Discord, Thorax, Randy, Sweetie Belle, and Flurry Heart were mortified and all had a pretty good idea what was to happen.
“Now that we're here, we have work to do destroying them and all!” Tirek said.
The villain reached out his hand to take the element of magic from its resting place but something sent him rushing off.
The rest gasped and looked at the tree.
Sweetie Belle finally felt able to rip away from her rope in this distraction.
She used her magic to make it vanish.
“Whatever you plan to do with the elements, I won't let you! My sister and the princess and all their friends gave up the elements to keep the peace! I'm not letting you take them!” She cried.
Chrysalis gave a chuckle.
Sweetie Belle inhaled and her cheeks grew pink in furry.
The unicorn cast a spell that melted away the others chains, they were free to help her.
“I think an alicorn’s power and the most powerful unicorn since Twilight Sparkle should be enough to defeat you, no?” The little alicorn laughed.
The villains’ eyes burned with hatred.
Discord sneaked quickly behind a rock and sighed.
“I can't just leave them…. Well, I could but…” He glanced back at the scene. Sweetie Belle was doing absolutely fine on her own, firing spells and creating shields around her friends. Flurry Heart was backing away with Randy trying to protect her and seemed to be concentrating on doing something.
Discord then saw the gold magic aura around the element of magic. She couldn't get that out. Even if she did, she couldn't use it.
Discord snapped his claw and reversed his curse he had put on the tree so long ago so if ever needed, the elements could be retrieved once again.
Sweetie Belle heard Flurry Heart grunt and turned. The villains were fighting her still and both the princess and queen were trying to get the element.
“Flurry Heart! Cover me!” Sweetie Belle called, sliding smoothly from defending the tree.
“Got it!” The alicorn cried, grabbing Randy's hoof and pulling him with her.
Thorax turned to see Sweetie Belle’s light green magic encircle the elements.
“No!” He yelled.
Sweetie Belle gasped and looked at him. The element surprising moved with little effort and started to float forward.
“What?! This is for all Equestria-” She started when she saw Scootaloo walking to a nearby cliff.
“Scootaloo…” She whispered.
The unicorn looked at the changeling queen who smirked tauntingly.
“Let go of the element and she stays safe, don't and Equestria stays safe…. Hm, what to choose…”
Flurry Heart gasped and looked at Sweetie Belle. “W-what should we do?!”
The older made a little noise with her conflicted mind.
Her magic weakened slightly.
“You would think she'd make up her mind already!” Sombra laughed.
“Sweetie Belle! Don't let go! We gotta save Equestria!” The young alicorn said.
“WHAT?! What about Scootaloo?!” Sweetie Belle squealed.
Flurry Heart looked at the peguses going closer to the cliff.
“I-I don't know!” The princess whispered, tears in her eyes.
“Tick tock, ladies!” Tirek hissed.
“If we don't do this, if the elements are destroyed, all light in Equestria w-will be lost in a dark cloud!” Flurry Heart sobbed.
“Princess Twilight wouldn't let her friends die! My sister wouldn't!” Sweetie Belle yelled, angry.
Flurry Heart narrowed her eyes.
Sweetie Belle’s magic released the element but Flurry Heart stopped it.
Suddenly, a beam hit her. Flurry Heart screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The alicorn looked back at Sweetie Belle who looked horrified at what she had done.
“Flurry Heart… I didn't know what I was doing… I’m sorry!” She whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
The element of magic was consumed by Sombra’s dark magic.
Sweetie Belle cried out and grabbed her head.
“What have you done?!” Flurry Heart gasped, running to her.
“I-I don't know… But at least Scootaloo’s safe…” The other girl murmured.
“Hm…” Tirek said, looking between the unicorn and Scootaloo.
“Chrissy, dear, do we really need them?” He sighed, glancing at the queen.
“Hm?” Chrysalis asked, looking away from the element.
She saw the pegasus staring off slightly.
“Yes… Getting the elements were all we needed her for.” She sighed, nodding to the mare.
Scootaloo's eyes misted over because deeply down, she didn't want to leave her friend.
In a horrifying moment, Scootaloo walked off the cliff.
“SCOOTALOO!” Sweetie Belle screeched.
“No!” Flurry Heart sobbed.
The unicorn teleported to the cliff.
She grabbed Scootaloo’s hoof and the mare hung limply from it, still breathing.
“It's okay… We're okay…” Sweetie Belle breathed to her motionless friend.
“Not quite,” Tirek whispered.
He fired a burst of magic at the girls and they slipped.
“No!” Flurry Heart screamed.
She stared at the cliff, her freezing breath making a white cloud.
“Scootaloo… Sweetie Belle…” She whispered.
“Hmm… I should have stolen their magic before they died… The princess’s student would be such a good boost…” Tirek said.
“No matter.” Chrysalis yawned.
“Yes, we have all we need.” Sombra chuckled, letting the element of magic come to him.
“Finally-”
Suddenly, a blue something flew past him, snatching the element.
“What?!” The villains gasped together.
Gabby landed gracefully on top of the tree.
“Ha ha!” The griffon laughed.
“Ow!” She suddenly cried, the element burning her.
“Diamond Tiara! Catch!” She yelled, tossing it.
Chrysalis gasped when the young mare pushed past her and caught it.
“Go- Owoch!” Diamond Tiara squealed.
Flurry Heart gasped in surprise sand quickly hid behind the tree, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Hey!” A pony she didn't recognize cried.
“Settle down, cous’” Applebloom whispered behind her.
“Applebloom!” The princess squealed softly.
They hugged when there was a call.
“Help!” Diamond Tiara cried, her hair being held by Tirek.
“How dare you turn on us, now give me that stone!” He hissed.
The mare smiled and chucked the element away.
Flurry Heart leaped out from behind the tree and caught it with her hooves.
“Youch!” She squealed, tossing a bit away to Randy.
“Yikes! Hot, hot!” He cried.
“Give that to me!” Sombra growled, lunging to the boy.
“Got it!” Babs laughed, leaping over him and grabbed the stone.
She landed and handed it to Applebloom.
“Sweet Celestia!” Applebloom cried, it burning.
She tossed it to one last pony.
Sweetie Belle landed gracefully from her bubble that surrounded her and Scootaloo.
She gasped and caught the element with her magic. The element started to shine and glow, connected to her.
“What's going on?” The unicorn whispered, the element going up into the air.
Suddenly, her green eyes grew and there was a twinkle in her eye, a spark.
The other elements flew from the tree to their new owners since their old were gone.
Laughter went to the bright and happy griffon who was connected to the others in a way she had no idea, but if they had met before, she would have made them smile.
Kindness went to Babs for her kind way of forgiving Diamond Tiara and making so easily friends with Gabby.
Generosity went to Diamond Tiara which was ironic because her cutie mark was getting things that she wanted, but she always shared these things with her friends.
Honesty went the old bearer’s little sister, Applebloom. Her honesty had made her blunt and stubborn at times but she used it well. Besides, she had seemed to be next in line for it.
And even under a spell, Scootaloo got the element of loyalty for her bravery and nobility to her friends. Instead of being put out about her inability to fly, her loyalty earned her the mechanics from Applebloom.
The element of magic went to Sweetie Belle not just because she was the only unicorn. She got it because the old leader, Twilight Sparkle, taught the mare all she had known. Both magic and friendship Sweetie Belle had studied though she didn't need much help with the second.
With the elements floating in front of them, their eyes flashed with multiple colors and they gasped together when they blinked.
The elements turned to necklaces and a crown for their bearers.
“I'm sorry!” They suddenly heard a sob.
They turned and saw Scootaloo sitting and crying, the magic of friendship had healed her.
“Scootaloo!” Flurry Heart squealed, giving one big flap of her wings and rocketing to her.
“Flurry Heart…. You're okay…” Scootaloo whispered through tears.
“I'm sorry! I should have never said what I did!” Flurry Heart cried, still surprised.
“Is anypony wondering why we have the elements? It is weird…” Babs coughed.
“It means we are destined to be friends,” Applebloom said, looking around.
“Really?” Diamond whispered.
“But I never met you guys until a few days ago!” Gabby gasped.
“It must be fate!” Flurry Heart murmured, trotting back to Randy.
“Yes, yes, friendship is magic blah, blah. Now can you elements of harmony get rid of the darkness?!” Discord huffed.
The elements remembered and Sweetie Belle glared at the villains.
“All this time, you've hunted down my friends and our camp. You wanted to destroy the real heir to the throne. We will punish you for it!” The unicorn growled.
Her eyes and her friends turned pure white and they started to rise.
“No…” Chrysalis growled.
“This can't be over.” Tirek snarled.
Sombra was looking around for a way to stop this when the two children caught his eye. The princess would somehow have a way to be protected from his magic but the yak boy had nothing. He wasn't of any importance to the villains but he was to the do-gooders.
Sombra suddenly shot a black beam at the boy and he collapsed as it passed through.
“Randy!” Flurry Heart cried, holding her friend.
The others gasped and lowered from their stances.
“Are you two okay?!” Scootaloo gasped, running up with the others.
“No! No, we need to do something!” Flurry Heart cried, tears in her eyes.
Randy was motionless on the ground and the other crowded around him.
Chrysalis saw the opportunity with them all in the same place. She lit her horn and fired.
Sweetie Belle turned and saw it. “No!” She yelled, lighting her horn.
She teleported her friends away back to their camp, leaving the villains alone at the tree.
“And now they have the elements of harmony. We should have seen that
coming, those three leaders somehow always evading our grasp.” Tirek hissed.
“Please, those mares won't be a problem for long… All we need to worry about is the alicorn.”
“Please… Can you do anything?” Flurry Heart whispered, using her magic to put a wet cloth on the yak’s forehead.
“I'm not sure. It's powerful dark magic…” Sweetie Belle sighed. “All we can do now is let him rest.”
The others exited, leaving the princess alone to look at the sleeping yak.
“Get better soon.” She whispered softly.
The girl felt her face heat up and slowly walked up to him.
She shut her eyes and kissed him quickly on the lips but her eyes shot open, seeing a vision of black and a blinding light trying to beat it back.
She heard laughter.
“Just stop resisting!” She heard Randy yell.
The alicorn screamed and fell back. She looked back at the still sleeping boy.
“Oh no… The villains are coming for you too!” She whispered.
The princess stood and ran away to alert her friends.