MLP: Harmony Fallen

A young unicorn filly with lavender colored fur stands in a realm of vast white nothingness. No horizon, no features to tell her mind of how or where she stands. Her purple colored eyes jump back n’ forth trying to make out anything in the mind-numbing void. “Hello?” She calls out, her voice timid. Feeling uneasy, she takes a step and jumps back in shock. The ground beneath her shimmers like flexible glass. She watches small arcs of static electricity radiate out like ripples in a pond from where she placed her hoof. She lets out a nervous moan. “Hello?!”

Loud bassy trumpets roar out, shaking the void.

Fear washes over the filly. Her horn sparks out of instinct. Purple colored mana swirls around her, but nothing happens. With her magic weakening, fading back into her horn, she lets out a sob. Crying, she runs to places unknown.

Pillars of white rise up all around her until they enclose her in, blocking her way of escaping. “SOMEONE IS HERE!”

The filly jumps from the booming voice. Madly whipping her head about trying to fund the source of the voice. “W-Who said that?” She cowers.

“IT’S A CHILD… A FILLY…” Another voice speaks, softer in tone than the last.

A chill runs down the filly’s back. “Where am I?” Trumpets blare out once more, this time their tone deeper. The walls around her close in, shrinking the small circle she stands in. She shivers and lowers herself to the floor.

“WHAT IS YOUR NAME CHILD?”

The filly looks up at the sky of white. “M-My name?”

“NAME! DO YOU HAVE A NAME!” The voice growls.

“Twilight… Sparkle… TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” She sobs, her body shivering. It feels like to her at least that many eyes are glaring at her, watching her every move.

“TWILGHT SPAKLE…” The softer voice hums.

“SO PATHETIC!” Another voice chimes in.

“BLASPHEMY! SHE IS ONLY A CHILD!”

“ITS SUCH A FOOLISH CHOICE!” Yet another voice chimes in.

“HOW SO?” Another voice asks, this one sounding wispy and faint.

“BECAUSE SHE IS A CHILD!”

Twilight stares at the void, her eyes displaying her confusion and fear.

“SHE WILL FAIL!” A group of voices growl.

“SHE WILL NOT!” A group of voice refute.

“THEN LET US SEE!” Another voice chimes in, interrupting the other two. This voice however is more metallic sounding, more artificial than the others. “LET HER GO THROUGH THE TEST…”

“YES… YES…” The other voices mumble.

Twilight trembles. ‘Test? What test?’ She asks herself. A droplet of sweat rolls down her brow.

“A TEST TO SEE IF YOU ARE WORTHY…” The voice replies, answering her question.

Twilight swallows a lump.

“LET’S BEGIN…”

The walls move closer to Twilight at increasing speeds. Their weight and speeds causing them to break each other apart, sending chunks of marble like substance everywhere. The sounds they make as they tore their way towards Twilight are vile and horrid. Twilight trembles as they near. “AHHH!” She screams as she feels they’re right on top of her, ready to crush her to death. “AHHH!” She yells out in fear as she feels a jolt shoot through her body.

But then nothing.

Cold… A cold breeze washes over her body. Shivering, she stands up, but just barely… “Hello?...!” Her voice echoes back to her. She’s confused. Is she dead? She didn’t feel dead. Working the nerve to open her eyes, she finds herself in a black void. Just like the void of white, there is no horizon, no light. Nothing. “Is any pony here!” Twilight slowly makes her way through the void. “OOF!” She rubs her snout. “Ow…” She holds up a hoof and feels a wall in front of her.

The wall shimmers from her touch. She watches the white shimmering light run across its surface before dissipating. With a huff, she touches the wall again and follows the shimmering light. Seeing the light strike a corner, she smiles and makes her way to her left. Touching the wall again she sees the light turn a corner, this time to her right. Touching both walls at the same time, she finds that she is in a narrow hallway. Shivering from a cold passing breeze she makes her way down the hall. Occasionally touch the walls to see where she is going.

For what feels like several minutes Twilight meanders down the winding hallway until she smacks her face for the second time. Rubbing her head, she places her hoof on the wall, but this time it doesn’t shimmer. Puzzled, she feels the ‘wall’ and to her surprise it’s a door. Giggling to herself she opens it.

Behind the door is more darkness.

Twilight shivers as she peers into the doorway. Feeling and hearing nothing she timidly steps through the doorway.

BANG!!!

The door shuts behind her. Feeling her heart beat against her chest she whips her head around looking for anything in the darkness. “AH!” Harsh bright white light floods her vision. Blinking her eyes several times, moaning all the while, she finally gets them to adjust to the light. Being able to see her surroundings, she studies the circular room she’s in. Its small, no more than five-feet in diameter. To her right is a door, the iron bars and rivets holding the moldy wood panels are rusted. She’s curious about the door, but a nagging feeling creeps into the back of her mind. Shivering, she looks to her left and sees a stairwell. Feeling better about it she ascends the stairs.

Unknown to her, the door melts, morphing into a shimmering black hole.

Getting to the top of the stairs, she steps onto a balcony overlooking a circular plaza. Twilight eyes are drawn to the ceiling. She strains her neck as she looks up, eying the glass-dome and its multitude of colors. Its supported by twelve cream-colored marble pillars that separate six balconies, similar to the one she’s standing on. A sense of calm washes over her the longer she stares at it.

“Hello?... Oh, Hi!”

Twilight jumps at the squeaky voice. In a panic, she looks around, her gaze stumbling upon an earth-pony filly with pink-fur standing on her own balcony on the other side of the plaza. The filly’s long magenta mane covers half of her face. Her one visible vibrant-blue eye stares back at her. The filly smiles and waves at her. “Uh… Hi?” Twilight nervously chuckles.

The filly giggles. “Sorry, you don’t know me! My name is Pinkiamena Diane Pie, but my sisters call me Pinkie!” She jumps with glee. Pinkie stares at Twilight and studies her appearance. She sees that she’s a unicorn, but her horn is much rounder at its tip than most unicorn fillies her age. Her lavender fur and dark purple mane contrasts vibrantly against the white of the plaza. Her rich-purple eyes stare back at her, studying her skeptically. “What’s your name?”

Twilight drops her protective demeanor. “Hi… Pinkie, my name is Twilight… Twilight Sparkle.” She smiles. She’s glad that she is not alone.

“Where the heck am I?!” A young, southern sounding voice asks. Pinkie looks to her right, while Twilight looks to her left. They see an orange-furred earth-pony filly standing on her own balcony. Her medium length blonde mane and tail are frizzy from who knows what. “What happened to the… voices… Oh?!” She notices Pinkie and Twilight. “Uh, hello y’all!” She waves. Pinkie and Twilight wave back. “Mah name’s Applejack…” She looks at the dome above their heads, her fiery-green eyes glaring at it. “Do you know where we are?”

“No… Maybe Twilight knows? She looks really smart!” Pinkie giggles.

Twilight glares at Pinkie, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Pinkie!” I don’t know where we are!” She whines, kicking one of the pillars supporting her balcony. “I hope this place has a library that can help us…” She mumbles to herself.

Applejack looks at the fillies in confusion. Hearing hoof-steps echoing into the plaza, she ignores her thoughts and looks straight ahead and sees a unicorn filly walking onto the balcony across from her. If it wasn’t for her purple mane and tail or her vibrant blue eyes, she would’ve easily blended in to her surroundings and gone unspotted thanks to her white fur.

The filly doesn’t notice the trio, her focus is on the dome ceiling. “I like the colors… but there are no pretty pictures…” She huffs, sitting where she stands. “This place is too drab!” She hears snickering and looks to her left and sees Pinkie holding a hoof to her lips. Her eyes go wide as she notices Twilight and Applejack. “Oh… Um, hello.”

“Hello.” Twilight waves.

“Howdy!” Applejack smiles.

“Who are you?” The filly asks.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She replies taking a seat where she stands.

“Mah name is Applejack.” She bows.

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” She snickers.

The filly smiles. “I’m Rarity… It’s nice to meet you…”

“Mommy! Daddy!” A raspy young voice alerts the four of them. Twilight looks at the balcony directly in front of her. Applejack and Pinkie look to their left. Rarity looks to her right. A sky-blue furred pegasus filly crashes onto the balcony. She jumps up onto her hooves, her eyes looking wide at her surroundings. Seeing four other fillies sitting peacefully on their balconies, she drops her panic, and sits down. “Oh…” Her cheeks flush with red. “Uh… Hi…” She laughs nervously as she runs a hoof through her prism colored mane.

The fillies’ wave at her.

“Hello!” Pinkie cheers. “My name is Pinkie! That’s Twilight Sparkle, she’s Rarity and that’s Applejack!” She sing/shouts, as she points at each of them.

The pegasus’s wings flutter. “I’m Rainbow Dash…” Her ears swivel to the left. Looking that direction, she sees a canary-yellow furred pegasus filly, with a long pink mane and tail timidly stepping onto the last empty balcony.

The others turn their attention to the filly.

The filly stares up at the ceiling, eying the glass making up the dome roof in amazement. The grandness of the plaza overwhelms her young mind. Instinctively taking a seat, she keeps her gaze on dome. Her smile ever growing.

Rainbow Dash smiles as she recognizes the filly. “Hey Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy jumps as she recognizes the voice. Breaking her trance, she looks at her friend and sees her standing across from her on a balcony lined with a marble railing. “Hello Dash…” She waves slowly as her eyes are drawn to the other fillies in the room. “Hello…” She hides behind her long pink mane as she keeps an eye on the fillies with her left eye.

The group waves back. “Hello, Mah name…”

“Her name is Applejack, she’s Twilight Sparkle, she’s Rarity and I’m…” Pinkie takes a deep breath. “Pinkie Pie!” She raises her right hoof in the air, a smile on her face.

The group stares at her in confusion.

“You’re funny!” Rainbow Dash snickers.

“Thank you!” Pinkie snickers back.

Twilight rolls her eyes as she looks around. “To get back on track… did any of you hear those spooky voices?”

The fillies nod.

“Oh… Yes…” Fluttershy mumbles. “They were so loud…”

“And it was scary when the walls started to close in on me!” Pinkie mentions as she taps her hooves together, her blue eyes staring at the marble floor of the balcony.

“Same thing happened to me!” Applejack huffs.

“Me too…” Rainbow Dash shivers.

“It sounds like we encountered the same thing.” Twilight quips.

“What was the last thing you all remember?” Rarity asks.

The other fillies ponder her question. “I felt hot.” Fluttershy mumbles.

“I felt a sharp pain on my chest.” Pinkie adds.

Rarity places a hoof on her chest. “I felt pain as well.” She cries. “Hot, very hot.”

Twilight ponders their statement. She combs over her memories, trying to remember her events before going to bed. ‘Bright white…’ A chill runs down her spine. ‘A white crystal hovering in front of her…’ Twilight looks at the fillies around her. There’s five, including her. “Six…”

“Six? Six what, sugar cube?” Applejack asks looking at Twilight, her head tilted to the side with her nose scrunched up – squishing and stretching the freckles on her face.

“I… I believe we were chosen!”

“Chosen?” Pinkie wonders.

Twilight nods. “I saw a bright white light!” She rubs her chest. “It woke me up.”

The others look at each other.

“Do you know what it could be?” Rarity asks.

Twilight lets a sigh slip past her lips. “I think it was the element of Magic.”

Their eyes go wide.

“T-The elements?!” Fluttershy stutters as she looks at her surroundings. “Like the elements?”

Rainbow Dash rubs her chest. “What?!” Her eyes begin to tremble. “But why?”

They sit in silence, their young minds trying to comprehend their situation.

Loud trumpets blare out, shaking the room’s foundation.

“What’s happening?!” Pinkie whimpers.

“I don’t know!” Applejack tries to keep her balance.

The room dissolves around them, a black mass consumes them before morphing the space around them into a complex maze spreading out in all axis. Unused parts float off into the void, flickering in and out of reality. They stare at the maze, their minds dumbfounded by its enormous size.

“Another maze?” Rainbow Dash asks, her brow raised.

“I think so…” Twilight walks forward, looking into the mouth of the winding puzzle. “At least this one isn’t completely dark.” She remembers the shimmering dark tunnel from earlier. Taking a deep breath Twilight enters the maze.

“Where are you going?” Applejack asks.

Twilight looks back at the others. “Well I don’t see anywhere else we can go.” She points down the maze. “We obviously have to go this way.” The others look at one another, concerned with their current situation. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Rainbow Dash follows after Twilight. The others shiver and follow suit.

The maze itself is an awfully quiet place, except for the distant metallic groans echoing across the void. For the fillies, it feels like the maze is alive. A living breathing creature, but one made of gears and metal. Every step they take causes the maze’s path to light up where their hooves touch. They watch the ripples of light radiate out, hitting the maze’s walls which causes them to ripple like split-flap displays.

“This is the darnest maze I’ve ever seen!” Applejack ears fold back. “It’s so unnatural!” She jumps as the walls make an eerie groan. She watches with wide eyes as the wall morphs into itself as the ripple travels up and down its length.

“I agree… every time we take a step it feels like we’re walking on wet cement…” Rarity moans as she watches her hooves step along the ground. Her eyes watching the ripples shimmer across its pure black surface.

“I think it’s cool… AH!” Pinkie screams as Twilight quickly grabs her rear legs. Both fillies look over the edge of the cliff, staring into the endless void with wide eyes. “Whoa!” Pinkie giggles.

“Well, shoot!” Applejack mumbles.

“Where do we go?” Fluttershy whines.

Rainbow Dash puffs out her chest. “I’ll fly up and look for a way out!” She lifts herself off the ground with a flap of her wings and takes off. “Oof!” She slams into an invisible wall.

Twilight watches the pegasus recover. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash rubs her eyes, wiping away her tears.

“Fillies… I think I solved our problem…” Rarity points.

The fillies look over the edge of the cliff and see the rest of the maze through the fog. It seems to bend in odd angles, some going straight up at ninety-degree inclines. Other sections, seventy or eighty. They eye a portion of the maze on its side. Looking up they see that a part of the maze is upside down.

“You’re kidding?” Applejack groans.

“Nope, she’s not.” Pinkie states, her front limbs hanging over the cliff. She sees a fork in the maze several yards away. “Not to add more frustration… But there is a fork in the road.” She giggles at her tone of voice.

“That’s not funny Pinkie!” Twilight huffs. Pinkie grumbles as she swings her dangling arms.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Rarity sticks out a hoof and timidly steps forward.

“Wait!” Twilight grabs her hoof with her magic.

“What?” Rarity looks back.

“You’re going to fall!”

“Where else can we go!” Rarity frowns.

“Uh…” Twilight tries to form a logical response.

“I trust her.” Applejack states as she smiles at Rarity. “Go for it, sugar-cube.”

Rarity nods and timidly steps forward, placing her hoof on the vertical path. “Whoa!” She stumbles a bit as her body readjusts to the unnatural change in gravity. Finding her balance, she walks further down the path. Seeing her world right itself, she looks back and smiles.

The fillies stare back at her with varying emotions, ranging from excitement to utter disgust.

“This makes no sense!” Twilight glares at the pure violation of science.

Her mind sidetracked, she lets go of Pinkie who falls towards Rarity. Pinkie giggles as she catches herself, stopping just inches in front of Rarity. There snouts touching, Pinking looks into Rarity’s eyes and giggles. “Hello!” Rarity blushes and steps back rubbing her snout.

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash cheers. She runs and jumps off the cliffs edges towards the path. But the sudden change in gravity causes her to trip and land hard on the ground. “Ow…”

“You’re funny!” Pinkie giggles as she helps Rainbow Dash to her hooves.

“Come on Twilight, let’s go!” Applejack calls out as she helps Fluttershy right herself.

“Oh…” Twilight whines, nervously she places her hoof on the path. The change in gravity feels strange to her. Her spine tingles as she finds her balance. “This is so wrong!” Twilight cries.

The fillies giggle at her plight. “Come on Twily, you can do it!” Pinkie sings.

“Hey! Only my brother calls me Twily!” Twilight huffs.

“You have a brother?” Applejack asks, a smile coming to her lips. Her tail wagging.

“Yeah.” Twilight smiles. “He’s my older brother.”

“What’s his name?” Applejack asks.

“Shining Armor.”

“I have an older brother as well and a baby sister on the way!” Applejack smirks pridefully. “Mah brother’s name is Macintosh, but I mostly call him Big Mac. As for my future baby sister, mah parents decided on Applebloom.” She looks at Fluttershy. “You know, my brother is shy like you.” She smirks.

Fluttershy blushes. “Oh…” She tries to hide behind her mane.

Applejack giggles “So, do you have a brother?” Applejack tilts her head.

Fluttershy nods. “His name is Zephyr Breeze, he’s my younger brother…” She manages to say.

“I have three sisters!” Pinkie jumps up n’ down. “There’s Maud, my big sister, she’s very smart and loves rocks! Then there’s Limestone, she can be mean sometimes, but she as a soft spot, especially for cake. And then there’s my twin sister Marble, who’s my baby sister by a minute!” She giggles as she lays on her back, her legs kicking the air with glee.

Rarity watches her curiously. “Well since we’re on the topic. I have a baby sister and her name is Sweetie Belle.”

The fillies look at Rainbow Dash. Her ears fold back as she looks at the ground – her head downcast, her magenta eyes staring at the shimmering black surface of the maze. “I’m an only child…”

The fillies’ smiles leave.

Not taking joy in seeing Rainbow Dash’s sad demeanor, Pinkie scoots up to pegasus and lays an arm around her neck. “Cheer up silly-willy!” Pinkie hums, rubbing her cheek against Rainbow Dash’s. “Because you have us as your friends!” She gives her a hug.

Rainbow Dash blushes from the affection. “Friends?! But we just met!” She states, looking skeptically at the earth pony.

“SO!” Pinkie huffs, breaking the hug. “I like having friends and making new friends as well!” She puts her front hooves on her hips. “And I like to make sure my friends are happy!” She hugs Rainbow Dash once more. “And since we’re stuck here and have to work together to find a way out, why not be friends!” She breaks the hug and begins skipping around the group, her long magenta mane bouncing about.

The fillies snicker at Pinkie’s antics.

“Well shoot, I can’t argue with that.” Applejack smirks. “Count me in.”

“Same.” Rarity hums.

“Me too.” Twilight smiles.

Rainbow Dash looks at Fluttershy, her closest friend and schoolmate. “Fluttershy?” Her right ear stands erect. “What do you think?” Fluttershy looks at the other fillies. Smiling, she nods her head, humming a soft tune. “Yeah! New friends!” Rainbow Dash shouts, rearing in excitement, her wings fluttering about.

The fillies giggle at Rainbow Dash.

Looking down the maze’s path, Twilight looks at her new friends. “Come on fillies, let’s go!” She points, giggle at herself. Her friends follow.

“How much longer?” Pinkie whines, her shoulders slumping as she walks.

“I think we made it?” Applejack smiles, eyeing a gazebo made of white marble standing a few feet away.

Arriving at the gazebo, they find themselves in the center of the maze itself. It’s a curricular courtyard that’s ten-feet in diameter. The gazebo stands about twenty-feet tall, however It’s an unimposing structure. Soft even. Maybe lonely. They look at its obsidian base, seeing their reflections staring back at them.

“What do we do now?” Fluttershy wonders as they step onto the gazebo. Her wings flutter as she looks at the refection of herself projecting from the obsidian floor.

“Yeah! That maze we were in was way too easy!”

“Rainbow Dash! It wasn’t that easy!” Twilight groans. “Besides you were complaining the whole way…” She rubs her eyes.

Rainbow Dash blushes. “I wasn’t complaining that much…”

Ignoring her friends’ bickering, Rarity studies the trim along the underbelly of the gazebo’s awning. “I think it’s a puzzle?”

“A PUZZLE!” Twilight shouts running up to her, looking at the trim. Her smile grows when she sees the symbols scaring its surface.

“What kind of puzzle is it?” Fluttershy asks.

“I not sure… never seen these symbols before.” Twilight studies them.

There are six symbols in all. The symbols are circles, each containing a different pattern made up of lines and dots that distinguishes themselves from one another.

The first symbol is a circle with a vertical line running through its center with dots at both ends. The second symbol is a circle with a plus sign in its center with dots at each end points. The third symbol is a circle with a triangle in its center with dots at each point. The fourth symbol is a circle with a square in its center with a large dot in the square’s center. The fifth symbol is a circle with five dots in the pattern of a star in its center. The sixth symbol is a circle with ten lines in the pattern of a ten-pointed star in its center and at each point of the star is a dot.

“They’re so pretty!... Ooh!” Pinkie stares in awe as the fifth symbol lights up.

The fillies look at the blue glow of the symbol with wonder-stricken eyes.

“Pinkie! How did you do that?” Twilight wonders.

“Uh…” Pinkie panics and steps back. The symbol’s glow fades. “I didn’t mean too!” Pinkie cries. “It just looked so pretty!”

“Pinkie, wait! Do that again!” Twilight holds out her front hooves.

“Uh… Do what?” Pinkie looks at her skeptically.

“Walk forward.” Twilight motions with her front hooves.

Pinkie looks down at the obsidian floor with a raised brow and slowly takes a few steps forward. The symbol on the trim and a copy of the symbol on the floor beneath her hooves light up blue.

“That’s it!” Twilight shouts.

“That’s what?” Applejack looks at her crazed look with some hesitation.

“We each have to stand in front of the symbols.” Twilight giggles.

“Well that’s easy enough!” Rainbow Dash laughs. “Come on fillies pick a spot!”

The fillies nod and pick a symbol that catches their fancy. Twilight picks the fourth symbol. Fluttershy picks the second symbol. Applejack picks the sixth symbol. Rarity picks the third symbol. Rainbow Dash picks the first symbol.

Rarity’s symbol lights up, glowing purple. The others, however, are unlit.

“I think we picked wrong?” Applejack huffs.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash grumble in frustration. They look sadly at their symbols. “I guess we switch places… I mean, if you want to…” Fluttershy murmurs.

“We have to, Fluttershy…” Twilight sighs, stepping off her symbol, studying the others. “I guess I’ll stand on the second one.”

They switch places.

Twilight stands on the second symbol. Applejack stands on the first symbol. Fluttershy stands on the sixth symbol. Rainbow Dash stands on the fourth symbol. Fluttershy’s symbol lights up green and Rainbow Dash’s lights up red. Twilight and Applejack look at each other and nod, switching places. Applejack’s symbol lights up yellow and Twilight’s lights up white.

The fillies stare at the symbols with smiles on their faces. They solved the puzzle. Proud of themselves they sit down. A minute passes with nothing of note happening… Then five more minutes pass. “Now what?!” Rainbow Dash huffs. Her wings twitch from her building anxiousness.

“I’m not sure…!” The ground shakes, interrupting Twilight.

“What’s happening!” Fluttershy shouts.

“I don’t know?!” Rarity whimpers, her ears folding flat against her head.

The gazebo suddenly breaks apart, launching the fillies into the air. Gravity abandons them and zero-g’s takes control. They float around the vast white void, trying their best to avoid the razor-sharp shards of obsidian and the bulky chunks of marble debris surrounding them. “What going on!” Rainbow Dash cries out, flailing her legs and flapping her wings in a desperate attempt to flee.

“MOMMY!” Fluttershy sobs. “DADDY!”

Twilight watches in fear as an all-encompassing black mass rolls across the void above their heads and bellow their hooves. The light of the void fades in the middle – flickering before it dies and bathing them in darkness. Feeling the pull of gravity once more, the fillies scream as they fall towards the black abyss. It didn’t help that they have no horizon, just the stale wind washing over them. Panic warps their young minds in its embrace, destroying their sense of reality. Feeling like they’re about to slam into the ground, they shut their eyes.

Twilight feels a warm breeze gently blowing over her. She shivers at its touch. Her legs tremble as she stands. Forcing her eyes open, she sees that a hilly field of white colored grass surrounds her. The sky above is a dull void of grey. Confusion takes hold of her mind as she begins wandering this strange place. “Pinkie?! Applejack?!” She whips her head around. “Fillies?!” She runs, her heartrate increasing. “Fluttershy?! Rainbow Dash?! Rarity?!”

“I’m here!”

Twilight look over her shoulders and sees Rarity making her way up the hill she stands on. Her small legs propelling her at a steady pace. “Are you alright?” Twilight asks.

“I’m okay…” Rarity looks at her surroundings. “W-What is this place?” Her ears fold back.

“I don’t know…” Twilight looks towards the horizon. “I’ve never seen anything like it… It’s like a dream.”

“You think we’re dreaming?” Rarity ponders.

“I…” Twilight mulls over Rarity’s question. “I don’t know… I know I saw the element before coming to this place…” She sticks out her lower lip in thought. “If we’re in a dream we can’t feel pain… “I know this isn’t a dream.”

“How?” Rarity tilts her head.

“Because the others were feeling pain.” Twilight smiles. “In dreams you can’t feel pain.”

“But what about other emotions, don’t we feel them also?” Rarity retorts.

“Yes… But Princess Luna watches over us as we sleep. She makes sure our dreams are full of hope and wonder.” Twilight pats herself on her chest, proud of her explanation. “But if this was a dream, she would’ve shown herself by now…” She looks up at the void, her eyes staring longingly at it.

Rarity raises her brow. A part of her mind still latches on to the fact that this may be all just a dream. “Uh?!” Rarity notices their friends off in the distance. “Hey I see the others!” She shouts running towards them.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Twilight grumbles as she gives chase.

Meeting up with each other, they sigh in relief.

“Do you know where we are?” Rainbow Dash asks, pointing at Twilight and Rarity. They shake their heads. “Darn…” She huffs, lowering her head and wings.

“Oh… I want to go home!” Fluttershy begins to sob. “This place is scaring me…”

“Me too!” Pinkie agrees.

“Calm down you two! We’ll be home soon…” Applejack’s ears fold back. “I hope…”

Twilight looks towards the horizon once again. Her eyes squinting, searching for something in the endless landscape of hills. Her brow raises in confusion as she sees a tree off in the distance behind a hill to her right. The only tree in the endless see of grassy hills. “You guys see that?”

The others turn their attention to the object in question.

“Yes… It looks like a tree?” Applejack tilts her head.

“It’s the only one in this vast hilly-willy nothingness!” Pinkie groans, but her displeasure leaves. “Maybe it wants a friend and that’s why we are here!?” She smiles.

Twilight rolls her eyes at her playful explanation.

“Ow!” Rarity moans, taking a step back as she glares at her chest.

“You alright Rarity?” Applejack asks.

“No… my chest hurts… OW! It burns!” Rarity begins to panic.

Twilight feels the burning in her chest too. “Ow…” She glares at her chest, her left eye twitching from the pain. ‘Why is it hurting? Why now?’ She asks herself.

Pinkie whines as she rubs her chest. “Why does it hurt?”

“Ouch… Fillies! My chest hurts too…” Rainbow Dash groans, her hooves clutching her chest.

“GO… TO… THE… TREE…”

The fillies feel their spines tingle.

“Who said that?” Twilight wonders, her teeth clenched as she keeps a hoof on her chest.

“I don’t know… OH!” Applejack hisses, holding a hoof to her chest.

“It said to go to the tree?!” Pinkie groans through her pain. “That tree…”

“Maybe it…” Rarity grunts, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Will stop the pain.”

“Oh… Please…” Fluttershy’s cries dissolve into murmurs.

Glaring at the tree, Twilight forces herself to move forward, the pain in her chest spikes in intensity. Choking on a cry, she whines as she continues to the tree. Each step increasing her pain further. Her friends follow suit, their minds trying their best to ignore the mind-numbing pain racking their bodies.

“I-I can’t do this!” Fluttershy’s legs tremble. Her head hangs low to the ground, her pink mane covering her face as she cries.

Rainbow Dash looks back at her friend. “Come on Fluttershy! We have to get to the tree…” The ground shakes and rolls. Horrifying rumbles echo across the void.

“What was that!” Twilight’s eyes go wide.

“I think it’s that!” Pinkie stutters as she points at a black mass coming towards them. The mass rips and shreds the hills as it comes into contact with them.

“RUN!” Rarity yells. The fillies don’t argue, no matter how much their chests hurt, they know that the black mass would be a worse fate.

Nearing the tree, they gawk at its features. Its bark is a light-purple-grey crystal with shimmers of blue and pink. Its paper like crystal leaves are a rich-ruby-red. Six bright oval shape crystals hang from the tree. Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, and White.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Pinkie whines through clinched teeth. Her eyes water as the heat radiating from her chest gets hotter and hotter.

“ERR!” Applejack growls.

“AH!” Fluttershy screams out in pain. “I can’t!” Panic consumes her. “It hurts! It hurts!”

“PATHETIC…”

Fluttershy whimpers.

Rainbow Dash growls. “My friend is not pathetic!” She stands her ground, glaring at the void.

“YOU… WILL… ALL… FAIL…”Eyes appear from the void, thousands of them, all staring at them with pure hatred. “FOR… YOU… ONLY… CARE… FOR… YOURSELF…”

Rainbow Dash looks at the others and sees they’re agony is slowing their advance towards the tree’s area of influence. Frowning, she glares at the approaching mass. “I care for them too!”

“LIES!” The mass screams, causing the void to shake violently, knocking them off their hooves. The void’s imaginary walls shatter, its tears radiate out like spider webs and flicker like static-television screens.

Tears flood Rainbow Dash’s vision. The pain in her chest overwhelms her. She can see the mass nearing her and her friends. The grassy hills disintegrating into fine powdery ash. Looking at her friends, she sees they are struggling to stand. Feeling a pulse shoot through her body, she hisses, closing her eyes. reopening them, they glow red for a split second. Returning back to normal she feels a chill run down her spine. Feeling like she can take on the world, she stands on her hooves with mild ease. “Come on! Let’s go!” She crawls up to each one of her friends and taps their shoulders. She doesn’t know why she feels the need to touch them, but something within her tells her to.

Her touch gives them the strength to stand.

Seeing the tree is only a few feet from their location, Rainbow Dash looks back and smiles. “Let’s go!” They take off running, their little legs propelling them like they never done before.

Feelings of joy fill their hearts as they close the distance. The tree fully consumes their vision now. Its mighty branches swaying majestically over them, casting them in a loving embrace… A wave of heat slams into them, sending them to the ground. They lay on the soft grass, painfully gasping for air. Seeing the mass rolling madly across the hills, Twilight forces herself to her hooves. But the weight of her pain is too much for her to bare. Crying, she gives up and sits on her flanks.

“I don’t want to die!” Pinkie cries.

“MOMMY! DADDY!” Fluttershy sobs.

Looking at her friends with panicked eyes, Rarity huffs and activates her horn. Blue aura washes over her friends. Feeling her magic, Twilight knows it’s too weak to accomplish what she wants to do. ‘I can do this…’ Taking a deep breath, she joins in, her own horn lighting up, her purple aura mixing with Rarity’s blue. Moving as one, they give themselves and their friends the strength to stand and make the last few inches to the base of the tree.

“NO!” The mass screams, thousands of razor-like-tentacles shoot out from its body. With a roar, it flings them at the fillies. Seeing their impending doom, they close their eyes and cower, expecting the worst.

The tree roars a beautiful melody. Its thin branches morph into six girthy ones. They point forwards, their tips touching. The mass’s tentacles slams into the tree’s branches with a loud crack. The mass growls as it backs away from the tree, keeping a safe distance. With a hum the tree opens its six branches. A warm feeling radiates through the fillies’ bodies. Their eyes open and glow the colors of their elements. Purple for Rarity. Blue for Pinkie. Red for Rainbow Dash. Green for Fluttershy. Yellow for Applejack. White for Twilight. Levitating off the ground, they face the mass and puff out their chests.

“EVEN THOUGH, THEY HAVE MUCH TO LEARN… I PUT MY FAITH IN THEM…” The tree speaks.

“THEIR TEST WAS A WAIST! THEY HAVE FAILED!” The mass growls, its tentacles flailing madly.

“I ONLY NEEDED A SMALL SAMPLE OF THEIR HARMONY THAT FOLLOWS THROUGH THEIR HEARTS!”

“YOU ARE NAÏVE! THEY MUST CONSUME THE DARK EMBRACE OF DEATH!”

“YOU’LL NOT TAINT THEIR YOUNG MINDS!”The tree shimmers in and out of reality.

“THE SAME GOES FOR YOU!”The mass lunges at them, its roar shakes the void to its core.

The tree channels its magic through the fillies. “SPEAK AS ONE MY CHILDREN!”

The fillies glare at the mass. “WE ARE THE BEARERS OF THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!” The elements appear on their chests. “AND WE WILL NOT FAIL!” A beam of hot white light shoots from their chests. The beams converge and mix with one another as they rocket towards the mass. It slams into the beast; the heat burns through its darkness. It screams out in pain as the beams rip through it. With one final burst of energy, the mass dies.

Twilight opens her eyes. They’re heavy and caked with discharge. “Mmm?” She hears the beepings of a heart monitor. With a pained groan. She tries lifting her head up, but her body refuses to do so. With a sigh, she rubs her eyes so she can look at the ceiling. For some reason, tears swell around her eyes. ‘Was it… a dream?’

“You’re awake little one.” Twilight feels her spine tingle. She looks at the foot of her bed and sees Terren sitting by the entrance to the room. “How are you feeling?” He walks up to her bedside.

“Uh… I…” The presence of her prince is intimidating. She has never been this close to any of the royals in all her young life.

Terren laughs. “It's alright little one.” He smirks. “You took a beating.” He points to her chest.

Curious and confused, Twilight forces herself to lift her head once again, just enough to look at her chest. She jumps, her body shivers as she sees a white crystal sticking out of it. “AH!... mmm!” Terren puts his hoof to her lips.

“Quiet child!” Terren huffs, patting her head. “I don’t need the future bearer of the ‘Element of Magic’ to hurt herself even further.”

“E-Element! Ma-Magic!” Again, Terren covers Twilight’s mouth.

“Yes, little one.” He points at the others. “You and the other five have been chosen to be the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

Twilight looks at the other fillies laying in their own medical beds. Her eyes go wide. She knows these ponies. She’s seen them in her… dream? She studies their chests and sees the elements are pulsating like hers. Instinctively, she places a hoof to her chest.

“Don’t worry, they stopped growing hours ago.” Terren chuckles as he steps away from her bed.

“Prince?!” Twilight asks.

“Yes?” Terren looks back.

Twilight cowers a bit. His fiery-orange eyes scare her. She feels like their ripping her heart out. “Where are m-my parents?”

Terren sighs. “You’ll see them soon. Just rest, continue to bond to your element.” Twilight tries to counter him, but she closes her mouth and lays her head back down on her pillow. “That’s what I thought!” Terren huffs. “Now sleep Twilight Sparkle, starting tomorrow, your life and the others start anew.”