The Elements of Friendship

Chapters

The Shimmering Sun Spot
Welcome to Our Town
The Winter Night Festival
The Elements of Friendship
Facing the Sun
Friendship is Magic

The Shimmering Sun Spot

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together to spread harmony and friendship through all the land. To do this, the younger used her alicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn, and the elder brought forth the moon and stars to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies cherished the shining stars and moon of the night her elder sister created, but took for granted the light of her beautiful day. One fateful night, the younger alicorn refused to lower the sun to make way for the dusk. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the envy in the young one's heart had transformed her into a fiery beast of wrath: Sunflare Scorch! She vowed that she would blaze the land with eternal daylight!

Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponykind: the Elements of Friendship! Using the magic of the Elements, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her to a distant realm beyond the sun. The elder sister took on responsibility for both night and day, and harmony and friendship have been maintained for generations since . . .

Starlight Glimmer looked up from her book. "The Elements of Friendship . . . where have I heard of those before?"

Just then, the front door to the Golden Oak Library opened and slammed. Starlight looked over the loft railing to see a purple furball, a bushwoolie, scampering up the stairs.

"Starlight! Pinkie Pie's throwing a huge party for Winter Night Festival Eve!"

"Winter Night Festival Eve?" Starlight raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know there was such a holiday."

"Well, you know Pinkie," the bushwoolie said with a shrug. "But anyway, everyone in Ponyville's going to be there! Can we go?"

Starlight sighed as she began to scan the bookshelves. "Wishful, you know we don't have time for that sort of thing."

"What about that book club you host every Tuesday? Isn't that that sort of thing?"

"That's different! Book club is a meeting of intellectuals to discuss the literary merits and attributes of the great Equestrian novels, not just some wing-ding get-together! Now, where's the Encyclopedia of Equestrian History, again?"

Wishful's shoulders slumped. "Top shelf, third column from the left," he sighed resignedly.

Starlight used her magic to levitate herself to eye level with the encyclopedia, then pulled Volume E-F from the shelf.

"Elements . . ." she muttered as she telekinetically flipped the pages, all while still hovering in mid-air. "Aha! Elements of Friendship . . . See Shimmering Sun Spot?"

"Shimmering Sun Spot?" Wishful echoed. "Isn't that an old pony's tale?" Without answering, Starlight removed Volume S-T and scanned through it until she found the entry.

"Shimmering Sun Spot. A distinctive marking on the surface of the sun, mythologically explained as the remains of a portal to another realm, which was used to banish a wrathful monster who attempted to conquer Equestria. Ancient legend tells that on the shortest day of the thousandth year, the horizon shall reopen the gate, and she shall return to bring eternal daylight."

Starlight gasped. "Wishful, we need to go to the palace now!"

"The princess isn't there right now," Wishful responded. "She's in Canterlot on royal business."

"Then we'll have to write to her." Starlight lowered herself to the ground. "Take a note, please, Wishful."

Wishful nodded and scurried to the desk to grab a paper and quill.

"My dearest teacher," Starlight dictated. "My continuing studies of magic have led me to discover that we are on the brink of disaster! For you see, the mythical Shimmering Sun Spot is in fact the portal of Sunflare Scorch, who is soon returning to Equestria to bring a fiery eternal day! Something must be done to ensure that this terrible prophecy does not come to pass. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Starlight Glimmer."

Wishful signed the scroll. "Done!" With that, Starlight used a teleportation spell to send it to Canterlot.

"Are you sure about this, Starlight? After all, the princess already has her hooves full with the preparations for the Winter Night Festival tomorrow, doesn't she?"

"That's what's so urgent," Starlight replied. "Tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Winter Night Festival, which is the longest night and shortest day of the year! It's imperative that she knows of the prophecy immediately!"

"And you think she'll take you seriously?"

"Why wouldn't she? In all the years that she's been my mentor, she's never once doubted me!"

With that, a magenta flash appeared between them, revealing a shining scroll.

"See? I knew she would want to take immediate action!"

Wishful unsealed the letter and cleared his throat. "My dearest and most faithful student Starlight, you know that I value your diligence and trust you completely . . ."

"What did I tell you?" Starlight beamed.

". . . but --- from one bibliophile to another --- you really should get outside and take a break from those books!"

Welcome to Our Town

"My dear Starlight, as a wise mare once told me, there is more to a pony's life than studying. That's why I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Winter Night Festival in this year's location: the village of Our Town!"

" 'Our Town?' Is that the name of the village? What kind of a name is that?"

Wishful shrugged. "I don't know, it sounds kinda homey to me. Now, where was I?" He cleared his throat and resumed reading the letter from the princess: "And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!" Starlight rolled her eyes and groaned.

By this point, they had arrived at Our Town. It was a small village to say the least, with small cottages lined up in two straight rows along a single dirt street running up the middle. The houses and ground were covered with a thick layer of snow --- an odd sight, Starlight thought, considering that the surrounding area seemed to be all desert, save for the mountains in the distance.

"I think I see a library at the end of the street," Wishful observed. Starlight followed his gaze. Sure enough, a two-story building sat the far edge of the Town, with an open book sign hanging over its doorway.

Starlight brightened up. "That's great! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then go to the library to find proof of Sunflare Scorch's return!" With that, she began to trot into town.

Wishful ran to catch up with her. "But . . . when will you make friends like the princess said?"

"She said to check on the preparations. I'm her student, and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making --- oof!" Suddenly, she walked straight into another pony and fell to the ground.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry . . . I should have been watching where I was going." She couldn't help but stare at the ground in her embarrassment, desperate not to make eye contact with the pony she'd so clumsily walked into.

"No, it's fine. Are you alri . . . Starlight?"

At the sound of her name, Starlight looked up, and her heart stopped as she found herself staring into the blue eyes of a handsome golden orange unicorn with a reddish mane and a white spot on his nose.

"Sunburst? . . . what . . . what are you doing here?"

"I live here. What are you doing here?"

Starlight's mind froze. "I . . . I . . . I'm here to supervise the preparations for the Winter Night Festival. Which I need to get to now!" With that, she turned around and took off down the street, only stopping when she ducked into a narrow alley between two buildings. Breathing heavily, she struggled to hold in the burning tears she felt forming in her eyes. No, she wouldn't let herself spiral out of control! Not now!

"Starlight! Starlight!"

Starlight began to panic, but a wave of relief washed over her as she saw that it was only Wishful.

"Starlight, what's wrong? Do you know that guy?"

"I . . . no . . . I mean yes . . . I mean, I used to." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I used to. But not anymore. He doesn't matter anymore. And even if he did, I don't have time to socialize. I've got preparations for the festival to check on. Come on, Wishful."

As they walked out of the alley, Starlight looked at the list that had been attached with the letter.

"Let's see . . . the first thing to check on is the weather . . ." She glanced up and saw that the sky was clear of clouds.

"Looks good! Alright, next is . . ."

THUD!

Starlight spat icy clumps of snow out of her mouth. "What the . . . ?"

"Whoops! Sorry about that!"

Starlight rubbed her eyes clear to see a navy pegasus with a wild white mane landing in front of her.

"I was aiming for my friend and didn't see you there. You alright?" Starlight wiped away the remaining bits of the snowball and nodded.

"Name's Night Glider. What's yours?"

Starlight regarded the pegasus uncertainly, unsure what to make of her upfront friendliness. "Um, I'm Starlight Glimmer, and I'm here from Ponyville to supervise the preparations for the Winter Night Festival. Just now I was checking on the weather . . ."

"Then you've got the right ponies!"

Starlight turned in the direction of the new voice and saw a white earth stallion with a purple scarf and a snow shovel walking towards them.

"This is Double Diamond," Night Glider explained, "the scamp who was supposed to get that snowball!"

"Not my fault your aim was off," Double Diamond laughed before turning to Starlight. "Night Glider just finished clearing the sky a few minutes ago, and right now I'm working on shoveling the extra snow out of the way."

"Isn't it awesome?" Night Glider extended her front legs as she fell backwards and began to make a snow angel. "We don't normally get snow around here except for in the mountains, but Cloudsdale brought in a whole shipment just for the Winter Night Festival!"

"Well, that's lovely!" Starlight interjected. "Well, it seems that you two have got the weather under control, so if you'll excuse me I have to move on." With that, she picked Wishful up, set him on her back, and turned to walk away.

"Nice meeting you, Starlight!" Double Diamond called after them. "Hope to see you at the festival tonight!"

"Well, that took longer than it should have," Starlight grumbled as they got further away.

Wishful turned to look at her. "What's the problem, Starlight? Those ponies seemed plenty friendly."

"Sure they're friendly, but we're burning daylight! We don't have time for friendliness! I have to get to the library to find out how to stop Sunflare Scorch from coming!" She sighed. "Hopefully our next stop will go more quickly."

The next preparation was the food, which the list said was being provided by Warm & Cozy Bakery. Starlight and Wishful entered and were greeted by the welcoming aroma of freshly-baked pastries. A pink unicorn with a curly mulberry mane sat behind the counter.

"Welcome to Warm & Cozy Bakery! My name is Sugar Belle. What can I get you?"

"Oh, uh, my name's Starlight Glimmer, and we're fine, actually." She slowly pulled a wide-eyed Wishful away from the display case of baked goods in front of them. "We're just here to check on the food for the Winter Night Festival."

"Oh, of course!" Sugar Belle replied. "It's right back here."

They followed her behind the counter into the kitchen, where mountains of muffins reached from the counter to the ceiling. "We have cranberry muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, s'mores muffins . . ."

"Excellent!" Starlight interrupted. "Now, if you'll excuse us . . ."

"What's that?" Wishful pointed at a lone pie sitting on the stove.

Sugar Belle smiled. "That's my newest recipe! It's filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream and peppermint dust. I call it a Snow Pie! I started with just one to see how it would turn out, would you like a slice?"

"Thanks, but . . ." Before Starlight could continue, Sugar Belle was already handing each of them a particularly generous slice.

"How is it?" she asked as they tasted it.

Wishful's eyes went wide. "It's amazing!" he exclaimed as best as he could with his mouth full.

Sugar Belle's smile widened. "Glad you like it!" She turned to Starlight. "So, where are you guys from?"

"Ponyville," Starlight answered succinctly. She was trying to eat quickly so they could move on.

"Really? I have friends who live there! Do you know Pinkie Pie?"

Starlight nearly choked on her pie from trying to stifle a laugh. "Do I know her? She's only the most hyperactive pony I've ever met!"

Sugar Belle giggled. "That's Pinkie, all right --- always there with smiles to share and songs to sing! So, what do you think of Ponyville?"

Starlight swallowed. "It's alright. It's quite a bit bigger than here, though, so it's a little more noisy. Always some sort of commotion going on, it seems."

Sugar Belle nodded. "Yes, Our Town is rather small. But the nice thing about it is that everyone knows everyone. You hardly ever see anypony alone because we're all friends." At that moment, she noticed that they had both finished their pie. "Would either of you like seconds?"

Starlight hurriedly covered Wishful's mouth before he could answer. "Thanks, but we're both stuffed. Besides, we have a lot more to check on before the Winter Night Festival, so we really need to get going."

"Alright then. See you tonight, Starlight!"

"I could have gone for another slice," Wishful muttered as they exited the bakery.

"Those pieces were huge, you've had plenty." Starlight wiped a glob of whipped cream off of his fur. "Because of you, that stop took at least twice as long as the last one! It's a good thing all we have left to check on is the decorations, though whoever's in charge must be slacking off because so far I haven't seen ---" Her rant ended only when she walked into a giant balloon star.

As she turned around, her eyes widened. Within the relatively short time that she and Wishful had been in the bakery, the town had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Shining blue and silver pennants hung across the street, and delicate icicle lights twinkled from the roof of every building. The most amazing thing, however, was the large number of intricate balloon snowflakes and stars scattered across the village.

"Excuse me."

Starlight turned and found herself face-to-face with a blue unicorn stallion with a curly mane.

"Would you mind holding this for me real quick?" He held out a tall, thin balloon.

"Um, sure." As Starlight took the balloon, the stallion began to blow up several shorter ones, which he then proceeded to knot to the first one.

"It can be a little tricky sometimes when you've got lots of balloons and only two hooves to work with," he commented. "I'm Party Favor, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Party Favor." Starlight leaned back a bit as the balloon she was holding began to bend towards her from Party Favor working with it. "I'm Starlight Glimmer."

"Nice to meet you too, Starlight. Are you new here?"

"Oh, no. I'm just visiting." The balloons were practically on top of her head now. "We're from Ponyville."

"Hey, I've been there! Do you ---"

"Yes, I know Pinkie Pie." Boy, that pony sure was popular!

"She's great, isn't she?" Party Favor stepped back. "There! The centerpiece is all done!" Indeed it was, and it was much larger than all of the other balloons. As he took the snowflake from her, his eyes widened. "Yikes! Looks like the static messed up your mane a little!"

Starlight looked up and saw that her mane was standing straight up like a forest of purple and green sticks.

"Here." Party Favor began to smooth her mane down with a soft cloth. "Sorry about that. I forget sometimes that balloons can do that to straight manes. Is that better?"

Starlight stroked her mane. It still felt a little frizzy, but she could brush it later. "Yes, much better. Well, Party Favor, the decorations seem to be taken care of, so I'd better be going."

"Great to meet you, Starlight! See you at the festival!" And before she could possibly run into another chatty local, she ran to the library and slammed the door.

The Winter Night Festival

"Ugh! All the ponies in this town are crazy!" Starlight shouted. "Are there no civilized intellectuals among them? At least now we finally have some peace and quiet!"

A sign to her right told her that the reference books were upstairs, so that's where she decided to begin looking. After searching the entire floor, she finally found a book that looked like it would be helpful.

"A Brief History of Equestria. Perfect!" It was a thick, heavy volume that clunked to the floor no sooner than she had used her magic to pull it off the shelf. With some struggle, she opened it near the back and began to flip through the index. As she reached the S section, though, she noticed the faint sound of music coming from outside, but decided to ignore it. But by the time she'd scanned several pages, it had grown too loud to tune out, and she was only up to sp-.

"What is going on out there?" she wondered aloud. Seeing that Wishful had fallen asleep, she went to open the window and see for herself.

There seemed to be at least a hundred ponies partying in the street, far more than Starlight would have expected to live in such a tiny village.

"Starlight!" She looked up and saw Night Glider flying towards her.

"Party Favor's made a balloon dance floor! You gotta come check it out!"

"But . . . ahh!" Before Starlight had a chance to argue, Night Glider had pulled her through the window and was flying her down to the street to join the party. Sure enough, in the center of town there lay an enormous mat made entirely out of the same skinny balloons used by Party Favor before, arranged and tied together to form large colored squares. As Starlight watched the ponies dance bouncily, she couldn't help but wonder what in Equestria those balloons were made of that kept them from popping under all that weight.

"Come on!" Night Glider exclaimed. "Let's boogie!"

"But I don't . . . woah!" Starlight suddenly found herself thrust onto the dance floor, which was even bouncier than it looked. As she bounced around uncontrollably and flailed ineffectively in the air, her only comfort was the fact that if she were on solid ground her dancing would have been even more embarrassing. When she finally reached the edge, she attempted to step off gently, but instead succeeded in landing smack on top of a bystander.

She stood up hurriedly. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

The pony stood and turned. "Of course, I'm fine . . . oh, hi Starlight!"

Oh, no! Of all ponies, why did it have to be him?

"I was hoping I'd bump into you again." Sunburst smiled warmly.

"Oh, that's nice." With that, she turned and walked towards the snack table.

"Starlight, wait!" Sunburst ran to catch up with her. "I only saw you for a second earlier, and I wanted to talk to you."

"Hm, that's funny, 'cause I don't want to talk." They arrived at the table, where Sugar Belle was serving refreshments.

"Hi Starlight!" Starlight didn't respond, instead taking a muffin and stuffing it in her mouth to keep from having to talk to Sunburst.

"Starlight, please, just hear me out. We haven't seen each other in forever, and . . . well . . . I know it wasn't exactly on the best of terms . . . I mean, I was really happy, but I just left you there, and . . . oh, no! Starlight, please don't cry!"

Tears poured out of Starlight's eyes almost as fast as the smoke billowing from her ears. To say that her mouth was on fire was a major understatement.

"What do you think of my chocolate-habanero muffins, Starlight? You're the first pony who's ever tried one."

In less than three seconds flat, Starlight downed the entire pitcher of punch, including the ice cubes. When that didn't work, she desperately dove into a nearby snow drift and found herself licking the snow like a maniac. Ordinarily she would have, at the very least, checked to make sure it wasn't yellow, but at that moment she didn't even think to care.

"Starlight, are you okay?" Double Diamond grabbed her tail and pulled her out of the snow drift. She stood up and opened her mouth as if to speak, but all that came out was a puff of steam.

"Hey guys!" Party Favor came running over. "The sun's almost set! It's time!" As soon as the words left his mouth, all of the ponies in the street assembled in a mob and headed toward the east end of town.

Only Starlight hung back for a moment. She turned to look west, at the library, at the research she hadn't finished in time. Behind the library, a fiery red line ran across the horizon, indicating that the sun had set.

I hope the princess is right . . . I hope it really is just an old ponies' tale . . . She sighed and followed the rest of the crowd.

The royal guards had assembled a magnificent stage at the east end of the village, decorated with the royal banner and a pair of violet curtains. The guards along the edge of the stage began to play the fanfare, and a stately orange pegasus stepped to the front.

"Mares and gentlecolts of Our Town, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Winter Night Festival!" The ponies in the audience applauded wildly.

The pegasus continued: "In just a few moments, we will witness the magic of the moonrise, and celebrate the longest night of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us each night and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of friendship to all of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

As the curtains parted, the roaring cheers quickly dissolved into a collective gasp. Starlight's heart skipped a beat.

"She's gone!" somepony shouted.

Before anyone had time to react further, the stage was set ablaze! Guards began to leap off the edge to the ground in terror.

Suddenly, a small shadowy figure appeared in the heart of the inferno. Within seconds, the figure grew to an enormous size and glowed red, revealing a horrifying winged demon! A distorted cackle filled the air.

"Ah, my beloved subjects," the demon hissed. "It's been so long since I've seen your precious, night-loving faces."

As the crowd stood frozen despite the heat, Party Favor, of all ponies, stood up. "What have you done with the princess?!"

"Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?" No answer came.

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" she snarled as the flames intensified. "Did you not recall the legend? Did no one see the signs?!"

"I did!"

All eyes turned to Starlight.

"I did, and I know who you are, Sunflare Scorch!"

The demon laughed. "Well, well, at least someone remembers me. And I'm sure you also know why I'm here . . ."

"You're here to . . . to . . ." Dread caused the words to stick in Starlight's throat, and she swallowed them.

"Remember the night, my little ponies, for you have seen your last. As of this moment, the day shall last forever!"

The Elements of Friendship

Sunflare Scorch continued to laugh maniacally. Then, with a blaze of fire, she disappeared. The ponies of Our Town were left in an atmosphere of tension and fear.

"Where did she go?" "Where's the princess?"

After a few moments of anxious chatter, a scream rang out. Everyone turned and gasped in horror at the sight of the sun rising in the west.

Starlight couldn't take it anymore! She dashed away from the crowd and ran back to the library, where she used her levitation spell to fly through the still-open window of the second floor. "Wishful, wake up!"

Wishful sat up and looked around, dazed by the bright light outside. "Is it morning already? Did I sleep through the whole night?"

"No, Wishful, it's Sunflare Scorch! She's returned to bring eternal day!"

"Starlight! Starlight!" Starlight turned to see the other five running up the stairs.

"You said you knew about the prophecy!" Party Favor panted. "You knew about Sunflare Scorch! Do you know how we can stop her?"

Starlight started to answer, but her confidence quickly left her. "I . . . don't, actually. All I know is that some objects called the Elements of Friendship were used to stop her a long time ago, but I don't know where they are or how to use them. I don't even know exactly what they are!"

"The Elements of Friendship: A Reference Guide."

Starlight ran to the bookcase and pushed Night Glider aside. "How did you find that?"

"It was under E, duh."

Starlight opened the book. "There are six Elements of Friendship, but only five are known: Empathy, Fun, Encouragement, Endurance, and Trust. The sixth remains a mystery, but it will be revealed by a glimmer of light in the presence of the other five. The last known location of the Elements is the Castle of Dusk and Dawn, high in the Sabinria Mountains."

"That's the mountains just outside of town!" Double Diamond exclaimed. "We can help you get there easily!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Starlight replied. "I think I'd better do this on my own."

"But Starlight, you saw that raging she-demon!" Sugar Belle protested. "It's too dangerous to go alone!"

"I'll be fine. What's the sense of putting all of you in danger?"

"Starlight, please." She turned to look at Sunburst. "You're a smart mare. You know better. It's simple math that your odds will be better with six against one than with one against one."

Starlight tried to stand her ground, but it was no use; Sunburst had appealed to her logic. Even if she couldn't stand these ponies, her odds would of success would be much greater with a larger group. And after all, it wasn't like she'd ever have to see any of them again after this, right? She sighed. "Fine."

"Woo hoo! Time for an adventure!" Night Glider pumped her hooves as she flew into the air. "Let's go!"

Starlight was the last one to file down the stairs. She turned to Wishful, who had fallen back asleep, and set him on her back. If she wanted to keep her sanity, her odds would be better with him at her side.

"So, do you guys come up into these mountains a lot?"

Double Diamond turned to face Wishful. "Yep! Night Glider and I come here all the time to go skiing." His voice fell to a whisper as they walked around a bend. "But you have to be careful in this area, or you might run into . . . "

CRASH!

The group looked up to see an enormous beast with shaggy white fur standing on the path in front of them. The beast stood up on its hind legs and let out a tremendous roar!

" . . . a yeti!"

"We have to get past it!" Starlight shouted. "Come on!" The seven charged into action, except for Sugar Belle.

"Wait a minute!" Alas, her suggestion went unheard.

There was a brief struggle, but the strength of five ponies and one bushwoolie was no match for that of one yeti. The yeti raised his arm and threw the six off of his fur and into the snow in front of them. He then began to stomp menacingly toward them. The six braced for the worst, until Sugar Belle stepped in front of them, reached into her saddlebag, and held up a muffin.

The yeti started to roar again, but stopped as the scent of the muffin reached his nose. He crouched down, took the muffin from Sugar Belle, and popped it into his mouth. "Mmmm!"

"There's plenty more where that came from!" Sugar Belle removed her saddlebag and poured an entire batch of muffins onto the snow. The yeti scooped them up with one paw and quickly gobbled them up. With that, he yawned, stretched, and climbed up the face of the mountain into a cave.

The others stood up. "Sugar Belle," Starlight asked, "how did you know that the yeti was just hungry?"

She shrugged. "I didn't know for sure. I just asked myself what might be wrong that would make him grumpy, and then I offered to help him. Anyways, we better keep going."

"Strange that we saw a yeti at all, though," Double Diamond commented as they continued onward. "They usually hibernate this time of year . . . " At that moment, if any of them had looked up, they would have seen a streak of fire float out of the yeti's cave . . .

"This one doesn't have any yetis in it, does it?" Starlight asked as they stood at the mouth of another, larger cave.

"Nah, this one's just a tunnel," Night Glider answered. "It'll take us to the other side of the mountain."

The tunnel was as long and dark as a frigid winter's night. Icicles and stalactites hung like dragon's teeth from the ceiling, and the stone floor was iced over in some places. After several minutes of walking, they came to a bridge of thick ice sprawling across a wide chasm, too dark for the bottom to be seen.

Night Glider turned to the others. "We're almost out now. The exit is right on the other side . . ." As her head was turned, a streak of fire shot through the air and into the center of the bridge.

Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed loudly through the cave. The group watched in despair as the bridge suddenly collapsed, leaving only a short stump of ice on each side.

"Oh, no!" Starburst exclaimed. "How are we going to get across now?"

"You could use your flying spell, Starlight," Wishful suggested.

"But what about the others? I don't think I'm strong enough to carry them across, even one at a time."

"Maybe Night Glider could help you . . . "

"I have an idea!"

The others turned to face Night Glider. "Stand back!"

She flew back about half of the distance they had come in the cave. Then she began to run forward as fast as she could. Faster, and faster, and faster, until she came to the ice and began to slide!

"Night Glider!" Sugar Belle gasped. "What are you doing?!"

Night Glider made no sound until she slid off the edge of the ice and began to sail through the air. "Woo hoo!" The others expected her to spread her wings any second, but she didn't. Instead, she kept sailing until she at last landed on the other side's ice and slid into the snow. She stood up, brushed herself off, and turned to her friends. "Okay, your turn!"

"Are you crazy?!" Party Favor shouted. "You're lucky you didn't fall in, and at least you had wings to save you if you did!"

"Well, do you guys have any better ideas?"

The six looked down into the chasm. Sure, Starlight could float them across, but she'd have to do it one at a time, and who knew if she'd have the strength? Besides, Sunflare Scorch needed to be stopped quickly.

Double Diamond sighed. He turned and walked to the point where Night Glider had started. After a pause, he took off for the ice. Faster, and faster, and faster, until he began to slide across the ice! He let out a scream as he flew off the end, but soon landed safely on the other side. As he brushed the snow off his coat, he slowly realized that he'd been just fine, and he laughed.

Sunburst went next, then Sugar Belle and Party Favor. Starlight turned to Wishful. "Hold on tight to my neck." With that, she dashed towards the ice and made her own flight across.

On the other side, the group couldn't help but laugh, until a thought struck Starlight. "Oh my gosh! I'm an idiot! Why didn't I just teleport us over here?"

"Because it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun." Night Glider grinned as they proceeded out of the tunnel.

They continued walking a short distance, until the ground started to lightly shake. They looked up the mountain and saw a wall of snow falling towards them!

"Avalanche!" Double Diamond shouted. The group barely moved out of the way in time as the snow came crashing down on top of the path, piling up too high to see over.

"Great! Now what?" Night Glider cried in exasperation.

"Can you teleport us to the other side now, Starlight?" Wishful asked.

Starlight shook her head. "Not if I can't see it. Besides, we don't know where the snow ends, so we might end up teleporting right off the face of the mountain!"

"We could dig through the snow," Party Favor suggested. No one else had any ideas, so that's what they did.

"How much further?" Sugar Belle called after an eternity.

"No one knows," Starlight answered. Another eternity later, soreness and tiredness forced them all to stop.

"What if we can't make it?" Night Glider asked exhaustedly. "We might be digging here forever!"

Double Diamond stood up. "It can't be that much further. We can do it if we all work together!"

"But what if it is that much further?" Starlight asked.

"Then we'll stop and take another break. But we can't give up now! We've come this far, and Equestria's counting on us!"

With that, they decided to start digging again. "Come on!" Double Diamond shouted. "We can do it! I think we're almost there!"

After several more minutes, Double Diamond reached out of the snow and felt open air. He reached downward. More air.

"Dig left! We're at the end!" Within a few moments, they finally broke free of the snow and tumbled forward, gasping for air.

"We . . . we did it . . . " Double Diamond panted. "I knew we could!"

After resting for about ten minutes, they continued until they came to a fork in the path.

"Wait a minute!" Party Favor stopped and rubbed his hoof on the side of the mountain.

"What's up?"

"I've been here before," he answered, "and there's a big crystal just up that other path. If you pull it, it opens a secret passage going up the mountain! It'll get us to the castle faster!" He dashed up the path. "Wait here! I'll only be a minute!"

After running a short ways, he came to the mouth of a large cave. "Weird," he muttered, "I don't remember this . . ."

The walls and ceiling of the cave were lined with shining red crystals. Party Favor proceeded with caution until he bumped into a large crystal growing from the ceiling. As he stepped back and looked at it, a horrifying face appeared and snarled at him!

"Ahh!" He jumped back, but bumped into another crystal. Another face appeared! He screamed and crawled under the first crystal, running toward the end of the cave. Faces, faces everywhere, each one more sinister than the last! What's more, a swarm of red bats suddenly dove from the ceiling and screeched as they flew toward him! He ducked and kept running until he slammed into an even larger crystal and fell to the ground!

"Party Favor . . . "

He shot up and looked around frantically. "Who's there?"

"Party Favor . . . " The voice was soothing, almost siren-like. He looked up at the crystal and saw that a dark red force was stirring inside of it.

"It seems that you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble . . . if only there was an easy way out of here . . . " Suddenly, an orange and yellow light swirled in front of him to reveal a picture of Our Town. "Well, what have we here? It seems there is . . . "

The echoing screech of a bat caused Party Favor to jump.

"This portal leads to your village . . . " the crystal continued. "In an instant, you can leave this frightening place and be safe and sound at home . . . " It was a tempting offer, for sure, but . . .

" . . . what about my friends?"

"Your friends will be fine . . . " the crystal assured. "They don't really need you to open the shortcut. After all, they can continue down the other path, can't they?"

Party Favor moved his head to avoid a falling red crystal. "Well, yeah, but it'll take a lot longer for them to get up the mountain."

"Does it really matter, as long as they arrive at their destination safely?"

"Well . . . " Party Favor rubbed the back of his head. "I guess not . . . but I can't just leave them there!"

The crystal laughed lightly. "Sure you can! Who needs them?"

It was that remark that reinvigorated Party Favor. " . . . I do! I need them! And so does Equestria!"

With that, he swatted at the portal, scattering the magic. He then gasped at the sight of a sparkling bluish-white crystal growing off the large red one.

"The crystal lever!" He took hold of the crystal and pulled down on it as hard as he could until it moved. A soft rumbling noise from within the mountain told him that the passage had opened. Then he stood up and ran out of the cave as fast as his legs could carry him.

"I'm here!" he shouted as he returned to where his friends were waiting. "Let's go!"

The others followed him up a crudely-carved stone staircase. "What took you so long, Party Favor?" Sugar Belle asked. "We were worried about you!"

"I couldn't find the crystal," he answered, "and I ended up lost in a scary cave."

"That sounds awful!"

"It was. And then there was a big red crystal that opened a portal back to town. It tried to tell me that you guys didn't need me and that I should just go home." By that point, they'd reached the top of the staircase, and he stepped out into the daylight. "But I didn't listen!"

They continued on the path for a while, until the ruins of a castle came into view.

"There it is!" Starlight shouted excitedly. The group began to run towards it. "It's right over there! All we have to do now is --- ahh!"

The others gasped. "Starlight!" Before anyone could stop him, Sunburst dove over the edge of the cliff after her! After falling a bit, he grabbed Starlight with one hoof and a nearby branch with the other.

But the branch was small, and it quickly started to snap. "What do we do?" Starlight asked frantically.

Sunburst looked up. The top of the cliff was quite far away. He knew he could levitate himself to that point, but not if he was holding Starlight, and the branch wouldn't hold long enough for him to levitate just her to the top. Then he saw Night Glider poised to dive in and realized what had to be done. He looked down at Starlight. "Let go."

"What?! Are you crazy?!"

"No. They'll catch you!"

"How can I tell?"

"Don't you believe me?"

Starlight laughed. "Why should I believe a word you say? You lied to me, Sunburst!"

"I don't know what you're ---"

"When we were foals!" she screamed. "You said we would be friends forever, but we weren't! You left for Canterlot and the old School for Gifted Unicorns without even saying goodbye!"

The branch snapped more, dropping them ever closer to the ground below. "Starlight, that was a long time ago. We really don't have time to ---"

"Of course we don't have time! There's never any time! After you got your cutie mark, there wasn't any time for you to say a single word to me! There wasn't time for you to say goodbye before you left! And there certainly wasn't time for you to write to me or come visit or anything!"

Tears filled Starlight's eyes. "You were my only friend . . . at least I thought you were! How do I know you ever cared for me at all? How do I know you're not deliberately trying to let me fall now?"

Sunburst's ears drooped, and he sighed. "Starlight . . . I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I did try to keep in touch with you when I first got to Canterlot, but I should have tried harder. I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm sorry I've caused you so much pain for so long."

The branch snapped yet again, dropping them even further. "I'm not asking you to forgive me," Sunburst continued. "All I ask is that, just this once, you trust me."

Starlight stared into Sunburst's eyes for what felt like forever. Here was the pony who'd abandoned her, that she'd spent so many years hating, now telling her to let go and meet certain doom . . . and yet . . . she felt as if she trusted him, as if a trace of their old friendship remained. As a tear slid down Starlight's cheek, she smiled slightly. And then she let go.

She screamed as she fell for a while, but suddenly she stopped. She opened her eyes. Night Glider had caught her.

As Night Glider carried her back up the cliff, the branch broke completely. But before Starlight had a chance to scream, Sunburst used his magic to float himself upward. Soon, they were both back on solid ground.

"Starlight, I . . . "

Starlight threw her front legs around him and buried her face in his chest. "Sunburst . . . I'm sorry . . . "

Sunburst hugged her back. "It's okay." And for a good while, they stayed like that.

"Hey, Starlight," Wishful suddenly interjected. "Why didn't you just use your levitation spell like Sunburst did?"

Starlight didn't answer, but perhaps this revealed lapse in her judgment was what prompted her to immediately use her magic to teleport the entire group to the other side of the gap. The ruins of the castle stood directly before them now.

Facing the Sun

The castle had clearly long since been reduced to ruins, but the high walls and pillars were nonetheless magnificent. In the center of the front room sat a great stone structure with five long arms, each holding a small polished rock.

"Those must be the Elements," Starlight gasped.

Night Glider flew around the structure, collected the rocks, and gently set them at Starlight's hooves. "There's only five here, though."

"The book said that the sixth would be revealed by a glimmer of light in the presence of the other five," Starlight recalled. "Stand back, everypony. I'm going to try a spell."

She closed her eyes and concentrated intently. Slowly, her horn lit up with her aqua aura as she tried to focus her magical energy at the point.

Suddenly, she felt a burst of heat in her face. She opened her eyes and gasped as she watched a flaming tornado pick up the rocks.

"The Elements!" Without a second thought, she leapt into the twister, thus disappearing along with it and the Elements.

Starlight quickly became aware that she had been transported to another part of the castle --- the throne room, by the looks of it. The Elements sat on the ground before a pair of thrones, surrounded by a fire that grew into Sunflare Scorch.

The demon laughed sinisterly. "Well, it looks like you've found the Elements of Friendship for me. Well done."

Starlight calmed her nerves. She stood up, lowered her head, and positioned herself to charge.

Sunflare Scorch cackled again. "You're kidding! . . . You're kidding, right?" Starlight charged.

"So be it," the demon muttered. She lowered her own head and charged, mentally preparing herself for the tremendous mess she was about to make . . . and only stopped when Starlight disappeared.

She had teleported herself to the Elements. "Come on, just one glimmer!" she muttered. "Just one little glimmer!" She poured herself into her magic harder than she ever had before.

Sunflare Scorch feared imminent defeat. "No!"

With a flash, the end of Starlight's horn glimmered like the star on her cutie mark. But nothing else happened. The five Elements continued to sit on the ground like a bunch of useless rocks.

Starlight was beside herself. "But . . . why . . . where's the sixth Element?"

Suddenly Sunflare Scorch was in front of her, and she found herself blasted backwards by a searing pulse of heat. Groaning with pain, she sat up to see Sunflare Scorch baring her fangs.

"You fool!" she boomed. "Thinking you could defeat me?!" She rose up on her back legs and slammed her front hooves to the ground, shattering the stones. Starlight watched helplessly as the pieces clattered to the ground.

"Now you will never see your princess or your precious night again! The day will last forever!" Her distorted cackle filled the castle.

Starlight sat frozen in shock and devastation.

"Starlight! Starlight!"

She turned towards the doorway. A feeling of hope filled her as she realized that her friends were coming.

Something lit up inside her. Her friends were coming.

As the group entered, Starlight turned back to Sunflare Scorch. "You think that you've destroyed the Elements of Friendship just like that? Well, you're wrong! The Elements of Friendship are right here!"

Everyone else, including Sunflare Scorch, was confused. "What?"

Starlight turned and gestured towards her friends. "Sugar Belle, who soothed a savage beast by walking in the horseshoes of another, is the Element of Empathy!" As she spoke, the shards of one of the stones rose and flew across the room to surround Sugar Belle.

"Night Glider, who faced the danger of the chasm with a smile, is the Element of Fun!" More pieces flew forward.

"Double Diamond, who lifted his friends' weary spirits and persuaded them to persevere, is the Element of Encouragement!"

"Party Favor, who refused to abandon his friends even in the face of fear, is the Element of Endurance!"

"And Sunburst, who convinced me to believe him when I least wanted to but most needed to, is the Element of Trust!"

"But you still don't have the sixth Element!" Sunflare Scorch interrupted. "The glimmer didn't work!"

"But it did! A different kind of glimmer!" Starlight replied. "All my life, I thought that I could only form true friendships with ponies who were just the same as me. But the differences in the skills and personalities possessed by these five are what allowed us to triumph in every challenge we faced on the way here!"

She looked at her friends. "And I felt the glimmer the moment I realized how happy I was to see you, to hear you, and how much I cared about you. The glimmer lit up inside me when I . . . I accepted you as my friends!"

A shimmering sound caused Starlight to turn and look up as a sixth stone descended from the ceiling and came to rest above her head.

"For you see, Sunflare Scorch, you have a powerful magic, but you cannot win because you lack the most powerful magic of all: the light inside of us all that creates Magic of Friendship!"

A rainbow rose from where the six were now floating and turned to strike down Sunflare Scorch.

"No!" she shrieked while trying in vain to escape. "No!"

And as the rainbow engulfed her, there was a flash of white light.

"Starlight! Starlight, are you okay?"

Starlight opened her eyes to see Wishful standing over her. She sat up and hugged him.

"Hey, check these out!"

Starlight looked at her friends and saw that the Elements had transformed into gold necklaces with jeweled pendants matching the bearers' cutie marks. The Element of Empathy was a lavender cupcake. Fun was a white crescent moon. Encouragement, a light blue snowflake. Endurance, a bright pink balloon dog. Trust, a red sun. And Acceptance, a purple four-pointed star topping a crown inlaid with mint stones.

"You were right, Starlight!" Sugar Belle gasped. "We really are the Elements of Friendship!"

"Indeed you are."

The light of the day outside dimmed as the sky turned purple, and a magenta star descended into the room to reveal a regal lavender alicorn. The others bowed.

"Princess Twilight!" Starlight gasped, and she ran to embrace her teacher.

"Starlight, my faithful student, I knew you could do it."

Starlight stepped back. "But . . . you told me it was all just an old pony's tale."

"I told you that you needed to make some friends," the princess corrected. "I saw the signs of Sunflare Scorch's return and knew that you had the light inside to defeat her, but you couldn't unleash until you let true friendship into your heart." She sighed. "Now if only another will do the same."

A smoldering black crater lay in the spot where Sunflare Scorch had stood. And in the center of the crater lay a light orange alicorn with hair of crimson and gold.

"Sunset Shimmer!"

The broken alicorn opened tear-filled aqua eyes as a look of fear overshadowed her.

Princess Twilight descended into the crater. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Now is the time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, my sister."

The Elements of Friendship gasped. "Sister?"

"What do you say, Sunset? Will you accept my friendship?"

Tears streamed from Princess Sunset's eyes, and she ran to Princess Twilight. "I'm so sorry! I've missed you so much, sister!"

Princess Twilight smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I've missed you, too."

Friendship is Magic

A huge party was held that night in Our Town to celebrate the defeat of Sunflare Scorch and the return of Princess Sunset. After many hours of merriment, Princess Twilight turned to Starlight. "Well, my faithful student, are you ready to return to Ponyville?"

A feeling of melancholy swept over Starlight. She looked at her fellow Elements of Friendship, the ponies without whom she never could have defeated Sunflare Scorch. Sugar Belle, Night Glider, Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sunburst. The ponies she had grown to love. The ponies who had shown her true friendship. Her friends.

"Well, Starlight?"

Starlight looked up at the princess and gave a small smile. "Actually, if you don't mind, Princess, I think I'll stay here for a while. I've still got a lot to learn about friendship, and I can't think of a better place to conduct my studies."

Princess Twilight smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

As the princesses left on the chariot, the Elements of Friendship gathered in a group hug that felt as eternal as their friendship.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Night Glider asked when they finally broke apart. "The night is still young! Let's party!"

And they did.

Author's Note

Photo by unsavorydom