I thought you were just spouting a lot of hooey. But I guess we really DO represent the Elements of Friendship,” said Applejack.
“Indeed you do,” came a new voice. A great light blinded the room. The sun rose from the darkness, illuminating the sky. And from that light, appeared the Princes of the Sun, wings spread, and head held high.
The ponies all bowed their heads, with the exception of Twilight, who rushed to embrace her mentor.
“Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student.” After their embrace, Celestia continued to speak. “I knew you could do it. “
“But you told me it was all an old pony tale?” questioned Twilight.
“I told you that needed to make some friends. Nothing more,” replied Celestia. “ I saw the signs of Nightmare Moons return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it, until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well.”
The group’s attention was returned to where Nightmare Moon had once been. But instead of the dark mare, was a different pony. This one similar, but different. She had purple fur, with dark blue hair. She too, had a horn and wings, just like Nightmare Moon, and Princess Celestia.
“Princess Luna,” said Celestia to the other Alicorn, who gasped in what could be called fear. “It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this.” Celestia lowered herself to the ground, to meet Luna face to face. “Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together little sister.” The entire group of ponies gasped at the newfound revelation. Then, the two sisters embraced in a long overdue hug. Silence filled the air, no noise interrupting the embrace.
But then, the sounds of hoof steps could be heard. It was loud, and powerful. The entire group turned their heads to see who had just intruded into their moment. Eight gasps could be heard, as a new creature, most of which had never seen before, entered the room.
The being was bipedal, dressed head to toe in a long black coat, with a hood covering its face. The coat had large zippers, with two chains coming from either side of the hood. For Twilight and her friends, the creature was unknown, never had they seen anything like it before. But for Luna and Celestia, the creature was not only familiar, but also one they did not expect to ever see again in their lives.
The elements took defensive stance in front of the two sisters, prepared to defend them from the unknown creature.
“It…it cannot be!” gasped Celestia in surprise. The creature stopped walking, as soon as he came in front of the group. Then, he reached up to his hood, and removed it, to reveal a face, that no pony had seen before. The creature had a relatively flat face, with a nose unlike most species on the planet. The creature had a spiky blond/orange mane atop of its head, with shiny blue eyes. Then, the creature spoke.
“Princess Luna,” said the creature, in a young, male voice. In fact, he sounded like a teenager. The creature raised his hand to the side, and with a flash of light, an object appeared in his gloved hand. To the ponies, it appeared to be a key; only it was giant, and shaped somewhat like a weapon. The creature stepped forward, but the elements wouldn’t have that.
“Stop right there monster!” challenged Rainbow Dash. But the creature didn’t stop; in fact he seemed to dash forward at incredible speed, appearing before the two princesses. He raised his weapon above his head, preparing to strike. Princess Luna shut her eyes, prepared for what would come next. All through out the room, a clang could be heard, one that echoed throughout the room.
Luna had expected to feel the pain of death strike her. But instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw something she did not expect to see. The tip of the key was embedded into the floor, with the black-coated creature on his knees, hands resting on the handle of the weapon. His head was lowered, eyes tightly shut, letting tears come loose. But no pony was prepared for what he said next.
“Princess Luna…I…am so sorry.”