friendship is magic part 2

[allcomplete]

The forest is dark (Clarity and Guiding Star light their horns to see by, but it's almost worse than nothing, making the distant shadowed spaces darker by comparison; they soon give up). The plants that make it up are closely spaced, not all of them have friendly textures, and it is full of scary noises, only some of them the harmless snapped twigs and disturbed leaves of their own passage.

Before they've fully adjusted to the darkness, and are aware via anything but the feel of earth under their hooves that the path has sloped downward a little, it has given way under them, some of the flora and some distressingly large rocks along with it. Clarity can't even teleport. It's too dark to see where she might be going.

Comments

[and_admiration]

A cloud of smoke wisps in from the window -

and arcs with sudden speed towards the five Elements and whips up a tornado of darkness around them and Clarity both.

[allcomplete]

"Aah! That wasn't me this isn't me doing a thing -"

And then she and Elements and smoke are all

gone.

[clearthestorm]

Streak tries to intercept the cloud the moment it appears - but she's on the wrong side of Clarity, and just slightly too far to reach her before the tornado forms. She checks herself before she can stumble into it.

When the tornado vanishes, she immediately takes to the air to see if she can spot any signs of where it might have gone.

[allcomplete]

How about that glow up in the windows of that tower in the other wing of the castle?

Meanwhile, Clarity is coughing on the floor of the room, which is, as evidenced by the window-glow, brightly lit by ominous lightning. She blinks to clear the spots from her vision.

She gets to her feet, sees Nightmare Moon on the opposite side of the crumbling old room with the Elements in orbit around her - and -

has an idea, which will mostly only work if she can gallop a short distance without tripping, but maybe she can -

She breaks into a rapid gait, charging straight at Nightmare Moon.

[and_admiration]

Nightmare Moon laughs. "You're kidding, right?"

But she charges, too, horn aglow to match Clarity's -

[allcomplete]

- and Clarity teleports to where Nightmare Moon was standing, right in the center of the circle of Elements, and resumes desperately trying to spark them.

[clearthestorm]

Streak analyzes the intervening architecture, lands, and says, "This way." Then she sets off along the likeliest path. Very quickly.

[ipso_amore]

Cordy keeps up.

[joyfulnoise]

So do Joy and Blaze.

[allcomplete]

"Come on come on -"

[and_admiration]

Nightmare Moon resumes swirl-of-smoke form to whoosh across the room back to the Elements again, which leaves her standing in the circle of them when Clarity manages to send a spark dancing from stone to stone. Clarity is knocked back a few feet, skidding.

"No - no!" exclaims Nightmare Moon -

and the spark dies down.

[allcomplete]

"But - the sixth element -" breathes Clarity. "Where's the sixth Element?"

[and_admiration]

Nightmare Moon laughs and stomps her forehooves.

The five elements shatter into tiny crystals.

"You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!" she crows.

[joyfulnoise]

By this time, the other five are nearly at the tower - close enough to hear Nightmare Moon's laughter. "We're coming, Clarity!" yells Joy.

[on_what_wings]

"We've got your back!" says Blaze as she reaches the final corner.

[follow_polaris]

"Leave some Nightmare Moon for us!"

[ipso_amore]

"We're all with you!"

[clearthestorm]

Streak reaches the door to the long hall slightly ahead of the rest of the group, and has to plant all four hooves on the wall and bounce off it to redirect her excess speed towards the middle of the room.

"All of us," she agrees.

[allcomplete]

Clarity hears them, and her mind's spinning.

Why would the magical weapon that can supposedly defeat Nightmare Moon be several easily-shattered rocks?

Why didn't the spark work?

Why are they named that?

And, with more confidence than she feels, she addresses Nightmare Moon just as everypony else makes it into the room:

"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?"

(What if she can? Then all is lost, and the worst that happens is Clarity sounds kind of silly -)

"Well, you're wrong."

(Why are they called that?)

"The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here."

And, to Clarity's surprise almost as much as Nightmare Moon's -

the shards begin to float, aglow with subtle colors.

[and_admiration]

"...What?"

[clearthestorm]

Streak brakes for a landing just to Clarity's left and glares up at Nightmare Moon.

[follow_polaris]

Guiding gallops up to stand at Clarity's right.

[ipso_amore]

Cordy plants herself to the right of Guiding Star.

[on_what_wings]

Brightblaze stands on Streak's left.

[joyfulnoise]

And Joy stands at Clarity's back, with a smile for Nightmare Moon. It's not one of his nice smiles.