• Published 13th Mar 2019
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My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season 1 - Wrekferno



Equestria is a magical land inhabited by ponies of all kinds. Earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi. There is, however, a fourth kind that hide themselves from the others in fear and hatred. They are called thestrals. One thestral will learn friendship.

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Chapter 2: Friendship Is Magic, Part 2

Acrylic’s P.O.V:

“Seize her!” Mayor Mare commanded. “Only she knows where the princess is!” Three of the royal guards present for the event obeyed, all of whom had wings. They charged through the air at our “new queen.” She didn’t like that idea much.

“Stand back, you foals!” Nightmare Moon tossed them back like crumpled pieces of paper with a mere wave of her mane, bringing lightning down to pieces of paper After another round of haughty laughter, she imploded on herself, transforming entirely into a swirling ball of mane energy. That being said and done, she slithered out of the door, causing everypony to scatter in her wake. I was included in that number, ducking behind a table in terror.

What happened to me now? Thestrals wouldn’t be very affected by the everlasting night; we were nocturnal anyway. We had adapted to the night life. Should I go back? Then I realized how foolish I was; even thestrals would be impacted by this dramatic change, perhaps even more so than the rest of Equestria. We didn’t farm in the Everfree, we merely lived off of roots and whatever else we could gather. Without sunlight, nothing edible would grow even in the tough and hardy forest. And besides, that was no longer my home. I lived here now. I wasn’t going to abandon my new friends just because times got a little tough. I’d chosen my side, and I was sticking to it. That left only one option: we had to stop Nightmare Moon.

I straightened back up, conquering my fear in coming out from behind the table. Not many ponies were left in Town Hall. Rainbow Dash had been one of the first to leave in an attempt to chase down the queen. Twilight was right on her heels, though she had another destination in mind. I charged out to catch up with Applejack, who was following the purple unicorn. Rarity didn’t often risk sweating, but even she put such thinking to the side this time of need and joined us. Pinkie Pie joined in the “fun” by bouncing along behind us, somehow still keeping up.

Applejack led those of us on the ground into the library, though Rainbow Dash had already zoomed in. Twilight had not yet noticed our presence. She was scrutinizing the shelves instead.

“Elements, elements, elements… Ugh! How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?” she muttered.

“And just what are the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash demanded in a somewhat accusing voice. She had locked noses with Twilight, forcing her back. “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy? Whoa!” AJ yanked her from the air to calm her down.

“Simmer down, Sally,” she ordered. “She ain’t no spy. But she sure knows what’s goin’ on, don’t ya, Twilight?”

Twilight insisted on staying focus on whatever she was doing that this situation does not concern us. But I wasn’t going to have that so I told her, “Twilight, this Nightmare Moon is attacking our town and has done who knows what to Princess Celestia. This IS our concern! I know that we may not be “tolerable” for you but we can understand the seriousness of a situation. Whatever it is you know about this mare and anything else, you HAVE to tell us.” She seemed unsure to answer us as her eyes narrowed towards me in worry and uncertainty.

“Please,” I finished.

One second later, Twilight sighed and reluctantly agreed to tell us what she knows.

“I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don’t know what they are, where to find them; I don’t even know what they do!”

“The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide,” Pinkie distractedly read.

“How did you find that?!” Twilight exclaimed, pushing her over.

“It was under ‘E!’” Pinkie happily bounced.

“Oh, right,” Twilight blushed. She proceeded to levitate the book and read a passage from it. “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now…” she gasped in the place of the actual location.

“What is now…?” I prompted.

“The Everfree Forest!” she stammered. We all gasped, but while everypony else’s was out of fright, mine was in surprise. My eyes widened. That was my homeland!

Twilight nervously headed out, the rest of us trailing after her. My mind was working through this whole mess so quickly I didn’t notice we’d arrived until I bumped into AJ. The dark shadows of the Everfree Forest were looming over us.

“The Everfree Forest!” we all said in unison.

“Whee! Let’s go!” Pinkie exclaimed, starting off for the dark woods.

“Not so fast.” Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’d really rather do this on my own.”

“No can do, sugar cube. We sure ain’t lettin’ any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We’re stickin’ to you like caramel on a candy apple.

“Nun-uh!” we all agreed, trotting in without her. Pinkie was the only one that remained.

“Especially, if there are candy apples in there!” I heard her add. “What? Those things are good!” Pinkie then trotted up to join us, and Twilight reluctantly followed with a heavy sigh.

“So… none of you have ever been in here before?” Twilight nervously asked. I felt my heart skip a beat. Should I lie, or give a half-truth? I let the others answer while I considered my options.

“Ugh, Heavens no! Just look at it- it’s dreadful.” Rarity declared.

“And it ain’t natural. Folks say it don’t work the same as Equestria.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nopony knows,” Rainbow Dash said in a ghostly voice in an attempt to scare our company. I rolled my eyes, mostly because I was familiar with the woods and didn’t find it frightening at all. “You know why?”

“Rainbow, quit it!” Applejack demanded as she started to creep along the forest floor.

“Because every pony that has ever come in; has never come out!”

“I did,” I sarcastically interjected, mostly to spite her.

“WHAT?!” everypony else exclaimed. I flattened my ears. Whoops.

“WHOA!” we all screamed. The ledge we had just been standing on gave out, sending everypony but our two pegasi companions sprawling down the steep slope. Rarity was lucky, and managed to stay upright as she attempted to slide to a stop. I was hopelessly bouncing down, getting more bruised and battered with every bump in the surface. Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie while Fluttershy slowed Rarity down by yanking on her tail. I really needed my wings, but I couldn’t let them see. Come out bruised and possibly broken or come out safe but friendless? I opted for broken. They couldn’t know what I really am!

I had finally gotten a grip on the whole sliding issue, though I was now sliding backwards. I dug my hooves in, failing to get some traction. I saw Applejack hanging on a root as I slid down, finally slowing. Twilight hadn’t been so lucky, and now dangling off the side of the cliff. I was heading her way, and only just managed to avoid her as I toppled off the side.

“Acrylic!” she screamed upon learning that my predicament was worse than hers. This was it. I had to show my dragon side or die. I began to angle myself, but narrowed my eyes instead or maybe not. I angled myself so that I was now diving headfirst for the rock face. Once I was parallel with it, I stretched out my hooves until I was running down the vertical slope.

I focused on the task at hoof, eyes narrowed, pouring all of my energy into it. I had to, if I wanted to stay alive. It was nearly time to act. The treetops were getting close. I heard my friends yelling for me. Even Rainbow Dash wasn’t fast enough to catch me now. I closed my eyes. This was it. In a literal leap of faith, I jumped off the rock face, landing on a tree branch. As I’d hoped, it bent like rubber under my weight, and sent me shooting back off into the sky upon rebound. I had enough time disguised in the trees to briefly use my wings to angle myself the right way, but barely had time to retract them before shooting out of the thick canopies. I clutched at my beloved hat which I hadn’t taken off since Rarity gave it to me, only to find that it had already been blown off. Ugh, figures. Distracted by this discovery, I barely had time to remember to hold my breath as I landed in the pond below.

I pushed off the bottom and scrambled for the surface, hooves flailing. I finally surfaced soaked to the bone and shivering cold, but alive. I dragged myself into the grass and shook off as much water as I could. I let my friends come running over to meet me, panting with the exertion. That could have been so much easier with wings. Still, I had to smile; the extra effort paid off in the concerned faces still crowning around me.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, you poor thing!”

“That looked fun!”

“Should I get you something?” Fluttershy quietly offered.

“What are you going to get her? We’re out in the middle of the Everfree Forest!”

“Acrylic! I’m sooo sorry! Fluttershy wasn’t strong enough to handle Twilight by herself, and I wasn’t fast enough to get you both…” Rainbow Dash bit her lip in guilt.

“It’s okay,” I assured. “I’m fine.”

“Really?” Rainbow criticized every inch of my body, double checking to make sure there wasn’t a scratch on me. Realizing I spoke truthfully, she backed off. “Oh yeah, of course. Hey, wait a minute. That. Was. AWESOME!” she burst, doing excited loops in the air. “Did you guys even see that? I didn’t know you were such an athlete!”

“That was not awesome, that was CRAZY!” Twilight objected in her disbelief.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Alright you guys, cut it out. Acrylic’s right. Everypony’s safe, and that’s all that matters right now.”

“Can you walk?”

“Of course I can walk.” I stood up from my warm ball to demonstrate, but regretted it as soon as the bitter cold bit into my legs.

“All right, then. We’ve got to keep moving. I saw the castle from up above. It’s this way.”

“Oh, by the way,” Rainbow went on, hovering above me as we moved on, “I thought you might like to have this back.” She displayed Rarity’s beret from behind her. I almost jumped for joy.

“My hat! Thanks, Rainbow!” I eagerly snatched it out of my head like a treasure being displayed on a pedestal.

“That was truly awesome! You zoomed right down the side of the cliff like you were defying gravity! Then BAM, you turned a tree branch into a diving board! How’d you do that, by the way? It takes a lot of skill to get the timing and angles right. I don’t even know if I could do it! And no offense, but you don’t strike me as the most athletic pony in town.”

“Just lucky, I guess,” I quietly answered, not letting on how much knowledge I had in that field. Luckily, Rainbow didn’t seem to notice.

“And what about me and Fluttershy, eh? We were pretty good, too. Once Pinkie and Rarity were saved, WHOOSH! Me and Fluttershy loop-de-loop around and WHAM! We caught you right in the nick of time.” Twilight rolled her eyes as I noticed for the first time how much Rainbow Dash likes using onomatopoeia.

“Yes, Rainbow, I was there, and I’m very grateful, but we’ve got to-,” Her sentence was cut off by a loud gasp. We all stopped dead in our tracks behind her as a ferocious beast appeared before us. “A MANTICORE!” Twilight exclaimed. The lion-like creature reared up, releasing a thunderous bellow that seemed to shake the whole forest.

I was the first to recover from shock, and thrust my head low with a loud snort to hold my ground. We dealt with these all the time back at the thestral encampment.

“We’ve got to get past him,” Twilight declared. The manticore didn’t seem too happy about that. First, he charged at Rarity, who surprised me with incredible agility as she dodged the blow and planted a pitiful lady kick to his snout. I shook my head in disappointment, but she seemed quite proud of herself, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Take that, you ruffian!” she proudly snorted. It returned with a roar so close to her face I’m surprised she didn’t blow an eardrum. The force of his screech did cause slight damage to her mane, which seemed to trouble her more than the beast itself. I knew he wouldn’t stop at merely destroying her hairdo, so I leapt forward to protect her. Rearing in defiance, I delivered a crushing hit on the top of his nose, the most sensitive part a manticore’s face aside from the whiskers. He howled as I ushered Rarity to the sidelines. Applejack mounted the beast and rode him like a true rodeo pony before he could come back on us.

“Yee-haw! Get along, little doggie!” she gleefully cried. It soon kicked her off, but she flew through the air with such grace that she swiveled to land back on her hooves. “All yours, partner,” she winked to Rainbow mid-air.

“I’m on it,” the blue Pegasus saluted before diving at the manticore. She spun in such tight circles around it that all we could see was a rainbow colored blur. He grumbled and gurgled in frustration, unable to catch her.

“WHOA!” Finally, he struck a scorpion tail in her path. She just missed the stinger, but was thrown back to the ground. Landing with a hard thud, she skidded to a halt at our hooves. Those of us remaining narrowed our eyes and formed a tight wall. The manticore scraped the ground anxiously. We did the same. Twilight led us in a charge as we prepared to ward off the menace.

“WAIT!!!” Fluttershy screamed, louder than I’d ever heard her. She had flown between us and the monster, causing us to skid to a halt before we bowled her over. Having gotten our attention, she then proceeded to calmly walk up to the manticore. It snarled, and raised claws as sharp as daggers to swipe her off of her feet. We all gasped and hid our faces, too petrified to move. No scream ever came.

“Shh. It’s okay,” a soft voice cooed. “Oh, you poor, poor little baby.” I opened my eyes along with everypony else, astounded to find her tenderly nuzzling the massive paw with a giant thorn sticking out of it.

“Little?” Rainbow sarcastically echoed.

“Baby?” I quickly followed.

“Now, this might hurt for just a second.” Fluttershy gripped the intruding thorn between her teeth and gave it a hard yank, tossing it to the side. The manticore furiously yowled, bringing Fluttershy up to his level.

“FLUTTERSHY!” we all screamed. Our fear was short-lived, for the manticore began purring contently and fondly licked her mane in gratitude.

“Aw, you’re just a little old baby kitty, aren’t you? Yes you are!” she giggled. Relieved, we all trotted past to let her deal with the manticore. She had it under control. Twilight hung back to receive her after the miraculous feat.

“How did you know about the thorn?”

“I didn’t. Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little kindness.” I shook my head, amazed at her bravery. She could make a great thestral.

The others’ legs were beginning to grow weary from so much walking. The stress was getting to us. Rarity had the shudders. “Eww… my eyes need a rest from all this icky muck,” she shivered. As if on cue, we entered into the thickest part of the woods, and we became shrouded in shadow. “Well, I didn’t mean that literally,” she quietly whimpered.

“That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn’t even know it,” Twilight grumbled. I blinked my eyes a few times, allowing part of my thestral physiology to take over. My pupils turned into slits, and the blue irises glowed slightly. They were better equipped for the dark, but I kept my eyes to the ground so no one noticed the shining dragon eyes. I almost gave myself away when I looked back as Rarity bumped into me.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there. My apologies.” I just nodded, but our whole train suddenly broke into a clamor as ponies started tripping on roots or bumping into each other.

“Is that you, Rainbow?”

“No, I’m right here. That’s a tree. Guh!” I heard her clunking into something.

“Oops, sorry.”

“I can’t see!”

“Ow!”

“Oh, wait, I think I stepped in something.”

I took a minute to step back and watch my friends colliding with each other, unsure what to do. I couldn’t take the lead without exposing myself, but we wouldn’t make any progress this way, either. Fluttershy’s scream brought all eyes around, and I barely had time to shut my glowing eyes before they attracted attention.

“It’s just mud,” Applejack tried to assure. When the rest of them screamed as well, AJ realized it wasn’t about the puddle. I blinked back to reality with standard pony eyes, and jumped myself at first. We were in a grove of trees with luminescent bark, and the swirling patterns they created almost implied snarling faces.

I screamed with the rest of them at first, heart pounding. I’d never seen anything like this before, and I was raised here! A series of giggles brought me out of my thoughts. Pinkie was making goggly eyes at them.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Twilight urged. Pinkie Pie just giggled again.

“Oh, girls, don’t you see?”

I replied, “No, we CAN’T!” Or at least I could if I used my night vision.

Pinkie ignored my comment and did a little shake, and began swishing her hooves to inaudible music. However, to my astonishment, faint music did start to play, coming out of nowhere, and then got louder and louder, as if by magic. It played in perfect time to Pinkie’s dancing. I’d never encountered anything like this in the Everfree before, either. I really wanted to know where it was coming from. She began to sing.

When I was a little filly and the sun was going do-o-o-own…

“Tell me she isn’t,” Twilight begged.

The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me fro-o-o-own!

“She is,” Rarity sadly affirmed.

[Pinkie Pie]

I’d hide under my pillow,

From what I thought I saw,

But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way

To deal with fears at all.

“Then what is?” Rainbow interjected as though this was an ordinary conversation. I had a bad feeling I was going to be getting this a lot.

She said: ‘Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall.

Learn to face your fears.

You’ll see that they can’t hurt you;

Just laugh to make them disappear.’

Ha! Ha! Ha!

We gasped as Pinkie’s laughter caused the menacing glowing veins to vanish, leaving an ordinary tree in its wake. Motivated to get rid of the creepy faces, the others and I opted to take a few extra minutes and join in the singing.

[All]

So goggle at the ghostly!

Guffaw at the grossly!

Crack up at the creepy!

Whoop it up with the weepy!

Chortle at the hooky!

Snortle at the spooky!

[Pinkie Pie]

And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike

And leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you

Then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea

Of such a thing just makes you wanna…

Hahahaha...

Pinkie somehow got all of the words out in one breath, so she took a deep breath to replenish her supply after the long spew.

[Pinkie Pie]

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuugh!

Pinkie’s grand finale found her on the grass along with the rest of us, sides aching from the laughter. Even I had gotten into the spirits of things, bouncing around with everypony else and even singing along. To my disappointment, the music faded as Pinkie had finished the song. I’d have to try that sometime.

“We have to... keep moving,” Twilight gasped between cackles.

“Okay,” Pinkie agreed, pounding the ground with her hoof in an effort to calm down. When Applejack and I finally lifted her hooves, she recovered, but continued t bounce with glee. Her energy made my smile stretch even farther. Everypony else caught on, and soon we were bouncing after her, still in a fit of giggles. Pinkie took the lead this time.

We had barely rounded the first row of bushes before we stopped again. We had failed to notice the loud rushing of water over our laughter. Luckily for us, Pinkie did, and stopped in time. We all collided with her on accident. Fortunately the new predicament had gotten our giggles under control. I furrowed my brow. I didn’t mind getting wet, as I had demonstrated with the pond dive, but these rapids looked hazardous.

“How are we gonna cross this?” Pinkie cheerily questioned. Over the deafening crash of water, we somehow picked out a distressed wailing. Twilight again took the lead as we pushed through some bushes in the direction of the cry. From there, we could see an immense purple sea serpent thrashing in the water, kicking up the deadly waves.

“What a world! What a world!” he wailed, pouncing the water once more.

Twilight asked the water creature, "Excuse me? Are you alright? What happened?"

“Well, “I don’t know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid.” He resumed the horrid, screeching wailing that had drawn our attention in the first place. Unfortunately, this came with another flop into the water, sending a tidal wave crashing down on us. I shuddered, soaked once more.

“Oh, give me a break,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, shaking the water off. “That’s what all the fuss is about? Applejack grouchily agreed. Even I had to admit, he was overreacting.

“Why, of course it is.” Rarity continued forward to coddle his head, now beached on land while the rest of his spindly body continued to writhe in the water. “How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales!”

“I know,” the serpent agreed with a sniff.

“And your expertly coiffed mane,” Rarity continued, using the flattering tactic she was so well known for.

“Oh, I know, I know,” the reptile went on, vanity taking hold.

“Your fabulous manicure.”

“It’s so true!”

“All ruined without your beautiful mustache.” This reminder triggered a fresh flow of tears.

“It’s true, I’m hideous!”

“I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulousity go uncorrected.” Eyes narrowed, she leaned in close to the serpent and took a big bite out of his chest, wrenching one of the giant purple scales out of place. This earned a loud yelp from the serpent.

“OW! What did you do that for?” He looked about ready to cry again as she prepared the scale’s pointed tip.

“Rarity, what are you-,” All of our eyes bugged out as she used the scale like a blade to slash her beautiful, perfectly kept tail down to a stump. The serpent howled in anguish, as though this crime was as terrible as slashing off the other half of his mustache.

“Oh-hohohoho!” He promptly fainted. Rarity then proceeded to take the purple curls from her tail with levitation magic, and somehow affixed it to the stump of serpent’s mustache. While discolored and the curls mismatched, it returned to its proper length. “My mustache! How wonderful!”

“You look smashing,” Rarity assured.

“Oh, Rarity your beautiful tail…” Twilight sympathetically moaned.

“Oh. It’s fine, my dear. Short tails are in this season. Besides, it’ll grow back.

“So would the mustache,” Rainbow hissed. Applejack giggled, but I was still stuck dumb. Rarity had just parted with her tail. Her cherished purple locks were gone!

“We can cross now!” Twilight realized with a gasp. “Let’s go. Ah!” She squealed as she was tossed off balance and lifted out of the water by the serpent’s coils.

“Allow me,” the serpent offered with a bow. I gratefully hopped along with everypony else, glad I didn’t have to get any wetter than I already was.


Twilight’s P.O.V:

I still can’t believe everything that has happened today. I’ve been sent to an average town to “make friends” despite my warnings and objections, met six ponies who are definitely out of the ordinary, witnessed the return of a legendary wicked alicorn that was a supposed myth, discovered that the only powerful objects to stop this evil lies in a known forest yet filled with unknown danger and the one pony who can help me end all this is nowhere to be found. What a day. Although Princess Celestia’s disappearance still worried me, it was these girls that were at the top of my mind. They all just met me and all decided to help me anyway.

Applejack saved my life by gaining my trust, Fluttershy simply being kind to a wild manticore that was just hurt, Pinkie Pie helping us laugh at our fears and Rarity sacrificing her glorious tail to help a saddened sea serpent. Their qualities helped us get past the obstacles so far. I was soon brought out of my thoughts as Acrylic wanted to talk to me about something.

“So, Twilight, what do you think happened to the princess? You are her protégé, right?”

That question had my worries resurfaced instantly. Nightmare Moon could have done something to Princess Celestia. She could be hurt… or worse. However, I was not going to let that stop me from doing what I have to do. I answered, “Honestly, I don’t know. If anything bad happened to her…, I don’t want to think about that. Why do you ask anyway?”

Acrylic answered, “I am just concerned that’s all. It’s just... Nightmare Moon comes back to the world after so long and rains trouble down upon us. And it is all because she holds a grudge with her sister. It just makes me, I don’t know, feel bad for her?” I was immediately left in confusion from what she just said. I know that I just met her and means well but Acrylic just doesn’t seem to understand the true nature of Nightmare Moon.

“Acrylic, this pony is making sure we never see the sun again. Please tell me you’re not truly sympathizing with… Wait, how did you know that Nightmare Moon holds a grudge?” I never told her and the others the fully story of Nightmare Moon.

“Oh, I heard the story from my parents when I was a filly. I just thought it was all a myth. I even painted a mural on the back of my house.” I suppose that explains how she knows. But this knowledge made me begin to feel a little uncertain about Acrylic. There is something mysterious, although nothing bad, about her that I can’t quite understand…yet. However, I had to put that thought on hold as I saw a huge, ancient castle standing out in these woods. That was when it all clicked to me.

“There it is! The ancient ruins that contain the Elements of Harmony! We made it!” I was overjoyed that our problem was halfway done that I galloped towards it and never looked back. “Twilight! Wait for us!” Applejack called out. “We’re almost there! WHOA!” Just as I turned back to call to them, I failed to notice that the bridge was in fact broken, and practically ran off the side. I struggled to push myself back, but the speedy Rainbow Dash was there to pull me back up.

“What is it with you and falling off of cliffs today?” she teased, spitting my tail out of her mouth. Rarity and Acrylic silently giggled at the jeer.

“Now what?” Pinkie Pie burst.

“Duh,” Rainbow called, flying over the precipice and showing off her wings.

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie happily cheered as Rainbow dove beneath the fog forming in the chasm to retrieve the other end of the rope bridge.

“Way to go, Rainbow!” Acrylic cheered, high-hoofing Applejack when Rarity gestured that she didn’t want to get her hooves dirty. She noticed shame-facedly that her hooves were still covered in grime from her dip in the lake, and tried wiping off the muck in the dewy grass while we waited for Rainbow. Speaking of which, I realized what was taking her so long.

“Rainbow, what’s taking so long?” I called, peering with the rest of us out into the ever thickening fog. I only got a glimpse of three mysterious pegasi speaking with her at the other end before the fog became impassibly white. “Oh, no!” she gasped. “Don’t listen to them!” I called, voice muffled in the white.

“Why? Who are they?” Acrylic inquired.

“Well… I don’t know…” I admitted.

“But they can’t be good, whoever they are. Did you see those uniforms?” Rarity shuddered at the disgrace to fashion.

“Anypony from the Everfree is bad news,” Applejack agreed.

Fluttershy asked, “Are you okay, Acrylic?” I turned my head and noticed Acrylic had her ears flattened and she shrank back. “F-fine,” she stuttered and even shivered bout did not hide them well.

“You get cold easily, don’t you?” Pinkie Pie chirped.

“Yeah,” she replied with a blush. A gust of fresh air brought me out of it, and I looked over to see Rainbow clearing the fog with a few laps of her feathered wings. We all cheered for her.

“Great job, Rainbow!”

“See? I’d never leave my friends hanging!” Again, I took my place at the front as we crossed the rickety rope bridge, and Acrylic brought up the rear. Fluttershy took a few tentative steps out over it, but noticing how creaky the old thing was, hovered above it so it wouldn’t crack under her weight.

I suddenly fell back in sheer awe of the castle. The others joined me, soaking in its ancient beauty.

“Whoa,” Applejack gasped, taking in the over grown ballroom. “Well, come on, Twilight. Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?”

“The Elements of Harmony! We’ve found them! Careful, careful!” she barked as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began moving the stone spheres from the pedestals to the floor before us.

“One, two, three, four… there’s only five,” Pinkie counted.

“Yeah, where’s the sixth?” Rainbow demanded.

“The book said that when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth to be revealed.”

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” AJ furrowed her brow.

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back; I don’t know what will happen.”

“Come on, y’all. She needs to concentrate.” Applejack led the others out, providing a quiet environment for me. I immediately knelt down on the floor, closed my eyes and focused all of my magic onto to the elements. If I’m correct, I can somehow create the required spark for the sixth element to reveal itself. The sound of a huge gust of wind is loud enough to be close to me. I thought it was a sign that my spell is working. Yet, I did not hear a spark. I opened my eyes to see the elements being lifted off the ground by a big, dark purple tornado. This only made me realize that this was not my doing. Letting out a surprised yell alerted my acquaintances. They screamed, “TWILIGHT!”

Nightmare Moon was going to steal the elements away and destroy them. I couldn’t wait for the others to come so I did the only other option left: I jumped directly into the tornado and was teleported away with the elements.

I immediately found myself in a different room high up in the castle. I looked horrified at what I saw Nightmare Moon with the Elements surrounding her. Victory was beginning to be within her grasp and I had to take it away. I stood tall and readied myself to charge at her, even though she saw this as the first pathetic joke she has seen in a thousand years. I lit up my horn with my magic and charge for the Elements, Nightmare Moon wasn’t taking any chances and charged at me herself. She believed that I might stop because of her intimidation. What surprised her was that I teleported right past her and landed right on the pedestal.

I didn’t want to waste time on feeling that I successfully outwitted the villain. That could lead to cockiness and I wanted this nightmare to end. I used all of my magic to ignite the spark so the sixth element will reveal itself. With the short amount of time I had to cast a spell on powerful ancient relics, I got blasted back by them. Nightmare Moon flew right back there quick but not quick enough. The magic already appeared to be working, much to the villain’s horror and my delight.

However, that was no longer the case. To both of our surprises, nothing else happened. The elements stopped glowing and remained dull and lifeless. Nightmare Moon merely laughed at my failed attempt as if it was entertaining.

“What!?! But where is the sixth element?"

What came after was even more horrifying: The Elements of Harmony were reduced to nothing but useless crystalline shards by the earth-quaking stomp of Nightmare Moon’s forelegs.

Satisfied with her newfound victory, Nightmare Moon had a confident monologue about my failure. “You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess or your sun! The night will last forever!” Her laugh boomed out of the old castle as her ghostly mane swirled itself into a dark cloud. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I didn’t want to believe what was happening.

“Twilight?”

“Don’t worry Twilight; we’re here!”

“We’re coming, Twilight!”

I heard the voices of the other ponies. They came to help me. Even though they didn’t yet know what happened, they still wanted to make sure I was safe. They have done nothing but show their caring support for me and that I never understood it until now. The fear of my failure went away as I felt my spirit ignite anew. These girls created… a spark.

I realized that this was not over yet and faced Nightmare Moon once again with strengthened hope inside of me.

“You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?” I spoke loud and confident towards the villain. “Well, you’re wrong, because the spirits of the Elements are right here!” The shards at Nightmare Moon’s hooves began to rattle, glow, and finally hover in the air around her.

“What!?!” she gasped.

“Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty!” A few of the crystals flew through the air and began spinning around the orange earth pony. She gasped with glee as I went on.

“Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness!” At first, the pale yellow pegasus shielded away from the crystals encircling her, but accepted them as Applejack did.”

“Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the fear of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!” Pinkie eagerly bounced as she received her batch of crystals.

“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!” Rarity received her crystals and found them extravagant.

“And Rainbow Dash, who would not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire represents the spirit of Loyalty!” Rainbow’s chest puffed with pride.

“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!” I stand tall and firm ready for what may come next.

“You still don’t have the sixth Element,” Nightmare Moon reminded, suspiciously eyeing me and Acrylic, wondering who would wield the sixth element. “The spark didn’t work.”

“Oh, but it did. A different kind of spark,” I turned around to face those that showed me what I was missing, “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all… are my friends!” In a flash of light, a sixth element appeared over my head, faintly resembling the shape of my cutie mark. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth Element: the Element of… Magic!”

The lights were so bright I could barely see. I did notice, however, that the glowing crystals were all converging on my friends’ chests, forming beautiful amulets. Well, all but my own. That stone sphere, still intact, descended on my head, forming an intricate crown. The power of the Elements lifted the six of us up until we were hovering above the floor without so much as a wing beat. The light became blinding yet I was not afraid of it. I was not alone.

The only image that I was caught a quick glimpse of was a twirling rainbow linking the Elements together before shooting out to wash over Nightmare Moon. Her terrified shouting appeared to have echoed throughout the forest, “No! NOOOOOO!” This was a sign that Nightmare Moon was defeated once and for all by the one force that even I did not believe in until now. It is perhaps that most powerful magic of all: the Magic of Friendship!


Third-person P.O.V:

Everything became still. There was neither sound of the wind nor sight of dark magic. All of the ponies present in the castle were lying peacefully; all except for one. Acrylic felt the surge of power from the Elements of Harmony ripple to her wings, and she felt them shooting out of her back. Horrified, she gave two powerful flaps that brought her to her hooves before the grinding of bones told her they were shrinking back down to stubs. Hearts still racing, Acrylic looked over, expecting the horrified expressions of her friends and Twilight. Instead, she found them all collapsed, possibly unconscious on the floor. The mares begun picking themselves up off the floor had Acrylic’s concern for them more important than for herself, at the moment.

“Oh, my head,” Rainbow whined, giving it a firm rub.

“Is everypony okay?” Applejack voiced.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, now flaunting a long, curly tail even more perfectly formed than the last.

“Why Rarity, it’s so lovely,” Fluttershy quietly put in.

“I know! I’ll never part with it again!” After waving it around, she cradled it like one would a foal.

“No, your necklace,” Fluttershy clarified. “It looks just like your cutie mark!”

“So does yours!” Rarity put in after noticing everypony but Acrylic wore one.

“Look at mine! Look at mine!” Pinkie chimed, bouncing around to flaunt her blue balloon about.

“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow grinned, falling in love with the red lightning bolt across her chest.

Feeling sincere and honored about that experience, Applejack told Twilight her, “Gee, Twilight. I thought you were just spouting a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship.”

“Indeed you do,” said a mysterious voice. Unlike Nightmare Moon’s own, this one was gentle, compassionate, and peaceful in its own right. The seven mares turned their heads towards the window which was in the direction the voice emanated. They saw the sun finally rise from the horizon as a bright white light made its way into the castle. Or rather, SHE made her way into the castle. The large ball of light dimmed down and revealed it to be another tall alicorn. This one, however, was very different for she had pearl white coat groomed beautifully; her rainbow colored mane was flowing with radiating magic itself; the feathered wings open up with elegance and strength; she wore a golden crown, golden chest plate, and golden shoes on each hoof as her royal attire. Her cutie mark depicts the sun itself. Her presence had brought warmth and love to the young ponies that they kneeled before her. Even Acrylic, who felt frightened and awestruck, bowed in the shadows.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight gasped, being the only one not kneeling. Rather, she trotted right up to her mentor and received an affectionate nuzzle.

“Twilight Sparkle! My faithful student! I knew you could do it!”

“But… you told me it was all an old pony tale.”

“I told you that you needed to make some friends,” Celestia corrected her pupil, “Nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and knew it was you who had the magic to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well.” For a moment, Acrylic feared she spoke of her, until she did in fact turn to the crumpled alicorn on the ground. “Princess Luna!”

The young mare woke up and gasped in the older one’s presence. This alicorn laid where Nightmare Moon once stood but was very different from her in many ways. For starters, the mare was shorter as she appeared to reach the height of Celestia’s chest. Her coat became a pale blue; Luna’s mane no longer had magic moving it and was cut into shoulder-length light blue; the cutie mark on her flank changed color as well, the purple splotch became black; the armor of the Mare of the Moon has been destroyed before her, being replaced by a silver crown, a silver chest plate, and four silver shoes. Yet the most distinctive change about Princess Luna is her eyes. The one and only pair she has no longer held hatred, anger, or even power. There were only fear, sadness and guilt in the blue abyss present. Princess Luna was now at the mercy of the princess of the sun.

Princess Celestia walked towards the defenseless pony. “It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this.” She knelt down to the blue one’s level. “It is time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister.” This revelation caught every other pony in the room off guard. “SISTER!?!” was the only response that they all could give. All except Acrylic, who was too petrified from the ordeal to comprehend any words.

Acrylic, Twilight and the rest began to think their ruler was about to give punishment to her one and only sister for her crimes. It would be understandable because of what she had done to Equestria. However, it appeared that was not the case for Celestia asked Luna one question. Only one.

“Will you accept my friendship?”

The girls leaned in close to hear her answer, but Pinkie Pie fell over with a light thud.

“I’m so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister,” Luna cried, taking Celestia up on her offer of a tearful hug.

“I missed you too,” Celestia joined in the tears. A loud blowing could be heard as Pinkie bawled her eyes out at the reunion. The river of salty tears instantly stooped and she perked up. “Hey, you know what this calls for? A PARTY!”

And so, the conflict had come to an end. The night and the day are balanced out, sisters finally reconciled, and the Elements of Harmony return anew. Every pony was relieved to learn that everything will be all right, despite the event. However, one of them was not at ease.

“Are you all right, sugar cube?” Acrylic nearly jumped out of her skin when Applejack jabbed her in the side. “Oh I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine? I guess we should head back,” She quickly excused herself, getting to lead the way down the steps. Acrylic tried to keep away from the rest of the group, but soon found Rarity trying to cling to her like glue.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?” Rarity asked, joining her friend at the fringe of their train.

“Alright with what?”

“Well, you’re the only one of us who didn’t get an element,” Rarity timidly pointed out, hoping not to insult or rub salt in fresh wounds. Acrylic assured her, “I don’t need an element as long as I have friends. Yet her flattened ears tell a different story. The latter didn’t represent any element of friendship after all. “I can still have friends, though, right?”

“Why of course, darling!” Rarity said so loudly she attracted all eyes once again. The disguised thestral pressed low to the ground under the Princesses’ gaze. She felt like she was still receiving suspicious looks from Celestia, and wondered if she suspected anything. Twilight unknowingly saved Acrylic when she asked for her mentor’s attention once more, going on and on about what she learned. Acrylic slunk along with Rarity. “Whatever is the matter? If it isn’t the Elements, or lack of one that’s bothering you, then what is?” Rarity demanded.

“I’m just… not used to being in the presence of real princesses,” Acrylic breathed.

“Oh, I know they’re royalty, dear, but you’re acting as if you’re… well… guilty. Being around royalty is even more reason to walk with your head held high. Come now, dear, flaunt that beautiful smile of yours. That’s it.” In truth, she only managed a smirk after noticing Pinkie trying to impress the princesses with her acrobatic antics in the background. Acrylic felt ridiculous trying to trot with Rarity’s natural grace, and resumed her position slinking along in the back of the group.

While Acrylic had been honest to Rarity when she didn’t mind not representing an Element, she couldn’t help but feel slightly dejected, even cast to the side. The artist felt the six would share an understanding she would never know, even though the rest had only known Twilight for a short time. That day, a small seed of jealousy was planted in the pit of Acrylic’s stomach. It should have been uprooted then and there. Instead, that seed only began to grow and fester.

With daylight pouring through even the thickest boughs of the Everfree canopies, the way home was swift, especially with the two princesses in the lead. All obstacles they had faced before were avoided with a pulse of Celestia’s magic. Pinkie Pie dashed ahead of them, and in record time, had the town back in the festive spirit they had started out in. Spike smothered Twilight with hugs, and young fillies crowned Luna with a flower wreath putting a small smile on her face. Acrylic was already feeling more comfortable and soon allowed herself to become lost in the sea of faces gathered around. The Elements of Harmony received special commendation, but she was not needed for this honor. Rarity whispered something to Princess Celestia just as she was pulling away. She must have been dying with excitement; taking to the most important pony in Equestria! No pony knew what it was she whispered; many thought she was curious about how the life of a princess is awe-inspiring. However, that was not it at all.

Princess Celestia spoke up to the crowd, “I have just been reminded that another pony requires a special mention. Would Acrylic please come forward?” This question made Acrylic’s heart stop, and all eyes turned to her. She winced, but even hiding under her hat, the grey mare could feel the crowd splitting to form a path for her. Reluctantly, ears down, Acrylic crept to the front and knelt before the Princesses. “Thank you Acrylic, for your bravery and courage in assisting your friends to take a stand against Nightmare Moon. Equestria will remember you because I know that I most certainly will.” The crowd erupted with cheers, and even Acrylic felt a small smile flicker onto her lips as she gazed up at her superiors. They both smiled back, and she didn’t detect so much as a hint of suspicion on their faces. Just then, her friends tackled her, and she found herself sitting at the bottom of a dog pile, still blushing with embarrassment.

Twilight was standing off to the side, watching the festivities unfold. Celestia finally noticed. “Why so glum, my faithful student? Are you not happy that you quest is complete, and that you can return to your studies in Canterlot?”

“That’s just it. Just when I learn how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them.” The Princess, kind as she is, took immediate action.

“Spike, take a note, please.” A scroll and quill protruded from nowhere, and the baby dragon was ready. “I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.” Another dog pile ensued, but this time, Acrylic wasn’t at the bottom of it. When Twilight broke free, she bounded up to her mentor in thanks.

“Oh, thank you, Princess! I’ll study harder than ever before!”

“Isn’t this exciting? Are you excited because I’m excited I’ve never been so excited, well, except for the time that I went” her lungs inflated once more, “But I mean really…?” Every pony’s laughter drowned them out.

And so, the short but thrilling adventure came to a close. Twilight Sparkle was sent out to complete a task turned mission but gained so much more that. A friendship was born; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and even Acrylic. They were all joyful that their new friend decided to stay in Ponyville with them. Harmony has finally come. It is not fully restored, it is still strong. There is still conflict and doubt in the minds of a few ponies (who will remain unnamed, for now.) This is only the beginning after all.















Comments ( 4 )

nice story it's a shame that two days after posting no one noticed (well almost none XD).

However this story deserves a bit of recognition is a nice story and it's nice to see that someone has decided to complete it, be good luck I look forward to knowing how it will develop;)

ps

sorry for my bad English :b

9509433
Thank you so much! I appreciate the comment. This makes me feel motivated and I am a rarely motivated person. The next chapter will probably be out before the end of the month. :twilightsmile::rainbowdetermined2:

You didn’t have to dude. We’ve watched the show!

9559710
I know. I just want to retell the show with the OCs in it. As if they have been apart of it. Some authors do this too.

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