The Elements of...by The Falling CardsChaptersPlease Explain...KindnessThe Task AheadPlease Explain...Celestia looked across the six mares, before turning her gaze to Applejack. "Can you explain Honesty to me?" The farmer pony rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, being truthful I guess, but normally I like some good old hard labor; honest earth pony work." "Rarity? Explain Generosity." "Giving something to benefit another." The fashionista shook her mane out of her eyes. "Whether that is a dress, money, or, like something I gave Sweetie recently, a beautiful wardrobe fit for a musician." "Rainbow?" "Loyalty, huh? Always being beside somepony and never leaving them hanging. Like I told Twilight that first night." The fastest flyer of the four winged ponies glanced at said unicorn, who smiled back. Before Celestia could ask Pinkie, the cupcake connoisseur hopped up onto her cannon, her friends shaking their heads since it hadn't been there before, and smiled. "Laughter's happiness! Simple as that!" The animal caretaker muttered out, "Kindness is being nice to every thing you see, whether it's a little flower or a baby bunny or a bear." Celestia smiled slightly before turning to her student. "Twilight?" The mage glanced around at her friends before starting to explain the different branches and kinds of magic, however Celestia stopped her quickly. "That's quite enough. I hate to be the one to explain it to you, but none of you seem to fully grasp what Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, or even true Magic." The mares all were stunned. They spend three years representing something they didn't know? "That is why I called you all here." Fluttershy glanced around the group before, surprisingly, speaking up. "That isn't all, is it?" She kooked away from everypony before mumbling, "Y-you wouldn't just call us here to t-tell us that." Rarity nodded. "If you had simply wanted to tell us about our elements, you would most likely have included that in the letter, would you not?" Celestia nodded. "That's correct." Celestia smiled. "This however needs to be told by somepony with first hand experience though." The train slowed to a stop and the mares looked out the window. All they saw was pitch black darkness before a voice boomed. "Welcome Bearers of Harmony!" The alicorn of night appeared outside the train and the ponies were lead out by Celestia. "We have been expecting you." "Back to the Royal We, Sister?" Celestia walked close and wrapped a wing around the smaller mare. "We... feel more comfortable speaking about such a harsh time that way." The starlit maned alicorn looked between the 6 mortal ponies and took a deep breath. Her horn glowed not with it's usual midnight hue but with a total absence of color as the room around them burst into light. The room was not unlike the grand hall the mares were used to seeing, but what stood out was how... old and run down it was. It was as though the hall hadn't been touched in ages. "Is this... How are we in the old castle!?" Twilight darted around, staring out the windows in shock. "W-we were in Canterlot, and now we're in the Everfree Forest!? This is impossible, even with teleportation magic! I would've noticed if Celestia teleported us all!" Pinkie patted Twilight's head and said, "Maybe the reason we were in the castle and then Celestia came in was to accompany her?" She tilted her head. Her friends all stared at Pinkie, not used to her being the voice of logic. Or reason for that matter. Celestia and Luna looked at the pink pony before laughing a little. "Well she isn't wrong." "Yet she is not fully correct." Luna glanced around, shuddering a little before saying, "We must inform you of... Corruption." Twilight paused, "Corruption... That sounds familiar." Applejack was the one to say, "Isn't that sorta like what Discord did to us?" Her and her friends all shuddered at the memory and moved closer to one another, some of them putting a leg around another.. "Yes, and that is precisely why we need to speak with you mares." "You see, long ago before Discord, and Nightmare Moon, and even King Sombra, there existed a being of pure shadows and darkness." The two crossed horns, creating an illusion of writhing and sinister shadows so real, the mares all yelled in shock and tried to defend themselves. "Fear not, for this is simply a memory." "The being was simply known as Corruption. She traveled through my sister's night and crept into the minds of pony, planting seeds of Envy, of Wrath, and of Hatred." The shadow creature, Corruption, wrapped some tendrils around a stallion, the black of his eyes turning to slits as glared harshly at two ponies flirting on the other side of the room. "Corruption, like Discord, loved to watch her work and to play with mortals, however her idea of playing..." A flash of darkness, and the couple were on the ground, the stallion overhead with a knife in his hooves. The girls screamed and shielded their eyes. Fluttershy started crying and moved from the others, rushing over and trying to tend to the two ponies wounds. Her hooves simply went through the two illusionary equines and her tears fell faster. "Unlike with Sombra, Discord, and Nightmare Moon, We could not defeat her. Instead, we became another of her pawns." An image of Luna raising the moon, looking out sorrowfully over the countryside before Corruption grasped her and her eyes turned cold and dark like her night. The Alicorns both looked away from the sight as the battle between the two long ago replayed in front of them. "Corruption was much more wicked than Discord. Where he tainted for his own amusement, Corruption simply tainted to cause strife." The mares all looked away as their own fight with the Draconequs played out in front. Applejack covered her face once her memory had fallen for Discord's twisted 'truth' that she simply allowed to happen. Pinkie didn't even laugh as her own memory was taunted by the balloons with her friend's faces. Rarity glared as the memory tore through rock just for another rock, allowing an idea to taint her, Fluttershy just covered her eyes as Discord touched her head, warping the memory. Rainbow cringed at the feeling of two things she held close were threatened, old wounds opening anew. Twilight let a single tear fall as her friends memories left her behind. "Corruption chose six ponies to aid her." Six silhouettes appeared in the illusion. "Dispelled of all morality, and chosen throughout time." That last part startled everypony, The image of the silhouettes appeared in various situations, some involving Nightmare moon, others involving different creatures across Equestria and with various levels of technology, some of it even not existing at that moment. Nopony could tell what race each of the ponies were, or even if the pony was a stallion or a mare. "Time Travel!? But even the spell from Starswirl the Bearded-" "Corruption is not one to follow the laws of Magic." Luna sighed.. "But that is also why your task is needed." Everypony blinked and six lights appeared in front of the mares. "Corruption's taint may be strong, but the light inside you mares are stronger." "Your friendship, and your own magic, might be able to fix the ponies Corruption uses for her deeds." Celestia said, floating the Element necklaces and diadem onto their owners. "But... How in Equestria would that do anything?" Rarity said, adjusting her necklace. "If that dastardly creature can simply use time magic to, for example, keep us from doing whatever it is you wish. She could possibly act an hour sooner for example." "That's where your magic comes in. All six of you have some magic of your own." Applejack was the only one hard-pressed to believe that. "And with your own magic, you will be able to keep the ponies from ever being tainted by Corruption again, which will in turn weaken her for when we, all of us..." Celestia looked across the ponies. "Will go to Corruptions origin and defeat her there." "Now wait just an apple-bucking minute." Pinkie giggled at that for some reason but the apple bucker ignored it. "Maybe Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have magic if you consider their pegasus weather making things magic." She recalled Fluttershy making a small raincloud once for a duck bath, even though the eldest of their group doing that was rare. "And Pinkie being Pinkie probably counts, but I sure as hay don't have any fancy magic of my own." Pinkie giggled in disbelief and moved to her forelegs, bucking at thin air. "Applebucking." "That ain't magic-" Pinkie stared at her. "Are you suuuuuure?" the earth pony put a hoof into her face, "Because I've definitely tried applebucking myself before, but I couldn't get any more than a single apple out of the tree, but you and Big Mac can knock whole trees, and even Applebloom can buck out half the tree in one kick even if she's still a little filly and it isn't her cutie mark talent!" "I said that ain't magic." Applejack insisted. "It's just the family way of getting the apples. We've been doing it since the first Apple family Apple." Celestia and Luna looked between each other. "That is not exactly what we meant." "What my sister and I meant by magic, was things residing in your element that you will be able to harness in time, once you know the full extent of them. And not simply your element, but things you've been able to do since you were children, but never fully grasped the abilities of." Pinkie raised a hoof. "Do I get healing powers, or the ability to make things happen with suspension of disbelief just so long as somepony doesn't actually tell me it's impossible?" "No." The two alicorns said flatly. "Okay then." Pinkie started humming and looked at the orb in front of her. The others just shook their heads at their friend being herself. The two Alicorns ignored Pinkie's antic and took deep breaths. "There is one issue though. As you know, there are six ponies." Fluttershy was the first one to grasp what that meant, backing away and looking at the two. "Y-you mean we have to find them alone?" "Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Rainbow looked at her friends. "You mean we can't do this together this time?" Celestia shook her head. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but even though time doesn't mean anything to Corruption, it is of the essence. The time you six take protecting Corruptions seconds in command will come to pass now, and we only have a short time before Corruption tries to take hold." "Hold of who?" The Alicorn of day looked down sorrowfully, and the Alicorn of night just looked away. "Y-you Celestia?" The princess nodded. "But--" "Twilight, I apologize but you and your friends must go guard her soon to be former seconds from her original corruption." Celestia cast a small spell and the lights in front of the mares turned into doorways, all with a symbol of their element. "Corruption can only sow her seeds when the pony already has darkness in their heart. Not only must you find her seconds, but you must keep that darkness from taking hold. While you do that, learn your element and try to learn your own magic." All of the doors opened and the Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy shared a brief group hug. Luna looked across the mares and said, "Good luck Mares of Harmony. We wish you the best with your endeavors." The mares walked into the doorways, their elements shining as they were whisked away through time and space. KindnessThe light from the door faded and Fluttershy looked around the little village she had been brought too. She was pleasently surprised at how similar the town was to Ponyville. A soft snow was the only thing that made her believe she wasn't simply back in home, since it was midsummer. Looking around, there weren't many ponies outside walking, but she did see a young grey pegasus filly with a yellow mane blowing bubbles. She squeaked a little, staring at the small foal as the foal's eyes drifted to follow different bubbles, "D-Ditzy Doo!? But... D-does that mean I'm really in the past? Oh... I hope I don't mess this up..." She kept looking at the filly, and smiled as the filly popped a bubble, a small shine on her side revealing bubbles for a cutie mark. "Wah!" Fluttershy fell to the ground as somepony bumped into her and the second pony started stammering. "O-Oh, sorry ma'am!" The voice was soft and masculine, and as Fluttershy stood the colt looked her over for any injuries. Fluttershy tried not to back away from the colt's hooves checking her head. Nothing screamed at her bad about the colt, no matter how many times it happened at home. "Y-you're not hurt. Good. I'm sorry again for that. Miss..." The colt stepped back himself and tilted his head. "F-fluttershy." the mare mumbled. The colt leaned closer and motioned for her to repeat with a hoof. "I-I'm... Fluttershy." She said, a little louder and the colt pulled back with a small smirk. "Fitting name for you, little Pegasi. My name's Cards. What are you doing here in our little village?" Cards adjusted the hat on his head and laughed. Fluttershy looked down and hoofed at the ground. "How am I supposed to tell him that I'm here to save somepony. Oh... I wish Princess Celestia told me more." "I..." "Wait, don't tell me." The other pony smiled and slipped a forest green hoof into a saddle bag, He pulled out a small deck of cards with a rather elaborate backing. Fluttershy couldn't make out the backing as the pony shuffled the deck and pulled out the top card. "Oh, the Thirteenth card.." Fluttershy tilted her head. "Is that... Equestrian Tarot?" She looked at the card. She had seen a few of these in her time as a model, the fad having been tremendously popular with the mares at that time. Fluttershy had enough readings from one very novice reader, but this pony seemed better. His shuffling and the cards were both impeccable. Cards had slipped the tarot card back into the deck before the blue eyed pegasus could see the design on the face. "Yep." Cards slipped the deck back into his pack and frowned, looking her over. "You seem a bit lost, ma'am. Why don't you come with me and I'll get you something warm." "Oh i-it's fine, sir." Fluttershy shook her head and stepped back. "I don't mind. I couldn't possibly let a stranger take care of me." The purple maned colt pushed his pageboy cap a little higher on his head with a laugh. "Well who am I to let a lovely lady such as yourself stay out in the cold? It'd be cruel." Fluttershy frowned and Cards caught the look on her face . "I live just a house away. If you'd like we can walk right by that filly over there, very conspicuously, if you're worried about me doing anything bad." Cards walked beside Fluttershy, a little ahead and she caught a glimpse of the colt's cutie mark. The same exact design that was on his deck of Tarot cards. "Oh... Um, Mister Cards?" "Please, just Cards, Miss Fluttershy." The colt smiled as he pushed open the door. Fluttershy felt the same safe feeling as before and took a deep breath, trying to avoid the shaking in her hooves that being beside a stranger gave her. The small cottage smelt of cinnamon, surprisingly, and the colt pulled a small pie out of the oven. "I didn't expect visitors, so forgive me if it's a little dusty. The house I mean, not the" His smile was warmer than the fireplace beside the door and Fluttershy softly shut it behind her. "Oh, its not a problem at all, Cards. Please, call me Fluttershy." She swallowed a little, trying to ignore the instinct to just run and hide in her cottage. The colt smiled warmly at her. "That's a lovely necklace there, Fluttershy." Cards cut a slice of the pie and pushed it to her. "It matches your Cutie Mark." "Oh, thank you. My friends and I all have one." Fluttershy frowned and looked down. Cards coughed a little, shuffling on his hooves as the room became awkwardly silent. "You're far from your friends aren't you?" Cards leaned on the table and Fluttershy nodded, taking a small bite of the pie. His tone was softer than hers could ever get. The pie was soft, and had a sweet filling of apple... Flutershy pushed the pie away and nodded her head. "Y-yes." She seemed to close in on herself as she added, "I don't know when I'll see them again." Cards brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. "I can be your friend until then." Fluttershy smiled back, and then she frozed, Cards had moved to the same side of the table as her, but she backed away. "I-I'm sorry, but..." Cards rubbed the back of his neck. "That's another mare misunderstanding me." He sighed, and pushed the pie over to her. "Eat. I'll explain." Fluttershy stood and moved to the other side of the table, grabbing the plate with her mouth as Cards spoke. "I'm a nice guy, but mares always think I'm trying to date, or worse." Fluttershy squeaked and stumbled forward, dropping her pie onto her hoof and scalding it. "Horseapples. S-sorry," Some bandages flew to her leg and some burn ointment flew from the restroom. "Drat I didn't think that through..." "C-cards..." She turned to the pageboy wearing pony, staring at the hat perched on his head as he just kept muttering "Of course being up and open about somepony's misconceptions would shock you." Cards continued. "Especially somepony who's so timid as you. "Cards." Fluttershy said a little louder as the burn medicine was put on her foreleg with a small green glow, matching the boy's coat and eyes. "And of course I had to do it right after I had already made you uncomfortable. Bah, I have a total hoof in mouth syndrome." The bandages wrapped themselves around the burn and the glow snipped off a little. "C-cards?" Cards jerked up. "Oh, sorry. I was having a bit of a-" He stared at the bandages floating in an aura of magic. The aura faded quickly and Cards grabbed a slice of pie. "Lovely pie though wasn't it. I ordered the apples from Ms. Smith over by Sweet Apple Acres and these are definately delicious. enough even without me making the pie. I could never-" Fluttershy walked over and reached a hoof to his hat, but the stallion jerked away. "Don't be afraid." She said, thinking he seemed more like a frightened rabbit than a pony at that moment. "It's okay." She added softly. Her necklace shined a little, reflected in Card's eyes, and he lets Fluttershy take his hat off. Fluttershy dropped the hat as her jaw hit the floor. Under his hat, was a horn. One inch long, cracked, shattered, and definately not the way it should've been. Fluttershy backed away, all of her tension with the colt gone. He was just somepony who needed help. "What happened to you?" The Task AheadOnce upon a time, in the mythical land of Equestria, there were a group of six ponies. These six had defeated the tainted sister of their princess, a wicked spirit of disharmony, and a unicorn who specialized in black magic. But now, these six are tasked with something that will test their might and magic. And of course, test the bonds between the Mares. My Faithful Student, I apologize for the short notice, but you and your friends must come to Canterlot at once. Yours sincerely, Princess Celestia Six mares sat in one of the more regal cars of the train, all doing various things while the train clattered down the tracks to Canterlot. Fluttershy and Rarity were talking quietly about one of the latter's designs as she sketched it out, the pencil floating across the paper and adding the finishing touches. Twilight was looking over the very small scroll that the letter was written on, trying to find something else on it. Applejack was resting on one of the seats with her hat over her eyes, thinking about much work Mac and Applebloom needed to do to take over her share of the applebucking. Pinkie Pie was watching Rainbow zip back and forth across the car and the speedy pegasus landed beside with a grumble. "What is it this time?" The sky colored pegasus stretched her wings out, yearning for the feeling of wind between her feathers. She grabbed the letter from Twilight's magic and looked it over again. "She didn't even give us any hints to what she wants." Applejack pushed up her stetson and looked crossly at the pegasus. "What do you mean by that, Rainbow?" Rainbow just hovered in the air, crossing her hooves across her chest. "You know what I mean, Applejack. The Princess only ever calls us to Canterlot when there's something bad going on. First Discord--" Twilight quickly teleported between the two, a bit annoyed their usual bickering but smiled slightly, "You forget, Rainbow, Princess Celestia gave us the tickets to the Gala-" "Okay, so I forgot that, but it still counts. That night was terrible! I didn't even get to spend any time with the Wonderbolts!" Pinkie giggled at the look on Rainbow's face, Rarity glanced over and added a flourish to the dress design she was working on for the mare with the multicolored mane. "Come on Dashie, you still haven't gotten over that teenage "Idol Worship" phase?" "You're one to talk Pinkie. You've never gotten past the foalhood "Crazy antics" phase." Rainbow smirks a little as the Earth Pony bounced onto her hooves, a party cannon appearing out of nowhere as she started cleaning it. Fluttershy scooted over a little, away from the cannon and looked at Rarity's design. "Please, Dashie. We may only be three years older than when we all got together as friends, but I'm much more mature than I was then." Pinkie countered, pulling out her bubble pipe and winking to the audience. "The writer just wants to explain some out of character-ness as being older, and don't expect me to break the fourth wall every chapter." Don't break the flow! "Sorry!" The traitor, I mean party pony, prodded the pink permed pegasus, who jumped quietly. Twilight made the cannon disappear with a simple spell as she listened to Rainbow and Applejack's banter. Pinkie's face turned concerned, her smile fading as she asked, "You alright, Fluttershy? You're quieter than normal, and that's saying something." Fluttershy shook her head and accented that with a shake of her wings. "N-no. I'm fine. I just..." She looks out of the train and towards Canterlot high above. When she didn't continue, Rarity placed her sketchbook and pencil down softly and gently turned Fluttershy's head towards her, "Fluttershy, if you're afraid or upset about something, you can tell us." She smiled softly and Fluttershy chuckled at the memory. "Okay. It's just I have a bad feeling. Nothing too bad though, but just..." She looked back up at Canterlot and closed her eyes and wings. "Something's going to happen and it's not very nice." "Told you Twilight." Rainbow smirked down at the unicorn, beating her wings and nearly blowing the farmpony's hat off. "Watch it!" "No offense, Fluttershy, but I'd believe it more if it was Pinkie who said that." Twilight turned to the possibly precognitive pony, who was focused on something. After a good minute, Pinkie shrugged. "Nope. No Pinkie Sense. Not even a twitchy tail." She moved over to Fluttershy and put a foreleg around her. "But don't worry, I believe you." Pinkie hugged Fluttershy and the timid mare smiled. "Thank you Pinkie." "Not a problem. Besides, If there's something bad coming, that means the something good before or after it will be twice as great!" Pinkie smiled. "After all, life is a pendulum!" She jumped onto a hanging light and swung back and forth. "It goes good. Then bad. Then good. Then bad." Pinkie continued like that while all of the others laughed at her antics. Pinkie landed on her two hindlegs with a "Ta-da!" and giggled herself. Applejack stood up, getting a kink out of her back. "Is it just me or are we taking longer than usual to get to Canterlot?" Rarity looked at the silver watch on her foreleg and nodded. "Yes, it's quite unusual, Applejack." Rarity looked out the window herself and did a double take. "Are we IN Canterlot Castle!?" She screamed, all of the mares crowding around the window. The train was passing by a multitude of tapestries, a sun and moon motif on each and every single one of them. Rarity swooned dramatically, a flash of her horn creating a couch underneath her to catch herself. Pinkie yelled in joy, buckling a seat belt on her seat and grinning with her forelegs overhead. "WOOHOO! Awesome! It's like a roller coaster. Do a barrel roll! Loop-de-loops!" Fluttershy shuddered from under the table. "P-please don't!" she squeaked. Twilight's eyes bugged out as she paced, pulling book after book out of her bag. "This doesn't make any sense! Trains can't run unless there's a track for them to go along, and I've been in the castle enough times to know that there is definitely no tracks in..." She looked out again and started pacing, trying to rationalize the how of the situation. Applejack whistled loudly, snapping the others out of their fear. "Girls! Calm down. We ain't going to do anything if we just run around like a couple of foals. Princess Celestia has to have a reason for us to be in the castle instead of just waiting for us to head on in on our hooves.." "Precisely Applejack." All of the girls leaped to the ceiling, Fluttershy hiding behind all of the other girls as Celestia appeared in a flash of solar energy. "P-Princess Celestia!" The mares all bowed slightly as she folded her wings. "I am truly sorry for not allowing your train to stop, but my news is urgent." Everypony could easily see her wings drooped a little and her body betrayed weariness. Fluttershy squeaked out, "I-I wouldn't have m-minded if you visited Ponyville." She shook her head. "But you probably are way too busy to take time out just for us." Noticing Celestia's tired face, the pegasus thought, "This isn't the time for me to be thinking of me. The princess looks so... sick?" "Nonsense, Fluttershy." Celestia smiled down at the mare, but her eyes didn't have the same softness. "If this was a personal visit I would have done so, but this is of the utmost importance." Rainbow softly placed a hoof on her face and grumbled, "The first time I didn't want to be right." "Hush." Rarity snipped before turning back to Celestia. The princess looked at the six ponies and rested her eyes upon Fluttershy. "You feel it too, don't you?" Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind Rainbow along with her own pink mane with a nod. "S-something's wrong. I d-don't really know how I know, but..." she trailed off, Twilight looked between the two, stammering. "How! Even Pinkie couldn't sense anything and Pinkie's Pinkie Sense senses even-" Pinkie let out a yelp as her entire body twisted around multiple times, and then bouncing. Everypony stared at Pinkie, and then their eyes turned to the mare hiding behind her own mane. "I see..." Celestia sighed and looked at the timid pegasi. "You are the second one to have that happen..." Fluttershy tried to make herself smaller as Rarity and Applejack moved in front of her. "What do you mean, 'second one' Princess?" Celestia took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as her eyes opened with the glow of the sun shining in them. "What do you six know about your Elements of Harmony?"
Please Explain...Celestia looked across the six mares, before turning her gaze to Applejack. "Can you explain Honesty to me?" The farmer pony rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, being truthful I guess, but normally I like some good old hard labor; honest earth pony work." "Rarity? Explain Generosity." "Giving something to benefit another." The fashionista shook her mane out of her eyes. "Whether that is a dress, money, or, like something I gave Sweetie recently, a beautiful wardrobe fit for a musician." "Rainbow?" "Loyalty, huh? Always being beside somepony and never leaving them hanging. Like I told Twilight that first night." The fastest flyer of the four winged ponies glanced at said unicorn, who smiled back. Before Celestia could ask Pinkie, the cupcake connoisseur hopped up onto her cannon, her friends shaking their heads since it hadn't been there before, and smiled. "Laughter's happiness! Simple as that!" The animal caretaker muttered out, "Kindness is being nice to every thing you see, whether it's a little flower or a baby bunny or a bear." Celestia smiled slightly before turning to her student. "Twilight?" The mage glanced around at her friends before starting to explain the different branches and kinds of magic, however Celestia stopped her quickly. "That's quite enough. I hate to be the one to explain it to you, but none of you seem to fully grasp what Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, or even true Magic." The mares all were stunned. They spend three years representing something they didn't know? "That is why I called you all here." Fluttershy glanced around the group before, surprisingly, speaking up. "That isn't all, is it?" She kooked away from everypony before mumbling, "Y-you wouldn't just call us here to t-tell us that." Rarity nodded. "If you had simply wanted to tell us about our elements, you would most likely have included that in the letter, would you not?" Celestia nodded. "That's correct." Celestia smiled. "This however needs to be told by somepony with first hand experience though." The train slowed to a stop and the mares looked out the window. All they saw was pitch black darkness before a voice boomed. "Welcome Bearers of Harmony!" The alicorn of night appeared outside the train and the ponies were lead out by Celestia. "We have been expecting you." "Back to the Royal We, Sister?" Celestia walked close and wrapped a wing around the smaller mare. "We... feel more comfortable speaking about such a harsh time that way." The starlit maned alicorn looked between the 6 mortal ponies and took a deep breath. Her horn glowed not with it's usual midnight hue but with a total absence of color as the room around them burst into light. The room was not unlike the grand hall the mares were used to seeing, but what stood out was how... old and run down it was. It was as though the hall hadn't been touched in ages. "Is this... How are we in the old castle!?" Twilight darted around, staring out the windows in shock. "W-we were in Canterlot, and now we're in the Everfree Forest!? This is impossible, even with teleportation magic! I would've noticed if Celestia teleported us all!" Pinkie patted Twilight's head and said, "Maybe the reason we were in the castle and then Celestia came in was to accompany her?" She tilted her head. Her friends all stared at Pinkie, not used to her being the voice of logic. Or reason for that matter. Celestia and Luna looked at the pink pony before laughing a little. "Well she isn't wrong." "Yet she is not fully correct." Luna glanced around, shuddering a little before saying, "We must inform you of... Corruption." Twilight paused, "Corruption... That sounds familiar." Applejack was the one to say, "Isn't that sorta like what Discord did to us?" Her and her friends all shuddered at the memory and moved closer to one another, some of them putting a leg around another.. "Yes, and that is precisely why we need to speak with you mares." "You see, long ago before Discord, and Nightmare Moon, and even King Sombra, there existed a being of pure shadows and darkness." The two crossed horns, creating an illusion of writhing and sinister shadows so real, the mares all yelled in shock and tried to defend themselves. "Fear not, for this is simply a memory." "The being was simply known as Corruption. She traveled through my sister's night and crept into the minds of pony, planting seeds of Envy, of Wrath, and of Hatred." The shadow creature, Corruption, wrapped some tendrils around a stallion, the black of his eyes turning to slits as glared harshly at two ponies flirting on the other side of the room. "Corruption, like Discord, loved to watch her work and to play with mortals, however her idea of playing..." A flash of darkness, and the couple were on the ground, the stallion overhead with a knife in his hooves. The girls screamed and shielded their eyes. Fluttershy started crying and moved from the others, rushing over and trying to tend to the two ponies wounds. Her hooves simply went through the two illusionary equines and her tears fell faster. "Unlike with Sombra, Discord, and Nightmare Moon, We could not defeat her. Instead, we became another of her pawns." An image of Luna raising the moon, looking out sorrowfully over the countryside before Corruption grasped her and her eyes turned cold and dark like her night. The Alicorns both looked away from the sight as the battle between the two long ago replayed in front of them. "Corruption was much more wicked than Discord. Where he tainted for his own amusement, Corruption simply tainted to cause strife." The mares all looked away as their own fight with the Draconequs played out in front. Applejack covered her face once her memory had fallen for Discord's twisted 'truth' that she simply allowed to happen. Pinkie didn't even laugh as her own memory was taunted by the balloons with her friend's faces. Rarity glared as the memory tore through rock just for another rock, allowing an idea to taint her, Fluttershy just covered her eyes as Discord touched her head, warping the memory. Rainbow cringed at the feeling of two things she held close were threatened, old wounds opening anew. Twilight let a single tear fall as her friends memories left her behind. "Corruption chose six ponies to aid her." Six silhouettes appeared in the illusion. "Dispelled of all morality, and chosen throughout time." That last part startled everypony, The image of the silhouettes appeared in various situations, some involving Nightmare moon, others involving different creatures across Equestria and with various levels of technology, some of it even not existing at that moment. Nopony could tell what race each of the ponies were, or even if the pony was a stallion or a mare. "Time Travel!? But even the spell from Starswirl the Bearded-" "Corruption is not one to follow the laws of Magic." Luna sighed.. "But that is also why your task is needed." Everypony blinked and six lights appeared in front of the mares. "Corruption's taint may be strong, but the light inside you mares are stronger." "Your friendship, and your own magic, might be able to fix the ponies Corruption uses for her deeds." Celestia said, floating the Element necklaces and diadem onto their owners. "But... How in Equestria would that do anything?" Rarity said, adjusting her necklace. "If that dastardly creature can simply use time magic to, for example, keep us from doing whatever it is you wish. She could possibly act an hour sooner for example." "That's where your magic comes in. All six of you have some magic of your own." Applejack was the only one hard-pressed to believe that. "And with your own magic, you will be able to keep the ponies from ever being tainted by Corruption again, which will in turn weaken her for when we, all of us..." Celestia looked across the ponies. "Will go to Corruptions origin and defeat her there." "Now wait just an apple-bucking minute." Pinkie giggled at that for some reason but the apple bucker ignored it. "Maybe Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have magic if you consider their pegasus weather making things magic." She recalled Fluttershy making a small raincloud once for a duck bath, even though the eldest of their group doing that was rare. "And Pinkie being Pinkie probably counts, but I sure as hay don't have any fancy magic of my own." Pinkie giggled in disbelief and moved to her forelegs, bucking at thin air. "Applebucking." "That ain't magic-" Pinkie stared at her. "Are you suuuuuure?" the earth pony put a hoof into her face, "Because I've definitely tried applebucking myself before, but I couldn't get any more than a single apple out of the tree, but you and Big Mac can knock whole trees, and even Applebloom can buck out half the tree in one kick even if she's still a little filly and it isn't her cutie mark talent!" "I said that ain't magic." Applejack insisted. "It's just the family way of getting the apples. We've been doing it since the first Apple family Apple." Celestia and Luna looked between each other. "That is not exactly what we meant." "What my sister and I meant by magic, was things residing in your element that you will be able to harness in time, once you know the full extent of them. And not simply your element, but things you've been able to do since you were children, but never fully grasped the abilities of." Pinkie raised a hoof. "Do I get healing powers, or the ability to make things happen with suspension of disbelief just so long as somepony doesn't actually tell me it's impossible?" "No." The two alicorns said flatly. "Okay then." Pinkie started humming and looked at the orb in front of her. The others just shook their heads at their friend being herself. The two Alicorns ignored Pinkie's antic and took deep breaths. "There is one issue though. As you know, there are six ponies." Fluttershy was the first one to grasp what that meant, backing away and looking at the two. "Y-you mean we have to find them alone?" "Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Rainbow looked at her friends. "You mean we can't do this together this time?" Celestia shook her head. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but even though time doesn't mean anything to Corruption, it is of the essence. The time you six take protecting Corruptions seconds in command will come to pass now, and we only have a short time before Corruption tries to take hold." "Hold of who?" The Alicorn of day looked down sorrowfully, and the Alicorn of night just looked away. "Y-you Celestia?" The princess nodded. "But--" "Twilight, I apologize but you and your friends must go guard her soon to be former seconds from her original corruption." Celestia cast a small spell and the lights in front of the mares turned into doorways, all with a symbol of their element. "Corruption can only sow her seeds when the pony already has darkness in their heart. Not only must you find her seconds, but you must keep that darkness from taking hold. While you do that, learn your element and try to learn your own magic." All of the doors opened and the Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy shared a brief group hug. Luna looked across the mares and said, "Good luck Mares of Harmony. We wish you the best with your endeavors." The mares walked into the doorways, their elements shining as they were whisked away through time and space.
KindnessThe light from the door faded and Fluttershy looked around the little village she had been brought too. She was pleasently surprised at how similar the town was to Ponyville. A soft snow was the only thing that made her believe she wasn't simply back in home, since it was midsummer. Looking around, there weren't many ponies outside walking, but she did see a young grey pegasus filly with a yellow mane blowing bubbles. She squeaked a little, staring at the small foal as the foal's eyes drifted to follow different bubbles, "D-Ditzy Doo!? But... D-does that mean I'm really in the past? Oh... I hope I don't mess this up..." She kept looking at the filly, and smiled as the filly popped a bubble, a small shine on her side revealing bubbles for a cutie mark. "Wah!" Fluttershy fell to the ground as somepony bumped into her and the second pony started stammering. "O-Oh, sorry ma'am!" The voice was soft and masculine, and as Fluttershy stood the colt looked her over for any injuries. Fluttershy tried not to back away from the colt's hooves checking her head. Nothing screamed at her bad about the colt, no matter how many times it happened at home. "Y-you're not hurt. Good. I'm sorry again for that. Miss..." The colt stepped back himself and tilted his head. "F-fluttershy." the mare mumbled. The colt leaned closer and motioned for her to repeat with a hoof. "I-I'm... Fluttershy." She said, a little louder and the colt pulled back with a small smirk. "Fitting name for you, little Pegasi. My name's Cards. What are you doing here in our little village?" Cards adjusted the hat on his head and laughed. Fluttershy looked down and hoofed at the ground. "How am I supposed to tell him that I'm here to save somepony. Oh... I wish Princess Celestia told me more." "I..." "Wait, don't tell me." The other pony smiled and slipped a forest green hoof into a saddle bag, He pulled out a small deck of cards with a rather elaborate backing. Fluttershy couldn't make out the backing as the pony shuffled the deck and pulled out the top card. "Oh, the Thirteenth card.." Fluttershy tilted her head. "Is that... Equestrian Tarot?" She looked at the card. She had seen a few of these in her time as a model, the fad having been tremendously popular with the mares at that time. Fluttershy had enough readings from one very novice reader, but this pony seemed better. His shuffling and the cards were both impeccable. Cards had slipped the tarot card back into the deck before the blue eyed pegasus could see the design on the face. "Yep." Cards slipped the deck back into his pack and frowned, looking her over. "You seem a bit lost, ma'am. Why don't you come with me and I'll get you something warm." "Oh i-it's fine, sir." Fluttershy shook her head and stepped back. "I don't mind. I couldn't possibly let a stranger take care of me." The purple maned colt pushed his pageboy cap a little higher on his head with a laugh. "Well who am I to let a lovely lady such as yourself stay out in the cold? It'd be cruel." Fluttershy frowned and Cards caught the look on her face . "I live just a house away. If you'd like we can walk right by that filly over there, very conspicuously, if you're worried about me doing anything bad." Cards walked beside Fluttershy, a little ahead and she caught a glimpse of the colt's cutie mark. The same exact design that was on his deck of Tarot cards. "Oh... Um, Mister Cards?" "Please, just Cards, Miss Fluttershy." The colt smiled as he pushed open the door. Fluttershy felt the same safe feeling as before and took a deep breath, trying to avoid the shaking in her hooves that being beside a stranger gave her. The small cottage smelt of cinnamon, surprisingly, and the colt pulled a small pie out of the oven. "I didn't expect visitors, so forgive me if it's a little dusty. The house I mean, not the" His smile was warmer than the fireplace beside the door and Fluttershy softly shut it behind her. "Oh, its not a problem at all, Cards. Please, call me Fluttershy." She swallowed a little, trying to ignore the instinct to just run and hide in her cottage. The colt smiled warmly at her. "That's a lovely necklace there, Fluttershy." Cards cut a slice of the pie and pushed it to her. "It matches your Cutie Mark." "Oh, thank you. My friends and I all have one." Fluttershy frowned and looked down. Cards coughed a little, shuffling on his hooves as the room became awkwardly silent. "You're far from your friends aren't you?" Cards leaned on the table and Fluttershy nodded, taking a small bite of the pie. His tone was softer than hers could ever get. The pie was soft, and had a sweet filling of apple... Flutershy pushed the pie away and nodded her head. "Y-yes." She seemed to close in on herself as she added, "I don't know when I'll see them again." Cards brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. "I can be your friend until then." Fluttershy smiled back, and then she frozed, Cards had moved to the same side of the table as her, but she backed away. "I-I'm sorry, but..." Cards rubbed the back of his neck. "That's another mare misunderstanding me." He sighed, and pushed the pie over to her. "Eat. I'll explain." Fluttershy stood and moved to the other side of the table, grabbing the plate with her mouth as Cards spoke. "I'm a nice guy, but mares always think I'm trying to date, or worse." Fluttershy squeaked and stumbled forward, dropping her pie onto her hoof and scalding it. "Horseapples. S-sorry," Some bandages flew to her leg and some burn ointment flew from the restroom. "Drat I didn't think that through..." "C-cards..." She turned to the pageboy wearing pony, staring at the hat perched on his head as he just kept muttering "Of course being up and open about somepony's misconceptions would shock you." Cards continued. "Especially somepony who's so timid as you. "Cards." Fluttershy said a little louder as the burn medicine was put on her foreleg with a small green glow, matching the boy's coat and eyes. "And of course I had to do it right after I had already made you uncomfortable. Bah, I have a total hoof in mouth syndrome." The bandages wrapped themselves around the burn and the glow snipped off a little. "C-cards?" Cards jerked up. "Oh, sorry. I was having a bit of a-" He stared at the bandages floating in an aura of magic. The aura faded quickly and Cards grabbed a slice of pie. "Lovely pie though wasn't it. I ordered the apples from Ms. Smith over by Sweet Apple Acres and these are definately delicious. enough even without me making the pie. I could never-" Fluttershy walked over and reached a hoof to his hat, but the stallion jerked away. "Don't be afraid." She said, thinking he seemed more like a frightened rabbit than a pony at that moment. "It's okay." She added softly. Her necklace shined a little, reflected in Card's eyes, and he lets Fluttershy take his hat off. Fluttershy dropped the hat as her jaw hit the floor. Under his hat, was a horn. One inch long, cracked, shattered, and definately not the way it should've been. Fluttershy backed away, all of her tension with the colt gone. He was just somepony who needed help. "What happened to you?"
The Task AheadOnce upon a time, in the mythical land of Equestria, there were a group of six ponies. These six had defeated the tainted sister of their princess, a wicked spirit of disharmony, and a unicorn who specialized in black magic. But now, these six are tasked with something that will test their might and magic. And of course, test the bonds between the Mares. My Faithful Student, I apologize for the short notice, but you and your friends must come to Canterlot at once. Yours sincerely, Princess Celestia Six mares sat in one of the more regal cars of the train, all doing various things while the train clattered down the tracks to Canterlot. Fluttershy and Rarity were talking quietly about one of the latter's designs as she sketched it out, the pencil floating across the paper and adding the finishing touches. Twilight was looking over the very small scroll that the letter was written on, trying to find something else on it. Applejack was resting on one of the seats with her hat over her eyes, thinking about much work Mac and Applebloom needed to do to take over her share of the applebucking. Pinkie Pie was watching Rainbow zip back and forth across the car and the speedy pegasus landed beside with a grumble. "What is it this time?" The sky colored pegasus stretched her wings out, yearning for the feeling of wind between her feathers. She grabbed the letter from Twilight's magic and looked it over again. "She didn't even give us any hints to what she wants." Applejack pushed up her stetson and looked crossly at the pegasus. "What do you mean by that, Rainbow?" Rainbow just hovered in the air, crossing her hooves across her chest. "You know what I mean, Applejack. The Princess only ever calls us to Canterlot when there's something bad going on. First Discord--" Twilight quickly teleported between the two, a bit annoyed their usual bickering but smiled slightly, "You forget, Rainbow, Princess Celestia gave us the tickets to the Gala-" "Okay, so I forgot that, but it still counts. That night was terrible! I didn't even get to spend any time with the Wonderbolts!" Pinkie giggled at the look on Rainbow's face, Rarity glanced over and added a flourish to the dress design she was working on for the mare with the multicolored mane. "Come on Dashie, you still haven't gotten over that teenage "Idol Worship" phase?" "You're one to talk Pinkie. You've never gotten past the foalhood "Crazy antics" phase." Rainbow smirks a little as the Earth Pony bounced onto her hooves, a party cannon appearing out of nowhere as she started cleaning it. Fluttershy scooted over a little, away from the cannon and looked at Rarity's design. "Please, Dashie. We may only be three years older than when we all got together as friends, but I'm much more mature than I was then." Pinkie countered, pulling out her bubble pipe and winking to the audience. "The writer just wants to explain some out of character-ness as being older, and don't expect me to break the fourth wall every chapter." Don't break the flow! "Sorry!" The traitor, I mean party pony, prodded the pink permed pegasus, who jumped quietly. Twilight made the cannon disappear with a simple spell as she listened to Rainbow and Applejack's banter. Pinkie's face turned concerned, her smile fading as she asked, "You alright, Fluttershy? You're quieter than normal, and that's saying something." Fluttershy shook her head and accented that with a shake of her wings. "N-no. I'm fine. I just..." She looks out of the train and towards Canterlot high above. When she didn't continue, Rarity placed her sketchbook and pencil down softly and gently turned Fluttershy's head towards her, "Fluttershy, if you're afraid or upset about something, you can tell us." She smiled softly and Fluttershy chuckled at the memory. "Okay. It's just I have a bad feeling. Nothing too bad though, but just..." She looked back up at Canterlot and closed her eyes and wings. "Something's going to happen and it's not very nice." "Told you Twilight." Rainbow smirked down at the unicorn, beating her wings and nearly blowing the farmpony's hat off. "Watch it!" "No offense, Fluttershy, but I'd believe it more if it was Pinkie who said that." Twilight turned to the possibly precognitive pony, who was focused on something. After a good minute, Pinkie shrugged. "Nope. No Pinkie Sense. Not even a twitchy tail." She moved over to Fluttershy and put a foreleg around her. "But don't worry, I believe you." Pinkie hugged Fluttershy and the timid mare smiled. "Thank you Pinkie." "Not a problem. Besides, If there's something bad coming, that means the something good before or after it will be twice as great!" Pinkie smiled. "After all, life is a pendulum!" She jumped onto a hanging light and swung back and forth. "It goes good. Then bad. Then good. Then bad." Pinkie continued like that while all of the others laughed at her antics. Pinkie landed on her two hindlegs with a "Ta-da!" and giggled herself. Applejack stood up, getting a kink out of her back. "Is it just me or are we taking longer than usual to get to Canterlot?" Rarity looked at the silver watch on her foreleg and nodded. "Yes, it's quite unusual, Applejack." Rarity looked out the window herself and did a double take. "Are we IN Canterlot Castle!?" She screamed, all of the mares crowding around the window. The train was passing by a multitude of tapestries, a sun and moon motif on each and every single one of them. Rarity swooned dramatically, a flash of her horn creating a couch underneath her to catch herself. Pinkie yelled in joy, buckling a seat belt on her seat and grinning with her forelegs overhead. "WOOHOO! Awesome! It's like a roller coaster. Do a barrel roll! Loop-de-loops!" Fluttershy shuddered from under the table. "P-please don't!" she squeaked. Twilight's eyes bugged out as she paced, pulling book after book out of her bag. "This doesn't make any sense! Trains can't run unless there's a track for them to go along, and I've been in the castle enough times to know that there is definitely no tracks in..." She looked out again and started pacing, trying to rationalize the how of the situation. Applejack whistled loudly, snapping the others out of their fear. "Girls! Calm down. We ain't going to do anything if we just run around like a couple of foals. Princess Celestia has to have a reason for us to be in the castle instead of just waiting for us to head on in on our hooves.." "Precisely Applejack." All of the girls leaped to the ceiling, Fluttershy hiding behind all of the other girls as Celestia appeared in a flash of solar energy. "P-Princess Celestia!" The mares all bowed slightly as she folded her wings. "I am truly sorry for not allowing your train to stop, but my news is urgent." Everypony could easily see her wings drooped a little and her body betrayed weariness. Fluttershy squeaked out, "I-I wouldn't have m-minded if you visited Ponyville." She shook her head. "But you probably are way too busy to take time out just for us." Noticing Celestia's tired face, the pegasus thought, "This isn't the time for me to be thinking of me. The princess looks so... sick?" "Nonsense, Fluttershy." Celestia smiled down at the mare, but her eyes didn't have the same softness. "If this was a personal visit I would have done so, but this is of the utmost importance." Rainbow softly placed a hoof on her face and grumbled, "The first time I didn't want to be right." "Hush." Rarity snipped before turning back to Celestia. The princess looked at the six ponies and rested her eyes upon Fluttershy. "You feel it too, don't you?" Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind Rainbow along with her own pink mane with a nod. "S-something's wrong. I d-don't really know how I know, but..." she trailed off, Twilight looked between the two, stammering. "How! Even Pinkie couldn't sense anything and Pinkie's Pinkie Sense senses even-" Pinkie let out a yelp as her entire body twisted around multiple times, and then bouncing. Everypony stared at Pinkie, and then their eyes turned to the mare hiding behind her own mane. "I see..." Celestia sighed and looked at the timid pegasi. "You are the second one to have that happen..." Fluttershy tried to make herself smaller as Rarity and Applejack moved in front of her. "What do you mean, 'second one' Princess?" Celestia took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as her eyes opened with the glow of the sun shining in them. "What do you six know about your Elements of Harmony?"
