The Nightmare Festival

by Omegafr

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Princess Luna, Original Character, Mystery
Length: 9593

Have you ever wondered what a confrontation between the elements of harmony and the elements of hatred, their opposite, would look like? That's what I asked myself, and the result is this story

Have you ever wondered what a confrontation between the elements of harmony and the elements of hatred, their opposite, would look like?
That's what I asked myself, and the result is this story where a few stallions are victims of a curse that forces them to make the world unhappy and dark to restore the balance.

Published 2020-07-14 19:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-07-14 19:40:00 UTC

Part 1

The long-awaited date of the Nightmare Festival is fast approaching, and all of Equestria seems to be preparing for this night full of horror.

While the mayor and a number of ponies help decorate the town on both sides, the rest of the inhabitants are either busy with their costumes or preparing for the harvest of the youngest ones who will be knocking on their doors.

No doubt, everyone is preparing for it, even the Apple family has been able to get a head start with the help of the elements of friendship to get a few days off. Everybody is smiling in these festive times, and it's not about to leave anytime soon.

Our friends meet in the middle of the market to make their choice of disguise and style, except for Rarity, who has carefully made her outfit out of fabric. But as they exchanged ideas, Rainbow Dash, who already had her costume from last year ready at home, noticed something on the hill in front of the market.

At the top of that hill was an entrance to Everfree Forest, so no one was going that way, but the opposite might be possible. And that's exactly what happened right now. From the top of the steep slope, the Pegasus saw six silhouettes slowly walking down the hill, casting their gigantic shadows due to the inclination of the sun.

Their shadows darkened the whole road, making them hardly notice the other ponies, and soon the whole market was staring at the strangers.

It is difficult to describe them physically from a distance, and in addition to the six of them wearing a black coat that looked like it was made of leather, they also had a variety of different shaped suitcases hanging from their necks.

"Who are they?" asked the princess without taking her eyes off them, their presence was both heavy with her attire, but as intoxicating as possible.

They continued their steady steps, and couldn't distinguish anything from the ends of their bodies. They all had a colourless mane of grey and white, surely a colouration to show their connection, though their coats varied between the darkest black and the most sparkling white. But once they set foot on the ponyville ground, all eyes were on the stallion at the head of the line.

His coat covered by his visibly heavy coat seemed almost golden, impossible to see his beauty mark like this. On the other hand, there was one thing that did not go unnoticed in him, his eyes, those cyan blue pupils similar to the clearest sky made us want to dive into it.

Damn, the day of the lovers had long passed, but that did not prevent most of the mares present from wanting to jump on the foreigner with the captivating look. Rarity smiled and her eyes shone without her being able to stop, only Pinkie pie and Applejack seemed to keep their usual smiling faces.

And admiring the lack of reaction from the locals, he was the first to speak up.

"Well, we must have made a big impression to cut you off like that!" exclaimed the stallion, smiling and raising an eyebrow, running his head slightly.

Realizing only now, Twilight was forced to shake his head frantically to get back to her, he found her cute.

"Uh yes... welcome to Ponyville, where are you from?" Asked the princess as she stood by her friends.

The stallion reacted to get closer and closer to her interlocutor, noticing her slight blush and her fleeting look. He appreciated it.

"From different places." he replied. "We are moving musicians who feast and our road has brought us here in these festival times." he said, raising his hoof, each mare following him with her eyes. "Would you be interested in a few pieces? "

The stallion's proposal could only have one possible answer, of course no one was going to refuse such an atypical and intoxicating band. But every lip remained closed, waiting for the Princess' answer, having started the conversation.

"YOU ARE A MUSIC GROUP, THAT'S SO COOL!" Unrestrainedly released the cyan pegasus, causing the stallion to take a little more interest in her.

He passed in front of Twilight who had to hold back from falling, damn it, her smell was just the opposite of the Everfree forest he had just passed through, sweet and intoxicating. He passed his hoof over the neck of the cyan pegasus, pulling her against him, she let him, he appreciated more and more this town.

"If you give us enough encouragement, maybe I'll let you sing with me!" He said, followed by a wink to him, many a mare dreaming of being in the place of the cyan pegasus.

She was also blushing, he didn't even appreciate it at this stage, he was seriously thinking of settling here and living a life of debauchery, between total harem and invigorating passion. Until he felt a hoof resting on his coat, touching the garment with passion. He turned around and noticed a white unicorn admiring the garment's workmanship.

"Did you do this?" she asked without taking her eyes off this work of art, as she had never seen such material before.

"He's our drummer, you can ask him, but before that." he said as he left the contact of the two mares, returning to his group. "We're gonna give you the best night of your life!" he says with conviction.

"YIPI, IT'S A PARTY!" The candy-pink mare screamed into the crowd.

"It's more than a party, IT'S YOUR PARTY, PONYVILLE PONIES!!!" He shouted with motivation, raising his wings from his clothes on the ground and rushing into the village square.

His rapid flight could only be admired by Rainbow Dash, who had a look sharp enough to follow him as he flew right over her. Soon, her group followed, as did the rest of the spectators, forgetting their current task to focus on the newcomers. Arriving on the raised square that usually serves as the mayor's, she found herself in the crowd, asking for the show to begin like approximately everyone else, mare and stallion already acceding to them.

It was in a few seconds that each one took out a musical instrument, going from drums to portable piano, from violin to oversized bass, and of course to the conductor's electric guitar. They even had with them two sound amplifiers that the two unicorns of the band made appear on both sides of the stage.

The young Pegasus took a microphone out of his compartment, placed it at his height and began to speak.

"Stallions and Ponyville mares, thank you for your warmest welcome." he began with admiration. 3You offer us the comfort of your splendid living place, so we decided to thank you in turn. The sun is setting giving way to night but the calm of the place is far from returning now, because you are going to spend the best party of your life in our company." he said, clutching the hoof around the microphone. "WE ARE THE ROCKS, AND WITH US, EXPECT TO STAY AWAKE ALL THE WAY!!"

It was with this last speech that they began to synchronize and play at a hell of a pace. The stallion who always attracted all eyes still kept them, since in addition to playing on both hind legs, keeping his balance, he also sang wonderfully, the cheers never ceasing to rain down on him.

They were so unknown less than an hour ago, and now they are all together for an exceptional night. While Pinkie pie is preparing a very well organised last-minute buffet, the rest of the town is dancing and shouting at the band, as if they were known all over Equestria.

Some people particularly like the rock, and he soon noticed this rainbow-maned pegasus raging on the dance floor. In the middle of the track, he doesn't hesitate to throw a few random winks in the crowd, almost making those who notice him and think he's meant for them faint.

The party goes on and no one gets tired, especially not Rainbow Dash, eagerly awaiting the moment when she goes on stage. It is while thinking about it that she notices a free hoof above her, the stallion's one, looking at her intensely.

It's now, she thought. While others tried their chances, only the lucky Pegasus managed to catch the guitarist's hoof, bringing him to the stage with a jerk.

The rest of the show is with Rainbow Dash who manages to keep up with the lyrics, singing with him in the same microphone, giving him proud expressions of his choice.

Even in the night, he still notices his blush, damn, it's full of hot mares here, let him think as he finishes a new song and greets the crowd with passion. Rainbow Dash did the same to her friends at Pinkie's food stand, not hiding her pride at being here, next to a stallion hotter than Celestia's sun.

And as she turned around to look him in the eye once more, she was surprised by her new accessory. He was now wearing a gas mask on his muzzle, his expression seemed empty now, we could no longer see his smile.

Nobody understood this choice, how could he still sing with it on his head? some thought. Is the show over already? others thought. The second option was the right one.

Without giving explanations, he slammed his hooves against the stage as a signal, and the show was over. The band's drummer reacted to his partner's call, playing a note on his drums before finally putting on his own gas mask, followed by the other band members.

As soon as they were all protected, the two amplifiers on the sides of the stage seemed to open, revealing the inside to everyone. A pipe was stored in each one, and soon a deafening noise preceded a green colored vapor, escaping from the boxes and spilling into the air.

In less than ten seconds, the whole city was covered with an ominous greenish cloud, and the first ponies fell. The gas was powerful, and anyone who breathed it had no control over his body, paralysis awaiting them. Some choking followed once the bodies fell steeply to the ground, and soon the city became a cemetery in appearance, even the forest seemed more welcoming.

The last to fall was the pegasus on stage, the stallion catching it in his right arm, still standing on his hind legs.

"What the..." she tried to say...

Before continuing his request, he placed his hoof over her mouth, preventing her from finishing. And as she fainted, he closed his eyes as if out of compassion for her fate.

"These mortals will always make me laugh."

Part 2

It's dark, so dark that only the sparkling moonlight illuminates the inside of the hall.

"I hate that damn moon, it reminds me of that silly girl." swore the stallion, still standing on his hind legs, joining his front hooves behind his back.

He walked along a torn and dusty red carpet, the members of his group were on either side of it, lifting his hoof as he went by. He walks towards a rusty, metallic object made of several horizontal and vertical iron bars. And yes, it is a cage, and it is not empty.

While he keeps smiling, his gaze is focused on the contents of this cage, six mares, their six mares, his six mares. They are lying on the ground, unconscious, which has the gift of making him impatient. He violently strikes the cage in front of him with his left hind hoof, creating a shrill and audibly painful sound in his ear.

Panic-stricken, Rainbow Dash is the first to startle, dropping a surprised scream, alerting the others. They wake up suddenly, thinking they are in imminent danger.

"DASHIE, WHAT IS IT?" the farmer shouted as her eyes began to open.

"There's something you've kept me waiting for, dear ladies!" He intervened nobly.

The six friends turned suddenly and discovered her face, lit by a moonbeam passing over it. The same grey mane on his forehead, the same look and the same smile, but it doesn't remind them of the charm he had before. His face even looks... scary now, or sneaky, sneaky yes, that's the word.

The mares backed up by reflex against the bars of their cage, except Applejack and Rainbow Dash who decided to face him, starting to stand up on their legs.

"YOU! WHAT'S GOING ON? WHERE ARE WE? ANSWER!!!" She screams her way through the compound of the vast hall.

"Are you the one who locked us in?" Asks less agressively Applejack as she sees that they are trapped.

"One question at a time please, starting with Dashie's..."

"I FORBIDDEN YOU TO CALL ME DASHIE!!!" She warns him by sticking herself to the bars, ready to jump on him.

The stallion intervenes simply by putting his hoof on his mouth to ask her to shut up, which she grunts at. Then he decides to go ahead anyway.

"I guess the time is ripe for a little story, isn't it?" He asked without waiting for an answer since he continued straight away. "In that case, I'll start with why I locked you up."

He tapped the floor with his right hind hoof and the other five stallions began to move out, heading for a room further down the hall. The huge hall is familiar to our friends, since they recognize the place where they defeated the Selenian mare, so they are in this castle that brought them together, and thus in the Everfree Forest. He had the field free for discussion.

"You surely remember your first meeting, when you fought valiantly against the terrible Selenian mare." he began, proudly raising his hoof to the sky. "He was clearly mocking them. Well, she didn't go crazy on her own, it was me who drove him to this rebellion." he confessed, shocking the entire cage, Luna had never spoken of a spirit or anything that had affected her.

"So, what exactly are you?" Twilight asked intrigued.

"Even for you it would have been too hard to understand, so let's say, as I like to say, that I am the embodiment of evil and hatred, I like that nickname you said." he said admiring himself against a broken mirror against a wall. "You only have to call me the villain of the story, that's what I am after all." he said, wearing a clog in his hair.

He turned back to his prisoners to see them in the same position as before, they seemed to remain still and concentrated on his monologue. He enjoyed being the center of attention, he smiled more visually and continued.

"And so, when Luna was defeated, I had to leave her body discreetly, you had weakened me quite a bit that day, I confess." he said, moving a few hooves away from the cage, almost face to face with Rainbow Dash who was pulling her head out of the bars. "And I've got the six of you to thank for that."

Surprising once again the elements of friendship, he continued.

"Whenever good grows stronger, so does evil, it is essential to the well-being of the world as we know it. Thus the elements of harmony brought... the elements of hate." he said confidently, stepping forward again, making eye contact with the element of loyalty.

"The elements of hate?" Rarity said shocked at such a revelation.

"I had to find six new bodies to stop you on your way up, and what was my surprise to see six poor stallions camping in the Everfree Forest." he said as the five stallions returned from their task.

"You monster! They've done nothing to deserve this, RETURN THEIR FREE..." Scream Rainbow Dash.

She was stopped in her tracks, the stallion closing her mouth with his own hoof, holding her firmly. She tried to free herself but couldn't, Applejack came to her aid and pulled her out of his grip, spanking them both to the ground.

"Did you see?" he asked. "The strength of this stallion is awesome, so why should I leave this perfect body ?" he said, staring at them, as if he could see through their own souls.

His face then suddenly took on a tinge of bitterness and anger, frowning.

"But then he FALLED THAT YOU WILL START BEATING THE OTHER FORCES OF EVIL." he shouted as he slammed the bars of the cage again, spanking the mares in the echo. "DISCORD! THE QUEEN CHRYSALIS! THE KING SANK! TIREK AND I'M OUT OF HERE!!!" Did he end up spanking the mirror behind him with his own voice.

"AND HAVE CONTINUED AS HE WILL FAKE HIM, AND YOU'RE NEXT!" The cyan pegasus intervenes by getting up, still facing him.

"You don't understand, you have created too great anbalance, and now the world will be lost if I do nothing." he said, pointing to himself and regaining his honourable composure. "You always have to keep your balance, it's killing me that you don't know that, so I'm going to do something about it!"

"And what did you hear?" Said Twilight as he joined Rainbow Dash.

"Plunging the world into darkness for millennians of course." he replied serenely, looking down on mares who are unable to stand on two legs like him. "And that's why you're here, you're going to give me back my old power."

Before he could call him out, he slammed his hoof to the ground and his five subordinates moved closer to the cage. One of them, bigger and stronger than the others, pulled a gigantic lever, creating a deafening clatter.

As they looked at the ever smiling stallion pointing up at the top of their cage, they raised their heads and saw a strange golden light. They closed their eyes reflexively and, while they wanted to move, stand up, talk and so on, they were unable to do so.

The light shining on their fur began to have some effect on them, starting to make them fall down again on the stone on the ground. They were not in pain, but she could feel their energies flowing away, like being sucked up by the light above their heads.

"Now we'll see what the elements of harmony are able." he warned as he moved around the cage, to the left.

With their eyes still open, they could see his hooves moving, until they stopped in front of a pedestal, but they couldn't lift them up to see if he was watching them decompose. Then a sound of glass could be heard, as if he was moving it on the stone. Then they saw his hooves facing them.

"Here's a vessel." he presented, having it in his hoof. "It contains all your power, the power of friendship, harmony and goodness that Celestia foolishly passed on to you." he swore again, spanking them with the gnashing of his teeth. "Now get up." he ordered.

Following this request, our friends regained control of their bodies, they stood up like that. The golden light above their heads was gone, and their bodies were not affected, although they had an itchy sensation. And they watched him drink a strange mixture of different colours, thinking of a rainbow. He swallowed every last drop on the tip of his tongue, before throwing the container away, caught by two of his henchmen before it broke.

He gave them another arrogant look, with that smile that used to be so charming. He bears his name well from the elements of hatred, and has betrayed and fooled everyone. Before he started swearing to stop him in his plan, the stallion's eyes took on a golden hue, he was changing as a result of this drink.

He kept smiling and admired his body transforming from the inside. Then he looked at them again, with his golden pupils quoting them.

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question, Dashie!" he shouted, annoying the mare. "Who's the fastest now?" He asked before he took off in a wing flap.

Its take-off created a gust of wind that deformed the straight ground, replacing it with irregular bumps. He flew so fast that even Rainbow Dash couldn't keep up with him, and she didn't believe it. She tried her best, but there was no way she could keep contact for more than a millisecond. He flew hundreds, even thousands of laps around the hall, blocking the moonlight at times.

Impact in three... two... one

The stallion who had operated the lever was also smiling, followed by the four others, posted in front of the cage, leaving the central space free for their leader. Before they understood why he had said that, their boss landed in front of the cage, raising a real tornado that was unleashed in front of him. The blast was so powerful that the prisoners found themselves propelled violently against the bars in a painful impact. The wind also destroyed the padlock of the large door behind them, letting the entrance open in a crash that felled some of the trees in the forest outside.

He enlarged his smile, visibly happy with his newfound power, to the detriment of the elements of harmony. He raised his head towards the bodies once again on the ground and writhing in pain.

"It's time to visit the princesses! "

Too late to forbid it, it had already evaporated into thin air when Celestia and Luna met. He would be there far too quickly with this speed totally surpassing any over-trained pegasus, even Rainbow Dash had to admit defeat.

His henchmen closed the big door, always smiling!

"Don't worry, you're safe here!"

Flying through the forest of penumbra, the antagonist of the moment knew very well his next destination and what he was going to do there. Canterlot wasn't far from here, especially at his current speed, so he took five seconds at the most to cross Ponyville and reach the princess castle.

He made a sober tower entrance, creating cyclones around his passage that destroyed nearby buildings. He hadn't even made his announcement that Equestria already had a foretaste of its power. This was a blow to him, he didn't like to hurt his back. It's a lot more fun to watch your victim fall down in front of you.

When he reached the castle, he simply broke down the gigantic doors that separated him from his beloved acquaintances. He destroyed the last one with a great stroke of his hoof, as they crashed into the room between him and the princesses still on their throne.

"WHAT THE...?" said the princess Luna surprisely.

"CANTERLOT IS ATTACKED, PROTECT THE PRINCESSES!!!" Announced a guard over a special loudspeaker.

While the princesses were stunned by the arrival of a foreign stallion, dozens of guards rushed at him and tried to stop him... in vain. As he struck him continuously with their weapons, the pony's body seemed to be unstoppable, the totality of their assaults passing through him.

"Please gentlemen, this is becoming embarrassing." he warned them before acting.

They didn't seem to lose any confidence. Well... he thought before he made a dark sphere appear from his hoof as he landed on the ground, still on his hind legs. Tenderly closing his eyes, he did so and shot his orb down, creating a shock wave that destroyed the surrounding windows and depicted the walls, floor and ceiling.

When he reopened them, the soldiers were still standing to his surprise, surrounded by a rainbow glow. Since Dashie was not a unicorn, and not being there anyways, it could only have come from the princesses, protecting their guard.

"Guard, get away from that stallion!" Princess Celestia commanded before she came down from her throne, followed by her sister.

The guard obeyed and took a few steps back, still wielding their helpless weapons. If he had known they were all going to be killed at once, their reaction would have been quite different.

"You, who are you and what do you want?" Said their sister in a battle tone, preparing her magic.

"Oh, come on, Luna, you don't recognize me." he asked, puzzled and visibly disappointed. "You break my heart dearest, we've been together for so long." he said, dramatizing his words, putting a hoof on his chest.

The guards and Celestia turned to the Princess of the Moon, waiting for an answer. She thought of her past, and only one memory came back to her.

"YOU!!!" she shouted once she understood who had returned. "LEAVE EQUESTRIA BEFORE I SEAL YOU UP FOREVER!!!"

Celestia was puzzled by her sister's reaction, but she imagined there was no time for explanations. The stallion began to walk towards them, followed by the spears which always surrounded him.

"I'm sorry, but if I'm here today to save this land, I'm not your enemy!" He said, sealing his hooves behind his back, advancing gaily.

"YOU LIE LIKE ALWAYS! It's all you know how to do!"

"Technically I know how to be honest, but I do get itchy when I do something... good?" He was defending himself from being evil.

"Enough, we won't let you do it, no matter how your intentions are." Warns princess Celestia him by throwing a first ray.

The magic seemed to affect her, since he didn't let it pass through her. No, instead, he summoned a tiny black hole in her right hoof to suck out the energy. His smile had grown even bigger, and the guards began to really fear him, pulling back a little more.

"How are you going to stop me now? With your ladies busy at their nightmare festival?" He taunted them. "Before you ask me, they're safe where they are." he said, before lighting his left hoof with a glow that only princesses could understand.

That... glow...

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO US?" she exploded as learning that Twilight and their friend are not safely.

"Just what I need to regain my powers, and anyway I intend to make cyan the queen of the kingdom I'm about to create." he said with a sly smile and looked at Luna. "Too bad it could have been you then."

Then he spread his legs and crossed his front hoofs, mixing the two opposing energies. The soldiers didn't understand what they were doing and stayed around him, but they really began to tremble under the incredible power of the magic that was beginning to cover the whole room like an evil aura.

"Boom!" He said distinctly and lightly.

In the blink of an eye, Celestia and Luna disappeared with their entire guard, teleporting themselves away from here, onto the mountain overlooking the city. From the top, everyone had an incredible view of the spectacle that was unfolding before their eyes. The castle they were in had just imploded from the inside, thousands of pieces of debris now covering the surface of their home.

Fortunately, it seems to have spared the rest of the town, only the castle being in ruins.

"We must find them!" Said the princess of the sun.

"But without their powers of harmony, how will we find them ?" She said she was half desperate for help, her eyes breaking at the sight of the ruins.

"I don't know, but we have to!" She says she is in doubt. "Let's go to Ponyville!" She said distinctly as she turned to her guard.

Part 3

As the princesses and their guard headed to their next destination, our friends, still locked up, had regained use of their bodies again, despite the apparent injuries.

"Girls, are you all right?" Asked Twilight puzzled as she pressed her back against the bars.

"Do we look okay for you ?" Pegasus nodded, finding the question silly.

"Just being polite Rainbow, this is not the time or place for this!" Contested Rarity who had a terrified Fluttershy in her arms, sobbing silently.

"We've got to find a way out of here!" Applejack called Applejack back.

"No way!" reprimanded a deep voice behind her.

Of course, their enemy's five dummies were watching them closely. In fact, they hadn't even noticed when they got up that they'd surrounded the cage and each had a weapon at their disposal. The girls were going to avoid taking their member out of the cage too much now.

Our friends couldn't sneak out to talk about a plan, but they had to get out of here, and quickly. Twilight began to feel a strange tingling throughout her body, from the tip of her horn to the tip of her wings.

"Girls, I think... I don't have magic anymore!" She said, worried.

"It's true Twili, even I can't do it." said Rarity, trying to shine her white horn in vain.

"That's why!" Said the farmer's mare, raising her head, seeing the device that was shining earlier.

"We suggest that you keep your mouth shut if you don't want to start being pricked." warned the tall stallion who had operated the lever earlier, a lance ready to be used.

Seeing they wouldn't be quiet, the girls began to gather in the center of the small cage. Even as they glued themselves together, the size of their weapon was enough to reach them, they were going to have to whisper more quietly than they would have done in their whole lives to get out of it.

"So what did we do?" Asked the Pegasus, hiding her face with her wings so they couldn't see her talk.

"I don't know, we've got to keep away from the evil stallions!" Say Pinkie, which seemed obvious to the rest of the group.

"Are you girls stuffed or what? You want to suffer more, that's what you want, BECAUSE IT CAN BE ARRANGED!" Shouted a white pegasus that came dangerously close to the cage, threw at the hoof.

"Harri, don't hurt them mortally, Light wants them alive for now." warned the great black stallion, blocking it temporarily with his magic.

Light? Harri? These were the names of these stallions, at last when they lived peacefully before being corrupted by this spirit, understood the elements of harmony.

Twilight had an idea when she realized that they knew each other before these events, but decided not to tell the other one for safety. Without warning, she began to move away from the others and approached the strong iron bars. She looked into the eyes of that black stallion who was a unicorn, and saw only the hatred that was overwhelming her, but it did not discourage her.

"So Harri, Light, what are your names, others?" She asked politely.

The great dark stallion pointed his spear at her, but did not move out of his place. The girls wondered what Twilight had in mind, and couldn't help her for the moment.

The stallion didn't answer, but kept eye contact with her, which was his mistake. Twilight finally managed to detect a tiny glimmer in his eyes, and even though it was probably only a thousandth of the content of his mind, she had to exploit it.

"Well, since we're stuck here, I figured we could get to know each other!" she suggested, no one answered, she continued. "How did you meet together?"

At that moment, the question was clear to her friends, so they began to do the same, innocently approaching the end of the cage. There was a stallion on either side, and a member of the elements of harmony was facing him, except Fluttershy who remained in the center.

As they were each about to begin an interrogation, a new voice was heard.

"You mean how did we become friends?" Asked for a thin, brown, unimposing land pony.

"JOHN, none of that word here! The white pegasus flew over the cage and landed in front of him. Or you'll have a bad time too." Cry the white pegasus.

"That's right!" Said the princess as she moved towards him, Applejack was in front as well. "Will you please tell me about it?"

His eyes, he was much brighter than the other stallions, almost a tenth of his pupils were colored. He seemed to be the least affected of the group, so he was the one to focus on.

"We've never met before." said the earthly stallion, which led to confusion and disappointment in Twilight's mind.

"Well said." replied the pegasus. "Now I'll take care of them."

"He's lying." said Applejack, bringing confusion to all minds this time.

"What? Said the stallion, surprised at his answer, seemingly starting to fear her, backing away from a hoof.

"I can see it in his eyes that he's not honest! You must be the element of the lie then." she infers.

"YOU WILL SHUT UP!" shouted the white pegasus as he hit the cage with his spear, creating a very high-pitched noise that could make you deaf. "SHUT UP, THAT'S THE LAST TIME I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, THEN I'M GOING TO STING YOU !!!" He threatened them.

"Lance, take John to the other room, she mustn't use him against us." intervened the great black stallion.

The other unicorn in the group then took the element of lie. It was their only way out, and they had to take advantage of it.

"WHERE YOU MEET? ON THE STREET, IN A CLUB, AT SCHOOL?" Twilight began to try every possibility by clinging to the bars.

"THIS WAS NOT AT SCHOOL!!!" Shouted the pony, stopping dead in his tracks, he seemed more and more fragile, it was a good sign for them.

"LANCE, HURRY!" Insisted the black stallion. "WE WON'T SHARE ANYTHING WITH YOU, NEITHER WATER, NOR FOOD, NOR MEMORIES!" He warned, taking an expression of pure hatred.

Won't share anything, eh? The element contrary to generosity, selfishness.

"DID IT LONG?" Applejack asked, ignoring the threat of the other stallions present, they and Twilight had eyes only for this John.

"WE KNOW THEM FOR A FEW HOURS!!!"

He began to flex his hooves, inevitably falling off. He seemed upset, as if he knew the situation was not good, but he couldn't help lying, as opposed to being honest. Even Lance, who was supposed to be escorting him, was only trying to pick him up.

He might not have responded, but he couldn't help it, and he was bringing hope back to our friends.

"DAMN IT,WHY ARE YOU USUALLY SO QUIET EXCEPT NOW JOHN, HUH?" the black stallion yelled as he approached him.

But unlike before, he wasn't angry anymore, he seemed to be worried about his friend, he even threw his spear away.

"Because that's what he needs to remember before, right JOHN?" Next comes Rainbow who had also been getting closer to the bars.

"Before... IT WAS AWFUL!!!" He said without trying to hide his sobs, he didn't care anymore.

"Before... it was simple, but it was good." said the dark blue unicorn.

He too had let go of his spear, seemingly remembering the past, his eyes betrayed his thoughts, they were full of longing and endless memories.

"YOU WON'T GET IN IT ALSO!" The white pegasus shouted and hit him on the head.

Ouch... Element of villainy, no doubt.

At that moment, they were all gathered around their friend John, still mourning their past and the good old days. Our friends had also gathered as close to them as possible, all glued together and glued to the cold bars. Hope had returned, and they could already feel my freedom, even if the urge to make stallions cry wasn't there.

"What were you doing together?" she continued.

"I said, NO SHARING OF OUR MEMORIES!!!! STOP!" the black stallion shouted, even though a tear was already streaming down his cheek.

"We stayed... we stayed together all the time, we were inseparable." replied the unicorn, also on the verge of tears.

"LANCE, YOU WANT ANOTHER OR WHAT ?!"

He continued to scream, but the girls had felt the crunch in his voice, even he was beginning to get exhausted.

As the tears kept flowing, our friends were starting to blame themselves for their actions, wondering if it would be enough. Twilight looked again at the eyes she could see, only Lance was standing in front of the cage. They were almost luminous, the darkness was almost gone from their eyes, and thus from their souls.

Even without their magic of harmony, the girls still had the role of bringing people of all races together at all times. They felt that they had accomplished their mission for this group of stallions, except for Light, who would have to be brought back to reason as well.

"You've been friends for so long, remember what you all went through together!" Insisted Twilight, as if to give the final blow.

This last sentence brought the stallions to their last stronghold. And the girls couldn't explain it, but she could see the memories of these stallions, as if they had shared them with them.

The time they spent in class when they were foals, chatting and helping each other. Some for homework, some to defend them from some bad ponies. Memories revealed their names, the black stallion named Drew and the last land pony of the Teddy Band.

Then they grew up together and saw each other outside of class. John, Light and the black stallion would spank sports together. Lance, Harri and the last land stallion in the group were trying to earn their cute marks, which made our friends think of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scotaloo.

Then came their day together where they were all six for a tumultuous exploration of the Everfree forest, with Light as their headline.

As the memories unwrapped in front of our friends, the stallions finally stopped their common sobs, united in both pain and joy.

"Uh... where are we?" The black stallion asked, looking around the place until he saw the imprisoned mares. "OH, NO, I REMEMBER! WE'RE SORRY!" He begged their forgiveness.

"Excuse accepted, but could you release us, please?" The white unicorn asked, pouting her pout adorably with her puppy dog look.

"Yes, right away." he said.

He didn't have the key on him, but his sheer willpower and Herculean strength allowed him, with the help of the other stallions but also the mares, to push the cage door hard enough to break the lock, freeing the elements of harmony.

"Thank you, we were suffocating in there." she said, giving a kiss on the cheek to each of them, which made them blush.

"Listen girls, we didn't want to do what we did!" Explained the black stallion named Drew.

"Don't worry, you weren't yourself so you didn't have a problem with it, she reassured them. Now we have to stop Light." Explained Twilight.

"But how do we do that? He's as overpowered as he stole your powers, and I doubt if reminding him of the good times will work on him, he's too affected by this thing." commented the dark blue unicorn named Lance, bringing some disappointed and insecure looks to the situation.

"Since he looks like he's the leader of the band, he must have a ton of memories still in his mind, you can always try." the cyan pegasus insisted.

"We'll make it!" Said a voice coming from the wide open castle entrance, and a voice very familiar to our friends, smiling at the sight of the pony that had arrived.

Part 4

"PRINCESS CELESTIA, PRINCESS LUNA!" Said the mares aloud.

"We've found you at last!" She anwser, happy to see them safe and sound.

"Are you hurt?" Asked after princess Luna, worried, noticing a few scratches on their coat.

"Don't worry, it's nothing!" Twilight rassured them.

"It's partly our fault!" confessed Drew as she bowed to the princess with the other stallions. "WE'RE SO SORRY!!"

"It's not your fault, and I'm glad you're back in control."

"More than just taking care of your friend, what's his name?"

"Light! The spirit is haunting him and has made him his physical body." he warns by tightening his hooves a little more.

"Have you met him?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"He's the one who came to see us, and he's doing some damage." the princess said sadly.

Celestia showed the ponies the current state of their castle, which had been completely destroyed by the explosion. The result frightened our friends and the stallions who trembled at the sight of the power of their enemy.

"By the way." Says Luna. "It makes you talk about it. It's partly her fault if I had fallen so much by becoming the Selenian mare." she admits, bringing even more shocked looks and heads, both from our friends and the guards accompanying them.

"So... it wasn't exactly a trial run!" Make the stallion.

"Yes, and since you're the one who beat him, he's got a good reason to be angry with you..." Say Luna turning by the Mane 6.

"Stupid! I'm going to kick his ass, make him mad and kick him with a couple of kicks in the air." Rainbow Dash explained.

"Unfortunately physical blows don't do anything to him, even with a body envelope, the attacks go right through him."

"WHAT???? How are we supposed to beat him now?"

"Like the Selenian mare, with the power of friendship!" Does she sister.

"But he got all our powers back with this machine." Applejack says, pointing to the device above the cage.

"The power of friendship is in all of us, Applejack, here." she began by putting her hoof on her heart. "And a machine won't take it away from you!" she said, bringing trust to all.

"You think that?"

A voice... it came from above the group, all out of the castle. Despite the huge trees, our friends could see the sky darkening as Celestia had been supposed to rise for some time. And the cause of all these words was at the top of this castle, sitting on the front wall, above the big central gate.

"Then show me!"

There he was, Light, or rather only his body, since clearly the real stallion had to be much more charming than the character of this thing.

At his sight, all tensed up, ready to fight, the guard and the stallions raising their weapons in front of him.

"Didn't you understand that it wasn't working? Surely ponies are a very rudimentary people."

"Don't mock my people like that!" warns the princess, ready to use her powers against him.

"What? Just the fact that you walk on four proof show that you are not dominant."

"Shut up!" warns immediately the princess Luna.

"Don't you talk to me like that, you've abandoned me enough already." he said as he now had his eyes fixed on the fierce cyan pegasus.

"What is it? You want a fight?" She asks.

"Not really, I just want to make sure I did the right thing choosing you as the future queen of this land!" He said as he fell to the ground slowly, floating in the air.

"Wha..." she almost seemed to choke on the statement. "I'd rather marry Fluttershy's brother." she said, upsetting the yellow mare, but she didn't make it obvious.

"LIGHT! IT'S US, REMEMBER YOU'RE FRIENDS! I'm worried that you might hear us!" Intervened Drew, coming up to him, his other friends having the courage to follow him.

"Oh yes, he remembers you, I have access to all these memories!" he announced without feeling any happiness. "It's... charming."

"Shut up, I'm not talking to you!" Say the black stallion.

The noise level had become a little too loud for him, as he chose to send a dark ray of light at Drew, who took it head-on and crashed into a tree. The attack was so fast that no one could follow it with their eyes. The impact was such that the tree soon collapsed under the shock, fortunately my guard had acted quickly enough to rescue the stallion.

The rest of the stallion group retreated following this attack, none of them were warriors, except Drew who had just suffered the consequences.

"So I said, Dashie and I are going to run a little errand and I'll decide whether I'm happy with your performance or not!" He announced with a sly smile.

"More like di..."

She was interrupted by Twilight, whispering something in his ear. She must have had a plan, and Rainbow seemed hesitant, but realized they had no choice.

"Well... I never turn down a race! But don't expect to catch me!" She warns her by nonchalantly pointing at her with his hoof.

"All right, you can go, I'll give you, like, a ten-second head start."

"You're gonna bite your hoof for that!" she said as she flew off through the dark woods so early.

Her speed was impressive, except for her opponent who was quietly waiting for her count to end.

"Otherwise, are you all right?"

All the ponies gave her a black stare, even Drew, who had already recovered from the shock and was bleeding in the face.

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm just asking," he said, still smiling. "Well, I'm going to go, stay here quietly, you have nowhere else to go anyway."

And he disappeared in search of the cyan mare, his friends were hoping she could hold him off long enough. Twilight wasted no time and announced his plan.

"Well, we don't have much time to do it, but he's making us use the powers of friendship, even though we don't feel it anymore - he's still here."

"You're on Twilight? I'm afraid that's not good enough." Says Rarity fearfully.

"We don't have a choice, we have to try."

"I'll give you my strength to succeed!" Says Celestia before using her magic, enveloping the five mares.

"But what about Rainbow Dash? Can we do it without her?"

"As long as she hasn't come back, we'll do without her." Twilight said, the uncertainty being clearly heard in her voice.

"It's in all of us, isn't it?"

Before starting, the dark blue stallion approached the elements of harmony, feeling useless and wanting to help.

"If that's the case, me and my friends wanted to help too, in any way they could!" He said with conviction.

"Lance..." said the black stallion, struggling to speak properly.

"If your friendship is as strong as you say it is, your help will be welcome." the princess pleaded, smiling at the stallion.

"What should we do ?" ask the stallion who was standing next to his friend, looking at the Princess and breathing hard.

"We think of all the times we've spent together with our hooves joined together, try it too." Twilight said, taking courage.

If it would be enough to do that to be a national hero in addition to helping the princesses and the elements of harmony, then it will be done.

"Guys, you heard it, LET'S GO!" Drew shouts as he turns to his friends, all answering the call.

So two circles were created, on one side the mares backed by Princess Celestia, and on the other the stallions who were receiving the magic of Luna.

The guard thus surrounded everyone, protecting them in case of any apparent threat, leaving them to concentrate on their task.

And it was during this time that in the woods, Rainbow Dash and her enemy, in the body of Light, were hunting each other, the prey against the predator.

Rainbow Dash was flying loose, but zigzagging through the thick trees of the forest was wearing her down more and more, especially since she wasn't getting within a meter of her opponent. Soon he was going to catch up with her, and there was only one way left to outrun him.

She flew higher in the sky, and the incredible straight line that was taking shape inside her was what she was looking for. She flapped her wings faster than she could have believed, despite her strength that had left her since the beginning of this misadventure.

"You've entertained me well, but that's not enough!" Warned a voice that could only be Light.

The stallion's body surfaced at his side, following him effortlessly, smiling as intensely as ever. He went to put his hoof on her to stop her, before she was replaced by a sparkling rainbow out of sight.

He seemed surprised by this, but his smile only grew, letting his teeth appear in the open air. He was no happier than he was at that moment.

"It's okay, you convinced me, I'll take you, come back now!" He said without being heard by the pegasus that was still in his field of vision.

He realized he would have to pick up the pace for such a talented mare, and he did. His acceleration was as crazy as his opponent's Sonic Rainbow, except that instead of a rainbow trail, tornadoes swept across the path, warning the world of his passing.

Rainbow Dash had since turned around and was beginning to find the castle, the one she had flown past. As she passed by, she saw her friends and the previously corrupt stallions, their hooves bound, in full effort to bring back the power of friendship. She had to land to get there, but he wouldn't let her.

That's when she noticed the largely Pegasus guard rising to her level.

"We'll hold him back, go back with your friends, they need you." one of the guards asked her.

She wasted no time in stopping his flight and landing with her friends. She quickly entered the circle and began to concentrate as well.

"We won't let you!" Said a guard in front of the entity that had stopped in front of them.

He couldn't help it, he laughed his head off at the threat. The guards weren't proud, but they knew what he was capable of and stood still before him.

"You henchmen, whether in your camp or in the mine..." he said, proudly scanning the stallions on the ground. "...you're really only serving.... NOTHING!!!" he cried.

His voice was so strident that the pegasuses were paralyzed, unable to stay in the air, inevitably falling like stones. He was pleased with the result, even though he had originally intended to annihilate them with a dark ray, the result was just as satisfying.

The princesses downstairs were exhausted from all the magic they had used in such a short time.

"We're exhausted Twilight." she warned her.

"It's up to you now!" said Luna, slowly catching her breath.

"All right, ready boys?" she asked as she turned to them.

"There are only five of us, but we're ready." Drew replied impatient.

Within a second, the two circles felt all the power each had stored up, with the help of the princesses. Before warning their opponent, who was already ready anyway, two rays of rainbow light appeared and were thrown by Twilight and Lance.

"Let's see what "heart magic" is worth against a real source of power!"

He threw a rainbow ray to face both at the same time from his left hoof, being the power he had stolen from the elements of harmony. The two energies coming from the mares played equally, which surprised him.

"It looks like you're tougher than I thought." he said without taking away his smile and confidence.

The stallion beam then went to him, but he stopped it with his own all-black beam, which was his basic power, far greater than the strength of the friendship of these five stallions.

"IT'S FINISHED, I DID NOT WANT TO COME THERE, BUT I WILL HAVE TO SHAVE ALL THIS FOREST, AND PROBABLY ELIMINATE YOU IN THE PASSENGER." he shouted happier than he had ever been, laughing loudly at his triumph.

"I'm at the top of my game, what can we do?" Asked the pegasus with her eyes closed.

"Shut up and focus!" Asked the farm girl, out of ideas.

Is this really how it's going to end? Are we all going to die at these hands? We have defeated so many opponents, why should it be any different for him, we are all fighting together.

Whether the mares or stallions, all felt their strength leaving them, some even had trouble standing at this pace.

"GUYS... I WAS..." tried to say John, shedding a tear of pain, but also of sorrow.

"NO!"

A shrill voice was heard through the clash of rays of energy between them. Everyone was asking who had spoken, but the stallion recognized the voice.

"It's you!" Drew shouting loud enough to be heard? "LIGHT!!!"

"WHAT??? NO WAY!!!!" Began shouting their enemy from the sky.

"FOLKS, IT'S ME!!! I'M FIGHTING HIM FROM THE INSIDE, I WON'T LET HIM... DO!"

"What? Light gets to fight him when he's corrupting him from the inside?" the princess Celestia exclaimed.

"I couldn't do it myself!" Said the Princess of the Night confused.

In his position, he couldn't help his friends increase their power... but he could reduce the power of their opponent.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS LIGHT, BUT BY CELESTIA CONTINUES!!!" Rainbow cried out.

"WHAT? NO, HOW CAN YOU EVEN INFLUENCE MY POWERS?"

"YOU'RE IN MY BODY, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN CONTROL IT IS ME!" He continued to struggle.

The power of these rays of energy diminished drastically, as the two rays of friendship from our friends soon reached him.

"Foolish bandit, THE WORLD SHORT TO LOSS IF YOU STOP ME." he said, feeling his defeat near at hand because of the one who controlled his body in spite of everything. "YOU HAVE TO LET ME DO THIS!!!!" He tried to defend himself.

"I'd rather die having lived my best life without regrets... THAN LIVE UNHAPPILY IN A WORLD WHERE THE SUN WON'T RISE ANYMORE !!!" Does he scream when he manages to stop his hoof attacks entirely.

The antagonist didn't even have time to shout his last line that the light flooded him through two similar rainbow rays. He was literally swallowed up by the friendship of two groups of pure-hearted ponies. The rays created a shock similar to the Sonic Rainbow, blotting out all the darkness of the sky and bringing the sun's brightness back to Equestria.

It was without transition that Light's body crashed to the ground, closing his eyes, being the only part of his body he could control. It didn't matter if he didn't survive, the mere fact that he was able to fight such a powerful spirit and bring it down was enough for him. He was able to smile tenderly one last time as he watched his friends try to catch him in his fall.

But death did not await him at the turn, to his great surprise, as he woke up with a start in a room that was indiscriminately a hospital ward.

"HE'S AWAKE!" Shouted a voice he recognized as Drew's.

His friends took him in a welcome hug that he gladly returned. But he felt a few more hooves added to the already huge load above him. He opened his eyes and discovered the true elements of harmony joined in the embrace.

"Girls, hello." he says as everyone stepped aside.

"Hello handsome guy." said the cyan pegasus, looking him straight in the eyes and smiling.

Then Princesses Celestia and Luna entered the room.

"You're up at last, we thought it would be fatal." she confesses.

"Oh don't worry, I'm tougher than that." he said, proudly bringing his hoof to his chest.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you." said Celestia, addressing the stallions. "But thanks to you, Equestria is once again saved, you have our full gratitude." she said.

"It's rather up to us to thank you for saving us, we couldn't have done anything with six of you and possessed as we were." explained Drew.

"So, T is defeated, all right?" says Light after that.

"T?" asked Twilight.

"That was his name, or at least that's what he told me when he took over my body."

"It's impossible to capture an entity like him, but we've weakened him so much that he won't try anything for a few millennians this time."

"Ah... good." Light says with a nervous laugh.

"I see, by any chance, did you have access to his memories as he had access to yours?" she wondered.

"I'm sorry, but that was only possible in his sense!" he replied.

"Anyway, I was surprised that your bonds are as strong as the elements of harmony." she exclaimed.

"It's as if there are twice the elements of harmony, IT'S TOO GOOD!" Said the pinkie mare, hopping around the room.

The ponies laughed at this statement.

"In that case, you know who to call if you have any more problems." Light says without adding any more.

"In any case, you will be known all over Equestria for that."

"I was going to become popular by becoming a great athlete, but I guess being known as a national hero isn't so bad either." Light explained, touching his chin. "How does it feel, girls?"

"We're getting used to it." Rainbow replied, moving her hoof dismissively.

The ponies laughed again after Rainbow Dash's response implying that it was totally normal for her. And that was the end of this painful but most of all repairing misadventure, especially for our six stallions.