The camp was awakened by the sound of screams. Two monstrous beasts, one looking like a bipedal tiger, the other a huge minotaur, crashed through the camp, crushing and trampling several ponies.

"Damn! They found us!" Shining Armor swore, creating a shield to block a slash from the tiger. The tiger snarled before kicking out with its leg, trying to sweep out Shining Armor's feet from under him. The wily captain leaped above the sweep kick,drop kicking the tiger and knocking it to the floor. Before he could do much else, a powerful punch caught him in the side, sending Shining Armor backwards. The minotaur had come to help his buddy.

"Shining!" Babs yelped, deflecting a second punch from the minotaur with her brass horse shoes.

"Fall back! Tell Sweetie to get her Element going, now!" Shining barked out, receiving a chorus of "yes sir!" in response. Ponies cantered away from the two beasts, some falling to powerful horns or claws before they got behind a rocky outcropping, providing cover.

"Come, come out, uppity pony garbage!" the tiger mocked, not even chasing them behind the rocks. They could play with their prey a bit. The response was a blast of teal magic from behind the rocks, nicking the tiger's cheek and causing it to roar in rage.

"What's the hold up with Sweetie's magic?!" Shining snarled, looking back at their rear. Zecora and Sweetie were trying to get the Element to work, poking at the inset gem awkwardly.

"I-it doesn't work" Sweetie despaired, the tiara on her head remaining dull. How could she be so worthless, having the most powerful magic artifact and being unable to even use it to help her friends? Scootaloo did more work than her, kicking rocks and throwing insults at their foes.

"Come get us, furry bastard!" Scootaloo taunted, kicking a few more rocks at the beasts.

"Oh yeah?! You're furry too!" the minotaur snapped back, not caring that he sounded like a petulant child. Another rock brained him in the face and the minotaur gritted his teeth, ready to eat someone. "That's it, we're going to take out the tr-" he started before seeing a red flash zip across the sky. His eyes widened and he and his partner instantly bowed as the red flash landed right in front of them. A huge, red, winged, fire breathing dragon.

"Hehehe, time to play" the dragon chuckled, flexing her claws eagerly. Sweetie's eyes widened. That voice. That was THE dragon. The dragon who had smashed through Ponyville with Discord and Diamond Tiara. The dragon who had taken her parents and Applebloom from her.

"S-she's the reason they're gone. If it weren't for her, all my friends would be here" Sweetie hissed, the crown bursting to life, purple sparks shooting out of it. Before she could rush into the fray, a striped hoof stopped her.

"I know that you have power, but you do not yet have enough at this hour" Zecora cautioned, sensing that Sweetie needed just a bit more time to build up power. Sweetie clenched her teeth, but stood still

Meanwhile, the drake was cackling maniacally, flames bursting out of her mouth and slaughtering the ponies not protected enough by the outcrops.

"She's mine" Scootaloo smirked, drawing her sword and preparing to take down the dragon. Babs gawked at the pegasus, wondering if it was a joke or if her friend was serious. Taking on a dragon alone? Before Babs could protest, a purple blur flew past her, picking up Scootaloo. Babs coughed a bit from the kicked up dust, taking a look at the purple orb. So, Sweetie had finally gotten her act together. "Just in time Sweetie!" Scootaloo laughed, holding onto the magic orb with her hooves while her wings held her sword.

"What are they doing?" Shining Armor murmured, looking at their newest recruits as they went straight for the dragon. Before they could reach her, the minotaur swung his fists together in a double axe handle, trying to crush the bubble. Sweetie dodged around the punch, moving towards the dragon's nose. The dragon snarled angrily and began to open her mouth, preparing to breathe fire.

"Up!" Scootaloo ordered, snapping Sweetie out of looking at the glow of the dragon's mouth and making their shield burst upwards. By sheer luck, the tiger had been trying to hit them, resulting in it accidentally slashing the dragon's mouth and halting her fire.

"Sorry!" the tiger wailed, realizing he had hit his superior. The dragon merely screeched in pain, holding her cut nose and fell onto her back.

"Now!" Scootaloo yelled, leaping from the bubble and landing on the dragon's chest. "You're mine" she grinned, preparing to slam her sword through the soft underbelly.

"Get off of her!" the minotaur protested, trying to punch the intruder off. His fist came to crashing halt as it slammed against the lavender bubble.

"You won't lay a hand on her" Sweetie hissed from inside the bubble, the drill horn sprouting from the shield and into the minotaur's hand with a sickening squelch. The minotaur let out horrid bellows of pain, stumbling back and holding his ruined hand pitifully.

"Open up!" Scootaloo growled, driving her sword into the dragon's chest, making her screech and thrash, her black heart impaled on the blade. Scootaloo drove the blade further in before she heard a clang. "Eh?" she muttered, pulling out the sword and realizing it had hooked itself onto a small necklace. But not just any necklace, the red lightning bolt on it saw to it that no one would mistake it. "Oh yeah, I've got an Element too!" Scootaloo boasted, snapping the necklace onto her, posing proudly. Her shield didn't come forth. "Umm, it's not working" she grumbled, poking the necklace.

"They got Commander Guzacka! Stinking ponies, you'll pay for this!" the tiger roared, slashing Scootaloo with a blood stained claw. The only reason Scootaloo survived was a reflexive jump back, letting her lose only a notch of her ear. She didn't count of the tiger spinning around and kicking her away. "That was for the commander" the tiger hissed, rushing over to finish the job. Meanwhile, the minotaur held Sweetie's bubble in a bear hug, preparing to crush her.

"I'm sending you to the afterlife too, pipsqueak" he snarled, letting her go and using his good hand to toss her into Scootaloo, sending the two ponies rolling.

"Damn, what's wrong with this?" Scootaloo hissed, struggling to get to her hooves. She fell right back down when she saw what she was standing on. The remnants of an old cape. But not just any cape, Applebloom's cape. "Don't you dare do this again!" Scootaloo roared, the element surging to life with a red glow, giving her her own shield. It was fair bit larger than Sweetie's and shaped more like a pony, almost like a Russian Doll. The minotaur and tiger didn't notice, each one about to smash Sweetie Belle.

"End of the line, runt" they hissed in unison, preparing to kill the unicorn.

"Who the Hell do think I am?!" Scootaloo snapped, rushing forward, her avatar delivering a kick to the tiger, slamming him into his buddy. "Hands off Sweetie!" she screamed, delivering a brutal punch which actually lifted the beasts off the ground, smashing them into the rocky outcrops that the resistance had been using as cover. "Time to finish this" Scootaloo boasted, grabbing Sweetie's shield and tossing her at their foes.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" Sweetie protested as she was used as a living projectile, the drill horn impaling both the tiger and the minotaur in one fell swoop, killing them instantly.

"They won?!" Babs sputtered incredulously, looking at the carnage they had wreaked.

"Mhm, it seems that by channeling friendship, they can destroy even ships" Zecora noted. She chuckled a bit as she saw the two of them doing a small victory dance, holding hooves and dancing in a circle. "My, my, they are amusing. At least they haven't started to sing"

Shining Armor's eyes were narrowed, possibilities flying through his brain. They had used the Elements to concentrate friendship, but years ago, it was said that his sister had been able to channel it even without Elements. Perhaps the rest of the resistance could learn to channel without the Elements

Next Chapter: The First General Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes