//------------------------------// // Episode 1 - ‘M’ is for ‘Memories’ // Story: My Little Rider: Friendship is Joker // by lilAngel //------------------------------// It started in the dead of night. The night that they would one day call Begins Night, the night when everything started. But even before they awakened their powers, Begins Night was not just any night. It was a night that might have lasted forever if six brave ponies hadn’t ventured into the Everfree Forest to defeat the evil Nightmare Moon. They didn’t know what they were looking for exactly, and it might only have been coincidence that they had managed to survive the various hazards that had threatened to keep them from their goal. The leader was a lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle; she said that in an ancient castle within the forest lay the fabled Elements of Harmony, which held the power to banish Nightmare Moon and rescue her mentor, the noble Princess Celestia, from wherever she was currently being held. Twilight had wanted to make this journey alone, but the friends she’d made recently wouldn’t let her walk into danger. Five friends had insisted on following, and every one of them had saved her along the way. Now, they had finally reached the room where the Elements of Harmony were said to be stored. Five megaliths rose up in a circle around the throne room. They were branded with ancient runes, symbols of a magical power more complex than anything understood by modern ponies. To a scholar like Twilight Sparkle, though, it was more interesting to see how these ancient, forgotten symbols could be the ancestors of the modern Equestrian alphabet. There, for example, a symbol that was only one step removed from a pictogram of swirling flames still had the overall outline that would eventually have become a letter ‘H’. Looking around the chamber, she could see that the others took the form of the letters ‘T’, ‘J’, ‘M’, and ‘C’. There was a sixth pillar as well, though that one had toppled long ago and the pieces removed. Whatever inscription it had been decorated with was long gone, though the stub of the pillar had been turned into an altar of sorts with the addition of a slab across the top. “So where are these Elements?” Applejack asked, seeming to miss the beauty of the occasion. That seemed to be typical of her, raised on a farm and thinking first of practical things. But Twilight knew she was right, there would be more time to study the ancient ruins once Nightmare Moon was defeated and everything was back in its proper place. “They’re all around us,” she replied, after just a moment’s thought, “Five pillars with one turned into an altar. Five Elements with a sixth that can only be revealed once the five are gathered together. It makes perfect sense. We just have to figure out how to unlock them.” “How insightful,” a voice boomed around the room, “You recognised the Elements even faster than Celestia herself did. It took her a day and a night, poking around the dusty carvings on the walls before she realised what she was seeing. But still, the Elements are not yours to take.” Twilight didn’t have time to examine the pyrotechnics, or to take in all the details of the light show, before the five remaining pillars exploded and sent chunks of rock the size of her head scattering in all directions. After the roof came down on them, six ponies picked themselves out of the rubble, while the giant form of Nightmare Moon stood proudly in the one clear spot on the floor, a gigantic black mare whose coat was studded with gold flecks that made her look like a horse-shaped hole with a starry sky beyond. “Now,” the mare of the moon crowed, “Five of the Elements are destroyed, and there is nopony alive who can challenge me. I wonder, should I punish you with death for your insolence, or would a slower fate be more appropriate.” “No.” Twilight Sparkle was unsteady on her hooves, cut by flying shards and having only just found a place to hide from the roof. But her gaze was steady and she was sure she had understood the true nature of the Elements. “The Elements of Harmony are not simple things that you could easily destroy. They are eternal, because they live on in the hearts and minds of every pony, every living thing in Equestria. It’s hinted at in so many phrases, so many word choices in the books about them, even if none come out and say it directly. The Elements represent the virtues which give us the strength and courage to fight evil! So as long as we are determined to continue, they can never be wiped out!” Nightmare Moon threw back her head and laughed, but Twilight knew she was onto something. The demonic horse knew she was facing a revival of the power that had defeated her a thousand years before, and she tried to hide her nervousness by making it a joke. “You know I’m right, don’t you? We have the Elements, even after you destroyed the relics here. Like Pinkie Pie, for example. She has the Element of Laughter, and she used it to defeat the fearsome trees that you thought would dissuade us from coming here. Rarity vanquished a sea dragon using nothing but the power of Generosity, and Fluttershy used Kindness to get past a manticore. Rainbow Dash showed us Loyalty, and Applejack is the very epitome of Honesty. We didn’t need to come here to find the Elements because they’re already within us.” She only stopped to take a breath, but it gave her a moment to glance back over her shoulder and see Pinkie Pie lifting something from the shattered stone all around her. “And because we have the courage of the Elements, we look forward to the future!” Pinkie joined in on the speech. She didn’t know everything like Twilight did, but she knew that if Nightmare Moon was just a little afraid of them, if they could convince her that they knew how to unleash the true power of the Elements, then they wouldn’t have to fight her today. “We have hope, and by laughing in the face of danger we see the beautiful things around us. Like this!” Pinkie Pie triumphantly held up a slender piece of blue crystal, just about as long as the width of her hoof. There was some kind of decoration on it, but it was too small for anyone else to make out. “Come on everypony, see if you can find something wonderful too. With enough wonder, we can even chase away the Nightmare of the Moon!” Then the crystal she was holding glowed, and a resonant baritone voice echoed around the ruins loud enough to send more tiles tumbling from the ragged edges of the roof. “LAUGHTER!” “You didn’t realise, did you?” Rarity joined in on the jeering, slowly pacing around to put herself behind Nightmare Moon, so that if she decided to attack she wouldn’t be able to catch all of them. “I’m an expert at finding gems, too, and this one was hidden inside one of the pillars you carelessly destroyed. You tried to stop us, and you only revealed the Elements.” “The material form of the Elements which have been figuratively within our hearts,” Twilight added. “GENEROSITY!” The same voice boomed the name of the second Element, and now that they could see the pattern the other friends were scrabbling in the remains of the nearby pillars. “What…?” Nightmare Moon gasped in shock, “What is this? You seriously believe you can defeat me with Elements like these?” “Darn right we can. And we will!” “HONESTY!” “I wish somepony had showed you a long time ago that you don’t always have to fight to get what you want. But if you want to fight, then we have to win!” “KINDNESS!” “LOYALTY!” “This is insane! You are children, your memories are a joke! And your leader doesn’t even have one, because dearest Celestia could only return five of our Elements to the Tree of Harmony once I was exiled.” But even as Nightmare Moon’s crazed laughter echoed around the chamber, Twilight was looking through the rubble, searching. “But when five are brought together, the sixth will appear. One that unlocks the potential of the others, the wild-card Element.” And then she saw it, a violet gleam among the chaos, right at the foot of the altar. Twilight twitched it towards her with her magic, and a violet crystal was soon spinning in front of her eyes. It was the size of a small pen, maybe, a single perfect crystal with some kind of metal veins running through it, and a gold spike on one end. Instinct told her that she could gain incredible power simply by pricking her skin with the tip, but the voice of wisdom said that seizing power without thinking had led Nightmare Moon to where she was today. In the centre of the crystal, on one flat face, the crystal was embossed with a pattern that just might be an archaic form of a letter, just like the decorations on the five pillars. The shallow indentation was only visible as it turned to reflect the faint glow of starlight, so she couldn’t quite make out which shape it was. But within that rune there was what looked like a layer of white paint on the surface, depicting quite a different symbol. A six-pointed star, with rays of light stretching out to illuminate others around it. Without colour, it wouldn’t have been clear  what it was supposed to depict, but Twilight Sparkle couldn’t fail to recognise a rendition of her own cutie mark. This Element was meant for her. “Oh dear, what Element have you gained?” Nightmare Moon crowed, “Do you seek to best me with the power of Forgiveness, maybe? Is it the Element of Friendship, or of Consolation? You know, I might allow you to live just to provide entertainment for me in the long nights of my reign. You are nothing but a joke!” “Don’t underestimate the power of friendship!” Twilight flourished the Element in the air, still with no idea what it represented. There was a small metal lever on the back, and she guessed that would make it speak. She could only hope that she had guessed right, and that it really could be the Element that enhanced all others, “Looks like the joke is on you, because the wild card is…” all eyes were on the tumbling crystal as she gave the lever a gentle squeeze. “JOKER!" “Very well, you have convinced me you are serious foes,” the dark alicorn stared down at Twilight, still smirking as she spoke. “Five of the Elements have somehow become worthless imitations of their true glory, but Joker at least is a force to be reckoned with. And I sense another Gaia Memory nearby, one I do not recognise but overflowing with so much power that I could not ignore it. But it matters not, because you have no Driver to combine the–” “That is quite enough, Luna,” Princess Celestia’s voice was much quieter than either the musical booming of the Elements or the mad laughter of Nightmare Moon. But somehow it was penetrating, with an aura of command that made everypony shut up and listen. “The world has new Champions of Harmony now. I have the Driver right here, and it seems my student has chosen her partner. So I suggest you return …” Nightmare Moon erupted again in a gale of laughter so energetic that even Celestia faded into silence as she paced regally over the rubble. “You… I can’t believe this. You banished me, sealed me in the thrice-damned moon for a thousand years because I wouldn’t… couldn’t return… And then you dared to… I tell you this, sister, I will permit you your freedom now. But only because watching your incompetent student face the dopants of this new wave will be so much more entertaining than killing you now. If this is all the power your protegee can muster, then you will fall to Chaos, or to Eternal, even Polymorph could thwart these fools! And when I grow weary of observing your stupidity, then the world will belong to night, forever!” The dark alicorn disappeared, like the starry sky vanishing at sunrise. Twilight looked across at Princess Celestia, unsure how she was supposed to feel now. She had found an old story in an ancient text, and realised that this was the year it was supposed to come true. She’d tried to convince the Princess that it was a genuine threat, not fully realising that as an immortal alicorn, Celestia would have personal knowledge of the events in texts from even a thousand years before. She was the Princess of the Sun, the benevolent goddess who ruled over Equestria. How could the super-smart student Twilight Sparkle have been foolish enough to assume she knew better? And then when she was proved right, she had put her own life and those of her friends on the line in order to rescue Princess Celestia. A Princess who had proven to be quite capable of rescuing herself. “Has she gone now?” Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence, “Did we scare her away, or is she going to –” “Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “We need to know what’s going on here. She said ‘dopant’, she said… She said ‘sister’! Is she…?” she didn’t even know how to finish the question. “Yes,” Celestia answered simply, not showing any anger at a question more personal than she would normally allow. “She was my sister, once. We received incredible powers, and we fought together against the spread of the Gaia Memories. But we did not have the willpower to succeed, and we surrendered the power rather than be corrupted by it. But it was too late. And now I will ask you a question.” Twilight just nodded. It seemed fair to answer a question, especially with the number she was burning to ask. “You found the Elements of Harmony? All of them? I saw Joker, and I know that one like an old friend, so I would hope you have a complete set.” “Yes. When five are gathered together, the sixth will be revealed: Joker.” “You should be more careful with your translations. When six are gathered, the seventh appears. The seventh is the Driver, otherwise known as the Double Memory. Joker isn’t special. In fact, it was the second we unlocked.” “Can I ask a question?” Fluttershy was hesitant, raising a hoof in the air like a child asking permission to speak. “What do we do with these Elements? I know the book said they were the key to sealing Nightmare Moon, but I don’t know how we’re supposed to use them.” “Ah,” Celestia smiled, “So you’re Twilight’s partner, then?” “We’re all partners,” Applejack smiled as she said it, “Nothing beats teamwork, together we can do anything.” “I meant, which of you has the Mental Elements? Twilight, should I ask you? Your friends don’t seem to understand fully how the Elements of Harmony function. Who have you chosen to be the Champion of Harmony alongside you?” “My friends,” Twilight was just as nervous as Fluttershy now. She was usually sure of herself, but she’d never been comfortable finding herself in an intellectual debate when she didn’t really know what the subject was. “Six of us, each with unique talents. And six Elements, representing those talents. Right?” Princess Celestia’s answer was a blank gaze, that was somehow more frightening than either anger or pity. Eventually, the Princess spoke: “That… isn’t how it works for us. But maybe the Elements adapt based on the personality of the pony who unlocks them. Or maybe they have simply changed their nature; I believe that the unsealing of the Eternal Memory a few years ago may have destroyed or altered most of the Memories out there in the world.” “You’re saying ‘memories’ like it means something special,” Twilight pointed out. “Nightmare Moon used the word as if it had a meaning beyond the ones I know, as well. Please, if I’m going to understand this, I need to have a few details. Can you tell me what kind of memories you’re talking about. Happy ones, maybe? Or the most important ones that define a young pony’s destiny?” “No. Not memories as you know them, but the Memories of the world itself. The intrinsic essence of everything that has existed, and things that will still come to be. Gaia Memories are a magic of great power, so great that it could destroy all civilisation if it fell into the wrong hands. That is why Skull and his compatriots decided to excise themselves from the history books, and why my sister and I made the same decision generations later. Nobody must know that Gaia Memories even exist. So… I can’t speak to those not directly involved.” “That doesn’t sound very nice,” Rainbow Dash muttered to Fluttershy, “Are we involved or not?” “I must hurry back to my throne now,” Celestia continued, doing a very good impression of having not heard the whisper, “I need to set the sun back on its right course, and the chaos this long night has caused to the growing crops and to all of nature will take much work to correct. But when you return to Canterlot, I invite you to bring your most trusted friend, the one who has successfully attuned to the Elements and can make them speak. And then, I will show you how to use your Driver, and how to continue the crusade that you have somehow become embroiled in.” “Why can’t we all go?” Pinkie Pie was the one who actually said what everypony was thinking, “We all got Elements, they chose us. We should all know what’s going on. Twilight got more than one friend, you know.” “Actually, I think it may be more advantageous for me to speak to Twilight Sparkle alone. You do not know the full extent of what you are getting involved with. Once I have told Twilight the truth, then she may decide how much to pass on to you. And now I must attend to my duties.” Without giving them a second to respond, Princess Celestia flew away into the setting sun. “Well, how about that?” Applejack stared after her, “Like we don’t even matter.” “It’s hard being the Princess. She has so many duties, and the peace of the whole world depends on her. She just seems a little brusque at times because she must  have other things on her mind.” “I don’t think she likes me.” “How could anyone not like Pinkie?” “Umm… how do we get home from here?” A week later, in the enclosed yard of an ordinary house on the edge of Ponyville, an otherwise unremarkable bookkeeper by the name of Sunlit Plain was looking at a slender red crystal. Until recently, he’d thought that a lot of his bad luck in life came from having such a boring name, that didn’t really tell ponies anything about him. He’d recently found that there were worse names to have, but that didn’t reassure him much. He’d never get promoted, because when his bosses saw that name on the list, they wouldn’t remember him well enough to see his obvious talents. Now, for the first time in his life, his disappointment had been replaced by anger. Anger at a boss who’d noticed him just long enough to kick him out, and a faceless business that had dismissed his marefriend just as easily. His own sacking, he could tolerate, that had happened before. But to fire them both just a month apart, that seemed to make it personal. He couldn’t tolerate that. “You say this will give me a new talent?” he still wasn’t sure about the crystal in his hoof. He couldn’t see how how it could do what the salespony had promised. It was shaped almost like a pen, but long enough for a flaming letter ‘M’ to be emblazoned on one side, with a metal lever on the other and several small spikes on the bottom end. “Are you sure? I can show them how strong I am?” “Just try it. Or are you the coward they say?” He shook his head, fumbled with the unfamiliar switch, and then stabbed the Gaia Memory straight into his own flank. “MAGMA” the voice was strangely hollow, and loaded with menace. It must be coming from the crystal, but it seemed impossible for a small thing like that to have such a deep voice. It sounded metallic, echoing, and filled with hatred. The spikes dug into his flesh, but Plain was a strong earth stallion, and a little pain wouldn’t make him cry out. He only made a sound when the whole crystal disappeared inside his body, and his cutie mark was changed to the same flame-wrapped ‘M’ that had been on the memory. For just a second, Sunlit Plain wondered if it might not actually do anything more, but then he felt the ripples spreading across his sandy-coloured coat, changing it to ash grey. He could feel his skin drying out until it looked like the rocky outcrops that filled the desert, and then it cracked open, letting red light and heat spill out. It wasn’t just the colour of his coat or the texture that had changed, his whole body was filled with fire. It wasn’t what he’d expected, and he could feel it burning even as it made him stronger, but he was more than just a pony now. Instead of bone and hide, he had rock and fire. Nobody would stop him now. His yelp of pain rapidly turned into a roar of rage. He wasn’t Sunlit Plain any more; he would call himself Magma Heat, and the fools who had scorned him would feel his revenge. Not yet; he had somepony both wiser and more experienced with the Gaia Memories telling him to bide his time a little longer, and learn to use his new powers. But soon, he would have his revenge. Time passed. It was Twilight Sparkle’s first day back after her adventures in Ponyville, and she was glad to be back. Though the Golden Oak Library had been nice for a few days, there was something special  about being in a room where her own magic had arranged every single book in the position where she personally thought it would be best categorised. She’d actually found it awkward saying goodbye to her new friends, though. That was an entirely new experience, because she’d never cared quite that much about anypony outside of her family before. She’d even put off the return journey a few days so that she could attend the farewell party that Pinkie Pie decided to throw for her. That was a night she’d never forget, though for some parts of the evening she intended to try. Today would be a celebration of an altogether different kind. A display of trust, the day she was let in on one of Equestria’s biggest secrets. And to that end she was standing in one of many large halls in Canterlot, with nopony else around. There was very little furniture here; a hatstand in one corner, a bookcase on the far wall, a single portrait. The domed ceiling was painted with a fresco of three white pegasi dancing in a snowstorm, and was supported by a dozen pure white pillars. The theme of white was continued with the tiles on the ground, which were so highly polished that there was a faint purple tint to the ground around Twilight, where the colour of her own mane was reflected back at her. She couldn’t think why Princess Celestia would choose to meet in such a place, but the Princess was the absolute ruler, the one with the power to make the sun rise. It wouldn’t do for an ordinary lavender unicorn, even Celestia’s protégée, to challenge her decisions. “Twilight,” Celestia’s voice came from behind Twilight, startling her slightly. She was sure there were no doors in that direction. “I’m ready for you now. Maybe you would like to see my little museum.” Twilight turned to look, and saw that a piece of the wall looking just like any other had swung open to reveal a hidden passageway. The hatstand was twisted at an odd angle, rotated about an arm that seemed to just touch the wall so that its foot was off the ground. It was a strange kind of door handle, made even more bizarre by the sunrise shades of Princess Celestia’s magic holding the hats in place. Beyond the door was a long, narrow room that could have fitted easily between two of the giant ballrooms or banquet halls in the castle. Down both sides were arrayed exhibits; it was a museum, just like the Princess had said. But this was one display you couldn’t just buy a ticket for. The Princess strode confidently down the central aisle, maybe giving some of the displays a half glance that brought back memories long forgotten. But to Twilight, every one was a mystery, a thing she couldn’t understand. The first one she stopped in front of held a cracked crystal in a glass case. It was the same shape as of the Elements of Harmony, though none of them had that peculiar blue-grey colour. Beside it were pictures of a division of injured ponies in some ancient war; of a tidal wave sweeping across the land; of a pegasus stallion whose eyes seemed to glow from within as magical sparks crackled and crawled across his armour. “Are these more Elements?” Twilight asked, “Are there more than just six?” She couldn’t understand why they would be here, though, or what power could possibly break something as intrinsically permanent as Honesty. “No,” that was an easy answer to the question, “Those are Gaia Memories. They are crystalised representations of the planet’s memories of everything that has been, and everything that could be. The one before you is named ‘Flood’, and was used several times in war to kill thousands before we managed to have it destroyed.” “So they are Elements without the harmony?” “Yes. I am glad you understand so readily. The Elements of Harmony started as Gaia Memories, disgorged from the Core Fountain like any other. But great wizards worked with them to purify them of negative impulses, and then destiny delivered them into the care of the Tree of Harmony, which purified them and bound them to one another such that they – together with the Driver, which is the most important of them – can be used without sacrificing your cutie mark, your talents, your virtue, or your sanity. All of which can be destroyed if anypony is foolish enough to use a Gaia Memory without the Driver.” “Why would anyone do that? The cost must be too high.” “In war, some felt that it was better for one general to sacrifice everything than for a whole legion to die. Others did not know what it would do to them, or had their own reasons to value power over their own identities.” Twilight backed away from the cracked crystal – the Gaia Memory – and resolved that if she ever stumbled across one of those, it would be smashed like that as quickly as she could manage. There were many more questions she wanted to ask, but she knew that would come in time. Twilight was just about wise enough to leave it to her mentor to decide what to show her first. As she spoke, Princess Celestia was heading for the far end of the room where there was a huge book on a lectern, with a chain around it and two heavy and ornate locks. The title was ‘Memories’, and beside it was a closed box. The items were clearly the most imprtant things in this museum, and Twilight surmised that it would be easier to understand the meaning of these broken Memories (every display down the sides of the room seemed to include one, some merely cracked while others were partly melted away or broken in half) once she had read that book. But Celestia went to the box first. Her horn glowed, and she lifted out a strange contraption made of two metal tubes, connected by a wide hinge at the bottom. It was elaborately decorated, and finished in bright red and silver. The whole thing was mounted on a double leather strap, like some fashion accessory or unfamiliar piece of tack. “The Driver,” she explained, “I did not return it to the Tree of Harmony when we could no longer use it, though maybe I should have done. Technically, it is a Gaia Memory itself, although with a somewhat different shape. It materialised on my flank twelve hundred years ago, when we stood together each holding three of the Elements of Harmony. It is symbolic of the bond between yourself and your chosen partner, each of you having half of the power to bring harmony to the world.” “But…” Twilight started speaking, then stopped. She wasn’t quite sure how to say it. After a second, she tried again; “But the six of us were given one Element each. And it’s clear to me that we are supposed to have one each. See, the Element of Joker is branded with an impression of my cutie mark, and the others are decorated in the same way. Do you really think it would work better if I took two with somepony else’s mark on, and asked one of my friends to do the same?” “Maybe not. Nightmare Moon said that some Memories had changed, but I had no expected such a profound change in the way the Elements are used. I suspect that each time you use the Elements, you will need to chose just one of your friends to be your partner.” She stood for a moment, deep in thought, “Tell me, does that mean that Pinkie Pie also has an Element of Harmony? I was going to suggest that you do not choose her as your partner, she seems a little wild to be trusted with such power.” Twilight just nodded. She wanted to defend her friend, but right now it was more important to find out what Celestia was going to offer them. “Well, I hope that you didn’t distribute the Elements by colour. The Joker Memory matches the colour of your mane, but I would hate to see that mare with something as directly destructive as Heat.” “Heat?” This time it was Twilight’s turn to look confused. “In our time, the most direct offensive Element was the Heat Memory. It was most effective when combined with Metal, though that may have been partly a consequence of our fighting styles. Has its name changed?” “Metal? It sounds like they’ve all changed. The Elements we have are Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Joker.” “I find it hard to imagine how those will channel your talents to allow the destruction of uncontrolled Gaia Memories. However, I look forward to being surprised. In any case, this is the Driver we used for so many years. If you have not been granted one of your own, I suppose that you may use this. Would you like to try it?” Twilight took the strange item without a word. After a few attempts, she found the strap tightened snugly around her abdomen to let the accessory rest just below her cutie mark. It was comfortable, but she couldn’t understand why it was so important. But after staring in confusion for a moment, she wondered if those two tubes might be just the right size to fit her treasure, the Element of Joker, inside. She pulled it out and glanced towards Celestia, but the Princess just watched. In a way, this was a kind of test: could she work out how to truly use the Elements without being told. On instinct, she squeezed the lever on the side of the crystal with her magic before she slid it into the Driver, and it sang out in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once: “JOKER”. There was a faint shimmering in the air, like a telescope‘s image coming into focus, and suddenly Celestia was wearing the Driver. The Joker Memory was glowing now, violet light shining from both the top and bottom of the gleaming tube. But for Celestia, the Driver was on her right flank rather than the left; had the configuration of the straps somehow changed? Twilight blinked, then looked back at her own hindquarters. The Driver was still there, exactly the same as it had been before, as was her Element. “Oh well,” Celestia shrugged, “It seems nothing is happening. Can you feel a connection to your little friends at the back of your mind? I suppose it is possible that they are too far away. I’m afraid I can’t help with your change, as I no longer have an Element. Some of us put them back after we’d finished with them.” Twilight wanted to ask about the petulant bile in her voice for that last comment, or ask what she’d actually meant, but some instinct told her it would be a bad idea. She’d never heard the Princess of the Sun so bitter before, and was just glad that for now, the words didn’t seem to be directed at her. Celestia unclipped the belt, which vanished with the same shimmer. At the same time, Twilight’s driver gave a soft chime and the Joker Memory popped out. She looked at it, puzzled and unsure what to do next. “I’m hoping that you don’t need to find your own Driver,” the Princess was suddenly back to business, organised and dynamic, “Because you’ve already taken all the required steps if I can believe your story. So I will assume that this one will help you for now, and it just needs to be closer to the other Elements. I’ll have them brought here as soon as possible, I hate to think what would happen if the denizens of that damned mine started selling unrefined Gaia Memories again before you –” “You can’t take the Elements from my friends!” Twilight interrupted, fully aware of who she was speaking to, but realising that she was as confident as she sounded. This was an issue she would challenge even Celestia over. “They went through the Everfree with me, they helped me get to that weird castle that looks more like a laboratory on the inside. They earned the elements, and it just wouldn’t be fair. They’re a part of this as much as we are.” “I meant that I would have your friends brought here. The Elements are useless without their chosen bearers.” “They wouldn’t come. Applejack is needed by her family, and Rarity’s –” “They can’t say no to a royal summons,” Celestia was firm, “And I suspect my guards would have little trouble bringing them where I want them to be. But… I think I may have been a little hasty. They are, as you so eloquently put it, a part of this as much as you are. The Elements are all equal. But that also reminds me that I am not a part of this any longer. I am your mentor, but I have only a residual bond to the Elements of Harmony. As long as you are there, my attunement will do nothing but confuse the Driver. I wonder if there is a way to –” she stopped as one of the royal guards burst into the secret room. “Your Majesty!” the stallion barked, “My apologies, but there are reports of a dozen serious fires in Ponyville. We think it might be –” and then he cut off abruptly, seeming to notice for the first time that Twilight was there. “…a dopant.” Celestia finished the sentence, “I would assume the same, especially given the timing.” Then she turned back to Twilight Sparkle, and gave her a long, serious stare. “My faithful student, I believe it is time for you to see if you can fill my shoes. Take this Driver and return to Ponyville. You will need all your magic and cunning to defeat a dopant – that is, a pony who thought they could control a Gaia Memory. This is a task that can only be completed by the Elements of Harmony, so you will need to rejoin your friends. You must get there as quickly as possible, so I will send a dozen of my strongest stallions to act as your bodyguard and to speed your…” her regal voice trailed off as she realised she was speaking to an empty space. She didn’t remember her student being able to teleport quite such a distance, but she was quite familiar with a pony pushing their own limits under stress. “I guess she really does care for those friends,” the Princess murmured softly to herself, “I only hope that’s enough.”