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.

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[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.

[allcomplete]

Now that the Element shards are floating Clarity feels much better about her half-baked last-ditch plan. She makes sure she has everypony straight in her head and decides it is less likely to work if there is any verbal acknowledgement that she is guessing and -

"Silver Streak," she says, "who proved trustworthy in a crisis, represents the element of Honesty."

A cluster of shards flow through the air in Streak's direction and orbit her.

[clearthestorm]

She spares a glance to study them before returning her attention to the obvious threat of Nightmare Moon.

[allcomplete]

"Guiding Star, who calmed a manticore with her compassion and help, represents the element of Kindness."

[follow_polaris]

Guiding Star gets a cluster of shards too, and strikes a pose.

[allcomplete]

"Cherry Cordial, who made her way back to the rest of us even though every sign offered a safe way out in the other direction, represents the spirit of Loyalty!"

[ipso_amore]

She stands straight, hooves braced firmly on the stone floor, and smiles.

[allcomplete]

"Joy, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!"

It's working it's working it's working!

[joyfulnoise]

Appropriately enough, Joy grins wider as his shards come in to circle him.

[allcomplete]

"And Brightblaze, who calmed a distraught serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!"

All of the shards are orbiting somepony now.

[on_what_wings]

Blaze spreads her wings slightly, grinning.