Author's Note

To give you guys a little tease, I'll release this one early. Expect chapters every 2-3 days.

3 - We have a problem... Six actually

I looked around my surroundings to see I was in an old house of some sorts. I was sitting on a rug next to a fire pit listening to a story. The story teller was an elderly looking woman, her wrinkles showing her age but her eye shown like she was just a child. She held a wonder in them that you would normally see in that of an innocence discovering something new. She was currently telling me about a land of magic and war, and how a brave princess of a nation led the other nations along with their leaders against a very powerful foe. She spoke of many things, dragons and griffons soaring through the air protecting their comrades from harm. She also told of the princess's sister, who worked her wonders behind the scene using magic to boost their forces and rally the troops. As she spoke the spark in her eye became brighter, as though she were experiencing it while telling the tale. As she spoke, I couldn't help but wonder who she could be. She seemed very loving and caring of me, as though-

Grandma..?

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I awoke to find it was still night. I was curled up in the tapestry from before still in the ruins. I stood up, gently feeling for any pain. My body was still fairly sore from the fall. I heard a commotion coming from the archway, and wandered over to get a better idea of what I was hearing. I saw that a fog had settled over the chasm cutting off my view of the forest. Leaning against the left side, I began to listen.

"Twilight! Wait for us!"

I jumped at hearing the voice just beyond the chasm separating the forest and the ruins. It definitely sounded female, but it certainly wasn't The Mare.

Maybe these people can help me.

Listening further, I heard a yelp of distress followed by the sound of someone dragging something.

"What's with you and falling off cliffs?"

This voice was different, having a more brash tone to it.

"Now what?"

A third voice, this one sounded very bright.

"Duh." The second voice replied, followed by what sounded to be fluttering of some sort.

I heard the wind woosh down the chasm, and jumped back behind the archway as I saw a blue figure come up on this side. Looking out again, I saw a blue furred (girl?) horse/mare with wings on its back. She stood at 5'6ft, and appeared to have an athletic build. She was wearing a sports bra and short crop shorts. Her hair and tail was maid up of every color of the rainbow. In her hands was one of the support ropes of the fallen bridge.

Yes! A chance to get out of here! And if she's dressed like that, then a town must not be far. A few days walk at best.

I was about to approach her, when I heard a voice call out.

"Rainbow"

The voice sounded mystical, almost like it hadn't been there at all. The girl, Rainbow I assumed, also seemed to hear it. It was all I needed to decide to stay back.

"Who's there?" Rainbow asked.

"Raaainbow"

"I ain't scared of you!" Rainbow said

I admired her tenacity, but given the situation she was in over her head. Just then, three figures walked out of the mist. They claimed to be a superior flying squad than a group called "The Wonderbolts". They called themselves "The Shadowbolts". Apparently they needed a captain, and began buttering up Rainbow on her flying capabilities. As Rainbow went to tie the bridge supports, the lead shadowbolt stopped her. She claimed Rainbow had to make a choice, her friends on the other side or the shadowbolts. Rainbow looked torn between the choices.

"You." Rainbow simply stated.

The shadowbolts were about to congratulate her when she continued.

"Thank you, I mean, for the offer. But I'm afraid I have to say no." Rainbow said.

With that she tied the bridge supports and flew off, clearing the fog with a beat of her wings. I looked towards the shadowbolts only to see that they had vanished. Looking back to the bridge, I saw the new arrivals.

Leading in front was a purple furred horse/mare with a horn and purple eyes. She stood at 5'10ft, and from what I could tell was an average build. Her hair and tail were both straight and purple with a single streak of pink running threw them. She wore a purple knit sweater and jeans, and appeared to have an air of authority about her.

Just behind her was a pink colored horse/mare with light blue eyes. Unlike the other two, she had no wings or horn. She stood at 5'8ft, her build being more hefty than the purple one. Her hair and tail were a darker pink than her fur, with both being curlier and frizzier than my own hair. She wore a pink tee and black running shorts, this one having a bounce to her step.

The next horse/mare was a butterscotch colored winged one with emerald eyes. She stood at 5'9ft, and was slim like me. The hair and tail on this one was the same pink as the horse/mare before her's fur, having a slight wave to them. She wore a green hoodie with jeans, and seemed to almost be hiding from the air around her. Despite this, she seemed glad to be with the group.

Following her was an alabaster horse/mare adorned with a horn and sapphire eyes. She was 5'8ft, with an dieted body build. Her hair was curled and royal purple, though she was without a tail or it was too small for me to see. She wore a white with purple blouse and skirt, her walk telling me that she carried herself with elegance. I noticed with this one however, something I had missed with the others, was her bosom.

Her chest had two large protrusions, each easily half the size of her head. Looking at the others, I saw that they also shared this feature with some of them having larger or smaller chests. Thinking back, I realized The Mare had also had these, but had been hidden well by her armor.

Looking back to the last horse/mare, she was orange with bright green eyes without horn or wings. Her body was strong, standing at 5'9ft. Her hair and tail were straight, tied back in ponytails having a straw yellow color. She wore a checkered button shirt and jeans, holding herself like a proud worker.

Rainbow, from before. was gliding above them. I had gotten a look at her before, but I now saw her eyes which were magenta in color.

They were approaching the ruins. My body was screaming at me to move, instincts kicking in to hide. I wanted to trust this group, but I didn't know them. Looking out, I saw they had crossed the bridge and were making there way over.

"Hey, what do you reckon this is girls?" The first voice, the orange girl, asked.

The purple one walked over, looking at something on the ground. She studied it for a moment before looking over and gasping.

"This is a distress message! Someone might be here!" She exclaimed

The girls gathered around to look as well as I realized what they were staring at. They had found the S.O.S I had drawn and were beginning to wonder how it got there.

"Well who knows," Rainbow began, "this could have been made long ago. Maybe the pony that put it here got help."

The orange one got down and felt the dirt. She shook her head and stood, addressing Rainbow.

"Ah don't think so sugarcube. This soil was disturbed not long ago. Few days at best."

"Well if that's the case than we need to take out Nightmare Moon fast and find the one who wrote this." The purple one exclaimed.

The group nodded before replying, "Right!"

They began coming this way again. My instincts were still hot on not having me be seen, so looking around I saw a corner of the main room blanketed in shadow. Moving into the shadow, I prayed it'd be enough to hide me. The girls all walked in, and began to inspect the inside of the ruins. The purple one spotted the pedestals and rushed forward.

"This is it! These are the Elements of Harmony!"

"Hey and look at this!"

I looked to see it was the pink one who spoke and what she had referred to.

DAMN IT

She was pointing to the apples and tapestry that I had left out from my resting spot. The other gasped at the sight and ran over to see for themselves.

"This must have been what whoever wrote that message was using to survive!" The purple one stated.

"Be that as it may Twilight, to use such a magnificent work of art in such a way is horrid! Think of the beauty this once held!" The alabaster exclaimed.

"It's alright Rarity," the orange one began, "they probably meant no disrespect. They were just trying to keep warm."

While the others began to inspect my ragtag setup, the purple one, Twilight, looked around to see where the tapestry had come from. She spotted the white and gold tapestry, along with the remains of the blue and silver one that I had torn down. She put a hand to her head as confusion washed over her features.

"How did they manage to get it from way up there? They must have been a pegasus or a unicorn." Twilight wondered allowed.

"It's still warm!" The orange one exclaimed, holding the tapestry in her hand.

"Alright, you five go look for them! I'll stay here and try to figure out how to use these." Twilight said.

As the others went off in search of me, Twilight walked up to the pedestal and began to concentrate. I let out a small breath I wasn't aware I was holding and began to think of all that I had overheard. They had continued to use the word "pony" to describe the missing person so I could only assume that's what they are. I also learned the purple one's name is Twilight, and the one with the rainbow hair is called Rainbow. They seemed concerned with the well being of the one who made the distress signal, so that gave me reason to trust them. However, being that we aren't the same species, I clearly not having fur while they're covered with it, might cause them to react badly. On top of that, I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing out here in the first place. Were they a rescue team? Not to mention Twilight seemed very interested in the stones on the pedestal, so they may be explorers.

She called them the "Elements of Harmony". What exactly is that suppose to mean?

I felt a pulse in my head again, along with the pain I felt the first time. Clutching my head and attempting to stay quiet, I watched as the flashes began before my eyes. I saw six strange items, each with a corresponding name. There was Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, and Magic. My eyes snapped open and I was back at the ruins. I saw that Twilight and the elements had disappeared. Hearing what sounded like distress, I glanced over to the windows of the corridor I had originally arrived in. From the windows came a bright light, but looking to the archway showed that it was still night out. Wanting to see what was causing the commotion, I began to make my way over. I stopped myself, walking up the stairs would expose me and I didn't know if I was still in danger. I looked towards the window, and saw that the wall beneath it was just staggered enough to climb. Making my way to the window, I glanced up over the edge to see the six from before. Only now they had an ethereal glow coming from them and they appeared to be wearing some form of jewelry they hadn't had before. Five of them wore necklaces, while Twilight was donning a tiara of some kind. A blast of colors erupted from them, stopping all trains of thought. I watched as the blast arched through the air before coming down on-

The Mare

I went to cry out, but was too late. The blast hit The Mare head on, the shock wave throwing me from the windowsill. I flew back and smashed against the floor to be met with darkness once more.

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"The Elements of Harmony."

I saw I was once again in the house with the woman. This time I could hear her clearly instead of making out little bits and pieces.

"It is said The Elements of Harmony are six supernatural artifacts representing subjective aspects of harmony. Each one has a purpose of it's own, but when brought together their combined power is the most powerful magic known. Honesty is the element of truth, the bearer is know to be truthful in all words and to know when another is lying. Kindness it the element of caring, the bearer of this element has a never ending heart that will care for all, even those who seem unworthy. Laughter is the element of joy, the one who can wield this element is know to always make other smile and do everything in their power to see someone else happy. Generosity is the element of giving, its bearer will put others first, always ensuring that everyone has exactly what they need even if they didn't know the needed it. Loyalty is just that. The bearer will find companions that they deem worthy, and will be by their sides even if it means going through hell and back. Magic, however, is the most powerful and misunderstood of the elements. The bearer of this element will be very powerful, knowledgeable, and will see every task through to the end. The bearer will also embody small pieces of the other elements, holding each one dear to their heart."

I then was show a picture of the elements. They seemed to be gems, all of the same kind, before morphing into different shapes. I saw they were the same shapes as the ones on the necklaces and tiara. I looked up to see the woman smiling at me.

"Grandma-"

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I opened my eyes, groaning as I did. Looking around I saw I was lying next to the pedestal, hidden from the archway and the stairs leading to the corridor. I sat up, just barely peeking my head over the pedestal. I looked to the stairwell, hearing voices coming from there, to see the six girls from before followed by another I didn't recognize. This one was a powder blue pony/mare with bright blue eyes. I was surprised to see that she had wings and a horn, just as The Mare had. She was 5'3ft, with a very frail build. Her hair and tail were a soft blue, styled like that of a young girl. She wore a single midnight blue dress, and seemed more scared and unsure than the butterscotch mare had.

Following her was something that made my heart stop. It was another alabaster pony/mare with wings, horn, and soft pink eyes. She was easily 7ft or taller, with a simple looking build. Her hair and tail was tri-tone, and appeared to be blowing in a non-existent breeze. She wore and elegant white and gold dress with regal jewelry to boot. She held an air of authority and power that crushed Twilight's, while still appearing motherly and caring.

And she scared the shit out of me.

I couldn't explain it, but as soon as she came into view my body started screaming at me. The fear I had experienced before The Mare didn't even compare to what I felt seeing her. I wanted to get away, to put as much distance between me and her as possible. I had to ensure she couldn't see me, couldn't get me. There was only one thing on my mind, one thing my body was desperate to do.

RUN

But I couldn't. My only exit was now blocked, and if I moved from this spot I would risk getting seen and caught. The mare that terrified me so began to look over at me, so I ducked my head and lay on the ground praying she hadn't seen me. I sat still, for what felt like eternity, until I hear the sound of them walking away. I wasn't going to risk it, I continued to lay there praying. My prayers went unanswered.

"Wait Tia, may I head back inside for a moment. I just... I need a moment"

After an unknown voice spoke, I heard silence. I then heard footsteps (hoovesteps?) approaching my location. Locked in fear, I could only wait for the inevitable. A head poked around the side of the pedestals and gasped. I looked to see who had brought doom down upon me. It was the powder blue girl from before.

"It's you!" she said.

This confused me, how could she know who I was? Instead of answering me, she rushed over clamping a hand over my mouth before I could say anything.

"I know this seems strange but trust me. You need too wait till we're gone, then head to Ponyville. Look for a pony named Watchful Eye. He'll tell you all you need to know."

Her horn lit up in a blue glow before a flash went off to my right. Glancing at it, I saw there was now a pile of cloth next to me.

"This should help you get there and stay concealed once you've made it. Try to avoid being seen in Ponyville if possible. Also prepare yourself, the Everfree isn't exactly safe but I know you'll manage. We'll talk again soon." As she said this she removed her hand and went to return to the others. They way she was acting, it was almost as if-

"Wait." I called out to her before she had rounded the pedestal, causing her to pause and look at me.

"Are you The Mare in the Moon?" I asked.

She simply smiled and nodded before rushing off to join the others. I saw that they all walked over towards the bridge, only to disappear in a flash of light. I looked back at the cloth pile, one thought on my mind.

What the fuck is going on?!