Suddenly, I hear a commotion coming from the tower steps. Twilight and I both turn to look as the other ponies come charging in.
I hear Twilight gasp, and when she turns back towards me her face is changed, almost transcendent.
“You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you’re wrong because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!”
As the other ponies gather close around Twilight something strange happens. The stones shards at my hooves begin to vibrate and glow. A moment later they start floating upwards.
“Applejack who reassured me when I was in doubt represents the spirit of Honesty! Fluttershy who tamed the manticore with her compassion represents the spirit of Kindness! Pinkie Pie who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger represents the spirit of Laughter! Rarity who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of Generosity! And Rainbow Dash who could not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire represents the spirit of Loyalty!”
As she calls out each pony’s name glowing shards fly to that pony. The shards orbit around them just as the jewels orbited around me and Celestia when we used them.
“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!”
“You still don’t have the sixth Element! The spark didn’t work.”
“But it did... a different kind of spark.” Twilight turns her back on me to face the other ponies.
“I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends!”
She turns back toward me, and, in a sharp burst of light, a sixth stone appears in the air and floats down to meet Twilight.
“You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark that resides in the heart of us all it creates the sixth Element... the Element of Magic!”
At her final words the multicolored glow emanating from the stones pulses, grows, and becomes unbearably bright, so bright I can’t look at it.
Frantically, I try to make myself move, to attack them, to get away, anything. But something won’t let me. I feel like I’m struggling against my own body, desperate to either fight or flee.
No.
The bright light resolves itself into a brilliant rainbow which twists and arcs up toward the ceiling then curves back down, coming straight at me like an arrow. Instead of striking me it wraps around and around, binding me tightly until I can see nothing but colored light.