The Trials of Many

It was dark out. Why was it still dark out? Where was the princess? Wasn't she supposed to be in Ponyville with Twilight and Sunset? Were his sisters right about the return of Nightmare Moon?

These thoughts plagued Shining Armor as he paced about. While the Princess was away, he was in charge of guarding the Canterlot Palace. However, he was able to keep his pacing as a march, keeping up appearances. He wished that he could help his sisters in some way, knowing that they would be looking for the Elements of Harmony. But, he knew the best thing he could do was stay his post. If Nightmare Moon had indeed returned, he could at least keep her from taking the castle, or at least delay her enough to buy his sisters more time.

But, his thoughts strayed elsewhere, to his marefriend, Princess Cadance. She had been sent on some sort of mission, though he knew not what. Perhaps it was some backup plan to defeat Nightmare Moon. Or perhaps it was to keep her safe and hidden.

Then, a letter appeared in front of him. First checking for any wards or traps on the letter, and then, finding none, he opened it.

Dear Shining Armor,

By now I am sure you are aware that the sun has not risen, but that it is still night. Your sisters have indeed pieced together that Nightmare Moon has returned. As you know, you are in charge of protecting Canterlot Palace right now, but, now that Nightmare Moon has returned, you must protect Canterlot if it comes to that. More important are the ponies in Canterlot. I do not wish for any of them to be harmed.

But, I do not believe she will go to Canterlot, as it was not the capitol in her day. I regret to inform you that I am unable to face her again, due to multiple circumstances. The first being I cannot bear to face her again, it would bring too much pain to my heart. And second, even if I wanted to, I have lost my connection with the Elements of Harmony. They were never intended to be used by one pony, and I only wielded them all once. But, if the Elements are not found, and she threatens my subjects, I fear I will have no choice in the matter.

You should also know that Princess Cadance is safe. I have sent her away, for the time being.

The Captain of the Royal Guard has been posted to Ponyville, for the Celebration, and I believe that will be near where Nightmare Moon returns. Your sisters, I believe, hold the key to defeating her. I do not believe that she will do any harm to them.

May Harmony be with you,
Princess Celestia

As Shining finished reading, he instinctively nodded. He knew his sisters, and how strong they were. He hoped that indeed they were okay. He also breathed a soft sigh of relief about Cadance. He then called the Royal Guard together, and told them that due to this night, they were to guard Canterlot, and to notify him of any signs of an attack.

Then, he went to where most ponies were gathered for the Summer Sun Celebration. "Hello everypony," he spoke firm but calmly. "I know you all are worried, but, rest assured, the situation is being dealt with. The Princess sent me a letter herself assuring me that it was okay, and that it should be cleared up in a few hours." Shining was confident in his sisters' abilities to defeat Nightmare Moon. "She said that there has been a delay to to unforeseen circumstances, that she and others are working to clear up as we speak. Thank you."

As he finished, he quickly walked off the stage, not allowing for any questions. He knew, thanks to Celestia's letter, that the threat might not even near Canterlot, and might be dealt with swiftly. He then turned his gaze towards Ponyville

"The Everfree Forest," Twilight announced as they arrived.

"Whee! Let's go," Pinkie exclaimed.

"Alright," Sunset said, heading in with the rest of them, leaving Twilight to groan, before reluctantly following.

"So, none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asked.

"Ugh, heavens no! Just look at it, it's dreadful," Rarity said.

"And it ain't natural. Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria," Applejack said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sunset asked.

"Nopony knows. You know why?" Rainbow said in a creepy voice.

"Rainbow, quit it," AJ said, not in the mood to put up with her friend's antics.

"Let me guess, because everypony who comes in supposedly never comes out. Which, I am sure is not true, due to the fact that there's a castle in the forest. So what is it supposed to mean?" Sunset said, firmly.

"Fine. It basically means that everything here works on its own, the weather, the animals, that sort of stuff," Rainbow said.

"Because that's oh so scary," Sunset said, rolling her eyes, before running into something. She then looked up. "Well, that is scary."

"A hydra," Twilight shouted, seeing that it was on the side of the path. "Run!"

Everypony began running, or flying in Rainbow's case, but the hydra was still chasing them, Sunset in the back. "I'll hold it off," she said, turning around to face it. She then teleported a few feet over, distracting it. "Go!" she shouted, before teleporting some more.

As the rest started running some more, Rainbow turned around. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"I'm not going to leave her to face that thing alone," Rainbow replied. "Nopony left behind, especially when it's one of my friends." She then flew back towards the hydra, who was lunging right at Sunset, who had just finished a teleport, and would not be able to do so again quickly enough. Rainbow picked up speed, knowing what would happen if she was too slow, and knocked Sunset out of the way, the hydra then barely missing Rainbow.

"You saved my life," Sunset said.

"Well, if you can't count on your friends, who can you count on?" Rainbow replied. "Now, let's take this thing down."

The pair quickly did so, with some fancy flying and tactful teleporting, causing it to get wrapped up in itself. The two then rejoined the group.

"Wow, that was amazing," Twilight said.

"Yeah, though I don't think I could have done it alone," Rainbow admitted.

As they continued through the forest, they came upon what appeared to be a dead end.

"Oh dear, what are we going to do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"We go this way," Applejack said.

"Why? How do you know it's not going to lead to another dead end?" Twilight asked.

"Because I've been here before," Applejack admitted. "Honestly, I was hopin' never to come back here. I could ask y'all to trust me on this, but I think I should probably explain." Tears began to well in her eyes. "This is near where my parents died. We were havin' a picnic, when some timberwolves came out and attacked. So, we ran into the forest, as it was the only way to go. Dad said that I was going to be okay. I guess he knew that is would not end well. But we ran into this clearing. That's where we ran, and my parents made their final stand defending me, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom is too young to remember, I can hardly remember everything myself. Big Mac, he was traumatized. That's why he doesn't speak much. Anyways, they were able to defeat the timberwolves, at the cost of their lives. We- we cleared out the area, and buried them there." Applejack began to weep.

Sunset came over and comforted her. "Hey, I know how you feel. I haven't visited the place my parents died either. But thank you for being honest, so that way we could help you when going through."

"I, I, I wish that I didn't have to burden y'all with this," Applejack chocked out.

"Well I'm glad you did," Sunset said.

As they walked through the area, Sunset helped comfort Applejack. "Thanks for the help," she said.

"No problem," Sunset replied. "I know how tough it can be, and that sometimes you need somepony to help you through it."

The group continued on, coming upon a zebra, who had just tripped and dropped her stuff. She was slightly off the path, but that did not keep Fluttershy from going over to help her. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, and began to help the zebra pick up her stuff.

"Yes, indeed, I am okay. Thank you for your kindness today. But another reason I sense, that you are so tense. Is it the moon, for it should have set soon?" the zebra asked.

"Actually, yes," Fluttershy responded. "Nightmare Moon has returned, and we are looking for the Castle of the Two Sisters to find the Elements of Harmony," she explained.

"An old castle ruin, I hear? Fear not, for it is near. That way you must go, I hope you and your friends can spare us from great woe," the zebra said.

"Thank you. What was your name?" Fluttershy asked.

"Zecora is my name. To you I ask the same."

"I'm Fluttershy, it's good to meet you. Now, my friends and I must be going."

"No problem, my dear. Remember, no matter what, your friends are in here," Zecora said, speaking one last word of encouragement to the group, pointing to her heart.

And so the quest continued, and they got closer to the castle. Or so they thought. Instead, they walked on and on, and seemingly made no progress. Due to this, most of them got discouraged.

"We'll never find the castle now," Rarity said.

"Don't say that," Pinkie said.

"Really? Because it seems like we've made no progress, we've past that rock five times now, at least. I've counted," Twilight said.

"Really. Because I know we can get through this," Pinkie said, before breaking out into song, leading them through the forest.

"When it seems like all hope is lost
And everything is getting you down
You just gotta stand up
And wipe away your frown!

You just gotta push on
And push your fears away
For laughter is the best medicine
Each and every day

Sometimes all you need
Is another view
Laughter can help you see it
And pull you through

Seeing things through a positive light
Can make your way so bright
Even through the darkest night
It can make it all go right!"

During the song, Sunset thought she glimpsed a tree down a cliffside that was glowing, but shrugged it off, thinking that it was just another Everfree Forest thing. But, after they passed, the Tree of Harmony glowed in all of the Element's spots, but it glowed brightest in the element that had not been removed, the Element of Empathy.

As Pinkie finished her song, they came out of the clearing, and lo and behold, before them was the Castle of the Two Sisters. Well, almost right in front of them. There was a river in between, but, in a distance could be seen a path across. The water was being riled up by a sea serpent, who was wailing.

"Come on, this way," Twilight said, turning in the direction of the bridge.

"Hold up, darling," Rarity said.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"It appears that our sea serpent might not be just thrashing about because he is a sea serpent," Rarity stated.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked.

"Really," Rarity responded, before turning to the sea serpent. "Excuse me."

He stopped thrashing a moment. "Huh?" he said

"Hello, Mr.-" Rarity thought for a moment about what to call him.

"Magnet. Steven Magnet," he said.

"Yes. Hello Steven Magnet. Might I ask why you are thrashing about?" Rarity asked

"Because I'm hideous!" he exclaimed.

"Because of your mustache?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, it's terrible," he dramatized.

"Well, I cannot let this go unfixed," Rarity said, plucking of one of his scales, and cutting much of the tail off with it. She then levitated it over, and tied it to his mustache, straightening it out and using her magic to make it orange.

"Rarity, your tail," Twilight said.

"It's okay, darling. Short tails are in season. Besides, it will grow back," Rarity replied.

"The water is kind of deep. If you wanted to go across," Steven Magnet said, before making a path across with his body.

"Why thank you," Rarity said.

The group the proceeded to jump across on his back, finally arriving at the castle. They then rushed inside, to find five stones.

"The Elements of Harmony," Sunset muttered.

Rainbow and Fluttershy then proceeded to carry them to the ground.

"Indeed. But there are only five. Six were used to defeat Nightmare Moon last time," Twilight said, before pulling out her book, and reading. "'when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sunset asked her sister? "A magical spark?"

"That must be it," Twilight said. "Stand back, I don't want any of you getting hurt, as I don't know what will happen."

"I'll help too," Sunset said. The rest of the group backed away, near the entrance of the room, but did not leave.

As the two sisters tried to use their magic to ignite a spark, Nightmare Moon in her mist form came and began to take the Elements, prepping for a teleport. Sunset and Twilight looked up just in time. The only reason that they were able to teleport over a distance was because it was less of a teleport, and more of a warp. "The Elements," they shouted, before jumping into the teleport, leaving their friends who were calling out to them to wonder what had happened.

Their friends, then, sticking together, decided to search the castle, going back to the main throne room first.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the teleport, Nightmare Moon was standing, holding the Elements, when Sunset and Twilight landed a few meters away. Nightmare Moon laughed, and the sisters gasped. Twilight prepped up for a charge.

Nightmare Moon was taken aback in shock. "You're kidding," she stated incredulously.

Sunset even had a puzzled look on her face. But Twilight began to charge, so Nightmare Moon charged back at her. Then, Twilight's horn glowed, and Sunset realized what she was doing. When Twilight teleported, so did Sunset, making sure to avoid landing in the same spot as her sister. "Just one spark," Twilight said to her sister, lighting up her horn. Sunset did the same.

"Come on. Come on," Sunset said, before the Elements were encapsulated by Twilight's magic.

Nightmare Moon then teleported to beside the two mares, as a jolt of electricity sent both Sunset and Twilight flying.

Nightmare saw the electricity buzzing throughout the Elements. "No, no" she said, afraid of being banished to the moon once more. But, the electricity stopped.

"But, where's the sixth element?" asked Twilight in shock.

"That should have worked," Sunset said, equally surprised.

Nightmare Moon then began laughing, before smashing the Elements. But, her features shifted a little, to a lighter blue, and she whispered a soft, "no," before returning back to normal and exclaiming, "you little foals, thinking you could defeat me. Now you will never see your princess, or your sun. The night will last forever."

"But why?" Sunset asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nightmare asked.

"Why do you want the night to last forever?" Sunset clarified.

"Because of its beauty. Nopony truly appreciates the night. But now they will. I have been ignored for too long!"

Then, the sounds of their friends could be heard shouting their names, coming to the throne room. Hearing this, Twilight's eyes lit up, and, if one looked closely enough, they would see a spark in her eyes. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?" Twilight asked. "Because the Spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!"

The rest of the group came into the room, surrounding Twilight and Sunset. The Elements lit and lifted up. "What?" Nightmare Moon said, scared again. But, in her eyes, there was a glimmer of hope, deep inside.

"Rainbow Dash, who refused to leave Sunset when she held off the Hydra represents the Spirit of Loyalty! Applejack, who put aside her pride and told us the truth about her parents even though she didn't need to represents the Spirit of Honesty! Fluttershy, who went out of her way to help Zecora represents the Spirit of Kindness. Pinkie Pie, who, when we were all discouraged, stayed positive and led us out of the hopelessness we were feeling with smiles and joy represents the Spirit of Laughter! And Rarity, who went out of her way, even giving up her tail to help out Steven Magnet represents the Spirit of Generosity." As Twilight spoke, the Element shards came and spun around the named ponies as they were called. "The Spirits of these five ponies helped us through every challenge we faced today."

"But you still don't have the sixth Element," Nightmare Moon said in a panic. "The spark didn't work."

"But it did. A different kind of spark," Twilight said, turning to her new friends. "I felt it the moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside of me, when I realized that you all are my friends," Twilight announced, the sixth element revealing above her. "You see, when the Elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth Element, the Element of Magic."

But, before anything happened, Sunset spoke up, as she could not bear to remain silent with her friends, and seeing that Nightmare Moon did have something in her, seeing her shift earlier. "And, in each of you, I see parts of myself, parts I can relate to." She then turned to Nightmare Moon. "Even in you, I can see something. The wanting of love, of attention, feeling ignored. I once felt that. But it does not stay, not when you have friends and family around you." The seventh Element was revealed above Sunset. At this, Nightmare's eyes shifted, a small tear spilling, as her features softened. Sunset smiled when she saw it.

"The Element of Empathy," whispered Luna's voice, before she reverted back into her normal look. But, Sunset could still see the bit of the good pony in her.

The Elements came together on their bearers, giving each a necklace, except for Sunset and Twilight, whose Elements came together as tiaras. Then, through a great rainbow laser coming down on Nightmare Moon, the darkness was removed from her, leaving a weakened Luna behind.

As the Spirits of the Elements of Harmony landed, they looked around, each noting their Elements.

"These necklaces look just like our cutie marks," Fluttershy observed.

"Even the tiara's look like our cutie marks," Sunset said. Sunset's Tiara had a gem that was a fiery amber, as opposed to Applejack's earthy orange.

"Wow, I reckon we do represent the Elements of Harmony," Applejack said.

"Indeed you do," came the voice of Princess Celestia, as the sun began to raise. She knew that the struggle was over because the moon set, as it had began it's descent when Luna, even inside the Nightmare, felt hope again. She came in through the broken roof, and the five necklace bearers bowed down, while Sunset and Twilight ran up to hug the princess. "Twilight, Sunset, my faithful students. I knew you could do it," she said.

"But I thought that you told us not to worry," Twilight said.

"I also told you that you needed to make some friends," Celestia said. "You both saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew that inside both of you was the magic needed to not only defeat her, but cure her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now, if only another will as well." She turned to Luna. "Princess Luna, it has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. It is time to put our differences behind us, sister, and rule together as we once did."

"Sister?" Twilight asked.

"Looks like it takes sisters to save sisters," Sunset said.

"Will you once again come with me, and accept my love, and the love of other ponies?"

"I'm so sorry," said Luna. "I missed you so much, Tia."

"I missed you, too, Lulu." The two then embraced in a hug, and Sunset and Twilight hugged each other.

"Now, I do believe we have a Celebration to get to, both of us," Celestia said.

After the return to Ponyville, they did indeed celebrate. Even Luna got a ring of flowers that was put around her neck, which surprised her.

Celestia then turned to Twilight and Sunset, who looked slightly downtrodden. "Why so glum, my faithful students? Are you not happy that your quest is complete, and that you can return to your studies in Canterlot?" She asked, knowing the answer already.

"Well, I can't speak for Twi, but I like it here. Especially the friendships we have made," Sunset said.

Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Then, would you prefer something else? Like continuing your studies here, in Ponyville?"

Sunset looked up, in shock, and replied, "well, if that's possible, though I would miss some people back in Canterlot."

"Then it shall be so. You both can stay in Ponyville, and learn about friendship. You may also freely come and go to Canterlot. But, I would like friendship reports," Celestia said with a smile.

"Thank you so much, princess," Twilight said.

"Yes, thank you," Sunset also said.

The sisters then turned and smiled at each other, happy to be with each other, and with their new friends.

Author's Note

Indeed I am done with this chapter. I started doing a simple rewrite, just with Sunset, but it was difficult. It was bland. On top of that, others thought it bland too, not liking rehashed. So, I changed the scenes for each to show off their Elements, well, except Rarity, couldn't think of anything better with her.

But, that leads me to my next point. THIS FIC IS NOT A REWRITE OF SEASON 1. The first episode, I felt was necessary for the plot. But, If you want season 1, go to Netflix or something. What the rest of these chapters will be is original Sunset episodes. Perhaps I have one or two where I'll rework a song or something to fit Sunset in, but this will not be yet another rewrite. They are too bland to read and too bland to write.

Also, AJ parents feels. Sunny and AJ talking about it. Luna showing through Nightmare was also a good touch of mine. At least personally. Forgiveness can only be earned if someone accepts it, and I think that deep down, she was willing.

Naming this chapter came last. Trials is what it's all about, and not just the trials of the Mane 7, but also those of Shiny and Luna, as well as those implied of Tia.

I look forward to the continuous writing of this, as it will no longer be episodes. Also, Tree of Harmony made a cameo. Also, Shining bit in the first part. Yay! But you'll need to wait to get more Shiny, this chapter is already longer than any other I have written.

I hope you all enjoyed me switching things up this time, and now we are finally done with the rehash portion of this fic. Let's get original now!