The silence that reigned in the Golden Oaks Library, was only broken by the ticking of the clock able the doorway entrance to its interior. No sound could be heard from within the treehouse, not even the sound of ponies talking could be heard, since there was none in inside at all. Nothing except the sounds of screaming and roaring fire coming from outside the treehouse could be heard. That was soon broken by the sound of echoing magic making itself known inside of the library, followed by it popping moments later. All at once, ten ponies, even of them mares, one a stallion, and the last one an alicorn, appeared inside of the library. Most of them looked winded, evidenced by the fact that six of them looked ready to pass out right there. The last three on the other hoof, the alicorn included, didn’t look to be bothered, but it was not the reason for why they looked to be so distressed.

“Oh fuck, that was one hell of a teleportation spell.” Rainbow Dash gagged, stumbling about as she tried to keep herself form throwing up. “Had I known that it was going to do this to me, I would’ve just opted to fly over here instead.”

“If we let you do that, Twilight wouldn’t have been able to let us all in.” Fluttershy pointed out, using a foreleg to support the other pegasus. “Plus, more time would’ve been wasted trying to come up with a plan to get our sisters back from Nightmare Moon.”

“Ah honestly feel like we’re wastin’ time doin’ this in th’ first place. Ah jus’ wanna go t’ wherever Nightmare Moon is an’ burn her fuckin’ hide for takin’ mah sister.” Applejack grunted, lashing her tail out as it smacked the ground. “Still, if it’ll help us in defeatin’ that mare, then Ah’m jus’ gonna have t’ like it an’ love it. An’ ‘sides, we’ll be able t’ git her faster th’ sooner we git this explanation over with.”

“As much as I feel the same way as you, I’m afraid that we may want to refrain on that Applejack.” Rarity said. “Like Fluttershy said earlier, we can’t afford to be freaking out at a time like this. The best solution is to come up with a plan that will help us in what we’re so anxious to do.”

“You just said what I was about to say Rarity.” Twilight commented, holding Spike with one foreleg as they sat on the floor together. Rarity blushed and was about to apologize, but the other unicorn spoke up again. “Though I do agree with you, so…thanks for speaking up for me I guess.”

“T-thank you for getting us out of there Queen Celly.” Pinkie said, her voice gaining some its cheer back, but not entirely. “I really thought that we were going to be cooped up in there forever. You know, with a super-duper scary scare like that, the last thing I want is to be anywhere near the place where I got that jump scare.”

“Yes, I too am still a bit shaken up by what happened. However, I believe I’ve collected myself enough to explain.” Celestia replied gently, giving the party pony a sympathetic smile. She let out a deep sigh, before slowly sitting herself down on her haunches. “Now before I begin, let me ask you all something…how many of you know the tale of the Mare in the Moon?”

“The tale of the Mare in the Moon?” Applejack repeated quizzically. “What the hay kind of story is that?”

“It’s the ancient tale that dates back to the earlier centuries of the Duo Queen’s rule.” Goku answered, her academic side kicking. “Me, Snowflake, Midnight, and Twilight used to read it sometimes whenever we went to the Canterlot Library when we were fillies.”

“Yeah, it tells of how a mare named Nightmare Moon had threatened to overthrow Celestia and shroud Equestria into everlasting darkness.” Twilight added, memories of the story flashing back into her mind. “Along with Queen Celestia was able to defeat her and bring peace to Equestria once more.”

“Seriously?” Applejack asked, blinking a few times as her thoughts went back to Celestia getting stabbed so quickly and brutally. “Did that really happen t’ th’ Queen?”

“Yes Applejack, everything that Twilight and Goku have read about the story of the Mare on the Moon was true.” Celestia nodded to the farmer. “However, there is one detail that was left out form it. One that I believe will give you all a better understanding of what’s going on.”

“Well, what the hell is it?” Rainbow Dash said impatiently. “If you know why that freak came here and tried to bury everypony in the Town Hall alive, then just come out and say it already!”

“Rainbow! Don’t be so rude to the Queen!” Fluttershy scolded firmly. “We all want to know more about this, but we’re not going to get anywhere if we keep pressuring the Queen! Now sit down, take a breath, and calm down. You will get your answers if you just be patient, alright?”

Rainbow recoiled at the stern glare given to her by the gentle pegasus, seeing a faint flash of orange dance about her eyes. After a moment, she let out a sigh as she sat on her rump, crossing her forehooves as she furrowed her brows. “Fine…”

“Thank you.” Fluttershy said softly, before turning back to the Queen. “I’m sorry about Rainbow Dash your majesty, she’s just a little stressed at the moment.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for Fluttershy; I wouldn’t expect any of you to not at least be somewhat anxious and stressed out by something like this.” Celestia replied, giving both mares a forgiving smile. “Now, I’m guessing you all know that I’m known as the only the ruler of Equestria, and the raiser of both the sun and the moon, correct?” At almost everypony’s nod, minus Twilight and the thestral, she let out another breath and said, “Well, that’s not entirely true…at least not the last part.”

“What do you mean, Queen Celly?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently, her sadness and fear giving way to inquisitiveness. “You’re the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! You have the power to raise the sun and the moon all on your own! How can anypony else accomplish something like that?!”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Pinkie Pie has a point; fer as long as me, mah brother an’ sisters can remember, th’ only one Alicorn who’s ever been known t’ do that is you.” She scratched the back of her head as she let out a sigh. “No offense, but Ah have a real hard time believin’ that anypony other than you can do somethin’ like that.”

“I’m not surprised that you think that, Ms. Applejack. Due to how long I’ve ruled Equestria on my own, it would only make sense that ponies would find it hard to accept that there was another pony just as powerful as me.” Celestia nodded. “The sad truth is, there was, and still is, another pony who is on par with my strength. Somepony that I failed to save a long time ago.”

“Whatever do you mean, your highness?” Rarity asked perplexedly with a tilt of her head. “Who could you have possibly failed to save during your extended reign?”

“While it is true that I did raise the Sun and the Moon for over a millennium, at the same time, I wasn’t the only one to do so. Nor was I the only ruler of Equestria since the first day it happened.” Celestia explained, gaining everypony’s attention. “For those of you who don’t know, before I stepped up and took my title as Queen, I had a sister.”

A quiet gasp escaped Fluttershy as her left forehoof lifted off the ground to cover her mouth, her teal eyes widening in shock. Most of her friends weren’t that far behind her, letting out gasps of their own while their jaws dropped. The only ones who didn’t seem shocked were Twilight, Goku, her sisters, and Spike, though even he hd a look of surprised realization on his scaly voice. Celestia noticed this, but before she could question the colt on his lack of shock, Rarity broke the silence.

“I…I’m sorry your majesty. I’m not sure if I heard you right.” She stuttered, regaining her composure after a few seconds. “I could’ve sworn that you just said that you had…a sister.”

“That’s exactly what I said.” Celestia said softly, never once losing her composure. “I had, and still have, in a way, a sister. Going by the name of Luna Nightstalker, the Goddess of the Moon, Protector of Dreams, and Slayer of Nightmares.” Celestia’s eyes closed for a moment, her face becoming somewhat hopeful. “Perhaps if things go as planned tonight, you all may be able to meet her and possibly become friends. Although, you may be quite shocked by why she was banished, and how Nightmare Moon came to be.”

Twilight’s lips pursed in preparation. ‘Here we go…’

“For the last few millennia or so, Luna and I were the ones to rule all of Equestria, keeping any enemy forces from trying to take over the land. As the Queen of the Sun and the ruler of the day, I was in charge of watching over the ponies during the day. While Luna, being the Queen of the Moon and ruler of the night was in charge of watching over the ponies in the realm of dreams.” Celestia said, pointing to the sun symbol on her flank. “Luna and I were both quite efficient in doing these tasks, and sometimes we even took the liberty of doing each other’s royal duties if the other was not able to. There were many trials ahead, and many foes that we had to defeat to make it to where we did. We even felt like we couldn’t continue on, me being the main one; you do tend to think that after a whole three thousand years of ruling.”

She gave a chuckle at these words, followed by the other mares. “Despite our doubts and insecurities, we managed to push through, creating a land of true peace and harmony. We loved our subjects, and they loved us, and for a time, life was perfect. So much that my sister and I didn’t think that it could get any better.” Her smile slowly fell. “Alas, it was not meant to last forever, for darkness came and reared its hideous head once again, coming in the form of my own subjects.”

“Your own subjects?” Applejack asked, taken a back a bit. “What do ya mean by that, your highness?”

“As I have said before, thanks to the many victories we’ve gained, the ponies of Equestria looked to us for protection and guidance. They loved us more than anypony that they’ve ever meet in their own lifetimes.” Celestia explained, looking over at the farmer. “However, there were some who loved one Queen more than the other, possibly a bit too much.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Why is that your majesty?”

“For as long as I can remember, all the ponies of Equestria have loved one part of our roles more than the other. While they basked in the day, they despised my dear sister’s beautiful night. Never once did they stay up to see the moon, or the stars she brought out when the night began.” Celestia said, looking out the window. “Because of this, my sister felt that she was not loved, even with both of us working together to make Equestria into what it is today.”

“Oh my goodness…that sounds positively dreadful.” Rarity said gravelly. “I’m assuming that didn’t bode well with your poor sister.”

“Yes. It also didn’t help that there were ponies whispering behind her back about her, even when they knew she could hear them.” Celestia said, pain flashing gin her eyes. “They saw her as somepony not worthy of being called a Queen, since they usually didn’t see her unless she was with me. They called her a monster, a menace, an unholy manifestation of an equine, every vile thing you can think of…both to her and her guards” Her eyes as her brows furrowed, her voice had a slight undertone of darkness. “Some even said how she was a demon from Tartarus working in the shadows, planning to overthrow me. With her, “abomination of guards”, by her side, so she could take the throne for herself as the only Queen in Equestria.”

Everypony, safe for the thestral trio, all let out shocked gasps, their eyes going wide at this revelation. She could practically feel the disbelief and horror radiating off of them thanks to their combined magic, due to them all being in the same room. For a few moments, none of them spoke, silently taking in what the Queen had said to them about how her sister was treated by their subjects. When the information finally sunk in, a soft and timid voice spoke up to express their horror.

“I…I can’t believe it. All those ponies, they really said all those horrible things about Q-Queen Luna?!” Fluttershy asked disbelievingly. “T-that’s just so…so horrible! Why would anypony say something so cruel?!”

"Yeah! It's not like Queen Luna did anything to them. She didn’t give them any fucking reason to be afraid of her!" Rainbow Dash shouted indignantly with a stomp of a hoof as she snorted through their nostrils. "What the hell gives them the fucking right to treat to her like that?!"

“They were afraid of her, simple as that.” Celestia replied simply. “Ponies fear thins that they cannot understand, and can act on that fear in many ways. My sister just so happened to be the victim of it, and what came along with it. It ate away at her, tore at her heart, and caused her so much pain. It soon came to the point where she practically shut herself out from the world and everypony in it. Every time me, or anypony tried to help, she would push them away and demand them to leave her alone. It went on for months on end, with no stop in sight. I didn’t think that it could get any worse than that.” Her face suddenly darkened again, causing Twilight and a few of her friends to take a few steps back. “That is until it appeared…the foul creature, the Miasma.”

“Miasma?” Rarity asked, tilting her head to the sight. “Your majesty, if I may ask, what is this…Miasma?”

“I-it’s not exactly a what, Rarity. Twilight said softly. “I-it’s more of a who.”

“You know what this Nightmare thing is, Twi?” Applejack asked. “Can ya tell us what ya know about it?”

“Miasma is known to have a form just like that of a pony, having the abilities of all three pony tribes.” Spike explained, a light shiver going down his spine as she hugged herself. “The reason she’s called a nightmare, is for a much more…well, scarier reason.”

“Miasma is known to draw power and feed off of the negative emotions of ponies. Ones like anger, hatred, sadness, depression, and jealously. All those types of emotions and more.” Twilight said quietly. “In other words, the stronger those emotions are, the more powerful it becomes. It continues to feed off of the pony that’s suffering and being tormented by those same emotions, until their nothing more than a shell of their former shelves.” She looked at each of her friends, letting them see the seriousness in her indigo eyes. “However, there’s still one more thing that Miasma needs to do to become completely whole."

“W-what’s that?” Pinkie asked, afraid of what she was going to hear. “W-w-what else d-does she n-need.”

“In order to reach the full height of her power, she needs the body of the pony she’s trying to take control of." Spike explained. "So, she tries to coax them into letting her use their body, filling their minds with lies, false promises that their pain will stop.”

“After that, the victim is no more.” Twilight concluded, her mane shadowing her eyes. “They’ll be forever lost in the very darkness that they gave into, while Miasma uses their body how they see fit.”

The sound of most of the girl’s slow, quiet, yet audible breathing as the only thing that broke through the suffocating silence in the library. None of them said a word as they did their best to comprehend what they had said about the creature Miasma. After another long moment of nopony speaking, sudden burst of laughter broke it, causing everypony’s heads to turn and see that it as Applejack.

“T-that was a good one, ya’ll. That was a real nice joke ya pulled on us there, heheheh.” She said with a smile that was clearly forced. “There’s no way that somethin’ like that could exist, right yer highness?” She asked, hoping that the Solar Queen would agree with her. When her expression didn’t change, the farmer’s smile faltered. “R-right?”

“I’m sorry Ms. Applejack, but I’m afraid that it is anything but a joke.” Celestia replied, looking the Applejack right in the eyes as they widened with horror. “Miasma can feed off of ponies negative emotions, and take control of their bodies. Many ponies have fallen victim to it. And Luna just so happened to be one of them.”

She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she tried not to cry. “She tried, oh how she tried to force Miasma away from her. Sadly, it was a battle that Luna could not win. Her negative emotions were too much for her to handle. By that point, she was willing to do just about anything to stop the pain and the heartache. She eventually became a creature of nightmares. The very same monster in the legend of the Mare on the Moon. The one that I banished to the moon of one thousand years. And the one that you all saw at the Town Square.”

By the time she was finally finished, nearly everypony in the tree house had looks on their faces that ranged between shock, horror, and sadness. They were at a complete loss for words, unable to come up with anything that could properly explain what they were feeling. Nor could they explain the deep seeded pity and sympathy that they felt for their Queen. They didn’t need to, for Celestia could see it by merely looking into their eyes, and she felt her heart fill with sympathy for them. She wished that she didn’t have to dump her sister’s history onto them like that. Still it was necessary in order for them to fully understand why everything had happened, and for her plan to work.

‘Not only that, but I want to see if I have found the right ones to defeat Nightmare Moon.’ The Solar Queen thought, looking pointedly at Goku. ‘That, and see if I have finally found…the one.’

“W-wait a minute.” Pinkie suddenly said, her face making it look as if she had come to a disbelieving realization. “…W-we saw Nightmare Moon foalnap Melon Cake, Sheton, and the rest of our sisters. Q-Queen Celly…a-are you meaning to tell me that…t-t-that…”

“No, no fucking way.” Rainbow Dash breathed, her gaze snapping up from the floor and up to Celestia. “Your Highness, you cannot possibly be telling us that-!”

“Yes. Se is.” Goku said, her soft voice cutting the wide-eyed cyan mare off. “The mare that you saw take your sisters away, was the very same mare that took Queen Celestia’s sister as well. And now, she’s using Queen Luna’s body and her powers to drag them to wherever she’s taken them, so she can instigate her revolt against Celestia, and all of Equestria.”

Applejack fell to her rump, this new revelation robbing her of the strength to stand, her mind swimming as she struggled not to pass out. “Mah Faust an' Father Harvest Saplin' Almighty. This is…this is jus’…Ah can’t believe what Ah’m hearin’ right now.”

“I can’t either Applejack. I’m honestly just as shocked as you are.” Fluttershy said, putting a comforting wing around her. “At this point though, after what we saw just a few minutes ago, I'm willing to believe just about anything right now. Even with the explanation we were given just now.”

“Yes, that was quite the explanation that you gave us, your majesty. I never would’ve thought that you of all ponies would actually have someone related to you at all.” Snowflake said softly. “I will agree with the others either way. It wasn’t fair that your sister had to go through, and it was just downright inexcusable.”

“I’d also like to thank you, for explaining how Nightmare Moon came to be.” Twilight added, her expression morphing into determination. “Now that I’ve heard the tale, and how Nightmare Moon came to be, I know how important it is to not only stop her, but save Luna too! Especially after we saw Nightmare Moon take our sisters away!”

“Sheton as well.” Midnight added. “Don’t forget Sheton too.”

“Um, Twilight darling, not that I don’t admire your determination, but how in Equestria’s name are we supposed to do that?” Rarity asked quizzically. “For one, we don’t know where that dreadful creature that’s taken control of Luna is. Even if we did, we don’t have any of the resources needed to defeat her. You do realize that we are all going against a somepony who is both a creature from Tartarus and an alicorn, do you not?”

At this statement, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and gave a ruffle of her wings. “Yeah, I think we all fucking got that, Rares. What happened at the Town Square can definitely back up that fucking claim. Still, o you realize that we come from six of the awesomest, most powerful kick ass clans in all of Equestria?”

Goku looked over at her with a raised jet-black eyebrow, causing the cyan mare to recoil and quickly correct herself.

“S-sorry…” Rainbow stammered. “M-make that seven.”

“I suppose you have a point there, dear.” Rarity murmured, her face flushing. “Still, this isn’t some ordinary danger that we can deal with on our own! It will take all the combined power we have just to slow Nightmare Moon down! Even then, we still won’t know how to cure Queen Luna of the monster that plagues her being!”

“Ms. Rarity does have a point. It is going to take all of your combined power to have even the slightest chance of stopping Nightmare Moon in succeeding in her plan.” Celestia said. “Which is why I know of the perfect backup tool that you can all use at your disposal.”

“You do?” Twilight asked, having a feeling that she knew what her immortal mentor was talking about. “What is it?”

“Twilight, I’m sure that upon reading the story of the Tale of the Two Sisters, you, Goku and her sisters all know of the weapons that I used to defeat my younger sister.” Celestia said, looking at her student and the three Kirin sisters expectantly. “The very same ones that I used to banish her to the moon, do you not.?”

“The Elements of Harmony…” Goku whispered as recognition clicked into her eyes. “The Six Gemstones of Harmonia.”

“Th’ Elements ‘o’ what now?” Applejack asked, a look of perplexation on her face.

“The Elements of Harmony. Also known as the Elements of Friendship.” Snowflake said, looking over at Applejack. “They are six legendary weapons that were created by Lauren Faust herself, long before the pony tribes united, each of them representing one aspect of friendship. They are the most powerful weapons in all of existence, completely on par and able to match any dark forces of evil that are thrown at it. Legend has it that they were made specifically for vanquishing all evil and keeping peace in Equestria, no matter what it is.”

“I see. And it’s these weapons in life that keep Equestria free from strife?” Rarity asked, earning a nod from the mountain blue thestral. She blushed a bit at her unintentional rhyme, but she brushed it to the side as she added another thought that entered her mind. “Wait, if these weapons were made by Faust, then why can’t you use the elements yourself, your majesty? Can’t you use it yourself since you are a goddess as well?”

“Well, yes, the Queen can do that if she so pleases. That way, she can save Equestria on her own without us needing to assist her very much if things get too dangerous. Unfortunately, there’s one big problem with that.” Midnight said. “While it’s true that a goddess, can use the Elements of Harmony at will, there is a major setback to that. In order for them to work and reach their full power, there has to be a pony that each represents one of the aspects of friendship. Furthermore, there has to be at least one other pony in order to make the Elements work, and that pony has to be a god or goddess themselves. No single pony can use the Elements of Harmony on their own, even if they are an alicorn. Finally, they have to represent one or more of the Elements as well.”

“That is the number one weakness of the Elements that I did not learn until it was too late when I banished my sister. That they would be rendered useless if just one pony used them, especially by force. It was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way the night that I fought with my sister.” Celestia sighed, backing up Midnight’s story. “Now that Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, I’ve had to defend Equestria without their power to help aid me. All the while trying to find ponies that would take my place as Elements’ new bearers.”

“Let me guess.” Goku asked, her expression calm, cool, and collected. “You want us to be new the bearers of the Elements of Friendship?”

“Y…yes, I am.” Celestia replied, lowering her head for what seemed like the fifth or sixth time that night. “I know that I am asking a lot from you all. Believe me, I’d be in the same position if I were any of you and one of you was the ruler instead of me, but... you must understand.”

She looked at them with pleading eyes. “My sister’s life, and fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance now that Nightmare Moon is free. It is crucial that the Elements of Harmony are found by those who both have the tributes to friendship, and are willing to be their new wielders. It is the only way that they can work against the evil. I won’t force any of you into this if none of you feel that you can do it yourselves, but time is of the essence right now. Just know that if you do, me and everypony else would be eternally grateful to all of you for it. So, I ask not just as the Goddess of the Sun, or Queen of Equestria, but as a fellow pony, will you help protect everypony, help me save my sister, and all of Equestria?”

The whole room went totally silence after that, one that none of the mares in the room replied to immediately. They all stayed where they were looking at one another, silently contemplating whether or not they should accept their Queens offer of helping her stop Nightmare Moon. As well as being the new bearers of the most powerful sources of magic ever known to pony kind, Goku especially. One on hoof, she knew that if she and her friends did accept their Queen’s offer, they would also run the great risk of potentially not only losing the fight, but also their lives as well.

On the other hoof, if they didn’t accept Celestia’s hoof in aiding her in taking down the infamous Mare of Darkness, then she would have to deal with her all on her own. Sure, she may have the help of her Solar Guards, but that probably wouldn’t help much. Plus, if the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon was anything like the Tale of the Two Sisters said it was, then they would stand little to no chance against the dark Alicorn’s might. Not without their own powers and the powers of the Elements at their side.

As these thoughts raced through Goku’s mind, it became all too apparent to her what she and her friends had to do in order for all to be safe. Upon seeing the thoughtful looks on her friends and her sisters’ faces, they were all thinking the same thing as well. While none of them new what the future held for them if they agreed to the Queen’s offer, they certainly knew one thing; their lives would never be the same again.

“Queen Celestia…” She began slowly. “We’d be honored to help you save Equestria from Nightmare Moon’s terror and save your sister.”

Celestia paused, her pale lavender eyes growing wide as she stared at the tan Pegasus with her jaw slightly agape. “You…you will?”

“You bet yer royal boot’s we will yer Highness!” Applejack nodded, coming up to the swan white Alicorn with a wide grin. “Ah admit, Ah was a little apprehensive about steppin’ in an’ helpin’ in th’ way that yer askin’. Once you explained everythin’ in full though, Ah can now see just how important it is t’ do so.” A stern expression of determination came to her face as she adjusted her hat over her eyes. “As a member of the Apple family, and the Titan clan, Ah’m willin’ to do whatever it takes t’ ensure that mah family is safe. If that means helpin’ you in savin’ yer sister, Equestria, an’ becomin’ th’ new bearer of these Elements, then Ah’m willin’ t’ do jus’ that! Besides, she ain’t th’ only one that needs savin’ anyway.”

“Yeah! Me too, your highness!” Rainbow Dash said confidently. “Nopony’s gonna just come into Ponyville, attack our Queen, and expect get off without a ass kicking! The least those assholes deserve is a nice good sock across their fucking face, and that Nightmare Moon is no exception! Which will be amplified even more of they mess with Firestreak!”

“As vulgar as the way Rainbow Dash had put her rather loyal statement, I completely agree with her.” Rarity said, a warm expression on her face. “I can’t even begin to imagine all of the pain and heartache that you went through after losing Luna. I certainly wouldn’t how I’d feel or what I’d if that were to happen to my dear little sister…” She winced as the screams of her sister replayed in her mind like a record. “Queen Celestia, I too will assist you tonight. Both in the safety of Equestria and freeing your sister and my own form the monster that has Luna in its vile clutches. If it means that means resorting to more...hooves on tactics, especially when it comes to getting my sister back, then so be it.”

“Hey! Don’t’ forget me, girls! I’m in coming to this party too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed her body completely turning back to pink. “I want save the day, the sun and Queen Lulu too! This party can’t be complete without Ponyville’s number on party pony in it, let alone Ponyville’s Fun Filly!”

“I’m not usually one for fighting, not when there are other options at hoof for us to settle disputes.” Fluttershy admitted softly as she looked at the ground. “Still, if it’s the only way that I can protect my friends, my family, and save Scootaloo…then I’ll do it!” She said firmly, the crimson eye on her roseray giving a momentary glow. Her own eyes gave off an fiery orange glow, making Celestia freeze for just a moment. “And I will see to it personally that anypony who harms the ones I love will face Faust’s divine judgement!”

“So will I, your highness.” Twilight said as she joined. “As a member of the Sparkle clan, and the slayer of kishins, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep Equestria is safe from evil!” Bursts of electrical magic pulsed around her horn as her irises glowed as bright as the lights in the library. "Even if it means being the next bearer of the very weapons that the Goddess of Ponies herself created to protect this word!"

“Whatever you want us to do, we will do it.” Snowflake said as she and Midnight all came to stand beside their youngest sister. “As members of the Kirin clan, it’s our duty to make sure that our family and all other inhabitants of our land are safe. That includes any other places that is not of the place that our clan and everypony else’s came to be.”

“Mhm!” Midnight nodded, giving Celestia a gentle smile. “No matter who it is, we’ll always be there to keep them from harming the innocent!”

“Yeah!” Spike shouted, bashing his claws together as if they both contained brash knuckles. “I’ll burn them all to crisps!”

Celestia didn’t say anything, just staring silently at all the ponies that were all looking back at her warmly. Throughout her entirely explanation, she honestly thought that they would be too afraid to be up to the task. Even more so, since this was somepony with power that was very easily on par with her own. Against all her expectations, what she was seeing where not ponies who were wanting to hide away inside her homes to avoid the wrath of Nightmare Moon. All seven of these were ponies who were willing to fight to ensure Equestria was safe along with all in it. Ponies that would change all of Equestria for the better, including the one who she saw leading them.

“T...thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. For you to put your lives on the line like this to save all of pony kind. No words can express my gratitude to you.” Celestia said her face one of gratitude. “If you make it through this, I swear to you, I will do everything within my power to make sure that you are all repaid in full.”

“That won’t be necessary your highness.” Goku said casually with a wave of her hoof. “We’re just doing what anypony would do in a time of crisis. That’s a good enough reward for us.” She giggled, the adorableness behind it melting everypony’s hearts. “Besides, we still have the Summer Sun Celebration to look forward to after this after we save my brother and all of his new friends. I’d say that’s an added bonus to our hard work, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hmhm, yes. I suppose you do have a point there. Still as with the many other heroic ponies I have meet in my lifetime, I don’t allow any good deed to go unrewarded.” Celestia advised with a chuckle as she rose to her hooves. “I believe that we’ve spent enough time here, and it is time to take action. I trust that you know what to do now that I have explained everything to you?”

Everypony nodded, and Celestia let out a relieved sigh. “Then I wish you all the best of luck on your quest for the Elements of Harmony.”

“Wait, you’re not coming with us your majesty?” Twilight asked in bewilderment. “None of us?”

“I’m afraid not, my faithful student.” Celestia said sadly, looking at her protégé. “I must make a trip to Canterlot, back to my castle so that I can prepare for the upcoming battle that is soon to come. I will also be sending my Royal Solar Guards here to watch over the residents of Ponyville while you’re gone, for I have a feeling they’ll need all the protection they can get. I’m sorry, but you will have to search for the Elements of Harmony yourselves...still, even you will be having protection as well.”

“We will?” Twilight repeated, her violet eyes widening in realization a second later. “Oh, you mean Zephyr?”

“Yes, I most certainly mean him.” Celestia replied with a wink. “I did say that I was planning to bring him back here, mainly so he can help to keep you safe. I know that may seem a bit unnecessary, but trust me, it will be vital for where I believe you will be going.”

“Uh, are you sure about that your Highness?” Rainbow asked skeptically. “No offense, but that guy didn’t really seem all that strong to me. I mean, sure he was able to last longer than all of those other guards, but like, he was taken down with just a couple of hits. Is he really the one that you want to come with us to let us know of any danger?”

The next thing Rainbow knew, Goku’s tail was lashing out and wrapping tightly around her neck, as if it was a lasso around a bull’s neck. She was then yanked down to the ground and forced to look right into the eyes of the tan thestral.

“Rainbow Diana Dash Wisp Stargazer, I will have you know that Zephyr Dragon Shield Shenron is one of the most elite Solar Guards in the entirety of Queen Celestia’s Day Branch.” She said firmly, her cat like golden eyes burning into the cyan mare’s frightened ones. “There is a reason why he is named Third in Command of that very same branch! Because he has what it takes to lead, to fight, and to do all that he can to protect his comrades and the innocent! He has the skills, and the brains and the level head to do it, and more than enough power to protect both himself, and those around him. Besides my parents, me, my sisters, and eventually, my brother, he has more power than any of us combined than you have in your own two hooves, and if you saw the power than he shows during training, you wouldn’t dare say what you did just now.”

Goku towered over Rainbow Dash, her ears pinned as she bared her fangs. “He may have been taken out with just one or two hits, but that was only because Nightmare Moon lucky! I can guarantee you, that the next time he meets Nightmare Moon, he’s going to stand a much better chance against her, even if she is an alicorn! Now, I’ll let what you just said about Zephyr slide just once, but only because your first impression wasn’t the best. However, the next time you have anything to say about him, save it until after you’ve seen him in action! Or else your fur is going to be a much lighter color of blue. Is that clear?!”

Rainbow Dash paled. “C-crystal!”

After giving her another hiss, Goku unwrapped her tail from Rainbow Dash’s neck, allowing her to go free as the latter backed away fearfully. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Twilight and the others with a far softer expression. “Anyway, I agree with Celestia; Zephyr should be the one to come with us and protect us on our quest. No offense to the other Royal Guards but, I’m not exactly as comfortable around them as I am around him. I’d feel a lot safer if it was him and him alone that went in with us while we find the Elements.”

“Same here; besides Goku, her family, my parents, Crescent Shield, Spike, and Moondancer, Zephyr was one of the only r friends that I ever had while living in Canterlot.” Twilight nodded firmly. “No other pony besides them has made me feel safer and more protected, and I feel like it will be really essential in this situation.”

“Are you sure that it’s not because you wanna have your coltfriend around you more?” Rainbow Dash teased, smirking at the lavender Unicorn. “Or maybe because you wanna use this hear adventure so you two can have a little night of-”

“Don’t you dare finish that damn sentence!” Twilight cried, her cheeks rapidly heating up as she glared daggers at the pegasus. She took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to the others, ignoring Rainbow Dash’s snickering. “Anyway, is there anypony here that objects to this idea?”

“Of course not, darling.” Rarity replied, smiling comfortingly at the librarian. “You’re just taking every measurable precaution to ensure that we all survive the dreadful adventure that’s about to take place. So, if you feel that we should have one of the Queen’s Royal Guards come with us, then we shall not object to it.”

“Ah don’t either.” Applejack nodded. “Th’ more help we have, th’ easier this here quest will be for us all. Ah believe having a member o’ Queen Celestia’s Guard helpin’ us will be a might dandy.”

Snowflake smiled in approval. “With Zephyr with you, I know it will.”

“I’m on board with having a guard with us too, but there’s still one thing we don’t know at the moment.” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “We have no idea where those Element things are, let alone where Nightmare Moon is. Though, if I didn’t know no any better, she’ll be heading for the very place were the Elements are being kept so she can keep us from finding them.”

Pinkie gasped loudly. “You don’t think that’s where she’s heading do you?!”

“There’s only one way to know for sure dear Pinkie Pie…and I think I know just the pony who may know the answer.” Celestia replied, looking over at Twilight. “Twilight, if I remember correctly, I let you take the book telling about the Elements of Harmony the day you went to Ponyville about four years ago, do you not? That’s another even more useful tool that you can use at your disposal, since it also explains where the Elements are, wouldn’t you agree?”

Twilight didn’t reply to her mentor’s question. Instead, her ears flattened as she lowered her head and nervously pawed at the ground with her hoof. This took everypony by surprise, and they couldn’t help but voice their curiosity on it.

“What’s matter, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked softly, her face morphing into one of concern. “Is there something troubling you?”

“Um…no…I mean—well…yes. Y-you see, your Majesty…” Twilight began nervously. “I…don’t know where the book is.”

Celestia blinked, wondering if she had heard the lavender Unicorn correctly. “I’m sorry?”

“I don’t know where it is.” Twilight repeated, her voice slightly louder. “I know that it’s somewhere in these bookshelves, but I can’t really remember exactly which shelf I put it in. I’ve looked in every last one of them, even before you guys came, but haven’t really been successful, as you can see.” She motioned her hoof to the large piles of books that littered the floor. “It’s somewhere in these shelves, I know it is. But…I just don’t know which one.”

“Is this what your looking for Twilight?” Pinkie Pie’s cheerful bubbly voice asked before Celestia could say anything. The moment she laid her eyes in the earth pony, she felt them nearly bulge out of their sockets. Her whole body whipped around along with her head as her jaw dropped in complete disbelief at what she saw the book in Pinkie’s hooves.

“The Reference Guide to the Elements of Harmony!” She cried, joy, happiness, and relief filling her voice all at once as she galloped over the Pinkie. Twilight moved so fast she slammed into the Pinkie, sending her into one of the bookshelves. “This is the book that we need to help us find the Elements of Harmony!” She snapped her head over to Pinkie, who was picking herself up from off of the ground. “How in the world did you find it?!”

“Heehee, silly filly! Didn’t you look up at the letters above the shelves?” Pinkie Pie giggled as she bounced back over to her friends. “It was under E~!”

Twilight looked up at the bookshelves, taking notice of the large letters that were engraved in each of them. Once Pinkie’s words fully sank into her mind, an embarrassed blush made its way to her face as she weakly murmured, “…Oh.”

“So, this is the book that will help us find what we’re looking for?” Rainbow Dash asked as she flew up next to Twilight and looked at the cover of the book. “Those Element things that the Queen was talking about?”

“Indeed, Ms. Dash. It will tell you everything that you need to know about the Elements of harmony” Celestia nodded as relief washed over her at the book being found. “Though I must warn you, you may a bit taken aback by exactly where the Elements are located. The very place that I fear that Nightmare Moon is going to now”

Fluttershy suddenly froze, a large knot forming in the bit of her gut as she slowly looked over at the Queen. A bead of flowed down her face as her heartbeat quickened in rate as her pupils contracted slightly. ‘No…she can’t mean…that place, can she?!’

“Whaddya mean by that, yer highness?” Applejack asked perplexedly.

“I’m sorry Ms. Applejack, but I am afraid that I cannot explain any further. I have wasted too much time doing so already. I must get back to the Town Square to get Zephyr and bring him here, before I head off to Canterlot to prepare my division for battle.” Celestia said as she ignited her horn. She looked down at Goku, Twilight and everypony else with a smile and eyes full of faith. “Son Goku Kakarot Shenron…I leave the search for the Elements of Harmony in you and your friends’ capable hooves. Good luck, and please…be careful.”

With that, she closed her eyes as the magic around her horn glowed to the point where it covered her whole being. Then, in a flash of pure golden yellow, the Queen was gone, leaving Goku and her friends alone in the library.

“Well…that was quite the regal exit the Queen graced us with, wasn’t it?” Rarity asked after a short silence.

“Well, she is the ruler of all of Equestria. Everything about her is regal, including the way she exits.” Snowflake giggled. “I’d expect no less from the most powerful pony in existence.”

“You’ve got that right, Snowy!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I gotta admit though. I am reeeeeeeally excited to see Queen Celly go into battle! I’ve heard stories about her fighting in all the battles and wars in the past by my parents, but I never thought I’d actually get the chance to see it with my own eyes!” A rather adorable squeal escaped her lips as she trotted in place, her mane and tail giving little bounces as she did so. “Ooooh, I just know that’s gonna be so AMAZING!!!”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Applejack chuckled as she gave an amused shake of her head at her cousin’s antics. “Anyway, what does the book say ‘bout where these Elements Twilight?”

“Oh, right! Hold on, just give me a couple of seconds.” Twilight replied, snapping out of her embarrassed and returned her attention to the book. Igniting her horn, she encased the Reference Guide in a brilliant raspberry aura and began to frantically flip through the pages. A few seconds later, she stopped in a specific part of the book and began to read. “Ah, here we go! The Elements of Harmony are known to be the most powerful weapons in all of existence, made by the Goddess of the Ponies, Lauren Faust herself. It is said that they are the most powerful sources of magic known to all pony kind, containing power unlike anything ever seen by anypony anywhere, other than the Creator herself. They are the one and only weapons known to withstand against any source of evil. Along with that specific purpose, they’d also keep everlasting peace and harmony in the world.”

“As if we didn’t just find out about that already…” Rainbow Dash murmured dryly

“Don’t interrupt her darling, she’s trying to read.” Rarity said quietly, holding a hoof to her lips. “We are in a library after all…more specifically Twilight’s library.”

The cyan mare snorted softly, but said nothing as she looked away while Twilight continued to read. “According to the Creator herself, there are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known to exist, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. Nopony knows where the sixth Element, the Element of Magic is, but it is said that it can be activated if the rest of the Elements are there with it. There has also been a saying that, while not officially proven, there is seventh Element of Harmony existing as well.”

‘A seventh Element? Now that’s something even I wasn’t expecting…’ Goku thought, both her and everypony else’s eyes widening at this revelation. A bit of a warm feeling suddenly pumped its way through her, but it was so small that Goku barely noticed it. ‘I wonder, does the Queen know there’s a seventh Element? I’ll have to ask her about it once this is all over…’

“The last known location of the Elements of Harmony was said to have been in the Castle of the Two Royal Sisters, which was abandoned after the War of Day and Night. They have been known to still remain there, unused and undisturbed for the last thousand years, and still to this very day.” Twilight said as she went on reading. “While nopony has ever been there before, other than a select few it is said that abandoned castle is located in what is known as-”

As her eyes trailed down to the last few words, Twilight abruptly stopped reading as her voice caught in her throat. Her eyes slowly widened as the color in her face slowly began to drain, her pupils shrinking to mere pinpricks.

“Twilight, what’s the matter darling?” Rarity asked, pulling herself out from under Fluttershy’s wing and putting a hoof on her friends’ shoulder. “You were about to tell us the location of the Elements. Why did you stop?”

“Yeah, you look like you’ve seen a Windigo or something.” Rainbow murmured, earning her a glare from Fluttershy. “What? She does!”

“No, no…! It can’t! It just can’t be!” Twilight cried as she backed up, her magic going out and letting the book fall to the floor. She only stopped when she felt her rump bump against one of the bookshelves, looking as if she had remembered something horrible. “It’s not possible! It’s just not possible! There’s no way that the Elements can be located there of all places!”

“Now what in the hay or ya talkin’ ‘bout, sugarcube?” Applejack asked quizzically, looking at the lavender Unicorn with a raised golden eyebrow. “Ya jus’ said that the Elements ‘o’ Harmony ‘re located in the two Queen’s abandoned castle. What could be so scary ‘bout it’s location that it makes ya look like yer ‘bout ‘t’ be trampled by a herd ‘o’ fightin’ bulls?”

Goku, who was also curious and concerned about Twilight’s sudden change in demeanor, walked up to the book. Her eyes scanned through the pages, rereading what Twilight had, before coming to the bottom. When she read the last few words, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp as her eyes slowly widened, letting out a low, “Oh dear...”

“What is it, Goku?” Midnight asked gently, taking notice of her youngest sister’s grimacing look. “Did you find what Twilight was looking at?”

“Yeah, think I did. Along with the reason why Twilight is so freaked out.” Goku replied, looking up at the others with a grave expression. “It’s true that the last known location of the Elements of Friendship is in the Castle of the Two Sisters. However, the location of the castle itself is what scared Twilight. According to the book, Queen Celestia and Queen Luna’s castle is located in the one place that nopony’s ever gone to, or ever come out of, if the rumors are true.” She closed her eyes and took a long, slow deep breath, her face one of utter seriousness. “The castle is in…the Everfree Forest.”

Just in case some of you were wondering, this is the second half of the last edited chapter that has been split up from the last version of it. As with all the other times, extended sentences have been shorted, unnecessary paragraphs have been taken out, so the chapter will run much more smoothly than it did before. The biggest, and most obvious change that I've made to this is the fact that I had Sheton and the Cutie Mark Crusaders taken out, with the exception of Spike, since I had them be obducted by Nightmare Moon and taken west of Ponyville, to the Everfree. Still, if anyone sees any of their names inside of there, please let me know, because the last thing I want is for this new chapter is to have one of those foals speaking even though they're clearly not there this time.

Next time: Zephyr does some last minute saving in the Town Square, and the girls prepare for their adventure into the Everfree Forest!!!