Many things were going through Octavia's mind at the moment.

Like the fact that the closest thing to a ‘god of war’ had just challenged her to a duel. It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen if she declined.

"Well? Are you ready? If you won't make the first move ..." The Warlock Stallion lunged forward. "Then I will!"

Octavia barely managed to jump away before the alicorn crashed into the spot where she stood. Octavia ran for her life as magic blasts the size of a stallion shot through the dust which arose from the impact site where the Warlock Stallion had impacted the ground. She could almost feel the heat coming from one of them, as it nearly burned her mane.

"Where is all that bravery now!?" Warlock laughed as he kept firing. The walls trembled with each impact, but withstood the attack, a fact that did not escape Octavia. She stopped dead on her tracks as a blast crossed right in front of her. She could feel the acidic smell of the mist that emanated from the monster in front of her.

"Nowhere to run now ..."

Octavia froze in place. He had her. His horn was sparkling with magic, ready to go off at any moment.

"Look at you ..." The alicorn grinned. "All scared and frozen with fear. Is the realization that you are no match for me finally settling in? Are you finally understanding that this is completely pointless?" he flared his wings. "You can't even hope to reach me, let alone hurt me."

"For a self proclaimed warrior ..." Octavia said, doing her best to hide her shivering. A small idea had formed in head. It was risky and possibly suicidal, but at this point, it wouldn't make much of a difference. "You really do talk a lot."

"I'm merely trying to savor the moment. Can you blame me for it? Being sealed in the empty void of space tends to make you forget the small pleasures of life."

"I didn't know torturing ponies was a pleasure." Octavia snarled. "I can't believe you were ever the protector of Equestria. You are nothing but a bully, a coward who enjoys torturing others because he has the power to do so. Even now you are merely playing with me instead of actually finishing me off."

"I battle as I see fit. If I choose to prolong this, it is only because I am merciful enough to allow you to live for a bit longer. You still have a chance to surrender. Do it, I might even consider sparing you." His horn cackled with energy. "This is your final chance."

Octavia stood her ground, appearing as defiant as she could.

"Come on you big block..." she thought as she gritted her teeth. "I'd rather choke on lettuce."

"Have it your way." The Warlock finished with more glee than somepony should have for a mercy rejection.
Meanwhile, five set of hooves ran through the hallways of the ruined castle, desperate to find their missing companion. As the entire castle briefly echoed with the sound of a loud blast, the five mares stopped their run.

"What was that?" Berry asked.

"It came from that tower! I can see some smoke coming from there!" Flitter pointed a hoof to the aforementioned place. One of the walls had visibly collapsed.

"Octavia is probably there." Minuette said. "Lets go!"

The Warlock Stallion grinned as the dust slowly faded from his sight. The forest could be now seen from the gaping hole that he had blasted on the wall. All that remain on the scorched ground was the remains of a bow tie, nearly disintegrated from the magical beam. With a single flap of his wings, the dust dissipated completely.

"So young, yet so foolish ..." He murmured.

"You are not young, but you certainly are foolish ..."

The Warlock Stallion snapped his head in shock, for the voice that called him belonged to none other than Octavia, the mare he had just blasted to into oblivion. Panting and slightly scorched, the musician stood on the platform, right between the elements of harmony.

"You are alive … an impressive trick for an earth pony." He growled. His horn started charging again. "How did you do it little one?"

"You made a lot of noise, plus the fact that when a unicorn cast a spell, they automatically bow their heads. All I had to do was avoid the blast and then get to the elements." Octavia smirked. "Now I have the advantage. The elements banished you once and they can do it again. Surrender and will I spare you."

But the Warlock Stallion didn't surrender. In fact, he was snickering, before exploding into pure laughter. Why wasn't he afraid? Why wasn't he surrendering!? She had him cornered and he was laughing it up!

"You fool." He said between chuckles. "You really think you can use the Elements of Harmony just like that? You don't know what they are, what they represent. You don't even know how to power them up!"

Octavia froze. Power them up? But the tome said nothing about powering them up!

"You have five Elements at your disposal. Would you believe me if I told you that you are one Element short?" he explained. "The most important one in fact."

"You … you are lying. You're trying to confuse me." Octavia said. "You have to be lying!"

"Oh no, I am being very honest here. The Elements need powering up before any use. But you didn't know that, did you? Just like you didn't know that there were six Elements instead of five." he tapped his chin in mock confusion. "Now that I think about it, do you even know what each of them represent?"

Octavia didn't answer.

"So, you are telling me that you just had quick read of the Elements, waltzed into the Everfree forest, planted yourself in front of an enemy you couldn't possibly expect to defeat and hope and somehow everything would be fixed?" he laughed hard, each laugh making Octavia feel smaller and smaller. "Typical earth pony behavior. Always charging ahead, never thinking things through."

Octavia wanted to talk back. Reply to the mockery. But she couldn't. Her mind was had gone blank, slowly filling themselves with the words of the alicorn.

"What was my sister thinking when she sent somepony like you for a mission like this. An earth pony, who couldn't even bother check up the names of the Elements, was to use magic? Does kindness and generosity ring a bell? No? How about loyalty? Or honesty or laughter!?" he laughed harder. "Do you know anything about the elements at all!?"

Octavia fell on her haunches as the weight of her failure began to truly fall on her. She couldn't stop Warlock Stallion. She couldn't activate the Elements. The princess would die, if she wasn't dead already. All of Equestria would be consumed in war.

She failed.

"No knowledge to fight with. No magic to power up the elements. No weapons, no preparations, no nothing." He teleported in front of her. "You really should have thought this through before even daring to challenge me."

"I … I ..."

"Don't worry little one. You will not have to live the humiliation that you have brought yourself." He grinned evilly as his horn started to charge with magic. "I will kill you here and now."

"No you won't!"

Octavia was enveloped in a magical glow, with blue and pink alternating around her. Lifting her rather brusquely, Fleur and Minuette pulled the earth pony away from the platform, the alicorn and the elements. Flitter and Cloudchaser landed in front of her, protectively holding out their wings.

"Whats this? A last ditch effort to fight me?" The Warlock Stallion chuckled. "You five must be desperate."

"You're should give up now while you can!" Berry taunted. "’Cuz once we get the Elements, you're gonna wish you had stopped us back in the cliffs!"

"The Elements that don't work. You will have much success with them I bet. Just ask Octavia. She will surely know how to get them going."

"Of course she will, right Octavia?" Fleur asked. Octavia didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

"Octavia, how do we activate the Elements?" Flitter asked. "Octavia?"

"I … I don't know ..."

The silence that filled the room could be cut with a knife. The five mares stared at Octavia in shock. Nopony wanted to believe what they had just heard.

"Now, if you are ready, we can-"

"We don't care."

The Warlock Stallion stared at the group, now he himself was in shock. Berry helped Octavia up, while group stood defiant and firm. Octavia was visibly confused as him. She stared at each of the mares around her.

"So Octavia doesn't really know jack about what she's doing ..." Berry started. "She still walked all the way here to beat you and save the princess. That kicks a lot of flank."

"If she was so uninformed, then it was because she was in a hurry to stop a monster like you." Fleur continued.

"Her method was wrong, but her heart was in the right place." Minuette added.

"We'll find a way to make the Elements work and we'll beat you with them!" Flitter finished.

"Yeah! What they said!" Cloudchaser said.

Octavia stood there, unable to say anything as the five mares placed themselves at her sides, ready to physically assault the monster if they had too. She could feel herself tear up a little from the act itself, and would had answered their words had not the alicorn in front of them spoken first.

"You five are unbelievable. The pony who has doomed you all even admitted that she has no idea what to do, after dragging you through all that peril and danger, and you say that you are still with her? How foolish can you be!?" he flared his wings in anger.

"I'm pretty sure we asked her to lead us ..." Berry commented.

"It doesn't matter! She put you all in danger! Even now she has no clue as to what to do next! The only reason she is even here is because the five of you somehow managed to push through everything I threw a you!" he lifted the elements with magic. "Why are the five of you so optimistic!? These things are dead! They don't work! They will never work! They just a bunch of useless stones!"

One by one, the elements exploded like popcorn, overcharged with the corrosive magic of the Warlock Stallion. Five pairs of eyes widened as the broken shards of their final hope fell to the ground, lifeless.

"I have prolonged this game for long enough. The battle ends now!"

A gist of wind exploded from his hooves, sending everypony against the wall. Octavia grunted as she slammed against the bricks before falling on the ground. It took her a few seconds to get up, and to her horror, she was the only one. Everypony else was too sore to get up.

"The world shall become a world of battle! Blood and rage will scourge the land and I shall truly defend Equestria against its enemies!"

"No you wont ..."

The Warlock Stallion stared at Octavia, who was defiantly standing up. She was panting heavily and was limping slightly.

"You are starting to bore me." He growled. "Why can't you just stay down and admit defeat?"

"I can't ..." Octavia answered, giving a glance to the ponies around her. Their eyes were resting on her. "Not while they have faith in me."

"Faith in you? You are still going on about that? Look at them! Why in the world would they still have faith in you when it is clear that you are not worthy of it!"

"You are right. I'm not worthy of it." She answered. "I did came here completely unprepared, and the only reason I did manage to get so far was because they helped me, even when I rejected them. Even now, knowing that I don't know how to beat you, they are still here!"

The shards of the elements started vibrating.

"You said I didn't know the elements. That I hadn't the faintest clue as to how to use them, or even activate them. You were wrong. I do know the elements. They were right besides me all the time!"

The shards glowed with power as they floated, spinning around the five ponies around Octavia. The mares found themselves being levitated with power of harmony as the fragments started spinning faster and faster.

"What is happening!?" Fleur asked.

"No! It can't be!" The Warlock Stallion roared, backing of a bit as the light of the elements grew stronger.

"For example, when you caused the rock slide that nearly crushed me, Flitter immediately flew and pulled me out of the way, even risking being crushed too. She was willing to give everything for me, a pony she barely knew, and for that reason, she is the Element of Generosity!"

The shards around Flitter spinned faster and faster before vanishing in a flash light, now replaced by a beautifully crafted golden necklace, engraved with a blue gem in the shape of a thin butterfly.

"When the trees trapped me, everypony could have perfectly gone without me and finish the job, and yet Minuette refused. She managed to come up with a remarkable strategy to free me, even though time was something we were up against. She is the Element of Loyalty!"

The same process happened with Minuette, with the shards flashing and turning into the same kind of necklace, only this time the gem was a yellow sand clock.

"When physical might failed, you resorted to trickery and illusions. Horrifying creatures that would have scared off the bravest warrior. Yet Cloudchaser here didn't fall for it. Instead of being afraid of them like me, she managed to see past the fear and realize the silliness of the situation. Her reaction and good mood pulled out of that fear and made us enjoy a nice, needed laugh! Thats why she's the Element of Laughter!"

Cloudchaser barely managed to react before the necklace attached itself to her neck, sporting a beautiful red shooting star.

"And lets not forget about Berry Punch! There was a moment when the entire group did start doubting me, with reasons to do so. Everypony was starting to have doubts about me and the success of the journey, but Berry never doubted me, even when it was clear that I didn't know what I was doing. She completely and honestly trusted me, and for that, she is the Element of Honesty!"

"Nifty!" Berry grinned as the necklace was attached to her neck, with a white grape and strawberry gem engraved in it.

"And finally, when we are all faced with the impossible task of defeating you, all of us wanted to banish you right away, but not Fleur. She was willing to look for another way, to take a third option and somehow manage to reason with you, even if it meant risking her life by bantering with a monster like you! Her desire for peace and avoidance of conflict makes her the last, but not the least Element of Harmony! Kindness!"

"Oh my ..." Fleur whispered as the final element appeared around her neck, with a gorgeous fleur de liz pink gem engraved.

"And together they form the Elements of Harmony! They are the Bearers of its power and the holders of their might!" Octavia declared. "But more importantly, they are my friends!"

And with that, a final flash of briefly covered Octavia before revealing her own new equipment. It wasn't a necklace, but a tiara. A beautiful, intricate golden tiara, with a purple, almost delicate crystal clef engraved into it.

"Thats not possible! How can the Elements be working!? They should be dead after so many years!" The Warlock Stallion shouted. "How can you have the element of magic!? You can't use magic! You're not even a unicorn!"

"You are right! I am not a unicorn. I can't use magic or anything of the like, but I don't need to. You know why!?" Octavia shouted before starting to levitate, placing herself right between her friends. The elements glowed brighter, small waves of magic flowing from each one of them.

"Because I have friends! And friendship is magic!"

A multicolored magic shot from the Elements of Harmony, combining into one powerful blast. The Warlock Stallion roared in anger and madness as he tried shooting his own beam of power, but it was useless. The blood red blast was completely obliterated by the rainbow hued beam that surged from the elements.

"NO!"

The beam shot forwards at blinding speed, completely engulfing the monstrous alicorn in it's power. The sky shook and the earth trembled as the powerful magic of harmony was used for the first time in a thousand years. The entire castle glowed with the power of the elements forcing the six mares to close her eyes. it would nearly twenty seconds before the blinding light began to fade. As the magic dissipated, the ponies were gently lowered on the ground.

Perfect silence replaced the roar of magic. Not even the crickets could be heard. Everything was still. Everything was unmoving.

Octavia slowly opened one eye, then the other one and the opened them completely. Fleur, Minuette, Berry, Flitter and Cloudchaser were around her, all of them unharmed, completely healed of any wound or soreness. They were just as still as her, slowly opening their eyes as well. Of the Warlock Stallion was no sign.

"We … we did it ..." Octavia whispered. "We actually did it."

Author's Note

Final chapter comes next!