Aged Eternal

Chapter 4:

Smokey Moonlight was panicking. They had all been huddled together, trying to figure something out in the Night Court of Cantropolis. A bright burst of light had filled their eyes, and the faint smell of burning ozone filled their noses, and they were somewhere else. The only thing she could think of was a teleportation spell, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why they had been sent here, of all places.

Luscious greenery surrounded them, tall trees and creeping vines all around. It was nighttime, yet it was as bright as day. And above them drifted grey clouds, unchecked by any sort of weather control. She had only ever read of one place that had this sort of atmosphere, but the Everfree Forest had been forbidden to all ponies for a long time. Why, then, were they here now? Especially on a night such as this, with some terrible dark force attacking Equestria?

She looked around to check on her... colleagues? Fellow ponies? She wasn't quite sure what exactly they were, but she did know one thing: She was worried for them. Terra and Charm were huddled together to one side, whispering softly and trying to take in their surroundings. Moonlit was huddled with Bolt, trying to keep a low profile from the entire forest, as ridiculous as that sounded. And Circus?

Circus was curled up in a ball, softly whimpering. As she stretched her ears, she could faintly make out a few words. "Not at all... didn't want this... why us?" He seemed to have been terrified by the unexpected teleportation for some reason, and she trotted over to give him some comfort. Idly, she wondered why she ever wanted adventure in the first place, if this was what she could expect from it.

"Hey now Circus, it's alright. We're all ok, see?" She tried to pat him on his shoulder, and he shied away. She frowned, and said "Hey, get it together! We need to figure out what to do from here, if we're all going to find our way back to civilization!" She had hoped the stern tone she used would get through to him, and for a moment he stopped rocking, and shakily stood up. She figured it would have to do, and looked further around the clearing.

"Hey guys, over heyah!" Terra waved the group over to the edge of the clearing, where a large stone plinth stood. On it was inscribed some words, and they squinted to make out the weathered script in the bright moonlight. "To all who would bring Harmony back to this land, simply follow the signs of Friendship to the Trials that await." They took a few moments to try and puzzle that one out, before Moonlit let out a gasp.

"O-over there! What's that?" Her voice was quiet, but firm as the rest of them turned to look where she was pointing. Nearby the edge of the clearing was a simple stone sculpture in the shape of an apple, with a path through the woods becoming visible. As they trotted over to investigate, Circus nervously moved close, and read its inscription: "The First Trial: Honesty" He said, regaining some of his former excitement. At his words, the apple sculpture shimmered, and the image of a pony wearing a stetson appeared above it, gently wavering to their eyes.

"Honestly Pinkie, why the hay do we even need ta do this... is this here thing on? Dangnabit!" The voice of a pony emerged, a southern drawl peeking through. The group glanced around, and then stared at the magical image. "*cough* Aheem. I am the Element of Honesty, but y'all can call me Applejack. Before you stand the first trial of Harmony, the Walk of Truth. Once you begin, y'all have to make it to the end. If one of ya is deemed worthy, the Elements will bestow upon them the Necklace of Truth, a powerful magical... Pinkie, do ah REALLY need to say all this here? Ah mean, really, it's embarassin!" The view of the pony shook up and down, as if the recorder was nodding yes. Applejack sighed, and put a hoof to her face. "The things ah do fer friendship... Look, lets cut to the chase. Walk the path, face the trial, and be *honest*. If one of you can do that to the satisfaction of the elements, you'll be chosen as the new Element of Honesty. Alright Pinkie, lets wrap this up."

The image flickered out, and the group looked at each other. "Elements of Harmony... Could they be related to the Tale of the Dusk Princess? One of her mystics was known as Honesty..." Smokey tried to puzzle together some connection, and while she was thinking Circus brought a hoof to his head and face-hooved. He turned and said "E-O-H, of COURSE! EOH stands for the Elements of Harmony! This must be what Princess Luna sent us here for, we're going to find the Lost Elements!" Circus began to bounce around the clearing in joy.

"Now wait just a minute!" Charm raised her voice, and stopped Circus in his tracks. "Why would a Princess of the Realm, the Foal Defender no less, send 6 young ponies to find some mystical 'lost elements'? Why not send the guard, or come collect them herself?" She was a little excited at the idea of finding an ancient artifact, but someone had to give this group a reality check. Terra and Bolt nodded, and Circus stopped hopping with a sad look.

Moonlit gave a quiet cough, and said "I think it's because... well, Applejack did say something about the elements choosing their bearers, didn't she? Maybe we're supposed to become them." Everyone turned to stare at her, and she cringed. "Or, perhaps not." Smokey stepped forwards toward the path, and said "Well, regardless of whether or not we have to find these artifacts, this path seems to be the only safe way out of here. Lets get going!" They huddled together once more, and began to trot down the path.

Defiant Bolt was uneasy. Once they'd stepped onto the path, it had gotten dark and hard to see. Strange whispers seemed to echo around them, and the group had slowly drifted apart. Passing under a branch in the way, she found herself all alone, with everything growing darker as she went. Suddenly, a bright point of light appeared ahead, and she galloped towards it. As it grew closer, she found her environment shifting until she was galloping through the halls of Ponyton High, faceless crowds of pony all around her.

She stopped short and looked around. Everywhere she glanced, she saw colts and fillies on their way to classes, or hanging by their lockers. "Moon? Charm, Smokey, Terra, anyone?" She called through the halls, but no one responded. A group of mares trotted over to her, and began to speak.

"Oh look, it's Mrs. 'Captain of the Team' herself! What, you don't have practice today? After all, that's what you seem to be best at. Playing sweaty, athletic games until late at night." One of the faceless mares sneered at her, and she shrank a little under their relentless verbal assault. "So uncouth! It's no surprise she never found a colt to date. Who would want to date a mare with more muscles than them?" The group tittered, and Bolt found herself growing angry.

"So what?" she screamed, flapping her wings and rising above them. "So what if I like to play sports, and WIN? I've accomplished more here than you posers ever will! I'm a respected athlete, captain of the team and a fantastic player as well! I don't need a colt to get in my way!" She huffed angrily, but the halls began to fade and the group of mares suddenly towered over her, giants in size.

"Oh, so sad. Such a butch, manly pony. All alone until the end of her days. No time for love, or appearances. Nopony wants to be around such a, gross, individual." They sneered, and she found herself quivering in a void. They were touching towards her most secret hobby, one she'd never shared with even Moonlit. If anypony on the team found out, she'd be ruined! If any of the other classmates heard a breath of it, she'd be laughed out of the school! It was terrible!

To her side, another figure began to appear. The scene shifted once more, and Bolt found herself in the past. It was middle school, and she had just finished her lunch period in the girls room of the school. She had said she was going to get in some more practice outside, but in reality... She'd been practicing applying makeup. 'Oh no... not this.' she thought vainly, as the scene continued.

A giggling group of mares, the ones who had considered themselves super-popular and fashionable, burst into the bathroom in a herd, chattering away to themselves. Suddenly, the sound stopped, as they discovered Bolt at one of the sinks, lipstick all over her snout. They stood shell-shocked, before one began to giggle. Another snorted, and suddenly it was all out laughter. Hot tears of shame burned Bolt's eyes as she frantically wiped at her face with a wet cloth, before the laughter grew too much for her. She burst out of the bathroom in a blaze of speed, and zoomed through the halls of the school until she made her way outside.

She had hid under the bleachers the rest of the day, and called out sick the next day. It was all over the middle school by Friday, and she'd been so miserable she begged her folks to change schools. Ponyton had been happy to receive such a fantastic player, and she'd left any attempts to pretty herself alone, unless she was in absolute privacy. But the scene did not change. She remained under the bleachers, softly weeping to herself.

"H-hello?" A voice called out to her, and she lifted her head, frantically looking around. A young, dark filly stood next to her, looking at her with concern. 'Smokey?' she thought, even as her mouth asked "What do YOU want?" The young Smokey cringed, and looked away. "I-it's just, you seemed unhappy. Did something happen?" Despite her fear, the younger Smokey still asked, trying to be friendly.

"It's nothing. I'm FINE. Go away" Bolt's voice yelled, causing Smokey to cringe away once more. 'I don't remember this part of the day... did this really happen? I shouldn't have been so mean.' Defiant was slowly recovering from the shock of her past trauma once again, and found herself wishing she could recall this day better. The young Smokey got a resolute look, and stood. "I'll go away then... but my mama once told me something: If you stay true to yourself, bullies can never win against you. It doesn't matter what they think, as long as you know in your heart that you're being yourself." Her voice quivered but stayed strong. Once she had finished, she slowly trotted away, head and tail hanging low.

Bolt was speechless. She had ignored the strange pony that day, wallowing in her embarrassment until she'd let it ruin her confidence in herself. She focused entirely on athletics after that, not caring what others thought of her appearance, or even considering having a special somepony. The scene faded to just her, crying and dejected and alone, and she felt a fire burning in her chest. 'No more... I can't be embarrassed to be me any longer! I am Defiant Bolt, and I CAN look beautiful! I CAN dress in style and I CAN do whatever I please. Let them laugh at my attempts! I am who I am, and nopony can tell me otherwise! I AM MYSELF, AND THAT'S THE TRUTH!"

A white void engulfed her, and in the blink of an eye she found herself back in the group of ponies. They were standing at the edge of a ravine, and everyone looked decidedly uncomfortable. She felt a strange calm come over her, and a heavy weight settled on her neck. She looked down to find a golden necklace around her neck, an empty socket dangling in the middle. As everyone adjusted to the shift in locations, she caught Smokey's eye, and gave her a grateful look.

Smokey stared back at her, puzzled, and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes drifted down to the necklace, and she gasped in surprise. "Well, I guess that solves one trial. Look at Bolt!" The group turned at Smokey's announcement, and gave a few excited murmurs. Most of them still seemed uneasy for one reason or another, but Charm sidled up and offered her a congratulatory hoof-shake. She warmly said "Congratulations, Defiant Bolt of Honesty. I hope you were unharmed during your trial? I don't think I quite enjoyed mine..."

Bolt snorted and muttered, "Yeah, that's an understatement. Still, I learned something about myself from it, and that's what  is important." She looked at the necklace and idly rubbed it, reflecting on the trial. She couldn't have figured out what she had been feeling without Smokey's words from long ago. Still, why had Smokey been in the middle school in Detrot?

As she stood thinking, the rest of the group looked towards the ravine ahead, and Circus bounded ahead, stopping by a rope bridge "Over here guys! There's another stone-shape-thingy over here!" His yell brought the rest of the group over, and Bolt dropped the ideal wondering. There were more important things to worry about right now.

The group examined the new sculpture. It was of a lightning bolt, and beside it stood a somewhat rickety rope bridge that spanned the gap of the ravine. Smokey stepped forwards this time, and read out loud "The Second Trial: Loyalty". At her words, another glowing hologram appeared above the sculpture, and in it they could see... the underside of a cloud? "Dashie! Get down into the shot! We're filming!" a bright and excited voice yelled from the the recorder to the cloud above. "Nah, don't wanna. 'Sides, the trial of Loyalty's easy as cake! It'll happen, and the pony that's picking up after me'll know it right away." At this, the other voice loudly sighed, and said "Fine Rainbow Dash. But they'd better be able to get it, or I'm blaming YOU." At that, the image disappeared.

The group looked at each other, and Bolt felt the urge to repress a chuckle. "Well, uh, I guess we just... go over the ravine?" Smokey was puzzled by the lackadaisical nature of the supposed former Element of Loyalty, and the group shrugged. Sculpted Charm and Terra led the way, and the rest followed close behind. As they neared the center of the bridge, Charm scoffed and said "Really, there's not even a gust of wind to shake us. Is this REALLY one of the challenges? Seems a bit, blase if you ask me." As if in response to her words, a loud *CRACK* echoed through the canyon, and everypony froze.

"Uh... whoops?" Charm offered, before the boards beneath her and the rest gave way. Everypony except for Terra lost their footing, and grabbed onto the side ropes in sheer terror. Charm had both hooves over another board in front of her, but the group behind Terra was in a chain holding onto Smokey, who was in turn holding onto one of the guide ropes in terror. "Helllp!" Everypony screamed, and Terra froze.

To her left, the group of newer ponies she had met dangled by a rope over a lethal drop. To her right, her best friend and most trusted companion scrambled for purchase on a slippery board. She couldn't decide what to do, and as the moments ticked past, the screams grew unbearable to her. All of a sudden, Smokey looked right at her and piped up "I can hold on! Save Charm first, we'll be ok... I think." She gave a weak smile, and slipped another inch on the rope. Terra looked left, and right, and left again.

She decided to have faith in her friend, that she could hold on long enough. With a grunt of effort, she carefully treaded the boards over to the group on the rope, and grabbed Smokey's saddlebags with her teeth. She braced herself, and willed strength into her legs. With a mighty groan, she heaved on the bags, and slowly pulled the group back onto more solid boards. Falling back with a shout, she collapsed on the bridge for a moment, and caught her breath.

Unexpectedly, a pony slammed into her from behind in a brutal hug. She turned and saw Sculpted Charm hugging her for dear life, eyes wide. "It's ok, I'm ok, thank Solaria!" She was panting herself, and sweat streaked her sides. Terra returned the hug, and whispered "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I just couldn'..." Charm broke her off in the middle of the sentence, saying softly "Couldn't what? Watch a group of ponies die? You know me, and you trusted I could handle myself. That took more courage than I needed to save myself, you know." Charm stood tall, and added a bit louder "Besides, I'm no damsel in distress. I can handle myself, thank you very much!"

At that, Terra snorted, and rolled her eyes. They both began to giggle, a high-pitched giggle of relief. The rest of the group gave them a few moments and recovered from the ordeal as well, catching their breath and giving Terra a 'thank you' from each. They eventually reached the other side of the ravine without incident, and as they stepped off at the far end a flash of magic surrounded Terra. When it faded, a golden necklace hung on her neck, with another empty socket. Another magical hologram appeared to the side, and they finally saw the face of Rainbow Dash. She looked a little smug, and winked at the camera recording her. "Told ya, Pinkie. It's a lot easier than the other elements, in some ways. Take care new-me!" With that, she began to chuckle, and the image faded away.

With two of the missing Elements now on their side, the group continued onwards along the path ahead. In the far distance, a looming crystalline structure broke the horizon with an abrupt emergence.

And as meteors continued to streak by overhead, the distant city of Cantropolis was burning, a dark and sinister blaze on the horizon.