> The Ultimate Element
> by Akamaru01
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
By: Akamaru01
What would you do, if you had
incredible power?
Chapter 1
Arrival
Twilight woke with a start, a loud crash emanating from afar. She moved quickly out the door, just in time to hear another horrible noise. Her eyes followed the trail of smoke in the sky, and she galloped for the ending point. Her natural curiosity was setting in, and her mind set up several possible options of what had occurred. She saw that she was not the only pony who was curious, the dawning sun allowing her to see that almost everypony was coming out of their homes, and headed in the same direction as her. Twilight reached a large crater just outside of town, her jaw hung open in shock. She was vaguely aware of others trotting around to see as well.
Fluttershy flew quickly past the unicorn, eager to help. Twilight slid down next to her, looking over the stallion that lay unconscious on the ground. As Fluttershy checked his pulse, Twilight saw that his deep blue coat was riddled with black burns and scratches all over his body. His yellow mane and tail were heaps of messy hair, and his cutie mark was covered in dirt and burns, but the unicorn could still see the yellow bolt of cascading lightning on his flank.
“How is he doing, Fluttershy?”
“He has a weak pulse, but I’m not sure how his injuries are.”
The smoke dissipated, and Nurse Redheart gently moved Fluttershy away to give the fallen pegasus a formal inspection. Twilight watched as the earth pony carefully checked on the mysterious stallion. Redheart turned him slowly to his other side, releasing a loud gasp of horror. His right wing had bent in several places, the feathers threatening to fall out. “Oh my goodness! Somepony get Nurse Tenderheart! Quickly!” The second nurse pony arrived soon after with a stretcher, and they took the pegasus back to hospital, telling the other ponies to wait a while for an update.
---
Rainbow Dash paced around the air of the library, obviously irritated. “Ugh! This waiting is torture!”
“Come now, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “That stallion took quite the hard fall, and I would be surprised if he woke up today at all.”
“But it’s been three hours, and we haven’t heard anything.” She pressed her face against the window, looking out on Ponyville from the top of the library.
“Why don’t ya’ll come over and sit a spell. It won’t do you no good just floaten around as such.” Applejack pointed a hoof to the ground, and the pegasus sat down. “Now then, what do ya’ll suppose happened to him anyways? It looked like he was struck down by lightnin.”
Rainbow Dash looked offended by the comment, replying, “That’s impossible. I made sure there were no storm clouds above Ponyville today.”
“Are yah sure yah got ‘em all?”
“Yes, Applejack, I’m sure there weren’t any stray storm clouds anywhere!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“All I’m saying is ya’ll coulda made a mistake and missed a cloud or two,” the orange earth pony remarked.
“I don’t make mistakes!” the rainbow pegasus said.
“Oh please. Everypony makes mistakes Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chimed in.
“Ugh! Is everypony against me!” the pegasus screamed.
“Oh, I believe you Dashie!” said Pinkie Pie..
“Thank you Pinkie Pie. You see, somepony here with some sense!”
“I don’t think he was struck by lightning at all. I think he was ponynapped by alien ponies, who preformed terrible experiments on him, and when they were done, they shot him back to Equestria with a big space cannon!” The others stared at the pink earth pony silently, confused by the random outburst.
“Pinkie, I know about space and what’s out there, and I can say with confidence that there is only a one in a million chance that alien ponies even exist.”
“Are you suuuure, Twilight?” Pinkie stared into the eyes of the lavender unicorn, waiting for a response.
“Yes, Pinkie, I’m sure,” she replied calmly.
“Yes, anyways, maybe we should go and see how he is doing,” Rarity chimed. “After all, it doesn’t seem like he knows anyone here in Ponyville.”
“Good idea Rarity. Come on girls, lets go.” Twilight stood up and pointed at the door. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
“That reminds me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed suddenly, startling the others. “When he wakes up, I need to throw him a ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville’ party, and probably a ‘Get-Well’ party too.”
“You think ya’ll can wait until after he wakes up to start thinking bout parties?” the farm pony said.
“Okie dokie lokie then!” the pink pony agreed as she bounced out the door.
---
When the six ponies arrived at the hospital, a nurse pony was just walking outside for fresh air. “Hello Nurse Redheart,” Twilight greeted the medical pony. “How is he?” The nurse knew exactly who the young mare was talking about, he was the only thing most ponies were talking about that day.
The white earth pony sighed, saying, “We believe that he should be fine. Whatever struck him down badly burned his coat and skin, and the crash caused several lacerations and bruising. These can heal quickly and won’t cause permanent damage, however this is not the worst of his injuries.” Her eyes looked toward the ground for a moment, then back up at the mares.
“Then, what is the worst?” Rainbow Dash asked.
She let out another sigh, continuing, “When he landed, he fell straight onto his right wing. The bones inside have several fractures, and as of right now, we don’t know if he’ll ever fly again. We have no choice but to wait and see how it heals.” Although nopony there personally knew the stallion, the news made them sad for him.
“Man, I’d hate it if I could never fly again. That would be terrible.” The blue pegasus felt some sympathy for the stallion, imagining life without her most beloved of treasures. “How is he now?”
“Unconscious. However, we believe he should wake up in about an hour. I will have a messenger spread the word when he does. Until then, everypony will have to wait.”
---
After more then an hour of waiting, the mares could hear a voice calling outside. “He’s awake! He’s awake!” shouted Ditzy Doo, her wings moving quickly to get her around town and spread the message. Many ponies decided not to bother going to greet the stallion, but nine ponies had left immediately to see him. Twilight and her friends, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who learned of the pegasus’ status from the older mares. Upon arrival to where the blue pegasus was resting, it was clear that he had already been told the bad news. A cabinet that was near the bed was knocked down, and remnants of a broken vase lay scattered across the floor. The stallion was calm now, laying in the bed with a pained expression on his face. Nurse Tenderheart stood on the opposite side of the bed.
“Is everything OK in here?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes. Everything is fine,” the blue earth pony answered. “ He just went into a rage because, well, you know.”
“Sorry about that nurse.” The stallion had a slightly deep, and kind voice, and spoke softly. “I shouldn’t have acted that way. It was rude of me.”
“Oh, no need to apologize. I’m sure anypony would act that way.”
“Maybe. So who are you ponies anyway?” the pegasus asked looking at his new guests. “You look kinda familiar, but I’m not sure why.” The ponies began to introduce themselves, and after meeting each one, the stallion realized who they were. “I remember now, you six are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony!” he said with a shock. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest proudly, while the others, especially Fluttershy in particular, blushed for a mere moment. Twilight spoke out first. “Why thank you, um...”
“Oh sorry. I forgot to introduce myself,” the blue pegasus realized. “My name is Lightning.”
“Well it’s mighty good to meet ya’ll Lightning,” said Applejack.
“So how did you end up in Ponyville?” asked Rainbow.
“Well, I was flying near the clouds, when a stray storm cloud came out of nowhere and struck me. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in a hospital bed, barely able to move.”
“So where ya’ll from?” Applejack asked.
“From a pegasus town practically on the other side of Equestria called Olympus. It floats just above the tallest mountain in the country.”
“Wait a minute, ‘the other side of Equestria’? What are you doing way over here then?” Rainbow Dash had a look of confusion on her face, as Lightning almost seemed to sweat a little before giving his answer.
“Oh you know, just traveling. Left home a few years ago to see the country. Been flying solo ever since.” His face slipped into a look of loneliness, but only for a moment, and the others took no notice of the involuntary action. Applejack thought she could detect a hint of a lie in his story, but decided to think on it later.
“So how long do you reckon ya’ll be staying?” the farm pony asked.
“As soon I get discharged from the hospital and told how to care for my wing, I’m gonna keep on going. Even if I can’t fly anymore, I can still walk.” He spoke without hesitation, and he clearly already though this through.
“You’re leaving all ready?” Rainbow asked.
“Yeah. I need to keep going.” The young stallion looked as though he wished to stay longer, but something was preventing him.
“Oh.” Applebloom and her friends remained silent until now, looking for a chance to speak. “Can’t you stay longer? Ponyville is a really great place.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie shouted. “And you haven't been to any of my parties yet. I was gonna throw a ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-We-Hope-You-Get-Better’ party for you. It was gonna be great!” She bounced a little before getting the stink eye from Nurse Tenderheart to stop.
“I don’t know. I really have to keep mov-...” At that time the three little fillies all made the saddest, cutest faces they possibly could. “I, um...” The blue and yellow pegasus couldn’t resist much longer. “Oh, all right. I’ll stay till my wing is healed. How does that sound?”
“YAY!” the fillies shouted in unison. “That reminds me,” the yellow earth pony said. “What is your cutie mark?” she asked with excitement.
“Oh. Well, um, I’m, ah, a good electrician. I’m great at fixing electrical things.” The statement sounded made up, but the ponies had no choice but to believe him. Applejack decided to keep an eye on the mysterious stallion just in case.
“Alright,” said Nurse Tenderheart, “Visiting hours are over, and Lightning needs his rest.” At that, the ponies left and decided to head home.
---
Lightning had waited with semi-patience, his burns and cuts gradually disappearing, however his wing remained useless. Visitors came to talk with him several times, but he kept mostly to himself, almost as if afraid to make friends. About a week after his admittance, he was discharged with a wing cast, and Rainbow Dash met with him in order to give a tour of Ponyville.
As they trotted along, Lightning was unimpressed how most buildings had the same style, but he didn’t particularly care. Most of the town held little interest for him. The small size of Ponyville didn’t allow for anything too amazing, at least as far as he could see. However, the apple farm was one of the largest he had ever seen, and the library was definitely unique. In between stops, Rainbow Dash told the stallion about Cloudsdale, the pegasus city just outside of Ponyville, and Lightning decided he might take a look sometime. That is, if he could fly again.
After they had been all over town, she led him back near the center of town, stopping in front of a place called Sugarcube Corner. “Why didn’t we stop here earlier?” he asked, perplexed. They passed the building before, yet Rainbow made no mention of it.
“Oh, no reason,” she replied with a stifled laugh.
She pushed open the door with a hoof, and Lightning was blasted by a shock wave of pony voices calling, “Surprise!”
“What in Equestria?” he wondered aloud. There were ponies all stuffed inside the sweet shop, which explained why they met very few on the tour.
A startingly pink earth pony bounced up to him, saying with an almost impossible speed, “Hey, Lightning. This is your ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-we-hope-you-get-better-soon’ party. Isn’t it exciting? I always throw a party for new ponies, because it helps them to make friends, because if I don’t know them then that means there’s a good chance you don’t really know anypony here. Although, I could be wrong, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a party!”
The stallion had trouble keeping up, and responded saying, “Wait, can you repeat that last part?”
“Don’t worry about it Lightning,” Rainbow Dash said, holding back a laugh. “She’s always like this. Hang out with her a few hours and you get used to it.”
“Seriously?” he asked, wondering how somepony could get used to Pinkie Pie so easily.
“I was just as surprised when I first came to Ponyville.” Twilight interuppted, suddenly appearing next to the pegasi. “Just giver some time. Nothing will make sense, but everything will be fun.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He separated from the mares and went to join the festivities. Ponies all around were either talking or dancing to the music. He didn’t want to join in that, dancing never was his forte. Ponies came to congratulate him on his recovery, and wished him luck with his wing. It wasn’t hard for him to realize that most ponies were only there for a Pinkie Party, and not because of him. He didn’t mind, though, he contented to knowing somepony did care enough to throw a party in the first place.
Although never voiced, he loved flying more then anything. As much as Rainbow Dash did, if his idea of her contained no errors. He would constantly test his flying abilities against any obstacles he passed on his journey. He even liked to test his speed against known times and distances made by the Wonderbolts, the fastest pegasi in Equestria. He even had his own little flying secret, though he usually didn’t use it. After all, it was sort of an unfair advantage. Losing his flight had devastated him, but he remained hopeful.
---
When the party had ended, the only ones who remained were Lightning, and the six mares who greeted him in the hospital. “That was some party. Never been to one quite like that,” the sky blue pegasus remarked.
“Well, ya better get used to it. She always has plans for another party,” smiled the yellow earth pony. “And she always invites the whole town.”
“I’m not sure I can take too many of those so close together.”
“Hey, Twi was the same way when she first came to town. ‘Cept, she didn’t really join in the party.”
“Well I was worried about Nightmare Moon,” the unicorn said defensively.
“Oh Twilight, it’s alright. We know you had other problems to look out for,” the party pony chimed.
“So, Lightning, do you know where you’ll be staying while in town?” Rarity asked.
“I have no idea. Normally I’d make a small shelter out of clouds at night, but I can’t gather clouds if I can’t fly,” he responded with a hint of sadness.
“I’ve got an idea,” Rainbow dash said. “I could go gather some clouds for you and bring them down near the ground. Then you could make a temporary shelter.” The multicolored pegasus looked pleased with herself. However, Twilight provided the knowledge that countered the idea.
“Rainbow Dash, if you brought a cloud too close to the ground, it would get to hot and turn to water after a few hours.” The unicorn’s explanation seemed obvious, and the rainbow pegasus suddenly silenced herself.
“Thanks for the offer though,” Lightning chuckled.
“So what are ya gonna do? Ponyville ain’t got no fancy hotels or nothin,” Applejack noted.
“M- Maybe he can stay with one of us for a while. He’s got to where else to go,” Fluttershy stuttered.
“Oh, I couldn’t ask any of you to let me stay for a while. I barely know any of you.”
“Don’t worry about it Lightning. Hey, maybe you can stay at Sweet Apple Acres,” Twilight suggested. “It’s big enough to hold the entire Apple family. Is that OK Applejack?”
The hard working pony, still a tad suspicious of the new stallion responded, “Really? My place? Oh, uh, I don’t think Lightning would take everypony gettin up early to work to kindly. He needs a, uh, a quiet place to rest.”
“Well if that’s the only problem, I could help with a few things. My wing may be useless but that doesn’t mean I am. I’d hate to stay with any of you without actually doing anything in return.” He looked straight in the eyes of the orange earth pony, and she realized he told the truth. This time.
“Well, if it’s only for a little bit, then I guess it wouldn’t be so bad,” said the yellow pony when she finally caved.
“Thanks Applejack! I promise I won’t be a hindrance to you, and I’ll be up bright and early to help on the farm.” The cyan pegasus was happy to have a place to stay, but inside he knew he shouldn’t get too comfortable.
Once that was settled, everypony went on to their homes to rest. This had been a long day, but then again, this had been only just the beginning.
End Chapter One
> Secrets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 2
Secrets
Far from the outskirts of Ponyville, two young fillies decided to explore a network of underground caves. The leading filly’s red coat looked nearly black in the dim light, her green mane not faring much better. She strode confidently through the mist that cut through the air, thinking only of adventure. Nearby was a smaller, light green filly, who jumped at each shadow, her white mane looking grey from the fear and the darkness. She was not brave, like her friend, and spoke timidly in a low voice.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked, crawling close behind.
“Of course I’m sure,” replied the more courageous, or perhaps stupider, filly. “Don’t you wanna see what’s down here?”
“But all the adults said it’s dangerous, and I’ve got a really bad feeling. We shouldn’t be down here.”
“Oh, you and your superstitions. Look, nopony will ever know we were here, so lighten up.” The fillies continued to walk down the labyrinth, until they came upon a large, open cave. The cave had no other exit, the walls and floor smooth from years of erosion, and contained only one item, a statue. “Whoa! What do you think that is?”
“I don’t know, but it sure is scary looking. It looks like some sort of monster.” The green filly stayed behind, hiding next to the opening of the cavern.
“Never heard of a monster like this before. Probably just some weird decoration somepony threw away.” The red filly trotted up to the eerily realistic looking statue, tapping it with her hoof. The sound echoed through the cave like a cry of despair.
“Come on! Let’s get outta here!”
“Not yet.” The filly continued tapping the statue, when it suddenly fell over on the ground, and cracked. “OK, now we can go.” The young ones bolted back home as fast as possible, not seeing the true trouble they had caused for Equestria.
---
“Looks like Lightning is asleep again,” Rarity giggled. The blue pegasus had suddenly fallen asleep for the fifth time that day, his face falling straight into his hay and grass sandwich.
“Well, he got up right when he was ‘posed to, and helped on the farm like he said he would,” declared Applejack. “He wasn’t quite sure what to do at first, but Big Macintosh helped him through it.”
“Should we wake him up?” asked Twilight.
“Ooh, ooh! I can wake him up!” cried Pinkie Pie. She quickly dashed out of sight, and returned moments later carrying two large cymbals.
“Pinkie, what are ya’ll planning to do with those?”
“Everypony cover your ears!” the earth pony screamed as she clanked the two large instruments together. The other ponies barley had enough time to react before a loud clang came from the cymbals. The sudden sound spread through the air, and into Lightning’s head, forcing him awake and jumping nearly a foot into the air. If his wing allowed, he might have flown into the clouds.
“PINKIE! DID YOU HAVE TO WAKE ME SO HARD?! I CAN’T EVEN HEAR MYSELF THINK!” the stallion screamed, his hearing temporarily impeded. He rubbed his temples to try and relieve the pain.
“Hehe. Sorry Lightning,” Pinkie giggled.
“WHAT?!”
“I SAID-”
“Please stop yelling Pinkie. His hearing should return soon,” Twilight said. As if on cue, the blue and yellow pegasus’ hearing slowly came back.
“Ow. That one might sting a while. So, uh, what were talking about earlier?” he asked, rubbing his eyes with a hoof.
Over lunch, the mares had been telling Lightning more about Ponyville. It’s history, it’s events, traditions, and provided their own personal examples for more detail. He laughed at the good times they shared, and yet he constantly shifted to a sad look, before bringing it back to the facade he held earlier.
Soon, the ponies split up, each off to do their own thing again. Lightning decided to go with Rainbow Dash, mainly to help her train, but also because he wanted to ask her something.
“I’m not quite sure why, and don’t mention this to her, but Applejack seems to be a little distant to me,” the stallion said with a hint of sadness.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing... Although you might have a point,” the mare said, thinking back on how the farm pony acted around the blue stallion. “Well, anyways, I’m sure she must have a reason.”
The young stallion quickly froze in an idea, but then put it out almost instantly. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter to me too much. After all, I’ll be back on the road as soon as I don’t need this cast anymore.”
“Are you sure?” she asked solemnly. “If your able to fly again afterwards, I wanna see your skills before you go. I haven’t met too many other pegasi who love to live fast like I do. I’d like to have a race!”
“After seeing you in action? I highly doubt I’d be able to beat you.” Without using my special talent of course, Lightning thought. That would be highly unfair though, even to a pony who could create a Sonic Rainboom.
“Lightning?! Are you over here?” a voice called from nearby, though nopony could be seen. “Oh, there you are!” Applebloom and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, appeared through nearby bushes, prancing eagerly toward the pegasi.
“Hey there. What do you need?” he asked politely, smiling at the fillies.
“We want to be Cutie Mark Crusaders Electricians!” yelled the three fillies excitedly.
“What?”
“They always do this,” the rainbow pegasus said, seeing Lightning’s confusion. “They’re always out looking for their cutie marks, usually by asking other ponies to teach them what they do. I’m just surprised they didn’t find you sooner.”
“Makes sense, I guess, but are you three really sure you want to be electricians?”
“Well, we try everything we can think of,” Scootaloo answered, lifting herself off the ground for a moment, before falling back down..
“Yeah! How else are we supposed to find our cutie marks?” responded Sweetie Belle.
“By doing what you love to do.”
The blue pegasus thought they fillies would understand, but instead they all three responded in the same fashion. “Everypony tells us the same thing, but nothing ever works.”
“Alright then. Come on, let’s go get to work. See ya later Rainbow Dash,” he said, waving back at the mare.
---
“Pick up the pace!” the azure pegasus told his three assistant fillies. “Come on, come on!”
“Come back here!” screamed a mare, chasing after the four charred ponies. “Come back and fix my house!” After taking a few, turns, her voice became harder to hear.
“I think we lost her!” said the little yellow filly. The ponies came to a quick stop near the library, running inside to hide just in case. “I think we can rule being electricians out as our special talent.”
“And that, little ones, is why you listen to your teachers. Next time, don’t take water near an open wire, especially when tangled around several others.”
“Sorry Lightning,” the fillies chimed in unison.
“That plan might have, uh, blown up in our faces, but maybe I can still help you get your cutie marks.”
“Really!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “How?”
“Well, I could help you guys find out your talent, and make sure you do it safely.”
“Can we start now!” the fillies screamed in excitement.
“Maybe later. I think I need to rest for a while,” he added with a nervous smile.
“Alright. Goodbye Lightning,” said the pegasus.
“See ya at dinner,” the earth pony giggled.
“Have a good day,” declared the unicorn.
The stallion sighed and sat down. “Those fillies are gonna be the death of me.”
---
Heading home for dinner that night, Applejack had to pass by the barn on her way to the house. From her vantage point on the path, she could clearly see a faint light flashing inconsistently from inside, and a clearly irritated voice that sounded familiar.
The orange farm pony silently moved closer to check out the occurrence, and as she did the light began to die. “Darn it!” spoke the pony, a bit louder then before. Lightning had been muttering to himself inside, and Applejack had to wonder why he was in the barn at that hour. “So close, but it still doesn’t work anymore.” She could hear his irritation growing, before it died out again.
The orange pony stood confused. What didn’t work? IHe didn’t seem to be trying to fly again, and what could that strange glow have been? She didn’t have time to ponder, however, because she saw the pegasus walking toward the door at that instant. The earth pony had reached the path at the same moment that the blue and yellow stallion exited the barn.
“Oh, hey Applejack,” he said nervously.
“Hey there Lightning,” the earth pony replied in the same fashion. However, neither pony seemed to notice the others nervousness, instead focusing on their own. “What were you doing in the barn?”
“Just, uh, having a look around. That OK?”
“Yeah, of course. Now come on, I think Big Mac’s almost got dinner ready.”
---
“I’m tellin ya, somthin just ain’t right bout that pony.” The orange farm pony had met up with her friends the next day, after the pegasus left for work. Few ponies crowded the streets, and the group practically had the outdoor cafe to themselves. She told them about what she saw before, and her thoughts on his behavior.
“Oh Applejack, I’m sure it was nothing. In fact, you were probably just tired and seeing things,” remarked Twilight, waving away Applejack’s fears with a hoof.
“Or maybe the real Lightning was replaced by alien ponies, and they were trying to call the mother ship, but their communicator wasn’t working properly.” Pinkie Pie stuck to the idea that the stallion was ponynapped by aliens.
“Pinkie, we’ve been over this before, there are no aliens.”
“Anyways,” chimed the farm pony, getting back on topic, “I think he’s keepin secrets from us.”
“Applejack, everypony has secrets, it doesn’t mean there’s anything to be worried about,” spoke Rainbow Dash.
“She’s right Applejack. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your own secrets,” declared Fluttershy.
“I know, but I got a bad sense in gut. I don’t mind secrets, but what could be so bad that you have ta lie bout them? I got a sorta truth sensor thing. I know when people are lyin.”
“Look Applejack, I’m sure he has his reasons, and we should respect them. Now I think that is all we have to talk about this” The fashonista of the group silenced the others, and the conversation ended.However, the farm pony didn’t give up just yet.
---
On the balcony of the highest tower in Canterlot castle, Princess Celestia looked out into the night sky. “What is wrong sister?” asked the younger moon princess. The solar royal had not heard her sister come in and seemed surprised to see her.
“For the past few days, I have felt a presence in Equestria, one of pure evil. An old enemy has resurfaced, however I can not be sure what or where it is.” At the news, the younger alicorn seemed worried, but the sun sister kept up her composure. “Do not worry yet, though. I am sure, that whatever it is, the Elements of Harmony can stop it.” Although the Princess did not mention out loud to her sister, in order to keep the younger pony from panicking, the monster grew in power slowly, with no end in sight.
“I hope your right, Tia.” The moon royal trusted the users of the ancient artifacts, but remained unsure of what the outcome would be when they finally had to face this threat. The alicorn could sense her sister’s unease. She knew her sister well enough to know when Celestia was worried, even if her face showed complete confidence. “My main concern is what will happen after this being has fully recovered, before they have a chance to stop it.”
“I think it would be best for us to sleep on it. We cannot waste time on an unknown threat until it is closer to appearing. Waiting is all we can do for now.” Celestia started to return to her room, but saw that Luna still needed convincing. “If it makes you feel better, I shall send a squad out tomorrow to find out what is the matter.”
“Thank you, Tia. I hope they find it quickly,” said the young princess with a sigh of relief, walking back to her own chambers.
“So do I,” the white alicorn said solemnly.
---
“Alright Lightning, we need to talk.” Applejack decided to confront the stallion after they had finished morning work.
“Did I make a mistake in the fields?” the pegasus asked. “If I did I can go back and fix it if you need me to.”
“No. Your work is just fine, but I need to talk about somethin else.”
“What is it?”
“What were you really doin in the barn last night?” The pegasus froze up, but the farm pony kept glaring at the stallion.
“I told you, I was just looking around.”
“Then what was with the weird light comin from inside?” The earth pony had the pegasus in a corner, but the stallion came up with a quick explanation.
“Well, uh, I was fixing the barns light wiring. That’s probably what you saw.” The blue pony thought he had done a good job of making an excuse, but it didn’t last long.
“The barn ain’t got any electrical light.” The pegasus had to stop himself before hitting his head with his hoof. Of course it didn’t have lights in it! “Now tell the truth! What were you doin?” The farm pony seemed relentless, pointing a hoof toward the stallion.
“I can’t tell you,” retorted the stallion without hesitation, almost as if he had been expecting something like this to happen. The orange earth pony seemed irritated by the answer, however, almost growling.
“What do ya mean ya can’t tell me?” the mare cried loudly.
“I just can’t!” the pegasus yelled. He quickly lowered his voice to almost inaudible levels. “I don’t what to find out what will happen if i do.” After the stallion spoke, he ran out as fast as possible, heading down to town. As he did he said, “I’m sorry.”
---
It beginning to get dark, and nopony had seen mane nor tail of the blue and yellow pegasus since that morning. “Where did that stallion go?” asked Rainbow, looking around from the sky.
“He couldn’t have left town, could he?” Fluttershy wondered, as the multi colored mare came back to the ground.
“No. He has to be here,” Twilight responded. “He needs to stay in case something happens to his wing again and he needs to be treated.”
“Applejack, we told you not to worry about him and his secrets,” chided Rarity. “They were his, and his alone. You had no reason to go prying.”
“The way he was actin, I thought he might be dangerous!” the farm pony said defending herself.
“Dangerous!?” said the blue pegasus mare. “He had a busted wing! He couldn’t even fly!” Rainbow Dash had to keep herself from starting a fight with the orange pony.
“I know bout his wing. Look, all I’m sayin is that somethin bout him seemed wrong, and I thought it would be best to find out what.”
“Ugh! We need to find him!” Rainbow Dash didn’t have time for arguing, she had to focus on finding the missing stallion.
“We already looked all over Ponyville. He’s not here, and I’m sure he knows no to go into the Everfree forest,” spoke Rarity. The ponies stopped, as they all had a sudden thought.
“The forest!” voiced Pinkie Pie. All six ponies ran to the edge of Everfree forest.
“A- Are you sure about this?” chimed Fluttershy, thinking of the monsters inside.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to check it out.” Rainbow flew at top speed above the forest, looking for anywhere the stallion could be. The ponies separated and searched through the forest, looking hard to find the pegasus.
Ponyville’s party pony wondered around, looking behind every tree and under every rock, until she came upon Zecora’s hut. “I bet Zecora could help us find Lightning!” the pink pony thought out loud. Walking into the small hut, she yelled, “Zecora! We need your help finding-” she opened her eyes and saw a pony working with the cauldron.“Lightning!” the pony screamed excitedly.
“Pinkie! What are you doing here?” The blue pegasus stood confused, as the earth pony ran and hugged him.
“We were looking for you, you silly!”
“We?”
“Of course,” she spoke quickly. “ All of us were worried so we started looking for you. You weren’t in Ponyville, and then Rarity said that you wouldn’t come into the forest, but we decided to come in anyways. And I found you! Do I win a prize? Oh! I should tell the others I found you. By the way, where’s Zecora? And why did you leave in the first place? Applejack told us what happened but I still wanna know why you left.”
“Zecora’s out picking herbs right now. And I left because Applejack was prying. I have a right to my secrets.” He turned his head away for a moment, then returned to look at the party pony.
“That’s what we told her!”
“Well anyways, I don’t know if I should come back. Why should I go back when Applejack is just gonna keep asking questions?”
“If ya come back, I’ll stop pesterin about yer secrets.” At the door appeared an orange mare, a genuine smile on her face, but with a skeptic look in her eyes. “But remember this, I’m keepin mah eye on you,” she said glaring at the stallion. “If ya ever make me think yer a danger, then I will kick you all the way to Canterlot. You’ll be flyin again.”
“If it makes you feel better, then go right on watching.” All the more reason to leave soon after I’m healed, thought the pegasus. The ponies backed away, and made off for home.
End Chapter 2
> Healing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 3
Healing
It had been a month since the blue stallion had been discharged from the hospital, and it would not be long until his wing healed and he could remove the cast, and he would know whether or not he would be able to fly again. “Almost there. Man, I miss flying.” Taking a break from work, the stallion decided to have lunch with a few of his new friends.
“I bet,” declared Rainbow Dash, who, out of all six of his friends in Ponyville, ended up being his closest. “I mean, pegasi are born to fly! Losing that ability is a pegasi’s worst nightmare!”
“Actually,” replied Fluttershy, “that’s not my biggest fear. My biggest fears are big monsters.”
“Well, for most pegasi, that’s our biggest fear,” she added, looking away from the yellow pegasus for a moment.
“Makes sense,” said Twilight. “I’d probably go insane if I lost my magic.”
“Well, I guess I can cross this off my ‘list of fears that have come true’.” The three ponies all sat in silence; clearly not finding his attempt at a joke amusing.
“You’re not that funny,” remarked the rainbow pegasus candidly.
“So I’ve been told,” he said without a hint of a smile.
“So is Applejack still ‘keepin an eye on you’?” asked the unicorn.
“Yep. When we work in the fields, every time I turn around, I see her watching me, usually just out of the corner of her eye,” the stallion answered with a straight face and a calm voice. “Even when we aren’t at the farm, if she’s nearby, she keeps a close eye on me.”
“That’s... Weird,” Twilight said, shaking her head. She obviously thought the farm pony to be a tad paranoid toward the stallion.
“Eh. I’m used to it. Strange as it sounds.” He kept on eating, talking between bites. “I bet she’ll be happy when I leave though. She won’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“You’re still planning on leaving?” the rainbow mare asked.
“Yeah. Gotta keep moving. Ponyville’s a great place, but it would be better if I left.” The stallion looked as if he didn’t want to leave, but he continued protesting to his friends that he could not stay. “I better get back to work. See ya later.”
The pegasus walked away with a frown, but he hid it so that the others could not see it. He could never stay in one place for too long. If any of the ponies in Ponyville knew the truth, he would get run out of town. Again. And having friends would make it that much harder. He had to leave soon, he believed himself lucky that his secret had temporarily dissipated, but he could feel it slowly returning. He figured it would be fully restored soon after the wing finished healing, and when it did, well, he should be far from Ponyville by then.
---
“Tia, have the guards you sent out found anything yet?” Princess Luna had begun to worry. The monster her sister felt a month ago had not been found, and it’s power continued to grow. Even the younger lunar royal, with weakened magic, could begin to feel the energy grow.
“Not yet. They cannot pinpoint the location of the creature, which makes it extremely difficult to track. However, the guards have informed me that they will soon search the Everfree Forest, near Ponyville. Many monster’s live there, and it is possible that this is where we will find the beast.” Her voice inspired some confidence in the younger pony, but she still had her doubts.
“If this monster were in the Everfree forest, wouldn’t your pupil and her friends send a message?”
“They probably do not even know that there is a threat in Equestria, but we will tell them soon.” The royal sisters silently hoped that they would not be needed, but the power they could feel continued to grow, and soon it would surpass even their own. They knew that if it reached that point, the Elements of Harmony shall be the only force in Equestria capable of stopping the threat.
“If it comes to that, let us hope that they will be able to save Equestria once more, for I fear that this power might grow past the Elements.” Celestia turned, and trotted back inside, her sister following close behind, each one feeling the dread of the upcoming events.
---
“Applejack, dear, do you really have to keep watching him?” Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack met together for a snack at the Carousal Boutique. Rarity had just finished making some new dresses when the mares had come in, the room cluttered with fabric and sketches.
“Of course! There’s still somethin bout him I don’t like. He’s dangerous. I’m sure of it.” Applejack slammed her hooves on the table in frustration, shaking it and its contents. She had been using the same argument for almost a month, but she never felt it losing effectiveness. The pegasus hadn’t done anything since she saw him in the barn, but that didn’t mean he was all good. Not in her book.
“Oh, come on Applejack,” said the pink earth pony. “If he was planning something, he would have called the mother ship down by now.” She spoke casually, despite the randomness of your words.
“Pinkie, will you ever drop that insane thought? Lightning is not an alien!” Rarity, as well as the other ponies, has tried and failed multiple times to explain to the party pony that there are no aliens. “Anyways, Applejack,” she said, returning to the initial topic, “it should be clear by now that Lightning is not dangerous. In fact, I think he’s rather sweet.”
“Well I ain’t lettin mah guard down til he leaves. He should be all better soon, and then he can move on.” She folded her fore hooves across her chest, huffing softly.
“Doesn’t that seem a tad rude?” the unicorn asked softly.
“Yeah, Applejack. That’s not very nice.” The pink pony spoke without a smile, although it quickly returned, as it always did. “You need to be more positive!” she said, bouncing out of her chair, shaking her hooves around.
“Well I’m sorry ya’ll think that, but I’m stickin with mah gut on this one. Besides, it’s not that I think he’s a bad pony or anything, I just think that somethin bout him is wrong.” She turned her head, thinking about the pegasus stallions past actions.
“I do hope that you two can make your peace before he leaves. I’d hate too see him leave thinking you hate him.” Rarity sounded genuinely concerned, for both ponies.
“I don’t hate him. I’m jus suspicious of him.”
“Well it certainly seems like you don’t like him.”
“Whatever. I gotta get back to tah farm soon.” The orange pony stood, walking toward the door.
“Goodbye Applejack!” the party pony said. “And don’t forget about my ‘Recovery Party’ for Lightning next week!”
“Yeah, yeah.” With that, the orange pony left the boutique, and headed back to the farm.
---
At last, the day had come to remove the blue stallion’s cast. He stood in the hospital, waiting for Nurse Redheart to come and remove it. The pegasus felt excited to finally be able to use his wing once more, but he also felt nervous, for nopony knew if he would be able to fly as he once did. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the white earth pony arrived.
It took mere minutes to remove the cast, and once his wing became free of the bonds, the pegasus experimentally flapped his wings. He soon brought himself off the ground, floating in the air. He thanked the nurse for all her help, and flew speedily out to greet his friends. The six ponies waiting at the library knew he would arrive soon. They heard a sharp whistle come from outside. The mares burst out the door, and lay witness to the stallions flight.
“Hey everypony,” he said casually. He floated down to the ground, where the mares greeted him with a group hug. Applejack stayed on the outside, somewhat happy for the stallion, but still cautious of him as well. “Aw, I really miss being able to fly.” The pegasus leaped into the air, although clearly out of practice, he moved well.
“Since your all better,” Rainbow Dash remarked, “why don’t we test your skills?” The pegasus seemed eager to observe the stallion’s abilities first hand.
“Alright. What do you have in mind?” He had a look in his eyes that said he was ready to face any challenge the mare threw at him.
“A race, through Ghastly Gorge!” She spoke with a dramatic voice, putting emphasis on the location.
“Sounds good,” he replied with a smirk. “Let’s get started.”
---
“Wow,” declared the stallion. “That was pretty crazy.” Lightning and Rainbow Dash had just finished their epic race, the stallions first real flight since the accident. They were flying back toward town, laughing most of the way.
“I know,” the rainbow mare chuckled. “Bet you’ve never raced in a place like that.”
“Well, I’ve seen some pretty strange things, but that gorge was definitely the weirdest place I’ve ever raced in.” He shook his head, thinking back on the obstacles in the gorge. Thorns, quarry eels, and a rock slide are definitely not normal.
“You did pretty good for your first time in though. However, it was still I who won,” the mare boasted.
“Not by much. It was only about a 10 second difference,” Lightning said, giving a small giggle as he did.
“Hey, winning is winning. Time difference doesn’t really matter,” Rainbow Dash said, floating in front of the stallion.
“You’ve got a point there,” he added. “But using my wings so much after they just healed, I think I need to rest for a while.”
“Alright. Oh, and don’t forget about Pinkie Pie’s party in a few hours.” Somehow, the earth pony set up an entire party in only 20 minutes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.” The deep blue pegasus soared above the clouds, taking a few with him as he climbed higher. High above Ponyville, he could easily make out all the different buildings, and even saw some of the ponies walking through the streets. I haven’t felt like this a long time, the pegasus thought to himself. As he looked upon the multitude of ponies and buildings, he subconsciously thought of the small, quiet town as a second home. Catching himself, the stallion quickly pushed the idea from his mind, reminding himself that he couldn’t stay for but a few more days. Any longer could mean trouble.
The pegasus molded the clouds in hoof into a small tent. Once satisfied, the stallion snuggled inside and closed the opening to block out the light of the sun. A nice, quiet rest on the softest material known to pony kind. It easily became the best sleep he had had in months. If he didn’t have his tail poking out, he probably wouldn’t have been found in time for the party.
---
“Pinkie, no matter how many of your parties I go too, I will never stop being surprised.” He walked into the sweet shop, noticing how packed with ponies it became when Pinkie threw a party. He knew some ponies came to congratulate him, while others only came for the party, but it didn’t matter, he only cared that somepony else cared enough to throw a party for him. It made him feel special, and in a good way for once.
“Thanks!” she said with a wide grin. “Oh! Also, I organized a pegasus race so you can get back to using your wings again.” Pinkie smiled wide, hoping to please the stallion.
“Pinkie, I raced Rainbow Dash earlier through Ghastly Gorge,” he said, waving a hoof back outside.
“Oh! Oh! Did you win?” The pink pony was bouncing to hear the details.
“Naw, she beat me,” he said with a light smile. He couldn’t help but feel happy at the thought of the race, no matter the outcome. It was fun, and he wished he could have races like that more often, but his life didn’t give him the chance. He decided he should enjoy friends while he could, and not worry about anything else for now.
“Aw. Too bad. But a lot of these pegasi came here to race the ‘new guy’. I’d hate to have them go home before they had that chance.”
Lightning thought for only a moment before making a decision. “Well, I guess one more race today couldn’t hurt to much.” If he was leaving soon anyways, he might as well show a few pegasi how fast he was. Lightning didn’t want to look like a slow coward.
In a few minutes, the race was ready to begin. The pegasi lined up in front of Sugarcube Corner, wings open and ready to fly. As soon as the starting shot went off, the yellow maned pegasus quickly flew out in front, with a few others following close behind. The racers flew around Ponyville, maneuvering through hoops made of clouds, and avoiding crashing into buildings.
A few minutes in, the stallion gained an impressive lead. However, two pegasi appeared on either side of him, one with a basketball cutie mark, and the other weights. Although the blue pegasus could have easily sped along further, he wanted to see what they would do. Something stupid probably. That would be fun to watch.
The pegasi slowly moved away from the stallion. Yep. Something stupid. The two stallions on either side of him quickly moved inward, hoping to crush the azure pegasus and bring him to the ground. Seeing the obvious ploy, the stallion opened his wings at the last moment, slowing himself. He then sped up to near top speed, after the two had crashed to the ground. They sprawled and tumbled, scaring a few mares.
The race concluded moments later. The audiences reaction was clear, as they had not expected so much from a recently injured pony.
“Heh,” chuckled Rainbow Dash. “That wasn’t even near his fastest. Either he was playing around, or he was just tired from our earlier race.” A few ponies in the crowd heard her, and began to tell others around them. This only increased the hype more, some beginning to think of the stallion to be almost as fast as the multi colored mare herself.
---
Well, another party had ended, and once again the stallion and his friends were thinking about his lodgings. “I could always make my own cloud tent, now that I can fly again.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Lightning,” said Rainbow. “You’re only staying for about another week, right? You can stay with me. I have a big house, and I live alone. There’s plenty of space. No need to work on making a temporary shelter.”
“Wow, Rainbow Dash,” whispered Flutershy. “That’s really nice of you to offer him a place to stay.”
“It’ll be fine Rainbow. I don’t want to intrude in another pony’s house again.” He lifted a hoof, trying to show that he would be fine.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. Besides, I would love to have someone to talk to about tricks and the Wonderbolts. Not many other ponies like to talk about that stuff.”
Lightning scratched the back of his head with a hoof in thought. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I hardly ever get to talk to anypony either.”
“Great! Come on. I’ll show you around,” the mare said, eager to finally have a guest to her cloud home.
---
“You got a nice place here.” The pegasus stallion floated, amazed by the sheer size of the mare’s home. The tower of a building rested on a cloud high above Ponyville. A large rainbow rose out of the top dome and spilt over to the side. There, it turned into a waterfall of liquid rainbow. A similar waterfall could be found on the opposite side of the cloud.Lightning wasn’t expecting something like that, but he also found himself unsurprised by the sight.
“Glad you like it. Here is the main floor,” she exclaimed as they entered through he front door. The inside seemed fairly simple compared to the exterior. A living area took up the front of the house, containing a couch and a few chairs. A kitchen rested in the back, with a half wall to separate the two areas. Off to each side, two parallel hallways with multiple doors followed the walls. “Over there, to the left, the first door is my room. Never, ever, go in my room. On the other side is a guest room, which you can use.” She pointed a hoof to each door as she spoke.
“Thanks,” grinned the blue and yellow pegasus. “I’m gonna take a quick look.” The stallion entered his room, and saw a small area with a nice sized bed and a night stand. A window looked out into the sky, with a great view of Ponyville down below. When he had settled his few things down on the bed, he went back to the main room to continue the tour. Rainbow Dash took him to several other rooms, most of them for storage, but one room had a hole in the ceiling. The pegasi flew up, and the stallion eyes widened in surprise. The rest of the building appeared to be a pegasus training area. Large rings scattered through the air, and a few weight sets magically stayed on the floor. “Wow.”
“I know, right.” The mare smiled proudly. “Not many others know about this place. It’s my secret little getaway. You can use it while you’re here, you know, physical therapy.”
“Thanks. This place is incredible.” Lightning looked all around the personal gym, taking in the thought that items such as these could even remain on the cloud floor.
“No problem. Now come on. I think it would be a good idea to head to bed. It’s getting late.”
Knocked out of his stupor, Lightning was able to turn back and look at his host. “Good idea.” The ponies flew back down to the first floor and into their respective rooms, but as Lightning opened the door, he said to the mare, ‘Thanks again for letting me stay here Rainbow.”
“Don’t worry about it.” With that, the pegasi lied down in their beds to sleep.
---
The power the sun princess felt had continued growing. Nothing she had done so far could find the source, nor could she distinguish what the energy belonged to. She hoped to solve this mystery before the power became to strong. Once it reached that level, Equestria would be doomed. The only possible way to stop it would be if the Elements nearly doubled in power, or if more then six of the relics existed. However, that would be impossible. They had only the existing artifacts, and they only had so much power inside. Even if she added her and her sister’s magic, it might not be enough. But she had to try, because giving up would be worse then defeat. She only hoped neither option would come to fruition.
End Chapter 3
> Abilities
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 4
Abilities
YAWN. The pegasus mare had just woken up from a nice dream. She walked out of her room, and as she headed to kitchen, she saw a stallion cooking on the oven. The rainbow mare had almost forgotten that she is allowing a the blue and yellow pegasus to stay with her. “Morning, Lightning.”
“Oh. Good morning Rainbow Dash,” he replied, turning to look at the mare.
“What are you making?” she asked, smelling the delicious aroma. “It smells great.” She licked her lips in anticipation and hunger.
“Hay pancakes. Figured it was the least I could do for you, and they’re almost ready.” The pegasus had prepared two large stacks of fluffy, golden brown pancakes, complete with butter and syrup.
“Wow. These are great,” she exclaimed as she tore into the food. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Well, I have been living on my own for a while.”
“So how did you sleep last night?”
“Like a foal. That cloud bed you have in there is amazing.”
“Made it myself. Hey, after breakfest, I think we should start training in the gym upstairs. What do you think?”
“Sounds good,” he answered.
For the next few days, the two pegasi began to spend more time together. They usually did some sort of flight training, or talking about great fliers of Equestria.They had become best friends. It was a nice time for him. Sometimes, the stallion would look at his companion, and give a light smile, thinking that maybe he could stay in Ponyville. After all, he found something here he never could anywhere else. Friends. He would let this idea linger for a mere moment before releasing it. It would not be long now. He had a week, at most, before his body restored to normal, and he would need to leave. For now, though, he just wanted to enjoy this time with them.
“Are you sure that’s safe?” he asked the blue mare.
“Of course I’m sure. I know what I’m doing.” The speedy pegasus mare stood in the air, preparing a new trick, one that didn’t look like it would end well. She stood next to a skateboard, at the top of a large ramp. She stepped on the board, opening her wings and preparing to ride. Just before she attempted it, however, three little fillies came bouncing up to the stallion.
“Hey girls,” Lightning interrupted, stopping the mare from her trick. “What brings you here?”
“We wanted to hear about your travels through Equestria,” answered Applebloom.
“Yeah. I bet you have lots of interesting stories,” said Scootaloo.
“Alright then. I’ll meet you guys at the library in five minutes.”
“Thanks!” chimed the fillies in unison.
“See ya later Rainbow Dash. And I do hope you rethink that new trick. It’s a little extreme, even for you.”
“Don’t worry about it Lightning. I’ll be fine. Talk to ya later.” She waved a hoof to him in good bye, looking down the ramp.
At the library, the stallion began to tell the fillies about what he had seen on his journey. He spoke of terrifying monsters, some worse than those in the Everfree forest. He had seen large, and demonic versions of common animals, such as a 20 foot tall fox with multiple tails. He even once saw a small pack of Ursa Majors, which he only narrowly escaped. He had met large, menacing dragons, and each one of them have tried to barbecue the pegasus. On his journey, he had also encountered a tribe of zebras, and a herd of large ponies, twice the size of a normal pony, that called themselves horses. He had met many types of ponies, but none quite like his friends here in Ponyville, and they never seemed interested in him, or his adventures. It felt nice to finally have somepony to tell what he had been through to. The fillies listened so intently, they didn’t even notice when the door opened and two mares walked into the library.
“Applebloom?” The orange earth pony asked, a purple maned unicorn close behind. “Ya in here? Time to head home.” She looked over and found her sister with her friends and a blue and yellow stallion. At the sight of him, the earth pony put on a stern face, and motioned for her sister to follow.
“Do you still not trust me Applejack?” he asked with a bit of a sarcastic tone. The pony didn’t answer, but instead left without saying a word.
“I’m terribly sorry about that Lightning,” Rarity said, filling in the silence. “But you know how she is. Come along Sweetie Belle.”
“Alright sis.” The smaller unicorn stood and walked toward her sister.
“You should head home too Scootaloo,” remarked the older pegasus. The ponies had left the library, and the stallion began to think about how the farm pony really didn’t trust him. And she has every right not to.
---
The next day, the seven older ponies walked through the town, suddenly noticing a squad of royal guards heading toward the Everfree forest. “This can’t be good,” Twilight said. “We better go check this out.” The ponies rushed into the forest, taking only a few minutes to find the guards. They seemed to be looking for something. Their horns kept close to the ground, the unicorns themselves positioned in row, moving together as a unit. Several other guards scattered themselves around the trees, leaving no spot on the ground touched, and no stone unturned. Probably taking it a little too literally.
“Excuse me,” said Fluttershy. “Is everything alright?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” one of the guards replied without looking at them.
“Well, I’m sure we can help ya’ll with whatever it is,” chimed Applejack.
“Well,” one of the guards began, clearly the leader of the group, turning to look at the seven ponies. “The princesses have detected a strange energy in Equestria.” Lightning took a silent step back. “They can’t pinpoint it, so they sent us guards to look for the source, because they think it could be dangerous.” The blue and yellow stallion crouched, trying to hide a little, and stayed in the back of the group. The only pony to notice being Rainbow Dash. “They don’t want you involved right now, but they will send a message if they need the Elements’ help.
“Well, alright then,” responded Twilight, reluctantly dropping the subject. “I guess we should head back to town.”
“I think that would be a good idea,” spoke the stallion. Rainbow Dash began wondering what could be wrong with him, but decided to trust that everything would be okay. All the way back to town, the stallion seemed to be acting nervous and scared. But of what?
---
A few more days had passed, and the blue pegasus would hate to leave in two more, but it had to be done. On that day, he could hurt a lot of ponies if he didn’t act carefully For now, however, he rested in his room, thinking about how he would survive the party pony’s last celebration for him tomorrow. She promised this to be the best one yet, and he barely survived the ones that came before. He felt a sudden surge in his body. Something had gone wrong. His body began restoring too quickly. This shouldn’t happen for a few more days, and yet his energy rose steeply. Oh no. Not now. This would soon turn into a dangerous situation. He had no choice, he knew what had to be done, although it would haunt him for the rest of his life.
A few hours passed before the blue pegasus mare returned to her home. “Hey, Lightning. I’m back.” She heard nothing except for her own echo. “Lightning?” The mare flew into his room, making sure he wasn’t just asleep, but when she opened the door, she saw that all of his belongings had disappeared. “Oh no.” She zoomed around town, searching for the stallion, asking her friends to help. When they saw no trace of him, they began to panic.
“He couldn’t have just left, could he?” asked the purple unicorn.
“I don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to leave for a few more days,” the pegasus responded frantically.
“We need to find him,” shouted the pink earth pony. “He hasn’t said good bye or have his last party yet.”
“And,” continued Fluttershy, “I think he and Applejack still need to make peace before he leaves for good.”
“And this proves that I was right. I told ya’ll he couldn’t be trusted.”
“Applejack, argue about him later, find him now!” The multi hued pegasus sounded impatient and irritated. “Now, I’m gonna go as high as I can, and see if I can find a trail.” The mare flew high, and at that moment she had never been more glad to have so many clouds. She could see a faint trail where somepony had moved through the clouds, as if trying to remain hidden. She gathered her friends and the three fillies, who had wandered nearby, into the hot air balloon. She strapped in Fluttershy to the harness, so the ponies can follow her, and started off down the trail.
---
The stallion could feel the energy growing. It began to get painful, so he had been forced to walk. Luckily he had already made it far out of Ponyville, and even if the others did discover him missing, they shouldn’t be able to find him easily.
“Lightning!” cried a voice from afar. What? That shouldn’t be possible! “There you are.” The rainbow maned pegasus was catching up to him. The stallion quickly opened his wings, and flew, despite the pain. He tried to outmaneuver her, but she continued to move directly in front of him, forcing him to turn away. She soon had him trapped on the ground, the others just arriving behind her. “Why did you leave so suddenly?” His tail began to glow softly, but he hid it so that nopony else could not see it.
“I can’t tell you right now,” he said nervously, looking for a way out.
“Why not?” the mare said with worry. “If something’s wrong you can tell us.” His tail glowed brighter by the second.
“Look, if you stay right here for a few minutes, I’ll tell you everything.” The blue pegasus broke the mares grip, and began to fly up, the mare trying to follow. The stallion turned and grabbed her shoulders. “Stay, please,” he said sternly. The look in his eyes showed how serious the situation had become. She floated back down with the others, watching silently.
The stallion flew up fast, his tail glowing brighter as he rose. The ponies below noticed his luminescence for the first time. They stood in shock and confusion. Soon after he reached the clouds, his tail erupted into an explosion of blinding light. It formed into a perfect sphere around his body, and once the light faded, the ponies on the ground saw the pegasus surrounded in a spherical cage of electricity. The sphere could easily be half the size of Ponyville, and shoot large bolts of lightning, both inside and out. The bolts that shot inside struck the pony, but instead of searing him, it appeared to be absorbed into his body. He looked to be in no pain, and in a few moments it ended.
The stallion floated to one of the few remaining clouds, thinking about running off, but he made a promise. He floated down to the ground, each of his friends with their jaws hanging wide open. He didn’t know what to say. Scared of what they might do, he stayed silent.
“That was awesome!” said the pink party pony. Not the reaction he really expected, but this is Pinkie Pie. Nopony can ever guess what she’s thinking. Her sudden exclamation snapped the others back to reality, each staring at the stallion with wide eyes.
“Lightning,” began the rainbow pegasus, drawing out the name a little, “what was that all about?” Her voice showed clear confusion, as did her eyes.
“I guess I should start at the beginning.” The pegasus sat down, as the nine other ponies leaned in to listen intently. “Basically, a few months before I was born, my mother was visiting the mountain below Olympus. At the time, a large, magical storm was moving through Equestria. Most ponies don’t know much about it, because it blew through to fast for them to take much notice. But that was enough time to strike my mother. There was magic in the storm, and it flowed through the bolt, into her, and ended up mutating my still forming DNA magically.” The mares couldn’t hold back gasps of shock. Twilight’s mind started wondering how such a thing should be physically, and even magically, impossible. Changing a ponies DNA?
“We didn’t know about my ability at first, but when I was a young colt, there were a lot of bullies, and I got angry. In a split second, all of them had taken a blast to the flank, running home. My family and I were worried at first, but I did learn to control it better. However, it was too late, the entire town was scared of me, and hated me.” He looked away, dejected and upset. “Some wanted to lock me up, or send me to Celestia. When I was old enough, I decided to leave Olympus, and find a new home. No town I found would accept me once they learned the truth, though. Ponyville is the closest I’ve ever gotten to that goal.” At the end of the story, the pegasus began to walk away, not saying another word.
“Where are you going?” asked the yellow and pink pegasus.
“Away. I can’t stay any more.” He didn’t turn back, and didn’t stop walking.
The ponies looked at each other in shock, and the multi hued mare spoke up. “You don’t have to leave.”
“What?” the stallion said, confused. He was shocked into stopping. “Weren’t you listening?” he asked, turning back to them. “Did you not see what just happened? Applejack was right, I am dangerous. And I don’t want to put any of you in any danger.”
“But we’re your friends. And you said it yourself, you have it under control,” the pegasus responded, putting as much persuasion in her voice as possible.
“Lightning, Ponyville is your new home,” Rarity chimed. Lightning went wide eyed, confused and in shock at her words. At all of their words.
“Look Lightning,” spoke Applejack, “I know ah might have been a little rude to you, but I have to admit, that power oh yours is pretty special.” She kicked the dirt with a hoof. “And, ah guess I might miss yah a little too if yah left. Heck, I guess you earned my trust just by leaving to protect Ponyville.”
“Thanks guys, but I don’t know.” He shook his head, unsure of what to do.
“Oh, please, Lightning.” This time, the little yellow filly spoke. “I wanna hear more bout your powers. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.” The other fillies nodded in agreement.
“Why do you guys what me to stay?” he asked in a mix of shock and confusion. “I’m a freak, a monster.”
“Look darling,” spoke the fashionista unicorn, “you are no freak. You seem to be merely misunderstood. You are unique, and nopony should hate you for that.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder, trying to keep his spirits up.
“You guys seriously aren’t scared of me?” The pegasus was being shown a kindness he had never seen before, and he didn’t know how to react to it.
“Of course we aren’t,” replied the rainbow pony. “We’re your friends, and that’s not going to change.”
The pegasus had never had true friends, and he realized they were right, and he had never been happier. The stallion gave a smile, softly saying, “Then I guess we should go back.” The other ponies cheered as all but the pegasi climbed into the balloon, ready to head home to Ponyville.
On the way, the stallion told the others about what he could do with his powers. His first ability he discovered had been being able to shoot electricity from his tail, and he could even control it while still connected. He later learned how to also create a dome shield and a wall, both of which could stop almost anything from moving through. His most powerful technique, though, he called “Lightning Mode”, and he had yet to master it. “By channeling my energy all through my body, I can transform his own body into pure electricity, starting at the end of my tail, and it slowly grows across my body. At the moment, I’ve mastered about a 5% transformation, anymore and I lose control of it.”
“Wait,” interrupted the rainbow mare, “is that what you were practicing before you crashed in Ponyville?”
“Yes,” the stallion said, blushing with a bit of embarrassment. “I was pushing the power a bit, and it caused an explosion. That electrocuted me, locked away the power, and sent me crashing into the ground.”
“Wow. So what happens in ‘Lightning Mode’?”
“It temporarily gives me incredible speed and an increase in strength and electrical power.” He sounded proud of his abilities, though he never had a reason to before.
“That’s pretty cool. I bet if you used that in our race, you probably would have won.”
“Probably, unless you used the Sonic Rainboom. No telling how that would turn out.”
“Are you guys gonna race like that?!” the fillies asked excitedly. “I would pay to see that race.”
“Girls,” remarked Twilight, “if they did that, I think Lightning would easily get discovered, and we’re trying to keep that secret for now. Pinkie, that goes for you too..”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony.” She made a few motions with her hoofs, appearing to lock her mouth shut and bury something. Lightning couldn’t make out the other gestures, but decided it must have been a promise to keep a secret.
“Thanks guys,” said the yellow maned pegasus. “This really means alot to me.” The ponies arrived back in Ponyville, and decided to rest after the day's events. As he turned in for bed, the pegasus stallion truly believed that he found what he had searched so long for, and he couldn’t be happier than he felt at that moment.
End Chapter 4
> Residence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 5
Residence
Thousands of years ago, ponies were forced to leave their homeland, due to a terrible blizzard. Eventually, they found a new land. This land suited all their needs, and became the perfect place for them to farm, and to make a living. And after the three pony races made peace, they settled into this new land. They lived, prospered, and soon it became their home. However, they weren’t the only creatures in Equestria.
---
When the stallion awoke, he found himself almost surprised to see that he still rested in Rainbow’s guest room.The events of the day before almost seemed like a blissful dream. He wanted to believe it all really happened, but he couldn’t be sure. A reaction like that which he received was unusual to him. Most ponies that found out ran from him, or hated him. Usually both. If what he thinks happened yesterday really did, then he might be at the end of his long journey. He might finally be able to start a new life. His train of thought was interrupted by a knocking on the door.
“Hey, Lightning? You awake?” His gracious host, Rainbow Dash, knocked again. The stallion couldn’t help but give a light smile.
“Yeah, I’m up.” He felt almost tempted to mumble “five more minutes”. He began to think that maybe it had all a dream. Nopony could know his secret and still like him. At least, not from he has seen.
“So, are you gonna show us some of those awesome abilities of yours today?” Her question answered his own. It was real. All that had happened. His friends knew the truth, and they believed it to be cool. How? He had no clue, but he thought it best not to ruin anything by asking.
“I think it would be best to wait for a stormy day. That way, nopony else could see my lightning strikes.” The stallion spoke as he walked to the main room for breakfast.
“I think there’s a big storm scheduled for Thursday. That should work, right?”
“Lightning storm?”
“Yep.”
“Rarity’s gonna bring a big tent and blanket?”
“Most likely.”
“Will the Cutiemark Crusaders be there?”
“You know they love you.”
“We’re gonna be a little outside Ponyville?”
“Totally.”
“Works for me.” The quick exchange set up the perfect plan for him to show his abilities. Nopony other than himself knew exactly what he could do, and it would be nice to share them with friends. “I guess we should go tell the others soon.” After the pegasi had finished eating, they went around town to tell their friends, each one excited to see him in action.
---
The days passed quickly, and by merely looking out his window Lightning could tell what the day. From his vantage point in the sky, he could see a large number of dark clouds being put into place by the pegasi. He saw several standing on the clouds, preparing to agitate them and start the storm. Most ponies would stay inside on a day like this, but the stallion thought of days such as this as his favorite. He made a quick breakfast for himself and Rainbow Dash. The others would be on their way to the meeting place by now, and the pegasi didn’t want to be late. They left the home, and soon arrived at the clearing just inside Everfree forest. Nearby trees protected the group from prying eyes. Rarity already set up a large, purple tarp on the ground and matching tent to block out the rain. Rainbow just had time to get to cover when it started.
“You guys ready?” Lightning asked, water pouring freely on his head.
“You bet!” replied Scootaloo, speaking for the whole group. The stallion began with his simplest ability, the “Bolt”. He shot a simple stream of electricity into the sky, making it blend with the others around town. He then proceeded to perform the same trick, but instead this time making it loop and swirl in the air, until it struck a tree, blowing a nice sized hole in the trunk.
The onlooking ponies stood with surprise in how powerful his attack was. “You guys should see the looks on your faces,” he laughed wildly. The mares were awed, and wanted to see more. “For my next trick, I shall attract a bolt of wild lightning.” The mares thought he was only joking, but just then, bolts from several yards away suddenly changed course, heading straight for the pegasus. When the lightning hit, all the energy transferred into his tail, and shot back into the sky. The onlooking ponies clapped in applause as Lightning took a bow.
“Now, for this trick I shall require a unicorn’s help. Twilight,” he said, pointing at the mare in question. “I need you to use your magic to pick up an object, relatively large, and throw it towards me.” He seemed to be serious, and a few of the ponies thought he was crazy, but the unicorn obliged, picking up a fallen tree. When she flung it toward him, he showed no intention of moving. Instead, he quickly erected a shield of electricity, which both stopped and destroyed the lumber. The feat was impressive, but the time had come for the real show.
“Are you gonna do ‘Lightning Mode’ now?” asked the little fillies.
“You read my mind,” he said with a grin. “But I’m only gonna do about 1% transformation. Now, hold onto your hats.” Rarity took the expression literally as he charged his energy. A small part of his tail turned into pure electricity, and the rest of his body became covered in sparks. In his eyes, the onlooking ponies could see streaks of yellow running through the hazel. “Here we go.” The stallion zoomed through the trees and into the sky at superpony speeds. He seemed to be almost a blue blur against a green background, and only Rainbow Dash could truly keep up. Her eyes trained to see fast moving objects and ponies. He even shot out a bolt on an unsuspecting tree, blowing it in half, the sound muffled by distant thunder. He continued to show off until his stamina began to fade.
“Thank you, thank you,” he said with a bow. The ponies started to applaud, but Lightning stopped them. “Please, hold your applause till the show is over.” The mares began wondering what he could mean. They thought that was it, but apparently not. “First, I need a blindfold.”
“I have one!” screamed Pinkie Pie with excitement. He expected her to always have one with her, she is Pinkie Pie after all. He put on the cloth so he could not see.
“Now, Twilight, I need you to make some sort of obstacle court for me.” Once again, the unicorn had no idea why, but she set one up anyways. She placed hollow logs in the air and on the ground, and lifted rocks and other nearby objects around. The ponies were unsure of what the stallion could be up to, but they decided to watch carefully. The tip of the stallion’s tail sent out a small wave, like a ripple in a pond, and after a few seconds began to fly through the course. All his movements perfectly guiding him. Even without the blindfold, the darkness of the day would have made it difficult to cross through. He ran the course, and soon landed back on the ground. “So how’d I do?” His friends seemed almost as shocked as when he showed his transformation.
“What was that?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“That was my newest technique. I call it the ‘Radar.’ I send out an electric pulse that acts as a sonar.”
“Like a bat?” asked Fluttershy.
“Exactly.”
“That’s quite interesting,” mused Twilight. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to study what it is that allows you to use the electricity without injuring yourself.”
“Why not,” he said with a shrug. “I would like that know too.” The ponies hoofed it home soon after the rain stopped. The sun had already begin to set, the night quickly creeping on the ponies. Lightning laid down in his bed, tired from the excitement and activity of the day, and fell asleep almost instantly, a smile staying on his face.
---
It was the best dreams he ever had. At least, until things went wrong. It started off normal enough. He was hanging with Rainbow Dash, chatting and training. Everything seemed well, and normal. All of a sudden, the sky turned black, and he saw a large pair of evil, red eyes staring down on him. He looked over at his friend, and she had a terrified look on her face. Something he never expected from a mare as tough as her. Her body was bruised, and charred. She was looking out, away from him. He followed her gaze, and couldn’t hold in the shock of what he saw. He saw himself. Except, something seemed different. His fur was white, blended with a light grey, and his mane, tail, and cutie mark had all turned jet black. But his eyes, his eyes were a terrible blood red. At the tip of the tail, he could see a small bolt of black energy, glowing a deathly red around the edge, turning the surroundings into a dull crimson. The pseudo-Lightning charged his power, and shot another bolt toward the mare. Before impact, she let out a blood curdling scream that rattled him to his bones, and he awoke in a cold sweat.
The dream seemed so real. Like a vision. But he could never hurt his friends, especially not that one. And what was with those eyes in the sky? And the fake me? “Lightning?” called a worried voice from outside the door. “Are you OK?” At least he knew this dream wasn’t real. Rainbow Dash was alright, and looking at his hooves he saw that he still had the same azure coat as always.
“Yeah,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “Just a nightmare.”
“Well, alright.” The mare walked off, still worried for her guest. “Don’t forget you’re going to Twilight’s to study that power of yours.”
“I remember.” Actually, he completely forgot about that. His dream still affecting his train of thought. He wanted to just forget about it, but no matter how hard he tried it kept pushing its way back to the surface. “I’ll be back by tonight.”
He left for the library, hoping some books or something could get his might off that dream. It seemed so real. What does it mean? He might ask Twilight when he got to her, thinking that she might know something about psychology. He walked into the large tree, that made up the library, and saw the mare rushing around, barely noticing him. “Everything alright here?”
“What?” she wondered, seeing him for the first time. “Sorry, Lightning. I’ll be with you soon. Right now I have to get some work done. Help yourself to the books.”
“Alright.” He looked around the building, taking in the details for the first time since coming to Ponyville. The inside was carved out of the tree itself, probably with magic. The walls were perfectly smooth, without any marks from the tools used to hollow it. Shelves several feet high lined up against all visible walls, save for around the windows. Books appeared stuffed inside, almost bursting out in some places. The library probably hasn’t been organized for a few days. Or a few hours. Knowing Twilight, it’s hard to tell. He decided to take a look around. He actually loved to read, but only about something interesting. He skimmed through an astronomy book, and another about all three types of magic; earth, pegasus, and unicorn. He looked at a few more, still thinking of the nightmare, hoping to forget about it. Nothing worked, and every time he thought about it, a shudder moved down his spine. The pegasus was about to pick another book when Twilight came in.
“OK. I’m all ready.” the ponies went downstairs into the basement. He didn’t even know the library had a basement. Down below, he saw a chemical station as well as what appeared to be some sort of brain wave machine. A large piece of machinery,with a slot in front where Lightning could see rolls of paper inside. Outside, a helmet connected to the machine, through a multitude of wires, and lights strung around as well.
“What’s all this?”
“This is my personal laboratory. Here, we might be able to see what gives you your power.”
“You’re not gonna dissect me are you?” he asked sarcastically, though he hoped it would only be a joke.
“Of course not.” The next few hours were spent either in the brain reading machine, or with Twilight using magic to scan for magical properties inside the pegasus. She didn’t find much, but what she did find disturbed them. “From what I can tell, the magic from that lightning that struck your mother was imbued with some sort of darkness and evil. It doesn’t seem to have affected your personality, but it does seem to be part of your abilities and maybe mentality as well.”
“What?” she asked quizzically.
“Your subconscious mind,” she said, clarifying.
“Is that it?” he asked, taking off the helmet.
“For now. The magic is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It’s incredible.”
“Not to be rude, but I was kinda expecting that. Although I hoped you would be able to prove me wrong.”
“The only pony who might be able to help is the Princess, but maybe that’s not a good idea?” she wondered, looking at the stallion.
“Yeah. If I really need to, then I’ll go to her. Hey Twilight, do you know anything about psychology?” With the tests over, he figured now would be as good a time as any.
“A little,” she replied, putting her equipment away. “Why?”
“I had this, disturbing dream last night.” He proceeded to tell her his dream, in as many details as possible. A few times, he thought he saw her face shift in terror at some of the more disturbing points. When he finished, the ponies sat in silence in for a full minute, as the unicorn thought about the problem. “What do you think?’
She pondered a little longer before giving an answer. “This might have something to do with the magical properties we discovered earlier. I’m just guessing here, but now that you have real friends, the magic inside you is revolting, giving you these terrifying visions. What you think consciously is opposite of your subconscious thoughts brought on by your innate power.”
“Wow, that’s deep. Are you sure you just now made that up? And that you only know a little psychology.”
“I wouldn’t have come up with something like that if we hadn’t done those tests today.”
“So what should I do?”
“Have you told Rainbow about this? She seems to be a big part of it.”
“No. Not yet. Would that get rid of the nightmares?”
“It might, but that’s up to you.” With that in mind, the stallion left for home, thinking out his next move like a game of chess.
---
At the house, Lightning thought about whether or not he should talk to his host. It seemed only right, considering she was the one he hurt in the dream. He didn’t have long to come up with a plan, though. It only took a few minutes until she arrived, tired after a long day of weather patrol. He gave a summary of what had happened that day, everything about what happened in the library until he asked Twilight about his dreams.
“That doesn’t really sound good,” she said after the stallion finished his story. “Hopefully that won’t cause too many problems in the future,” she said half-laughing, not seeing his troubled face.
“Yeah.” He felt tempted to tell her about his dream.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, noticing the hesitation in his voice.
“Oh no. Just had something on my mind today.” He wanted to ask for advice, to try and discover the reason behind the dream, to tell Rainbow that something was wrong, but decided on something else. “I have been thinking, about staying in Ponyville permanently.” It wasn’t a total lie. He had been thinking about it, but it just hadn’t been his main concern that day.
“Really? That’s great! I already expected that from you, though. So what are you going to do now?” She instantly forgot about his worried tone, and smiled broadly.
“I’m not sure yet.” He felt happy that he finally solved one problem, and stuck with that thought. It helped keep his mind off his horrifying dream, and hopefully it would turned out to only be just a one time thing. If it happened a few more times, then he would tell her. He really didn’t want to seem like a foal, so it would be best to not talk about it.
---
The Princess looked out over her balcony, like she had done so many times in the past month. The guards have informed her that, although they have searched nearly half of Equestria, the monster could not be located. How could something this powerful be hidden so well? The power climb slowed to a crawl, but it still existed. Whatever is out there, it already reached a level more powerful than the Royal Sisters. The magic she could feeling was one of pure evil. If it is allowed to rise, there is no telling what this monster would do. Most likely, she and her sister would already be defeated by the time the Element’s can fight back. As an alicorn, she has never felt more powerless. She could do nothing to stop the beast, and if it does come for her, she knows she will not be able to stop it.
End Chapter 5
> Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 6
Discovery
Lightning had entered Rainbow’s home after work, finding her sitting in the main room. “Good, you’re here.” The stallion walked up to his host and dropped a bag into her hoof.
“What’s this?” she asked, perplexed.
“My rent. I figure, since I’m living in Ponyville now, I should act like a citizen, and that means paying rent when living in somepony else’s house.”
“Well, that’s great, but you don’t need to pay me,” she said hoofing the bag back.
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Alright then.” He walked over the kitchen counter and dropped the bag. “I guess I’ll just leave this here, and I don’t care if anypony takes it.”
The mare let out a sigh, and walked over and took the bag of bits. “What do you know, free money.” The pegasi were almost thrown into a fit of laughter, but caught themselves quickly. “Alright, enough of that. Time to meet up with the others for dinner, and don’t forget it’s your turn to pay tonight.”
“I know, I know.” The ponies flew off to meet their friends. On the way, Lightning thought to himself how great things were going for him, and almost nothing could ruin it. Hope I didn’t jinx anything.
---
Ponies have been living in Equestria for some generations now, but they still had yet to explore the entire land they now called home. In an effort to learn more about the continent, the three leaders, Commander Typhoon, Princess Silver, and Chancellor Gelatin, sent out a team of ponies from each tribe to explore. On these travels, the scouts travelled far, reaching the other side of the continent. Here, they found a mysterious being. It had control over strange powers, and it seemed to be the only thing living there. It seemed intelligent, so the ponies decided to converse with the mystic creature. This proved to be a very fatal mistake.
---
The sky had barely turned dark, and Celestia was beginning to worry deeply. Although the power she has been feeling has stopped rising, she can’t help but fear the worst. The energy level is baffling, clearly above her and her sister’s. The sky shone clear, the stars and the moon shining through, casting a luminescence on Equestria. The beautiful light usually gave her hope, but tonight it seemed only to mock her. As she turned to head back into the castle, she suddenly felt the power spike once more. This increase was incredible, rising as if to touch the very sky itself. Then, all the power reverted, moving away from the atmosphere. Most ponies would believe that the threat diverted and done, and that there was nothing to worry about. However, the sun royal felt it not dissipating, but collecting in a single point. She tried with all her magic to locate the center, but before she had a chance, it disappeared completely.
Miles away, a being deep underground had finally been restored. Free from its prison, it sent out a large shock wave of energy, then quickly suppressed it, knowing the Royal Sisters could easily locate the monster. It was almost time to return to the land of ponies once more, and seek revenge. It must wait, however, for the long slumber had weakened it physically, and it would take time to restore full body control. It had waited long for this day, so a few more days should not make too much of a difference. Nopony could measure up to its extreme power, not even those wretched Elements of Harmony.
---
The cafe Lightning and his friends ate dinner at was not very crowded. There were a few ponies at some of the tables, but for the most part at least half the building belonged to them. The food was cheap, but good, and as they were talking, Lightning felt an electric resonance through his tail. This had never happened to him before, but he could feel something coming from afar. He casually left the table, staring out the windows. “Lightning? Where are you going?” The stallion offered no answered, but instead walked out of the cafe, staring into the sky. Something was coming, something strong. For some reason, it felt familiar, as if he had known it his whole life.
“What’s going on?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Maybe he knows the mothership’s here!” He did not hear her crazy theory, but continued looking off in the sky. He felt a sense of trouble brewing, and his tail soon started to spark softly, glowing with a dim light.
“Um, Lightning?” Rainbow began, quickly hiding his tail. She lowered her voice to a whisper, “What are you doing? Your tail is-” her sentence was cut off a boom of thunder. The mares followed his stare, and saw a large mass of jet black clouds rolling toward Ponyville.
“Um, Rainbow Dash,’ asked Twilight, “what is that?”
“I don’t know! There are no storms scheduled for tonight.” Other ponies around town also took notice of the anomaly, stopping and turning to look. Lightning stood transfixed, unable to look away, barely breathing as his eyes were glued to the clouds. The clouds rolled into the sky above, bringing down sharp, freezing rain. Thunderbolts quickly began to strike Ponyville, shaking Lightning out of his trance. He looked around and saw ponies in a panic, running to shelter to hide from the pursuing rain. He noticed that his friends were trying to move him out of the storm, and back into the cafe. He tried to follow, but he could not move his legs. One large crack of thunder made him look toward the center of town. A building was struck and caught fire, the rain doing nothing to stop the burning. He shook off his paralysis, and realized that the whole town would be burned to the ground if this storm continued as it did, and he felt he was the only one who could do it.
“Stay here,” he commanded to the mares, quickly jumping into the sky. They all figured out his plan instantly, and backed up into the cafe, looking out through a window. This might ruin my life, but Ponyville is worth it. Before any more bolts had a chance to strike down, the stallion charged his energy, drawing the lightning to himself like a magnet. He was high enough so that every pony in Ponyville was able to see what he was doing. They saw the lightning redirecting to the pegasus, and be taken into his body. They were unsure of what they were seeing, a pony absorbing pure electricity. It shouldn’t be possible, and yet there it was, happening right in front of their own eyes. In a few moments, the storm disappeared completely, the pegasus’ tail glowing with power. Unable to hold in the energy, Lightning shot it all out in one large, quick burst, straight into the night sky.
The crisis passed, he looked down at all the ponies who were staring at him, jaws hanging down. His breathing was ragged, his body tired from using up most of his energy. He floated down to the ground, waiting for somepony to say something. Anything.
---
Lightning rested on a cloud high above Rainbow’s house. Nopony would be able to find him way up here. The past few days had been terrible on him.
“HEY, LIGHTNING!” The pegasus jumped several yards into the air, but stopped once he had realized what happened.
“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing?” he asked, floating back down to the rainbow maned mare.
“You’ve been doing nothing but sulking for days. I thought I’d cheer you up.” She spoke with a genuine smile, although he could hear some concern in the mare’s voice.
“First of all, isn’t that Pinkie’s job? Second, you would too if everypony in Ponyville thought you were a freak,” he said as he lied down, face half buried in the cloud.
“Not everypony hates you,” she said reassuringly, putting her hoof on his back.
“Out of all the ponies in town, only less then 20 don’t hate me, and that includes the nine that already knew about my abilities.”
“Lightning,” she began, a little shakily, “things look bad, but I’m sure things will get better. You just need to wait.”
“They tried to send me to Celestia so she could ‘banish me to the Moon’.” He looked at her with a mixture of anger and sadness.
“OK, not promising, but they might change their mind,” she spoke nervously. Lightning gave a heavy sigh, looking away from the mare. “I know things aren’t working out how you hoped, but maybe you should give everypony another chance. Go about your usual day, and maybe they’ll realize you’re just like them.” He offered no response, instead keeping his face down into the cloud. “I guess I’ll see ya later then.” She flew off, leaving the stallion to ponder his position. He looked toward the sun, guessing the time to be early morning. What have I got to lose?
---
Apparently, more then I thought. “Hey, I’m back,” spoke Rainbow Dash, returning to the house. It didn’t take her long to find the stallion, as he was sprawled on the couch with a distant look in his eyes. “Did you take my advice?”
“I should’ve stayed home today,” he said in reply, burying his head in the back of the cloud couch.
“That bad?”
“They threw rocks at me,” he said, showing a few light cuts on his body. “Didn’t hurt, but it was annoying. The only ponies that didn’t attack me were Ditzy Doo and her daughter Dinky, the mayor, Big Mac and Granny Smith, and the Cakes. I knew I should have left Ponyville earlier. This always happens.” He kept his voice low and calm, which made him sound worse then if he was whining.
“You don’t really mean that, do you? You have friends here.” She used her most reassuring voice, but Lightning could still hear a twinge of worry.
“Which reminds me,” he started, making the mare listen closer, “I think you guys should act like you never knew.” Rainbow’s face betrayed her shock. “I don’t want the other ponies making fun of you for being my friend.” He meant well, but she took it with an angered tone.
“What!? We are your friends, and you want us to lie!?”
“Yes,” he said quickly and bluntly. She stared at him in amazement, disbelief in her eyes.
“We are NOT going to abandon you!” she yelled, flying up and putting her hoof in his face. “We’ll stick with you until this is over. You can’t get rid of us that easily.” He tried to put on a smile, but his heart wasn’t in it.
“I appreciate it Rainbow, but I don’t think this will work.”
“Everything is going to be fine. You just gotta give it time.” A gong from a nearby clock told the pegasi the late time. “Please, just think about it.” Both pegasi went off to bed, both worried about what this could mean for the future.
That night, Lightning’s nightmare returned, showing the same horrifying image as before. Rainbow, bruised and beaten, and it was he who hurt her. The dream felt almost like a message to the stallion, telling him the one thing he did not want to hear, but what he had been thinking all day. It was time to leave, and this time for good.
---
“You don’t have to go!” cried out Scootaloo from behind the wall of electricity.
“I don’t have a choice.” Lightning’s voice remained calm, despite the situation. “This is the best option.” The onlooking ponies were crestfallen, unable to stop their friend from leaving town.
“Hey!” screamed Rainbow, causing him to look back for a moment. In his eyes, the mares saw defeat, and utter sadness and regret. “The only way I’m gonna let you go off is if you promise one thing. You have to come back one day. No matter what anypony else says, Ponyville is your home, and you belong here.” The stallion smiled genuinely for the first time in days, nodding his head as he turned and took off into the clouds.
“Wow Rainbow,” started Fluttershy,” that was really-”
“Don’t even think about it,” she interrupted, cutting the yellow pegasus off from what she was saying. The tension subsided temporarily, but returned just as quickly. The ponies remained for a moment, looking out towards where their friend had left to. They could not help but feel sadness, and one by one they left to return to their homes, each with their heads hung low.
When Rainbow Dash had made it back, she walked to the room where Lighting had been living until that morning. Taking a quick fly around the house, she noticed for the first time how empty it really was. A large building with only one occupant. When she first moved in, she enjoyed the emptiness, her home acting as the perfect place to get away from everypony else. Now it just felt lonely. She shed a few small tears before going back to her own room, where she tried, and failed, to sleep for many hours.
---
It was almost time. Soon, the monster could leave the dark cave, and then all of Equestria would be under its rule forever more. Celestia and Luna would be forced to face the same punishment as it had. Then the Elements would be the next to go down. Nopony will be able to save Equestria. Not this time. Not ever.
End Chapter 6
> Return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 7
Return
It had been several days since Lightning had left Ponyville. Many ponies were happy to have such a freak of nature out of their home, but, of course, there were a few ponies who were distraught over his leaving. Each one thought back on the past month with him, and how he became a true friend. They all dealt with it differently, each trying, and failing, to keep him out of their minds for the time being.
Pinkie threw several random parties, and played with Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s new foals, Pound and Pumpkin, but her heart could not feel the fun. With a friend gone and lost,she felt a hole in her chest. Her mind wandered back to the time Lightning helped her make “instant” cupcakes. She wanted to try a little experiment, wanting to bake in the fastest way possible. Unfortunately, that way involved blasting the dough with pure electricity. The others got a nice shock out of those, and she and Lightning got an earful when the swelling on their friends tongues went down. Leaving her memories, she stared out of her window, looking toward the sky, wishing for time to reverse itself.
Rarity tried to work on her new line of dresses, concentrating hard and looking for the perfect inspiration. She rummaged around her drawers and found a sketch of a dress she had planned on making. It was a bold and wonderful design that radiated a sense of power. The idea for the dress actually came from the now gone stallion. She adored the beauty of his electricity, and decided to use it as a base for a new dress. He even helped her by condensing some of his energy into a thin, harmless, solid mass, which Rarity could sow into the fabric. Using those, she could create a unique dress that has never been seen, and probably never would again. She never had a chance to create the dress itself, but the bolts were still laying around somewhere. Better late than never, she thought, and I even know exactly who I should make it for.
Fluttershy tended to the animals in her care, when a majestic falcon dropped down next to her. “Careful now, little one. You don’t want to hurt your wing again do you?” The falcon flew around the cottage, as if looking for something. When it could not find what it was looking for, it looked at the pegasus with a confused look. “I’m sorry falcon, but he left town a few days ago.” The bird gawked in surprise. This particular falcon had been found by Lightning when it injured it’s wing. Ironically, the stallion himself was still injured as well at this time. He brought the bird to Fluttershy, and came back every week to visit it, checking on its recovery. Fluttershy believed that Lightning adored the bird as much as it did him. If he didn’t leave when he did, he might have even taken the bird as his pet soon.
Applejack worked diligently in the orchard, gathering apples quickly with Big Macintosh. She glanced over to the other side of the farm, where they kept the zap apples trees. It reminded her of the day after the town learned the truth about Lightning. Big Mac and Granny Smith treated him the same as they always did, and the farm became a nice spot to lay low. That day also happened to be the final day of the zap apple harvest. After learning about how they worked, and how they disappeared at the end of the day, he told the farm ponies that he wanted to help. The two applebuckers looked at him skeptically, but he gathered some of the zap apple electricity, and melded it with his own. He used that energy to shock all the trees, feeding them with the power needed to keep them in existence, keeping the apples from leaving for an extra hour or two. Applejack was no longer suspicious of the stallion, but an act like that really earned her respect.
Twilight practiced her new spell just inside the Everfree forest. A spark came forth from her horn, but it quickly fizzled out. She came outside attempting to learn more about Lightning’s mysterious abilities. By no means did she want to obtain it, she wouldn’t be able to handle the dark magic or the intense power. She merely wanted to understand it and where it might have come from. When he first came to her about it, they discovered the evil magic that manifested the energy. On a later occasion, they found a way to contain some energy for later study, which the mare worked on when she had free time. Upon further inspection, she discovered that the magic was much more dangerous than they first believed, and the magical properties seemed a tad familiar to her. Unable to remember where she had felt this raw power before, and unable to learn more by mere studying, she focused on making a spell that resembled his ability, hoping to learn from a more hoof’s-on-experience. However, she could not even come close to recreating it. She did not have the strength required to pull it off, and she began to wonder just how powerful the pegasus really was.
Rainbow Dash was taking his leaving the hardest. The two pegasi had become best friends since he had come to town. They spent almost every day together, either working on cool new tricks or talking about the Wonderbolts and such things. She missed him more than she cared to admit, and did little more then eat, sleep, and work those days. She had two tickets to the Wonderbolts show in a few days, which she had planned to go to with Lightning, but now she would probably end up going with Fluttershy. That was fine, but the yellow pegasus wouldn’t have the same enthusiasm as the stallion. It wouldn’t feel the same to her. She looked at one of the pictures on the wall, one of her and Lightning in front of her house. The day he decided to stay in Ponyville. The day she thought meant the end of troubled times. She pressed her face into the pillow of her bed, and forced herself to sleep, a few tears escaping her eyes.
---
Lightning had been flying along, avoiding other ponies, and only stopping in towns occasionally to get food, and never staying longer then he had to. Whenever he stopped on a single cloud for more than a few minutes, it would begin to change to fit his mood, as it did for all pegasi, and turn into a dark black storm cloud. He wanted to stay back in Ponyville with his friends, but he knew it was too dangerous. He had told them he left because everypony hated him, but that might not have been the whole truth. Yes, he didn’t want to stay where he wasn’t wanted, but that alone wouldn’t drive him away from real friends. It was the nightmares. The same horrible dream had been plaguing him for a while. He hoped it would stop if he left town, but instead it got even worse. The farther from Ponyville he got, the more real the nightmare seemed to become. It scared him, because he didn’t want to hurt anypony, and yet that it never wanted to leave him. He couldn’t change what happened in the dream, and he couldn’t even wake himself up until the end. He would always wake up sweating and gasping for breath, Rainbow’s scream still ringing in his ears. Why? What could it mean?
---
It was finally time. The beast raised itself off the cold, hard ground. It had been resting its body, restoring in order to be ready for what lay ahead. It had already formulated its master plan. First, the monster would go to the castle and defeat the princesses, turning himself into Equestrias true ruler. Then, it would destroy the Elements of Harmony. Those relics have been a thorn in its side for eons, and it was time for them to be disposed of. It would have to move fast, knowing that the moment it used any magic, the princesses would know. It teleported itself outside, and began to move quickly toward Canterlot, invisible to normal ponies. Soon, it would be all over. All that waiting for this moment. It took only a minute to reach the castle, where the beast hid inside the shadows, making its way to the throne room. The room was adorned with several large windows, lightning the chamber in a bright glow. In the back rested two large chairs, one with a mark of the Sun, the other a symbol of the Moon. Only two ponies stood inside, each standing at the base of the stairs that led to the thrones. The larger of the two suddenly gained a worried look, and turned her head all around the room, searching.
“What’s wrong sister?” asked the smaller, darker pony.
The brighter pony responded to her younger sister with only two, unpleasant words. “It’s here.”
The unwelcome guest let out a low chuckle, it’s voice reverberating off the walls, making it impossible to exactly locate the source. “You always were perceptive, Celestia.” It mocked her as somepony might an ant.
The royal sisters instantly recognized the sinister voice and disrespectful tone. “You,” the Sun sister remarked sternly. “I should have guessed it was you.”
“What’s wrong your highness? You’re sweating.”
Indeed she was. She quickly took a hoof and dried her forehead. She turned around the chamber, seeking the source. “Where are you hiding!?” she yelled in a rare state of fury.
The room began to dim, the light seeming to be pulled away by some invisible force. “I am everywhere, and nowhere.” The monster chuckled low and long, sending a sharp chill down the alicorns spines. “I bet you’re wondering how I got to be so powerful.” Luna almost began to panic, but stood her ground. “All shall be revealed in due time, though. For now, how about a little... Poetic justice? Hm?” All the lights suddenly seemed to die, shrouding the room in total darkness. A muffled scream came out from the nothing, and a wave of invisible energy passed over all Equestria, stating the defeat of the Princesses.
---
Only one pony, many miles away, could feel the ripple, knowing instinctively what had occurred. He opened his wings and began his long flight back to Ponyville, somehow knowing that the Elements would be needed. He only hoped he would arrive with ample time to warn them.
End Chapter 7
> Take-Over
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 8
Take-over
The exploring ponies decided to bring the strange creature back to where the tribes had made their settlement, believing that it could be helpful. When they had returned, the beast saw the myriad of ponies, and hatched an idea. It convinced the leaders to gather all the ponies together, and soon, each had met in the center of the main city. The ponies believed that the creature would impart important wisdom onto them. Instead, it announced its rule. The ponies were alerted, and guards went on the attack. The beast performed strange feats of magic, making it impossible for anypony to get near it. The ponies resisted at first, but none could face it. They had no choice but to surrender, throwing Equestia into a new, terrible rule.
---
In almost half an hour, Lightning had reached the outskirts of Ponyville, panting heavily. “Hey, it’s Lightning.” The stallion looked over to see a grey pegasus with a blonde mane standing on a dark cloud.
“Ditzy! Thank Celestia, am I glad to see you.”
“I knew you’d come back,” she said, smiling. The mare began jumping on the cloud, causing small bolts of lightning to shoot out.
“Ditzy, listen, I need-” The stallion was interrupted by her yelps of delight. He tried to get her attention, but she wasn’t focusing on him, she instead continued bouncing, not listening to his calls. “Ditzy Derpy Doo, I need you to listen!” Few ponies knew her full name, fewer still ever called her it unless they urgently needed her attention. She stopped bouncing and stared at him. “Thank you. Now then, I need you to get Twilight and the others and bring them to town square, and tell them to bring the Elements of Harmony.” She nodded and flew off on her mission. The blue pegasus floated down to the ground, too tired to fly. He galloped to the center of town, ignoring all the nasty looks he got from onlooking ponies.
He had only to wait a few minutes before Ditzy had returned with six mares in tow. Five of whom were decorated with a golden necklace, each with a jewel in the shape of their cutie marks. The sixth was wearing a tiara of the same material and jewel style.
“Yay! Lightning’s back! We should-” Lightning placed a hoof over the pink pony’s mouth, silencing her before she started off on a rant.
“Pinkie, we can talk later. For now, I think we have a problem.”
“You know, the Elements of Harmony are really beautiful and all, but they always mean trouble,” chimed Rarity, looking at her necklace with both glee and disdain.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight inquired, too concerned to hear the fashionista.
“I’m not entirely sure. Less than an hour ago, I felt a strange power coming from Canterlot. I think something happened to the princesses.” The mares stood gaping, unsure of what this meant. “And whatever caused it is on it’s way here.”
“Oh my. How scary.” Fluttershy curled into a ball on the ground, trying to hide herself.
“Well, come on then,” started Rainbow Dash after a few seconds of silence. “Let’s go find this thing and save the princesses!”
“Hold it Rainbow,” shouted the purple unicorn as the multi colored mare started to fly off. “We don’t know what we’re up against. Lightning, when is this thing supposed to arrive?”
“Right now,” called a voice from nowhere. The wind turned cold, and gained speed, trying to pick up smaller ponies. Large, black clouds moved in, and condensed above the square. The clouds swirled together in a vortex of pure nothingness, and that’s when things took an unexpected turn. The black vortex turned pink, and the wind turned into sideways rain. Lightning and the others stood gaping, confused, when a dark silhouette appeared from the clouds. It came down to the ground, and suddenly released a flash of light, blinding the ponies. When they had regained sight, the ponies saw a strange beast in front of them. The creature had the head of a pony, but the rest of it’s body was a mix of several different animals. Its eyes glowed a deathly yellow with red pupils. The mares recognized him in an instant.
“Discord!” yelled Twilight, preparing to go on the offensive. The mares stood ready to fight, while Lightning stood by, staring. “I thought we trapped you in stone permanently.”
“Oh, please, Twilight Sparkle. I will admit, i did not expect you little ponies to trap me like that, but I was still prepared, just in case. Before I was completely turned to stone, I gathered my power together, so that I could escape again later. It wasn’t that hard, and gathering the magic like that seemed to only increase my capacity. Now, I am more powerful then ever before!” As an example, Discord raised his arms, and placed his hands together. The Sun and the Moon came together over in the sky, forming a solar eclipse. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he spoke, magically making sunglasses appear on his face, as he looked at his handy work.
“No,” she responded quickly.
“Ah well. You’ll love it soon enough.”
“We beat you once, we can do it again!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Right guys?” She looked over the faces of her friends, each of them ready to fight. However, she saw Lightning staring at Discord, silent, and looking as if ready to run. She followed his gaze, and realized he was not looking at the monster in front of them, instead his gaze fell beyond. She let out a gasp, and the others looked as well and saw what terror Discord had already caused. Behind the beast stood two statues, each of a tall pony with a horn and large wings. The faces twisted in fright. It was the Royal Sisters, Celestia and Luna. “That’s it! Now you’ve crossed the line!”
“Alright ladies,” Twilight yelled, “let’s finish this.” The ponies concentrated hard, and light began to come from their Elements, but before they had a chance to attack Discord, he snapped his fingers, producing a sharp sound, cutting off the magic, and removing the Elements from the mares. Surprised, the ponies saw that Discord was now holding the artifacts.
“Come now, my little ponies. Did you think I wouldn’t be ready for this? We haven’t even had our game yet. And it’s not going to be the same little maze game as last time. I have much bigger ideas.”
“They can take anything you throw at them,” Lightning stated, finally brought back to reality. “I know from personal experience, that these ponies can face any challenge.”
“And who, pray tell, are you?” Discord looked from over his sunglasses, eyeing the stallion unerringly. “Wait, let me guess. You’re their new friend, oh how sweet, a new pony for me to play with.”
“Leave him out of this, Discord,” cried Rainbow Dash. “He’s got nothing to do with these stupid games of yours.” She took a step forward, trying to turn Discords attention away from the blue and yellow pegasus.
“Oh really?” he asked with mocked curiosity. “In that case, how about I give you ponies a little more incentive to win? Hmm?” In a split second, Lightning was trapped in bubble of energy, floating next to Discord.
“Hey, what gives!?” he screamed, pounding against the walls, and even shocking it with lightning, trying anything to get out.
“Well that’s interesting.” Discord seemed more curious in the pegasus then before. “I shall take this pony has my trump card. Until the end of the contests, I shall hold on to him. He can only leave if you win.”
“Contests?” Pinkie asked.
“Yes, contests. Plural. And here is the arena!” With a wild, and unnecessary gesture involving all four limbs, his head, and tail, a coliseum rose out of the ground, large enough to hold all of Ponyville. With a snap, they were all transported inside, and everypony in Ponyville was now sitting in the stands. Discord stood on a balcony, high above the ground, next to him a throne and the statues of the princesses, Lightning still floating nearby. The mares found themselves standing in the center of the arena, easily visible from all sides. “Attention everypony!” he yelled, using magic to amplify his voice. All chattering immediately stopped, and all eyes turned toward Discord. “Welcome to my arena. Tomorrow, this will be the site of the greatest set of challenges in pony history! Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash will face six challenges which will test their skills. The prizes are the Elements of Harmony, and the return of their friend. We shall begin the first contest at noon. At that time, you will all be teleported back here, and until then you are all free to go.” The ponies in the stand went back home as quickly as they had been sent there. “Except you six,” he spoke to the mares on the ground. “You shall all be given special quarters here in the arena.”
“Stay here!? In this dusty place? That is unsanitary,” Rarity screamed out. The thought of staying in a place built out of the ground horrified her.
“Oh don’t worry Rarity, I have a place for you six to stay all prepared. See you tomorrow.” With a clap of his hands, Discord sent the mares to a large chamber. The room was separated into six equal parts, each obviously meant for a specific pony.
“Is that mah bed?” Applejack asked, looking over to a spot with a farmhouse look.
“Wait a minute, I think this is part of the library,” remarked Twilight, seeing her own area. “These don’t just look like our beds, they are our beds! He took an entire part of each of our houses!”
There were no exits from the chamber save for a window near Rainbow’s bed. The multi-hued pegasus had already attempted to escape, but the window was just small enough to prevent her from leaving. From there, the ponies could see that Ponyville was in a state of confusion. Parts of it detached from the ground, some upside down, and others going in all sorts of directions. The weather shifted from wind, rain, sleet, snow, chocolate milk, cats, dogs, and pretty much anything else in the world. It was impossible to judge how much time had passed, for the solar eclipse stayed in it’s place in the sky, never moving or changing how much light reached the ground. It stayed in a permanent state of dusk.
---
“They will win tomorrow. I hope you know that.” Lightning had settled in his little bubble in Discord’s own quarters. The size of which constantly changed from large to small to medium, and every size in between. The color could not be determined, because it twisted and turned like a tie-dye animation on the walls, which turned and moved all around, changing gravity with as well.
“It is not about whether they win or lose, it’s about how much fun it is for me to watch.”
“But if they win, they get the Elements back, and then they can stop you.”
Discord let out a light chuckle, responding with a wry smile. “You ponies don’t seem to get it. The Elements of Harmony are powerless against me now. My power far surpasses those little trinkets. Even if they did win them back, they wouldn’t be able to stop me. My reign shall last an eternity.”
“I highly doubt that.” Lightning sat, unimpressed, thinking about an escape plan.
“There is no escape.” The pegasus almost freaked out, wondering how the monster had known his thoughts. “It’s not that hard to do. My abilities are incalculable, and reading minds is simplicity itself. Which brings me to you. Your powers are most unique. Electricity. Powerful. Uncontrollable. Chaotic.”
“What are you getting at?” he asked, annoyed.
“Oh, nothing. However, this is not the end. I will have to take a closer look at your ability tomorrow. However, I’m sure I already know the answer to my own question.” Lightning sat perplexed, unsure of what the creature meant by his words. He watched Discord jump and lay on the ceiling, where he quickly fell asleep. The stallion had no choice but to curl up and sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, and he would need sleep.
---
It had happened again. Lightning had a nightmare. He expected one, of course, but this one was different. Instead of a clear, simple strand of a dream, it was a mismatch of images, and thoughts. He had seen many things in his dream, and each image he saw terrified him more than the previous one. It had started with his friends, in the arena, tired and covered in dirt and dust. He saw a glimpse of himself, or should he say his other self, standing with Discord, watching the chaos, and smiling about it. He faced his friends, them looking ready to fight, though slightly hesitant, but him in full on attack mode, like a manticore ready to pounce upon its prey. He only caught a glimpse, but he saw that his other self wearing something on his neck. The images continued. He saw his friends again, each one looking sad and beaten. Only Rainbow was not with them. It moved on and showed her in her own room, looking out into the sky. He then saw himself, deep inside a dark cave, sweating, and holding his hooves to his head. The last image he saw was the same one from his previous nightmares, Rainbow with grief, terror, and pain on her face, covered in bruises and burns, and the horrible scream. The scream that shook him deeper than anything ever had, or ever will. He wanted it to stop, he wanted to end his own suffering, he didn’t want to hear it anymore, but it continued. It never stopped, it seemed to last an eternity. When at last he awoke, the only thought in his mind was the noise that shall never leave him.
---
“Welcome everypony, once again, to the Discord Coliseum!” Noon had come quickly, and time had come for the first challenge. “Let us meet the contestants, the Spirits of Harmony!” Twilight and the others walked in from a side entrance in silence, not a single sound could be heard. “Is everypony ready? No? Well too bad, because it’s time to get started!” A barrage of candy and toys shot straight into the sky. They exploded and transformed into a glowing liquid, raining down on Ponyville, bathing everything an eerie glow. However, a quick blast of upside down rain washed it all away. “Let the games begin!”
End Chapter 8
> Games Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 9
Games Part 1
“Hello, Equestria!” Ponies all over the kingdom looked around, searching for the voice that had suddenly appeared. “I would like you all to turn your attention to the eclipse.” Several ponies looked into the sky, and more followed suit. On the dark surface of the eclipse, a magical image had formed, showing the hideous monster that had taken control. “Today is first annual Discord Games. Here, the challengers must compete in six events, and only by winning them all can they hope to win fabulous prizes!” The image panned around to show the full arena, while Discord continued speaking. “Let’s see what they’re playing for!” Suddenly, two curtains appeared, and Discord stood between them. “For the first prize,” he pulled a cord, opening the first curtain. “The Elements of Harmony! The second prize,” he said, pulling another cord, “the return of their friend, Lightning!” Everypony could clearly see both the ancient relics, and the trapped stallion.
“Now then, the rules shall change depending on the event, and, without further ado, it is time for the first game!” The monster stuck out his hand, where a lever magically appeared. He pulled it, opening a trap door under the six ponies on the ground, causing them to fall on top of one another inside a dark, closed off area.
After picking themselves up off the floor, the ponies tried to get a sense of their surroundings, except that it was pitch black. “Where are we?” Twilight inquired, to nopony in particular.
Another magical image appeared before them, showing Discords face. “This is the first challenge, The Dungeon of Dangers!” Just then, Pinkie pushed all of her friends away from where they were previously standing, just before they heard a loud crack. The light of the magic allowed enough illumination to show that a boulder had fallen where the ponies had been standing moments before. “Very good Pinkie Pie.”
“What in the hay was that all about?” Applejack asked.
“This is the first challenge.” Discord replied. “The rules are simple. You must navigate this dungeon, and try to reach the treasure at the end, while avoiding all the special surprises I left you.” Back on the surface, the six ponies could be clearly seen on the eclipse, allowing others to watch what happens to them.
“Ugh. I do hope he allows us a bath after this one. I’m getting dirty.”
“Come on Rarity, we have to move quickly,” Twilight said, eyeing the other unicorn. “Pinkie, you take the front. Your Pinkie Sense could come in handy.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” The pink pony bounced up to the front, and kept going, smiling all the time. She led the ponies down a long corridor, Twilight using magic to shed a dim light, allowing them to see.
Although the dungeon rested underground, a strange, cold wind blew through from time to time. Pinkie suddenly stopped, causing the others to run into each other, and falling to the ground. “Pinkie, why’d yall stop?” Applejack asked, confused. The pink pony didn’t respond, but instead kicked a small rock in front of her, rolling it out further. The ground where the pebble had landed started to shake, and fell away, revealing a large hole that led on forever. “Phew. I guess that answers mah question.” The mares carefully trotted around the hole, not feeling safe until they left it long behind. Pinkie continue to avoid any traps they came upon. Spikes popped out of the floor, arrows shot from the walls, and boulders constantly tried to crush them, except Pinkie always knew what would happen ahead of time. She merrily skipped through the dungeon, weaving in, around, over, under and everything in between, her face never losing that Pinkie Pie smile.
---
“Well, Discord,” Lightning began, as he watched his friends. “It looks like they’re going to bypass the first challenge without a hitch.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” the monster chuckled. “The first is supposed to be the easiest, and besides, the fun has only just begun.” He spoke the last line with a sinister tone, as he swirled a glass of milk in his hands, drinking the glass. “So, I suggest you watch closely, you never know what surprises might be waiting them.” Discord looked back the eclipse, watching the mares continue. Please be safe, Lightning thought to himself.
---
They had come to crossroads several times, but the party pony never even stopped, except for once. They had been wandering for a good thirty minutes by then, although it felt longer. There were only two choices, and Pinkie stood looking at each one. She began to stomp her hooves around nervously.
“What’s wrong Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, I’ve got three different senses going off at once.”
“A combo?” Rainbow Dash chimed.
“No. This is different. I have one telling me the left is the fastest way out, but another says it’s dangerous that way. I also have a sense telling me the right is safe. Oh, what should we do?” She did a little stomp in place out of nervousness.
“We should go the fastest route, even if it’s dangerous,” Rainbow Dash answered, preparing to move down the left corridor.
“I think Rainbow is right,” Twilight declared. “I’m sure we can handle whatever is down there.” The ponies walked carefully, unsure of what danger could be worse than what they have previously seen. As they walked, they could see a light in the far distance. They sped up, trying to reach what seemed to be the end of this challenge. They stopped suddenly, however, almost falling into the large chasm in front of them.
“Great,” the farm pony moaned. “Now what?”
“I vote for leave,” Fluttershy spoke softly, trying to back away.
“Don’t worry girls, I’m sure we can find some way across,” the purple unicorn reassured.
“Are you quite sure about that, Twilight Sparkle?” Discord had opened another magical image to talk with the mares. “I am sure you have already noticed the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, you have almost completed the first event. However, there is one last thing for you to do.” The mares had no choice but to wait and listen. “Before you is bottomless chasm, and if you fall in, you never hit the bottom. Your task is to get across to the opposite side, where the treasure awaits.”
“Pfft. Easy peasy.” Rainbow Dash tried to fly to the other side, but hit something in mid air. “What the hay?” she wondered, rubbing a new bump on her head with a hoof.
Discord let out a long laugh. “I guess you didn’t let me finish. There is a path, however it is invisible to all but me. And to prevent you from flying, I’ve added an outer wall and ceiling, thus keeping you grounded, so to speak. Have fun.” The image disappeared, fading away like mist. Pinkie Pie walked along the edge for a minute, trying to decide where to start. She soon stopped, and took a tentative step forward. She had found solid ground, which is exactly how it felt. She carefully led the others through, taking multiple twists and turns, stopping many times to make sure everypony was going in the right direction. It had taken several minutes, but soon all six ponies had made it to the end, safe and sound. They ran towards the light, and found an empty opening, with an exit on the other side, and a treasure chest in the middle.
“What do ya’ll thinks in it?” Applejack asked. “Pinkie, do ya’ll think thar are any traps or somethin?”
“Nope. Everything's just fine.” The pink pony had regained her usual bounciness, and hopped up to the chest. She opened it without hesitation, but the look on her face was one of surprise, and then excitement. She reached in a pulled out a strange cube. It appeared to be made of pure diamond, though it seemed to be riddled with grooves, and markings, none of which seemed to match with any others.
“Well,” Rarity began, “That is a beautiful diamond, but what in Equestria is all this?” she wondered, pointing a hoof to the engravings. The ponies continued, and reached the surface, where the harsh light of the eclipse blinded them. They heard cheers from the crowd, and all over Equestria, ponies began to believe that the mares could pull it off, and defeat Discord once again.
“Congratulations, my little ponies! Now is time to explain that box you have, as well as the next challenge!”
“Bring it on!” Rainbow cried out. She was itching to win.
“Very well. The box you are holding is actually a puzzle of the highest degree.” He took a short pause. “Twilight Sparkle, I commend your efforts to try and think it out, but it won’t work.” The ponies all seemed shocked by his reading of the purple unicorns mind. “I will hold on to the box, while you six face the second challenge. The Cavern of Conundrums.”
“The cave of what now?” Applejack asked.
“Conundrums. It means puzzles, or problems.”
“Very good Twilight. Now, please enter the cavern, and I will explain the next challenge." A violent shaking drew the ponies attention behind them. They turned to see that a tunnel opening had sprouted from the ground, sloping downwards.
"We have to back underground?" Rarity complained. "I do hope we get a bath after this." Discord let out a short chuckle at his own thoughts, before blocking the opening to the cavern. The ponies continued without looking back on the now closed entrance. Unlike the dungeon, the cave held lit torches on the walls, allowing them to know exactly where they were going. Nothing had changed after walking for several minutes, until they had come upon a door which blocked their path.
"Great," said Rainbow Dash sarcastically. "Now what?"
"Simple, Rainbow Dash." Discord has once again made a connection. "Here are the rules, you must move through my cavern, answering riddles, puzzles, and questions on the way."
"Is that it?" Applejack wondered, her face turned in confusion.
"You wish, Applejack. If you answer incorrectly, then the pony who answered will be taken out of the cave, and will slowly turn to stone as she watches the others move through. The only way to return to normal is if the remaining ponies can complete the course before the transformation is complete. Good luck." The image disappeared with a flash, leaving the ponies alone.
"So what does the first question say?" Pinkie asked quickly, looking at Twilight.
The unicorn took a quick look at the stone wall, then put on a satisfied look. "The question says, 'What is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides of 3 and 4.' This is simple geometry, and the answer is 5." The others waited to see if their friend would vanish, but instead they felt the ground shuddering, and the wall began to rise up, causing a ghastly rock-on-rock screech.
"Good job Twilight," Fluttershy started. "Maybe this won't be so bad." The mares quickly came to a large opening, completely empty except for another door on the opposite side of the chamber, with three locks on each side, and a large button protruding from the ground in front. Twilight took a careful step onto the small pedestal, causing it to fall into the ground. One of the locks released, and all around the ground shook, and platforms and paths rose up, five more buttons appearing as well. Twilight reasoned that all six buttons had be activated at the same time and began to formulate a plan. Before the others could move to them, however, all around, more buttons appeared, covering the walls and ceiling in the stone contraptions.
On the ground in front of the lavender unicorn laid an inscription. 6 buttons you want, each leading to the next. Follow the path, or you shall face my wrath.
"Well that's helpful," Rainbow Dash commented sarcastically. "What do we do now? There must be hundreds of buttons."
Twilight pondered for a few minutes, looking all around. The buttons had a small surface, barely large enough for her to stand on, and were covered in scratches. She looked carefully, and noticed that the stone she stood on contained a small version of her cutie mark on the top. Directly below it was what appeared to be an arrow made from the scratches, pointing to her left. She let out a small gasp, as she stumbled on an idea. She pointed a hoof to match the arrow. "Rainbow Dash, fly in that direction and search the buttons. Look closely at the marks, and see if you can find anything."
"Um, alright." She floated above the buttons, checking each one individually, until she stopped above one several yards away. "Hey, this one has Applejack cutie mark, and an arrow on it." The farm pony maneuvered herself between the buttons, trotting carefully to where the pegasus hovered. As soon as she stepped on top of the button, it sank into the ground, releasing another lock. Afterwards, Twilight could easily get each mare to the correct spot, opening the door ahead of them. However, as soon as the unicorn moved from her own, the ground moved violently, and the floor began to crumble, revealing a pool of lava deep below.
"RUN!" she screamed. The others did not need to be told twice. They galloped out just before the ground had completely vanished, panting hard as they tried to catch their breath, continuing a minute later.
---
"Well that was certainly amusing, wasn't it?" Discord chuckled to Lightning as they looked on.
"No," he responded sternly.
"No matter. You shall see it my way soon enough."
The pegasus looked at him quizzically. "What makes you so sure?"
"In due time, young protege, in due time."
I have a bad feeling about this. What could he have planned for me? Wait a minute. "If you know what's going to happen, can you see the future?" It seemed impossible, but then again, Discord was a master of the impossible.
"Well, since you asked, yes. Although, I don't generally use that ability. It spoils the fun of uncertainty. However, my dreams used to sometimes show the future without my wanting them too, but I learned to control that eons ago." The more Lightning knew about the monster, the less he understood. Seeing the future should be impossible, and yet here was a being who said his dreams could tell the future. He turned his attention back to eclipse, watching his friends from afar.
---
The mares had easily bypassed any challenge that came their way. Most were questions a pony might see in school, covering subjects such as physics, history, calculus, biology, and anything in between. Twilight answered each question mere moments after reading them, and solved riddles in seconds. They had come to more chambers such as the earlier one, but those seemed like simplicity itself in her eyes. They soon came upon a smaller opening, the inside holding a pedestal with a colorful cube resting on the top.
"Is that ah Ponyx Cube?" asked Applejack.
Twilight cantered to the cube to get a better look. It didn't take long to see that this was no ordinary Ponyx Cube. A normal version of the toy contained a 3x3 grid on each face, but this one was much larger than others and the faces contained an 18x18 grid of small blocks. "Don't worry girls, I'll have this done in no time." She lifted the toy with her magic, which released a small burst of power, slowly turning the other ponies behind her into stone.
"What in tarnation!"
"Twilight, would you be so kind as to finish that quickly?"
"Um, help please. That is, if you wouldn't mind? "The purple unicorn worked furiously, but each time she had one or two sides, the other four would be far from done. Her friends had almost completely turned to stone, everything but their snouts covered in rock, before she finished. The others fell from their prisons, and ahead of them an inscription magically appeared on the wall.
Twilight read it aloud, "Congratulations." How mocking. "The box found in the dungeon can only be activated by using a magic key, which rests at the bottom of the ‘Sea of Suffering’."
"Well that doesn't sound too good," remarked Pinkie Pie. A door opened next to them, and they followed the path back into the arena.
"Which is exactly why they are going to win," Lightning chimed with a smile.
"We shall see about that. Anyhow, you have obtained the answer you sought, and it’s time to move on to the last event of the day."
"Can we get a bath first?" Rarity complained. "I am positively filthy."
Discord snapped his fingers, and one side of the arena split open, showing a large body of water beyond. The ponies had no idea how such a thing could appear in the middle of Ponyville, but they thought it better not to ask. "You don't expect us to bathe here, do you?"
"No. This is the setting of the next game. The Sea of Suffering. You must locate the key, which is made of pure sapphire, somewhere at the bottom of this ocean. Don't worry though, it's not as large as it seems."
"And ya'll expect us to jus be able to breath underwater?" The beast pointed in their direction, and their heads became covered in a bubble of air, which never seemed to deflate or be filled with bad air.
"These will give you fresh air to breath while searching in the water. Be careful now, you never know what dangers you'll find." He laughed at them as they cautiously swam below the surface.
"So how are we going to find this key?" Dash wondered aloud. "We don't even know where to start looking."
"Simple Rainbow Dash," started Rarity. Her horn glowed a pale blue, almost invisible in the water. "He said the key was made of sapphire, right? That means I can use my gem tracking spell to find it. Follow me." She swam off, the others following close behind.
Things moved smoothly, as nothing abnormal had happened. No obstacles had come in their path, and the ponies began to silently hope that this would be a simple and uneventful challenge.
Or not. The water got darker as they swam deeper, and a shadow passed behind them. They turned but saw nothing. More soon appeared, but it was impossible to tell what the figures were that swam with the mares. Pinkie's back right knee began to itch, and she turned around, her mouth hung open in fright. The others turned as well, and saw a pack of large sharks looking over them. Everything remained silent for a moment, until Fluttershy let out a muffled scream.
Knocked out of their stupor, the ponies tried to swim away as fast as possible, but the sharks kept them trapped in a circle. "Well ya'll," the farm pony began, removing her hat from on top of her bubble, “guess this is the end. It was nice knowing you girls." The ponies agreed and drew together in a circle, waiting for the end. The sharks moved forward, and everything went black.
---
"NO!" Lightning screamed, looking into the darkness of the eclipse. Most ponies in the crowd looked away, several small ones crying at the loss. He could distinctly hear Applebloom and her friends amongst the crowd, calling for the return of the mares.
"Quite a turn of events." Discord kept the same emotion in his face as before, possibly more sinister.
Lightning snapped, turning toward his captor. "You did this! This is all your fault! When I get out of here you're going to wish you were still a statue! Because of you, Twilight, and Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash-" He couldn't hold it in any longer. He fell to his stomach, feeling about to vomit at the thought of his friend's fate. His body was a mix of emotions, his powers threatening to tear him apart from the inside.
He nearly broke into tears, until he heard somepony scream "Look! They're OK!" For a moment, the stallion thought it to be another joke by Discord, but he risked looking up anyways, and saw that the mares were still safe, the sharks trapped by a coil of purple scales.
---
"Steve Magnet?" Rarity asked, looking at the serpent. "How in Equestria did you get here!?"
"Well, one minute I was swimming merrily in my river, and the next thing I know some other river connects right next to me. I follow it down and lo and behold I should find some poor ponies in danger. I already knew what was happening thanks to the strange eclipse, but I didn't think something like this would happen."
"Well, thank you for your help. By the way, I see your moustache has grown back. It looks lovely."
"Oh thank you. You know, I-"
"Can we do this later please!" Rainbow interrupted. "We have a friend to save and a villain to stop."
"Oh. Yes. Very well then. I would love to talk to you later Steve. Au revoir." The ponies swam on, the purple sea serpent waving good bye.
Back on the surface, everypony in Equestria cheered the mares on. Lightning had regained his cool and sat silently watching. This was the scariest thing that has ever happened to him, not knowing whether his friends were alive or dead. The stress was too much.
Rarity had continued to lead the others, deeper into the water, and what felt like several miles away from where they had started. "The key should be just around this next bend." They made the final turn, and saw a field full of identical blue keys. "Oh my. This might be tricky." The ponies searched every key, but they could see no differences in any of them. Rarity focused on a single key with her magic. After a few seconds, she made a realization. "Hold on everypony. I think that these keys are made of something combined with sapphire."
"And that means what now?" the farm pony responded.
"Remember what Discord said? The key is made of pure sapphire. It may take a minute, but should be able to find it." She held true to her promise, and soon held a sheet of metal, in a pattern that resembled the grooves on the diamond box. In an instant, the water had drained and the mares appeared back in the arena.
"Good job, my little ponies. It looks like that is the end of the first day. Tomorrow marks the conclusion of the Discord Games. Have a good nights sleep." He took the key and teleported all the ponies back to their homes, and placed the mares into their quarters, leaving only himself and his captive. "As for you," he said, looking at the blue pegasus, "how about we have a chat?" The monster walked around the floating orb, Lightning remained still, following with his eyes.
“What do you want to chat about?” His face remained serious and calm. He didn’t want to show any weakness to this monster of a being.
“You might not have noticed, but all day I have peeking into your mind.” The pegasus tried not to change his expression, although on the inside he was worried about what Discord was doing. “I did a little research into both your memories, and your powers. Upon finding a memory of Twilight doing her own research, I decided to take a look as well. I think I know exactly where your power came from.” His eyes sparked with energy, and Lightning’s own eyes grew wide with fear, as he released a scream of desperation.
End Chapter 9
> Games Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 10
Games Part 2
Discord had reassembled all the ponies back to the arena. The mares had slept soundly, but they didn’t feel no more rested then they had the night before. The everlasting dusk seemed to be darker than usual, and Rainbow was the first who first noticed a serious issue. She had looked up to Discord, sitting on his throne, if only to make sure Lightning hadn’t been hurt. “Hey,” she exclaimed. “What happened to Lightning?” Her anger began to swell inside, ready to attack the draconequus.
“Oh, he wasn’t feeling quite, himself today.” Discord laughed a little, confusing the ponies. “Don’t worry though. He is safe and sound.”
Dash shook a hoof at Discord in anger. “He better be, or I’m gonna-”
“Rainbow, we have to focus. We can’t help him as things stand.”
“You’re right Twilight.” She sighed and allowed herself to calm down.
“Very good.” Discord brought out both the box and the sheet found the day previously, and floated them to Twilight. She matched the grooves on the diamond to the pattern of the sheet, taking mere minutes to piece them together. When she finished, the box began to glow a brilliant blue, blinding the ponies in the audience. When they looked back, the mares disappeared once again.
Twilight opened her eyes first. Looking around, she noticed that they had been transported to a large, open area. The very air seemed tinged with blue, and she walked forward. She soon came to a mirror, one that discolored her body sapphire. A quick look told her that she reached the wall, and the mirror spread all around. Regrouping with her friends, she told them of her discoveries.
“And, that means what, exactly?” Rainbow asked.
“It means-” Twilight started, before she got cut off by the distorted image of Discord.
“That you will all be forced to think inside the box, now.” He chuckled at his own joke, Pinkie Pie being the only pony to join in, but she stopped quickly when she saw the glares from the others.
“Wh-what are you going to do to us?” Fluttershy asked, hiding behind Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me,” Discord chuckled. “You should focus on worrying about them!” Bright, white lights shone in the center of the box, forming into a multitude of shapes. “Welcome, to the Box of Beasts!” he exclaimed, his image dissipating.
The light wove itself into all types of monsters. One of each. A four headed hydra, an angry manticore, an Ursa Minor and Major, a terrifying timberwolf, and even a small cockatrice. “Wow, that’s, a lot of monsters,” the blue pegasus said, eyes wide in shock.
“Come on girls,” Twilight said shakily. “I’m sure we can take them.”
“Um, I think I’ll just stay back here,” Fluttershy added, crouching behind the now battle ready group. Pinkie let out a low, unintimidating growl, and Dash snorted a puff of air from her nose. For a moment, only silence. Suddenly, the monsters roared all at once, barrelling towards the ponies. Or to them. Food.
Applejack jumped as one of the hydra heads slammed its maw in the air where she stood moments earlier. She landed on the head, and jumped onto its back as the other three heads collided trying to catch her. Pulling a rope from her hat, she tied a lasso and threw it around the necks of the monster. “Ah gotja naw!” she exclaimed through the rope.
A pink blur passed in front of the farm pony’s eyes, followed quickly by a wooden figure. “Come on, wolfy. You can’t be this bad a t tag!” Pinkie giggles, bouncing around the timberwolf’s claws. “Hey, Rainbow Dash! You wanna play too?”
“Kinda busy here, Pinkie!” the blue pegasus responded. Dodging a stab from the manticore’s tail, she flew and bucked the beast’s head, sending it flying off several feet. The beast roared in anger, pouncing toward the pegasus. An orange mass rammed its side, however, sprawling it yards away, dazed and surprised. “Thanks, Applejack.”
“No prahlem pahdna.”
Rainbow looked to where the Ursas were battling two much smaller figures. “Rarity! Twilight! How are you holding up?” she yelled.
“Well,” the white unicorn began, “we’re surviving. For now.” The fashionista’s blue magic attempted to move the smaller star monster, but succeeded in only shifting its finger. “Oh dear,” she exclaimed, the beast bringing down its massive paw down on her. A flash of purple and white, and Rarity reappeared behind the befuddled beast, a purple unicorn next to her. “Thank you, Twilight. Do we have a plan?”
“For now, ‘distract and survive.’ If we can do that, I might be able to think of a way to beat them.”
“So that’s a no?” The other unicorn nodded shakily. “Right then.” The unicorns heard a slam, and turned to see a rainbow maned pegasus hit the wall, hard. The manticore walked proud and strong toward her. A low growl returned the two unicorns back to the Ursas, the larger one ready to swipe a claw at them. “Not good.”
Picking up the surprised cockatrice from behind, she flew over the monsters, and floated in front of her friends. “Sorry about this, but no one hurts my friends.” She lifted the small creature, forcing it to look into the eyes of the monsters. They quickly changed into stone, falling over with a thud. She released the cockatrice with a gentle “Thank you,” and turned back to her friends.
“Wow, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash said after a short, stunned silence. “That was great!” The yellow mare blushed, as the image of Discord returned, the monsters fading out.
“Well, well. That was quite the show.” The ponies glared angrily at the draconequus. “Oh, don’t look so miff. Why not celebrate? How about a vacation to a tropical island?” With a snap of his fingers, the ground vanished, and the mares fell through.
---
Applejack opened her eyes slowly, shaking her head to fix the blurriness. “What in tarnation?” she wondered, taking in her surroundings. A clear blue sea stretched out to the horizon, and the sand below melded to her form. The farm pony turned and saw a forest of the darkest green spread out behind her.
“Oh, maybe he really did send us on a vacation!” Pinkie suggested, her head popping out of the ground.
“I highly doubt that, Pinkie.” Twilight stood up slowly, rubbing her head with a hoof. “This is probably another one of his stupid games.”
“Right you are, Twilight Sparkle.” Discord faded into existence, body and all. Rainbow pounced on him instantly, attempting to strike him to the ground. She passed through his body, however, and took a mouthful of dirt. The part of Discord where the pegasus struck reformed itself out of mist. “Ooh, nice try, Rainbow Dash, but no dice. You see, this,” he raised his arms, showing off the surroundings, the sun perched directly between them, “is the Isle of Illusions. Nothing is as it seems.” He chuckled maliciously, his body breaking into mist, spreading out across the island.
“Ya know, ah’m gettin mighty tired o’all this.”
“I feel the same way, Applejack,” a white unicorn said, trotting next to the orange earth pony. “But we don’t have a choice. If we are going to retrieve the Elements and save Lightning, we must follow his rules, no matter how annoying.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash asked, energized by fresh anger as motivation. “Our only option now is to go into the forest.” The mares trekked in silence as they stepped into blindness.
After several minutes, Applejack spoke first. “Whoo-wee. I can’t see head nor flank of anythin here. Barely see the hoof in front of my face. How ya’ll girls holdin up?” No response. “What the hay! Where’d ya’ll go?” she asked, trying to see her friends.
She heard a filly’s giggle nearby, and saw a small shadow ahead of her. “Applebloom, is that you?” The shadow darted away, chuckling softly. “Wait. Come back!” The farm pony chased the sound through the mist, weaving around low hanging branches and mud pits, slowly catching up to the figure.
The orange pony soon found herself in a small clearing, even the mist did not enter the area. Across the small field stood a yellow filly, cloaked in shadows. “Stop followin me!” it yelled, surprising the mare. “I hate you and I never wanna see you again! You didn’t stop Discord from taking over Ponyville!” it rushed back into the mist, leaving Applejack staring forward.
“Applebloom? No. No! This can’t be real! I-I-” She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, darkness pouring into the sides of her vision. With her eyes half closed, she saw a shimmering tower ahead of her. The earth pony walked unsteadily towards the tall blue obelisk, which seemed to disappear when she opened her eyes, an engraved image of Discord laughing on the front. She stuck her hoof out and felt the smooth stone. In rage, she turned and bucked with all her might. The structure became visible as it crumbled away, the blackness vanishing from her vision.
Five mares dropped out the receding mist, each waking up slowly. “Ugh,”Twilight groaned, getting up shakily to her hooves. “What just happened?”
“Seems like ya’ll gals fell for those derned illusion thingys,” Applejack answered, helping Rarity stand.
“Well, I think that was quite cruel. I thought Sweetie Belle hated me for a minute. I mean-” Rarity stopped, staring beyond the orange mare.
“Rarity? What’s wrong?” she asked, looking behind her. “Woah.” A large mansion had suddenly appeared, the trees vanished without a sound, and a light fog blanketing the ground around it. The building stood 3 stories high, and painted a dull grey, strips of paint falling off and exposing the wood beneath. The black roof leaned precariously, a few shingles threatening to slide off. “I sure hope we ain’t supposed to go there next.”
A large, glowing arrow beamed in front of the mares, pointing toward the house, printed on it read ‘Manor of Madness’. “Come on ya’ll. Lets check it out,” she sighed, walking forward. She pushed open the large, wooden double doors, a chill falling down each ponies spine as they entered the eerie building. The foyer was adorned with faded paintings too far gone to identify on the walls, and an ancient suit of armor stood guard on each side. A creaky chandelier swung from overhead, letting out a ghostly screech. The ponies walked down the deep red carpet which led to the center stairs that raised to the second floor.
“Come on girls!” Pinkie yelled, surprising the others. “I know what’ll cheer you up. When I was a little filly and the sun was going doooowwwwn.”
“Pinkie, I don’t think we need the song again,” Twilight interrupted. Silence. “Pinkie?” The lavender unicorn turned, but the usually talkative mare was nowhere in sight.
“Where did she go!?” Dash asked to nopony in particular, hovering over where the pink earth pony had stood.
“I don’t know, but-” A few seconds passed without Rarity continuing her sentence.
“But what Rarity?” The blue pegasus turned and gasped. The white unicorn vanished as well. “Okay, this is officially getting creepy.”
Fluttershy trotted up to one of the suits of armor. “I feel like these suits are watching me.” She looked into the eye sockets, the darkness peering at her.
“Fluttershy, we need to stay together. Let’s check upstairs.” Twilight turned to look up the stairs, wondering what could await them, when the yellow pegasus let out a quick scream. The mares looked back, the pegasus gone, and no trace left behind. “Fluttershy!”
“Whoa, nelly. This ain’t lookin too good.” The ponies gathered together at the base of the steps, back to each other, keeping an eye on all angles. “Alright, we’re gonna walk up real slow like. See what’s up there.” Step by step, the three mares climbed the stairs, not making any sounds nor hearing any. They made their way to the top, hallways leading off to the sides and around the first floor. A pony could look down from all sides. Doors spread out along the halls on the sides, and empty wall prepared to greet anypony who climbs the stairs.
“Okay,” Rainbow started. “Looks like we made it up safe and sound. Right guys?” She looked around her. “Guys?” Twilight and Applejack both were both gone. “Uh oh.” The multi hued mare walked carefully, checking each door as she passed them. All of them were empty, deprived of any furniture or items of any type.
However, one room contained an odd picture. It seemed to be the only thing not rotting in the whole house. Rainbow Dash walked forward, and picked the picture off the wall. She saw Lightning sleeping on her couch, and her placing a blanket over his body.
She dropped the picture, a crack forming in the glass in the space between the two ponies. “Reminds you of a happier time, doesn’t it?” a stallions voice asked from nowhere.
“Who’s there?” Dash asked, looking all around.
“Too bad you can never go back to it.”
“What do you mean?” As much as she wanted to find her friends and chase down whatever this was, she felt compelled to ask.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” The voice seemed more solid, and Dash turned to see a white and black blur pass the door.
“Wait! Come back here!” She opened her wings and flew down the corridor, barely seeing a black tail move through another door. She followed and found a winding staircase. She flew straight through the center, and came out an opening on the third floor. The figure seemed to always be just turning a corner, as she saw it down the hall.
She soon came to a stone room, which seemed odd considering the house was made of wood. Her friends sat tied together with rope one corner, a cloth around their mouths to prevent them from speaking. “Are you guys alright?” she asked, walking closer. They pointed their heads behind her, and she turned to see a dark shadow standing in another corner. Without hesitating, she pounced on the figure, sprawling him into the light. She stood atop the pegasus stallion, and looked into his crimson eyes. His muzzle inches from her own.
“Looks like you caught me, Rainbow Dash,” Lightning said as he vanished in a puff of smoke.
End Chapter 10
> Ultimate Transformation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ultimate Element
Chapter 11
Ultimate Transformation
Rainbow Dash stared in shock as the world around her reverted back to the arena. The entire audience looked on with almost as much confusion and surprise. Lightning stood next to Discord, his white coat gleaming in the sun, his blood red eyes looking down on the mares.
Discord clapped sadistically, walking forward to the edge of his balcony. “Congratulations to the Spirits of the Elements of Harmony! Quite the turnout, if I do say so myself. You really show that you can overcome.” The ponies paid no attention to the monster, but their gaze settled on their friend.
“I think they’re a bit surprised by my new look, master,” he said calmly, seeing how the mares stared.
“Ah, yes. An explanation may be in order, but we can save that for later. Now, as for-”
“What do you mean, later!?” Rainbow Dash yelled, stopping the draconequues from speaking. “What did you do to him!?”
Discord snapped his fingers, the blue pegasus’ mouth suddenly zipped shut. “You must let me finish, Rainbow Dash. Now, to present the prizes!” Fireworks shot from behind him, making shapes in the sky showing off the main points of the Games. Pinkie dodging a rock. Twilight answering a question. Rarity and Steve Magnet. Fluttershy holding a cockatrice. Applejack destroying the obelisk. Rainbow Dash knocking Lightning to the ground. The magical jewelry flashed onto the mares.
“See you all next time!” Discord said with a wave. A flash of light, and the arena and all the spectators vanished. Only Discord, Lightning, and the six mares remained, alone on a field of checkered grass, a throne and pair of large statues behind the monster.
“Alright, explanations now, Discord!” Rainbow Dash practically screamed. “Change him back! We had a deal!” She crouched into attack position, ready to pounce at a moments notice.
“Ah, not quite so,” he replied, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. “I said I would release him. Which I did. And now he wants to stay with me. Isn’t that right?” he asked, looking at the stallion.
The white pegasus’ smile faded, “of course, master. Why would I go where I’m not wanted. I would rather stay with the one who created me.” The mares could only stare in shock at the revelation. “Surprised? So was I, at first. Turns out that bolt that hit my failure of a mother was caused by Discord in a failed escape attempt.” He smirked, pointing his head at the large beast. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have all this incredible power. I would just be a boring, normal pegasus.” His face contorted in disgust.
“But Lightning, we’re your friends. We just went through all that just to save you,” Pinkie Pie pleaded.
“Lies!” he roared back, causing the pink pony to step back. “You only wanted the Elements. You didn’t care what happened to me! You wanted me gone the moment you saw what I could do. You only pretended to be my friends because you were scared of me!” His voice raised with each sentence.
“But Lightning,”
“No! I don’t want to hear your lies anymore. And don’t call me Lightning, either. That name was given to me by lesser creatures. I am ‘Niveus Valcum’ now.”
“Nivwhowhatnow?” Applejack asked, confused.
“‘Niveus Valcum’. It’s old pony latin for ‘White Lightning’.” Twilight said with a grim look.
---
Lightning opened his eyes slowly, darkness surrounding him. A soft glow emanated from him and the rock he was chained to. Wait a minute. He realized that his body was splayed out like an “X” on a flat rock, his hooves cuffed and nearly immovable. He attempted t call upon his power, but nothing happened. “What in Equestria is going on here?”
“Not pleasant. Is it?” a voice asked from nowhere.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Lightning screamed into the black, pushing against his bonds to no avail. The metal chewed into his skin with every jerk, causing him to wince.
“Pain. Loneliness. Left with nothing but your own thoughts.” A stark white pegasus stallion with a slicked black mane trotted out of the shadows, several yards below Lightning. His blood red eyes bore into Lightning’s cool hazel, full of anger, but also victory.
“Who are you? Where am I?” he asked, growing angry.
The white pegasus chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious? I am you. The true you.” His sinister smile sent a chill up the trapped pony’s spine.
Me? No. That can’t be possible!
“Oh, but it is,” he replied, startling the blue pegasus. “And this place, is inside our mind.” A light formed in the air, slowly growing and clarifying into an image. He saw the outside world, the chaos all around, and his friends. Each wearing their Element. “This is what I see out there. Might as well show you how far your world will fall. You’ll also be able to hear everything as soon as I leave.”
“How are you in control? This is my body and my mind! If are me, then you should only be part of me.” Lightning struggled against his chains.
“You don’t get it, do you?” The white pegasus flew up to Lightning, eyes inching away from each other. “Discord gave me power and pulled me out. I am stronger than you ever were. Than you ever will be! You are weak, and I can not believe that you ever had control in the first place.” The white pegasus voice raised constantly, and his breath became ragged and heavy. Anger shown clearly on his face. Lightning tried to remain calm, and kept down his fear. The white pony began to fade. “I hope you enjoy your prison.” With that, he vanished.
Lightning tested his chains once more. I have to get out of here. I must stop Discord!
---
The tiara on Twilight’s head began to glow. Her friends’ necklaces doing the same. “Oh please, Twilight. Those little trinkets can’t hurt me anymore,” Discord said, floating in front of his throne.
“They worked last time, and they can stop you again!” she yelled back, a rainbow light beginning to form.
“Give me your best shot.” He sat in the floating chair with a smug grin, as he looked on in apathy. The rainbow shot forward from the ponies, striking Discord straight on. His body slowly turned back into stone, but his expression did not change. He remained calm and still. In a minute, his body had become stone once more.
But nothing else happened. The world was still full of chaos, the eclipse kept it’s place in the sky, and the princesses remained statues as well. “What in the hay? Shouldn’t everythin be goin back to normal bout now?” Applejack asked, looking around her.
Niveus flew in front of the statues head, and bucked hard, destroying the head, and sending chunks of stone flying. The mares stood shocked, unsure of what was happening. “And it was such a nice statue too.” They quickly turned to see Discord munching on a bag of popcorn.
“Discord?!” Twilight said in surprise. “But, we just, and you just, huh!?”
Discord laughed at the mare’s stammering. “You are certainly good for a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I told you the Elements would have no effect on me. I have grown beyond their wretched power.” He popped back next to his throne, and rested a hand on Niveus’ back. “And now, I will take my protege on a mission across Equestria,” he leaned his head next to the stallion’s, his paw making an arc in the air, “and we shall take it by storm.” The two shared a laugh at the terrible pun, and Niveus took another look at the mares.
---
Lightning struggled harder in his chains, yelling at the top of the lungs. “NO! I won’t let you do this! Let me out!” He couldn’t hold in the tension any longer. He had to end this now. “Don’t you hear me! I know you can! This isn’t right! Stop what you’re doing!”
---
Niveus rubbed his head with a hoof as he winced in pain, but he quickly regained composure, though pain could still be seen in his eyes. “Don’t worry, young one,” Discord said looking at the pegasus as they flew through the air toward Manehatten. “I’m sure that will end quickly.”
“I’ll shut him up.”
In his mind, the darkness wove into his shape, and soon he was back in his subconscious. “Don’t you know, nothing you say or do will work.”
“I won’t give up! You need to be stopped!” Lightning pushed against his bonds, a few drips of blood falling down off his wrist.
“You need to learn your place!” A bolt of electricity arced from Niveus, and struck Lightning hard.
“AHHHHHH!” His body went limp, and he slumped in his chains, unmoving and unspeaking.
“Now stay quiet.” Niveus faded back to darkness, and returned to the outside world. “That idiot doesn’t know when to quit.”
“With time he will lose all will, and will never be able to bother you again,” Discord said, looking at the approaching city. “Now, back to business.”
---
“Would you look at this?” Rarity said, reading over the country wide newspaper, “Equestria Daily”. “Fillydelphia is covered in honey, and now Lightning and Discord are making chocolate bits come out of the machines at Las Pegasus.”
“This is terrible,” Twilight said, pacing around the library. “There has to be something we can do to stop this.”
“But what?” Applejack asked. “We already tried hittin ‘em with tha Elements, and they didn’t do squat.”
“I’m sure we can find some way to get rid of that meenie-mean pants,” Pinkie said, punching the air. Fluttershy remained quiet, sitting in the corner, face half buried into her hooves. The pink pony quickly grabbed the pegasus up in her hooves, causing the yellow mare to squeak. “We just need to try harder next time!”
“But Pinkie, we did try our hardest,” the purple unicorn replied. “The Elements can’t get any stronger.”
“Well,” she answered back, “if we can’t stop Discord, maybe we can at least try and turn the world back to normal.”
“It doesn’t work like that Pinkie,” Twilight rebutted, ears drooping. “The only way to turn things back to normal, is to defeat Discord.”
“But don’t you remember, Twilight? Last time we fought Discord, we turned a piece of the ground back to normal, before stopping him!” Pinkie said, grabbing Twilight by the shoulders, grinning ear to ear.
“Well,” the purple unicorn began, stroking her chin with a hoof. “Maybe by fixing the environment, Discord may lose some power, but it’s a long shot.”
“What if we turn Lightning back to normal as well?” Fluttershy asked, walking closer to the mares.
“He could help us take Discord down,” Rarity quickly chimed. “His power could be a great help!”
Applejack lifted her hat up in joy. “Yee haw! We got ourselves a plan! Let’s get ‘er done!”
As they began to make their way outside, Fluttershy remembered something important. “What about Rainbow Dash?”
---
The blue pegasus lay on her bed, barely moving for days. A pink earth pony flew past her window, but she took no notice. She looked at the cracked picture of her and Lightning she found in the mansion. It magically appeared in her room the moment she got home the day they left. The pegasus tried to throw it out her window several times, but stopped each time. A good memory of a time that shall never return. She attempted to fight back tears, but a few trickled down her face.
She felt sad at the loss of a friend, and anger at the monster who took him away. If she ever got her hooves on that beast, she would- There was a knock at her door. “Go away,” she yelled without hesitation. The knocking continued.
“Rainbow Dash?” a soft voice called. “It’s Fluttershy.”
“Go away Fluttershy.” She lifted her blanket over her head, trying to shut out the world. The knocking stopped and Dash breathed a sigh of relief.
She felt a poke at her side, and looked up. Fluttershy floated above her, a hoof darting back next to her. “Um, we might have a plan.”
---
“Are you sure this will weaken him, Twi?” Dash asked.
“I don’t know, but I hope so,” she responded. The mares swept through town square, another area reverting to harmony. “I’m fairly certain it will draw them back though.”
As they passed the final buildings out of Ponyville, the light from their Elements died down. “Uh, now what?” Applejack wondered. “We wait?”
A white flash appeared in front of the mares. “Apparently not for long.”
Discord floated out, still seated in his throne, a pair of statues flanking him. A white pegasus walking nearby. “It does amuse me to watch you ponies attempt to put everything back as it was, but you really should realize that it’s no use.”
“Give it up you foals,” Niveus said, stepping forward, a wicked grin on his face. “The master cannot be defeated by petty trinkets.” He smirked in disgust. “Why do you even try?”
Dash stepped forward, determined and ready. “Because we don’t give up. Especially on our friends.” As she spoke her final words, light shone from the Elements, merging into the familiar rainbow.
“Oh, please, not again.” Discord sat back in his throne. “I’m not even going to pretend it works this time.”
“What if you’re not the target?” The light shot forward, but not toward the draconequess, toward a particular white and black pegasus stallion.
The light surrounded Niveus, and moved through his body. He let out a small scream, as his coat slowly regained a blue tint.
---
Lightning felt his chains relaxing, maybe even fading entirely. “Come on, girls, just a little more!” he screamed. The cuff on his right forehoof vanished completely, letting it fall. A deep band was left, bruised and bleeding slightly. The other cuffs were fading visibly, vanishing like a mist. “Almost there. Just a little more. Please!” He looked up to see what Niveus saw. The rainbow light nearly blinded him, but a shadow suddenly jumped in front, cutting off the light.
---
Niveus held his head with a hoof, splotches of his coat retaining the blue hue. “A noble attempt,” Discord said, floating in front of the stallion.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Niveus said, one eye closed in pain. He walked next to Discord, tail sparking with black electricity.
The mares looked angrily at Discord, the rainbow light dissipating. “Those Elements are definitely becoming a nuisance.” He looked at the pegasus at his side, and put on a wicked grin. “Maybe I can still have some fun with them.”
Twilight looked at him quizzically, and slightly scared. She took a tentative step back, worried about the monsters next move. Discord bent his head down to Niveus, and whispered an idea. The pegasus was astonished at first, but then smiled with as much malice as his master. “That seems like an excellent plan, sir.” The two laughed, thunder booming out in the distance.
“Prepare yourselves, my little ponies.” With a loud, sharp snap, a ball of light began to form around Discord. The mares stepped back, but held their ground. The light got brighter and brighter, and then shrunk, floating over Discords claw. He grabbed the ball with both hands, and began to shape it. After a few seconds, he stopped moving his hands, and the light fell into itself in the center, revealing a crimson red necklace, a black jewel in the shape of lightning set in the center.
“I-is that what I think it is!?” Twilight stammered. The ponies eyes went wide with shock, Fluttershy nearly fainting at the sight.
Discord chuckled, and floated the necklace on to Niveus. With the necklace attached, his eyes sparked with a fierce black energy, the black electricity in his tail glowing with a red aura. He flicked his tail to the sky, sending out a barrage of lightning, the energy drawing in dark clouds, nearly covering the eclipse.
Discord clapped and raised his hands in the air. “Fillies and gentlecolts, I now present to you, the Element of Chaos!”
End Chapter 11