Chapters ~Twilight Sparkle's POV~
“C’mon, Spike, we’re going to be late!” I called impatiently. Owlysious fluttered onto my back, gripping my skin.
Spike stumbled down the stairs. “Sorry, Twilight, it’s just that we’re going to see…” he sighed, “Rarity!” I rolled my eyes as he gave away his crush on the beautiful mare.
“I know, Spike, but this is important,” I said. “Princess Celestia has called us to help her with something!”
“Fine…” he grumped, but grabbed a few scrolls and books and stepped outside. Pinkie Pie was bouncing excitedly right in front of our door, with Gummy clinging to her hair. “I think I’ve never been so excited! Well, except for the time I went, ‘OH!’ when you first arrived, but I mean, really, what could top that?” she babbled quickly.
I laughed softly, and then used my magic to shut the door behind us. It didn’t help when a spinning streak crashed through it, splintering wood everywhere, and hit me in the back, sprawling me over. “Sorry, new trick.” Rainbow Dash grinned at me impishly with Tank flying behind her with his electronic wings. “Didn’t know your door was going to be closed.” She stood up and shook her striped mane. I sighed. “We don’t have time for this! I bet Fluttershy’s wasting her time checking every single animal in Equestria to make sure that they’re okay.”
“O-oh, was I wasting time? I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, guilt shining in her wide, blue eyes as she called from the sky. “I just wanted to make sure all the baby bunnies were ready to fend for themselves.” She stared at me anxiously. “Are you mad at me?”
“No!” I said. It was impossible to stay mad at Fluttershy, because she was so sweet. She could be annoying when she was terrified, but mostly she was just jittery and timid.
“Oh, okay.” She fluttered away to Pinkie, who hit her while jumping. Fluttershy was pushed into Rainbow, who toppled onto Spike. They howled with laughter as I glared at them.
“Seriously, guys?” I asked them solemnly.
Spike shrugged. “Let’s get Rarity and AJ,” he suggested. I nodded, and trotted away, Pinkie Pie bouncing beside me, Rainbow flying away as fast as she could go, and Fluttershy beating her wings calmly to stay with us.
Rainbow kept streaking ahead and then streaking back. When Rarity’s house was visible, she shot through the open window. A moment later, however, two white legs were pushing her back out. “Let’s do that the right way,” grumbled Rarity. “You’ve no manners whatsoever.”
As we guffawed, Rainbow’s pink eyes glared down at us. Fluttershy immediately started apologizing. “I’m so, so sorry, Rainbow! I got carried away, and…” She carried on for a while until Rainbow assured her that it was okay.
Rarity came out dressed in a gorgeous dark blue gown that had white embroidery. She had somehow made her elegant curly mane lay down. Her tail was like her mane. She wore a headdress with vibrant green-and-blue feathers and gems, and her gown was shining with jewels. She looked stunning, and I could actually see Spike’s eyes glow with love.
“Look upon me… for I! AM! RARITY!” We fell into a state of mirth. Rarity looked slightly put off, but shrugged as Spike rushed over to her and asked, “What do you want? You have any bags?”
“Er… yes, just inside.” Spike rain inside and reappeared with a pile of luggage in his arms. He collapsed under the weight, and I sighed as I used my magic to pick them all up. “I’ll carry them,” I told the white mare with a royal purple mane and tail.
Opalescence, Rarity’s cat, stalked over to her owner and nestled into her mane. Rarity shrieked. “You’ll mess up my mane!” she scolded Opal. Opal flew to the ground, disgusted, then saw Fluttershy’s bunny, Angel, and started chasing the rabbit around Fluttershy’s legs.
Not thinking, Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide and scolding. She was using what we called The Stare. She could use it to control any animals, though it was never intentional.
Opal immediately shrunk away and scampered onto Fluttershy’s back, ignoring Angel. “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy fretfully. “Did I do it again?”
“Yes,” Rarity said. “You did it.”
With Rarity now with us, we made our way over to Sweet Apple Acres. Big Macintosh was kicking trees and ridding them of apples. “Is Applejack here?” asked Pinkie, catching an apple and eating it in one bite. “Eeyup,” replied Big Mac. It was basically all he ever said.
“Yeehaw!” an orange pony with her pale yellow mane in a ribbon but covered by her hat skidded over to us. “Hi, Applejack!” said Pinkie. “Hey, y’all. Applebloom and her friends brought some apples for the journey.” Her little sister, Applebloom, poked her yellow head out of a tree, along with the faces of Rarity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow’s admirer, Scootaloo.
“Hi, Rainbow!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “How are y’all?” asked Applebloom. “We’re in a hurry, but fine, thanks,” I replied tersely.
“Oh, good!” said Applebloom.
After exchanging news with Big Mac, I spoke up. “We need to go now! Bye!” “Bye, sis!” cried Applebloom and Sweetie simultaneously. “Bye! C’mon Winona! You’re coming with me!” Winona, Applejack’s dog, ran after us.
We trotted back to the Town Square, where we had been told Princess Celestia would come to meet us. Rainbow and Fluttershy landed and sat with us.
After a while waiting, filled with chatting, a chariot started to descend. It had the sun on it, so when we saw my mentor with her shimmering mane, it wasn’t a big shocker.
However, when we saw the littler pony with her, we stared in shock.
It was Princess Luna.
Chapter Two: A Flash of Trouble
~Pinkie Pie's POV~
“Hello, my friends!” cried Princess Celestia. I gasped. "HI PRINCESS LUNA AND CELESTIA!" I squealed.
Fluttershy cowered at the sight of the two princesses. “Hide me,” she whimpered to Rarity, who held her head high, showing off her glamorous outfit.
I bounced around Princess Luna. “Hi!” I cried. “How are you? What’re you doing here? Why did you call us? And why aren’t you all eating cupcakes?”
Luna looked slightly alarmed, but I’m sure that’s just me. After all, who doesn’t like cupcakes? “We~ I mean I~ am fine. I came with my sister to escort thy~ I mean the~ ponies to Canterlot because of reasons beyond our~ I mean my~ control. And… um… we~ That is, I~ don’t have any cupcakes.” “Well, now you do!” I opened my bag and handed her a cupcake. “I always have some! Yummy!”
Twilight was acting all formal with Princess Celestia, Rainbow was showing off her moves to no avail, Fluttershy was hiding, Applejack was saying hi to Luna, and Rarity was adjusting her mane. Suddenly, Celestia cleared her throat. “We should be on our way,” she said. “Of course!” Twilight gushed and climbed into the carriage. Rainbow hung back, mumbling that she would fly. Fluttershy, who’s afraid of heights even though she’s a pegasus, clambered into the chariot, her wings folded neatly against her sides.
Applejack and I, who are earth ponies, have special talents even though we can’t do magic or fly. Applejack’s super-duper-fuper-luper-wuper-guper-huper strong, and fast, too. I have my “Pinkie Senses”, which tell me what’s about to happen. A tail twitch means something’s going to fall, a shoulder ache means there’s an alligator in the tub… and so on. Twilight and Rarity are unicorns, and Fluttershy and Rainbow are pegasi.
Princess Celestia and Luna are alicorns, which are unicorns with wings. Or is it pegasi with horns…? Or maybe earth ponies with wings and a horn? For the record, I have no idea.
“We’re almost there!” cried Twilight after several hours aboard the chariot. Rainbow had come over and stepped into the chariot after flying her wings numb. She was still exhausted.
We neared the gates of Canterlot, but then lightning struck. Celestia and Luna swerved to one side as the bolt struck the chariot. Fluttershy screamed and hid behind Rainbow. Rarity’s dress was ripped in her hurry to get away from the strike.
The chariot slowly fell apart, and then…
We were falling. The princesses had become airborne like Rainbow and Fluttershy, but they were acting oddly. “Help!” screeched Twilight to Princess Celestia. Ignoring her pupil, Celestia started soaring away with her two guards and Luna. “Wait!” Spike yelled over the crashes of thunder overhead.
They didn’t look back.
Chapter Three: Falling Through The Air
~Rainbow Dash's POV~
I stared in shock as the princesses flew away. Tank and Owlysious was gliding urgently beside Fluttershy, whom I was worried about. When she was terrified, her wings tended to fail her. As I thought this, one wing stuck to her side, followed by the other.
Fluttershy plummeted down, screaming her head off. I shot down, desperately thinking about how I was going to do this. By this time, Rarity had landed on the ground, but in a giant mud puddle. “Aaaaaaaah! My dress!” she screeched. She was sliding down a hill that leads to a canyon, and worried about her dress? (Dramatic, eh? I have to say, I was pretty darn awesome that day.)
I felt a whooshing sensation by my hooves. It was rapidly spreading across my body. I had only felt it thrice before, and I knew what it meant: the Sonic Rainboom was coming.
Twilight, Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie Pie had now landed in the mud puddle. Their slippery hooves (and, in Spike’s case, feet) wouldn’t let them climb back up the hill, and Rarity was grabbing the edge on the crevice.
Suddenly, a boom echoed throughout Equestria as the magnificent Rainbow Dash did something that only she could do. The rainbow-colored ring spread across the dark, stormy sky, parting the clouds. Bright sunlight spilled through.
I shot underneath Rarity as Fluttershy slipped over the edge. “Fluttershy!” screamed Twilight as she followed her into the darkness. I felt as light as air even carrying Rarity and Applejack on my back. I grabbed Pinkie and Spike, who were holding tightly to each other, and darted after my friends who had fallen.
The slimy walls buffeted my wings, but the rainbow shining after me didn’t care. When I caught up to Twilight, however, I felt my heart stop.
She was flying. Well, more like floating, but it was still amazing. “Forget me!” she shouted. “I’ll be fine! Go after Fluttershy!” I needed no more encouragement.
Fluttershy’s shrieks ripped the air below me. Twilight cast a spell, her horn glowing bright pink, to keep Pinkie, Rarity, Spike, and Applejack afloat so I could go as fast as possible. Owlysious and Tank glided behind her.
The rainbow still streaming behind me, I shot down until Fluttershy was visible in the murky darkness. One of her wings was out at an awkward angle, and the other was tucked around Opal, Gummy, and Angel. Where’s Winona? I thought, sweeping under Fluttershy and catching her. Her hooves scrabbled to get a hold on my back! “GO RAINBOW!” screamed Pinkie. “YOU DID IT!” Cheers split the air above me, and, in Fluttershy’s case, in my ear. “YOU DID IT!” she yelled, before sinking back into her shy, regular personality.
I carried Fluttershy, who was staring in shock at me, back up to Twilight, who quickly cast the floating spell on Angel and Opal. Opal leapt onto Rarity’s back and purred. Fluttershy managed to flap her wings, though her eyes still shone with fear, and some happiness. We looked at each other. We giggled. Then we burst out laughing.
After a long time of mirth, Applejack’s mood changed. “Where in the hay is Winona?” asked Applejack suddenly, frantically looking around for her pet.
“Here—we’ll go up and look for her,” I offered. “I’ll carry Applejack and Pinkie, and Fluttershy can carry Opal, Angel and Spike. Twilight, can you wait for a bit?” She nodded.
Fluttershy and I flew up to the top of the crevice. Pinkie pushed off my back and landed on the damp ground. Applejack leapt after her, and started searching for Winona.
Fluttershy let Spike down, who ran over to a mud puddle, digging down for Winona. Fluttershy dropped Opal and Angel on the ground, who sat there, bewildered.
When I returned, Rarity and Twilight were waiting for us. Twilight looked exhausted from holding up the spell for so long. I looped underneath them and they dropped onto my back. I flew up. Tank was prodding a tree when we got there, Opal was hissing, and Angel was hopping around wildly. Owlysious was beside Twilight when she stumbled off my back, but immediately flew to where the other pets were.
After hours of searching, the pets were still going crazy. Fluttershy hurried over, and slipped under the roots. She let out a shout of surprise when she was totally under. “It’s Winona!”
Winona had been growling at the other pets; THAT was what was making them freak out. Fluttershy emerged with the dog in her grasp. “WINONA!” yelled AJ. “You worried me. Don’ never do that ‘gain!”
Later, we gathered near the tree. I crouched in the branches, while Fluttershy sat on the roots with the pets scampering around her (or, in Owlysious’s case, flying. I had taken Tank’s wings off.). Applejack had taken to bucking the tree every few seconds, even though only leaves fell down, and no apples. Twilight was pacing, and Rarity had managed to fix her outfit with magic.
“I’m hungry!” complained Pinkie, who was about to open her bag for the cupcakes. “No!” we all yelled. “Save the cupcakes,” said Twilight “At least we had our bags with us when we fell.” Twilight opened her bag and brought out some grass sandwiches. “Eat them sparingly,” she warned as we dug into the delicious grass.
“Why did the princesses leave?” I asked angrily while chewing ferociously. “I dunno, sugarcube, but we’ll be fine,” soothed Applejack, though there was a flash of confusion in her eyes too. “All I know is that only some of us brought food with us. Who did?”
Obviously, Twilight had brought sandwiches and some bread. Applejack, of course, had brought lots of apples. (“Yum!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We’ll never go hungry with those on our backs!”) Pinkie had brought some cupcakes, which I was hesitant to eat. She lived in a bakery, but her skills weren’t known for being very good. “Who made the cupcakes?” I asked casually.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cake, of course!” she replied. “I didn’t make these delicious things!” The Cakes owned the bakery and were very good bakers. Of course, we felt greatly relieved. (“No eating burnt and charred cupcakes! Phew!” Spike whispered softly, too quiet for Pinkie to hear.)
“But why did they leave us?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “It scared me, knowing they would leave us.” Twilight suddenly stiffened. “Did anyone look at their eye color before they left?”
“I did,” I spoke up. “I didn’t notice it at the time, but now I think that Celestia’s were black…”
Twilight stiffened even more. “And Luna’s?” she asked, clearly fighting to remain calm. “They were bright yellow. What’s so bad?” I looked at her, confused. “Wait! Those aren’t their regular eye colors!” I exclaimed. It had occurred to me the second I had asked the question.
“I-I think that something is wrong. Seriously wrong. C’mon, everypony! We’re figuring this out if it's the last thing we do!"
~Applejack's POV~
So, just as we found a solution to our Winona and falling-out-of-the-sky problem, we were faced with another.
“Uh… Twilight? How do we get home?” asked Spike curiously. “We’re kinda stuck here…” I added. “I don’t know!” cried Twilight. “But we have to get home!” She grabbed her bag and swung it over her back. She started up the steep slope that the others had slid down earlier. “Hey, wait up!” yelled Rainbow as she sped after Twilight. Fluttershy got to her hooves and spread her wings, letting the wind carry her up with only an occasional flap of wings. Rarity sighed, took off her headdress, and tucked it into her bag.
I hastily got my bag over my back and charged after them. Pinkie was bouncing just ahead of me. “Ooh, adventure!” she yelped in excitement. “Yup.” I said. “We’re in for a whole lotta it.”
Galloping on, Twilight in the lead, we made good progress. Rainbow flew into the clouds and scoured the landscape ahead of us. “Hey, I can see a little town over there!” she yelled down to us.
Twilight stopped abruptly. “Yes!” she hollered back. “We should ask around!”
Rarity had finally given up on wearing her fancy get-up, but at this her eyes glinted and she called to Twi. “Twilight, darling, is it okay if we take a quick stop before we get there? I want to make a good impression, even if it’s absolutely barbaric there. I mean, if I make a good impression, maybe they’ll follow my example.”
I caught Pinkie’s eyes and we shared a mutual rolling of the eyes. Typical Rarity.
“NO!” replied Twilight quickly. “We don’t have any time. If what I think is true, then we have no time to waste!” Her voice rose to a tone of complete panic. I put on a spurt of speed and caught her by the tail.
“It’s gonna be A-Okay.” I said to her gently. “I cross my heart.” Twilight took a couple of calming breaths and started running again.
By the time we reached the village, we were panting in the dark. It was evening, and to my horror the moon wasn’t moving, nor was the sun.
Twilight had noticed, too. “Oh, Celestia,” she muttered aloud. “This is. Not. GOOD.”
A little filly trotted outside. Her green eyes peered curiously out at us. “Hi there!” she greeted us. “We don’t get many visitors ‘round here, so you’re a surprise.”
“Hello,” said Twilight. “Where are we, anyway?”
The little filly’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re in Haykinton. My name is Spring Grass, by the way. Who’re you?”
“I’m Applejack.” I said to her, tryin’ to sound friendly. She seemed like such a nice filly. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. Hey, is anything amiss in your town?”
The little filly suddenly backed away. “How did you know? She arrived earlier today.” “Who?” asked Pinkie. “Oh, by the way, I’m Pinkie Pie! You seem very nice, and…” she stopped, seeing the startled look on Spring’s face, and seriously added, “Who is she?”
“She calls herself the Great and Powerful Trixie. She’s a total jerk, and many ponies have…” Spring stopped, seeing the looks on our faces of utmost disbelief. “Trixie?” Twilight said incredulously. “That show-off?” asked Rarity angrily. “She turned my hair green!” “The one that overpowered my lasso tricks?” I growled.
“Well, it seems like things she would do. She’s already turned the most beautiful pony in our town terribly ugly.” Spring glanced at Rarity, who had stiffened at “most beautiful”.
“Hmph. Well, I’m gonna teach her a lesson,” I said rather angrily. “C’mon, y’all, we should discuss this…”
~Rarity's POV~
Now, when I heard Trixie had come to this charming little town, I immediately agreed to stop her.
“So, now, we’re gonna need a good reason to get y’all near her,” Applejack said after all of us had agreed. Fluttershy looked uncomfortable, and she had taken the longest to agree, but she had seen reason. “Sometimes it’s so annoying that her specialty is kindness,” muttered Rainbow.
Spring had been sitting near us, listening to our plots. “Is there any way I can help?” she asked timidly. “I mean, if you need any help…” “Oh, thanks, darling.” I flicked her mane so it drifted down her leg.
Spring had a long, green-blue mane that made her bright green eyes shine brighter. She was a unicorn filly, and her coat was a pale yellowish color. I had packed an outfit SO perfect for her. I had meant to give it to a royal that liked my work, so I could impress them further.
I pulled the dress out of my bag and draped it over her back. “Here!” I said as she glanced uncertainly at the dress. “It’s made for you!”
“Thanks,” Spring beamed at me kindly. “Can I help?”
Twilight looked around at all of us. I nodded, Applejack shrugged, Fluttershy whispered, “Okay,” Pinkie yelled, “YIPEE!” and Rainbow grinned and ruffled Spring’s mane. “Good luck, squirt,” she said.
“So, this is how we’re gonna do this…”
***************************************************************************
An hour later, Trixie herself trotted outside. “The Great and Powerful Trixie grows tired of your wanderings,” she scolded Spring, who had been watering her flowers in her garden.
“You’ve only been here for a day! You shouldn’t be bossing us around!” Spring glared at Trixie, who was snottily checking her hooves as I had seen many times before. At Spring’s words, her face looked shocked.
“No one shall defy the Great and…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow scoffed from her place in the sky. Trixie glanced up, her eyes wide, and hissed, “Trixie remembers you! You are that stupid pony who decided to challenge Trixie.”
“Yes, yes I am,” Rainbow growled, flying right up to Trixie’s face and beating her wings so Trixie had to back off. “You remember my friends? The one who you bested in ropes?” AJ stiffened ever so slightly. “The one who you made ugly?” I narrowed my eyes. “And the one who bested YOU?” Twilight drew herself up proudly, yet somehow modestly.
“Why do you think you’re such a big shot, huh?” Rainbow pressed on until Trixie was against a tree. “Who cares you can do things we can’t? ALL of us have special talents!” At this, Applejack emerged from her hiding space.
“Rainbow, you went a little overboard. Bu’ still,” Applejack added, glaring at Trixie, “You caused a great… er… problem when you came to Ponyville, and because of your lies we had to fix many buildins, and now you’re gonna lie to ‘nother town? We should teach you a lesson.”
Fluttershy winced. She hated to be even a bit unkind, but we had reassured her Trixie deserved it. She flinched as I lifted my head high and trotted out of the rose bush, casting a spell that whipped around my mane and spiraled around my body.
I felt my mane and tail make them into a fancy tucked-up manedo. The deep blue dress that was now folded neatly in my bag flew out and put itself on me. My headdress landed neatly atop my curls, and when the bright flashes of light subsided, I was as beautiful as ever in one of my most gorgeous dresses.
“You insulted fashion!” I hissed to Trixie, who had started to look alarmed. “You insulted my friends!” added Fluttershy and Pinkie sternly as they emerged. Trixie looked over at Fluttershy with a raised brow, as if saying, Seriously? This wimp is standing up to me?, and Fluttershy yelped and hid behind me. “Sorry!” she muttered, then started to cry.
As I comforted the afraid and upset pony behind me, Trixie started to do her thing. “Oh, the Great and Powerful Trixie is very disappointed,” she said as her horn began to glow deep purple. “For she didn’t expect such weaklings to challenge her.”
Rainbow yelled in rage and dove for Trixie, spinning around her a second later as Trixie used a spell on her. Trixie’s eyes flashed deep red, and we stared in shock as she began to scream. “HOW DARE YOU!” She charged at us, and we scattered.
Twilight emerged from her hiding space looking frightened.
“It’s the evil magic that’s making her do this!” Twilight screamed over the streaks of light flashing at her from Trixie’s horn. “LOOK OUT!” Rainbow yelled, streaking toward me as a spell shot toward me. We toppled over next to Spring, who was cowering in the shadows of the dusk, her eyes wide.
“Trixie shall triumph!” Trixie screeched, rage-filled.
Twilight crouched and her horn started to sparkle bright pink. Her spell grew another and another layer, until bright white light was flowing from her horn. A shrill sound roared around her, but she was already panting from the effort.
I touched my horn to her, and I started putting my strength into her. I suddenly realized Spike and all the pets had disappeared. “Opal!” I cried, rushing forward as my beloved pet vanished.
~Fluttershy's POV~
“Angel!” I ran toward Trixie, yelling in anger. “YOU HURT MY PET!” Then Twilight stepped in front of me. “Fluttershy!” she said softly. “I was the pony who teleported the pets.”
I skidded to a halt beside her. “But… why?” “It was safer for them and…” Twilight hesitated here. “Well, I got a feeling the Elements need to be used again, and our pets shouldn’t be involved.”
I gaped at her. “Th-the Elements have to be used again? Why?”
“Because of that,” said Twilight as Trixie shot another spell from her horn. “There’s bad magic that’s making ponies act oddly. Trixie might be a show-off, but she wouldn’t actually endanger another pony. She’s willing to humiliate, but not to harm.”
“Oh…” I stammered. “We should get away, shouldn’t we?” Twilight looked bewildered. “No, we should do what we can to help this town. And I packed the Elements,” she added in a hushed whisper, “just in case we needed them...”
We had to step apart as one of the spells shot toward us. It whizzed by me, and I saw Rainbow trying to get close enough to Trixie to tackle her. Applejack had disappeared, and Pinkie was still bouncing in place, dodging the spells.
Spring was asking Rarity a question as her horn started to glow. “Excuse me,” said Twilight, hurrying over to Rarity, “I should go help her.”
Spring’s horn suddenly glowed bright green. Twilight let out a yell as Rarity and Spring combined their magic and let a spell fly toward Trixie.
As the spell hit Trixie, a flash of light illuminated the figure of Applejack behind Trixie. I yelped and hid under a bush.
When the light cleared, I peeked my head out, and my eyes widened.
Trixie was lying on the ground, fast asleep. Her gentle snores were alarming after her yells a moment before. “The… Great… Power-“ I heard her murmur as she slept.
Twilight stood in open-mouth disbelief as Rarity drew herself up proudly. “But… magic… is MY talent!” Twilight glared at Rarity, who looked at her askance.
“Sorry, Twilight, darling, but Spring and I combined our powers and made her fall asleep! I must apologize, and I know generosity is my element and magic is yours, but…” she trailed off as Spring looked from her to Twilight. “What do you mean, “elements”?” she asked suspiciously.
Rarity blushed. “Oh, er… well…” She glanced at me. “Fluttershy, darling, why don’t you tell Spring about the Elements?”
I looked back at Rarity, surprised. “N-no, thank you.” “Oh, please, darling,” she begged. “You need to come out of your shell!”
I perked up. “Like a turtle?” Spring tittered, and Pinkie started laughing. “Fluttershy, you’re so funny!” she yelled through her mirth.
“Fine…” I said quietly, and began our tale.
“Er… well, when Twilight here first came to Ponyville, we barely knew each other. But when danger threatened Equestria, we all hurried to the Everfree Forest, where we discovered that we represent the Elements of friendship.” I shuffled my hooves awkwardly. Spring pressed, though: “What are these “Elements”?”
“Er… they’re laughter, kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty, and magic. Back in the beginning, we only knew five of the six, though. We didn’t know magic was the sixth element.”
“Pinkie Pie’s the spirit of laughter, Rainbow Dash represents loyalty, Applejack shows honesty, Rarity is generosity, Twilight is magic, and I’m kindness. We helped Equestria twice…” I hesitated, and said to Rarity, “C-can you finish for me?”
“Look, what Fluttershy’s trying to say,” Rarity said sympathetically, “Is just that Twilight’s jealous because her special talent is magic, and you and I pulled off that spell.”
Spring’s eyes widened. “So, you’re the saviors of Equestria… TWICE?”
“Heck yeah!” Rainbow swooped around, and, flipping upside down, landed next to Spring, who flinched away. “Wow…” Spring
murmured.
Spring glanced around. She was obviously intimidated by the ponies who she had once liked. “Er… sorry, I gotta go.” Spring started backing away hurriedly as if we were about to use the Elements on her.
“Darling, no!” Rarity rushed forward and stepped in front of Spring. “Don’t worry!” Spring ignored her. “Bye,” she said as she started trotting away from us. Rarity started running. “Spring!” she yelled. “Come back!”
I noticed where Rarity was, and immediately shot for her. “Rarity! LOOK OUT!”
Trixie stirred beside Rarity. Applejack rammed into Rarity and dragged her away. “We should run,” whispered Twilight.
As we bolted away, I realized that Spring had glanced back at us before disappearing into her town.
Chapter Eight: A Lost Love (SHORT)
A/N: Please don't stop reading this because of this chapter, I swear, it gets a lot better later. I promise. :3
~Pinkie Pie's POV~
We slept in the hollow boulder that night. When I was sure the others were asleep, I crept out. It was hard not to wake Fluttershy, who was a very light sleeper, but I managed.
I hurried up the hill where I had seen the moon rising earlier that day. The moon now was directly above me, and the moonlight washed my pink mane silver. I wondered if it would be like this forever…
I looked up at the stars and moon shining daintily above my ears. A single cloud hung in the air, but it was off to one side of the sparkling things.
“I miss you, Discord,” I whispered, thinking of his laugh and crooked smile. I felt tears well in my eyes.
As I thought about my lost love that I could tell no one about, I barely noticed as the smell of chocolate milk filled the air.
When I shook my head to clear the fuzziness hanging in my brain, I finally smelled it. My eyes widened.
“Discord?” I called, starting to tremble with excitement. “DISCORD?” Suddenly, I burst into song:
Whee! He’s back!
Whee! My love is back!
Whee! My life is baaaaack~
And now I’m happy as can be!
Woo! Discord will be back!
Woo! Chocolate rain will be back!
Woo! My happiness is baaaaack~
And now I’m frivolous as can be!
When he was not here,
I felt very queer!
But now… he’s back!
And I need to saaaaaaaaaaaaaaay~
Let’s go meet him!
Yay!
As I finished the heart-filled song, my love appeared in front of me. “Discord!” I cried, flying toward him on hooves full of joy.
Discord chuckled. “Oh, Pinkie Pie.” He hugged me gently. “I missed you.”
I laughed. “I did too!”
Chapter Nine: A Hard-To-Believe Story
When I woke up, the first thing I thought was Where’s Pinkie? I hurriedly scrambled to my hooves and let out a yell.
Discord—yes, Discord-- was peering through the “door” (more like a big scoop taken out of the boulder). I instinctively flapped my wings, and, streaking toward him, kicked him hard on the face.
Twilight awoke when she heard his screech of pain. “OH MY CELESTIA!” she screamed as she saw him. Fluttershy whimpered and ducked behind Rarity, who was now on her hooves.
Applejack crouched in a defensive position. “Y’all are not welcome ‘ere,” she growled.
Pinkie then bounced around Discord and into the hollow rock. “Hi!” she said, beaming. “Discord’s back!”
“We can see that,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “W-why is he here?” Fluttershy stammered.
“I come in peace.” Discord sat without invitation. “I wanted to tell you why I was behaving that way.” He gestured for us to sit down.
“When I was young, I was best friends with who you call Princesses Celestia and Luna. We spent every second with each other, but then I felt jealous. They always got all the attention!
“So, I decided to run away. To teach everyone that I wasn’t just padding after the princesses to be more popular or some stupid reason like that. I flew away, and soon I stumbled upon a small village of ponies. They brought me to be interrogated by their queen, for they didn’t know whom to trust. I am a Draconequus, so they were especially nervous toward me.”
He hesitated, glancing at Pinkie. “Go on, my love…” Pinkie chirped.
“My… MY LOVE?!” I sputtered. “Pinkie, you love this… this monster?”
Pinkie frowned at me. “Just listen to his story, Dashie!”
Discord took a deep breath and carried on.
“So, the queen, whose name was Solar Eclipse, finally decided to use me to her advantage. She cast a spell on me—so that I would be evil and under her control for a thousand years.”
“So, with our combined powers, we fought with the sisters. We came very close, too, and then… the Elements came into play.”
“You see, they banished Solar Eclipse to a faraway star, hoping that she would never be able to return—and, as you know, they froze me in a statue. But it seems Solar Eclipse has returned to this planet, to find an able body to control.
“That was always her special thing—hypnotizing ponies so that they turned evil.”
“Seems like you picked up a few tricks from her,” I muttered quietly.
Discord chose to ignore me.
“Anyway, when I broke free a year ago, I was still under her power. She controlled me from space, made me evil again, and then you stepped in.”
In the moment before you six defeated me, I felt free. That was when the power broke. And I managed to break free again, and find you, to warn you.”
Discord paused.
“Solar Eclipse has returned. She has enslaved all ponies in Equestria.”
Twilight gasped. “Shining Armor?”
Somehow, Discord knew about her brother. “Yes, my dear Twilight Sparkle, I’m sorry to say that everypony—except you six—are now controlled by her.”
“What about you?” Rarity posed the question all of us were thinking.
“Only ponies are affected by this particular spell. The already-mean are affected first.”
Discord sighed, and absently grabbed Pinkie and squeezed her hoof.
Fluttershy gasped. “T-that means…” she looked at Twilight. “Trixie?”
Twilight nodded.
“Discord, fine, we trust you. But any sudden moves…” she let the sentence trail threateningly in the air for a moment.
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Chapter Ten: A Serious Discussion & MEANWHILE
~Applejack's POV~
Twilight ushered Discord out, and put up a sound-blocking spell in our little cave. When her horn’s light faded, she spun and glared at Pinkie.
“Pinkie Pie! How dare you betray us!” Rarity spat at Pinkie.
I was surprised and shocked that Rarity was the first to attack Pinkie. She normally understood love, but not when you were in love with a Draconequus who had turned us against each other, ruled Equestria in a state of chaos, and then returned, asking for forgiveness.
Rainbow, definitely the most aggressive of us, couldn’t stand the sight of Pinkie grinning daftly. She screamed and tackled Pinkie, fast as lightning.
“I can’t believe you would do that!” she yelled, her magenta eyes angry slits. “How dare you!”
I leapt forward and grabbed her tail in my mouth. Now was not the time for physical violence.
“Rainbow!” I yelled through her hair. “Ah’m mad, too, but this is not the time to attack our friends!” I glared at her. Pinkie whimpered, and then I turned my glare to her.
Twilight’s cold, hard stare was terrifying. Her purple eyes, normally so civil and calm, were now seething with suppressed rage.
Even Fluttershy looked different—but she looked scared, not mad. Hey eyes were a little angry, yes, but mostly she just looked terrified.
Rainbow was still flailing at Pinkie, trying to free herself from my firm grasp. “Lemme at her!” she spat. In reply, I pulled her back harder.
In short, all of us felt some type of personal betrayal. We all hated Pinkie at that moment, and wanted her to disappear.
After a minute of so of stiff words, cold stares, and whining from Rainbow that she wanted to kill Pinkie, Twilight sighed.
“Guys? I get the feeling that Discord isn’t being entirely truthful.”
Pinkie bristled. “Of course he is!”
Rarity sniffed. “Pinkie Pie, he’s a master of cunning and deception. I don’t trust him.”
“I’ll never forgive him!” sneered Rainbow. “After how he tore us apart?”
There was silence for a minute. We all remembered the fear and pain we had felt when his hypnotic voice took up over and changed our personality. The real us was in there, crying out for help, but Discord’s evil voice had taken us all over.
If not for Twilight, Discord would still be running Equestria in a state of chaos. If not for Celestia, Twilight wouldn’t have come back to us. Everything is connected that way , I realized.
“Guys, he’s gonna help us!” piped up Pinkie. “He’s not evil or a meanie-beanie pants anymore.”
“Ah still don’t trust ‘im.” I finally let go of Rainbow, who immediately lunged forward. Rarity shoved Pinkie out of the way, and Rainbow crashed into the wall of solid rock. She wobbled over to Fluttershy, dazed, and collapsed. “I guess I’ll stop now,” she croaked, and passed out.
“Oh Celestia.” Twilight rushed over to her and began using magic. Rainbow’s hallowed, short breathing grew stronger and softer, and she smiled slightly in her slumber.
“Pinkie. Seriously though, I don’t trust him. I want to leave him…” Twilight said as she sat down in front of Rainbow.
“No! We have to trust him. He thinks he knows where we can find Solar Eclipse.”
I gave a start. I had forgotten about the villain who Discord had talked about.
“Oh… that is worrisome.” Rarity, who was stroking the trembling Fluttershy, spoke up. “But should we trust him?”
We all turned to Twilight, who was the leader in these situations. She frowned. “I… think we should.”
Pinkie brightened. “See? We should!” Pinkie giggled joyously.
I sighed faintly. “Twi… if you’re sure, then we should.”
“Fine…” Rarity looked disgusted by Pinkie’s behavior, but looked only merely reluctant at Twilight’s words.
Fluttershy said nothing. I knew she would follow us, though.
Rainbow came awake, yawning. “What did I miss?”
The memories came back to her after a second, though. She leapt to her hooves and shook her striped mane out, glaring at Pinkie.
“Rainbow, darling, we decided to trust Discord for now.” Rarity stepped in front of Rainbow.
Rainbow stared at us in disbelief. “What the hay? You have got to be kidding me…”
But I knew that she would follow us when we set out. Being the Element of Loyalty, she would follow us to the end.
Twilight reluctantly brought down the muffling spell. She waved Discord inside. He smiled crookedly. “So, have you ladies come to a decision?”
“Yes… we will follow you.” Twilight growled, still untrusting.
“Excellent. Let me get prepared, and I will meet you back here in an hour.”
And Discord walked away.
Meanwhile…
Discord laughed evilly as soon as he was out of earshot. Those silly ponies. They could believe anything. He knew he hadn’t gained their full trust yet, but that didn’t matter.
He hurried behind a thick tree and began the spell.
He whispered ominously. “Come to me, my sister in chaos…”
A spark appeared in front of him, illuminating the trees and causing them to cast deep shadows over them. It spiraled and multiplied, until there was a screen in front of him.
Two yellow eyes surfaced on the screen. “Oh, Discord. Any luck tricking them?
Discord smiled. “Yes. A lot. And the Element of Laughter thinks I love her.”
There was a terrible, wicked laugh. “Excellent. I hope you will bring them to the place in a few hours.”
Discord dipped his head. “Of course, mistress…”
Chapter Eleven: Battling For The Future
~Rarity's POV~
I tucked my hooves underneath me and sighed. “Twilight, do we have to? I have a bad feeling about this…”
Rainbow Dash was glaring at the ground. “I can’t believe this… I’m so not going!” But we all knew those were empty words—she would come.
Fluttershy had gotten over her panic, but was still nervous. “Are… are you sure about this?”
Twilight said her next words mournfully. “We have to be…”
Discord popped his head back in. “I’m readdddy~” he sang. “You?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” I sighed, and trotted after him. Sure enough, the rest of my friends followed me, including Rainbow. Pinkie hummed cheerily as she bounced along.
We followed him for about half an hour in the moonlight. I glanced at it. It hadn’t moved since we had reached Spring’s home…
Then I stopped. It wasn’t the moon, it was a black disc with a fiery outline. I gasped. “Oh my. It’s not nighttime… it's an eclipse!”
We all stared up at the sky. It was beautiful in an eerie, terrifying way.
Twilight sighed. “We have to go on. With any luck, we can stop this…”
And we continued on, unaware of the danger we were in.
We reached a small clearing in the woods. I thought I heard rustling, but it was just Fluttershy stepping in a pile of leaves.
Discord sat calmly in a tree. “She always comes here for thinking…”
Twilight spun. “You… you know her schedule?”
Discord smiled, evil lighting his eyes. “You honestly thought I’d go without revenge? Ever turn good? My name is Discord, for the love of Eclipse…”
That took a second to settle in. Then there was chaos in the clearing.
Pinkie broke down and wept. She cried so hard that even Discord looked concerned. And then Rainbow screamed. It was a terrifying, long screech that pierced your ears and made your head ache.
Our beloved, brave pegasus friend bolted at Discord and punched him so hard he staggered backward, despite his bigger size.
I heard rustling in the bushes, and dropped to a defensive crouch. Twilight stiffened and cast a shield spell around us just as a bunch of Canterlot guard leapt through the air at us. Their eye colors were strange, however, so I knew they were corrupted.
Rainbow was still flailing her hooves at Discord, trying to fight him. A bulky, Pegasus guard tackled her to the ground as she raised her hoof for the sixth time.
Rainbow Dash screamed, not with fear, but with rage, and struggled. A unicorn guard came over to them and smiled, his horn beginning to glow.
“No!” I cried, and ran through the shield and shot a beam of blue light at the unicorn. He was blasted out of the way. Anger made my magic stronger. The pegasus guard, startled, let go and Rainbow shook herself before flashing me a smile of thanks and shooting away to fight.
Twilight put the spell around Pinkie, who was still sobbing with grief.
And then three more ponies joined the fight.
Applejack kicked a guard in the face as he neared her, hissing. Fluttershy started flailing, panicked, and hit some guards, wincing each time she heard a grunt of pain. Twilight Sparkle sent bolts of powerful magic at everyone who came close to her or tackled her friends.
But they seemed to recover quickly, and they came at us mercilessly. I saw Rainbow’s aerial, fast strikes slowing down, now barely staggering the enemies that she attacked. My slaps and magical beams were growing tired, and I could see my other friends growing weary as well.
We were driven back against Pinkie’s shield. Rainbow lowered herself to the ground. I felt the heat of Fluttershy’s body on my right and the tickle of Applejack’s ponytail on my left. Twilight managed a weak shield spell, but that was enough to keep them out for a minute or so.
Then, a flash as bright as newfound diamonds dazzled me, and then darkness engulfed the clearing. Discord was beginning to bow as an alicorn with yellow eyes and a mane like fire appeared above us. Fluttershy whimpered, her eyes growing wide, and then the alicorn landed right in front of her. Fluttershy screamed, and then the attempts to break through became stronger.
The mare brought an aura of triumph to the guards, and they began to pound against the magic barrier with renewed zeal.
Rainbow yelled over the loud whacks. “WE CAN’T GIVE UP! FIGHT BACK!”
However, no one else had the strength physically or mentally to fight. Twilight and I exchanged looks of despair. This was the end.
Twilight brought down the spell and tears began to well in her eyes. “We surrender.”
The alicorn smiled coldly, her horn starting to glow red. “Welcome to the new world of Eclipse, girls.”
And we passed out as one.
Chapter Seven: Leadership and Hatred
~Twilight Sparkle's POV~
I wistfully watched as Spring hurried away. “And she seemed like such a sweet girl…” Rarity sighed.
“We need to get away, fast.” Rainbow nodded at the now-stirring Trixie. So we shot away, our hooves pounding on the ground.
We found shelter in a hollow boulder in the middle of the forest where the village was. Rarity’s eyes flashed briefly. She hated boulders, ever since that Tom incident…
“It’ll have to do for now, I suppose,” she muttered as she sat stiffly on the dirt.
The six of us gathered in a circle.
“I have reason to believe,” I began, “that the Elements must be used again.”
Shocked murmurs arose from my friends, except for Fluttershy, who already knew.
“I read all about it in “A History of Equestria”. There is a curse that only the Elements can resist. It is caused by hatred pointed to the Elements by several individuals, and only a powerful alicorn can cast the spell that causes it. It requires great deception ability, as well.”
As I finished my explanation, Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “How are we gonna find the pony doing this? We can’t just search every corner of Equestria.”
“We can start with thinking of specific places to search,” suggested Applejack.
“Ponyville,” I said. “Cloudsdale,” added Rainbow grimly, her eyes flashing. “Canterlot, of course,” reminded Rarity. “Appleloosa,” Applejack sighed.
I hit the ground with one hoof sharply. “We need to get going!” I cried, and with that I started galloping up towards the light. “Woah there nelly!” Applejack grabbed my tail firmly in her mouth.
I stopped running and turned slowly to look into the green eyes of my friend. “What? What’s wrong?” I remarked irritably. “Too soon?”
AJ laughed. “Says the pony who alwa’s wants ta plan ahea’.”
“But now we n-need to stop you,” croaked Fluttershy. “This is a b-bit reckless, right? J-just to go try to save E-Equestria without any thoughts?”
“Yeah. The only pony brave enough to try that would be me!” Rainbow put in, grinning. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Remember, a lady never brags,” she reminded Rainbow.
Now it was Rainbow’s turn to roll her eyes.
Pinkie bounced over. “We love you!” she said, beaming, “and we want you to be happy and safe! The only thing better than being safe and happy is cake!”
I lowered my eyes. “Maybe I did act too soon…”
Applejack let go of my tail. “Atta girl,” she said cheerfully. “Now let’s make dem plans!”