Sunset the Seventh

by SmilesPerHour

The Last Stand

The seven mares were surprised, but not entirely frightened to see Inferno slowly lifting himself to his knees and glaring at the team with eyes that were half-blind and all furious. The Mane Six said nothing, but Sunset stepped forward, stumbling slightly and glaring right back at the dragon.

“Twilight, get your friends out of here.” Sunset ordered. “I’ll stay here and get rid of this menace, once and for all.” Sunset could barely stand, she was so drained of energy, but she pawed at the ground and aimed her horn at Inferno regardless, preparing to use the last of her energy to destroy the monster. However, before either Sunset or Inferno could react, Rainbow Dash stepped up and stood defiantly next to Sunset. A moment later, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and finally Twilight Sparkle walked up to Sunset and stood next to her, the last line of defense between Inferno and his prize.

“Twilight, what are you doing? Get out of here!” Sunset cried. “That dragon wants to destroy Ponyville, and you along with it, and I refuse to let that happen!”

“I was just going to say the same thing to you, Sunset.” Twilight replied. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, we’ve fought, we’ve argued, but that’s all in the past now. From now on, you are not a traitor, or a monster, and certainly not a villain. From now on, you are my friend, and I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”

“That goes for me too, sugar cube!” Applejack said.

“That goes double for me!” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“And it goes triple for me!” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“We are here for you, no matter what.” Rarity insisted.

“Friends forever.” Fluttershy declared.

“So, you would rather stand together than find safety?” Inferno chuckled. “Very well, then: friends forever can BURN TOGETHER!!” Inferno let loose an explosion of heat and flame that would have made molten lava look like a milkshake. Smoke and sparks filled the air as the barrage continued for several seconds, and finally, ended. Inferno peered through the smoke and ash at his handiwork, but when the smoke finally cleared, he was greeted with a very unexpected sight. Inferno had fully expected to see nothing but a small pile of burning ash where the seven ponies had once stood, but what he actually saw was the same seven ponies, standing in the same position, but looking much more rejuvenated and energetic than before. Even Sunset looked visibly more energetic than she had a few moments ago: in fact, she looked better than ever. Inferno was shocked and confused, but not nearly as confused as the ponies.

“Thanks for setting up that shield, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash finally said. “We would’ve been toast without it!”

“Um, Rainbow, I didn’t do anything.” Twilight admitted. She had no idea who had cast the spell, until she noticed a very slight rainbow tint to the shield.

“Girls, I think we’ve just activated our Rainbow Power.” Twilight announced. “You know, that super-powerful magic that we used to help us defeat Tirek a few months ago?”

“Yeah, I remember it,” Rainbow Dash responded, “But I don’t know why it’s activating now. I thought it was only a one-time event.”

“I thought so, too,” Twilight said, “but maybe the Rainbow Power has become a part of us now, and comes out to help us overcome certain threats together.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Sunset admitted, “But what about me? I feel stronger and more energetic than I’ve ever felt before. Did Twilight do that, or am I just getting the runoff energy from you guys?”

“I don’t think it’s either of those things, Sunset.” Twilight explained, and pointed at Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark, which was glowing just as brightly as the marks of the other six mares. “I think you’ve joined us.”

“Joined you?” Sunset responded in shock, “What do you mean? Joined you in what?”

“You’ve performed an act of bravery and selflessness that Equestria has never seen before, Sunset. You were willing to fight an unstoppable threat to Equestria, even knowing that you might die in the process because you didn’t want your friends and family get hurt. And beyond that, you stood up in the face of adversity back in Canterlot High and kept being nice to others and making friends, even though everyone thought you were still a villain. Even when nopony believed in you, you stood up for what you believed in and worked hard to achieve what everypony else thought was impossible. You, Sunset Shimmer, have become the seventh Element of Harmony: The Element of Bravery.” Sunset was too stunned to speak: for as long as Equestria existed, there was only knowledge of six Elements of Harmony, which were Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic. These Elements embodied themselves in Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle respectively, and an immensely powerful magic was activated within each of them in times of need, which would help them to overcome great evil. Nopony had ever known or even dreamed of the existence of additional Elements, such as Bravery, but there it was, embodied in Sunset Shimmer herself. Sunset could hardly believe it as she and her six friends floated into the air, higher and higher until they were floating at eye level with the top of Twilight’s castle, with Inferno staring up at them in a mixture of surprise, confusion and rage.

“No. No, this can’t be happening!” Inferno roared. “I am Inferno, Burner of Crops and Devourer of Armies! I am unstoppable! You can’t possibly be powerful enough to defeat me!”

“For once, you’re right, Inferno,” Sunset replied. “I’m not powerful enough to defeat you, nopony is. That is, not alone. But when ponies work together and support each other in our time of need, we can do anything. In this case, it just took someone brave enough to stand up to you to make a difference. You may be powerful, but we ponies have the one power that is greater than you: The Power of Friendship.” Inferno roared in fury, trying once again to destroy the seven ponies, but it was all in vain: with a combined blast of Rainbow Power, Inferno was utterly destroyed, and Equestria was restored from his rampage. Sunset Shimmer and her friends floated gently to the ground as the rainbow shield around them slowly dissipated, and just as quickly as it had begun, the battle had ended.

Comments

[Akwolfgrl13]

Bravery is a new one. Usealy its empathy or forgiveness