Moonrise, Moonset

"I said, where are the elements?" The bubblegum pink pony asked me.

"Pinkie, lay off." The proud looking lilac unicorn stuck her little hoof out to me and I took it with a sort of reluctant trust.

"Where- where did we end up?" I asked. Everything was muddled from the jump into the portal and the sudden blackness.

"The border between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. Quite an unlucky place to end up, really." A dignified voice that belonged to the pearly unicorn with the diva mane uttered from behind me.

"If it's so unlucky then why are you all here?" I was suddenly aware that being back in Equestria meant I had a duty to watch out for my subjects. If they were in danger, I had to protect them.

"Cuz we knew this would be a good place to look." A brash voice cut past me as the rainbow-maned blue bolt pegasus dashed past.

"Look for what?"

"The ELEMENTS of course!" The bubblegum pony jumped a bit this time.

"The elements of- harmony?" Relief filled me as I looked beside me to find Alder standing up straight and alert. The pink pony nodded happily. "But, why?" He asked.

"Once we get ya'll outta here, we'll tell ya." The muscular peachy earth pony stepped forward and the others began to follow grimly.

As my eyes began to adjust slightly to the night, I began to wish they wouldn't. On our left was Ponyville. But, around its sweet little cottages, a black wrought-iron gate stretched up past the steeple of the town hall, from which a black flag emblazed with a dark blue moon flew. Inside, the town was shrouded in dark mist. Windows and doors were shut tight and no light could be seen except a dim red glow. Upon further inspection, the red glow was everywhere and was eminating from the beady eyes of strange and warped black stallions who roamed the streets with glinting spears in their black-armored hooves.

The right wasn't much better. The Everfree forest had never been a very pleasant place, but now, it was worse than ever. The branches of the twisted trees were so laden with slimy mosses and effervescent blossoms that they hung close to the ground as if they were reaching out to take us. The trees that stood tall reached up into the pulsing mist and blotted out every beam of moonlight or twinkle of stardust. Bushes and shrubbery grew so quickly it seemed as though I could see them seeping into the damp earth. Haunted blooms sprouted from menacing leaves that seemed to want to suck every ounce of hope out of you.

Alder's hoof brushed mine and for a split second, I remembered the gossiping stars and wished so greatly to see their twinkling eyes one more time. There was nowhere safe to look, so I closed my eyes and let the sounds of hoof steps guide me. Then, they stopped. I heard a slight creak and then I was falling.

When I realized it wasn't a trap and I heard Alder muttering, I opened my eyes.

We were all sitting in a dim cave and, judging by the bits of root dangling from the ceiling, we were under a tree. There were no hangings on the wall, and no shelves either. Instead, there was a single bright red rug on the swept floor and the perimeter was coated with stacks of books and such. When I took a closer look, I realized that there were only a few books, there were mainly maps. Maps crumpled, maps marked, lists and charts laying willy-nilly.

"My apologies, your highness." I whirled around a recoiled a bit at the title, but smiled at the little unicorn who led me to a seat next to Alder on the rug. She then pulled out an already marked map and lay it in the center.

"As for introductions," Alder began. "I'm Alder. I'm, clearly a changeling and I was sent to the sun for being caught in an assassination mission for Chrysalis." The pearly unicorn nodded.

"I'm Rarity."

Rainbow Dash was the brash bolting one, Applejack was the peachy one with the hat, Pinkie Pie was the extrovert with a one-track mind for the elements, Fluttershy was the meek pastel one who hung close to Rainbow Dash and didn't talk much. Finally,

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," the proud little unicorn said. "Together, the six of us are on a bit of an unofficial quest."

"For Queen Chrysalis?" Alder exclaimed.

"No. For ourselves, but, ultimately, for Equestria in the end." Alder cocked his head in confusion. "I first met these ponies when I came to Ponyville to take a poll on rations for one of the Lunar Guards. But, the town fell into a panic when Nightmare Moon herself showed up for some reason. The six of us came together when we were trying to run to a shelter but ended up outside of the gate due to a teleportation mishap. Knowing there was no way to get back into the town, we made a little living for ourselves outside of the Everfree. I had heard about the elements a long time ago and had as I got to know these five ponies, I began to see a way for us to save Equestria. This was about two years ago, we haven't found the elements yet." Twilight hung her head and then turned back to the map.

"So, you have no relation to Queen Chrysalis?" Alder asked, hopefully. "No connection to an official rebellion?"

"Sadly, no. We have been so consumed in our quest for the elements we-"

"Do you all even know how to harness the elements of harmony? Do you know what you'll do once you find them? Know any of their history, their legend, their purpose?" I inquired, feeling quite interrogative.

"I'm afraid, not darling." Rarity said with a puckered lip. "No is the answer to all your royal questions."

"Well then," I said, as regally as I could, "Let me tell you."

"The elements were grown from the Tree of Harmony. No one knows quite where this is, other than a general assumption that it lies somewhere deep in the Everfree. The tree of harmony was grown by six seeds, not literal seeds but some sort of object of significance of sorts. Each seed was planted by a pillar. There were six pillars, ancient legends, who were powerful and magical in their own ways. Somnambula was hope, Mage Meadowbrook was healing, Rockhoof was strength, Flash Magnus was bravery, Mistmane was beauty, and Starswirl the Bearded was sorcery. Each one of these characteristics transformed into the elements. Laughter, kindness, honesty, loyalty, generosity, and magic. Long ago, my sister and I found the elements in the tree of harmony which is, indeed, in the Everfree, and harnessed them to keep Equestria safe. The only reason Luna and I could wield them was because of our strong alicorn magic." I flapped my wings for emphasis. "But, the elements can only be wielded by six ponies, each of whom embodies an element."

"So you're saying-" Twilight began.

"The power of the elements can only be harnessed by those who are destined to harness them. Sadly, they can also be wielded by one pony who is strong enough to corrupt and control them for their own good."

"Like-like Nightmare Moon?" Fluttershy barely squeaked out. I nodded gravely.

"That is how I was banished to the sun. In my very own home no less." The ponies cocked their heads.

"But the royal city is Canterlot. That ol' hoity-toity mess 'a plants and snooty someponies." Applejack retorted.

"Oh. When I ruled alongside my sister, we lived in our castle in the Everfree. Canterlot was our chosen spot for meetings and dealing with rulers and dignified pony-folk, but we never actually lived there. Ponies called our home the Castle of the Two Sisters. But, I suppose since there's only been one sister for the past few hundred years, she moved her home."

"Wait, you were banished with the elements, right?" Fluttershy was slowly untucking herself as her mind seemed to be clicking things together. I nodded. "In your castle in the Everfree?" Again, I nodded. "So maybe the elements are still around there! Maybe they went back to the tree! Maybe they're in the castle somewhere!" Fluttershy exclaimed, much to the delight of her friends. But Twilight wasn't convinced.

"But Nightmare Moon wouldn't have just left the elements in some abandoned castle. If she knew that they could somehow defeat her- Pinkie stop bouncing!" The pony smiled brightly and deflated her full-scale leaps to little bounces. Twilight sighed. "Then she would've never just left them there." I smiled at the solving skills of the two ponies who had spoken.

"But, there are a few things that my sister was relying on. As she banished me, the sixth element, magic, was lost. Let me explain. It simply shattered as I was drifting away. All of the other elements cased themselves into stone spheres and disappeared, but the sixth just vanished entirely. My sister, knowing only true friendship could bring the elements back together, has ruled the land in harsh fear and has most likely made sure that bonds do not get too strong."

"So, hypothetically, the elements are all there, but how do we find the sixth." Twilight was pacing now and she seemed on the verge of something.

"I have thought long and hard about this and came to the conclusion that, if all five of the elements are present, some sort of spark, persay, will ignite the sixth one back into existence. It's all a theory-"

"But it sure is the best lead we've had in two years!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I say we go to the Everfree and find that old castle!"

"The Everfree is the favorite place of practically every disgusting plant and the Lunar Guardsmen. How are we supposed to venture deep into it if we can hardly even get passed its borders?" Rarity asked.

"There has to be-" Pinkie began, but then, her head flicked up the roof and her tail started bouncing.

"What is it Pinks?" Applejack whispered, crouching.

"Lunar Guardsmen. They're going to pass right over us if we don't get out of here fast."

"How did you-" I asked.

"Pinkie Sense." She said simply. Then she bounced up and whisper-shouted, "escape plan B3-SAVE YOUR FLANK NOW, is in action.

In a whir of pastel colors, the dim light coming from a single lamp was blown out, every scrap of paper from every corner of the oddly-shaped cave was whisked into someone's bag. Twilight snatched their current map and mapping tools and shoved them into a knapsack I had seen in the corner. Rarity pulled a little purple barrett out of her hair and used it as a clasp to fashion their rug into a cloak.

Then, Alder was grabbing my hoof as Rainbow Dash pushed us towards where a long map had been tacked up to the wall and into a tunnel hidden behind it. Twilight and Rarity lit their horns and raced ahead while Pinkie, tail still vibrating bounced behind them. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew over mine and Alder's heads, and Applejack brought up the rear.

The tunnel was short and we soon found ourselves in a dense tangle of vines.

"Honestly girls, this rug isn't even-" Rarity began.

"Shhh." Fluttershy almost screeched.

Then, it was pitch black, and we heard hoof steps.