Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. I make no legal claims to it whatsoever.

Author's notes: This story was completed prior to posting, and has been crossposted to my account on FIMFiction Dot Net, under the author name of AnoneMouseJr . Hope you enjoy. And if all goes well, sequels will be forthcoming. (Also, the version on FIMFiction has some alterations to text size for a few bits of dialogue.)

---

Chapter 4

By Anon e Mouse Jr.

"Okay," Twilight said as the five mares headed into the forest. "The castle of the Royal Pony Sisters is... somewhere in here." She looked around. "Any idea where?"

"Probably right in the middle." Moondancer adjusted her glasses. "At least, that's my guess."

"Then that's where we're going. And we need to be ready for anything." Taking the lead, Twilight marched ahead.

As the other mares followed, Derpy moved up next to Twilight. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Twilight gazed at her. "What is it?"

"You said these Elements are the only things that can stop Nightmare Moon. But how are we going to do it?"

Twilight sighed unhappily. "I really, really don't know, Derpy. But we have to try. For everypony… for everyone else." She looked down. "There's no telling how many beings might get hurt under her rule, and I can't let that happen."

"Everyone else?" Derpy raised an eyebrow, then her eyes widened. "Oh… you were thinking of Spike, weren't you? And he's not a pony…"

"Exactly." Twilight smiled. "Spike's been a part of my life since the day I hatched him and got my Cutie Mark… come to think of it, so has Moondancer." She smiled as the other unicorn came up to join them. "It's been almost ten years… I can't imagine life without either of you around me."

"Neither can I," Moondancer admitted. "That day, the flash of light… the sonic boom… and then a few hours later, I saw you and your parents walking along with this little dragon on your back, and I started following you." She chuckled. "I thought I was being sneaky. Then Princess Celestia turned and looked straight at me, and asked if I wanted to get to know you. I said yes, and she immediately put us together for classes. And after a few months, she gave us all an apartment to share."

Twilight smiled at the memory. "And once I set Spike's bed up, we immediately started arguing over who got the most space for all their books…"

"You did love your Daring Do collection," Moondancer said with a laugh. "Gave it a place of honor over everything else, even your assigned reading for class."

Derpy's ear twitched, and she smiled. "Sounds like you three have quite the history together."

"Oh, we do," Twilight reassured her. "Moondancer and Spike have been my closest friends ever since the day we met."

"Even if you weren't willing to admit it at first," Moondancer added. "Took me almost a year to get you to stop acting like you were better than me and to start calling me a friend in public."

The others looked at them. "You were… a snob?" Coco asked in astonishment.

Twilight ducked her head in embarrassment. "I was," she confessed. "I never saw the point of friendship until one day in class. I was kind of… more closed off than usual, and Moondancer finally blurted out that she… what was it you said? 'I like you, despite the fact that you're a snooty, stuck-up little plothead'".

Derpy gasped. "She really called you that? In public?"

"I did," Moondancer affirmed. "Shocked the living daylights out of me when I said it. Then again, I've always been kind of… blunt."

"No kidding," Twilight confirmed. "Then again, that's a big part of what I like about you. You tell me when I'm being a pain, or when I'm offending others and don't realize it… you help keep me on the straight and narrow."

Moondancer nodded. "And speaking of straight and narrow, you're about to walk right off a cliff."

Twilight stopped short, just in time to avoid stepping over a ledge, and sighed. "Thanks, Moondancer."

"No problem."

Working their way down the small mountain (and Twilight wondering how one had turned up in the middle of a forest path anyway), Twilight looked at the others. "So, I know what brings Moondancer and I here, and Marble too. But how did you and your family come to be in Ponyville?"

"Oh, I moved here a long time ago," Derpy told her. "My husband was in construction in Cloudsdale, but one day, he had a heart attack on the job site, and the doctors… they said he was gone in an instant." She had tears in her eyes, but quickly shook them off. "I was so heartbroken, I just had to get away, so I came down here. And it's a good thing I did too, because a few months later, Dinky was born." She smiled fondly at the thought. "I'll never forget what happened. I was in the hospital, looking out the window as the doctor told me to push… and there was this loud explosion and a flash of color. It surprised me so much, she came out right then and there."

"A flash of color… Derpy, what day was that?" Moondancer asked, interested.

"Mid-August, almost… ten years ago…" Her eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"August twelfth?"

"Yes, exactly!" Twilight suddenly looked excited. "That was the day I took the entrance exam for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns… the day I hatched Spike!" She blushed. "Trying to hatch a dragon's egg was part of the exam… the key to passing the test was not giving up, even if you failed to actually hatch the egg. Then that loud noise startled me, I had a magic surge and it all happened so fast… next thing I knew, my parents were potted plants - they got better," she reassured Derpy. "And the room was full of dragon, until Princess Celestia reversed the age spell I'd accidentally used and turned him back into a baby like he was supposed to be."

"That means he and Dinky were born at almost the exact same moment!" another voice suddenly cheered. "Awesome!"

Five sets of eyes widened, and then Derpy's narrowed as she turned around and stared at a nearby bush. "Young lady…"

"Oops." The voice sounded embarrassed, and a moment later, Scootaloo crawled out from under the bush. "Uh… hi, Aunt Derpy."

"You," Derpy told her, "are in so much trouble! What would your mother say if she knew you'd come out here like this?"

"She'd say I was taking after her by exploring someplace that's both dangerous and normally off-limits?"

Derpy was taken aback for a moment, then sighed. "You're right, she would, though she wouldn't be happy that her underage daughter was doing such a thing." Her voice turned stern again. "And it doesn't excuse you for coming out here, when I explicitly said that you were going to stay in the library!"

"I know…" Scootaloo's ears drooped. "But I couldn't leave you alone, Aunt Derpy. Dinky's safe with Spike, but I just… had this feeling you needed me."

Derpy smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Well. I suppose I can't fault you for that."

Seeing the two of them, Twilight smiled, then looked around. "Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, but we need to get going."

"Right," Derpy set Scootaloo down. "Now, stay with me, Scootaloo…"

The little pegasus grumbled a bit, but acquiesced.

As the six started moving again, Twilight continued her story. "After Princess Celestia calmed me down and fixed everything I'd done, she asked my parents if I could take care of Spike, since I did hatch him. Dad was a little hesitant, but then he saw how attached Mom already was to him… I think it was when she said 'Come to Grandmare' that did it."

Marble let out an amused whinny at that, then looked abashed until Coco gave her a friendly nuzzle.

Smiling at the two, Twilight turned back to Derpy. "Anyway, he's lived with me ever since. A few months later, he and Moondancer and I moved into our tower together, and the rest is history."

"Aww…" Coco smiled.

"So, tell her how I came to live with you!" Scootaloo suddenly spoke up. "It's a lot like the sound of an owl."

"Oh?" Moondancer looked at her. "How so?"

"It's a real hoot!"

Groans went up, and then Derpy nickered softly. "Well, Scootaloo's just over a year older than Dinky. Her mother is… a workaholic, to say the least. She tried to stay out of it for a while, for Scootaloo's sake, but eventually the offers got to her. The day Dinky was born, my sister looked out the window and saw that same flash of light and sound, and she decided that, as much as she loved her daughter, she had to get back to doing the fieldwork that she also loved. So a week later, she came to Ponyville to visit us, and asked if I could take Scootaloo." The blonde pegasus sighed. "I could have said no. I had a child of my own by then, and no husband anymore, so I knew it would be even harder on all of us… but I also knew I couldn't just let my niece have a life without a mother there to give her the love and support she needed. So I took her in, and ever since, I've raised she and Dinky together. And I've always done the best I can for both of them." She looked at Twilight. "My sister visits every now and then, and Scootaloo knows her and loves her, but still... she's like a second daughter to me."

Twilight smiled. "That was a good thing you did for her then."

"Thank you." Derpy smiled back, then looked down and nuzzled her niece. "Of course, sometimes she can get a little goofy, but that's part of her charm."

"Ah, you know you love it," Scootaloo told her. "And you know Dinky loves it, just as much as she loves Pinkie's parties."

"Everyone loves Pinkie's parties," Marble added softly. "The day she had her first one and got her Cutie Mark was the happiest day of my life."

"Oh? How so?" Twilight asked, suddenly stopping. "Wait - tell me after we get across."

She had stopped because of a massive river that had suddenly appeared in their path, and the rapids that were churning it up. "This doesn't look good…"

"No, it looks like a river," Scootaloo said with an amused tone.

Derpy gave her a look, then lunged, prompting a loud "EEK!" from Scootaloo. Once she had calmed her mane again, she gave her aunt a look. "Must you?"

"Yes," Derpy told her. "It's part of my contract. You start acting silly, I act silly right back at you. And in this case, that means sticking a cold nose in your ear."

"Rassafrassin'…" Scootaloo gave her a dirty look, then sighed. "Well, at least I'm keeping you happy." She smirked.

"If we could turn back to the problem at hand," Moondancer said dryly. "I'm pretty sure I see what's causing this."

"What?" asked Twilight.

"That." Moondancer pointed.

Looking out into the river, the six saw a massive shape thrashing about in the middle of the river. It appeared to be caught in some kind of net, and its struggles were causing the river's churning. At the sight, Marble gasped quietly, then began looking in her saddlebags. "I know they're in here," she said to herself. "Ah!"

Pulling out a set of scissors, she then crouched down… and leapt as hard as she could, landing on the struggling shape. The others couldn't hear what she was saying, but very soon the thing's struggles had stopped, and Marble went to work. Slowly, she cut the creature's bindings, and soon it was free, and had carried her back to shore. It was also looking quite happy.

"Oh me, oh my," the thing - A sea serpent? Twilight thought to herself - said as it carefully deposited her on the ground. "Oh, a thousand thanks, miss Pie. I have no idea how long I'd have been trapped there if you hadn't come along and freed me."

"It was nothing," Marble whispered as she looked at him. "I was just doing what any decent pony would do."

"Nonsense," the sea serpent declared. "You, my dear miss, have saved my life. I would surely have starved there, trapped in that horrid net, were it not for your actions. Oh, allow me to introduce myself," he added, seeing the others. "I am Stephen Magnet. Adventurer, composer and tenor extraordinaire, and at the moment temporarily separated from my dear companion Cranky… he needed to make a trip to a desert settlement for a time, and needless to say, such an environment is not one I am suited to. And so I have waited here these last few months, waiting and watching for his return… when suddenly, that ghastly net came along and trapped me! I do so thank you again for freeing me, dear miss." He picked her up and cuddled her. "Now, is there anything I may do to thank you ladies for your much-needed aid?"

Marble blushed again. "We… need to get across the river," she admitted. "Could you..."

"It would be my honor to carry all of you across," the sea serpent said grandly. "All aboard, my ladies! Your chariot awaits!"

Twilight shook her head in amusement, and joined the others on his back. Very soon, they had made it across, and Stephen bid them all a fond farewell before swimming off.

"He was nice," Coco remarked.

"Eccentric too," Moondancer added. "But yes, he was nice."

Marble nodded. "I'm just glad I had my scissors," she said. "I knew I'd need them on this trip, but I didn't know exactly who for…"

Twilight gave her a curious look. "That's the second time you've had something we needed. Is this your 'sixth sense' in action?"

"Mm-hmm." Marble nodded. "Somehow, ever since Pinkie's first party, I always know what to do for others… before we left, I suddenly knew I'd need to cut something on our trip. And I did."

"That's amazing," Scootaloo told her, eyes wide.

"It certainly is," Twilight added. Then she quirked her head. "Did this… Marble Sense of yours tell you to be where you'd meet us?" she suddenly asked.

"No," Marble said. "But when my sister had to go to Canterlot for her meeting, I knew I had to be there too, just to keep her company. Even if she didn't act like she appreciated it. She never acts like she appreciates me… but I know she does. She just shows it differently."

"Hmm." Moondancer adjusted her glasses. "Well, that's a mystery for another time, I suppose."

"Right." Twilight looked ahead as they continued on. "I don't think we have much farther to go."

"Good," Coco said firmly. "The sooner we can get the sun back, the better. My family's trees depend on it."

Twilight looked at her curiously. "How'd you come to live with them, by the way? I know what you told Spike and I earlier, but…"

"Oh." Coco closed her eyes for a moment. "It's… kind of a long story. But it ties into yours, actually."

"How so?"

"Well… about ten years ago, Applejack was living in Manehatten with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. But then one day, she saw that same burst of light you described," Coco told them. "It was apparently headed for Ponyville, and she realized she belonged on the family farm. On her way out of town, she found me." She looked down. "I'd lost my own parents recently, and a couple of my classmates started bullying me for it. Applejack found me crying behind the school, and when I told her… well, she told me that she knew how I felt, and that if I ever needed a family, the Apples of Ponyville would always welcome me. Then we went back to the children's home I was staying at, and told her how she could reach me. She promised to come back as soon as possible."

"And she did?"

Coco nodded. "She and Granny came by just a week later, and talked to the people running the home. A few days later, we all went back to Ponyville, and I've been with them ever since. And I am not going to let them lose their orchards because of this," she added more forcefully. "I owe them everything."

"You'll get your chance very soon," Twilight told her. "There's the ruins."

The six mares looked up… and up… and up… to see an enormous castle.

"Well," Derpy managed. "Let's go in."

---

Carefully making their way through the halls of the castle, the group finally found their way to a large room, where two thrones sat at the far end. And in front of them were five stone orbs.

"The Elements!" Twilight gasped. "There they are!" Her face fell. "But… there's only five. Where's the other?"

"Nowhere!" boomed a loud voice suddenly. "Just as you all shall soon be." A cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared, reforming into Nightmare Moon. "My other half's dear sister failed, and you shall fare no better!"

"Other half…" Moondancer gasped. "You mean… of course!" She smacked a hoof against her face. "It all makes sense now! Princess Celestia is the elder sister from the legend! And you're the younger sister!"

"Exactly!" Nightmare Moon crowed. "But that knowledge will do you no good. None of your precious princesses were a match for me… and you are nothing compared to them. Not even that pink upstart who tried to help her dear auntie." She gave an evil grin, showing her fangs.

Twilight gasped in horror. "Cadance…"

"Yes," Nightmare Moon confirmed. "Oh, she's alive… but she should have known better than to try and stop me. You see, I am more than just an Alicorn… I am the Ruler of Shadows, the Queen of the Night! I am the darkness made flesh, through the pain and bitterness that dear, sweet, precious Princess Luna felt when ponies rejected her night… I came into her dreams, told her what I could do for her. She resisted me as much as she could, but in the end, I won. Just like I always do. Just like I do… NOW!" Rearing up, she slammed her hooves down on the orbs, shattering them.

Gasps of horror filled the room as the wicked Alicorn in front of them laughed maniacally. "Now, oh fools, you shall deal with me and all the powers of Erebus, the everlasting Darkness!"

But as she prepared to unleash a powerful attack, a voice spoke up, with a single word.

"No."

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened. "You dare…"

"Yeah, I dare," Scootaloo shot back as she stepped forward. "Elements or no Elements, we can still win!"

Derpy's eyes widened, then she smiled. "I'm with you."

"Same here," Moondancer added.

"And me too," Coco joined in.

"Mm-hmm."

"We're all in this together," Twilight added as she walked up to join them, a twinkle in her eye. "No matter what!"

"Little fools…" Nightmare Moon hissed. "Then die!"

The attack was released.

There was a flash of light…

And then Nightmare Moon actually stepped back in shock. "What… is happening!?"

Twilight grinned as shards of the stone orbs began orbiting the others. "The power of the Elements couldn't be broken," she said happily. "Because the power… was within us the whole time!"

"No…" Nightmare Moon gasped.

Twilight continued. "Moondancer, who is always straightforward and truthful, even when it comes to admitting the hard truths to herself and to others, represents the spirit of... Honesty!"

As the shards around Moondancer glowed, Twilight next pointed to Derpy. "Derpy Hooves, who took in her niece when she already had a child of her own to take care of. Who works hard to support both of them, gives them everything they need, in time and in love, and freely gives help to others as well, represents the spirit of... Generosity!"

Scootaloo grinned as the glow around her aunt brightened, and Twilight gazed at her next. "Scootaloo, who always acts to keep others happy and keeps them going, even when it looks like things are at their worst, represents the spirit of... Laughter!"

Then she turned to the shy Earth Pony mare. "Marble Pie, whose compassion and love for her family drives her to help out in any way she can, even if it's not obvious to them, represents the spirit of... Kindness!"

Marble's own smile brightened, and Twilight looked at the last of her companions. "Coco Pommel Apple, who has dedicated herself to her new family, and willingly risked her own life to save their livelihood, represents the spirit of... Loyalty!"

"But that's just five!" Nightmare Moon cried. "The sixth-"

"The sixth Element is mine." Twilight fixed a gaze on her. "The sixth element, summoned by a spark… but not just any spark. The spark of friendship that lies within all of us... the greatest Magic of all!"

With a flash, the shards reformed into five golden necklaces, each around the necks of their wearers. And a sixth, in the form of a tiara, appeared on Twilight's own head.

"Now, Nightmare Moon… it's time to end this, and free the princesses. All of them. Celestia, Cadance… and Luna!"

"No… Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" Nightmare Moon shrieked as a rainbow of magic encircled her, enveloping her in its power.

Then there was a tremendous explosion of light that swept outward, carrying shadows of dark magic with it.

And as the light faded, six mares looked forward to see a single, shorter mare in the center of the room. A mare with a horn and wings. Moaning, she looked up to see them, her eyes wide.

Stepping forward, Twilight smiled at her. "Welcome back, Princess Luna."

---

Edit, 04/05/17: Added a couple of words to one sentence to address reader concerns (from my reviewers on FIMFiction).