Lily Mare Do Well

by Hyper44

Dark Skies

Ponies screamed and collapsed on the ground with despair. After such a triumph of not only an enemy but of themselves it was unthinkable to lose to this horrible monster in whatever dreadful thing that it had planned. The hissing blackness that somehow seemed to be laughing above them was blotting out the sunlight and would soon reach Ponyville. It’s swirling mass was making the wind stir into an increasingly fast vortex. It's sickening radiance was overbearing. More and more ponies slumped to the ground as if crushed by its weight.

Lily too lay on the ground unable to get up. Then her ears turned towards the sound that she had been ignoring. So far she had been unable to hear it above the storm that was that blackness. In turning her focus, she felt a little bit stronger.

“The box!” Lily called to the stallions who had carried the chest. “Open it! It has whatever will stop this thing! Are you listening?!” The stallions nor anypony paid her any mind. Their eyes stayed on the expanding black mass.

“Hey! Listen we-! Why am I asking somepony to open this box for me?!” lily demanded herself. She stood up and smashed the chest open with one blow. A simple looking red jewel rolled out onto the ground. For all appearances it seemed to be no different than any other jewel that ponies use for trade. Yet she knew that this was no more a mere jewel no more than that black mass was just a shadow.

“Everypony! Look!” lily shouted at the top of her lungs as she held the jewel high. Slowly but surely the jewel began to glow just a bit.

“What is that?” Her father yelled over the now howling wind that swirled around them.

“It appears to be something like one of the elements of harmony or the crystal heart… maybe?” A mare stated before Lily could venture to guess.

“What does it matter?!” Another mare cried. We can’t use the Elements of Harmony or anything like it!”

“How would you know?” Granny Crumpet retorted. “Have you ever tried and it is not even the Elements of Harmony! This is something else but it doesn’t matter anyway? Can’t any of you remember that a certain five ponies were just members of Ponyville? I’m an old mare with a crumpet on my flank yet I’ve-”

“Stop it you old pony!” The mare snapped back. “Not all of us spent a life of adventures, deeds and fortune! Some of us have lived our whole lives in Ponyville.”

Granny Crumpet eyed at her with a cool gaze. “I only achieve what I did because I dared go out and do it.”

“We don’t need to hear your bragging!” A stallion joined in.

“It’s not bragging! It’s a point meant to encourage you!”

“What does it even matter!” A mare screamed over them. “This is not just some dumb monsters this time! We do NOT have the Elements of Harmony inside of us! We’re not princes and princesses! New gem or the old ones we can’t work them!”

“Says who?”

“Do you really think that highly of yourself?!”

“Do you think that little of yourself?!”

Painfully Lily watched as everypony fell to arguing among themselves while the massive threat was ever growing bigger. Soon the entire skyline would be blotted out.

“If I were to be honest I would think that that we’re going to be swallowed up while their ranting all the way,” Lily father stated walking up beside her.

Lily almost jumped as a realization hit her. Just normal ponies being honest.

“How can you not realize that the elements of harmony ARE in you too?” Lily screamed above the wind. “I'm not talking about the stones but the Elements as in the actual actions of honesty, kindness, generosity and the others. They do not just belong to six ponies! Even if you don't feel that those things come naturally to you like the six you can still choose it! Anypony who choses to live by those concepts holds a society together! It is us, not just a few ponies that makes Ponyville! It is all of us. What I am saying is that you are important whoever you are and you do not have to be "special" or a standout to do something great. You have it in you! You just have to get up and do it! The only thing that keeps one from accomplishing is to not try! Did any of you know that you could succeed in saving me and Ponyville before you tried?! Yet here we are! Please! Let us try again! This stone is not one of The Elements of Harmony that the six had! This one is for us!""

Mares and stallions including her own family stared at her as they tried to comprehend what she had just said. Then a normally quiet mare named Banana Fluff raced forward. “Heck, a long shot compared to no chance! I am taking the long shot!” She reached out to the red jewel with her magic. The eyes of everypony grew wider as the gem glowed just a little brighter just before the blackness had reached all horizons and the it quickly became their only light under the expanding blanket of darkness. Unicorns began hurrying closer while lighting up their horns. The jewel grew many times brighter but still nothing happened.

“What are you waiting for? Mayor Mare called to the rest of the residents as she hurried to join them. “I know four ponies who proved that you don't have to be unicorns to use magic!” Every pegasus and earth pony, every stallion and mare hurried after her to stand with the group huddled around Lily who was still holding the jewel. The jewel then swelled into blinding brightness and the swirling black mass above them loosed a grinding roar. It swirled wildly above them and stinging winds lashed the little group of ponies. If they had not been standing so tightly together they would have been scattered like leaves in a hurricane. The ponies huddled tighter and tighter against the gale that soon felt as if it was crushing them. Ponies fell to their bellies and knees with their heads bent down against the terrible force. Lily’s father and mother clung tightly to her lest the little foal be swept away. They could see the bright light from the jewel through clinched eyelids but hear nothing but the awful roar in their ears and feel almost nothing but the terrible sickening presence pressing down around them. That and the winds beating at their huddled forms. Though they hoped and believed it seemed like they would soon meet an awful end. Still they held on. Then suddenly after one last wail it was over. Ponies slowly and cautiously raised their heads. The horrid black mass was gone. The skies above were so clear and their surroundings were so peaceful that it almost seemed unreal after standing under that black mass and pounding storm.

At the edge of Ponyville foals who had stood watching the expanding darkness turn into a black whirlwind over the distant hills now sat gaping at the blue skies. The monsters who were in Ponyville and those who had been scattered by the wind over the Diamond Dog fields now stood quietly glancing around with their heat seekers. Then calmly they began picking their way back towards the tunnels that would take them home into the depths of the earth.

Outside the town the tatzelwurm was blinking in the sunlight looking as if it had just woken up from a dream. It looked around in confusion for a moment then slowly slid back under the earth. A low lump of soil moved across the surface as it burrowed its way back to its home at the edge of Equestria.

Author's Note:

One thing that has bothered me about the elements of harmony is that they truly keep harmony when they are actions by everyday people, not magic stones. Magic stone won’t fix anything. Its choosing these actions when even when we hate doing so that maintains harmony. This is a lesson that I feel that they've overlooked in the show.

Comments

[Hyper44]

7017522 The next chapter is now published.

[Fluttercheer]

Very epic moment here with Lily holding up the jewel and encouraging the other ponies to try and use the jewel to defeat the black mass!
I just wish this chapter would be longer. It just feels like a lot more epicness could be added, but then I don't really know what that should be exactly. I just feels like there could be more.
What I didn't understand is why Lily said that the Elements of Harmony are not artifacts, but in them as well. Does she really think that or was she just making something up to encourage them in hope they can activate the jewel?

Interesting what happened with the monsters at the end. So, does this mean the black mass was controlling them?

[Hyper44]

7021130 I did wonder if it was a little short but I was afraid of making it too long and thus making the scene to drag.

What I didn't understand is why Lily said that the Elements of Harmony are not artifacts, but in them as well.

The ponies looked at it like the mane six were special to that alone and that they themselves had no chance of using any special stone. They had fallen into the trap of thinking that those elements was just something that the mane six had and that was that. They looked at the stone as just another one like the Elements if Harmony (as in artifact) and they coulden't use anything like it because they were not an Element of Harmony, (One of the mane six). Lily was reminding them that the Elements of Harmony are not just things but something that can be in and used by anypony. She was pointing out that those elements could be as just as much a part of them if they chose to live by them. She hoped to make them see that they too could be special and to encourage them to at least try. Thank you though. I see that I didn't make this clear enough and I'll see if I can fix it.

Interesting what happened with the monsters at the end. So, does this mean the black mass was controlling them?

In a way. The villains used it to cast a spell on them and once it was gone the spell was broken. I'll put an explanation in the author's notes soon.

[Fluttercheer]

7021988

Lily was reminding them that the Elements of Harmony are not just things but something that can be in and used by anypony.

That's the problem here. Lily was talking like anypony could use the Elements of Harmony despite that only those who actually inherit the Elements and are the destined Element Bearers (Twilight and her friends) or beings with a lot of magical power (Celestia and Luna) can actually use them.
And she was also talking like the jewel is an actual Element of Harmony, despite that it isn't, while she just meant that, just because the Elements of Harmony can only be used by the chosen ones, this doesn't mean that this applies to every magical artifact in existence.
This is something that could be more clear.

[Hyper44]

7022138 Your right it does sound like she's saying that the Elements of Harmony can be used by anyone or that this is one. It wasn't my intention. I'll try to rewrite this scene a bit so that it will make this more clear.

[Fluttercheer]

7030143

Look forward to see it!

[Nox Knock Jokes]

I truly like your stories. They hold so much meaning and passion from your opinions that it feels like your heart and soul was poured into this. Good job!

It is a shame that this story hasn't gotten many views or likes.