Returning with Purpose

Outside of Ponyville Hospital, Twilight took to the sky. She had barely started though before she nearly collided with another, much larger flier in the darkness.

"Twilight!" shouted Discord as he flapped his mismatched wings furiously to stay aloft, "I finally found you. Please, you have to help Fluttershy."

Twilight had never seen Discord like this. Flying by wing power rather than magic, wringing his hands as he looked hopefully at her.  The normally arrogant draconequus looked small and helpless like this. "I have some idea what's going on. Is she at her cottage? Let's go."

Nodding, Discord flew toward the outskirts of Ponyville. "Something terrible has happened to dear, sweet Fluttershy. At first she was only acting oddly, concerned for the safety of animals that were already in the safety of her cottage. But then she began to change. I'd heard of your little experiment with the spell on the fruit bats, so I knew that those fangs and wings were your spell reasserting itself. I didn't know why that was, but I wasn't going to have such a thing happen to Fluttershy. I tried to drive out your magic with my own. It should have worked, it should have... Instead..."

"But it didn't. Something interfered."

"Yes, exactly! This is why I came to you, you're the smart one. I didn't feel it at first, but I can feel it everywhere now. Something is coming, something that can do as it likes with my magic. That's why I flew to find you. I dare not use my magic."

"You did the right thing Discord. Now save your breath. I want to get to Fluttershy as quickly as we can."

The sky was beginning to lighten as they arrived on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Dawn would be here very soon.

The pair landed in front of the cottage, the door of which was open. Twilight rushed inside, fearing Fluttershy would be gone. Objects were strewn all over the room, and neither Fluttershy nor any of her animals were here. They quickly searched the house to be sure, but not a living thing was left. So they expanded their search to the area around the cottage.

"Here, Twilight! Something... a lot of things were dragged into the forest. Could it have been Fluttershy?"

From behind the both of them, a voice softly answered. "She said she needed more room for all the animals."

Twilight and Discord spun around, coming face-to-face with a yellowish alicorn with faded red hair. "You!" blurted out Twilight, "I know you! From... from the other times I've used the Elements. Yes, I remember you now!"

The alicorn smiled a tired smile. "Well, I'm around more than that. I did come near on those occasions, though. I was concerned my help might be needed. But you've proved more than capable."

"You always left though." Uncertainty snuck into Twilight's voice. "Are you... are you talking to me now because I'm not capable of defeating whatever this is?"

"Not alone, no. I only defeated it the first time when we were all at our full strength. We need to work together to help your friends if we are going to have any chance."

"What is it? And for that matter, who are you?"

The mysterious pony looked at the rising sun, as if she could see the creature they spoke of. "The creature we prevented from entering our world never gave a name. I don't think it has one. We just called it the Corrupter, because of what it did to some ponies as it pierced the wall between here and wherever it comes from." She turned to Twilight. "As for myself, I am Aurora Nova, the New Dawn, one of the Elements of Harmony."

Twilight couldn't believe this. "But there are only six Elements! Are you trying to tell me there are seven? That doesn't make sense! That would mean we've been missing one all along, so why would they even work right?"

"It's... a little complicated. I'm from another age, when things worked differently. I've been in hiding in case I would be needed for a moment like this. I'll explain later though. Right now we need to help your friends."

Twilight still wanted to know more, but Nova was right. "Alright, let's find Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy will have to wait. We don't have the strength yet to undo that damage. Let's go get your other friends. Discord, you remain in the cottage and keep an eye on the forest. You'll only slow us down without your magic."

Discord hung his head in resignation. "Please hurry. It kills me to know that Fluttershy is in danger."

"Of course." With that, the two alicorns flew back to the hospital.

They flew over Ponyville as ponies began to exit their houses for the day. Twilight was vaguely aware that they looked distressed, but it was hard to tell from this height. Probably they were shocked by the appearance of another alicorn. Turning to Nova, she was surprised by her appearance. Maybe it was the sun rising in the sky, but Nova's fur and mane were brightening, becoming less washed-out in appearance. Twilight didn't have much time to think on it before they arrived. They were barely on the ground before they were in the door, marching down the hall past the nurse.

They arrived in Rarity's room first. "Touch your horn to mine, follow my lead" commanded the now much revived-looking Nova.

Twilight did as told, wanting to see her friend safe. Their horns together, Twilight could feel the twining threads of power that was a spell in the making. She didn't recognize it, but she was able to help it along as it formed, strengthening it. Then it coursed out and into her friend's unconscious body.

Rarity stirred, blinking her eyes open. "Twilight? I... I'm so tired, darling..." She sat up. "No, I feel better now. Whatever you did, thank you. I... I don't think I've been in my right mind recently..." Then she noticed Nova. "I know you! From... from somewhere."

"You do know me, but I don't think you've seen me before. I'll explain later. We have to hurry."

Rarity turned to Twilight, looking for reassurance. Twilight nodded. "She's here to help."

Together, they went to the psychiatric ward to perform a similar spell on Pinkie and Applejack. This one was a little easier, as neither was in as bad shape physically as Rarity had been. They just had to reverse the Corrupter's influence. After more confusion and explanations, they hurried outside to find Rainbow Dash. "This way," stated Nova, "my power is returning and I can sense her now."

As they galloped through town, they saw the townsfolk milling about in confusion. It took a minute to register what was wrong before Applejack gasped, "their cutie marks! Ah don' see one on anypony but us!"

Nova didn't slow as she quickly answered, "that is my doing. I'm taking back their cutie marks because I need to be at full strength. They'll be fine later."

"Taking back..." began Twilight before a stern look from Nova reminded her that they were in a rush. The alicorn was looking less and less like the faded-out ghost of a creature she'd seen before. Her fur was practically golden now, and her mane was a fiery red. They pressed on.

They found Rainbow Dash on a hill near town. She looked like she had crash-landed hard, and her fur and feathers were rimed with frost. Two of her legs were at a an angle that could only mean broken bones. As they approached, she was rambling to herself, barely conscious. "I can't... I can't see the stars. I... I had... Scoota... she wanted a star..."

Nova looked down on Rainbow Dash with motherly concern. "Loyalty. Someone she cares for wanted a star from the sky and she literally tried to bring it to them. A lesser pony would have died after passing out from lack of oxygen up there."

Together, they performed the spell for Rainbow Dash. It took longer than the others, to mend her broken bones, but it was accomplished all the same. They were almost all together now. They just had to go back for Fluttershy.

Back at the cottage, Nova did not seem surprised that Discord was missing. "She must have drawn him into the forest. Come, we'll retrieve them."

They entered the forest, the dense canopy of which quickly blotted out the sun. It was always dark in the Everfree Forest. They waded through the undergrowth, following the trail of whatever Fluttershy had been dragging. It didn't take them long to find out what it was, either. They began passing trees with strange ovoid shapes stuck to their trunks. The objects were brownish-green and irregular in shape and size. "The animals" was all Nova said, striking everyone with the realization that Fluttershy had somehow encased all of her animal friends in these... pods.

As they pressed on, they began to hear singing in the distance. It was Fluttershy's voice, but different. More beautiful than ever, really. As they approached the source, they saw a deer in the distance, also approaching the sound.

The singing stopped. With a flash of bared fangs, something yellow and sinuous struck down from the canopy and snatched up the deer. Four spindly, many-jointed objects they now recognized as legs moved slightly. The legs stretched down from the canopy above. Two of them reached up into the canopy, doing something unseen, then pulled down ones of the pods. The pod, large enough to contain the deer, was stuck to the nearest tree. Fluttershy's voice cooed "there, safe inside now. Nothing can hurt you in there." Then the singing began again.

"I believe this is close enough" whispered Nova. The others nodded in agreement.

The spell to reverse the damage the Corrupter had done took hours it seemed. Maybe it had, it was hard to tell in the forest. They had to stay a distance away from their friend as they cast, but it was finally done.

Collecting a confused and frightened Fluttershy, they stopped only to find the pod containing Discord. They instructed him to free and care for the animals before they themselves returned to the cottage.

Back at the cottage, they sat and rested in the main room. Nova motioned for Twilight to follow her outside.

"It will take a little time to gather the rest of my power from across Equestria. In the meantime, I owe you an explanation." Nova closed her eyes and began drawing in her power as she spoke. "Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Generosity. These are things which bring a community together, yes? If one were to be completely missing, that would be a very unhappy community indeed. People would not get along."

"Of course, those are the Elements of Harmony. Those and Magic."

"Magic binds the other five Elements together. But let me ask you this: what would happen if a community had no magic?"

"What do you mean?"

"What of those towns with no unicorns? Do they suffer, become disharmonious, squabble and accomplish nothing?"

"No... I suppose not... What are you saying...?" Twilight looked very distraught at what Nova was implying.

"Twilight Sparkle, the Sixth Element of Harmony is Purpose. I am that Element. I spread my power across all of Equestria to give ponies purpose in their lives, through their cutie marks. In my absence, I used magic to bind the remaining five Elements. It was a temporary measure, something that I did because the true sixth Element was missing."

Twilight was shocked, but she knew deep down that Nova wasn't lying. "But I'm... what am I, then?"

Nova opened her eyes, her mane bursting into flame as her full power returned. "I'm sorry Twilight, but in order to defeat the Corrupter, I have to take back my rightful place."

In that moment, Twilight felt something deep inside her break, fall apart. That connection that she had all her life. That magical connection to her five friends she'd had all her life. It was gone. Taken away. "No..." she whimpered. She slumped to the ground. She was only vaguely aware of Nova returning to the cottage.

"Come, Twilight will be right behind us, we will defeat the Corrupter and protect Equestria!!"

"No..."