The Elements of...

Once 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?"