MLP: FiM - The Talent Tournament - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Tale of the Elements of Peace


With the very first ever Talent Tournament now officially over, and with Starlight Glimmer as its Talent Champion, all of the Ponies in Rainbow Falls were either heading back to their homes or wanting to get to meet and congratulate Starlight and the rest of the Ponies that competed so well in the tournament – especially Starlight and her Mane Seven friends.

The Ponies that were originally from Canterlot did the exact same thing, only each of them were either doing that or getting themselves on the next train ride back to their home of Canterlot.

At the time… Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were all getting to know Crafty Arts and Gabby Griffon, the Griffon girl who was friends with their little sisters, the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Applejack said, “It was certainly great to see both of y’all, and thanks again fer standin’ by us as we told everypony in Rainbow Falls the truth about Dark Mind bein’ in the Talent Tournament ‘n’ all.”

“No problem,” said Crafty Arts, “Besides, we couldn't just stand by and do nothing when you needed real friends to help you.”

“That’s for sure,” said Gabby.

“Well, dearies, we really did appreciate your support, and still do,” Rarity said to both young girls.

“Totally!” said Rainbow Dash, “And we hope to see both of you again in Ponyville real soon. We’ll tell our little sisters that you said ‘hi’ to them, Gabby.”

“~Thanks!” said Gabby, as she gave all three grown-up mares a big, adorable hug, “And I’m going to miss you three so much! ^3^ ”

Pretty soon… Princess Twilight, Spike, and all of their Mane Seven friends, along with Moon Dancer, Discord, Princess Luna, Trixie, Flash Sentry, Arrow Swift, Shadow Shinobi and his pet flying squirrel Momo, and finally Prince Blueblood… they ALL boarded on a different train ride back to Canterlot, as the sun was just starting to set over the horizon of Rainbow Falls.

Oh, and Noble Wind joined all of them on their train ride to Canterlot as well since he really wanted to catch up more with his new and old friends.

As everyone was comfortable in their seats, Spike said to his friends, “Well, everypony… that was one crazy yet exciting adventure that I don’t think we’ll EVER forget.”

“Agreed,” said Princess Luna, “Between the craziness that happened in the Everfree Forest and then in Canterlot and then finally in Rainbow Falls through the Talent Tournament… as well as going to that distorted pocket dimension that Discord created for us… ALL of it happening because of Dark Mind… this week was quite the experience, wasn’t it?”

Princess Twilight replied, “Yeah, but I sure am glad that it’s all finally over… and hopefully, the next Talent Tournament that Equestria will have WON’T involve an evil, monstrous mastermind trying to take over the world. ”

Everypony agreed with Twilight on that by saying things like, “Uh-huh, Totally, Eeyup, jerks who ruin fun game events really are terrible.”

Starlight Glimmer then said, “Well, despite everything, the first ever Talent Tournament really did turn out to be a big success. ”

“Indeed, darling,” said Rarity, “And what’s even more incredible is that YOU won it fair and square!”

“I know, right?! It’s crazy! ^^ ” Starlight replied, “I mean, like I said before, it’s crazy because I used to not want anything to do with talents or talented Ponies due to me having my own issues… but NOW, I love the different types of talents and talented Ponies there are more than ever! I just hope nopony finds it odd that I became the champion of yours and my own Talent Tournament idea, Rarity. I mean, like you said, I did win it fair and square, but still… < : ( ”

Princess Twilight then said, “Sure, it might be a little odd, Starlight… but they’ll get used to it, and so will you. After all, as long as you played in the tournament fair and square like everypony else did AND did your absolute best, it’s all fine and good. Plus, you DID help save all of Equestria from an evil monster that was trying to use the Talent Tournament as their way of becoming powerful, so you know. ”

“Right <:///) ” said Starlight, “Anyway… Princess Luna? Discord? Once we get to Canterlot, you want all of us to talk with both of you and also Princess Celestia about something regarding to what you discovered thanks to something that Dark Mind told both of you after you locked that jerk up back in Tartarus, right?”

“That is correct,” Princess Luna nodded, “However, after everything that’s happened these past few days, especially today – the final day of the Talent Tournament – I’m sure everypony here is eager to rest and relax as much as possible. So, you’re all welcome to stay at Canterlot Castle tonight, if you wish.”

“We really do insist, though,” said Discord, “After all, who DOESN’T want to spend the night in a royal palace?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Flash Sentry, “But once we get there, we gotta check something out first… just to be safe.”

Once all of them were back in Canterlot and at Celestia’s royal castle… Flash Sentry, Arrow Swift, and Shadow Shinobi combined their magic items together – the Unidas Sword, the Artemis Bow, and the Aura Dragon Scarf – to perform a powerful, magical scan to see if there were any traces of Dark Mind left in it or anywhere in Canterlot.

The sun had almost completely set at the time, and after the magic scanning was done, Flash Sentry said, “Alright, everypony, it looks like there’s no trace of Dark Mind here in Canterlot OR anywhere in Equestria that’s outside of the city. So, I guess it’s official: all of Dark Mind really is completely back in Tartarus where the monster belongs.”

“Thank goodness,” said Fluttershy.

“Indeed,” said Discord.

“And thank all three of you, brave young stallions,” Princess Celestia said to them, as they then bowed respectfully before her.

Princess Celestia then said, “Thank you ALL, everypony, for everything you have done to stop Dark Mind and save not only the true, good nature and purpose of the first ever Talent Tournament… but also save all of Equestria, perhaps even the entire world. I am very proud of all of you… especially of you two, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer. ”

“It wasn’t a problem at all, Celestia,” said Princess Twilight, as she and everypony else bowed respectfully before her.

“It was our honor and privilege to serve,” Starlight Glimmer said.

Prince Blueblood then walked up to Princess Celestia and said to her, “Auntie… Your Highness… I know Princess Luna and everypony else has forgiven me for allowing Dark Mind to do everything that the villain did to use the Talent Tournament as its way of becoming more powerful, but… I… I truly am so very sorry for allowing such evil to happen… I guess really am nothing like anypony else that exists in or out of the Royal Family…”

Celestia then warmly and comfortingly hugged her dear nephew saying to him, “It is alright, Prince Blueblood… My sister and Discord already explained everything to me about what had happened and why. They also told me that at the very end of the Dark Mind ordeal, you chose to hold that monster at bay with all of your strength just long enough for him to finally be defeated by Twilight and her many friends here.”

Noble Wind then spoke up saying, “If I may, Your Majesties… Princess Celestia is right, Blueblood. YOU really must have done well at the very end of it all when it mattered most. Me? I’m the only one here in this entire group who didn’t really do all that much to help in any way at all. I know that’s kinda narcissistic of me right now, but my point is that even though Dark Mind took over you, Prince Blueblood, you chose near the very end of the ordeal when it really mattered to NOT let that monster win. You chose to NOT let that monster have what he wanted.”

“Yeah, Prince Blueblood,” Rainbow Dash said as she added, “Shutting that monster down like you did, even if it was at the last minute, definitely took a lot of guts in order to at least try and do the right thing. Heck, then and there, you DID do the right thing. ”

“They speak the truth, dear nephew,” Celestia said to Blueblood.

Prince Blueblood smiled as he shed a tear and then wiped it away saying, “Thank you, everypony… That definitely means a lot to me. However, if there’s one thing this entire experience has taught me… it’s that I still have a lot to learn before I become a TRUE Prince of Equestria.”

Rarity then said to Blueblood, “Well, Your Highness, I would say that you are most definitely on the right track for that already. ”

“Thank you, Miss Rarity… < : ) ” the blonde-haired Prince replied, “Well, anyway… now that that’s taken care of and Equestria is safe once again… may we please have dinner now, Aunt Celestia?”

“Of course,” Celestia nodded, as she led everypony into the castle’s main dinning hall, which already had a big feast ready for everypony to enjoy together.

Most of the group was surprised at the sight of all the delicious and fancy food on the long dinning table.
Rainbow Dash was especially surprised by the fact that there was actually an apple cider fountain in the middle of the table.
“It’s so… beautiful… <8,3 ” she said out of humble awe.

Everypony then sat down together and ate their incredibly good dinner.

After that was done, everypony went up to their separate bedrooms in Canterlot Castle to call it a night.
Out of all of the Ponies, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie and Moon Dancer all talked together in the bedroom of Princess Twilight and Spike, which was of course located in that one famous Royal spire-tower.

It was there that they all started reminiscing about all of the times that all three other unicorn mares had first met or first reunited with Twilight AND how things got really complicated because of it.

Trixie trying to be a self-centered jerk TWICE, Starlight Glimmer trying to ruin Princess Twilight and her friends TWICE, and Moon Dancer shutting down nearly every effort Twilight was making to reconnect with her…

“Looking back on ALL of that now… it’s kinda funny, isn’t it? < : ) ” Spike asked all of the unicorn mares.

All four mares simply looked at each other while smiling sincerely before starting to chuckle, sort of answering Spike's question.

“It actually is pretty funny,” Starlight Glimmer stated, as she looked at Twilight and said to her, “I mean, Trixie and I each had to lose to you TWICE before actually becoming friends with you.”

Twilight giggled, “I know! And even after fighting and defeating both of you, I did my best to share my friendship with you two.”

Moon Dancer then said, “WOW, and I thought I had issues with you, Twilight. I mean, I used to just not want anything to do with you since you skipped out on my party from way back then… but considering that I already know by NOW that you and your friends deal with all kinds of villains and anti-friendship fanatics – no offense, Starlight and Trixie – on a fairly regular basis… I, uh… I feel kinda ridiculous and silly for getting upset at you back then over something that’s kinda trivial now. I mean, everypony has definitely heard of the old phrase, ‘It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to’, but still… and especially with me… well, you know. <:///) ”

“It’s okay, Moon Dancer,” said Twilight, “And I get it… Each of you didn’t exactly start off on the best of terms with me or my friends, but I’m glad things are different now. I guess I was able to convince each of you that friendship is worth having in your life because I myself also used to think that it wasn’t at all.”

“And look at all of us now,” said Trixie, “We’re all friends with each other, especially with YOU, Twilight… and deciding to give friendship a real chance has actually led to each of us doing something great with our own lives.”

Starlight asked, “Don’t you mean ‘great and powerful’? ”

They all laughed together at that.

Starlight then said, “Well, anyway, Trixie is right. I mean, we’ve all ended up saving Equestria together, if not the entire world.”

“It sure was great ” said Moon Dancer, “I just wish I had done more myself…”
Spike replied, “But you did plenty, Moon Dancer, starting by beating Dark Mind in that ballet contest during the second round of the Talent Tournament. Remember? It led to us finally having the perfect opportunity to take Dark Mind down and do so AWAY from everypony else.”

“Thanks, Spike, that’s sweet,” said Moon Dancer, “And I guess you’re right. I guess I DID do my part in helping save Equestria from that monster. <:///) I just STILL can’t believe that he came from Tartarus of all places.”

“Ditto,” said everyone else in the room.

Twilight then said, “And something tells me that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of any Taratarus’s villainous creatures… I mean, ever since Cerberus left his post at the gates of that place for whatever reason… a lot of Tartarus-related things have been happening in Equestria…”

“Really?” Starlight Glimmer asked Twilight.

“Yes…” said Twilight, “First, it was Aisenma and the memory-stealing dark magic of the Black Pearl… then it was Lord Tirek causing trouble sometime after he had already escaped Taratrus when Cerberus left his post at the place’s gates… then we had Hunter Trapper trying to use the Huntrix Apex to get revenge on his own brother, Arrow Swift… and now, we just had Dark Mind and the talent-copying power of the Neruonox that the monster was always fond of…”

Twilight then said, “Excluding the time with Tirek sometime after Cerberus left his post at the Gates of Tartarus for whatever reason… every single time something Tartarus-related has happened, there has been some kind of artifact or item that consists of powerful dark magic… I don’t think these dark artifact-related incidents have been mere coincidence… and it might be somehow connected to whatever it is that Princess Luna and Discord want to tell us tomorrow morning… about what Dark Mind said to them after they brought the monster back to Tartarus where it belongs.”

“You really think so?” Spike asked Twilight.

“I do,” Princess Twilight nodded, “In any case, it also reminds me of what Starswirl the Bearded said in that secret journal of his we found before going to Rainbow Falls and officially starting the Talent Tournament in the very first place…”

Princess Twilight walked over to the bedroom window and looked up at the night sky’s moon and many stars, “The monsters and evil forces that dwell within the Realm of Tartarus… they could lead to not only the ultimate destruction of both Equestria and the rest of our entire world… Such evil could also very well lead to attracting whatever other dark forces there are out there in the cosmos beyond our world… until finally… all of those evil forces together would actually end up destroying all life in our entire universe!”

Needless to say, Twilight was scaring the other unicorn mares and Spike right now.

The three mares and Spike all looked at each other worried, then a concerned Moon Dancer asked Twilight, “Are you saying that… evil aliens or something worse might come to destroy everything?”

Twilight and the other were very surprised to hear THAT, as the Princess of Friendship then answered a bit plainly, “Uh... I wouldn’t exactly go THAT far. >_<; But essentially… at least in a way… yes.”

Both Starlight and Trixie looked at each other while still being worried.

Twilight then said, “Well, don't you worry about it too much, you guys. After all, I'm just speaking my mind here. Besides, I'm pretty sure that after saving Equestria practically more times than anypony can actually count… you, me, and all of our friends can handle anything that life or the universe itself throws at us. ”

All three of the other unicorn mares looked at each other once more, but smiled this time as Spike said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Twilight, and I couldn’t have said it any better myself.”

Spike then stretched and yawned saying, “Well… I think it’s about time we went to bed.”

“I agree,” said Princess Twilight, “You girls all sleep well tonight, okay?”

“We will, and great talking with you, Twilight,” said Moon Dancer, as she and the other unicorn mares left the spire-tower to head to their bedrooms back inside the castle.

“It was nice and pretty fun, so thanks,” Moon Dancer finished saying to Twilight.

“No problem,” said Twilight, “Goodnight. ”

“Goodnight,” they all replied smiling.

Moon Dancer went to her bedroom and Starlight Glimmer went to hers, which was right next to Trixie’s.

Spike got into his dragon bed right next to Twilight’s bed, and then the Princess of Friendship turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Everypony got a good night’s sleep, and then the next morning, they all got up and ready for the day ahead of them before heading down to the royal dining hall for breakfast.

As Twilight and Spike were walking out of their bedroom, Twilight ended up bumping into Flash Sentry as he was about to knock on her bedroom door.

“OH, sorry!” the two Ponies said at the same time, “No, it’s my fault.”

Both Ponies then chuckled it off a little bit, before Flash cleared his throat and said smiling, “Good morning, Princess.”

“Good morning, Flash, and you can just call me Twilight, if you want, remember?” said Princess Twilight, smiling adorably while blushing just as well.

Spike whispered to Twilight, “He kinda does that already…”
Twilight looked at Spike angrily before using her magic to push him back into the bedroom and smile a bit sheepishly at a confused Flash Sentry.

Meanwhile, Arrow Swift was walking with the big group of friends as he said with a neighborly smile, “Good morning, everypony.”
“Good morning, Arrow,” said Rarity, blushing and smiling at him.
“Good morning,” Fluttershy said to Arrow pleasantly.

“Everypony here slept well last night?” Arrow asked.
“Indeed we did, darling,” Rarity replied.
“Good,” said Arrow Swift, “Same here. I guess that makes two nights in a row that we’ve ALL finally gotten some much needed good rest after that whole ordeal with Dark Mind.”

“I know,” said Fluttershy, “Hopefully, we'll be able to get even more good nights of sleep now that THAT ordeal is over.”

“Agreed,” said Rarity, as she then walked more closely to Arrow Swift and said to him, “Anyway, Arrow-darling… you’re more than welcome to sit next to me at breakfast this morning, if you wish.”

Rarity elegantly batted her eyelashes twice, which made Arrow Swift smile and blush a little as he said, “Uh, great, thanks.”

“Good morning, everypony,” said Shadow Shinobi, who had straight up appeared out of nowhere and right behind Arrow Swift, causing the green archer stallion to yelp hilariously.

Arrow then asked Shadow, “Where did YOU come from?? O_o; ”
Shadow replied, “From Uma, remember Arrow-san? Although, if you’re asking for where exactly I came from initially… I do believe you could ask my parents about that, if you wished. Well, you could ask my father, anyway.”

Practically all of THAT caught everypony off guard as they all stopped in place while the sound of a donkey’s “Haw-Hee!!” went off in the background.

Fluttershy then cleared her throat as she said, “Uh, Shadow…? I, uh… think Arrow meant how did you appear right behind him out of nowhere just now?”

“Ninjutsu, of course,” Shadow replied, “Also, I had believed that some much needed humor would be needed this morning to help lighten up the mood since we do have a bit of a serious meeting with Princesses Celestia and Luna AND Discord this morning after breakfast. Was it not the best idea? ”

“A good idea, yes,” said Flash Sentry, “Your choice of joking, however… yeah… no offense, Mr. Ninja Prince, but it wasn’t exactly the smartest choice… Sorry. >_<; ”

“Well, it certainly made ME laugh! XD ” Discord chuckled, as he appeared right out of nowhere - right above everypony else, to be precise.

“Of course it would make YOU laugh, Discord…” Princess Twilight pointed out plainly.
“My apologies, everypony…” Shadow said, “Although, considering it made a powerful being like Discord laugh, I suppose it wasn’t a total failure. ”

“Indeed,” said Discord, holding out some number cards as he said to Shadow, “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the greatest… I personally give you a 7 on your choice or choices of humor, Shadow Shinobi, as well as a 9 on your execution… but to be truly fair, I have to give you a 4 on your choice of appropriate timing.”

Shadow did the math as he then said, “So, I have gotten a total score of 20 out of 30 then? Not bad, but I suppose I should train myself harder in the art of comedy.”

Pinkie Pie stretched out her neck saying to Shadow quite cheerfully, “I’d be more than happy to help you out with that sometime! ^3^ ”

“Sounds good, Pinkie-chan, thank you ” Shadow replied.

Rainbow Dash then whispered to both Applejack and Noble Wind, “Pinkie Pie teaching a ninja how to be funny? THAT I would like to see.”

Noble Wind replied, “Yeah, I bet the first lesson she’d teach him would be in whoopee cushions, so the ninja boy would learn a whole new meaning to the old phrase, ‘silent but deadly.’ ”

Applejack and Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle softly at that remark.

Just then, all three Ponies got blown away by a huge whoopee cushion that Discord used on them, as Discord then said to them, “You mean something like THAT??? ”

Everypony else, however, hardly found THAT to be appropriate. It nearly straight up killed their appetite before breakfast.

Prince Blueblood then said, “So uncivilized… No wonder he’s had to go through reformation TWICE.”

Discord replied sarcastically, “Oh, ha ha, now THAT is hilarious… Also, Shadow Shinobi is a REAL Ninja Prince??? No wonder he’s so strong and skilled. ”

“And with all due respect, Discord-san, don’t you forget it,” said Shadow, “We may not have faced each other in the Talent Tournament… but I am certain that my talents in ninjutsu could compete with yours in chaos any day. ”

THAT certainly took Discord by surprise, as Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Noble Wind, Trixie, and Spike all simply said in unison, “Oooooohhh…”
“OH, well, next tournament… it is ON… > : ) ” a confident Discord said to an equally confident Shadow Shinobi.



Anyway, later that morning, after they had all eaten breakfast together – though for some reason, Princesses Celestia and Luna had been completely absent the whole time – they all gathered together in Princess Celestia’s huge throne room to discuss what they needed to discuss regarding what Discord and Princess Luna realized from whatever it was that Dark Mind told them after they put the monster back in the Realm of Tartarus where it belonged.

Princess Celestia then spoke to her subjects and guests, “Greetings, everypony. I hope you all had a good night’s sleep last night and enjoyed the breakfast that the castle’s chefs had prepared for you all this morning.”

“We did on both accounts, Princess Celestia, and thank you,” said Twilight, as she and everypony else bowed respectfully before her, “Although, I have to ask… Neither you nor Princess Luna were at breakfast with us this morning. Why is that? ”

Celestia sincerely replied, “I’m sorry, Twilight, but honestly we weren’t feeling very hungry this morning. I suppose last night’s feast of a dinner really filled both of us up.”
“Indeed,” Luna agreed.

Discord quickly whispered to Twilight, “And by THAT, she really means that both sisters had a major craving for tea and ice cream late last night, sooo… you know. ”

“We heard that!” both Alicorn Princesses said, not very amused with Discord.

Both Alicorn Princesses cleared their throats before Princess Celestia said, “Anyway… is everypony that stayed here at the castle last night present and accounted for?”

“Yes, Your Highness!” everypony in the throne room said in unison.

“Good, then we can begin,” said Princess Luna.

“So, what is it exactly that you want to talk to us about?” Princess Twight asked.

There was a brief moment of silence before Discord spoke up, “…The Elements of Peace.”


“The Elements of Peace?” asked Rainbow Dash, “Just what in the hay are those? ”
Princess Luna answered, “Honestly, believe it or not… not much is remembered about them. However, according to their old and nearly forgotten legend, they are connected to the Elements of Harmony.”

“They are?!” everypony else asked.

“Indeed they are,” said Princess Celestia, as she and Princess Luna and Discord began to tell them all the story…

“A long time ago… long before my sister and I defeated Discord, the land of Equestria was very different,” said Princess Celestia.

“Indeed it was,” said Princess Luna, “At the time, the Tree of Harmony did exist, but so did another Tree all the way on the other side of the world… the Tree of Peace.”

“The Tree of Peace??” Shadow Shinobi asked, “I’ve heard of it before… from old legends and folklore that were told in Uma back when I was still a child… but I thought the Tree of Peace was merely nothing more than a myth.”

“Oh no, my little ninja, it’s very real,” said Discord, “Much like how the Elements of Harmony originated from the Tree of Harmony itself… the Elements of Peace originated from the Tree of Peace… but how exactly the two Trees are connected to each other, not even WE three know.”

“I’m afraid he speaks the truth,” said Princess Celestia, “As for the Tree of Peace and its own Elements… well, much like how the Elements of Harmony were used to defeat Discord the first time around many centuries ago… the Elements of Peace were used to fight a formidable foe all the way on the opposite side of the world in the region that would eventually become known as ‘Uma’. This of course took place long before mine and Luna’s first confrontation with Discord… or mine and Luna’s time as Princesses for that matter,.”

“But for some reason,” said Princess Luna, “Nopony knows WHO that formidable force from very long ago was. There’s no records of it anywhere in the entire world, and only very little about the Elements of Peace is known these days. It’s all a real mystery. Discord, however, believes that such crucial knowledge was somehow wiped away from history and from memory. Particularly, Discord’s own memory… until now, that is.”

“Well, I don’t REALLY remember it,” said Discord, “Just bits and pieces, really… and as for the Elements of Peace… when they were used on that formidable foe very long ago, it most definitely sent them to the Realm of Tartarus itself… but not before the villain casted their final, memory and record-wiping curse across the entire world! Incidentally, it also led to the Elements of Peace being scattered all over and across the world… and the Tree of Peace was lost to the passing of time… at least, that’s what I thought subconsciously… until Flash Sentry, Arrow Swift, and Shadow Shinobi here all used their magic sword, archery bow, and scarf to help defeat Dark Mind… and then later on, the monster said to me… ‘Beware of Mystmancer… and the Ebon Geddon…’ ”

“What does THAT mean?? ” Spike asked.

Discord replied, “It means that it somehow reminded me of what had been forgotten… the magic items that Flash, Arrow, and Shadow possess… they ARE the Elements of Peace!”

“What?!” everypony asked, quite surprised to hear that.

“Oh, I know it’s surprising, but it’s so very true,” said Discord, “And the fact that they’re still active and magical, even after spending such a countless amount of time separate from the Tree of Peace… it means only thing… the Tree of Peace has NOT been lost! It and its powerful magic are still active and alive somewhere in the world! But as for where in the world and by whose help its being kept alive… THAT is uncertain… and as for what Dark Mind meant by ‘Mystmancer’ and ‘Ebon Geddon’, I’m afraid I cannot recall what those are either… However, somehow, it reminds me of an incredible prophecy… One that was stated back when the Trees of Harmony and Peace were both born.”

“What kind of prophecy?” asked Twilight.

Discord then spoke of what the prophecy stated…

“…Unity… Honor… Balance… Perseverance… Wisdom… and Strength… ALL of these six different attributes are known simply as ‘The Elements of Peace’. Magic… Kindness… Honesty… Laughter… Generosity… and Loyalty... ALL of these six different attributes are known simply as ‘The Elements of Harmony.’ When all 12 of these Elements that are compatible with each other combine their life-changing powers as one, unstoppable, world-altering force that can and most definitely will save the world and defeat any kind of evil there is… a miracle of epic proportions will happen because of those who truly value peace and harmony amongst all. However, if this were to fail to happen for whatever reason… then instead of the Prophecy of Peace and Harmony coming true… it would be the Prophecy of Tartarus that would be realized, thus leading to the destruction of not only Equestria and the rest of our world… but also just as possibly, the eventual end of ALL life in our entire universe!”

Everypony was pretty speechless after hearing all of that.

“So… yer basically sayin' that tha fate of the entire world depends on how we use them Elements of Peace ’n’ Harmony?” asked Applejack.

“Basically, yes,” said Discord, “Of course, the priority before ANY of that is to find the remaining Elements of Peace first.”

“So, hold on…” said Flash Sentry, “Now that I think about it… my Unidas Sword and Arrow Swift’s Bow of Artemis and Shadow Shinobi’s Aura Dragon Scarf… they were all created from strange yet powerful stones that different Ponies found to make these magical artifacts of ours, right? That must mean…”

“Those magic stones WERE the Elements of Peace… which means our weapons ARE indeed the Elements of Peace!” said Shadow Shinobi.

“Whoa…” said Arrow Swift, “I can’t say I saw THIS coming… and I have like super archer vision!”



Princess Celestia then said, “Flash Sentry wields a weapon known as ‘The Sacred Sword of Unity’, so obviously he represents the Element of UNITY. Arrow Swift is known to be a very skilled master archer, and he values ALL life and living creatures in this world, especially anything related to nature itself… He’s well on his to becoming quite possibly an even better and more honorable warrior of archery than Artemis herself was, so therefore… I believe that Arrow Swift represents the Element of HONOR. As for Shadow Shinobi, he showed great discipline during the entire ordeal with Dark Mind, and only one who is very well balanced in mind, heart, and soul could accomplish that. Therefore, I do believe that Shadow Shinobi represents the Element of BALANCE.”

“That is all so amazing!” said Starlight Glimmer, “But wait… out of all the Elements of Peace there are… that just leaves 3 remaining… Perseverance, Wisdom, and Strength. That means there are 3 more Elements of Peace out there somewhere in the world!”

“Indeed,” said Princess Celestia, “As for what they are or look like or where they are located or who even the Ponies that will represent them could be… we have no idea on any of those things… at least not yet. However, with all of that being said, there is something else we need to discuss before this meeting is over.”

“And what’s that?” Princess Twilight asked.

Princess Celestia answered, “The Artifacts of Tartarus…”

“You mean… like the Black Pearl, the Huntrix Apex, and the Neuronox? Those things?” Twilight asked. ***

*** For more info on those, please feel free to check out my gallery’s other MLP stories.


“Yes…” Princess Celestia replied to Twilight, “After Cerberus left his post from the Gates of Tartarus all that time ago for whatever and STILL unknown reason… Tirek made his move to escape from that place. However, we believe that it was around that same time that the Black Pearl found its way to Aisenma in the undercaverns of Neighagra Falls at the cost of its powers being locked away until she found a way to unlock them. And it was perhaps at around that same time that the Huntrix Apex found its way to Arrow Swift’s brother, Hunter Trapper, while he was locked away in prison, and his pure anger alone was enough to unlock that dark artifact’s own power, as well as use its power to escape from prison completely undetected by anyone until it was already far too late. Finally, the Neuronox most recently found its way to Trixie first before she ended up bringing it and Dark Mind to Canterlot, and you all already know the rest of that story since we all just lived it this week. In fact, it’s a complete miracle that Dark Mind didn’t try locating Aisenma and Trapper while they were both in rehabilitation after you and your friends saved them from their dark artifacts’ evil powers, Twilight. However, THAT is most likely because Dark Mind only cared about taking over somepony that the monster believed to have REAL potential. Possibly, someone fresh or who HADN’T been exposed to an artifact from Tartarus before.”

“So, THAT’s why Dark Mind was able to take control of me first,” said Trixie, “Even though I once used that awful Alicorn Amulet from a long while back, it WASN’T a dark artifact from Tartarus, was it?”

“No, it was not,” said Princess Luna, “But since you were familiar with powerful magic, Trixie, perhaps that is why Dark Mind found you to be a perfect first host BEFORE going to Canterlot to try and lure an even more powerful Pony such as Twilight out and try to take over her, but then it had to make do with Prince Blueblood since he was a unicorn and a fresh host.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad that THAT vile monster is locked away forever now!” Prince Blueblood exclaimed.

“Same here,” said Trixie, “Oh, and just so you know, Twilight… about Princess Luna saying that YOU are a more powerful Pony than I am… Yeah, don’t worry, not gonna get all jeally over it… THIS time. ”

“Good to know < : ) ” said an equally sheepish Twilight.

“Ditto,” Starlight Glimmer agreed.

Princess Celestia then stated, “Well, as for WHY all three of those dark artifacts were sent into Equestria from Tartarus in the first place… It’s possible that it was because of this ‘Mystmancer’ character. But how and why they did so in order to cause all of those incidents with Aisenma, Hunter Trapper, and now Dark Mind… we do not know… other than perhaps to try and destroy Equestira, of course.”

Princess Luna added, “And what’s worse… we think that there may be even more evil artifacts like those in Tartarus… if they haven’t already made their way into Equestria or anywhere else in our world.”

Discord stated, “Best case scenario, they could all still be in Tartarus somewhere. It’s currently kind of hard to say though, honestly. Going to Tartarus in general is very risky, and going there just to locate those artifacts, even with MY powers… or with the prison realm’s manifest that’s conveniently located near the exit side of the realm’s gates… it’s all a gamble, to say the least. As for who or what is sending these dark artifacts out into Equestria… it’s quite possible this ‘Mystmancer’ character. However, before leaving Tartarus after we had returned Dark Mind and the Neuronox to it, Luna and I checked the entire manifest of everything and everyone that is locked away in that powerful prison realm, and there wasn’t a ‘Mystmancer’ listed in it at all. Then again, as we said, Mystmancer used their final curse on the world to erase all knowledge, memory, and record of their existence as soon as they were defeated and sent to Tartarus… So, in other words, we know that Mystmancer and the evil artifacts that we are talking about ARE in Tartarus, but where exactly they are in that realm is a very allusive mystery. OH, and Luna and I did make sure that whatever dark artifacts there are listed in Tartarus’s manifest were AAALLLLLL still in Tartarus… but who knows if each and every little trinket of evil that’s in Tartarus is the real deal and NOT just some very convincing replica. After all, dark magical forces can be very allusive, even with OUR grand levels of expertise and experience, as proven with this entire ordeal surrounding Dark Mind and their Neuronox.”

“Then what can we do?” asked a worried Princess Twilight.

Princess Celestia responded, “All we can do is figure out exactly which evil artifacts of Tartarus are going to be used next by this Mystmancer. Twilight, please just leave that to me, Luna, and Discord. As for finding the 3 remaining Elements of Peace and who would represent them, as well as where the Tree of Peace and who has been keeping it and its magic alive all for an eon or two… we have no idea on even where to start looking for those things, except maybe Shadow’s home nation of Uma. However, I believe that since the Elements of Peace you have so far each found their way to Flash, Arrow, and Shadow respectively… all because the stallions were around you and your friends, Princess Twilight Sparkle… perhaps we should leave THAT to fate itself.”

“So, we should just do nothing?!” asked an upset Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant, Rainbow,” Princess Twilight said to her, “I think what she means is that since the Elements of Harmony found their way to us because of our friendship AND perhaps because of the will of fate itself, it led to us finding the Tree of Harmony. Maybe the same thing will happen regarding the Elements of Peace if we search in Uma for any clues related to the Tree of Peace… and if we all keep valuing the magic of friendship and keep doing our best to make sure that the world we live in is a good one, maybe we’ll end up finding the remaining Elements of Peace. That’s kinda how it’s worked with Flash, Arrow, and Shadow here… along with a little luck and a little help from fate itself, so… you know.”

Noble Wind replied, “Well, I’m not sure if all of what we just discussed is that much of a plan or two, but I think I get it: if we all work hard and work together, we just might be able to find the remaining Elements of Peace AND the long lost Tree of Peace, as well as take care of whatever remaining dirty tricks that Tartarus or this Mystmancer fool or whatever else there is left to beat has planned for our world.”

“Well then, what're we waitin' fer?” Applejack asked, “We just finished one crazy yet excitin’ adventure, so we might as well start a whole new one! Though, it sounds like we’ll have to take this one one lil’ step at a time. ”

“I’ll head back home to Uma as soon as I can,” said Shadow Shinobi, “Perhaps my father, our kingdom, and its people can aid in the search for the Tree of Peace.”

“Thank you, Prince Shadow, that would be very helpful of you, and also… thank you so much for helping all us on this latest adventure,” said Princess Twilight, as she then bowed before him respectfully.

Prince Blueblood did the same as he said, “I am honored that you and the others were able to save my life from Dark Mind… Ninja Prince of Uma.”

Shadow Shinobi smiled back at them as he bowed respectfully before them and everypony else as his response.

“Well, I do believe that wraps everything up in a nice and pretty bow,” Rarity stated.

“Well, actually, there’s one more TINY thing that we need to discuss, THEN I think we’ll be done,” Princess Twilight stated.

“And what’s that? ” Flash asked her.

“Well…” said Princess Twilight, “To make a long story and explanation as short as possible… what happened with Dark Mind… us lying to everypony in order to protect them… Lightning Dust was kind of right. We HAVEN’T been as great or reliable as we’ve made everyone in Equestria think we are. I mean, first it was all of us actually getting kidnapped and replaced by the Changelings before they decided to turn good thanks to Starlight Glimmer, Thorax, Trixie, and even Discord… and now THIS whole deception episode with Dark Mind… We always do our best to keep Equestria safe and thriving in peace and harmony, but… after what’s happened during the Talent Tournament… I think it’s high time that we did better.”

“How so, Twi? ” Applejack asked Twilight.

“Well, I’ve actually been thinking about this since after our first adventure with Arrow Swift,” said Princess Twilight, “When his brother, Hunter Trapper, went all crazy and evil, I mean. Noble Wind, do you by any chance recall what you said to me after that adventure was over?”

Noble Wind thought to himself and said, “Hmmm… well… I think what I said was… that if there were more Ponies like you and your friends… maybe a team of heroic Ponies… or something like that… it would be an incredible thing to happen to Equestria, right?”

“Basically,” Twilight nodded, “And after what’s happened this week, it’s become apparent that while my friends and I do represent the Elements of Harmony and have proven time and again that friendship is a powerful magic that CAN change the world for the better… we can’t do it all by ourselves any longer. We need more Ponies like us to join our cause. This ‘Elements of Peace’ thing sounds like a good start, but we need to keep going with it as best as we all can.”

“What exactly are you getting at, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked her.

“I’m saying that we need to be what Lightning Dust thinks we have failed to be,” said Princess Twilight, “Everypony… it’s your own choice, but… I think what we all need to be… is a huge team of heroic Ponies that stand up to any evil threat. We need to be… Guardians of Harmony and Peace. Guardians of Friendship. Guardians of Equestria, if not Guardians of the World.”

Flash whistled deeply out of impression as he said, “Well, I have to admit… I kinda like the sound of all that. ”

“I know, right? ^^ ” Arrow Swift replied.

“Indeed,” Shadow nodded with a smile, “My place is of course with Uma, but all of my new friends here in Equestria CAN count on me to help out as best as I can.”

Noble Wind then said to Twilight, “Well, I don’t know about me being a Guardian of any kind, but… I’ll be more than happy to help out as best as I can. I mean, if there are evil forces from Tartarus at play here, then… well… honestly… maybe me helping you guys figure out how to deal with them AND find the Tree of Peace AND the remaining Elements of Peace as best as I can might be able to help me, well… find out what happened to my parents.”

THAT definitely caught everypony’s attention, as Noble Wind then said, “It’s a long story, and I think we’ve kinda stretched this current chapter… of our lives… out long enough. Just know that I’m with you guys and I’ll do my best to help out as best as I can. ”

“Oh, well, alright then ” said Princess Twilight.




And so, that was that…


Dark Mind was defeated and locked away back in Tartarus, Equestria was saved once again, the first ever Talent Tournament was a success, and it all sounded like even more grand adventures were just around the corner for Princess Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, and the rest of their huge group of friends.


However…

….deep within the incredibly dark pits of Tartarus… an unseen figure was all alone… watching through their own magical powers about what was going on in the outside world…


…and then that mysterious character said, “…Ebon Geddon will be realized soon enough, my little Ponies… In fact, it’s practically halfway there already… Heh heh heh heh heh… Oh, and ‘Guardians of Harmony and Peace’? ‘Guardians of Friendship’??? Cute… REALLY cute… but even YOUR own mighty powers will fail to stop me… I have big plans for your world… VERY big plans… and I can’t wait for everyone to see what’s in store on my part… I mean, really… the suspense is just intense… isn’t it???”


Meanwhile… across the very vast and virtually infinite cosmos… FAR beyond the solar system that the Pony World where Twilight Sparkle and all other Ponies and Equestrians and lively creatures and characters lived in… someone else was sensing what was happening in Twilight Sparkle’s world.

That someone else was actually asleep at the time, but they could subconsciously sense and tell that quite possibly the entire universe itself was about to soon change… FOREVER…

…and it was enough to make them mumble in their sleep, “…Ebon… Geddon…? Hmm… sounds… bad… must deal… with it later…”

Nobody knew what the future had in store for Twilight, her many friends, Equestria, or even perhaps their entire universe itself… but at this point, at least ONE thing was for certain…

…The more time passed, the more things would keep changing until it reached the highly anticipated point where not only would things NEVER be the same again… but also that there was perhaps no going back for anyone at all.

It was all now left up to fate itself… and what it had planned for all.





THE END… for now