Episode 5: Trial By Harmony

My Little Pony: The Mane 12 Adventures

Season 1, Episode 5: “Trial By Harmony”

Somewhere on the outskirts of Equestria stood a tower, which had stood there for a thousand years. Inside was Opaline Arcana, who was imprisoned after... well, you’ll find out.

The banished alicorn was pacing around in the throne room until she grew tired. “ALLURA!” she shouted. A light blue unicorn with an ice-colored mane stumbled into the throne room. One distinct part about her was her horn. Her horn looked like ice, wasn’t as fragile as ice, though.

“Uh, yes, Opaline?” Allura said.

“What time is it? Because apparently, the sun should be up by now! Today’s the Summer Sun Celebration, is it not?” Opaline said.

Allura checked her phone, before looking back up. “It’s... 12:36! The sun should be up by now, weird.”

“That is strange, nothing's going on today except for... oh!” Opaline grinned. “How exciting! I thought I would’ve remembered, but can’t change the past, can we, Allura?”

“Uh- no! Of course not, Opaline.”

“That was a rhetorical question, Allura. Keep up,” Opaline rolled her eyes. “A thousand years ago, I was banished, cast away! All because of Celestia, Luna, and.. Clover the Clever. They used their little Unity Crystals, but that’s beside the point. Sometime after that, Luna changed! She wasn’t the same, and eventually, she turned into... Nightmare Moon! Quite an improvement, if I say so myself.”

“Nightmare Moon? Isn’t she just an old fillies tale?” Allura asked.

“I was there a thousand years ago, Allura. It’s not just an old fillies tale.” Opaline said. “I admit, I may or may not have encouraged her, but she hardly remembers that. But I know my sister. Celestia has something up her hooves,”

“So... what are we gonna do?” Allura asked. “To stop Nightmare Moon?”

“We won’t be doing anything, I’m sure “Tia” will deal with it, but if not...” Opaline smiled. “Well, I’ll be in Canterlot once more.”

“So... has anyone been inside before? Fluttershy? Hitch?” Twilight asked. It had been five minutes since they entered, and there was no sign of anything, that is, if you could see anything.

Rarity scoffed. “Heavens no! Who in their right mind would dare go in such a place!”

“Uh... you?” Zipp said, which made Rarity blush awkwardly.

“I mean, she’s got a point, Zipp. As sheriff, I’m supposed to protect the ponies, that means close off any area that is most likely dangerous!”

“Ugh, who would make a castle in this place?! It’s so... gross, and there isn’t even any wifi!” Pipp complained. “How long until we get there?”

“Quit yer complainin’ n’ start walkin’! Yer gonna need the energy, cause’ it looks like we’ll be here a while,” Applejack said, which caused Pipp to groan. “Ah’m just sayin’ the truth!”

Another five minutes passed, and the silence was so thick you could see it from a mile away! Rainbow, who was getting bored, spoke up with a sneaky grin. “You wanna know why no one's been here before?”

“Rainbow! Quit it!” Applejack said, but Rainbow ignored her. The group made it at the cliff side where, unknowingly, blue smoke went in the cracks.

“They say that any pony that goes inside...” Rainbow crouched, slowly walking towards Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Izzy, Misty, and Pipp. “... never... goes... OUT!” She lept at them, and the cliff gave out. The pegasi went into the air, but the others slid down rapidly. Hitch was able to stabilize himself before he could get far, thankfully. Rainbow grabbed Pinkie, Pipp grabbed Rarity, Fluttershy grabbed Misty, and Zipp grabbed Izzy.

Luckily, Sunny was able to slow herself down, but she was nearing the edge. Applejack grabbed an exposed root with her teeth, but Twilight kept sliding until she was holding onto the cliff’s edge, about to fall.

“Hold on! Ah’m a comin’!” Applejack carefully let go of the root, slid down to where Twilight was, and grabbed her hoof.

Sunny looked behind her and saw the edge coming. She tried to grab on the root next to her but... she missed. “No!” She ended up in the same position as Twilight, except no pony was around to help her... or that’s what she thought.

“Sunny! I’m coming to help you!” Hitch shouted, but stopped. Blue smoke surrounded Hitch, who tried to escape before realizing something was wrong. “Sunny, something’s wrong, I- I can’t move!”

Of course, you can’t! He heard someone say. He looked around, trying to find where the pony was until the voice spoke again. Don’t try, you’ll only get confused.

“Who are you?” He asked suspiciously.

Me? I’m sure you already know. And before you say something, I’m not you.

He looked at the blue smoke, then at his friend, who looked like she was about to fall. “I don’t care. Just get me out of this thing!”

Now why would I do that? You’re making a bad decision, sheriff!

“Bad... decision?”

Twilight could feel herself slipping. Applejack tried to pull her up, but she couldn’t. She tried desperately for a solution, but she couldn’t. “Twilight, ya need ta let go.”

“What?!” Twilight said in shock. “What do you mean let go?! I’m gonna die!”

“No, ya ain’t! Rainbow n’ Zipp’ll catch ya,” Applejack said.

“You don’t know that!” Twilight argued.

“Now listen here. What ah’m sayin’ ta ya is the honest truth. Let go, n’ you’ll be safe.” Applejack assured.

Twilight’s eyes widened. She didn’t know whether to trust her or listen to her gut. She sighed before she let go of Applejack’s hooves and started screaming until she stopped mid-air. She opened her eyes and saw Rainbow and Zipp holding her. “Rainbow! Zipp!” she looked up at Sunny, who was losing her grip. “You have to catch Sunny!”

With Hitch, the sheriff looked confused. He didn’t know what the voice meant by “bad decision”.

You’re risking your life! Why would you risk it for a pony you haven’t seen in a long time? You’re safe here!

“Why wouldn’t I? Sunny’s my friend, I have to save her!” Hitch said. “Let me go!”

You’re going to cause your death! Trust me, I only want what’s best for you.

“Let. Me. Go!” Hitch growled. The blue smoke around him disappeared, and he ran towards Sunny. “Sunny!” he was about to pull her up, before the same blue smoke pulled Sunny away.

“Hitch!” Sunny screamed. Hitch didn’t know what to except... jump! He lept off the cliff and hugged Sunny as they were falling. “Hitch! What are you doing!?”

“I can’t let you die! I won’t let that! I’ll be there to be your landing!”

“Not at the cost of your life!”

Sunny and Hitch were close, close to the ground. Sunny closed her eyes as small tears escaped her eyes. She thought that her death would be quick and painless, but it thankfully never came. She opened her eyes to see Zipp carrying her. She turned around to see Rainbow carrying Hitch.

“Z-Zipp?” Sunny whimpered. She wrapped herself tightly around Zipp, which the pegasus didn’t mind.

The two pegasus put their friends on the ground before doing so themself. Twilight ran to Sunny and wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Sunny! I was so, so worried!”

“Yeah, me too.” Sunny chuckled. “We should... get going! Don’t have any time to waste, right?”

Twilight looked surprised, but quickly hid it. “I guess...”

“Whoosh! Once Pinkie and Rarity were safe, me and Zipp looped the loop around them, and bam! Caught you in the nick of time, but it’s not done yet! Just after we made sure you were safe, Sunny and Hitch were falling to their dooms! And as a good friend, I knew I had to save them! So wham the bam, boom! Right before you hit the ground, we caught them!” Rainbow excitedly said. “Can you believe it? Three awesome saves in a day!”

“Yes, Rainbow, I do believe it, I was there, y’know!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “And I’m very grateful for that, but we need to-" the sound of a booming roar cut Twilight off. They turned to find a creature with the body of a lion, bat wings and ears, and a scorpion’s tail.

“Uh... what is that?!” Sunny shrieked.

“It’s a manticore! But they don’t attack unless provoked?” Twilight said, “We gotta get past him!”

The manticore charges at the group and leaps at Rarity. Luckily, she was able to dodge and respond with a buck to the face, causing the creature to recoil in shock. “Hi-ya! Take that, you ruffian!”

Angered, the creature made a full-blown roar directed at Rarity, which messed up her hair. “My hair!” She started weeping before she trotted away.

Zipp and Rainbow charged at it full speed in mid-air. They spun around it which accidentally created a tornado. The creature started swiping its paws around until one of them hit Rainbow, causing her to drop out of the air and fall to the ground rapidly. “Rainbow!” Zipp turned to the manticore and charged at him again, but the manticore was quick to react and swiped her away.

Zipp landed on the ground, dirt entering her mouth. “Blegh!”

“Um, guys? There might be another way to-” Fluttershy muttered, but she went unheard and unnoticed. Hitch lept in the air and drop-kicked the manticore, causing it to fall to the ground. Applejack quickly used her lasso to trap the creature, but it easily broke through the rope.

“Darn it!” Applejack muttered. “Pinkie! Do yer thing!”

“Wait! I don’t think that’s a good-”

“On it!” Pinkie happily replied, “Izzy! Formation 109!” Pinkie charged at the monster while Izzy followed close behind. Once she was near enough, she grabbed a party cannon from her mane and lit it up. “SURPRISE ATTACK!” Confetti shot out of the cannon, momentarily stunning the manticore. While it was stunned, Izzy grabbed multiple ribbons and tied them around it.

“Did it work?” Sunny asked. The creature struggled and rustled in the ribbon knot before it roared in defeat. The group happily celebrated, but unknown to them, blue smoke surrounded the manticore before the knots came loose. The smoke quickly dissipated as the manticore started charging at the group.

“Uh, look out!” Pipp shouted as they quickly jumped away, barely dodging it.

“What?! But that’s the tightest knot in Equestria!” Izzy paused. “Well, I think so.”

“Izzy! There’s no time for that!” Sunny scolded. “Let’s go, round 2!”

“I’m getting real tired of this guy,” Rainbow said. The group started preparing to charge, and so did the manticore. Fluttershy, who had no choice, jump into the middle of the two and screamed, “WAAAAIIIT!”

Fluttershy turned and walked to the manticore. Once she was close, the beast took a defending stance and raised its paw up. “This is gonna hurt just a bit.” The group closed their eyes like they were mourning until they heard... laughing?

They opened their eyes and saw the manticore holding Fluttershy in its arms and licking her. “Aw, you’re just a little old baby kitty, aren’t you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”

Twilight looked at the ground and saw a thorn lying down. “How... did you know about this thorn?”

The manticore let Fluttershy down, “I didn’t! Sometimes, we all need to be shown a little kindness.”

The group went forward and left Twilight alone with her thoughts. She smiled before she ran towards the others.

The group continued their way across the forest until a blue blur surrounded them. The group prepared to defend themselves until a black female unicorn with dark blue hair appeared.

“Who are you?!” Sunny suspiciously asked. “And... where did you come from?”

“Name’s Lunar Swirl, and I came from the...” She turned around. “Blue smoke behind us!”

“Okay... Lunar, why are you here?” Hitch asked.

“Oh! That’s simple, to get you ponies... out!” Lunar enthusiastically replied.

“Get us out? I don’t understand?” Rarity said.

“Nightmare Moon said to get you ponies out of the forest! It’s not safe in here, y’know?” Lunar said.

“Look, we’re on a mission to get the Elements of Harmony. We don’t need you to make things harder!” Rainbow said.

She sighed. “Nightmare told me you’d react like this,” her horn lit up. “So, in this scenario, I have to... fight! Alright, get ready for this!” She shot multiple blasts at the group, who luckily dodged.

“We just finished a like, awesome fight! Why can’t we take a break!” Pipp groaned, flying around.

“Wait, this isn’t fair! There’s twelve of you, and one me!” Lunar noticed. A flash of white and light blue filled the Everfree. Once it died out, there were three other copies of Lunar beside the original. “Meet the Lunars!”

“C-Cloning? But that requires a high level of power! A level only alicorns can reach!” Twilight gawked. “Just how powerful are you?!”

“That wasn’t me!” Lunar held her hooves up. “I’m good at magic, but cloning is out of my league!”

“Then who did-” Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by Rainbow Dash groaning.

“Are we gonna fight, or what!?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking ready to brawl.

“Oooh, right!” The four Lunar’s horns lit up, and beams were shot at the group. Since there were four of them now, it was a lot harder to dodge.

After some time, the group started panting. “Okay, this is getting tiring! Can somepony actually do something?!” Sunny said before narrowly avoiding a laser beam. “Please!”

Rainbow dodged more laser beams in the air, she dived towards a Lunar clone, who just teleported away. “Come on!”

Rarity and Izzy teamed up and shot laser beams at a clone, who quickly conjured a shield spell. The clone transformed the shield into multiple ice shards, which were shot at the two. Zipp and Pipp tried to distract another clone while Hitch and Applejack snuck onto them from behind. Applejack threw her lasso at her, but the unicorn clone quickly stopped it mid-air with her magic.

Pinkie and Misty charged at the original, who quickly paused them in time and... rewinded them. “What?! This isn’t fair! I call for my pony rights!” Pinkie argued.

Sunny held a clone down while Twilight shot beams at it, which was dodged every time. After a few seconds, Sunny got bucked off and hit the ground. The clone shot beams at Twilight, who kept teleporting away. Twilight teleported next to Sunny and helped her up before they teleported away.

“Original Lunar?” a clone called. “We’re all powerful unicorns, correct? Why don’t we just end them? Like, with one huge super big blast!”

“I like the way you think, Lunar clone!” The original said. “Clones! To me!”

The clones quickly teleported next to her. “Alright, you know how to do blasts, right? Exactly, so just do that... but bigger!” Each Lunar’s horn started glowing, a white glowing ball forming on the tip.

“Uh, guys? What are we gonna do bout’ that?!” Rainbow asked, slowly backing away.

“There’s nothing we can do!” Pipp screamed. “We barely survived them while they were fighting separately, but together we’re doomed!”

“Twilight! I... Is there anything you can do? You’re Princess Celestia’s student, aren’t you? Use a shield spell! O-Or maybe we can teleport! Anything!” Misty begged.

Twilight racked her mind, trying to find a solution in her head. Until she thought of one, “Izzy, Misty, Rarity! Next to me, now!”

The aforementioned mares stood next to her. “Uh, Twilight? What are we going to do, exactly?” Rarity asked.

“Simple! We counter their attack with the same attack, genius!” Twilight explained. “Fight fire with fire,”

“Most of us don’t know how to create a magical blast, Twilight!” Izzy said.

“Just channel all your magic in the tip of your horn, then, when there’s enough, send it out,” Twilight said. “It should be easy enough,”

“Hm, alright,” Rarity said. She channeled all her magical energy, which came out as a small, glowing ball of light. Izzy. Misty and Twilight did the same, naturally giving the same results.

“Once they shoot, we do too.” Twilight said. A few seconds passed by before a white beam was shot at the group. Luckily, Twilight was quick to counter with her beam, accompanied by Rarity, Izzy, and Misty’s.

Both beams were powerful, but the Lunar’s beam started pushing the other beam back. Twilight pushed more magic into her beam, but it didn’t work. “Ugh! It’s- it’s not working!” Twilight said. She put her hooves in the ground, focusing all her magic into the beam.

The original Lunar grinned as her beam started strengthening. “Aha! Take that, Twilight Sparkle! Looks like you aren’t that skilled in magic as you thought! Ooh, wait till’ I mention this to Mrs. Goldspark! I’m her new favorite now!”

Twilight started panting, she grew tired from holding up the beam, and it seemed like the others were too. “I don’t know what to do- ugh! Lunar Swirl is too good, she’s better than magic than me! Go! Leave! Save yourselves! You can still go and get the elements, I’ll be fine!” She closed her eyes and focused what was left of her magic into the beam, which was growing weak.

“NO!” Sunny said. Twilight turned around and saw Sunny, Rainbow Dash, Zipp, Pipp, Applejack, Hitch, Fluttershy, and Pinkie standing right behind her. “We’re not leaving you!”

“We’re in this together!” Rainbow determinately said.

“You’re not alone,” Fluttershy said.

“N’ we’re not budging!” Applejack added.

“We beat a horrifying manticore, we’ll beat them too!” Zipp said.

“Then we’ll get the elements!” Pipp said.

“Stop Nightmare Moon,” Hitch said.

“And throw one super big par-tay!” Pinkie happily finished.

Suddenly, Twilight felt a warm feeling in her chest, one of happiness. She turned forward and channeled all her magic back into her beam. The others stood beside Twilight as the beam started glowing... rainbow? The beam started pushing Lunar’s beam back, who looked stunned.

She growled. “What?! No! This isn’t fair!” Lunar pushed more magic into her beam, but Twilight’s seemed too powerful. The clones dissipated, and Lunar pushed even more magic into the beam. “No, no, no, no, no!” Her beam faded and the rainbow beam surrounded Lunar, who started screaming and thrashing in her spot.

When Twilight’s beam died out, Applejack quickly took the opportunity to tie her rope around her.

“I’ll get you back, Twilight Sparkle! You’ll pay! You’ll... pay!” Lunar screamed. She tried to use her magic to escape, but her horn looked burnt, she thrashed in her spot before few tears left her eyes. Those tears turned into sobs until she was downright crying on the spot.

“Come on, let’s go!” Rainbow said, who quickly walked away. While the others followed Rainbow, Misty looked behind her before looking back ahead.

“Um, guys? We can’t just leave her there, can we?” Misty asked.

“Why shouldn’t we? She almost killed us!” Zipp retorted. “Besides, we have to get the elements, remember?”

“I don’t know it feels... mean!” Misty ran to the crying unicorn and untied the rope. “There, you’re free to go!”

Lunar’s face showed a mix of shock and surprise, but Zipp’s contained anger and confusion. “Misty! What the heck was that for?!” Zipp furiously said.

“Look, I know she tried to kill us... but just leaving her here is doing the exact same! Who knows what might get her here!” Misty said.

“She does have a point,” Hitch replied.

“I... I don’t know what to say,” Lunar breathed. She tried to stand up, but she quickly collapsed not too long after. “Why? Why did you free me? You have every reason not to, I tried to kill you for Celestia’s sake!”

“You’re right, I had every reason to just leave you there, but I didn’t. My mom always taught me to be kind and helpful, not heartless and apathetic! You may have tried to kill me, but I won’t just let you die alone.” Misty explained. “You should go, just be careful!”

Lunar nodded before her horn gave off a small glow, she took a deep breath as her horn started glowing brighter. “Um, thank you, really. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that I tried to kill you.” She quickly teleported away just after. Misty turned around and ran to her friends, who all looked stunned.

“Misty, that was... an incredibly nice thing to do.” Sunny said. “But we shouldn’t waste anymore time, let’s go.”

As the group walked in the forest, Rarity felt herself stepping on sort of gooey substance. “Ick, mud!” She screamed.

“Calm down, Rarity, It’s not like it’s gonna hurt ya,” Applejack said.

“Of course I know that, but I just got a new pedicure earlier!” Rarity whined. “Well, I can always do it again, I suppose.”

The group stepped into darkness, which allowed Nightmare Moon (in her blue smoke form) to snake past. “Darkness. How enjoyable,” Rarity rolled her eyes.

“The castle could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn’t even see it! Literally!” Twilight said, she bumped into a tree. “Ow!”

Fluttershy shrieked. “Fluttershy, it’s just a tree-” Twilight turned around and screamed. Each tree had different faces, all contorted to make it seem horrifying and real. “What is that!?”

Pipp looked at one of tree trees before stumbling back, bumping into Zipp. “What in the name of Faust is that?!”

“Stay together!” Twilight instructed. She, Sunny, Applejack, Hitch, Fluttershy, Misty, Izzy, Rarity, Pipp, Zipp, and Rainbow stood together in their spot. The trees looked like they were moving, but in reality they stood in place.

Alright, come on, Twilight! How can I... wait, is that laughing? Twilight’s thoughts were cut off by the sound of giggling. The group turned to the source, to find Pinkie making faces at a tree, giggling while she did so.

“Pinkie! Are you insane! Run! Get over here!” Twilight shouted.

Pinkie laughed. “Why would I do that?” Weirdly, music started playing out of nowhere.

“Where is that music coming from?” Zipp murmured to herself.

“When I was a little filly and,
the sun was going do-o-o-own!”

“This is not a good time for a song!” Twilight said.

“The song’s good, let her sing!” Pipp cheered.

“The darkness and the shadows,
they would always make me fro-o-own.”

“Where is that music coming from?!” Zipp questioned. She looked at Pipp, who just shrugged.

“I'd hide under my pillow,
From what I thought I saw.
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way
to deal with fears at all-l-l!”

She appeared next to Rainbow, who rolled her eyes. “Then, what is?”

“She said, "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall,
Learn to face your fears!
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Just laugh to make them disappear."

She paused, positioning herself forward at the tree before continuing. “Ha, ha, ha!”

Surprisingly, the face on the tree dissapeared, which recited some gasps.

“So, giggle at the ghostly!
Guffaw at the grossly!
Crack up at the creepy!
Whoop it up with the weepy!
Chortle at the kooky!
Snortle at the spooky!”

With each line, the group started laughing, which made the face on the tree they were next to dissapear.

“And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna...” She started laughing uncontrollably, and so did her friends.

“Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!”

The music ended, and they all flopped on the ground, each all laughing.

The group - still laughing - progressed on their journey before they stopped. They were at a river. Water soaked the grounds while cries of distress were heard in the air.

“Ooh, how are we gonna get past this?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh,” Rainbow gestured to her wings. “I can just fly us across! Easy as pie,” Rainbow took off, but when she flew over the river she immediately flew back.

“Nevermind,” Rainbow bitterly said. The gusts of winds proved to be too hard to fly in, even for Rainbow. “What even is doing all this?!”

“That,” Izzy said. She pointed to a sea snake. It had long purple scales, orange hair, and it was really, really long. It’s constant thrashing only made the waves come faster and bigger, which soaked everypony.

“Seems like we found our source,” Twilight said. “Sir! Sir! SIR!” She shouted, but the constant crashing of the waves combined with it’s cries blocked her sound. “No use,”

“How’re we gonna get past now?!” Sunny asked.

“Well, the most logical way would be to get it to stop.” Zipp replied. “We would have to build a raft of sorts, but we would have to account for wind and water speed. And we would have to find materials...”

“That’s easy!” Izzy said. “We’re in a forest, didn’t ya know back in the old days. When ponies had to go across sea, all they did was put logs together and made a boat! And we have four pegasus, if they work together they can make some sort of engine! And we could use branches for paddles!”

“Izzy, darling, while you do make a good point... we’re twelve ponies. How on Equus would we make a raft that fits all of us?”

“If you believe, you can achieve!” Izzy responded. “Now, does anyone have any glue? No? Yeah, we’re gonna have to move past that. If we do this in a song, we’ll get this done in fifteen minutes!”

“Izzy, there’s no way we can build a raft in one song.” Twilight said. Though that didn’t stop Izzy from continuing.

“(Ooh-ooh) I got a good feelin'
(Ahh-ahh) In my so-o-oul.
(Ooh-ooh) Let's put our manes together (uh-huh)
(Ahh-ahh) Let's lose contro-o-ol!”

Twilight, Izzy, Misty, and Rarity were levitating logs over to the rest of the group. Sunny, Hitch, Pinkie, and Pipp were taking the measurements of the logs given to them, while Applejack, Fluttershy, Zipp, and Rainbow were aligning the logs in place.

“(Ooh-ooh) Oh, yeah, I got that vision,
(Ahh-ahh) Told you befo-o-ore.
(Ooh-ooh) I'll make somethin' outta nothin'
(Ahh-ahh) So here we go-whoa-whoa!”

Cut to the group trying to extract the sap from their trees, but after a couple of minutes they were able to get enough sap needed.

“Can you see it? Oh, yeah, I can see it.
Just follow my vibe, no, we don't need a blueprint. (uh-huh)
Life is random, sometimes it's chaotic.
But in a bit of time, oh, pony, it'll be lit (whoo!)

Every little thing, yeah, has got a purpose. (Oh, pony, can ya feel me?)
Every little thing, yeah, just needs a pla-a-ace. (Oh, pony, can ya hear me?)
Every little pony has got their own destiny
And I'm gonna live mine with a little creativity! (With a little creativity!)”

The group was now carefully putting the logs with the sap applied together, and after a couple of long minutes... they finished it!

“With a little creativity. (oh, pony)
With creativity,
With a little creativity!”

Izzy, with her friends admired their work. Twilight walked up to Izzy before speaking, “Izzy, you were right! Sure, I had some skepticism at first... but you were correct! We finished this in one song!”

“Told ya!” Izzy laughed. "Come on, let's test the raft I'm ninety percent sure won't break!"

Applejack tied her lasso around the flag Izzy put and connected it to the tree. After she made sure it was secure, they pushed the raft in the water.

Pipp, Zipp, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were at the back at the raft, taking deep breaths. The others were at the front, holding thick sticks. "Rainbow, Zipp, Fluttershy, Pipp start flapping those wings!" Sunny instructed.

The pegasi did as they were told and started flapping their wings as hard as they could. And sure enough, they were moving. "Okay, get ready to paddle! Applejack, untie the rope." Sunny said.

Applejack untied the rope and they started paddling. The raft started moving forward. Slowly, combined with the energy of twelve ponies, they started gaining speed. "It's working! Somehow, but it's working!"

The pegasi started flapping faster and harder, whilst the others were rowing ever faster. "Come on, we're so close!" Sunny said.

"I'm getting wing cramps!" Pipp said. "And it hurts so badly! Why is it so far away!?"

"So... close!" Rainbow grunted, speeding up her flapping. "We can do this!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Stop!" Sunny screamed. And on instinct, Twilight used her magic to abruptly stop the boat, which caused everypony to fall on the hard logs.

"What was that... for..." Misty gulped, looking up at the looming figure above them. "Uh, hello?"

"And who just are you?" The sea serpent asked, narrowing it's eyes. "Are you the one responsible for my uneven mustache?!"

"No! We only just got here, uh, mister." Misty awkwardly replied. "Um, it's really such a tragedy for your mustache."

"That's what this was all about?" Rainbow muttered. Rarity side-eyed her before walking up to the tall purple sea serpent.

"Rainbow, how could you be so insensitive!" Rarity scolded. "Just because it doesn't feel important to you doesn't mean it isn't important to somepony else."

"Why, thank you, little pony." He thanked. "I am Steven Magnet, pleasure to meet you."

"Rarity, pleasure is mine as well." Rarity greeted. "If I may ask, how did your mustache get... ripped off?"

Steven scoffed. "I was just swimming here, minding my own business when suddenly, some tacky blue smoke came and tore half of my mustache!"

"Well, that's very sad and all, but can you let us cross?" Zipp impatiently said. "We've got very important stuff to do."

Rarity glared at Zipp before Steven spoke up, "I'm verry sorry, but I cannot let you pass."

"What?! Why not?!" Rainbow said, flying up to the sea serpents face. "We need to get the Elements! Equestria is on the line!"

"Ah, you see, just after my mustache was so horribly taken from me, I heard a voice in my head! It told me that if I wanted my precious mustache back, I could not let the next group of ponies to pass! So, my final answer is no." Steven explained. "If it were up to me, you would already be on your way, but I can't when I look like this."

"I understand," Rarity said.

"You what?!" Twilight screeched. "I know you don't like getting dirty- dirt in general. But for the sake of Equestria, we need these Elements!"

Rarity winked. "I know, I know. But look at those lovely luminescent scales! That expertly coiffed mane, his fabulous manicure!"

"I know, I know!" Steven sighed.

"What's... happening?" Pipp asked. "Are they bonding?"

"All ruined without that beautiful mustache!" Rarity said.

The serpent started sobbing. "Oh, it's true! I'm hideous! Hideous!"

"I just cannot let a crime in fashion go uncorrected!" Rarity decided. She clamped her teeth around one of his scales, and ripped it off.

"Rarity! What are you..." Twilight was interrupted by the sound of a swipe. She gasped when she realized what the unicorn cut. "...doing. Rarity, your tail!"

The unicorn levitated her tail up and attached in to the torn part of the mustache. "There, good as new! Orange and purple are probably in season..."

"My mustache! It's fixed! Oh, thank you, Miss Rarity!"

"Rarity! Your tail!" Twilight gasped. "It's ruined!"

Rarity laughed it off, "I know, darling, but I'm more than alright to sacrifice my tail in order for the sake of Equestria! Besides, short tails are in season... hopefully. And it'll grow back!"

"So would the mustache!" Rainbow angrily grumbled.

"Since I have my delightful mustache back..." Steven stroked his new mustache. "You can pass!" He pushed the raft just hard enough for them to start sailing towards land. "Good luck! And thank you for the mustache!"

After a few minutes, the group reached land. "Wait here, I'm gonna fly overhead to try and see where we are." Rainbow said, flying high in the air. After a few seconds, she flew back down. "I have good news, and bad news."

"What's the good news?" Sunny asked.

"We're getting close to the castle, like real close." Rainbow explained. "It's not too far, follow me!"

She ran ahead, and the others quickly followed behind. After a minute, Rainbow abruptly stopped, and everone except Twilight did as well. Twilight, on the other hand, stopped just at the edge of the cliff.

"Is the bad news about the divide between us... and the castle?" Twilight gulped.

"Nah, that was just to mess with ya." Rainbow chuckled. She indicated to her wings, which made Twilight sigh in relief. "I see a bridge down there, doesn't look too broken. Let me get that for ya,"

She dives in the mist below and grabbed the broken rope bridge with her teeth. She flew to the castle and tied one end on the wooden stake. Thick mist surrounded her, and a female voice called out to her. "Rainbow.."

She quickly turned around, narrowing her eyes. "Who's there?" She asked apprehensively. "Show yourself!"

"Rainbow..." The voice said again, as if it was taunting her.

"This isn't funny... who is this?!" Rainbow shouted. She groaned before she turned around, planning to finish the job when the voice speaks again.

"We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria," the voice said.

"Uh, who?" Rainbow asked.

"You, of course." another voice said.

"Really?!" Rainbow squeaked before she coughed. "Uh, yeah, of course, me! You wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts bout' that? It'll really help out! I've been trying to get into their group for... since I was a filly!"

"No, Rainbow Dash. We want you to join us," Three pegasi emerged from the shadows, all bearing unique grins. Two of them had purple manes, while the one in the center had a dark blue color. They all wore what looked like a Wonderbolt's costume, except the blue and yellow were replaced by black and purple. They all wore yellow goggles, and yellow streaks that looked like lightning bolts trailed around their body. "The Shadowbolts!"

"The... Shadowbolts? That kinda sounds like a rip off of the Wonderbolts, but I've heard of names like Lightningbolts. Yours is better than that one, though, nothing beats the original!"

The mare simply ignored her before she spoke, "We are the greatest aerial team in the Everfree forest, and soon the greatest in all of Equestria!" She leaned in close to Rainbow. "But first... we need a captain. They have to be the most magnificent, swiftest, bravest flyer in all the land."

"Yep, I think I know who you're talkin' about." Rainbow said.

"We need..." The mare leaned close to her ear before whispering, "...you."

"Knew it! Sign me up, we have a deal!" Rainbow giddily said. "Just let me tie the bridge real quick, you can come with us to get-"

"NO!" The mare shouted, which startled Rainbow. "If you side with them, the deals off."

Back with the others, Applejack yawned. "What's takin' Rainbow so darn long? It can't be too hard, can it now?"

"Yeah... real suspicious..." Twilight remarked. She looked over to peek on Rainbow and saw the three pegasi. "Rainbow! What's happening? Don't listen to them!" She said, raising her voice.

Rainbow turned around, and the mist grew thicker, covering any vision of Twilight or her friends. She sharply turned her head back, "What's your deal?! Why do you not want us to get the elements? Do you want Equestria to have Nightmare Moon as a ruler?!"

Suddenly, something clicked her her brain. "Wait, that's exactly what you want, isn't it? You work for Nightmare Moon, don't you!"

"Aren't you a smart one?" The mare chuckled. "Time for me to reveal myself, the name's Storm Shroud, these two are Gaze and Sprinter."

"I didn't ask for your name," Rainbow spat. "Why don't you want us to get the elements? What's in it for you?"

"We were just like you, we wanted to join the Wonderbolts. But Spitfire, she didn't think we were good enough, she thought we weren't fit to be one of them. Not too long ago, Nightmare Moon promised us that if we were to stop you from achieving your goal, we would be the best flyers in Equestria." Storm Shroud explained. "You can join us in glory, why wait for the Wonderbolts to see your potential... when we already do?"

Rainbow looked conflicted, if what she was saying was true, why shouldn't she take it? She could become famous, she could have everything she's ever dreamed of! She turned around before sighing,

"No." Rainbow simply said.

"No? NO?!" Storm shrieked. "Are you okay? Because who in their right mind would refuse an offer like this?!"

"I'm only loyal to my friends, not to some stranger I met only two minutes ago!" Rainbow said. She tied the rope around the wooden stake, and the mist cleared. "I'd never leave them hanging, not even for my own personal desires."

"You made the wrong choice, Rainbow Dash." She snarled. Storm Shroud turned to her friends before they flew away, leaving a trail of smoke in the air.

"Come on, we're so close!" Sunny said. She and the others went on the bridge, treading carefully. But just as everyone stepped hoof on it, blue smoke swirled around the entrance of the castle. After a few seconds, the smoke took form of an alicorn, one that could only be...

"Nightmare Moon." Twilight said.

"So we meet again, little ponies." Nightmare Moon said. "How did you do it? How did you manage to overcome the cliff? The forest? The serpent? Or my faithful subjects?! Was it fate? Destiny? Or was it just pure luck?" She laughed. "No matter, I should've dealt with you from the start."

Nightmare Moon sent a beam of magic at the bridge, which broke in half. "No... no!" Sunny screamed. Zipp, Pipp, and Fluttershy were quick to go airborne. Rainbow dived after them, but they were falling too fast.

"Wah!" Twilight screamed. Unlike from earlier, she and her friends were falling too fast, so anypony catching them was out of the option. "Come on, come on!" She said to herself.

What to do? What to do?! We're gonna die! Twilight thought. If I don't think of something, we're gonna crash into the ground! Maybe... yes! Levitation! But eight ponies all at once... I have to try!

She focused all her magic into a levitation spell, simple yet complicated at the same time. "Work! Work you darn horn!" Twilight screamed.

Just as they were about to hit the ground, Twilight's horn lit up a bright magenta. She was quick to cast the spell around her friends, who were surrounded by a magenta aura.

After a few seconds, Twilight carefully put herself down then her friends. Not too long after, Rainbow, Zipp, Pipp, and Fluttershy landed.

"Is anypony hurt?" Fluttershy asked.

Sunny shook her head. "Nope, Twilight was able to catch us before we landed... where even are we?"

"I'll tell ya where you are," A voice said. The group turned to see an old unicorn mare behind them. She was gray and had bright yellow hair with gray streaks in them. Her cutie mark was a symbol of a potion with swirls around them. "We're under the ruins of the castle! My name's Sunlight Brew, but call me Granny Brew."

"You don't work for Nightmare Moon, don't you?" Rainbow asked suspiciously.

"Of course not! If I did, I'd have a name based of the moon!" Granny Brew laughed. "I'm just here to get y'all out of the forest and away from the castle."

"No offense, Granny Brew, but we can't leave the Everfree Forest just yet! We need the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare!" Pipp said.

"Elements my flank! You ponies are too young, you can't be riskin' your lives! Celestia'll be back in a thousand years, don't worry bout' it!"

"That's the thing, we might not have another thousand years! Equestria can't survive without the sun, everyone knows that!" Zipp said.

"Our crops will wither, meanin' no food!" Applejack said. "Can ya lead us to the exit?"

Granny Brew thought it over for a second before she spoke, "Follow me," she walked away as the Mane Twelve followed her.

After a few minutes, Granny Brew stopped in front of a cave. Inside it was a tree, except it wasn't a normal tree, it looked like it was made of crystal, and there were eleven spots that looked like it could fit gems.

"What is this place?" Twilight asked.

"It's totes fancy!" Pipp said, taking selfies of her and the tree. "We should come back here sometimes!"

"To answer your question, Twilight Sparkle, this is the Tree of Harmony, the birthplace of the Elements of Harmony."

"How do you know all this?" Twilight asked. "This doesn't seem like information any regular pony would know."

"Ah, but you see, I'm not a regular pony." Granny Brew said. "Back in my days, I was quite the adventurer. I was skilled in magic, my studies, and I was even Princess Celestia's student!"

"Sounds like somepony I know," Sunny chuckled.

"Till' one day, I came across this very tree. Princess Celestia told me all about it, about the elements, about Nightmare Moon, everything!"

"She knew?" Applejack asked. "Then why didn't she stop it?!"

"You see, her connection with the Elements were... fading, the elements needed new bearers." Granny Brew explained. "And yes, while she could've used the elements to banish Nightmare Moon back onto the moon, that connection would break. And without the Elements of Harmony, Equestria would fall to whatever darkness that would come."

"So even if we got the Elements, we would need to find their bearers?" Pinkie asked.

"Correct," Granny Brew said.

"Ugh... that makes it even harder!" Twilight said. "How are we going to find twelve ponies with a strong connection?!"

"It's always the blind ones..." Granny Brew muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Granny Brew said. Her horn lit up, and a tray with multiple herbs and ingredients appeared along with a bowl, water, and utensils. "If you want to get out of this hole, mix these ingredients into a whole. Under the moonlight, the mixture will glow. While done incorrect, a fatal blow."

"Granny Brew, I don't think this is the time for weird rhymes and mixing!" Hitch said. "We need to get out of here, fast!"

"And you will," Granny Brew assured. "If you mix these ingredients correctly, I'll show you the way out. You just need to have confidence in yourself."

"You said something about a... fatal blow? What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing to worry about," Granny Brew said. "Now, get to mixing!"

Twilight levitated one of the herbs up and examined it. "I've never heard of a mixture like this before, this is going to take a while."

Rainbow groaned. "Why are we sticking around? We can just fly out!"

"It would take too long to carry each of them up, so we'd have to find another way. And Granny Brew's the only one who knows it!" Zipp said.

Rainbow groaned. "Hey, wait, a minute..." Pipp said. "Uh, Twilight, can you hand over the herbs please?"

Twilight shrugged before levitating the herbs over to her. "Alright..." Pipp muttered. "The tray, please? I think I know this!"

Twilight hesitated. "Are you sure? With the amount of water, I'd assume we'd only have one try. And no offense, but I think I'd know this better."

"You may be Princess Celestia's student, but I'm the best in chemistry! And I make my own products, believe me, I know how to make things shimmer."

Twilight sighed before she passed the tray over to her. "You're confident?"

"Trust me on this, when you've made enough D.I.Y videos, you get the hang of it." Pipp said. She started putting herbs in the bowl, then some water as she started mixing. She took two herbs and made them into powder, before sprinkling it in. "It's missing something... aha!" She took out a vial of an unknown blue liquid before pouring it in and mixing. After some time she added the rest of the herbs in.

"Ta-da! Introducing... Pipp Petal's Moonlight Shimmer Mixture!" Pipp introduced, holding the bowl in the air. "This should work."

"What was in that blue liquid?" Rarity asked. "It seems to have done the trick. I've never seen anything this glamorous! Well, except for that tree, but this comes in close second."

"That liquid was part of my new hoofpolish, makes anything shimmer." Pipp explained. "Now, let's show this to Granny Brew and get out of this place!"

Pipp handed the bowl to Granny Brew, who nodded. "Well done, you've passed! Though, I must apologize."

"Apologize? For what?" Pipp asked.

"I lied about the "fatal blow" thing, just needed a good rhyme! Also, even if you didn't get it right, I was still going to show you to the exit..." Granny Brew said. "Anyways, go right and there should be stairs! Good luck!" She teleported away, leaving behind the bowl.

"Can't believe she tricked us! And she didn't even bring the bowl!" Sunny said. "Let's just get out of... here?" Wolves made of branches and leaves appeared before them, all with glowing blue eyes.

"What are these?!" Twilight said. "Wolves made of branches?!"

"These here are timberwolves, they stay in the Everfree Forest most o' the time." Applejack clarified. "Ah guess it was only a matter of time till' they found us."

"Is there anyway to stop them?" Sunny asked.

"Timberwolves are practically indestructible!" Zipp said. "There are only two ways, one is if we get them out of the Everfree Forest as the properties in the forest are what's causing them to stay together. Going out would mean they would fall apart, but we can't leave until we have the elements!"

"And the other one?" Pinkie asked.

"We'd have to make a mixture that could neutralize their magic, but we don't have anything like that!"

"Ya think this could work?" Applejack asked, holding up the bowl.

"That's the thing, we don't know if it's the correct substance! And even if it was, one of us would have to be brave enough to risk their lives to even try! That's too dangerous, we'd have to escape." Twilight said. "We need to get out of the Everfree Forest if we're going to live."

"But we're so close! We can't give up now!" Sunny said. More timberwolves came from behind, walking over to them slowly. "I don't think escape is an option now, anyway."

Twilight put a protective shield around them. "I guess our only choice is the bowl," Zipp said.

"So who's gonna do it? I mean, risking their lives?" Misty gulped.

"It'll have to be a pegasus, as they'll be safer in the sky than on ground. I don't think Fluttershy would do it, no offense." Twilight thought.

"None taken." Fluttershy said. "But... that only leaves us with Rainbow, Zipp, and Pipp."

"I can't do it, I haven't even gotten to ten million followers on ClipTrot!" Pipp said.

Zipp sighed. "I'll do it."

"Wait, what?! Zipp, you can't!" Pipp protested. "Why can't Rainbow do it?!"

"She's right, I can do it!" Rainbow said. "You just stay here,"

Zipp shook her head. "No, I'll do this one. I've made up my mind. Equestria needs the sun and Princess Celestia, I have to do."

"Zipp, you can't! We can't lose you, Mom can't lose you, I can't lose you." Pipp begged. "Please, don't do this!"

"If I stay high enough, they won't be able to reach me." Zipp said. "I'll be fine."

"I'm going too, I'm not gonna stand by while you risk your life!" Rainbow said.

"We only have one bowl, so only one of us can do it. We can't risk both of our lives, can we?" Zipp said.

"So what if we only have one bowl?! Two is better than one! You said that if we fly high enough, they won't reach us." Rainbow said. "I'm going with you. I've risked my life before, what's one more time?"

Zipp opened her mouth to speak, but she sighed in defeat. "I'll never get through to you, can I?"

Rainbow nodded. "Fine, let's do it." Zipp said.

"I'm going to lower the shield." Twilight said. "Once it drops, you two get airborne, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow said.

"Okay... get ready in three... two... one!" Twilight dropped the shield. "Now!"

Zipp and Rainbow flew upwards, leaving a trail of rainbows and smoke. Zipp grabbed a handful of the substance before throwing it at a timberwolf. Sure enough, they collapsed into a pile of sticks.

Zipp sighed before she quickly threw more at each timberwolf, each becoming sticks once it landed. "Alright, so it is the correct substance."

"Hey, Zipp!" Rainbow called out. "Over here!" She pointed to a group of timberwolves, each leaping for Rainbow.

"Right." Zipp threw some of the mixture at the group, which caused them to collapse. "Any more?"

"Zipp! Here!" Twilight shouted. Zipp flew to where Twilight was. She dodged a swipe from it before she threw the substance at it. "Are you alright?" She put her hooves on the ground, panting.

Twilight nodded. "Thankfully, but there's still more."

Zipp went airborne again, before throwing the last of the substances at the timberwolves. "That's... all of them!"

Zipp landed back on the ground, and so did Rainbow. "That was shorter than I expected..." Zipp said. "Nevermind, let's go."

The group ran to the location where Granny Brew said the exit was, and when they arrived, they saw stairs. "Alright!" Pipp cheered.

The group returned to the bridge, which to their surprise, was fixed. "What the..." Twilight muttered. "It should be broken!"

"Are ya really gonna ask questions now?" Applejack said.

"Ehehe, right." Twilight said. Once she stepped foot on the bridge, she half expected it to break. But to her surprise, it was just as sturdy. "Someone must've fixed it, it's the only logical answer!"

Twilight's eyes widened at the sight of the castle. Yes, it was broken, dirty, and beyond repair, but seeing it in person was truly a sight to behold. "Amazing..."

"Are these... the elements?" Misty asked, looking at the structure before her. It looked to be an apparatus. It had eleven stone tablets shaped like spheres at the end of radial shafts. They each had carvings that depicted gems on them, and in the center had a carving of a six pointed star. "There's nothing else here."

"I thought they would be more crystal-y." Pinkie remarked.

"They should be..." Twilight said. "Let's just get them off, and we'll go from there."

Zipp, Rainbow, and Pipp helped grab the stones and carefully place them on the floor. Pipp tried to get the one in the center, but it wouldn't budge. "Hey, guys? This one's not moving!"

"No, I think that's just for decoration." Twilight said. "The book said, "When all eleven are present, a spark will cause the twelfth one to be revealed.""

"That... makes no sense." Sunny said. "You have an idea, right?"

"Well, yes, but I have no idea if it'll work!" Twilight said. "But, that doesn't mean I can't try."

She arranged the stones into a circle before she took deep breaths. "Stand back, I don't know what will happen."

"Come on, she needs her space." Hitch said, leading the others outside the castle.

"I'm gonna stay here, just in case she gets hurt." Sunny said to Hitch, who nodded.

Unbeknownst to them, Nightmare Moon slipped inside the castle. Twilight's horn lit up, enveloping the stones with her magic. Just as she puts more magic into it, Nightmare Moon forms a whirlwind, which lifts the stones off the floor.

"Twilight!" Sunny shouted. Twilight opened her eyes, seeing the whirlwind in front of her. "We have to get out of here!"

"No! The elements!" The tornado grows taller, almost reaching the ceiling. She dived into the tornado with Sunny following close behind.

Hitch tried to jump in after them, but the tornado dissipated before he could enter. "Where'd they go?" Pinkie asked.

In another part of the castle, a glowing white ball appears before it explodes in the blast of smoke. A few second later, the smoke cleared, revealing Twilight and Sunny on the ground. Twilight looked up to see Nightmare Moon standing on a crumbling dais, the stones in the grip of her mane and tail.

"I must admit, you two have determination, I'll give you that." Nightmare Moon remarked. "But you'll have to do better than that to try and stop me." She put the stones on the floor.

Twilight lowers her head and paws the ground to work up steam for a charge. "You really think that will work? Really?"

She charges at the alicorn, lightning up her own horn. Nightmare Moon charges at the purple unicorn, but just as the two could collide, Twilight disappears in a flash of light. "What?"

"Go, Twilight!" Sunny cheered. Nightmare Moon turned around to see Twilight with the elements. Her horn blazes, and the stones start glowing.

"NO!" Nightmare Moon shouted. She teleported in between the elements, knocking Twilight back.

Twilight grinned, seeing the magical energy that was connecting the elements until... they died out. Twilight gasped, "No!"

Sunny ran to Twilight, "Twilight, are you okay?"

"Where's the twelfth element?" Twilight asked, who was still in shock.

"You little ponies, you really thought you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess or the sun, forever!" Nightmare Moon stomped her hooves on the ground, which shattered the elements upon impact.

"No!" Twilight shouted. She looked to the floor, completely broken. Sunny noticed this and couldn't help feel sad for her friend.

Sunny took a deep breath before she stood up, looking Nightmare Moon dead in the eyes. "Listen, Nightmare Moon, you may have destroyed our elements, you may have trapped Princess Celestia in the moon, you may be an alicorn. But you know what? None of that matters! You took lots of stuff from us, but the one thing you'll never take... is our hope. We'll find a way to stop you, with or without the elements."

"And how will you manage that?" Nightmare Moon replied. "The elements were your only chance of defeating me, and they're gone, accept it!"

"No! I'll never accept it, there's always an answer. And right now, all we have to do is find it." Sunny said.

Twilight thought about what Sunny said, that was when she heard the voices of her friends. Her eyes widened, a tiny flicker of light in them. "You think you can just destroy the Elements of Harmony? Well, you're wrong! Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony, are right here!" Twilight said, her friends beside her.

The shards of the Elements started glowing, which startled Nightmare Moon. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty!" Orange shards revolved around Applejack, who looked surprised.

"Hitch, who was willing to sacrifice his life in order to save his friend, represents the spirit of Justice!" The same thing happened to Hitch, except the shards were green.

"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness!" Light pink shards revolved around Fluttershy, who was backing away.

"Misty, who showed forgiveness even to a pony who tried to hurt her, represents the spirit of Heart!" Yellow shards surrounded Misty, who yelped in shock.

"Pinkie Pie, who fought fear with the gift of joy, represents the spirit of Laughter!" Pinkie jumped in joy as light blue shards revolved around her.

"Izzy, who made a raft unique just like her, represents the spirit of Creativity!" Izzy laughed as indigo shards revolved around her.

"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!" Dark purple shards surrounded Rarity, who just primped her mane.

"Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the spirit of Loyalty!" Red shards surrounded Rainbow who just kicked the air in excitement.

"Pipp, who created a brew with a determination that can't be stopped, represents the spirit of Confidence!" Aquamarine shards surrounded Pipp, who took selfies of her and the shards.

"Zipp, who risked her life so that we could stop you, represents the spirit of Bravery!" Crimson shards surrounded Zipp, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"And Sunny, who showed me that even when all seems lost, there will always be light, represents the spirit of Hope!" Lavender shards surrounded Sunny, who just smiled.

"The spirits of these ponies, they got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Twilight said.

"No- it didn't work! You still don't have the twelfth element! I've still won! The spark didn't work!" Nightmare Moon said, growing more and more fearful.

"But it did, a different kind of spark." She turned to her friends, "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you- to see you. How much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside of me, when I realized you all..." She turned back to Nightmare Moon. "...were my friends!"

A white flash of light filled the room, and when it was gone, the last element was floating above Twilight's head. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the… the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the twelfth element. The Element of... Magic!"

The stone glowed, as it sent white beams of magic to the others. They started floating, the magic from the Elements surrounding them. The shards start spinning faster until they combined into a gold necklace, each set with a jewel the shape of the bearer's cutie mark. An orange apple, a green badge, a light pink and a yellow butterfly, a light blue balloon, a indigo heart, a dark purple diamond, a red and crimson lightning bolt, an aquamarine music note, and a lavender star.

Twilight, however, received a golden crown with a magenta six pointed star embedded inside it. A rainbow beam emerged from the group, swooping down on Nightmare Moon.

"Noooooo!" Nightmare Moon screamed. A burst of rainbow light traveled across Equestria, making sure everypony saw it.

On the moon, Celestia was wandering the surface when she noticed the rainbow beam heading towards her. She smiled as she allowed the magic to surround her, transporting her back to Equestria.

Twilight's eyes glowed as Nightmare Moon was enveloped in a white light. Just seconds after, the beam dissipated, and the group was lowered down.

"My head!" Rainbow groaned.

"Is everypony okay?" Applejack asked.

"Yep, pretty sure." Zipp said.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Rarity said, looking at her regrown tail. "My tail! I don't know how it grew so fast, but I'm not whining!"

"Oh, my! It's so gorgeous!" Pipp admired.

"I know, I'm never doing something like that again!" Rarity said.

"Not that, but yes it's quite beautiful, I meant our necklaces!" Pipp said. "They so match us!"

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow said.

"Ooh, it's so shiny!" Misty said.

Izzy looked at her necklace, "Are these the Elements of Harmony?"

"It sure looks like it," Applejack said. "Ah though Twilight was jus' spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we do represent the Elements of Harmony!"

"Indeed you do," Princess Celestia said, teleporting inside the castle. They were so intrigued by their new jewels, they failed to notice the princess in front of them, and the sun being in the sky once more.

Princess Celestia walked to the ponies, who bowed in respect. "Twilight, my faithful student, I knew you could do it."

"But... you told me it was an old ponies tale!" Twilight said.

"I told you, that you should make friends, nothing more!" Princess Celestia said. "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart." She turned around, "Now if only another will, aswell."

A small, blue alicorn with a lighter blue mane where Nightmare Moon once was, cowering. Princess Celestia walked up to her, and instead of any punishment... she extended a hoof to her. "Princess Luna, it has been a thousand years since I have seen you. It's time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."

"Sister?!" The group exclaimed. "Well, it does make sense." Sunny said.

"Will you accept my friendship?"

Luna looked hesitant before she ran into her sister, hugging her. "Oh, dearest sister, how I have missed thou so much!"

The ponies smiled, touched at this heartwarming scene before Pinkie had an idea. "You know what this calls for? A par-tay!"

The Mane 12, Celestia, and Luna walk into Maretime Bay to be greeted by a massive party taking place.

"Pinkie... how did you do all this?! We just got here!" Twilight said.

"Nah, I texted some friends." Pinkie giggled.

Two pegasus fillies flew up to Luna and placed a flower necklace around her neck. "Why... this is incredible! Everything looks so... advanced." Luna remarked.

Spike pushes his way through the crowd to give Twilight the biggest hug he could manage. Twilight hugs just as hard in return.

After a while, Twilight looks to her friends, each giving her a warm smile. She couldn't help but feel sad that she was leaving them so soon, especially after the adventure they shared.

"Why so glum, my faithful student?" Princess Celestia asked, walking over to Twilight. "Are you not happy that your mission is done, and you can return to Canterlot?"

"I've finally learned how great it is to have ponies to rely on, to have fun with, only to leave them." Twilight sighed.

"I hoped you would say that. Spike, that a note, please." Princess Celestia said, giving Spike a quill pen and a scroll. "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must study the magic of friendship, and report to me what's she's learned in her new home: Maretime Bay."

The look of sadness on Twilight's face quickly disappeared, now showing a bright smile. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study twice as hard! I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't Twilight," Celestia said. "Now, why don't we enjoy a bit of the festivities?"

Twilight looked over to her friends, who smiled warmly, then to Princess Luna, who looked fascinated at phones. "What are these strange devices?"

"Of course," Twilight said, looking at Princess Celestia.

Epilogue.

Allura ran inside the throne room, slamming open the doors. "Allura! I told you not to slam open those doors anymore! You know how hard they are to fix!"

"Sorry, Opaline, but you've got to see this!" Allura said, showing Opaline a photo of the Mane 12, Celestia, and Luna.

Opaline groaned. "Ugh! Celestia beat Luna?! And Luna's good again!? This makes things even harder!"

"Actually... Princess Celestia was on the moon the whole time! It was these ponies who fought Nightmare Moon," She swiped to the next picture, a picture of the Mane 12. "They're the new Elements of Harmony!"

"So Celestia really got other ponies to do her work?" Opaline scoffed. "Just shows how I'd be a better ruler, I never rely on other ponies!"

Allura nodded. "The best!"

"This... complicates things, but they're new to this. They'll mess up eventually, and all we're going to do... is watch." Opaline said, spreading her wings. "Opaline Arcana will be back, Equestria."

Author's Note

We're finally done with Episodes 1 - 5! Ten thousand words and made the deadline I didn't rush this. This would've come out earlier, except I forgot about Pipp! Her trial was supposed to be after Rarity's but when I remembered, I was already preparing for Zipp's ! Well, it still came out good... probably.

Opaline encounter spotted! She won't be the main villain for this season, she'll be on the sidelines for now. Season 1 will be about happy, fun adventures! Because Season 2 is when things get tougher.

If there are ANY errors, please comment it so I can improve! Any constructive criticism is very helpful to me! Next up, a revamped episode of... The Ticket Master!