Twilight seemed quiet for a time before her face lit up and looked at Applejack "I think I found something! Applejack, do you remember when you had to tell everypony that the tonic Granny bought from the Flim Flam brothers didn't really work?" She asked as she looked at the farm pony.

Applejack gave a small frown upon hearing this. "How could I forget? It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do." She replied as she recalled the event. "And in that moment, I knew I had to be honest. I just knew it. But what's that got to do with openin' the chest?" she asked curiously.

"I've found that each of you has had to face a situation where living up to the Element of Harmony you represent wasn't easy. Fluttershy, it was when you realized that the way to show kindness to the Breezies was by forcing them to leave your home." Twilight continued as she looked at the yellow Pegasus now.

"Oh, the looks on their poor little faces! But I knew that, as difficult as it was, pushing them away was the kindest thing I could do." Fluttershy replied with a saddened expression and sighed.

Before the Alicorn could continue however, Rarity Spoke. " I don't mean to cut you off darling but It's clear we've all had our moments to shine, Twilight, but I'm with Applejack. What does any of this have to do with the opening of the chest?" She asked as the distant rumble outside began to grow louder.

"All of you had tough choices to make. But when you made the right one and embraced your element, it helped somepony else make the right choice too. Each of you received something from the pony whose life you helped change. Based on what Discord said earlier, I'd bet my horn that there's something special about those objects. Did each one of you feel something strange when you were handed those objects? Like an inner self-revelation that the object you were just given meant more than it seemed?" Twilight asked curiously as she looked to each one of her friends.

"Now that ya mention it, Ah did feel somethin' about the coin that stallion gave me but Ah just figured it was the rush of the moment and dismissed it." Applejack recalled.

"I think I did too when coco handled me that string of yarn, but how could a simple piece of yarn be a key to a chest that obviously requires a key shaped object?" Rarity inquired curiously.

A loud rumbling outside caused Rainbow Dash to give a fearful glance towards the castle entrance before she turned back to the group. "I say we throw caution to the wind, grab those objects, shove them into the chest's keyholes and see what happens!" Rainbow Dash suggested eagerly.

"Ah'm with Rainbow on this one, we can't afford to be questionin' things when Tirek could be obliteratin' Ponyville as we speak!" Applejack chimed in upon hearing this.

"Th-That means we have to go out there… where Tirek is… and if he sees us… eep!" Fluttershy stuttered aloud until the terrifying image of what would happen shot into the already scared Pegasus's mind and caused her to let out a scared yelp as she hugged Discord tightly.

"No need." Discord replied confidently as he snapped his lion's paw only to recall his magic had been drained as well. "Oh...pooey!" He exclaimed with a scowl.

"We can't all go out there at the same time! We'll stand out like a sore hoof to Tirek! One of us needs to go out and get the objects while the rest stay behind. One pony is far less noticeable than six ponies, a dragon, plus a draconequus." Twilight stated simply.

"Well neither I nor Twilight could possibly do this, we lack our magic which would make getting to those houses a breeze." Rarity remarked aloud.

"Normally, I'd volunteer for a mission like this but thanks to Tirek I'm flightless." Rainbow Dash remarked with a scowl.

"And us earth ponies aren't nearly as spry as we usually are without our earth pony magic." Applejack added. "A Pegasus would be able to get to our homes faster, speakin' as they can fly." Applejack said aloud with a thoughtful glance.

"Out of the question!" Discord exclaimed suddenly which caused everypony to stare at him. "I know what you all are thinking and to put my dear Fluttershy is such danger after I went through the trouble to spare her and my unborn offspring being drained of all their magic, you are going to send her out there?!" Discord exclaimed with a glare at the six. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves! Considering sending a pregnant Pegasus out into such dangers!"

"Discord's right, we can't risk Fluttershy or her unborn foal getting hurt or worse, their magic drained as well." Twilight concurred and sighed. "I'll go."

"No offense Twi, but your sufferin' a double-handicap. Ya got no magic plus ya can't fly. At the very least, even though Ah'm not as spry as usual, Ah can still move fast enough since I'm used to doin' earth pony stuff which don't require magic anyhow." Applejack said as she stood up.

"No way, A-J! Did you forget I outran you during the running of the leaves without my wings?" Rainbow Dash stated as she stood up as well. "I'll go."

"What about me?! I know Ponyville like the back of my hoof!" Pinkie Pie interjected as the five began to argue amongst themselves as to who would be the one to go out and get the potential keys to the chest.

The five continued arguing completely unaware of the small voice that was easily drowned out by their loud bickering.

The feeble voice said once again but still was no heard over the five as Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to butt heads with one another as to who was faster.

Fluttershy shouted as loudly as she could which caused all five bickering mares to suddenly stop arguing and stare at her.

"Fluttershy, no! You can't possibly put you or our offspring at risk! Tirek has all the Alicorn magic in Equestria! If he spotted you, him draining your magic would be the least of my concerns!" Discord exclaimed as he ran over to Fluttershy and paced both hands on her shoulders looking her in the eyes with a very worried expression as he spoke.

"But their right. I'm the only pony who can do this because my Pegasus magic hasn't been drained. If I don't do it, then we might not get the keys in time to stop Tirek and save Ponyville!" Fluttershy replied using every fiber of her being to not chicken out of the idea altogether.

"Besides, Twilight's daughter is out there. Even if she were to find her, she has no magic or flight ability to protect Scootaloo with. I can only imagine how Twilight must be feeling right now." Fluttershy remarked as she looked over at Alicorn whose expression remained strait but even a blind mare could sense the underlying inner helplessness and worry the Alicorn was going through at the moment that she had not dared speak aloud.

For the first time in her whole life of knowing Fluttershy, as the she and Fluttershy looked at one another, a whole new world of understanding one another flourished through both of them. "Okay, let me write up a list of the objects." Twilight said after a brief amount of time after their simultaneous self-revelation.

"Ah'll find a saddle bag for her to carry the stuff in, there has to be at least one layin' around here somewhere." Applejack chimed in as she began to hunt around the room for the storage bag.

"Oh! I'll see if I can make another dangerous mission outfit for you out of the fabrics laying about!" Rarity chimed in as her face lit up with inspiration.

"Really, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked the unicorn skeptically.

"Oh come now, Rainbow Dash! Even in these dangerous times, fashion should not be ignored!" Rarity replied confidently as she looked about the room.

"Uh-huh, and how exactly do you plan on making her a full ensemble in the next ten minutes without magic?" Rainbow Dash continued, driving her point home at which point Rarity stopped in her tracks and frowned.

The frown lasted only mere seconds as the fashionista's determination returned. "I'll make do!" She exclaimed confidently as she rummaged through the fabrics laying about the castle floor and walls.

Rainbow Dash let out an agitated sigh before she allowed a grin to wash over her face. "Eh, need a helping hoof? I know I'm not the best pony to be offering to help with, ugh, fashion but I got nothing better to do!" Rainbow Dash offered as she followed the unicorn and began to help her rummage through the fabrics.

Rarity gave the cyan blue Pegasus an apprehensive look for a brief moment before she smiled back at her. "Of course, Rainbow Dash, any help would be appreciated." "Just,um, don't try to make anything without consulting me first." The white unicorn replied in a mildly nervous tone.

"Have you all lost your mind?! You're sending Fluttershy, a pregnant mare, out there!" Discord roared at the top of his lungs which caused everypony to stop what they were doing and stare at the draconequus.

"It's not like we like the idea but Fluttershy is the only one among us who hasn't had their magic drained." Twilight remarked with a frown.

"Besides, she said it herself that she wants to do it." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

If Discord had his magic right now, he would have most likely turned every single mare in the room other than Fluttershy into a donkey and conjured the word "Ass!" above their heads. However, since he didn't, the only thing the draconequus could do was stand in place and fume as each mare resumed preparing Fluttershy for her mission.

That is, until he felt a hoof placed on his lion's paw and looked down to see Fluttershy's while scared but still determined face smiling at him. "I know you don't like this idea-" She began to say only for the draconequus to interrupt her by exclaiming: "No, I don't dislike this idea, I hate it!"

"-but Twilight said it herself, I'm the only one who hasn't had their magic drained and even though I know I'm no where near as fast as Rainbow Dash or Twilight when they could fly, I'm the fastest pony in the room at the moment because I can fly." Fluttershy explained calmly despite Discord's interruption.

Discord's anger seemed to melt away as he looked into his lover's eyes and sighed. "Fluttershy, I can't lose you." He said softly as he placed his lion's paw on her cheek and rubbed it affectionately.

The yellow pegasus returned this display of affection with her own by putting her hoof on his lion's paw and rubbing it as she leaned her face against it. "You won't. I'll be back before you know it." She said confidently.

"Don't act so brave when we both know you're not." Discord replied softly as he leaned down and locked lips with the mare.

Fluttershy broke the kiss a good ten seconds later and frowned back at him. "I know I'm not. In fact, it's taking every ounce of courage I have not to back out of the idea." She replied softly as her hoof began to shake as Discord held it in his hands.

"Then back out! One of the others can run off and get the keys!" Discord replied hoping he could discourage his lover from going through with this.

Fluttershy took and deep breath and sighed aloud. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm even capable of being brave. I'm scared of my own shadow, dragon's terrify me, and the very thought of leaving my cottage without my friends or you at my side makes me freeze up if I think about it too much." Fluttershy began, took another deep breath, and continued. "But then I remember the times when I was brave and as scared as I was, I pushed on and in the end, everything turned out okay. And you know what helped me be brave?" She asked as if waiting for an answer from the draconequus only to continue a few moments later.

"My friends and you. It took my friends and you pushing me over and over for me to even summon up an ounce of courage." Fluttershy once again stopped speaking and took another deep breath before her expression went from scared to determined and even mildly frightening to the draconequus. "But now its my turn to be brave without my friends or you pushing me to be! If I can't summon up the courage to go through with this without a push, then how am I supposed to protect our son or daughter once they're born?!" Fluttershy exclaimed to which Discord placed his claw hand on her mane and stroked it.

"I will. You have my word, Fluttershy." Discord replied softly as he looked at her.

"But you won't always be around, Princess Celestia or Twilight may need you for something very important and it will be left to me to care for our foal. I need to be brave, for our foal… and for myself." Fluttershy said calmly as she turned to face their friends, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Is everything ready?"

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"Oh my, don't you look simply ravishing! I must say, given the limited materials I had to work with and being unable to use magic, this turned out much better than I thought it would!" Rarity beamed as she looked over Fluttershy who was now wearing what the unicorn had dubbed her "Super-Secret chest key recovery outfit" which consisted of dark blue fabric she had collected from the banners around the castle, a few gemstones brandished on the front in a circle pattern she had removed from a few book covers unknown to Twilight, and some bright red flair on each hoof.

"Really, Rarity? Ya sure these frilly things are a good idea? ya ever think she might trip over them?" Applejack asked skeptically as she looked at the bright red flair on each hoof.

"Erm, that would Rainbow Dash's addition, she insisted on it." Rarity remarked with a scowl.

"Hey, I had to add something to make this outfit look cool!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed defensively.

"It looks really nice, really it does." Fluttershy remarked though everypony in the room could see she was practically shaking from head to hooves.

"Are you really sure you want to go through with this? One of us can go instead you know." Twilight said in a concerned tone as she placed the saddlebag on Fluttershy's back.

"N-No. I said I would go and I can't back out now. I won't back out now!" Fluttershy exclaimed confidently though her body still shook with obvious fear.

"Well okay, if you're sure." Twilight replied though she still wondered if Fluttershy was really up for the task.

Fluttershy then turned to Discord whom still didn't like the idea of her going out alone one bit. "Are you sure about this? Maybe I should come with?" Discord suggested just before he leaned down and locked lips with the mare.

"No, Twilight already said that no more than one of us should go out there since it would attract the least amount of attention." Fluttershy replied after she broke the kiss.

The yellow Pegasus took a deep breath and lifted herself off the ground. "You can do this, Fluttershy." She said aloud softly to herself in an effort to boost her self-confidence and quell her fears somewhat.
With one last look to her friends and lover, she took a deep breath and thrust herself forward towards the door and through it leaving the safety of the castle. She was now high in the sky as she flew towards Ponyville which was quickly growing larger to her sight as she flew closer to the city.

It was then the yellow Pegasus's fears nearly vanished as she smiled. "Maybe this won't be as scary as I thought it would be." She remarked aloud as she turned to look to her left at which point the smile that was upon her face screamed in absolute terror and fled from her facial features leaving a terrified expression as her entire body quivered with fear.

Tirek's back was facing her and was less than a foot from her.

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Discord paced back and forth a crossed the room as the five mares did just about anything they could think of to distract themselves from the overwhelming worry for their friend's safety.

Twilight had picked up a random book and began to read it, even though her gaze shifted to the castle entrance every twenty seconds or so. Rainbow Dash lay on the floor and was pushing a piece of rubble back and forth between her front hooves.

Applejack had decided to take up fashioning herself another rope as she took leftovers from Rarity's earlier outfit creation and was tying each piece together at the ends to create a multicolored fabric style rope. Rarity herself was twiddling around with some of the banners she had grabbed earlier, sowing new patterns into them with other fabrics she had used earlier.

Pinkie pie seemed to look the least worried of the five as she balanced a book on her nose and counted quietly to herself as if seeing how long she could keep her stunt up.

"She's been gone too long! I'm going to look for her." Discord suddenly said which caused all five mares to look at him.

"She's been gone barely less than five minutes, Discord. Show a little more faith in your fillyfriend." Rainbow Dash remarked with a mildly annoyed expression as she looked up at the draconequus.

"I have all the faith in the world in my dear Fluttershy! It's Tirek I'm concerned about! If he sees her, he won't hesitate to…" Discord exclaimed as his facial features tensed up and wrung his hands.

This was a side of the draconequus that the five had never seen before. The normally calm, collective, and often smirking Discord, looking as far from the definition of the words as possible.
"Look, we're all worried about her but ya don't see me gallopin' out that door to go find her do ya?" Applejack stated simply.

"Of course not! You five are more than happy to put my poor Fluttershy in danger while you all sit here safe and sound!" Discord snapped at the five which caused all of them to glare back at the draconequus.

Upon hearing this, the farm mare walked up to Discord, turned about face, and bucked him hard in the mid-section which knocked him to the floor, climbed on top of him, and slapped him a crossed the face with her hoof. "Now listen here ya low-down varmint! The only reason Ah ain't trottin' out that there door to go and help my friend is because Ah trust her with mah life! Ya don't think Ah wanted to talk her out of trottin' out that door?! Ya don't think Ah tried?! Or everypony else in this room tried to talk her out of it?!" Applejack shouted into the draconequus's face so fiercely that one might think it would feel like a sixty mile per hour gust of wind, blasting Discord in the face with each word the farm mare shouted.

"Yer worried about her, Ah get it! We all get it! But don't think for one second that each and every one of us ain't fightin' the urge to go running that door after her, because Ah'd bet mah farm that every single one of us is!" Applejack finished, hopped off the draconequus, and trotted away silently as she resumed tying the pieces of fabric together to make a rope out of the fabric.

If there was such a thing as humble pie, Discord just got the whole thing shoved down his throat in one painful gulp as he sat in place for a short time feeling guilty over the fact he had just called the only ponies who ever tried to give him friendship, cowards. After what seemed to be a long silence between the seven, Discord finally spoke. "I-I'm sorry, everypony. I had no right to say what I said." Discord apologized and lowered his head in shame as he covered his face with both hands.

The draconequus however felt a hoof placed on his shoulder, looked up, and saw Rainbow Dash's smiling face. "Don't sweat it! We forgive you, isn't that right girls?" Rainbow Dash said aloud as she looked to her friends who Discord realized were all smiling at him with the exception of Applejack whom was still fumbling around with her rope.

"That's up for debate." Applejack remarked sourly.

"Oh come on, Applejack! You said it yourself! We're all worried about Fluttershy! Cut the guy some slack!" Rainbow Dash protested to the earth pony's remark.

Applejack was silent for a short time before a loud and long sigh was heard being exhaled from the farm mare as she turned around and smiled at the draconequus. "Alright, Alright! Ah forgive ya. Wouldn't be much of a friend if Ah didn't." She said with a smirk.

"That's right. We're all friends here and friends forgive each other." Twilight spoke up now as she walked over to Discord and placed a hoof on his other shoulder. "Even if some friends can be a royal pain in the flank at times." She added cheekily with a chessy smirk.

"Thank you. I truly don't deserve such friends." Discord remarked aloud as a tear streaked down his left cheek only to wipe it away with his claw hand.

"Well, you got us! Sure you started out as a meanie-pants but now you're one of the good guys!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a wide grin.

"And yer stuck with us!" Applejack added with a big smirk that couldn't get any wider if it tried.

Discord chuckled at this remark. "The god of chaos and disharmony being best friends with the elements of harmony. I can't think of a bigger irony then that, can you?" Discord quipped with a smirk only to frown a few moments later. "I just wish Fluttershy was here to see this." he added a sighed aloud.

"Don't you worry yer head about her, she'll be back anytime now Ah'm sure!" Applejack reassured the draconequus though she herself still didn't quite believe her own words as she gave a short worried glance at the castle door before forcing a smile back onto her face as she looked back at Discord.

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Fluttershy sat against the wall of a home, shaking from head to hoof as Tirek trampled past it. "He-He-He almost saw me!" She thought to herself fearfully as she recalled what happened merely five minutes ago.

Fluttershy froze mid-air as she gawked in terror of the fearful centaur less than a foot from where she hovered. In fact, it was a miracle in itself that the quivering Pegasus managed to stay airborne at all though Fluttershy could have swore she had just emptied the contents of her bladder on the spot as she continued to stare at Tirek's huge back, frozen in fear.

It was then that the back of the huge creature began to move and the yellow Pegasus immediately realized he was turning around. The mare slammed a hoof over her mouth as a fearful squeak threatened to emit from her mouth and dived behind the closest building she saw.

Fluttershy continued to sit in place, shaking from head to hoof. "I can't do this, I can't do this!" She repeated to herself softly over and over as tears streamed down her eyes.

"Fluttershy?" A voice asked aloud which caused the yellow Pegasus to let out a terrified scream which was muffled almost immediately by a small orange hoof. "Quiet! Or do you want that overgrown bull to hear us?!" The voice exclaimed in a hushed whisper which caused Fluttershy to look down and see that it was Scootaloo whom had silenced her.

Once Scootaloo was sure that the mare wouldn't cry out anymore, she removed her hoof from Fluttershy's mouth and gave a worried glance skyward before letting out a relieved sigh. "That was too close!" she remarked softly as to keep her voice down.

"Wh-What are you doing out here?" Fluttershy managed to squeak out even though she was still recovering from the scare the filly had given her.

"I could ask you the same question!" Scootaloo countered and sighed. "After Princess Twilight told me to find a safe place to stay, I first thought of the clubhouse but then on my way there, Miss Cheerilee flagged me down and told me to hide with her and the class of fillies she was with at the time." Scootaloo began and sighed aloud.

"But I couldn't stop thinking about Princess Twilight. She was out there fighting and I wanted to do something to help her! Before I could even find her though, that big guy suddenly erupted from the trees outside of Ponyville like he just drank fifty gallons of a growth potion Applebloom had made during our 'Twilight Time'!" Scootaloo continued and stopped to take a few breaths before she continued speaking. "I knew he could see me if I stayed in the open to I ducked behind a house and have been looking for Princess Twilight whenever he wasn't looking at Ponyville which hasn't been very often." Scootaloo finished. "So why are you out here?"

Fluttershy hesitated to reply at first but eventually answered the young filly and told her what she was looking for, why she was the only one who could do it, and why she was hiding behind the house.

"He got that big by draining Princess Twilight's Alicorn magic?!" Scootaloo exclaimed aloud in shock only to slam both hooves over her mouth and give a fearful glance at Tirek whom seemed to not have noticed her outburst. Once she was sure Tirek hadn't noticed them, she spoke once more. "Well, I can help! Just tell me what we're looking for and I'll help search." Scootaloo offered with an eager smile.

"Oh, no,no! I couldn't possibly endanger you like that! You should head back to Miss Cheerilee and leave this to me!" Fluttershy replied as she forced herself to all four hooves and gave the filly a fake brave expression.

"Oh come on! You're so scared right now that you can barely stand, let alone fly! You need my help and you know it!" Scootaloo protested with a defiant expression.

Once again, Fluttershy hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to put Scootaloo in danger. For starters, Twilight might ring her neck if she found out, and for another thing, she volunteered for this. In her mind, accepting help was the same as chickening out of the mission altogether. "I-I…" She began to say only to trail off.

"Hey, you're scared, so am I but if we work together, then we can find the stuff twice as fast as you would alone, right?" Scootaloo added with yet another eager smile.

"Well yes but…" Fluttershy began only to trail off once more.

"Hey, let me tell you something, something I've only told Rainbow and one other pony." Scootaloo began. "Back when I went camping with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, and Applebloom, Rainbow Dash told some really scary campfire stories and boy, did they give me nightmares!" Scootaloo continued, shuddering slightly at the memory. "But the nightmares were just small fry compared to what scared me the most." Scootaloo once again stopped to take a few breaths before continuing. "What scared me the most was looking like a scaredy-cat in front of my idol! So I acted like the stories didn't scare me but then the nightmares got really bad, so bad that I couldn't sleep!" Scootaloo stopped once again to allow Fluttershy to take in what she had said so far and continued a few moments later.

"But then, when my nightmares were at their worst, Princess Luna appeared! She told me…" She began to say as she recalled the memory aloud.

Everypony has fears, Scootaloo. Everypony must face them in their own way. But they must be faced, or the nightmares will continue.

"So yeah, long story short, I learned that by admitting I was scared of looking like a wimp in front of my idol, I was able to overcome my fears." Scootaloo finished.

"But what does this have to do with-"

"I'm getting to that!" Scootaloo interjected, cutting the Pegasus off. "You don't have to act brave in front of me just because I'm a filly! Its okay to ask for help, especially when you know you need it. That's what friends are for!" Scootaloo explained with a wide smile. "So, we going to get those things you need to find or what?"

Fluttershy took a deep breath and gave the filly and sheepish smile.

-------------------------------------------

"She's been gone for nearly a hour! I'm going to look for her." Discord said aloud as he stood up only for Applejack to step in his way. "Don't try to stop me!" He exclaimed fiercely.

"Ah can't let ya go out there." Applejack replied with a stern expression before she allowed a smile to wash over her face. "Not alone anyways." She added smirking at the draconequus.

"I think we all should go." Twilight added as she walked up to the farm pony and draconequus along with the other mares.

"I knew we shouldn't have sent poor Fluttershy out there alone! The poor dear is most likely shivering in terror behind a house somewhere!" Rarity added as she walked up to the group.

"Or maybe she just got back with those things you all needed!" A voice exclaimed at which point every head turned to the entrance to see Fluttershy and Scootaloo walking in.

"Fluttershy!" The five exclaimed simultaneously as they ran up to her followed closely by Discord.

"Land sakes, Fluttershy! You all had us plum worried sick about ya!" Applejack exclaimed as she hugged the Pegasus.

"Say, why is the squirt with her?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously which snapped everypony's attention to Scootaloo.

Upon hearing this, Fluttershy spoke. "She found me scared out of my mind behind a house. she offered to help me find the objects and even gave me the confidence boost I needed to move my hooves. Why, I don't know what I would have done without her help." Fluttershy praised the filly which caused Scootaloo to blush bashfully.

"I didn't do much except give her the same kind of pep talk Rainbow Dash gave me really." Scootaloo admitted modestly.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short squirt! You heard Fluttershy, without you she would still be cowering behind a house right now!" Rainbow Dash said proudly as she patted the filly on the head with a wide smile.

"Really?!" Scootaloo exclaimed as her eyes lit up looking at her idol.

"Ya heard her didn't ya?" Applejack replied with a smile at the young Pegasus whom jumped in the air with her wings buzzing with a small cheer.

"So does that make me like a hero or something?" Scootaloo asked hopefully only for the cyan blue Pegasus to ruffle up her mane and chuckle at her.

"Don't push it, squirt." She remarked with a grin to which Scootaloo giggled at.

"Almost immediately after this however, the young filly felt herself scooped up into the hooves of none other than Twilight whom hugged her tightly before placing her back on the floor. "What were you thinking?! I told you to find a safe place to hide!" Twilight exclaimed in a stern tone.

"Hey, lay off her. She did a-" Rainbow Dash began to say only to give the cyan blue Pegasus a glare that said four words "STAY OUT OF IT!" at which point Rainbow Dash stopped mid-sentence and slunk back.

"Come on y'all, let's get the stuff out of the saddle bags so we can make sure they're the right stuff and let Twilight have a talk with her… erm, student." The farm mare was going to say daughter but thought twice about saying the word mid-sentence, instead saying what she had aloud.

The group then walked to the other side of the room, giving Twilight and Scootaloo the alone time they obviously needed. "Now then, what do you have to say for yourself young filly?!" Twilight exclaimed sternly.

"I was only doing what I thought was right! I couldn't just leave Fluttershy there, I knew she was scared and needed my help!" Scootaloo defended with a defiant stare.

"Fluttershy may have trouble summoning up the courage during dangerous times but she would have pulled through! She's braver and stronger than you think! Besides, by running along with her, you put both yourself and her in increased danger of Tirek seeing you both!" Twilight exclaimed maintaining her stern gaze and tone.

Upon hearing this, the young filly let out a sigh. "I guess you're right but I would be going against everything you've taught me about being a good friend if I didn't! Besides, the only reason I was out there to begin with was because I was worried about you…." Scootaloo said as she looked down before she gave the Alicorn a knowing look. "Mom..." she added which caused the Alicorn to be taken back suddenly.

"H-How did you…?" Twilight stuttered out, clearly having no idea how to reply to such a sudden statement from her daughter who she thought had no idea up till this point. That is until it dawned on her that the filly caught on from the moment she had said what she had when she had shielded the filly from the blast at which point she sighed and smiled. "Can't put anything past you, can I?" She said softly.

"Nope! I'm sharp as a tack! I think I get that from you." Scootaloo replied with a smirk at which point both ponies burst out laughing simultaneously. "But I gotta know, why did you give me up? Didn't you want me?" Scootaloo asked suddenly with a frown.

Upon hearing this, Twilight bit her lower lip with a frown. This was the moment she had been dreading from the moment she found out she was Scootaloo's mother. "It's not that I didn't want you…" Twilight began to say as she placed a hoof on Scootaloo's cheek and sighed. "It was just that-"

"Uh,Twi, as much as Ah'd hate to break up this delicate moment between you two, we got a big problem hangin' just outside and he looks like he's targettin' the Tree Of Harmony!" Applejack exclaimed in a panicked tone.

With one last worried look, Twilight brushed her hoof along Scootaloo's face gently before she rushed over to the others.

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The group rushed outside and to the chest that lay near The Of Harmony, gave one fearful look up at Tirek, and looked back at the chest, each one with the object they were given in hoof. "How do we put them in?!" Rarity asked in a semi-panicked tone.

Pinkie Pie then began to shake the rubber chicken that Cheese Sandwich had given her shouting: "Come on, Boneless! Give us that key!"

Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a mildly confused expression. "I don't think that's going to work." She remarked skeptically.

Suddenly, the rubber chicken managed to fly from Pinkie Pie's mouth and land smack dab on the chest at which point a magical light surrounded the object and before everypony's eyes morphed into a key which promptly inserted itself into its respective keyhole must to the astonishment of the six whom gasped in surprise.

With one glance at each other, the other five mares approached the chest and placed each object against the chest which instantly morphed into keys as Boneless had and inserted themselves into their respective keyholes.

Twilight gave one last fearful glance up to Tirek whom had clearly seen them now. "Together! I think we have to do this together!" She exclaimed at which point all six mares placed their hooves on each of their keys and turned them at the same time.

Suddenly a rainbow colored light short forth from the top of the chest, landed on the heart of the tree of harmony, and began to stream out in different directions to each limb of the tree which depicted the symbol of each mare's respective element. Once the light had touched all six symbols, it flashed brightly with a blinding rainbow colored light.

The six mares suddenly found themselves covered in a rainbow colored beam of light until Twilight looked up and smiled proudly. What happened next was a complete shock for Discord, Scootaloo, and Spike as the six mares seemingly were absorbed into the chest and at once the rainbow colored light erupted from the chest revealing each pony covered from head to hoof in a display of brilliant colors.

The orb of light slowly rose up until it was eye-level with Tirek whom immediately charged up a magical blast and fired it at the six but he may as well have throw pebbles at the orb which held the six mares as the blast had absolutely no effort on them.

"How is this possible?! You have no magic!" Tirek roared in disbelief as he glared at the six.

"You're wrong, Tirek! I may have given you my Alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!" Twilight exclaimed triumphantly at which point one beam of rainbow colored light struck the Centaur, then another, and another, until six beams of rainbow colored light struck him individually at first but soon combined their power into one fierce magical beam of rainbow colored light.

Tirek gave a pain scream as he felt every ounce of magic he had drained from countless helpless ponies suddenly being stripped from his being which caused him to shrink until he soon was reverted into his weakest form and was promptly sealed within Tartarus.

The ball of magical light that held the six suddenly began to raise farther and farther into the sky until it exploded into a shockwave of rainbow light that covered all of Equestria, returning to every pony the magic that was stolen from them.

The six mares returned to the tree of harmony expecting it's purpose to be over only to be in for yet another shock as the tree itself seemed to explode with magic and erupt a rainbow colored beam from itself to the very outskirts of Ponyville. The chest then began to float up into the beam of light, traveled along it and seemed to plant itself into the ground.

The six mares, Discord, plus Spike and Scootaloo rushed to the source of the rainbow colored light only to stare in astonishment as the ground before seemed to crack and fissure and a crystal castle erupted and stood before them a few moments later.

"Sweet Celestia! Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?" Rarity exclaimed in shock as she stared on in wonder of the castle.

"But... whose is it?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I believe it is yours, Princess Twilight." Celestia's voice suddenly spoke up from behind the group.

"Mine?! But how?! Why?!" Twilight sputtered out.

"There is no easy answer for that, Princess Twilight." Celestia replied simply. "But let me ask you something. You've been wondering what you are meant to do as a princess. Do you know now?" The Alicorn asked with a knowing look.

Twilight gave a thoughtful glance before she spoke. "As princess, I believe I have the power to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria. That is the role I am meant to have in our world! The role I choose to have! But I didn't defeat Tirek on my own – it took all of us to unlock the chest!" Twilight replied proudly as the group walked through the castle halls.

"Then it is unlikely you are meant to take on this task alone." Celestia replied as she opened a door to their left revealing a room with six thrones, and a table in the middle. "You are now Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. But what is the princess of friendship without her friends?" Celestia remarked aloud as she motioned to her friends.

"Wait a minute, where's my throne?!" Discord exclaimed with a disappointed expression.

"We'll see about getting one for you later, okay?" Fluttershy said sweetly as she nuzzled the draconequus's cheek affectionately.

It was then that Discord approached the regal sister with a less than enthused expression. "It seems your plan went off without a hitch, your highness." He remarked sourly.

"I do not think this is the best time to be discussing this Discord. " Celestia hissed silently with a glare the draconequus.

"Oh, don't worry about that. He already told us everything." Rainbow Dash remarked sourly as she looked over at the Alicorn with a mild glare having overheard their whispers.

Princess Celestia suddenly found herself under the disapproving glare of the six elements of harmony with Fluttershy looking as if she was ready to throttle the Alicorn. In fact, if the yellow Pegasus could glare daggers at the regal sister anymore, one might think real daggers would seemingly manifest from nowhere and jet into the Alicorn's skull.

Twilight however sighed. "We should probably let her off the hook this time, if she knew this was going to happen, she most likely had our best intentions at heart. After all, what friends would we be if we didn't forgive her." Twilight remarked aloud though she only managed a half smile as she spoke now.

"Suppose ya got a point thar, Twi." Applejack replied and sighed. "Ah say we all take a tour of the castle! Who knows what else is in here!" Applejack exclaimed excitely.

The other four glared at the regal sister a few moments longer before giving murmurs of agreement and quickly began to follow the farm pony along with Scootaloo whom was all too eager to be the first to see around the new castle.

"The other matter between us however…" Twilight said suddenly once the other six left the room, her expression suddenly returning to its grudgeful state. "Is far from settled." She finished and left the Alicorn alone with her sister, Cadence, and Discord.

One the Alicorn left the room, Celestia turned her gaze to Discord with a extremely pissed off expression. "You best thank the stars above that things turned out the way they had! You risked the future of Equestria by-" Celestia began to rant on only for Discord's expression to turn foul as he snapped his finger which promptly yanked Celestia's mouth from her face, deposited it into what looked like a wastebin from a computer, and deposited it into the can before disappearing.

"No, Celestia. You best thank the stars above that things turned out the way they had." Discord remarked with a threatening glare. "You neglected to tell me what would happen to not only me but my friends as well! Fluttershy was forced into perilous danger, and a young filly was also put in grave danger because you told me to play my part!" Discord exclaimed as his entire body shook. It was obvious he was restraining himself from doing far worse than simply removing Celestia's mouth from existence. "All Fluttershy needed to say was the word and I wouldn't have hesitated to inflict whatever punishment she saw fit for what you put not only me and her through but our unborn son or daughter as well!" Discord continued which caused all three Alicorn's eyes to widen in surprise at the revelation.

"This is the last time I play by your rules, Celestia." Discord finished, snapped his finger and in a flash of magic, Celestia's mouth reappeared on her face and the draconequus had disappeared from sight, no doubt rejoining his lover wherever she may be in the castle at the present time.

"Sister, what was he speaking of?" Luna asked with a suspicious look at her older sister.

Celestia merely let out a long sigh and placed a hoof on her forehead before she looked at the other two princesses. "I'll explain back in Canterlot. For now, I think it may be wise to leave the princess of friendship with her friends." Celestia replied and in a flash of magic disappeared.

The two other Alicorns looked at one another with a curious look before doing the same.

Author's Notes:

NOT OVER YET!!!!