"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong! Because, the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!"
It was then, deep in the crumbling ruins of the old royal castle within the formidable Everfree Forest, that Nightmare Moon noticed that the five peasant companions have caught up beside the little purple unicorn.
"Applejack, who reassured me during my moment of doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty!" Shards of the elements levitated from the nightmare's hooves and took orbit around the orange Earth Pony farmer.
"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness!" More shards took orbit around the skittish yellow Pegasus.
"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!" This time, it was the pink clown of an Earth Pony's turn.
"Rarity, who soothed the sorrowful Serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!" ...and the snobby white Unicorn...
"And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desires, represents the spirit of Loyalty!" ...and finally, the blue punk Pegasus. "The spirits of these ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!"
"But you still don't have the sixth Element!" the nightmare replied, "The spark didn't work!"
"But it did! A different kind of spark..." Twilight Sparkle turned to the other five and told them, "I felt it the moment I realized how happy I was to see you... to hear you... how much I cared for you... The spark ignited inside me, when I realized that you were all..." turning towards the villainess, Twilight finished, "...my friends."
Those words have summoned the sixth element, which levitated just above the unicorn. Its arcane radiance was so bright, the nightmare had to shield her eyes with her wing.
"You see, Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the hearts us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of Magic!"
In a sudden burst of light, the six ponies took to the air, the shards orbiting the first five reformed into pendants on their chests, and the sixth Element reformed into a tiara donned by their leader. Before Nightmare Moon could devise one final attack, they cast forth a brilliant rainbow that spiralled towards the sky before plummeting towards its target. In another instance, the nightmare was writhing and screaming in agony as it felt its essence being dispelled from the princess's body and being cast back to the Astral Planes, but before the entity slipped into unconciousness, it felt something unexpected: a physical change within its host, no, all throughout the host. The entity's final thought was, "what is the meaning of this?"
To Princess Luna, the events that transpired were almost a dream. Ever since the astral entity possessed her body, she was imprisoned within the only seat of some bizarre and twisted theater: the sensations to her body were real, the actions it performed were real, and their consequences were all too real, but she could do nothing about it. Her body was a puppet to the daemon that was drawn to the darkness within her heart. True, she was envious of her sister, for whose daylight the ponies of the land bathed themselves in, while they boxed themselves away in their homes when the moon and stars rose from the horizon. Despite that, she understood that ponies cannot easily sleep during the day, for the sunlight gave too much stimulation to their eyes. Still, if only there was a way to show them the beauty of the night...
...but not like that...
"Princess Luna?"
She awoke with a gasp; she found herself lying next to the shattered armor of that monstrous form, and when she craned her neck, she saw her elder sister looming over her, but with no threat in her eyes.
"It has been a thousand years since I've seen you like this." Princess Celestia knelt down beside her sister. "We were meant to rule together." She leaned her head towards Luna's, eyes glowing with compassion. "Will you accept my friendship, my little..." The compassion in her eyes dimmed, and they grew wide. "...sister?"
"What is the matter, big si-" Luna put a hoof to her mouth in disbelief. Her voice was deeper than it used to be. When she looked down at her muzzle, she saw that it was broader and more elongated, like that of a stallion's. When she looked at her foreleg, she saw that it was thicker, like a stallion's. When she stood up, she could tell that she was a few hooves taller, like a stallion, and when she examined her torso, from chest to flank, she realized that it was more toned, like a stallion's. But that means she... erm, he... oh no.
"Luna," Celesta exhaled, with her face in total shock, "what happened to you?"
A moment of silent eye contact later, the two siblings turned their attention to the six heroines. Wide eyed and slack jawed, they, too, were obviously in shock, then, Rainbow Dash closed her mouth and shrugged.
"Don't look at us!" she bluntly exclaimed, "I don't think any of us MEANT to turn the chick into a dude."
"Are you sure you want to do this, little si- er... brother?"
Princess Celestia and her brother were poised behind the curtains to the public address podium of Ponyville Town Hall. Peeking past them revealed a throng of ponies on the audience floor below chattering apprehensively. Some were excited and delighted that Princess Celestia got her little sister back, while others were confused about what she meant by "a slight complication."
"I have already decided to rule the kingdom alongside you, did I not?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"And public address is one of our responsibilities, is it not?"
"But I can take all-"
"As well as other duties that involve public presence, correct?"
"Well..."
The Prince looked sincerely in his sister's eyes, and explained, "Tia, they're going to find out sooner or later. Even if I shut myself up in the castle, with all its guards and security, some curious, brave little pony might sneak past it all to discover the secret." He turned away and continued, "No, 'tis better to get over it now so they, nay, we, can all sooner recover from the shock and return to our everyday lives."
"But what a shock it may become!" his sister cried, "After all, this kind of transformation is far from an every day circumstance. It's simply unheard of!" She put her forehooves on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "I can give them the details of your predicament over time, so it can sink in softly! Have you considered that?"
"Enough!" He swiped her hooves aside, causing her to stumble a bit. He took a breath for composure, then looked at her with resolve. "I've already made up my mind. As embarrassing as this will doubtlessly be, I doubt it will go beyond that."
Celestia sighed in resignation. "Very well."
With that, the prince stepped onto the stage, and as if on cue, the crowd fell silent, but many soon gasped upon the sight, and all were gawking at once was told to be Princess Celestia's little sister. Well, none of them had lived long enough to have seen her before her transformation, but they generally knew that she wasn't always, well... A pause later, the prince commenced his public address:
"Citizens of Equestria! It is I, the younger brother of your Princess Celestia! You may know me as the former Princess Luna, ruler of the night in ages past, before she was corrupted into the monstrosity, Nightmare Moon, and banished to the celestial body she controlled, for her transgressions against the kingdom and its citizens, for an entire millenium. But, fear not, citizens, for six courageous mares, of whom you may know well, have wielded the Elements of Harmony to expel the daemon that possessed my body, and my only wish is to make amends for all the transgressions I have committed in such a state, so that you may find it in your heart to forgive me.
And," the prince said, his manner becoming humble, "that brings us to the topic I'm certain is on your mind at this very moment. It's true. I am no longer female. I only recall having this body upon awakening from my accursed slumber. My sister and I suspect; nay, we have no doubt that the Elements themselves led a role in causing this transformation, but how, we cannot say. We can only hope that the research of the Arcanology Branch of the Royal Cabinet, as well as the findings of my sister's own protege, Twilight Sparkle, can shed some light on my current affair.
But all that is arbitrary!" he declared with his zeal returned, "Either as princess or prince, I am still my sister's sibling, and as such, from this day forward, I am, once again, the royal dignitary of the Equestrian night. And as such, my duty, no, my purpose is to rule the nation alongside my sister, even as I strive to adjust to life as a stallion!"
All was silent for a moment, until some young mare in the audience squealed in delight, "Oh my gosh! He's so cool!" With that, the crowd erupted into cheer for their new prince. That particular reaction was unexpected, but regardless, the prince was relieved upon such an optimistic reception.
Celestia stepped up beside her brother for her closing statement: "Thank you all for your attention today. And with that, let the Summer Solstice Festival commence!"
