The Element of Hope

In the Everfree Forest, near the Castle of the Two Sisters, the shadow pony from Moonshine's dream was surrounded by six trees, chuckling to himself. "With this new spell I've mastered, I'll be able to take care of that meddling princess and started to execute my plan..." the shadow pony replied, removing his hood to reveal his midnight black coat with his greyish mane and a scar over his left eye. "With this new spell, I can make a copy of anypony I choose... and I know just the ponies who can takedown that meddling princess.." he held up six photos in his magic.... and they were of Twilight and the Mane 5!

The shadow pony placed the pictures on each of the six trees and used his magic to engrave each of their cutie marks underneath the pictures. "This spell will allow my clones to come to life and do my bidding. And once the other phases are in place, I'll force that princess into my grasp where she'll meet her doom..! Hahaha...!" he laughed and he activated the spell and it struck all the trees, making them split open and allowed the copies to be created.

The copies all looked like the Mane 6 but they were duller in color by little. The six clones exited the trees and stood before the shadow pony. "Hahaha....! Alright you six... here's what I want you to do..."

Meanwhile, high above the sky, Moonshine was flying through the fluffy white clouds with Toothless. Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff were smiling happily from the back of Toothless. The Night Fury was excited to be flying on his own like before. Toothless gave a loud roar in happiness and Moonshine smiled at him, "Having fun, huh bud?" Moonshine asked, earning a happy coo from Toothless.

"Hahaha." Moonshine chuckled.

The group all flew down through the clouds and they glided into the center of Ponyville. "That was our best flight yet!" Moonshine cheered happily. Toothless, Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff agreed happily.

They were unaware that the Mean Six were watching them. "Ugh, spying on some lame alicorn, this is the worst day ever." Mean Pinkie grumbled before Mean Fluttershy kicked dirt in her face, "No. Now it's the worst day ever hahaha..!" she laughed.

"That Element on her head is mine!" Mean Rarity claimed.

"Quiet, you imbeciles.." Mean Twilight snapped at them. "She'll hear us..."

"Ugh... why should I care.." Mean Rainbow grumbled, laying on her back, uninterested in this.

"Because once we get the power of her Element along with the others and that alicorn, no creature, not even "our Master" can tell us what to do. Just follow my lead. Got it?" Mean Twilight stated to others who smiled evily and chuckled. Then Mean Twilight walked out into the open. "Oh, hi Twilight." Moonshine greeted.

"Hello Moonshine..." Mean Twilight said. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing great. I just finished flying with my friends." Moonshine smiled before she looked confused for a moment.

"Is there a problem?" Mean Twilight asked.

"Are you okay? You look duller than usual..?" Moonshine asked, noticing how duller Twilight looked than normal.

"I'm fine, Moonshine. Don't you worry. I was wondering if you tell me something."

"Okay, what is it..?" Moonshine asked as Toothless, Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff looked at 'Twilight'.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where the Elements of Harmony are...?" Twilight asked her with a narrowed look. Moonshine gave her a confused look, "Don't you already know, Twilight? They're locked inside one of the Canterlot Towers."

"Hmm.. then why do you still have yours?" Mean Twilight questioned.

"Uh... because my Element bonded with me and it positioned myself on my head where my mother, auntie and I decided to let it stay." Moonshine explained. "Shouldn't you already know this? I told you this like two months ago."

"I do remember. It doesn't hurt to get a reminder does it...?" Mean Twilight asked.

"Hmm... I guess not.." Moonshine smiled. "Anyway, I'm gonna go to the library to read and work on an invention. Bye.." Moonshine started to walk away but Mean Twilight reappeared in front of her. "Wait. Why don't I come with you? We both live in there don't we?"

"Yes. You can come too. I guess.." Moonshine said.

"Excellent..." Mean Twilight smiled as she watched Moonshine go on ahead. Then the rest of the Mean Six came over. "Good. I manage to get her to trust me. Now we can find out all her secrets and weakness while 'Our Master' finishes the rest of his phases. Once everything is in place, we'll get rid of the 'Princess' and steal her Element along with the others.." Mean Twilight explained with an evil grin. The Mean Six laughed evily together.

"What should we do with her three stupid creatures..?" Mean Fluttershy questioned. "They might be on to us soon.."

"Just let me take care of that..." Mean Twilight said. "Now come, let's go see her library..." and the Mean Six followed their leader after Moonshine.

Moonshine entered her library followed by Mean Twilight. Moonshine then went downstairs into her lab where she was working on something. Mean Twilight noticed a pedestal with what looked to be saddle on it. "Whose the saddle for?" Mean Twilight asked.

"It's for Toothless." Moonshine replied, looking over her schematics of the saddle.

"Toothless?" Mean Twilight questioned before she saw the Night Fury hanging upside down like a bat on one of the ceiling supports. "Yeah. I decided to try and make a saddle with some cool weapons inside of it. So when I fly on him. I don't have rely on my magic and he won't have to use up all of his plasma blasts." Moonshine stated as she screwed in some parts. Mean Twilight smiled, interested.

"What kind of weapons..?" she asked, rubbing her hooves together.

"Shouldn't you know? You suggested that I make this." Moonshine questioned, focusing on her project.

"Ooh! Yeah, but I may need just a small refresher. If you don't mind.." Mean Twilight stated.

"Well...It includes a laser that can shoot either fire, lightning or water, depending on the setting I turn it to. We also agreed that we should include handlebars so that I can hold on it." Moonshine explained with a smile.. Mean Twilight saw a small robotic laser on the table in front of her with a large opening in the front and three large holes in the side. Moonshine then used her magic and created a yellow, red and blue orb with her magic. One for lightning. One for fire and one for water. Mean Twilight looked surprised as she placed the orbs inside of the holes and the laser lit up in the colors, yellow, red and blue.

Once the glowing stopped, Moonshine wiped her forehead. "Phew.. that one took some out of me.." she said before she attached the laser to a small hatched that was located on the side of the saddle. "Hehe.. once I'm done, its' going to be awesome..!"

"Yes.. I'm sure it will..." Mean Twilight agreed with a smirk. "I'm gonna go upstairs and read for a bit, I'll be back..."

Moonshine nodded and Mean Twilight exited the room... not noticing that Toothless was staring at her with narrowed eyes and decided to follow her.

Mean Twilight came back into the library and found the rest of her 'friends'. "So what did she tell you?" Mean Rainbow questioned in a bored voice.

"She told me she's working on a saddle for her dragon friend. 'Our Master' was right about her having great magic and her being the daughter of Celestia and niece of Luna. Speaking of which.. let's see if he completed side of his plan..."

Mean Twilight then used her magic and made a small communication portal and the Shadow Pony appeared on the other side. "Mean Six, have you completed your assignment..?" he asked.

"Not yet. Moonshine was foolish enough to believe we're her friends and we're inside her home right now. She's revealed the location of the other Elements." Mean Twilight said.

"Excellent. Stay with her." the Shadow Pony ordered. "I've already completed my phases, but you must retrieve the Elements of Harmony and Moonshine's to make my plan a complete success..! Hahahah...!" the Shadow Pony laughed before the communication was cut.

Toothless gasped at the conversation before he slipped back downstairs without any of the Mean Six noticing. That's when Moonshine came back upstairs. "Hi Twilight. Oh! Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, I didn't know you all were here too."

"We uh... decided that... uh... you wanted some company." Mean Applejack stated with a smile.

"Oh. Okay. I was just about to get some lunch with my mother and auntie in Canterlot. If you guys wanna come, then that would be nice.." Moonshine offered.

Mean Twilight smiled. "Of course we'd like to come."

Moonshine smiled and soon the group were on the train heading towards Canterlot. When they arrived, they entered the palace throne room, "Mom, Auntie Luna. I here for our lunch date.." Moonshine gently called out, searching for her mother and auntie. However, she didn't see them on their usual thrones. "Hmm.. weird.. must already be there.." Moonshine said.

"Moonshine, if I remember correctly, you said the Elements of Harmony are inside one of the towers in Canterlot?" Mean Twilight asked. Moonshine nodded, "If you guys want to see them again, then that's okay.."

The Mean Six nodded, while Toothless, Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff narrowed their eyes at the 'Mane 6'.

Moonshine took the girls the tower where she opened the doors and lead them down the long hallway to the doors that held the Elements of Harmonys' chest. "This door is protected by a spell that only my mom and I can break. One sec." Moonshine placed her horn inside the lock and used her magic to unlock the door. The door opened revealing the Element of Harmonys' chest.

"Perfect.." Mean Twilight stated.

Moonshine levitated the chest in her magic before Mean Twilight snatched it her magic! "Twilight! What are you-?" Moonshine gasped as 'Twilight' broke the chest and gave the Elements of Harmony to the Mean Six. "What are you doing?!" Moonshine exclaimed.

"We're taking the Elements of Harmony, you idiot." Mean Fluttershy growled.

"B-But I thought we were friends!" Moonshine exclaimed, horrified.

"We're not you're friend exactly. We work for the Shadow Pony. Hahah..!" Mean Twilight explained. "We're nothing more than dopplegangers to your weakling friends.."

Moonshine gasped in horror while Toothless, Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff growled at them. "G-Give back the Elements!" Moonshine exclaimed, but Mean Twilight smiled evily before she and the Mean Six activated the Elements! Moonshine gasped in horror, knowing what they were going to do.

"Say goodbye...!" Mean Twilight laughed as the group tried to blast her... but the Elements stopped glowing..!

"What..?" Mean Twilight exclaimed, tapping hers. "Why aren't they working..?"

Suddenly, Moonshine's Element of Harmony glowed and shot out a beam at the Element of Magic which connected to the other Elements and they all detached themselves from the Mean Six and floated over and above Moonshine's head. "What is the meaning of this...?" Mean Twilight growled.

"I-I don't know..." Moonshine stammered, seeing the six angry mares.

"Give us those Elements..!" Mean Rarity growled. "They're mine!" The six mares moved forwards to take the Elements from her but Toothless fired a plasma blast at them, forcing them back while Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff stood in front of her. "Soo... it seems the Elements act in the same way as yours Moonshine..."

Moonshine and the Mean Six turned and saw the Shadow Pony from before in the room! "W-What are you doing here, Shadow Pony?!"

The Shadow Pony laughed, "The name is Midnight, thank you very much. As for what I'm doing? I simply created the Mean Six so that you would be foolish enough to think of them as your real friends and take them to the Elements of Harmony so they could steal them and yours, but it seems the Elements are bonded to your friends just like your pathetic Element.

However, that gave me enough research to create these..." Midnight revealed six more Elements but they were all black and they matched the Mean Six's cutie marks.

"The Elements of Disharmony..! Normality, Greed, Cruelty, Despair, Disloyalty, and Deceit…!" he placed the Elements of Disharmony on their respective ponies.

Element of Deceit - Mean Applejack

Element of Disloyalty - Mean Rainbow Dash.

Element of Cruelty - Mean Fluttershy

Element of Despair - Mean Pinkie Pie.

Element of Greed - Mean Rarity.

And Element of Normality - Mean Twilight.

"I made them just as powerful as the Elements of Harmony. With these at our disposal, we'll rule Equestria and finally take out you... girls..?" Midnight questioned with an evil smile.

The girls smiled evily at Moonshine, who gulped nervously. They got into formation and activated the Elements, floating up in the air, just like Twilight and her friends would.

"Oh.. and by the way... your friends and family are currently imprisoned in Tartarus. But you won't be around to rescue them! Hahaha..! Let her have it..!" Midnight yelled and the Mean Six unleashed the power of the Elements of Disharmony on Moonshine, who braced herself for the impact before everything turned black...!

To Be Continued...