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The forest is dark (Clarity and Guiding Star light their horns to see by, but it's almost worse than nothing, making the distant shadowed spaces darker by comparison; they soon give up). The plants that make it up are closely spaced, not all of them have friendly textures, and it is full of scary noises, only some of them the harmless snapped twigs and disturbed leaves of their own passage.
Before they've fully adjusted to the darkness, and are aware via anything but the feel of earth under their hooves that the path has sloped downward a little, it has given way under them, some of the flora and some distressingly large rocks along with it. Clarity can't even teleport. It's too dark to see where she might be going.
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allcomplete
and_admiration
Nightmare Moon resumes swirl-of-smoke form to whoosh across the room back to the Elements again, which leaves her standing in the circle of them when Clarity manages to send a spark dancing from stone to stone. Clarity is knocked back a few feet, skidding.
"No - no!" exclaims Nightmare Moon -
and the spark dies down.
"No - no!" exclaims Nightmare Moon -
and the spark dies down.
and_admiration
Nightmare Moon laughs and stomps her forehooves.
The five elements shatter into tiny crystals.
"You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!" she crows.
The five elements shatter into tiny crystals.
"You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!" she crows.
joyfulnoise
By this time, the other five are nearly at the tower - close enough to hear Nightmare Moon's laughter. "We're coming, Clarity!" yells Joy.
clearthestorm
Streak reaches the door to the long hall slightly ahead of the rest of the group, and has to plant all four hooves on the wall and bounce off it to redirect her excess speed towards the middle of the room.
"All of us," she agrees.
"All of us," she agrees.
allcomplete
Clarity hears them, and her mind's spinning.
Why would the magical weapon that can supposedly defeat Nightmare Moon be several easily-shattered rocks?
Why didn't the spark work?
Why are they named that?
And, with more confidence than she feels, she addresses Nightmare Moon just as everypony else makes it into the room:
"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?"
(What if she can? Then all is lost, and the worst that happens is Clarity sounds kind of silly -)
"Well, you're wrong."
(Why are they called that?)
"The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here."
And, to Clarity's surprise almost as much as Nightmare Moon's -
the shards begin to float, aglow with subtle colors.
Why would the magical weapon that can supposedly defeat Nightmare Moon be several easily-shattered rocks?
Why didn't the spark work?
Why are they named that?
And, with more confidence than she feels, she addresses Nightmare Moon just as everypony else makes it into the room:
"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?"
(What if she can? Then all is lost, and the worst that happens is Clarity sounds kind of silly -)
"Well, you're wrong."
(Why are they called that?)
"The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here."
And, to Clarity's surprise almost as much as Nightmare Moon's -
the shards begin to float, aglow with subtle colors.
joyfulnoise
And Joy stands at Clarity's back, with a smile for Nightmare Moon. It's not one of his nice smiles.
allcomplete
Now that the Element shards are floating Clarity feels much better about her half-baked last-ditch plan. She makes sure she has everypony straight in her head and decides it is less likely to work if there is any verbal acknowledgement that she is guessing and -
"Silver Streak," she says, "who proved trustworthy in a crisis, represents the element of Honesty."
A cluster of shards flow through the air in Streak's direction and orbit her.
"Silver Streak," she says, "who proved trustworthy in a crisis, represents the element of Honesty."
A cluster of shards flow through the air in Streak's direction and orbit her.
clearthestorm
She spares a glance to study them before returning her attention to the obvious threat of Nightmare Moon.
allcomplete
"Guiding Star, who calmed a manticore with her compassion and help, represents the element of Kindness."
allcomplete
"Cherry Cordial, who made her way back to the rest of us even though every sign offered a safe way out in the other direction, represents the spirit of Loyalty!"
allcomplete
"Joy, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!"
It's working it's working it's working!
It's working it's working it's working!
allcomplete
"And Brightblaze, who calmed a distraught serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!"
All of the shards are orbiting somepony now.
All of the shards are orbiting somepony now.