The Hidden Student

Twilight was the last remaining pony out of the six that started. Each and every other pony she had as a friend, completely turned to stone- only leaving pitch black ponies that were clearly cruel in Twilights eyes.

In the castle alone, Twilight had to check the infirmary and, sure enough, she saw the frozen spike and Mystic, kept in stone. “It even affects dragons…” Twilight said quietly, shaking her head. This had gone on for long enough! But, what could she do alone?

“I have to try…” she ran up out of the infirmary and made her way to the throne room. Just outside the throne room stood a long hallway and she froze midstep. Dark ponies…hundreds of dark ponies right in the hallway, all with their blank slate eyes looking right over at Twilight.

None of them spoke a word though as they amazingly stepped aside to clear a path for her right to the throne. “W-what…?” Twilight said, amazed what was going on. She was expected to have to defend herself from all of these dark ponies of all sorts! Instead, they were just letting her by?

She took advantage of their ‘hospitality’ and continued to go to the throne, passing by rows and rows of dark ponies. She looked up in the air to see a dark version of Rainbow Dash, living up to her name and dashing about in the air but still staring at Twilight, just like the rest of the ponies. As she got closer, she noticed the dark Fluttershy pony standing next to the Applejack one- still without her hat. Twilight didn’t bother talking to any of the dark ponies that resembled her friends- what was the point? They clearly weren’t her allies.

As she stepped into the throne room, the door slammed shut behind her and she saw Mystery standing at the throne. “Twilight…” the dark pony said with a hiss. “The element…of magic.”

Twilight gulped, but soon after her eyes leered at Mystery and she crouched slightly. “You know me…you know us…to well…how?”

“I had a little…help.” He replied with a chuckle as a pitch black baby dragon appeared from behind Mystery- one that resembled Spike- his eyes pure white except for black slits that looked as if they pierced right through Twilight. “It’s funny…I didn’t want to get the whole city involved, at least without having Luna and Celestia, so this was the first place I came to.”

“You’d attack the Princesses head on?” Twilight asked. “Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

Mystery shot his head up at Twilight. “Your faith in your friends is yours.” He sternly replied with a deep voice.
“They’re all gone now too," he added. "All turned to stone, all of their essences now mine to control as I please.” He chuckled. “Even your so called ‘Princess’ abandoned you to try to fight me alone. A TRUE ruler would strand up to her own battles.”

“She…she trusted us to stop you.” Twilight said, trying to defend Celestia.

“You know her powers. She COULD have stopped us, but not anymore. Her whole city is under MY control. If she isn’t going to come in…let’s just say I know things about this city that would force her to come.”

“You’re not going to get away with it.” Twilight spoke up. “Our Princess is attending to matters to make sure you can’t get away with it- that you’ll be stopped.” Twilight knew the power…the power of friendship and the elements of harmony- the ones that Celestia and Luna had used themselves in the past- those elements belonged to her and her friends now. Plus, the elements were stronger than Celestia and Luna were. The Princesses couldn’t have abandoned them. No…they were championing them- depending on them. If they couldn’t stop it, not even Celestia and Luna combined would have.

“We’ll see. I told all of my dark ponies that I, myself, would change the last ‘element’ and I suppose it’s you…you can turn quietly, or we can do this the hard way.”

“What do YOU think?” Twilight barked.

Mystery grinned wickedly. “I like the hard way anyways.” His horn started to glow with a pitch black aura surrounding it- shooting a large ray directed right at Twilight.

Twilight acted fast and shot a ray from her own horn- a white one in color, clashing with the black ray- but the black ray was forcing the white one back. Twilight leaned towards the ground with her horn glowing more and more, her eyes shut and teeth clenched. Her body strained as she tried to put more and more power into the spell to deflect the black ray directed to her, but the dark ray was still inching its way closer to her.

“Twilight” a voice spoke in Twilights head. A soothing calm voice…a familiar one too.

“C…Celestia?” Twilight managed to barely say as she strained with the magic.

“Twilight, the power of friendship is something that cannot be separated- even if you’re far, far away from your friends, their power is still within you.” Celestia’s voice rang out in Twilight’s mind.

“I don’t…I don’t understand…my friends…they’ve…they’re…”

“They’ve turned to stone- but they are still your friends. The elements cannot be split apart, their powers, along with the power of friendship, allow you to use their powers no matter where they are, or what has happened to them. Think of your friends, Twilight! Remember their friendships!”

Twilight tried to fight back the ray that kept coming closer, but in her mind she tried to recall the events of her friends. Meeting Pinkie Pie for the first time and how she was taught to ‘giggle at the ghosties’,
about AJ’s massive family and her reliability to always get things done, no matter what she was going through.
Rarity’s love towards the ‘finer’ things, but how she still cares for her friends and goes out of her way to design the dresses for them, no matter how ‘hideous’ she may think the dresses may be- they were for her friends after all.
Rainbow Dash’s ‘beginning’ attempts to make Twilight happy with her mane, and how she would never leave her friends behind.
Fluttershy’s love for animals, and even greater towards her friends- willing to risk anything to save them.
And then there was Spike, the baby dragon that had been her friend for longer than she could have imagined.

She focused on her friendships, calling on her friends in her mind- needing their assistance now more than ever. Her tiara started to glow and the white ray that had nearly vanished, pushed back to Twilight- was starting to grow strong. It started rushing forward and shoving the black ray out of the way- pushing both rays to the wall resulting in a massive explosion. Luckily, Celestia’s throne room walls were built sturdy enough to prevent any damage.

Mystery’s horn stopped glowing and he looked over at where the explosion occurred. “How…”

Twilight’s Tiara continued glowing as she started to float up into the air- her eyes calmly shut now. Outside of the throne room, one by one, the statue elements of harmony had their own necklaces glowing. Fluttershy’s in the garden- her necklace shot a green beam towards the castle. The beam pierced through walls, pierced through the door and hit Twilight’s Tiara.

One by one, each element’s own beam shot from their own necklaces. Pinkie’s pink beam, Rainbow Dash’s blue beam, Rarity’s purple beam, Applejack’s orange beam, each beam penetrating whatever it hit and striking Twilights Tiara one by one.

“What’s…happening?” Mystery asked- his eyes turning to the glowing Twilight and tiara- seeing the rainbow of colors.

“The power of friendship knows NO bounds.” Twilight replied- her eyes still closed. “No matter where my friends are, no matter WHAT you’ve done to them, they’re still my friends who are always willing to help me no matter what. Now, they’re helping me by giving me their elements of harmony.” Twilight started to smile. “It’s over, Mystery.” Her eyes shot open- nothing more than blank white and large circles. From her horn, a rainbow shot out spinning like a tornado and aiming right for Mystery.

Mystery gasped and shot magic from his own horn- another ray of pure darkness, combining with the swirling rainbow, but his magic was being pushed back rapidly. “The power…of family…”

“You aren’t fighting for family.” Twilight spoke- speaking the voice of all of her friends and herself. “You’re fighting for your own greed now, something the power of the elements, the power of friendship, have MUCH strength over!”

“No…” Mystery said quietly, trying to fight the magic back still, but it was no use. His ray was forced back and the rainbow struck his feet, surrounding him in a tornado of colors. “NO!” he screamed as the rainbow swallowed him in the vortex.

As the rainbow colors started to fade around Mystery’s body, it showed a gray pony with pitch black mane hair collapsed onto the floor, fainted. Twilight wasn’t finished though, her rainbow shot up above the throne and pierced the glass ceiling that stood above it- spreading a rainbow across all of Canterlot. The rainbow shattered into crystal rain that poured down onto the city. As the raindrops touched the stone ponies- the gray dullness of their bodies glowed as color returned to their hides, turning them from stone, to real live ponies. One by one, Twilight’s friends returned to normal. The rain even went through buildings, turning Spike and Mystic to normal as well.
As the ponies returned to normal, the dark ponies started to dissipate, one by one vanishing as if the sun had come out and touched the shadows.

Twilight’s glow vanished and she floated to the ground, gently touching it and smiling. Soon all of her friends busted through the throne doors happily. “You did it Twilight!” Applejack shouted, and the other ponies cheered. Twilight just smiled happily as her friends lifted her up in the air and tossed her up and down, cheering for what the purple pony had accomplished.

Later that day, the city of Canterlot was slowly returning to normal. The ponies were going about their daily lives, and Twilight, along with her other friends, were in the throne room where Celestia and Luna stood back in their rightful place.

“Elements,” Celestia said. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. Truly, you accomplished things greater than I, or my sister, could have ever done with what events happened today. The city of Canterlot is safe again, and the dark ponies are gone without a trace.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight said happily, bowing down before her. “What of Mystery?”

“He’ll get what he deserves.” Celestia glanced over to a gray pony that stared down at the floor meekly. His black wings down in shame and horn not glowing in the least. Beside him were two of Celestia’s guards, watching him carefully. “But you should go home now and get some rest; it’s been a long day.”

Twilight nodded. Spike, now as happy as could be, jumped on Twilight’s back and the group started out of the throne room, one by one returning their elements of harmony, the necklaces and the tiara, to their proper hidden place.

Once they had left- the door to the throne room closed behind them and the hidden panel with the elements slammed shut. Celestia and Luna then looked over at Mystery and walked over to him as a pair. Luna glanced up at her sister and nudged her. “Go easy on him.”

Celestia looked down at Luna with an emotionless expression before over at Mystery. “Mystery, I hope you’ve learned why I tell you to control your emotions and not dabble in the dark magic. The dark magic is much more harsh than what I teach. Using it to give yourself wings, using it for your own gain, is unacceptable. You saw what happens when it spirals out of control.”

Mystery kept his eyes to the floor, not bowing or nodding to Celestia. “Yes…punish me then. I deserve it.”

Celestia sighed. “Mystery, I try to know my students very well. If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you knowing what YOU caused is punishment enough. However, I’m going to send you somewhere where I know this will never happen again.”

Mystery raised his head, his blue eyes finally meeting Celetia’s own eyes. He didn’t ask where, he didn’t WANT to know where. He was expecting some place terrible…some place horrible.

Epilogue:

Back at Ponyville, Twilight was finally beginning to enjoy herself again. Both she and Spike had just gotten a good night sleep after a terrible day they had experienced.

As the pair was eating breakfast, Spike’s gemstones and Twilight’s own cereal, Spike finished his food and patted his full belly before burping up a flaming letter that Twilight caught in midair.

Twilight opened the letter with a smile on her face, expecting to hear from Celestia, and what might have happened to Mystery. What she read in the letter though…it caused her to frown and groan. “You’ve GOT to be kidding me.”

END