Warriors of Harmony

Rainbow Dash was the first to enter Twilight's library, where she reunited with her old egghead alicorn friend, who was upstairs in the bedroom.  During the morning, Rainbow Dash and all of her friends received a message from Spike, telling them to visit Princess Twilight's library for an important announcement.  Hoping to catch her friend's attention, Rainbow called out, "Hey, Princess Egghead!"

Hearing Rainbow's voice, Twilight answered the call by gliding with her new wings from her bedroom door to the first floor to greet her tomcolt friend.  "Long time, no see, huh Rainbow?"  Twilight greeted.

Rainbow and Twilight hugged each other, as if it was a long time since they last met.  "Actually," Rainbow Dash said, "it's been only yesterday.  The last time I met you, the six of us were having a picnic at the Ponyville Park."

Releasing her friend, Twilight responded with, "You didn't have to mention that."

"Hey..."  Rainbow smiled.  "At the very least, I'm glad Princess Celestia allowed you to rule Equestria in your library, here in Ponyville, rather than at the Canterlot palace where your teacher's at."

"Me too."  Twilight smiled back.  "Besides, Celestia gave me the choice.  I still have to determine policy in Equestria, but I'm glad I could do this anywhere I want other than just some stuffy throne in Canterlot, thus explaining why I'm here."

"Well, duh!  You chose to rule Equestria here so that you could be closest to the five of us.  Our merry band of misfits would be absolutely nothing without you, and vice versa."  Rainbow closed the door behind her, walking to her seat at the center table while Twilight sat at her own.

"I'm also surprised that Equestria didn't fall apart all of a sudden, ever since you've become its new leader."

"What can I say?"  Twilight asked.  "At first, I was nervous about the idea of a librarian like myself running an entire nation.  However, throughout the past three months, it gradually became second nature.  Technically, I once organized Winter Wrap Up and united you and the others against villains like Nightmare Moon, Discord, and eventually Trixie and her Alicorn Amulet.  I also united my brother, Shining Armor, and my foalsitter, Cadence, against Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army, and sent Spike to return the Crystal Heart to the couple to stop King Sombra from retaking the Crystal Empire.

"Those situations were all just training sessions to prepare me for the moment I have to solve all of Equestria's problems as its princess.  And right now, I just have to take everything I've learned from moments like these, and apply it all to solving every pony's countless problems.  And so far, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I didn't even need to read a book on running a nation to do it; I just do it, period!"

"There was another factor that brought you to where you are right now," Rainbow said.  "It was the five of us.  You had to learn how to accept our help while giving us your's, just to become Princess Celestia's new co-ruler.  Had it not been for us, you would've stagnated in that little library of your's."

"I haven't forgotten, Rainbow.  If I could, I'd reward you and our other friends for a job well done.  Unfortunately, the best I could give you is a thank-you and a congratulatory cheer from that crowd from my coronation."

"Which is enough as is.  Just watching you grow-up to be just like Princess Celestia is a reward in and of itself.

"But other than that, I digress.  What news do you have for me and the others?"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow," Twilight responded, "but I can't explain, not until the others arrive to my library."

"Aw, come on, Your Highne--"

"Twilight," the librarian princess interrupted.  "Just call me Twilight, as if I've never received the wings in the first place."

"Fine."  Rainbow rolled her eyes.  "But still, can't you at least give me a small preview?"

"Preview?"  Called out a familiar voice.  The two mares faced the window to discover a pony none other than Pinkie Pie.  The pink pony squeezed herself through the window, as opposed to entering the door like any normal pony would.  "I like previews, especially teasers!  Teasers always foreshadow surprises, and I love surprises because you never know what you'll get!  All that build-up and excitement toward--"

"Pinkie!"  Twilight and Rainbow interrupted.

"Oh... sorry?"  Pinkie blushed.

"Well," Twilight continued, "at the very least, Pinkie's here."

"And where does that leave the rest of us?"  Called out Rarity's voice.  Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie faced the front door to discover Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy, walking inside and toward the center table to be closer to Twilight.

"Pinkie, gal," Applejack said to the pink pony.  "Ya'll know that there's a front door 'n everythan'?"

"Of course I do," Pinkie responded.  "I just prefer picking entrances other than just front-doors."

"So, Twilight," Fluttershy said to the librarian princess.  "What news do you have?"

"Only from none other than Princess Celestia herself," responded Twilight.  "Remember when the five of you thought I've obtained immortality just from growing a new pair of limbs?"

"Of course we do, darling," Rarity answered.  "Besides, immortality would be a horrible gift for someone as precious to us as yourself.  I mean, I could scarcely imagine myself having to live forever, while all five of my friends die around me!"

"Well," Twilight continued, "I have some good news and some bad news.  The good news: I'm still mortal!"

"Sweet!"  Rainbow Dash exclaimed, as the other four mares sighed in relief.  "That's some good news, because let's face it, if all five of us die, we might as well bring you with us!  No offense, Twi."

"And the bad news?"  Pinkie asked.

"Due to my still-limited lifespan," Twilight continued, "I'm still going to need an successor to replace me any time I die, whether from old-age or assassination.  That successor could be anyone, whether it's a student from somepony else's bloodline, or a child from my own, and I might eventually have to teach him or her about the art of friendship so that this successor could become the new leader of Equestria."

"Well, that's a cinch," Applejack said.  "Ya'll once taught a school of fillies 'n colts the history of Equestria, so I don't see why teachin' your own successor would be impossible."

"That, I agree with," Twilight responded.  "However, Princess Celestia felt that teaching school-children was not good enough training for me.  So, to prepare myself for the time when I must train my own successor, I have to teach another group of students."

"A college class?"  Fluttershy asked.

"Actually," Twilight responded, "it's you guys."

"WHAT?"  The girls responded in unison.

"Aw, come on, Twilight!"  Rainbow Dash responded.  "We're young-adult mares with full-time jobs.  There aren't any more lessons we could learn in school.  Sure, we learn friendship lessons, but we normally gather them on our own, without some teacher giving us those lessons."

"That's because it's going to be a different kind of teaching."

"Different... kind of teaching?"  Fluttershy lowered half of her face underneath the table out of fear.  Twilight then eventually gave a suspicious sneer toward her friends, unsettling her own friends in the process.

***

Twilight led her friends up a large mountain, as they walked on the trail leading to the top, carrying their respective saddle-bags containing supplies such as food and bandages.  The six of them were also wearing their Elements of Harmony, as Twilight ordered them to.  For some unknown reason, Twilight refused to explain to them why she was bringing them to the top of a mountain, and why they had to bring along their Elements of Harmony.  And, every time they asked her questions on this, she would refuse to explain to them until they reached the top.

Rainbow flew up to Twilight, and frustratingly said to her, "You know, Princess, if it weren't for you acting so secretive, we wouldn't have to constantly egg you on what's going on, and what you're going to teach us!"

"Rainbow's right," Applejack said.  "Based on us wearin' 'r Elements'a Harmony, it feels as if somethin' big'n menacin' is happenin'.  'Sides, we're yer friends, so shouldn't ya'll be sharin' it with us?"

"I'm sorry, Applejack," Twilight solemnly responded.  "I have my reasons for not telling you, one of which is that Princess Celestia herself was pretty secretive when she taught me.  Besides, when you look at Pinkie, she doesn't mind surprises."

"Really?"  Fluttershy asked.

"Aw, come on, Fluttershy!"  Pinkie responded, energetically hopping up the trail.  "You've been with me for several years now!  You should know how I work.  As you already know, I love surprises!  Part of the beauty of surprises is not knowing what to expect, so that you could eventually anticipate what it is.  If you know ahead of time what those surprises are, then the fun of anticipating them is gone, and they're no longer surprises."

"There is a lot more to it than that," Twilight continued.  "Part of being a mentor is letting her students figure out the answers on their own, without much of a need to actually provide answers.  The only thing the mentor can do is provide small clues, but it's up to the students themselves to piece those clues together on their own, until they eventually attain the answers that they need.  I know this because I've spent years working under Princess Celestia in regard to both magic, as well as the magic of our friendship.

"This situation is no exception.  If I told you ahead of time as to what I'm going to teach you, and why we're bringing the Elements of Harmony, that would mean the five of you would lose the chance to attain the answers on your own, and almost nothing is gained."

"Would've preferred to get answers ahead of time, though," Rainbow whispered to herself.

"Here we are!"  Twilight exclaimed.  The girls arrived at their destination: The top of a mountain with a ledge that provided one of the largest views of Equestria.

The girls walked to the center, with five them lining up with each other, and Twilight facing the others.  "So, Twilight," Rarity said to her alicorn friend, "now that we're here, what are you going to teach us, today?"

"And how are the Elements of Harmony involved?"  Fluttershy asked.

"Relax, everypony," Twilight responded.  "I'm getting to that part."

With her horn, Twilight activated her Element of Magic.  As it glowed brighter, it eventually shot five beams of light into the other girls' Elements.  The beams then slowly pulled out of the Elements what appeared to be weapons, each of them the same color as the girls' coats and manes and containing their cutie-marks.  The weapons included two orange Colt revolvers and an equally-orange Winchester rifle for Applejack; a purple scepter with three diamonds on the top for Rarity; a pair of yellow daggers for Fluttershy; a large, pink scythe with balloons on its blade for Pinkie Pie; and a giant light-blue war-hammer with a rainbow-colored handle for Rainbow Dash.

Once the beams dissipated, Twilight then magically directed the other five Elements of Harmony to fire their beams at the Element of Magic in-exchange.  The bright beams then pulled out of the Element of Magic what appeared to be a giant, lavender broadsword with Twilight's cutie-mark on its hilt.

The beams dissipated again, and by the time Twilight's friends saw the weapons on the ground, in front of them, they grew bewildered beyond imagining.  As Applejack inspected her Winchester rifle, she then asked, "What in the hay, Twi?  Did ya'll pull weapons outta our Elements'a Harmony?"

"When you put it that way," Rarity said, inspecting her scepter, "at the very least mine isn't a weapon.  After all, scepters aren't really weapons, ju--"  Suddenly, the scepter fired from its tip a tiny crystal shard at the wall behind Twilight.  Shocked, Rarity then continued to Applejack, "You know, you're perhaps right.  She just pulled out weapons from our Elements."

"And is that a broadsword?"  Fluttershy asked Twilight, as the alicorn princess levitated the sword in the air, giving it some light swings.

"Well, of course!"  Twilight responded, putting her sword back on the ground.  She then continued to her friends, "What I just pulled out of our Elements of Harmony aren't just normal weapons.  They are also extensions of our fighting spirit, made manifest into weapons."

"Fighting spirit?"  Pinkie asked.

"Each of us has a powerful resolve to protect the rest of us," Twilight continued.  "Any time one of us is in danger, the rest of us will stop at nothing to protect her or die trying.  The weapons I pulled out of our Elements are extensions of this resolve.  So long as we build upon our will to fight for each other, our weapons' powers will become as nearly limitless as the Elements of Harmony they were born from."

"But doesn't that go against what we represent?"  Rarity asked.  "We're supposed to represent the power of friendship, and surely those weapons go against the concept."

"I don't know," Rainbow responded, still inspecting her hammer.  "When you think about it, they aren't so bad to begin with.  Besides, I think I'll find myself so awesome when I apply this hammer on whatever villain we fight against."

"I agree!"  Pinkie Pie called out, examining her scythe.  "I could be something like a superhero, always wielding a scythe to fight bad guys and save innocent ponies!  Though, I have to wonder why my weapon is a scythe.  When you think about it, the scythe is a symbol of death, and death's depressing, which I don't like.  That, plus scythes were originally farming tools before becoming weapons, and because of this, it almost takes me back to my time as a rock farmer.  But then again, in some cultures, the color pink -- my coat color -- symbolizes the fragility of life, which is a fancy way of saying 'death'.  So I guess it isn't a bad thing that I get a scy--"

"Ahem!"  Twilight interrupted, as Pinkie went silent.  She then said to Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, "Regardless, at the very least Pinkie and Rainbow have the right idea.  But at the same time, our Elements have another feature, aside from the weapons alone."

"What other features?"  Applejack asked.

"You know how the power of magic is inherent in all lifeforms, all the way down to the planet itself?"  The girls nodded.  "Magic is what grants life to organisms like ourselves.  It's what gives us the drive to move forward, as well as the power to unite with others around us in friendship.  Even earth-ponies and pegasi have magic of their own, and yet where unicorns and alicorn channel it through their horns, earth-ponies use it to raise crops and increase their physical strength, while pegasi use it to walk on clouds and control the weather.  However, while magic allows ponies to unite with each other in friendship, those same ponies cannot synchronize their inherent magic to further bolster each other's strengths.  As a result, this forces each individual pony to only rely on his own inherent magic, mostly to bolster his own special talents, rather than somepony else's through magic synchronization.

"That's where our Elements of Harmony come in.  The Elements are extensions of our hearts, just like the weapons born from them.  At the same time, however, they are also synchronized with each other, with the Element of Magic acting as a conduit to merge each of their magic -- and by extension our own -- with the others'.  That means with my Element, I can take the inherent magic within you and synchronize each of it with the others', so that your performance on and off the battlefield could dramatically increase.  And, with several years of training, we can further enhance our synchronized magic, maybe even equal that of Princesses Celestia and Luna combined, if not surpass them!"

"So," Rainbow said, "what you're trying to say is that if you and our friends enhanced my Element of Loyalty with your own, that means my flying skills gain a dramatic increase..."  She eventually became giddy.  "...Maybe even let me perform a double... no wait quadruple Sonic Rainboom?"

"That," Twilight responded, "and your strength with that hammer gain a dramatic increase, alongside the rest of our own weapon and combat performances."

"But if the Elements can synchronize our magic through your's," Rarity said, "and thus increase our special talents, would that also run the risk of us accidentally merging each other's personalities -- and as a result, our cutie-marks, thus forcing us to live six lives instead of the usual one for each of us?"

"Yeah!"  Pinkie said.  "It was one thing for me to farm apples on AJ's family farm, but to do that and not only party, but also study magic, raise animals, practice flying, and designing dresses all at the same time would just make my head explode!"

"Don't worry," Twilight answered.  "Any time you do merge each other's cutie-marks, rather than just switch them like last time, I'll be using the Element of Magic as a conduit to separate them and ensure their proper places."

"Ya'll do realize," Applejack said to Twilight, "that you could've taught us anythin' else you want, whether it's arithmetic, readin' 'n writin', or e'en some'a that friendship."

"Applejack raised a good point," Rarity continued where the orange farmpony left off, feeling frustrated.  "Why teach us how to fight like barbarians?  I may know my own self-defense; hay, I even manipulated a bunch of diamond-dogs into releasing me!  But teaching us how to use weapons is just going too far."

"That's what I've been wondering myself," Twilight responded.  "Princess Celestia actually suggested that I train you in weapon-combat.  The five of you helped me save Equestria many times over, and even made me into an alicorn princess.  So, she thought she might as well have me teach you how to fight as a unit, just so that you could help me save Equestria many times more.  That, and because she and her sister, Princess Luna, wielded the same weapons we have when they were the ones saving Equestria one-thousand years ago."

"This isn't like Her Highness," Fluttershy said, concerned.  "I thought Princess Celestia represented love and friendship.  But... asking her student to teach us how to fight, when it goes against everything she promoted?"

"Aw, come on!"  Pinkie Pie cheered up the yellow pegasus.  "Where's your optimism?  With those weapons, we could be like a team of super-warriors, always rushing in to save the day when Equestria needs us the most!"

"Yeah!"  Rainbow continued.  "You know, like Steel Ax the Barbarian!"

"Wait," Applejack responded, confused.  "First Darin' Do, now Steel Ax the Barbarian?"

"Only the toughest, manliest earth-pony stallion with a battle-ax to have ever graced Equestria!  I thought I needed to expand my horizons with regard to books other than just Daring Do, so I thought I'd read some books about Steel Ax the Barbarian.  And boy, was he awesome!  I won't spoil some of the stories I've read, but I can tell you this: Not only is he so strong that he could cleave a giant boulder in half with his ax, but he's also so muscular and handsome, even Rarity wouldn't resist him!"

"Handsome?"  Rarity asked Rainbow.  "Well, it's true that every time I see his gorgeous, muscular build and long, flowing mane, my heart pounds until it explodes.  But, because he's a barbarian, who spends most of his time killing other ponies, that's all the more reason for me to avoid him."

"Then it's settled!"  Twilight caught her friends' attention.  "We'll be a team of heroes akin to Steel Ax the Barbarian and the various companions he'd gather on his adventures.  But, like any other team, we're going to need a name.  Any ideas?"

"Ooh, ooh!"  Pinkie raised her hoof in the air to gain attention.  "We could be called... The Sword-Princess and Her Super Bodyguards!  You know, because Twilight wields a sword, and the five of us might as well be her bodyguards?"

"Somehow, Pinkie," Rainbow said to her pink friend, "for somepony as energetic to a fault, you seem to be lacking in originality.  I was thinking of something more akin to..."  Rainbow puffed out her chest and called out, "Twilight's Barbarians!  You know, because Twilight and I compared the six of us with Steel Ax the Barbarian?"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow," Rarity interjected.  "But the name, 'Twilight's Barbarians', will make us sound uncivilized, violent, and terrible role-models to children across Equestria."

"Oh?"  Rainbow argued with Rarity.  "And you have a better name for our team of warrior heroes?"

"Oh, I have an idea," the white unicorn responded.  "I was thinking something akin to... The Warriors of Harmony."

"Ya'll know, Rarity," Applejack said to the white unicorn, "that this name 'ere 'as the word 'warriors' in it?  You know, as in a weapon-wieldin' soldier 'r mercenary who kills for a livin'?"

"I know that," Rarity responded to the orange farmpony.  "I originally wanted to use a word that didn't imply much violence, like 'guardians' or 'protectors'.  Unfortunately, neither of them fit, and I had no other choice but to resort to a word that, at the very least, doesn't imply combat and killing as much as 'barbarians'."

"Hah!"  Pinkie laughed.  "You can design the most original dresses in all of Equestria, but can't come up with an original name?"

"I, on the other hand, like that name," Twilight called out to her friends.

"You need not cover for me," Rarity said, as she frustratingly faced Pinkie and continued, "especially if a certain somepony were to act blunt about what I can and cannot do."

"From this day forward," Twilight said to her friends, "we won't just be the Elements of Harmony.  We, as Rarity suggested, will also be the Warriors of Harmony!"

"Yes!"  Pinkie and Rainbow Dash jumped in the air to celebrate the new name.

"Ah just hope ya'll know what yer doin'," Applejack said to Twilight.  "Ah mean, Ah maybe the physically strongest amongst the six'a us, but that's mostly 'cause Ah'm a farmer, not a fighter.  Plus, Ah ne'er e'en wielded a gun in mah life, not e'en to defend mah family from intruders."

"I most certainly agree," Rarity responded to Applejack.  "Unfortunately, we do not have much of a choice.  If we do not train under Twilight in combat, she will most certainly lose the opportunity to learn how to train her own successor."  She then faced Fluttershy, who was on the ground, shivering.  "Isn't that right, Fluttershy darling?"

"I-I... I don't know..."  Fluttershy was scared and slowly retreated.  "I-I mean... Princess Celestia, teaching us to fight, when it goes against the concept of friendship?"

"Don't be the usual Fluttershy you've always been!"  Rainbow reassured her yellow pegasus friend.  "Besides, I promise you, the five of us will be here to support you in Twilight's barbarian boot-camp!"

Fluttershy looked at her friends, as they smiled to her with great confidence that she will succeed Twilight's combat training.  With no other choice, the yellow pegasus stood back up again, and conceded, "I-if you'll be with me..."

"Then again," Twilight said, "it's all settled!  And, I have just the first training regime for you girls..."

***

At the throne room of an unknown palace, a tall, crowned, light-purple alicorn with small glasses and a purple flower cutie-mark saw Twilight and her friends beginning the training, right from her crystal ball.  Alongside the alicorn queen were two stallions and a mare dressed in uniform.  The first stallion was a bright-red earth-pony with an orange mane, possessing what appeared to be the cutie-mark of a stalagmite.  The second stallion was an emerald green pegasus with a turquoise mane, bearing a wing for his cutie-mark.  The third pony, a mare, was a blue unicorn who also had a bright turquoise mane, but at the same time wore her own glasses like her queen, and had a dolphin for her cutie-mark.

"Really?"  Asked the bewildered red earth-pony.  "It's not enough for them to shoot a rainbow of light and turn their leader into an alicorn princess, they also have to go far as to wield weapons forged from their hearts and souls?"

"Well," responded the green pegasus, "what do you expect?  They're the saviors of Equestria, so they might as well earn themselves new powers to further defend themselves and their country."

"All the more reason for us to crush them quickly!"  The red earth pony was impatient.  "Eventually, they'll become so much of a threat, that they won't even need an army of their own to conquer us, just a rainbow of light plus weapons grown out of their Elements, and nothing else!"

"You've never been a patient stallion," said the blue unicorn, "haven't you?  We'll stop them, we just need to find a way that doesn't cost us tremendously."

"Then get to it," said the three ponies' alicorn queen.  "I want those mares to be made into examples of what happens to those who defy us.  And, I want it done discreetly and cost-efficiently!"

"Yes, ma'am," responded all three of the alicorn's top-ranking subjects, as they left the throne room to fulfill their superior's orders.

The alicorn queen then looked back at her crystal ball to see more of Princess Twilight and her five friends.  "Very soon," she whispered silently to the image in her crystal ball, "you'll eventually feel the might of the Holy Wysteria Empire.  And, I promise you, it will be slow and painful...