Elements of Awesome: Volume I

“Interesting that you chose this place, my dear.” The dark pony smiled, peering out through the cracks of the boarded window. Beams of light slipped through the crack, catching any speck of dust that dare cross their path. “Did you do so on purpose? Or was it reaction?”

“Why are you here?” Twilight asked through gritted teeth. Everything ached. She cut off her ties to her magic, a painful experience for any unicorn. But she had to do it. She had to protect her daughter. Any connection between the pair could be traced.

Midnight completely ignored her. “I imagine it was the latter. Perhaps you thought of where we first met? Though I doubt that too.”

“Why are you here?”

“I imagine you thought of the last place you saw me. You were so angry when you caught me with her. Rightly so, I agree. But we both know she wasn’t the problem. I was.”

“Why are you here!?” Twilight demanded. The purple unicorn stamped her hoof.

“Because you brought me here.” He laughed, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. He had changed some more since Twilight last saw him. “Because I’ve changed. I’ve been redeemed. I want to be with you again.”

“Bullshit,” Twilight spat. “Tell me the truth.”

“Twilight Sparkle! When did you get such a tongue?” Midnight asked, legitimately surprised. Twilight glared in response. “Oh, alright. You really are no fun. I’ve never been much of a storyteller, but what the hay! I’ll give it a shot. I warn you, my tale is long.”

The color in Midnight’s eyes drained until his irises were near black. His voice lowered several octaves, reaching unnatural levels.

“In the beginning, there were eight guardians: the elements of harmony, as you know; Solaris, the power of the light; and myself, the power of darkness. For centuries, we enjoyed peace. And then your kind came...”

--

“Party! Dawn!” Thunder called for the hundredth time. No reply came. The grey pegasus fluttered back down, coming to rest by Lazuli and Tart. “I can’t find them anywhere.”

“Neither can I,” Faith said, landing behind him.

“I can’t believe they’d run off like that!” Thunder complained. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy Party’s finally hitting it off with Dawn. It’s about time he got some. But they’ve been gone for hours.”

Lazle shook her head disappointedly. “Thunder, sweetie, Party has no chance with Dawn. She’s way out of his league.”

“What?” No way! Party’s an awesome guy. Dawn would be lucky to have him. If anything, he’s way out of her league.”

Lazle laughed. “Are- are you serious? Party’s a great pony, but he’s a bit of a mess. Not that Dawn can’t be, well, messy, but she certainly demands a higher standard.”

“So Party’s not good enough for her?” Thunder asked as if insulted.

“I think he would be a better fit for someone less intelligent.”

“Oh? So Party’s an idiot.”

“I didn’t say that!” Lazle exclaimed.

“Hey y’all, while Ah find the romantic life of one of my cousins and one of my best friends absolutely fascinatin’,” Tart sarcastically interrupted, “we’ve got more important things t’do. Like findin’ them.”

“Right, right,” Lazle said dismissively. After a moment, her eyes grew wide. “We’re all idiots. Instead of searching this giant city, why don’t we just go to the police?”

After a series of facehooves, the four ponies changed course.

--

Party’s legs ached. He followed Dawn through the city - one that was most certainly not the same as the one they teleported from - for the whole night. The purple unicorn tekked on, though, determined not to stop until she found her mother’s body. Hopefully, her living mother’s body. But Party could see that she was exhausted. Not unexpectedly either. The amount of magical energy she must have spent to teleport Party and herself was tremendous. Though, according to Dawn, she didn’t have to tap into any of her own magic.

“After my tie to my mother was severed,” Dawn had explained, her voice trembling, “the world around me exploded with magic. I suddenly had access to more power than I ever felt. A smarter pony would have stored it. But I didn’t. I was - and not to say I’m not still - distressed. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I teleported.”

The pair arrived at a beach just as morning broke. Dawn, pained by her leg, suggested that they take break to watch the sun rise over the waves. The two ponies sat, enjoying the calm of the ocean. Whatever trouble lay on Dawn’s mind disappeared.

“Dawn,” Party said softly. The purple filly glanced up at him. Her orange eyes sparkled. Party leaned down when, suddenly, there was a bright flash. The pair split apart. Between them, a small, blue filly collapsed to the sand. Her dark, silvery mane obscured most of her face. For a moment, her horn and eyes glowed white. She turned to Dawn.

“You.” It smiled warmly. “You’re real.”

The glow faded and the blue unicorn collapsed.

--

“Solaris and I have always been at odds,” Midnight continued. He stalked around the dusty room, always keeping one eye on Twilight. “We’re opposites. Light and dark. He loves your kind. I despise it,” he spat. “Your kind destroyed what little peace I had. So, when you came here, I planned to - now, how do I put this delicately - destroy you. Kill off every pony. But it was a feat I could not accomplish alone. You see, Solaris, the Elements, and I have a small problem. We can’t do much more than speak when we’re alone. We need a vessel of sorts. It took hundreds of years, but I found one.

“She was perfect. She was in charge of the night, much like myself. But your kind hates darkness. She was rejected and feared by many. And she soon became bitter and resentful. The perfect host.

“I could have tried to force my way into her mind. I could have locked her from her own body. But that’s a dangerous plan for me, should I fail. This host was willing, though. She wanted others to appreciate her beautiful night. I told her I could do that. I could make ponies love the night. Using her powers, as well as my far superior ones, I sent the world into eternal darkness. The eclipse lasted months. But Solaris got in the way. It appealed to my host’s sister. Instead of taking control, it gave her access to its powers and its knowledge. Solaris led her to the Elements of Harmony. Together, they banished me. Us. Fortunately, that was all she could do. She hadn’t yet discovered the real power of the Elements.

“So I disappeared for a thousand years. A thousand years I spent wrestling with my host’s brain. And in the end, neither of us won. I had control, but I failed to destroy her mind. She resisted me at every step. I returned, prepared to make the night eternal once again. Solaris had been weakening, and I felt nothing could stop me. However, I had not been prepared for you.” Midnight stopped and glared at Twilight. His skin rippled under his coat, as if something was crawling inside his body. “You and your friends discovered the Element’s true potential. You split me from my host. And again, I spent years on my own, biding my time until I could seek revenge. And one day, I found it.

“A young colt, weak of will, found me. He was wrapped in guilt. I offered him a way out, and he took it. He already knew you, and it took me very little effort to dominate his mind. Of course, this new body is weaker than the old one. He’ll barely survive another five years. Ten, if I’m lucky. But neither will Solaris.”

“What does that mean?” Twilight asked halfway between fury and sincere curiosity.

“Its host is reaching her end. She’s held him for over a thousand years. I’m afraid Solaris will absorb her essence, just as I shall absorb this one’s. Just as the Elements slowly absorb yours. But now, my dear Twilight, I have dragged this story on too long.” Midnight’s ears perked up. He turned towards the single door of the room. A bar had been placed over it to prevent entry. However, that quickly proved to be ineffective. The door burst from its frame in a shower of splinters, flying halfway across the room.

“Hello, Dawn.”

--

“So, what you’re saying is,” Rarity started as the younger ponies finished their tale. The story wasn’t very clear, since they had all jumped in to describe their own version of events. “You chased after Twilight. After Luna and, more importantly, your parents explicitly told you not to. Which is, though I’m sure it’s needless to say, extremely stupid of you. You didn’t even leave a note! What if something happened to you?” Rarity paused. The children hung their heads in shame. “What if ‘Prince Zachariah’ was crazy or a changeling? What if there had been more of those spiders? So much could have gone wrong. I just - hnng.” Rarity grabbed her daughter, wrapping her into a tight embrace. “What if I lost you?” she sobbed.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I just-”

“Don’t. Don’t even start. And, just so we’re clear, you are grounded until the end of time.”

The two ponies collapsed into a pile of apologies and sobbing. The other children took the opportunity to reunite with their own family. Thunder slinked over to his rainbow maned mother.

“I’ve gotta admit, that was pretty brave of you, kid.”

“Thanks. Dawn was just so upset, I had to help.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Like a true hero. You go off an adventure, fight giant monsters, meet mysterious strangers, get the girl...” Rainbow winked.

“Exactly! Just like Daring Do.”

“That’s just what I was thinking.” The cyan pony beamed at her son for a moment. He grinned stupidly back. “Of course, you’re totally grounded. I hope you’ll enjoy spending the rest of your days as our maid ‘cause you’re not leaving the house until it sparkles.”

Thunder protested, but his voice was drowned under a very commanding one.

“Children! Elements!” Luna boomed. “I bear good news. Twilight Sparkle, Dawn Sparkle, and Party Pie have all been found. As we speak, my night guard is moving in on the location. They shall return to us safely within a few hours.”

“They aren’t safe now? What’s wrong?” Rarity asked.

“I’m afraid that Twilight Sparkle, her daughter, Party Pie, and another are currently held hostage by an old enemy. You all know it as Nightmare Moon. But its true name is Noctis.”

--

The dark, silvery maned unicorn was called Trix. She barely spoke, and when she did, they were short, timid sentences. Trix claimed she knew Dawn, but refused to say how. Instead, the little blue filly’s expression became solemn and she stared at the ground.

The three ponies sat on the beach for several minutes, waiting for Trix to regain her strength. As soon as she was fit, Dawn led them back down the coast, searching for any clues for her mother.

“Uh, Dawn?” Trix prompted after several minutes. “I have an idea.”

“Yes?”

“I... Can you just close your eyes for a minute?”

Dawn stared at Trix blankly for a moment. She was hesitant to trust anypony at the moment. Anyone could have been involved in her mother’s capture and possible death. At the same time, she felt some connection to this pony. Trix claimed she knew Dawn and, on some level, Trix seemed familiar to Dawn. Dawn nodded and closed her eyes.

A wave of warmth washed over Dawn. Memories of her mother flooded through her mind. Threads of magic wound their way down her horn. Then in a burst of realization, Dawn opened her eyes. She turned from Trix and Party, galloping back up the street.

Party glanced down at the blue unicorn, eyes wide. “What did you do?”

Trix shrugged. “Nothing. I tried to use a tracking spell, but I kinda failed.”

“Oh.” Party paused. “We should chase after her.”

--

“Hello, Dawn.”

Twilight jumped as the door flew off its hinges. A blast of red energy arced through doorway, aiming for Noctis. In a flash of silver, the dark pony disappeared. The energy hit the boarded window, burning the planks off. Dawn stepped into the room. Her mane billowed behind her, lit by the aura around her horn.

“Mom!” Dawn let the energy in her horn died down. “You’re alive!”

Dawn tackled her mother, wrapping the older unicorn in a tight embrace. Twilight returned it.

“What are you doing here?” The older one asked.

“I’m looking for you.”

“Why? Didn’t Rarity or somepony look after you? You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Mom, I thought you had died. Everyone said that you were foalnapped or something and I had to know. I couldn’t just sit at home and hope you’d return. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said softly.

“What happened, Mom?”

“He came to our house. I didn’t think about anything, I just reacted. So I teleported the both of us to the first place I thought of. I’m sorry I didn’t think things through. I didn’t have time. I just wanted to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

“From me,” the Noctis-possessed Midnight said, injecting himself into the conversation.

Dawn turned toward the other pony. Her horn still glowed with energy.

“I suppose you don’t remember me, but-”

Dawn fired a beam of energy. Midnight yelped and quickly conjured a shield. The beam reflected toward one of the boarded windows, burning a large hole.

“Such temper. Midnight smiled at Twilight. “She must get that from you.”

Dawn fired another beam, but Midnight was prepared this time. He reflected the beam back toward Dawn, who dodged out of the way.

“It was nice to catch up with you, my dear Twilight.” He turned toward Dawn, smirking. “And you. I look forward to seeing you again.”

In a flash of silver light, Midnight vanished. Once they had made sure he was gone, Twilight and Dawn quickly embraced each other.

“Who was that, Mom?” Dawn asked, helping the older mare out of the decaying lighthouse.

Twilight sighed.

“That was your father.”