Chapters T-I-R-E-K Spells Trouble!
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Spike, who was outside the castle when the Mane Six joined him. “Look, everypony—it’s Tirek!”
When the Mane Six looked at Lord Tirek, they gasped in horror.
“I’m back from Tartarus, ponies,” bellowed the centaur, “and with a vengeance!”
“Quickly, girls—use the Elements Of Harmony!” commanded Spike.
Wearing their respective Elements, the Mane Six activated them to attack Tirek, but instead of taking a hit from their attack, he just swallowed it and grew bigger and stronger from it!
“It’s hopeless, you pitiful ponies!” shouted Tirek. “I feed on magic!”
“Oh, my!” cried Fluttershy. “Our attack made him madder!”
“I’ll say!” agreed Applejack.
“This is not good, everypony!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Our jewelry is now useless!” screamed Rarity.
“Hurry, everypony!” cried Pinkie Pie. “We have to retreat—and quickly!”
“Back to the castle, everypony!” commanded Twilight Sparkle. “You too, Spike!”
Spike climbed onto her back, and then, she and her friends galloped all the way back to Canterlot Castle.
“I hope the Princesses know what it is of which they speak!” thought Spike.
“Your Highnesses,” asked Twilight Sparkle, “don’t you know anything about how we can fuse our Elements?”
“Well, Twilight,” explained Celestia, “as I told you already, only two Elements may be fused at a time.”
“And since there are six of you,” added Luna, “there will be three Compounds Of Harmony.”
“Because six divided by two equals three?” reasoned Twilight.
“Bingo!” answered Celestia.
“Accurately,” commented Luna.
“But where in Equestria can we find out how to fuse them?” inquired Applejack.
“Do we get to wear the Compounds as accessories, just like the Elements?” asked Rarity.
“D-d-do we have to go somewhere d-d-dangerous for them?” stammered Fluttershy.
“As long as you’re under my wing,” chimed in Rainbow Dash, “there’s no excuse to turn tail and flee!”
“Rainbow’s right, Fluttershy,” confirmed Spike, “because you can count on us to protect you!”
“I hope it’ll be like a puzzle hunt,” piped up Pinkie Pie, “because I just love puzzle hunts!”
The princesses had nothing more to say; they had no idea where the Compounds Of Harmony could be forged.
“I hope we can find out which of us will get which Compounds,” thought Twilight.
Trilogy Of Teamwork (Part I)
The princesses sent Rarity and Fluttershy to the buffer zone between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, which contained the shy pegasus’s home.
“I feel quite cozy here; look at all the cute little animals!” Fluttershy told Rarity, and the pegasus slowly approached the helpless animals in the buffer zone to cuddle them.
Rarity, raising her brow in curiosity, asked Fluttershy, “Do you suppose that those animals can help us find the key to fusing our Elements?”
“It’s well worth a try; let’s follow them,” answered Fluttershy.
“As long as my hooves don’t get too dirty…” thought Rarity.
Fluttershy, being shy, let Rarity go in front of her, and the two mares set off to find the way to fuse their Elements and thus earn their Compound Of Harmony.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash flew alongside Applejack as she trotted into another buffer zone; this zone was located between the Everfree Forest and Sweet Apple Acres.
“Hoo-wee!” hollered Applejack, spying the thick greenery through which she and Rainbow Dash had to travel to find the way to their Compound.
“All those trees are gonna be a breeze!” boasted Rainbow Dash, ready to fly through the Everfree Forest.
Applejack had to remind Rainbow Dash that the pegasus was unfit to tackle the journey on her own.
“I knew that!” answered the pegasus slyly.
“Don’t get cocky; the Everfree Forest is treacherous!” warned the Earth pony—who, unlike the pegasus, was humble.
In another buffer zone—and this one straddled the boundary between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville—Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle had gone on a long trot to the discovery of their Compound.
“Can you detect anything out of the ordinary?” Twilight Sparkle asked Pinkie Pie.
“Negative Nancy!” chirped the Earth pony, because her Pinkie Sense was inactive.
“My horn can’t find any magical glitches,” confessed the unicorn.
“I’ll presume that that means that there’s no danger anywhere!” cheered Pinkie Pie.
Twilight Sparkle took comfort in Pinkie Pie’s words, but the unicorn knew better than to trust the Earth pony without question.
Trilogy Of Teamwork (Part III)
The animals that Rarity and Fluttershy had saved pointed to the ponies’ Element Necklaces, which were now glowing.
“My Element!” cried the both of them at once.
“I’d love to have a glowing necklace!” commented Rarity.
“I’d be glad to give you mine,” answered Fluttershy.
“Let’s trade!” cried the mares at once.
As soon as they traded their necklaces, a brand-new jewel formed—the Compound Of Love, whose appearance was that of an indigo and pink heart.
“The Everfree Forest is under a curse,” explained Zecora, “for Tirek made everything bad become worse!”
“Lord Tirek cursed you?!” gasped Rainbow Dash and Applejack together in shock.
Zecora nodded her head in confirmation, and then, the ponies’ Element Necklaces began to glow.
“You know, AJ, you deserve my Element for always sticking with me!” Rainbow Dash told Applejack, hoofing the Element Of Loyalty to the Earth pony.
“You’re right as rain, RD,” Applejack told Rainbow Dash, hoofing the Element Of Honesty to the pegasus.
That trade gave rise to the Compound Of Accountability—a jewel with the appearance of a red and orange gavel.
Trixie consented to letting Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle borrow her magician’s costume to don, and then, Pinkie and Twilight put on a magic show for Trixie for a change.
After the show ended, the Necklace Of Laughter and the Crown Of Magic glowed like strobe lights.
“Hey, Trixie—are you ready for one last trick?” asked Pinkie.
“Absoutely—bring it on!” answered Trixie.
“Alakalestia !” called out Twilight.
By trading their Elements, Pinkie and Twilight created the Compound Of Entertainment—a blue and crimson jewel in the shape of a magician’s hat, just like Trixie’s!
Spike was beside himself with joy when the six wielders of the Elements Of Harmony returned to Canterlot Castle with him and their newly-earned Compounds Of Harmony.
“Congratulations, everypony, on a job well done!” praised Princess Celestia.
“These ponies always succeed—isn’t that amazing?!” exclaimed Spike to the princesses.
“As usual, you are correct,” answered Princess Luna.
“Does this mean that we can finally go home now?” asked Spike.
“I’m sorry,” lamented Celestia, “but the answer is no .”
“What?!” gasped Spike.
“Tirek is still out to destroy Equestria,” warned Luna.
“Don’t worry, Spike; we have brand-new weapons—the Compounds Of Harmony!” said Twilight Sparkle triumphantly.
With that, Spike and the wielders of the Compounds exited the castle to fight Tirek for the second time.
“My little ponies,” announced Princess Celestia, “welcome to the throne room.”
“This room,” explained her sister, Princess Luna, “is our home; Celestia and I rule Equestria from here.”
“We have summoned all of you here,” Celestia told Twilight Sparkle and her friends, “for an urgent mission.”
“A dangerous one at that!” added Luna.
“Oh, my!” gasped Fluttershy in terror.
“What’s our mission, Your Highnesses?” inquired Twilight of the princesses.
“Yeah—and why is it our mission?” piped up Applejack.
“Is there a new threat in Equestria?” gasped Rainbow Dash in excitement.
“Is your castle crumbling already?” gasped Rarity, whose pupils constricted in shock.
“I’m hoping for chocolate milk rain!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie—eager to consume sweets, as she always was.
The five other ponies shot death glares at her, shouting, “Pinkie!”
Confused by the stares, Pinkie quipped, “What? I thought that chocolate rain would be a threat!”
“Don’t listen to her,” cut in Twilight. “Please continue.”
“Lord Tirek has returned!” announced Celestia, and the Mane Six gasped in horror!
“Lord Tirek is much stronger than I was as Nightmare Moon,” warned Luna.
“Fortunately,” added Celestia, “you have the Elements Of Harmony at your disposal, which you will now be able to fuse—two at a time—to wield an even stronger power!”
“Wow!” gasped the Mane Six.
“You’re going to need it, everypony,” advised Luna.
Trilogy Of Teamwork (Part II)
“Oh, dear—look at the poor, injured animals!” cried Fluttershy, who caught sight of a whole population of helpless woodland critters trapped in, and scathed by, Plunderseed Vines.
“Oh, my heavens—the ground is all muddy!” shrieked Rarity, who stepped in a shallow mud pile.
Fearing for the animals, Fluttershy had to silence Rarity.
“I’ve dug in the dirt a couple of times!” realized Fluttershy, and dug some mud out of the pile to smother the Plunderseed Vines with it.
“I can use my horn!” realized Rarity, and moved the vines out of the way—without touching them—so that the animals could escape.
The pegasus and the unicorn helped each other first, so that they could both help the animals together.
“Not one step, pony intruders!” shouted Zecora, whose eyes were glowing white with wrath.
As if to prevent Applejack and Rainbow Dash from uttering a single word in opposition, the zebra added, “Absolute silence, ponies; away with you!”
The ponies, refusing to give in to Zecora’s demands, dragged her all the way out of the Everfree Forest to interrogate her.
“You do as we say right this dadgum minute and tell us the truth!” commanded Applejack.
“Yeah—you have some ’splainin’ to do!” confirmed Rainbow Dash.
Zecora’s eyes stopped glowing, and she told the ponies the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
“Speaking of Negative Nancy…” said Pinkie Pie, pointing to Trixie Lulamoon, who was not wearing her magician’s outfit.
“The Little And Powerless Trixie is at the mercy of Lord Tirek!” moaned Trixie.
“How so?” Twilight Sparkle asked the blue unicorn.
“He stole my magic,” answered Trixie, hanging her head in utter despair.
“Is it OK…” asked Twilight.
“…if we borrow your hat and cape?” finished Pinkie.