//------------------------------// // Redemption // Story: A Shadow Hangs Overhead // by BronyWriter //------------------------------// "Rarity! Rarity, she's gone! She's gone. Ya don't halfta worry about her no more." Rarity's screams ceased, instead being replaced by heavy sobs. She felt herself being pulled up to her haunches and a pair of forelegs being wrapped around her. "Shh," Applejack soothed, gently stroking her mane. "It's okay, sugarcube. Ah know. Ah know she scared ya. She scared me too, alright?" "I w-wanted to h-hurt her!" Rarity said through her sobs. "I'm j-just as bad as she is!" "Consarnit, Rarity!" Applejack grabbed Rarity's head in her hooves, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Ah don't ever wanna hear you say somethin' like that again. Ever." Rarity's mouth flopped up and down for a moment before words came. "B-but I--" "Ah don't wanna hear it," Applejack growled. "Do you try ta hurt ponies emotionally? Do ya try to take sad feelings and twist them against ponies? Are ya tryin' ta kill everythin' in Equestria?" Applejack released Rarity's head. "No? Then Ah don't wanna hear nothin' about you bein' even close to as bad as she is." "I wish I could believe that," Rarity whispered, shivering at the memory of Nightmare Moon's mane tendrils wrapping around her throat. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hoof. "I don't want to be that pony anymore, b-but she said that when she became queen again, she'd make me become that! Some court assassin, murdering the ponies she didn't like." Rarity flattened her ears and covered her head. "She thinks I'd like it. Applejack, I'm scared that if she makes me do that, then she won't need to brainwash me. Th-that I'll do it just because I secretly liked what I did to Dug and Kicker!" "Rarity..." Applejack sighed and facehooved. "You really ain't been payin' attention to yourself over the past ten years, have ya? If yer this scared of becomin' that mare, even when she was tryin' ta get ya to attack her, then why do ya think you'd willingly go along with whatever she told ya ta do?" Rarity felt a pair of hooves wrap around her shoulder, and looked to see Pinkie Pie wrapping her in a hug. She leaned into Pinkie's chest, nuzzling against the pink fur. "You're a good pony, Rarity," Pinkie said. "I know what a good pony looks like, and I've never thought that you could hurt anypony on purpose like that again." "But if I did it once, I can do it again," Rarity whispered. "Nuh-uh," Pinkie said with a shake of her head. "I know you, Rarity: you tell me a lot that you don't care about what ponies who say nasty things about you in the paper think. So why is this mare different? Sure she has some magic and she's dangerous, but the Rarity I know wouldn't believe that ol' meanie for a second!" "Yer not that mare, Rarity," Applejack said. "Ah don't know what it's gonna take to convince ya of that, but Pinkie and Ah will do everything to get it through that thick skull of yours." Rarity let out a quiet chuckle and wiped her eyes again. "Just having you two here to, er, get it through my thick skull, as it were, does a lot for me, darlings. Celestia, I don't know what I would do without you." "Well, you never have to think about that, because we're here to help." Pinkie stood up and offered Rarity a helping hoof up. She giggled as Rarity got to her hooves. "Silly." "Darn straight," Applejack said with a nod. "Right now, though, we gotta see what Twilight is up to. She ran out not long after that mare did. Ah aim ta find out what's goin' through her mind. You don't halfta come with us if ya don't want to. You've been through enough tonight." For a moment, the idea tempted Rarity. Sweetie Belle would certainly need somepony there to comfort her. Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight could handle the mare well enough. And if not, they'd figure out something. She didn't need to be involved. Or... Rarity blinked once and took a deep breath before shaking her head. "I could do that, Applejack. I have every right to, I think. But... it's time for me to stop hiding when I get scared. This mare, if she does take over Equestria, will try to make me into the pony I can't be again. Worse, if you think about it. I can't hide in my basement while she attempts such a thing. I-if it's alright with you, I think I'll come talk to Twilight as well." Applejack smiled at Rarity and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "That sounds pretty good ta me, Rarity. Come on: let's go find Twilight." * * * * As luck would have it, they found Twilight in the first place they looked: the library. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived at the same time. The small group entered and saw Twilight running frantically around the room, tearing books off of shelves and flipping through the contents at lightning speeds. "Elements, Elements, Elements!" Twilight cried, tossing another book aside while taking two more off of the shelves. "Why can't I find anything about the Elements?!" "Er... Elements, Twi?" Applejack said. Twilight yipped in surprise, causing her magic to peter out and the books she was holding to drop to the floor. She whirled around to see Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie behind her, followed closely by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rarity quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the latter two. Rainbow bore a rather impressive scowl, while Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane. "Yeah, what Elements are you talking about?" Rainbow asked, her scowl not budging. "Are they some kinda weapon for this mare that just popped up and took Princess Celestia away? Are you working for her?!" Applejack let out a long-suffering sigh and put a hoof on Rainbow's side. "Now hold on there, sugarcube, let's just ask Twilight what she means. Ah don't think she's a spy, but she does know what's goin' on." She tilted her head. "Right?" Rarity could see the gears moving in Twilight's head as she scanned the group in front of her. After a moment, she sighed and lowered her head. "Yes. I've been doing research on this for some time now. That pony's name is Nightmare Moon. A thousand years ago, she tried to do this, but Princess Celestia stopped her with something called the 'Elements of Harmony'. I don't know what they are or even how they're supposed to stop her, but it's my best shot right now." "Have you looked through this book?" Pinkie asked, tossing one at Twilight's hooves. "It's called 'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide." Twilight's eyes widened, and she immediately took the book in her magic and opened it up. "Where did you get that?!" Twilight cried. "Uh, duh, we're in a library," Pinkie said with a grin. "No, I mean..." Twilight groaned and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important." Twilight spent a few moments looking through the book while everypony else watched her intently. She gave no indication that the other ponies staring at her was a bother. Though it went on long enough that Rarity began to wonder when Twilight would find what she was looking for, if she did at all. "I think I have something," Twilight said after a few minutes. "Yes, I think I definitely have something. The book says that there are six total Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Laughter, kindness, generosity, loyalty and honesty." "What does that even mean?" Rarity asked. "I don't know for sure, but I think if we managed to find the Elements we'd find out." "Where are the Elements?" Applejack asked. "Does the book say anythin' about where they might be?" "Yes, I think that's this part here." Twilight read further down the page. "If the book is right, then the last known location of the Elements of Harmony is in..." Twilight's eyes widened. "The Everfree Forest!" * * * * "Er... now Twilight, darling, are you certain that the Elements are here?" Rarity stared into the black abyss that masqueraded as a forest bordering Ponyville and shuddered. "I mean, isn't it possible that in the thousand years since Princess Celestia last used them that they've been moved? Maybe Princess Celestia herself has them!" "It's possible, of course, but I doubt it," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Even if that's the case, it's still our best bet." Rarity and the other four exchanged an uneasy glance, but followed Twilight into the gaping maw of the forest. Rarity shivered when she felt her hoof touching the soft ground of the forest. It felt like it might give way underneath her at any moment. "I don't like this, Applejack," Rarity said, alternating looks between the rest of the group. "Something isn't right here." "Ah know how you feel," Applejack said. "Somethin's watchin' us. Don't know what it is, but it's somethin'." Rarity looked back and moved a step closer to Applejack when she noticed that she could no longer see the entrance to the forest. There was no turning back, not without the rest of them. She gulped and trotted up next to Twilight. "So... how will you know what these Elements look like once you find them?" she asked. "I don't know for sure, but I think we'll be able to tell." A wry smile crossed Twilight's face. "I mean, they are powerful magical artifacts, and there are six of them. How many things in the Everfree Forest are like that? Besides, they're supposedly in Princess Celestia's old castle. They shouldn't be too hard to--" "Ah, what an interesting sight. Looking for something, are you?" The sound of the voice sent a shiver down Rarity's spine, and despite herself, she latched on to Twilight. "It's her," Rarity whispered. "Indeed," the voice replied. "I must say that I commend you all for your tolerance. It's not every mare that would trust somepony as evil as the one who stands next to you. I doubt you even know what she did, do you?" "Stop it," Rarity whimpered, trying not to think about the eyes of the other five fixed on her. "I'm not that pony anymore!" "Maybe not," the voice mused. "But do the mares you travel with even know of the kind of pony you were? Let's ask them, shall we?" "Don't listen to her, girls!" Twilight said. "Just keep moving! She's trying to stop us!" "Maybe it's not me who will stop you. Maybe it's the foal murderer walking with you. Why don't you tell them what it felt like, child? I saw your memories. You cannot hide anything from me. It was a... euphoric experience, was it not?" "Oh yeah?" Applejack stopped and looked around at their surroundings, glaring at nothing in particular. "You said you've read her mind and can sense her feelin's. Well, then you know that yer spoutin' lies! Ah've talked to this mare almost every day for the past decade, and Ah know how she feels!" Applejack turned to Rarity with a warm smile. "You regret what you did. Ah know that, and you know that. Nothin' can change that. But Ah know you, Rarity. Ah know you've made a lot of progress since it happened. Yer not lettin' it rule your life like it used to. When Ah look at you, Ah don't see some mare that's bein' tortured by a mistake she made, not anymore. Ah see a mare who goes through life with her head high. When Ah see you, Ah see a pony who's doin' pretty well for herself. Ain't no silly fable gonna make that anythin' less than the truth." Rarity's eyes began watering, and she wrapped Applejack in a tight hug. "Thank you. I know I can be silly sometimes, but I needed to hear that." Fluttershy moved to Rarity's other side and nuzzled her. "I'm here for you too, Rarity," she said. "Like everypony says: you're not that mare anymore. I'm not sure you ever truly were." "We're close to the castle, girls!" Twilight cried. "Just a little bit further!" "And why do you think such a thing would work?" the voice snarled. "The Elements don't choose mortals to wield them. Their power would destroy you before it ever reached me. You don't even have all six of them!" "Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash snarled, flying higher in the air and looking around wildly as if Nightmare Moon would appear if she just looked hard enough. "What makes you think we'd believe your kind of lies? We're gonna go get those Elements and kick your sorry flank and then--" Before she could finish her thought, Rainbow froze in midair. Her wings snapped to her side, sending her plummeting like a stone to the ground. Twilight acted fast and caught her in her magic, gently setting Rainbow down. "Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried, rushing to her side. "What did you do to her?!" "I didn't do anything," Nightmare Moon responded coolly. "I merely showed her the truth, that's all." "Stop it," Rainbow whimpered, shutting and rubbing her eyes. "I don't wanna look anymore!" "If you continue traveling with this mare, then you'll have forgiven this. Is that what you want? To forgive a mare capable of this?" "Rainbow, whatever she's showing you isn't me!" Rarity cried, running to Rainbow's other side. "I doubt it's even a real image! It's all in your mind, Rainbow! She's using you to--" The Everfree Forest faded away, leaving Rarity standing in a different forest altogether. Police ponies surrounded her, while a small group stood over the bodies of two slain foals. Rarity collapsed onto her haunches and screamed at the sight of Dug and Kicker lying on the ground with their heads bashed open. "Is this a fake image? I pulled it from your mind. Did I exaggerate anything about it, or are you beginning to realize that you might be everything I say you are?" Before Rarity could respond, she snapped back to the Everfree Forest, and noticed that Fluttershy had a wing draped over her shoulder. At the same time, she held a shivering Rainbow in her hooves. "That is what this mare is, Rainbow Dash. You'd stand beside her in this time of crisis? She'd stab you in the back the moment you became an annoyance." Rainbow continued shivering for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking at the sky. "No." Rainbow's glare returned full force, and got to her hooves defiantly. "I don't believe you!" she shouted. "Rarity made a mistake. She's not that kind of pony! All you are is some dumb jerk who thinks that I'm going to throw Rarity aside because of something she did when she was a filly! Well I'm not that kind of pony. Rarity's here, isn't she? You scared her, but she still came into this forest to fight you!" Rainbow walked over to Rarity and extended a hoof. "There's nopony I'd rather have at my side." Rarity took Rainbow's hoof, and when Rainbow helped her up, she pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "I couldn't have made it without the help of ponies like you." Rarity turned back to Twilight, who was staring at her with a tilted head. "We have to hurry," she said. "We're very close now." The group began moving faster in the direction of the castle, not even paying attention to the surrounding forest. All that mattered was the castle that drew ever closer. Just as they saw the ruined spire of the castle ahead of them, the ground began rumbling, causing them to stop in their tracks. Twilight began looking around wildly, hoping to discover the source of the quake as they rest drew closer to each other. "Something's coming, girls. I think we have to run for it!" Before they could the trees around them began tearing out of the ground. Before any of them could begin running, the trees were hurled directly at the ponies. Rarity ducked a massive tree branch, while Rainbow and Fluttershy took to the sky, doing their best to avoid the tree trunks being swung at them like baseball bats. Twilight began blasting the tree trunks into splinters as Pinkie and Applejack dodged the assault. Rarity's eyes widened when she saw that a tree trunk was falling dangerously close to Pinkie. Without thinking, she rushed forward and tackled Pinkie out of the way, just seconds before the tree trunk hit her. The blow knocked Rarity back into another tree, knocking the wind out of her. She grimaced as pain shot through her back. She'd have some rather spectacular bruises in the morning. She tried to stand up, but the pain shot through her back, causing her to collapse again. She tried to pull herself forward, but pain in her left foreleg put a stop to that. She began to suspect that she'd broken it. "Rarity, come on!" Applejack cried, rushing to her side. "We've gotta get to that castle before things get outta control!" "Can't," Rarity whispered. "C-can't move." Applejack immediately slid herself under Rarity and stood up, balancing Rarity on her back. "Ain't gonna leave you here," she said through gritted teeth. "Let's get outta this stupid forest!" Using strength that could only come from being an earth pony, Applejack carried Rarity down the path, dodging tree trunks as she did. Twilight blasted more out of the way, but Rarity could see the strain forming on her face. She didn't have enough magic to keep this up forever. "Twilight, move!" Applejack shouted, dodging another trunk. "You can't keep this up forever!" "You're right," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "Girls, get ready to run on my mark! Ready? Go!" Twilight used what little magic she could to blast any tree trunks that looked like they might get in their way. The trees began thinning as they reached a broken rope bridge leading to the ruined castle before them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both flew over to the other side and secured the bridge, allowing the rest to cross over. As they reached the castle, Rarity noticed that the trees had stopped following them and breathed a sigh of relief. The group ran into the castle, and Twilight shut the doors behind them. A symbolic gesture, Rarity figured, as the large hole in the ceiling wouldn't deter any further assaults. "Are..." Twilight took a few deep breaths and leaned against a nearby wall for support. "Are you all... alright?" "Rarity's a bit banged up here," Applejack said, gently setting her down. "Not sure what happened, but Ah think one of the trees got her." "She pushed me out of the way!" Pinkie said, hopping over to the two of them. "I think that Nightmare Moon was about to get me!" "I saw... that Pinkie was in danger and acted," Rarity said, trying her best to ignore the pain in her back and leg. She groaned and laid her head on the cool stone floor. "This does kind of hurt, though." "Let me see," Fluttershy said, flying over to her. "I have a little experience with injuries from taking care of animals." "Whatever help you can give, Fluttershy," Rarity said. "What about me?" Pinkie said, still sporting her grin. "You saved me, Rarity! I think that deserves a get-well cupcake! It'll make you feel better!" "I'd be happy to take you up on that once we're back in Ponyville," Rarity said, giving Pinkie a weak smile. "Why wait?" Pinkie replied, taking a cupcake out of her mane. Before Rarity could ask about it, Pinkie had shoved it in her mouth. Rarity smiled as she chewed the cupcake. Pinkie was right. She did feel a little better. "There's the awesome smile I know!" Pinkie said, taking Rarity's hoof. "It's all gonna be okay, Rarity. You're going to be as right as rain in no time!" "Um... I'm not so sure," Fluttershy mumbled. "She's hurt pretty bad. She definitely broke her leg, and I think she might have cracked a vertebrae." Applejack sucked in air through her teeth and sat down next to Rarity. "That can't be any good. She's already bruisin' quite a bit." "I'll be fine," Rarity said, waving her other hoof. "I won't bog you all down. You can leave me here while you go find the Elements. I'll just have to find a safe space to hide is all." Rainbow scoffed and shook her head. "No way! That Nightmare Moon jerk is totally gonna hurt you if we just leave you here. What kind of ponies would we be if we did that? Nope. You're stuck with us, Rarity." "I don't want to slow you down." "Slow us down nothin'," Applejack said. "Yer comin' with us and we're gonna find these Elements and stop Nightmare Moon! Then yer gonna get all better, and nothin's gonna stop ya!" "And when we stop Nightmare Moon, we can have a party!" Pinkie said, her trademark grin widening. "I think we need some fun after all of this. We can invite Princess Celestia!" "I look forward to it, Pinkie," Rarity said, smiling despite the pain she felt as Applejack lifted her onto her back. She turned her head to Twilight and nodded. "You're coming too, of course." Twilight's strained expression turned into a small, but tired, smile. "You know, I think that actually sounds kind of nice. I think we need it." "Of course you're coming," Pinkie said, throwing a hoof over Twilight's shoulders. "I'd never not invite my friend to one of my parties!" "Friend?" Twilight frowned and tilted her head. "We're friends?" "Well duh!" Pinkie said as the group moved further into the castle. "What else would you call a pony who went with you to stop eternal night? You've known what to do since that mean old mare got here!" "No way we can't be friends after this," Rainbow said with a nod. "You're too awesome." "RD and Pinkie are right," Applejack said. "Yer a mare Ah'm proud ta know." "I don't..." Twilight's frown deepened and she stared ahead. "I've never really had friends before. Certainly not like you mares." "Well you have five of them, Twilight," Rarity said, putting a hoof on Twilight's back. "You've gone to Tartarus with us, and if I know you, you'll come back with us. You're a great mare." "I... thank you. I've never--" Twilight's eyes widened when they entered another room and saw the sight before her. She gasped and ran up to a pedestal where five round stones, each engraved with a design of some kind, rested in the middle of the room. "The Elements," Twilight whispered breathlessly. "I can't believe we found them!" "So how do they work?" Applejack asked, setting Rarity down. "How can we stop this mare with them?" "I don't know, but I have an idea. Step back, girls..." Twilight ignited her horn and focused her energy on the Elements. "I don't know what's going to happen." "Nothing, that's what." A chill went down Rarity's spine at the words, and before anypony could react, the Elements disappeared off of the pedestal. Twilight gasped and began looking wildly around the room for them. The rest of them shouted in terror when they saw Nightmare Moon standing on the other end of the room, the Elements floating around her. "You insignificant foals!" Nightmare Moon growled. "Did you really think that you could defeat me with these? You'll never see your precious sun again, nor my pathetic whelp of a sister." Nightmare Moon let out a bark of a laugh, and, to the horror of the mares in front of her, began grinding the Element stones into powder. "In fact, I don't think that any of you shall see anything ever again. Mares like you will just cause unnecessary trouble, don't you think? The only one I could find any use for is..." She grinned evilly at Rarity. "The one who's already proven that she can be an asset." Rarity did her best to wrap her forelegs around Applejack and buried her head in her chest. "You can have everything you desire," Nightmare Moon crooned. "All of the power you felt that day. Imagine feeling that omnipotent every waking moment. All you need--" "No." Nightmare Moon quirked an eyebrow. "What did you say, child?" "I said no!" Rarity screeched. She pulled away from Applejack and got to her hooves, leaning against the pedestal for support. "I'm sick and tired of listening to your lies about who I am! I'm sick and tired of running from that day! I was moving on before you showed up, and I was foolish to allow you to affect me like that!" Rarity's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to rule Equestria, I'd rather die then see myself become some kind of... assassin for you! Nothing you can ever say will change that!" "Indeed?" Nightmare Moon said contemplatively. "Well, I think you underestimate the situation, my dear. You may not serve me on your own, but what about to, say, protect your sister?" Rarity let out an involuntary squeak and slipped, only not falling because Fluttershy helped her back up. "You wouldn't want me to hurt her, would you? I could make her endure more suffering than either of you thought possible. Or you could give that suffering to others in exchange for her living a life free of worries." "You're a liar!" Rarity snarled. "Even if I did agree to help you, you'd never leave her alone!" "Of course I wouldn't," Nightmare Moon said. "She'd live here with you. She'd enjoy the protection and love of her smart, talented, caring murderous sister. She'd never want for anything, provided you stay in line." Nightmare Moon spread her wings and, with one powerful flap, scattered the dust of the Elements of Harmony around the room. "Those rocks were your last hope, and now you have nothing. This is your world now. If you refuse me here, I will personally hunt your sister down and submit her to unimaginable suffering. You will be able to do nothing but watch for the rest of your days." Nightmare Moon took another step forward. "Unless you abandon this foalish crusade now. You have no hope. These mares won't help you." "That's where you're wrong," Rarity growled. Rarity leaned on Fluttershy completely, allowing her to place a free hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "When I'm in the company of these mares, there is nothing, not even you, that is hopeless. All you've done tonight is show that to me." "You're stalling for time," Nightmare Moon said with a smug smile. "You won't have anything left when I destroy these 'friends' of yours." "But you won't!" Twilight said, moving closer to Nightmare Moon and striking a pose. "Rarity's right: all you did tonight is ensure your own downfall! I realized it when we were in the forest and you were attacking us. Your actions haven't destroyed the Elements of Harmony, they've created them!" "Oh I'm sure," Nightmare Moon said with a grin. "You may not have noticed, but I destroyed your precious Elements." "You destroyed the physical manifestation of them, but the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are within these mares!" Twilight's glare hardened, and she pawed at the ground as if she were about to charge. "When you tried to convince Rarity that she was like you, Applejack saw through your lies and helped Rarity do it too! She represents the Element of Honesty!" The dust around the room began to stir, and a small portion of it began swirling around Applejack. "When you tried to get Rainbow to abandon us by showing her what happened all those years ago, you instead proved that she's a mare that will stick with us through anything! She represents the Element of Loyalty!" Dust began swirling around Rainbow now. Nightmare Moon's smile faltered ever so slightly. "When you attacked us and some of us were hurt, Fluttershy didn't hesitate to help! She wanted to be there when you tried to split us up, always willing to be a shoulder to lean on. She represents the Element of Kindness!" "What are you doing?" Nightmare Moon growled as she watched the dust begin swirling around Fluttershy. "Stop this at once!" "Even when things looked hopeless, Pinkie Pie was there to put a smile on our faces, giving us the motivation to see this through. She represents the Element of Laughter!" "This is a futile gesture, you little foal!" Nightmare Moon took a step backward and glanced uneasily at the dust swirling around the four mares. "Y-you are stalling for time!" "When you attacked us, Rarity saw that Pinkie was in danger. She didn't hesitate to risk her life to save Pinkie's. I can't think of any evil ponies who would so selflessly risk themselves for others. She's without a doubt the Element of Generosity!" "Enough of this!" Nightmare Moon cried, taking another step back as dust began swirling around Rarity. "Nothing you do here will work!" "You seem scared, Nightmare Moon," Rarity said coolly. "Are you starting to realize that you've lost?" "I have not lost!" Nightmare Moon insisted. "You cannot stop me!" Rarity didn't miss the fear and desperation in her voice. "When all five of these Elements come together, they create a bond that cannot be broken, not even by the likes of you! Nothing you can do will shatter the friendship that the six of us have. The power of our friendship creates the final Element. The Element of Magic!" A bright ball of light appeared above Twilight's head as the dust swirling around the other five began solidifying into what appeared to be necklaces. The light faded slightly, revealing an ornate tiara with a jewel in the center that resembled Twilight's cutie mark. The necklaces finished forming, and secured themselves around the necks of their respective owners. Nightmare Moon's eyes widened, and she crouched down as though she was going to take to the sky. Before she could make another move, the six ponies began levitating, and bright rainbow beams shot out of each of the necklaces, meeting in the middle of the room just in front of Nightmare Moon. She froze in fear as the rainbow energy began growing before shooting straight at her. Nightmare Moon screamed in horror as the rainbow energy completely surrounded her. The screams slowly faded away, leaving only a ball of pure white light where Nightmare Moon once stood. As soon as the energy appeared, it faded, and the six mares were set gently on the ground. Rarity groaned and collapsed onto the ground, causing the other five to rush over to her. "Rarity, are you okay?" Rainbow cried. "Yes, Rainbow Dash, I think I'm fine." Rarity rubbed her broken leg with her other hoof and winced in pain again. "In fact, I think I feel a lot better. Not perfect, mind you. I think this leg is still broken, but it hurts a lot less than before." "The bruisin's gone, too," Applejack observed. "Ain't ever seen nothin' like it." "I think that's the magic of the Elements," Twilight said, levitating her tiara off of her head and staring at it. "I've never felt anything like that before, have you girls? I have to admit, even as I was saying all of that to Nightmare Moon, I thought it was a long shot that it would work. But... I guess we really do represent the Elements of Harmony." "Indeed you do," a warm, magical voice said, filling the room. Rarity looked out a nearby window, and smiled when she saw the sun rising on the horizon. She gently sat up and basked in the warm rays of the sun, letting them wash over her. Another bright ball of energy appeared in the room, and when it faded away, Princess Celestia herself stood before them. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, rushing over to her for an embrace as the others bowed. "My most faithful student, I knew you could do it," Celestia said, leaning down to nuzzle Twilight. "But you said all of this was an old pony's tale!" Twilight said. "I said that you needed to make some friends. Nothing more." Celestia raised her head and smiled at the other five mares. "And if I may say so myself, you couldn't have chosen finer ponies to be friends with." A warm feeling coursed through Rarity that had nothing to do with the sunlight. The last time she'd seen Princess Celestia, she'd sentenced her to half a decade in a mental institution. And now... "But there is one more thing to take care of before we get to the celebrations," Celestia said, a faint grimace crossing her face. "Princess Luna..." Rarity looked back at the spot where Nightmare Moon once stood, and her jaw dropped when she saw a small blue alicorn lying in scraps of armor. The alicorn's eyes snapped open, and she flinched back and whimpered when she saw Celestia approaching her. Celestia sat down in front of the alicorn and softly said the name "Luna." Before Luna could respond, Celestia reached out and wrapped her in a tight embrace, nuzzling the top of her head. Luna froze for a moment, but slowly leaned her head into Celestia's chest. "I'm sorry, sister," Luna whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen." "I know, Luna, I know. You are forgiven. I am to blame, not you. If you can forgive me, we can rule together again. As equals." "Equals," Luna whispered, wiping her eyes with her hoof. "I'd... I'd like nothing more. I'm sorry, Celestia. I'm so, so sorry." * * * * The eight mares returned to Ponyville soon after. Rarity smiled at the sight of all of the ponies cheering and celebrating now that the sun had risen again. They bowed to Princess Celestia as she walked by, and at some subtle prompting from her, some even bowed to Luna. Still, even though the Elements had gone a long way to healing Rarity, she still found herself in a hospital bed after an hour or so. The Elements had sped up the healing process, but her leg was still broken, and one of her vertebrae still had a small crack in it. Rarity smiled contentedly as she laid back in her hospital bed. The sound of celebrating ponies, led by Pinkie Pie, of course, relaxed her, oddly enough. Her friends had offered to stay with her, but she refused, telling them to go enjoy the party while she got some much needed rest. Just as she was about to doze off, she heard the door to her room open. She cracked open an eye and a wide grin nearly split her face when she saw who it was. "Rarity!" "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity cried as her little sister ran up to her, hopped onto her bed and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you. Are you alright?" "Uh-huh," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling into Rarity chest. "Princess Celestia came and got me. She said you'd been hurt!" "I'm alright, Sweetie Belle, I promise," Rarity said, noticing Princess Celestia smiling at the two of them for the first time. "I'll just have to take it easy for a bit and wear some silly boot on my leg. No real harm done." "I don't like it when you get hurt," Sweetie Belle mumbled. "It's scary." "But I'm fine now, Sweetie." Rarity tilted her head at Princess Celestia. "Aren't I?" "Your sister speaks the truth, little one," Princess Celestia said, shutting the door behind her. "The Elements of Harmony sped up the healing process. I think she'll be right as rain in even as little as a week." Celestia turned her warm smile to Rarity and put a hoof on her bed. "And I want you to know how proud I am of you, dear Rarity. You've come a long way. You are not the same filly I met that day. You've blossomed into the mare that I always knew you'd be. Equestria thanks you, and I thank you. You've done more than you know for me." "Thank you, Princess Celestia," Rarity said, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Until tonight I didn't realize that I still had some lingering issues, but I think I've gotten past them. After all, if Nightmare Moon can't force me to become that pony again, then nothing will." "And you were never in danger of being turned by Nightmare Moon," Celestia replied. "Twilight told me what she did to you. You exceeded even my expectations as to your resilience, and I assure you they were quite high to begin with." Celestia removed her hoof from the bed. "But for now, get some rest. Relax. I don't know of any mare who's earned it more than you. You truly are a wonderful pony, Rarity." * * * * A few days later found Rarity relaxing in her home. As she suspected, the newspapers had plastered her face on every paper they printed since Nightmare Moon's defeat. Ponyville Foal Murderer now National Hero. Rarity had declined all interviews, instead allowing Princess Celestia and her friends to speak on her behalf. From what she'd heard, the newspapers were treating her very well. The bell above her door sounded off, breaking Rarity's attention away from the book she was currently engrossed in. She smiled when she saw that Rainbow Dash had come in, but it faltered when she saw the look of discomfort on her face. "Hello, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, slowly getting to her hooves. "Uh... hey, Rarity," Rainbow said, uneasily scratching the back of her neck. "How's it going?" "Oh, you know, I feel better every day. The doctor said I'll be getting out of this boot tomorrow, but..." Rarity tilted her head. "That's not why you came to see me, is it?" "No," Rainbow mumbled. "I came over... well... I came over because of this." Rainbow unfurled one of her wings, revealing a newspaper tucked between the feathers. Rarity sighed, but took the newspaper in her magic. "Really, Rainbow, if this is some negative story about me, I assure you it's not that big a deal." Rarity flipped the paper over to look at the headline. "I mean, I've been dealing with that for over ten--" Rarity gasped and her pupils shrunk down to pinpricks. She collapsed onto her haunches, and her jaw began wobbling. "Oh no," she whispered. "I saw that a few minutes ago," Rainbow said uncomfortably. "I thought you'd rather hear about it from a friend than... I dunno, some reporter asking about it." Rarity barely paid attention. She merely stared at the headline in front of her. Silence Broken: The Lone Survivor of the Ponyville Massacre Finally Speaks.