The Elements of Randomness

by Razor Blade the Unicron

Chapter Sixteen: Strength

As soon as Nightmare's barrier came up, a panic started to overtake the five others still fighting Twilight. They didn't have a back-up plan for if the unicorn was yanked away from the fight, especially not by Nightmare Moon herself.

Limestone was forced to release her hold on Twilight, and broke away to where Saffron and Lotus where using the rubble from the castle as shields against the constructs. Flitter and Fleetfoot soon joined them, the latter having a scratch on her hoof from pushing the former out of the way of a spear.

"Vhat are ve suppozed to do now?" asked Lotus nervously.

"We need to go help Amethyst soon!" said Saffron, smacking away a sword. "If we're barely handling it against Twilight, then she's in deep troubling fighting Nightmare!"

"Duck!" yelled a accented voice from above that they had each heard at least once before.

The five managed to move out of the way of a thin stream of lightning bolts that launches above them. Twirly quickly floated down to join them, her face fearful.

"Get me close to Twilight," she said with determination. "I know how I can disable her magic."

---

Amethyst strained to create a spark with her magic, when she finally managed to make at least a flicker. But the glow on her horn died out, and the sixth Element did not appear. The barrier around the Elements fell, and her eyes widened in fear.

"No!" she cried out, as Nightmare simply threw her away from the Elements.

"So much for your only hope," said Nightmare with an eager grin. "Celestia should have sent somepony who actually had magic powers."

She held the Elements in her magic, and then slammed them forcefully against the ground. They shattered into pieces, and Amethyst froze in horror. Nightmare let out a gleeful laugh.

"Now the night will truly last forever!" she cried, before breaking into a cackle. "Forever!"

"No..." whispered Amethyst fearfully. "No!"

"Did you really think that you could defeat me?" asked Nightmare tauntingly. "I am the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! Nopony can face me!" Her horn flared up. "Farewell, little unicorn. This is for your foalish idea of beating me."

Amethyst panicked as Nightmare held her in place using her magic, and then blasted out a final beam of magic at her. She looked around the area to try and find something to block the beam, her gaze falling on her lucky diamond.

Gemstones can hold magic in them, so I hope mine can hold enough! she thought quickly.

She quickly snatched up the diamond in her magic and, using her signature to place it correctly in the air so it could absorb magic, flung it in front of herself. Nightmare's beam of magic slammed into the gem, and Amethyst closed her eyes in fear.

"WHAT?!?" cried Nightmare angrily.

Amethyst's eyes flickered open to see that her diamond was still floating in front of her, glowing blue with Nightmare's magic. She had been released from Nightmare's hold from her shock.

"That is impossible!" yelled Nightmare, slamming her hoof into the ground in anger. "A mere gem cannot contain that much power!"

She snatched the diamond in her magic, and yanked in towards the ground to try and shatter it. However, Amethyst pulled it upwards to prevent that, and then pulled the diamond over to herself.

I can use Nightmare's own power against her!

Amethyst started to pull out Nightmare's magic from the diamond, gathering the energy on her horn like with moonbeams and sunbeams. Nightmare abruptly yanked the diamond away from her. She hadn't been paying enough attention.

"Why do you keep trying to fight?" asked Nightmare in annoyance. "Your chance of winning has been destroyed!" She pointed down at the Element shards. "Your companions are of no use! I even have your little breezie!" She pointed at the cage, not bothering to actually look.

But Amethyst noticed that Twirly was gone. A sharp cry from the other room caught her attention, and she turned to see magenta sparks of magic flying, as well as five other ponies diving to the ground to avoid them.

"Twirly, are you sure this is safe?" came Flitter's muffled voice through the barrier.

She must have been too quiet for her to hear, as Amethyst didn't get the breezie's response. She quickly turned back towards Nightmare, just as her diamond was slammed into the ground, causing blue sparks of magic to go flying across the room.

"Just give in!" said Nightmare as she prepared for another beam of magic at the unicorn. "Your resistance is futile!"

Amethyst quickly grabbed the shards of diamond in her magic, and reformed them into the shape. She hardly registered the fact that the diamond was in pieces as she blocked Nightmare's magic.

"I'd suggest you dodge next time!" yelled Nightmare. "Too bad that you'll never have a next time!"

"Consider using your eyes!" called back Amethyst, much to the alicorn's surprise.

"Those shards can't be doing that!" Nightmare was furious. This unicorn should not still be standing! "Nothing can hold together like that!"

That's it! Amethyst's eyes widned in realization.

As Nightmare was forced to stop throwing her magic at Amethyst, the unicorn quickly yanked out as much magic as possible from the gem. She quickly turned around from Nightmare, and instead used the alicorn's magic to destroy the barrier she had placed between the two rooms.

As soon as the barrier fell, the five ponies quickly ran into the room. With a chorus of: "Amethyst!", "Sparkler!", and "Amy!", they quickly ran up to her, flinching at Nightmare's presence.

"Is that was you've decided to do?" asked Nightmare. "You must be more of a foal that I thought. You really think that the six of you worthless ponies can stand up against me without the Elements of Harmony? I will destroy you like I destroyed them!" Her horn flared up.

"The Elements aren't destroyed!" called out Amethyst.

"Oh, spare me your fruitless hope!"

Amethyst pulled over the Element shards using her magic, and spoke not to Nightmare, but the five ponies around her.

"These are the Elements of Harmony," she said simply. "Nightmare shattered them into pieces. But we don't need them." She couldn't help but smile. "Since the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are all right here."

"The what?" asked Limestone, just as the shards began to glow, and hover in the air of her own accord. "Whoa!"

"Think about it," said Amethyst, still ignoring Nightmare, who was staring in complete shock. "Why would the Elements all have specific features? Because that's what gives them power. And we have those features."

She continued. "Fleetfoot, you didn't leave any of us when we were petrified by the cockatrice. You didn't have to stay with us, or even make sure that we changed back. But you did. And that's why you're the Loyalty Element."

Some of the shards glowed pale yellow, the color of Fleetfoot's cutie mark, and then reformed into the sphere they had been before. It floated above the pegasus, who stared up at it as threads of magic began stretching out across the room.

"Limestone, you got me to trust you in a dire situation, though I had no reason to. You knew that you could get me to safety. And that was you being truthful. You're the Honesty Element."

As with Fleetfoot, more shards glowed, this time lime green. Limestone smiled as the sphere floated over her.

"Flitter, you stayed strong when confronting a heart-breaking experience. But it wasn't because you ignored it, but instead remained cheerful and happy. You are the Laughter Element."

The shards glowed pale purple this time, and the pegasus beamed with glee.

"Saffron, you gave your magic so I could have strength without even a second thought. That doesn't mean that you helped out thoughtlessly, but instead fully knowing what your were doing and allowing it anyways. You are the Generosity Element."

The shards glowed orange, and she gave a shy grin.

"Lotus, you weren't just nice to all of us, but even to the creature that attacked us when you were given the chance. You showed compassion to the ornament flytrap while we treated it as a beast. You are the Kindness Element."

The remaining shards glowed pink, and everypony except for Amethyst had an Element floating above them. The five strings of magic had spread across the room, making it so Nightmare had no escape.

"You still don't have the sixth Element!" cried out Nightmare, some fear in her voice. "The spark didn't work!"

"It's not the spark that you're thinking of." Amethyst finally spoke towards Nightmare. "It was never a spark of magic that was needed to activate the Elements of Harmony. It was one of realization. I knew from the moment I started to fight you that I was no match by myself. But I finally figured it out when you mentioned togetherness." She smiled even more brightly. "We didn't overcome your challenges individually. We faced them all together. And together, we overcame all of them. Together." She turned towards the other five ponies. "And now I know that you five aren't some other ponies who decided to come with me on this quest. You're much more than that. You're my friends."

Nightmare frantically blasted off a beam of magic at Amethyst, but she was protected by the Elements.

"These are called the Elements of Harmony because that is what they create. And for there to be harmony, you need the five Elements that everypony already knows. But you need the sixth Element for it to be complete. For it's Unity that brings these all together, creating friendship and harmony."

There was a flash of light as the last Element appeared above Amethyst. She turned back towards Nightmare, and her horn glowed in the same color as her Element, activating all six of them. The six friends were all lifted into the air, as the Elements manifested their power. A rainbow blasted down at Nightmare of the colors they had been glowing, and the alicorn cried out as her power was stripped away.

Comments

[Nyperold]

Cue Star Trek: The Original Series transporter console operation noise.

[vazak]

Very cool!