The Sixth Key

by Dizzy Daze

The Rainbow Connection (Rewrite)

Rare Find levitated a bucket of oranges as he wove his way through the streets of Hoofington to get home. A mysterious, shadowy figure emerged from the dark.

Rare Find gasped. "So sorry," he said, chuckling. "You came out of nowhere."

The figure breathed heavily. "'Is he friend, or is he foe?' the pony wonders," it said, stretching out a skinny hand to grasp at the stallion. "I can assure you... I am no friend. I am Lord Tirek, and I will take what should have been mine long ago."

---

Twilight paced angrily around the floor of Golden Oaks Library, having recently returned from Canterlot. The princesses had called an emergency meeting to deal with the imminent threat, but obviously it hadn't ended to the young princess's liking. She wheeled around to face Spike.

"How could they do this?" she muttered furiously. "Discord's barely proven that he's changed. How do we know he'll help? Honestly, don't Celestia and Luna trust me?"

Spike tapped his claws together. He always had to speak carefully when Twilight was in one of her moods. "I dunno, Twi," he offered. "Maybe they just don't think you're capable enough?" He winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

Twilight stared back at him in shock. "Look, I didn't mean--" he tried to backpedal.

"No, you're right, Spike," Twilight said in a disturbingly calm voice. "I've barely done anything since I became a princess. Maybe they're just waiting for me to prove my worth. Maybe they didn't say anything about this to me because it's all a test I have to pass!" She grinned maniacally. The gleam in her eye sent a small dagger of fear into the young dragon's heart.

He decided to humor her. "So, what is this mystery test, then?" he inquired.

Twilight resumed her pacing. "Well, let's see. What's come up lately that would need solving? The Equestria Games are over, the Breezies have left, and there's-- Oh!" She stopped in her tracks, an idea throwing itself into her desperate mind. "Spike! Where's that blueprint I drew up a few weeks ago? The one for the box? That must be it!"

Spike disappeared up the stairs and through a door, emerging a minute later with a large roll of paper. He struggled back down the stairs, tripping down the last few steps and landing at Twilight's hooves.

Disregarding her assistant, she peered at the paper in concern. "Spike!" she reprimanded. "Watch where you're going! You could have ripped that." With a tap of her magic, she unrolled the blueprint and spread it out onto the floor, glancing it over.

Spike dusted himself off and joined her. "So, your test is to, what? Open the box? How are you supposed to do that?"

Twilight sighed. "I don't know, Spike. Maybe our friends will be able to help. It did come from the Tree of Harmony, after all. Maybe this has something to do with all six of us. Call the girls and tell them to meet me in the Everfree."

---

One hour later, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity had arranged themselves in a rough semicircle around the mysterious chest. The Tree of Harmony twinkled behind them.

Twilight stood in front of the assembly, wings flared in excitement. She resumed her earlier routine of pacing and explained her situation. "Alright, girls, I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here," she began.

Pinkie waved a hoof in the air, as though she was a young filly in a classroom. "Ooh, oooh!" she shouted. "Is it because of the thing with Tartarus and Discord and you're mad because the princesses didn't pick you and obviously Princess Celestia doesn't think you're good enough to do anything that important and now you're thinking maybe this is all an big test and so you're angry and you don't think Discord makes a good princess because pink really isn't his color and you decided that we need to try to open this magical box thingy!"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah, that's totally it."

Twilight smiled. "Actually, she's exactly right. Now, I have no idea how I'm supposed to do this, but it came from the Tree of Harmony, so obviously it requires all six of us to open it. Because, you know, friendship and magic and stuff. So, any ideas?"

Applejack scratched under her hat, thinking. An idea popped into her mind, and she spoke up. "Now, this might be crazy, but Ah've got an idea. Ah dunno if anyone's noticed, but personally, Ah've been seein' these little rainbow things everywhere. Discord's flag, Pinkie's streamers, my Granny's pie tin, lots of places. But the first time Ah remember seein' 'em is when that there box showed up. And a few weeks ago Ah got a bit from somepony that sparkled with one'a them rainbows. It's a long shot, but if y'all have got somethin' like that, maybe it's got somethin' to do with it?"

Twilight scoffed. "Please, Applejack. I would have expected something that far-fetched from Rainbow, but not from you. You usually think things through more. A sparkly bit, really? It was probably just the sun."

Rainbow frowned. "You know, Spitfire gave me a pin that was all rainbow-y and sparkly. I figured it was just a reflection, but AJ's got a point." She paused a beat, then the rest of Twilight's words registered. "Hey! I'm not far-fetched."

Rarity cut across the pegasus. "You know, darling, I happen to have a spool of thread that shines. And I noticed that Pinkie's, erm, rubber chicken did the same when she got it."

Fluttershy nodded. "Seabreeze gave me a flower that did the same. That has to be it. Good idea, Applejack."

Pinkie gasped. "Oh my gosh, and we all got our shiny stuff on days that we wrote in the diary! And those are probably the diary entries that Discord was talking about!"

"You're listening to Discord, too?" Twilight asked in outrage. Nopony seemed to hear her.

Applejack blanched. "How in tarnation are we supposed to fit all that stuff into those tiny little keyholes?"

Twilight spoke up again. "Seriously, that can't be it."

Rainbow rotated to glare at her. "And why not?"

The princess threw her hooves back in frustration, drew in her wings, and sat down. "Because it's too crazy! Besides, I haven't gotten anything shiny lately."

Fluttershy pondered this. "You know, everything that led up to each of us getting our rainbow objects had to do with our element. Maybe that's it."

Pinkie jumped in. "Yeah! Like, it's the Tree's way of showing us that we're still connected to our elements, even though they're way out here in the Everfree Forest and we're still in Ponyville. And once we figure out a way to show that we're still connected, we get a little thing that helps us open the present we got from the Tree! You know, to like, show us that we're still amazingly good friends and stuff."

Rainbow screwed up her face in frustration. "What even is your element, anyway? Is it friendship or is it magic? I'm always super confused about that."

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the box again. "Okay, I'll humor you all," she grumbled. "I don't suppose you have those things with you, do you?"

Each of her friends' cheeks shone with slight embarrassment, and one by one they pulled out their treasures and set them on the floor in front of the chest. Twilight sighed and looked at them all, her eyes scanning the row in a vague attempt to understand them.

She picked up the bit in her hoof and flipped it. Nothing happened. She rolled it along the ground, but still nothing happened. In frustration, she threw it at the box in a vain attempt to do something, anything. To everypony's surprise, it slammed into the side of the box and bounced back as a thin, brass key.

Applejack looked down at the key. "Well, Ah guess that answers that."

Twilight groaned loudly. "Yes, but how am I supposed to get mine?"

Her friends drowned her out, instead picking up their own treasures and hurling them at the box, chattering with delight as they bounced back as keys.

Spike patted Twilight on her back. "Aw, cheer up," he said. "You'll find yours soon."

Twilight rubbed a hoof along his scales. "Thanks, Spike," she smiled down at him. "You're such a great friend."

As she looked down at her very first and very best friend, she noticed a shine go down his scales. She looked up at the other ponies in excitement. "Did any of you see that?" she demanded. They turned around and looked at her in confusion. "The rainbow!" Twilight squealed.

Rarity bit her lip. "Twilight," she explained patiently. "You need to wait. I'm sure Spikey's scales were just reflecting the Tree. You're looking into this too far, darling. You'll find your key soon enough."

But Twilight wouldn't listen. "No, you see?" she explained. "This has to be it! Spike's always been there for me, ever since we were little and I hatched him. We were always really good friends, and we still are. Plus, he helps me learn about magic and stuff, and I hatched him with my magic. It all fits!"

Spike looked nervously at his friend. "Well, gee, Twi," he said. "We're all good friends here. If you're saying that, then any one of us could be your key."

Twilight turned to him. "No, Spike, shut up. I know what I'm talking about."

Spike tried to protest, but Twilight interrupted him by lighting her horn and pointing it at him. "I'm really sorry about this," she apologized. "But it's for the best."

Her pony friends' eyes widened. They started to clamor for her to stop, but Twilight didn't listen. She enveloped Spike in her magic, shut her eyes, and propelled him forward.

Everypony else averted their eyes as Spike rushed to make contact with the metal box. There was a faint clatter as a sixth brass key fell to the floor. Twilight opened her eyes and marveled at the collection of keys on the dirt.

"Well," she beamed. "That solves that. Let's get this sucker open."

Each of the ponies lifted up their new keys and shuffled around the chest. Six keys were inserted into six holes, and they waited for a command so they could turn them simultaneously. Twilight wrapped her key in her magic and shouted, "One, two, three, turn!"

---

Halfway across Equestria, Rare Find and Tirek sat in a dark alleyway. A half-full bucket of oranges sat between them, and piles of discarded orange peels littered the ground around them. Tirek dug into a particularly juicy fruit, and he grinned in pleasure.

"They sure don't have these in Tartarus," he complained. "Oh, how I've missed real food."

Suddenly, a garish, pastel rainbow descended from the sky and wrapped itself around the centaur. Rare Find backed away as the rainbow slowly vaporized Tirek, then dissipated when its job was finished.

He stood frozen in place for a minute, then shrugged and scooped up his orange bucket, resuming his walk home. The guys at work would love to hear this story tomorrow.