Emerald Twilight
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the official characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Lauren Faust is the person who created this generation of ponies. J.K. Rowling is the owner of the entire Harry Potter franchise. I do not own anything that is mentioned as a crossover cameo from anime, manga, video games, music, TV shows, movies, or otherwise. All I own is this idea to ponify Harry Potter and dump his flank into Equestria to be raised as the age-identical sibling of Twilight Sparkle.
Author's Note: It may or may not include a look into the HP universe at the end...
"Emerald Lightning! Would you stop singing in Japonese already and help me?" cries Twilight, interrupting Emerald who was singing to the song Attempted System Flavour from the album 日々の足音 (Hibi no Ashioto).
Emerald glared at his sister. "Twilight! I was singing. I love this song!"
"I need your help, bro. Please!"
Emerald sighs. He loved his sister far too much to leave her upset if she needed help. Likely it was about her studies again. Now, don't get me wrong, Emerald was almost as studious as Twilight was, however the young stallion was looser in several rules; Emerald knew when to take breaks now and then for simpler tasks and studying. But when you have a big test to take or when your studies have a meaning towards their shared teacher, Princess Celestia, then he could be just as strict as his sister can be. Sometimes when that happens, Spike would have to make sure the two ponies don't burn themselves out.
As for what Emerald Lightning looked like: his eyes were a deep richly green color. One would mistake them as real emeralds (hence where the first half of his name came from). His mane was in semi-messy locks. The actual style of his mane is what the Japonese ponies would called ahoge. His tail was a medium cut in length. The coat of the young stallion was a burnt orange color. On the left temple of his forehead partly hidden by the frontal parted locks of his mane was a lightning bolt-shaped scar (thus indicating the last part of his name). His cutie mark was almost identical to Twilight's; whereas Twilight's cutie mark has five small white sparkles, Emerald's instead has a yellow lightning bolt in the center.
"What's going on, sis?" Emerald asks his sister.
"I need help finding a book that has details about the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight fussed, using her magic to search through the library.
"The Elements of Harmony? You mean the study on them we did last week when I read up about Nightmare Moon's tale?"
"Yes! I read the book again and I have this feeling that it could happen: Nightmare Moon returning to Equestria to reign as an evil dictator on this year in time!"
Normally, Emerald knew not to take much stock on old pony stories, but there was this habit of them getting into the most bizarre of misadventures when they were growing up. And during those rather fun times, they have stumbled upon two old stories that were fabricated as myths actually being true. Both Emerald and Twilight knew to trust their instincts when something big was going to happen. And if Twilight was worried about something that didn't impact magical study, Emerald knew he had to listen.
"Here it is Twilight," said Emerald, summoning a book that Spike found for him on the top of the book shelf on the west wall. He also caught Spike when he fell off the ladder much to the dragon's relief.
Twilight flipped the pages through until she found the page detailing what she was looking for. But when it told to see "Mare on the Moon", she went to that page and overlooking her shoulder Emerald read along with her what she was reading: Nightmare Moon being banished by the Elements of Harmony, and how it was said that she vowed to return one day. Apparently, today is the apparent year of her return from being banished to the moon. Emerald went to their stationary desk and pulls out some parchment and a quill, and spoke aloud as he wrote up a letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
My loving sister Twilight has uncovered interesting information pertaining to the possible return of Nightmare Moon. While it is possible in the end nothing threatening would happen, as I have come to learn regarding instinct: never ignore it. It certainly has saved us the few times we (I and my sister) went off on misadventures. It is likely possible that this is the year that all of Equestria may come under threat of the evil Nightmare Moon as spoken of in the Mare on the Moon tale. I truly hope that you will respond and tell us exactly what my sister and I can do in hopes of countering a likely threat that is waiting to happen.
With sincerest regards,
Emerald Lightning
Twilight smiled fondly as Emerald brought the letter to Spike, and catching the hint exhales a breath of green fire, magically sending the parchment towards Princess Celestia in a cloud of glittery smoke.
"Hopefully... the gut instinct I'm getting doesn't kill us this time, sis," said Emerald.
"Thanks, Emerald," said Twilight, nuzzling her brother.
Spike rolled his eyes at the sibling affection, but went about cleaning up the book clutter and putting them all back in place in their right locations.
"Hopefully the princess responds back. When we ever get these instincts, they tend to come true," Emerald says to Twilight.
"I know. Remember the Yeti in the mountains?"
Emerald shivered. Who could forget THAT experience? Who knew a Yeti would be a pony equivalent of a hippie at Woodstock minus the major buzz for the munchies and constant need for marijuana?
Wait. Who is Emerald Lightning, you ask? Well, time for an interlude of a short tale.
A long time ago, there was an untold burst of magical energy that erupted three months after a little filly named Twilight Sparkle was born. The magical burst happened near the home of the Sparkle Family, and when that burst of magic had disappeared, all that was left behind was a crying little baby foal. The energy burst caught the attention of Princess Celestia and her guards whom went to investigate. Twilight Velvet, Twilight Sparkle's mother, was calming down the crying colt by the time the princess arrived to the home. The magical energy that was felt from the colt was astounding. But what was even MORE astounding was when the little one finally stopped crying after Velvet soothed the young infant and said foal opened his eyes. His eyes were the purest shade of green anypony had ever seen before. One of the princess's guards made a comment that it looked like two beautiful emeralds untouched by time.
But the other attention everypony held was to the jagged cut like a lightning bolt marring the baby unicorn's forehead. And Celestia could feel a dark and sinister aura within the cut. It was a cursed mark. That had angered her. Only the foulest of dark magic could ever produce such a sickening aura like what she felt from the scar. She immediately assumed it was the likes of King Sombra, the dark unicorn sorcerer. But the dark magical leech coming from the scar felt much different. However, her power of light was able to destroy the dark parasitic leech (that took the shape of a strange demonic creature with a slit nose, red eyes, and completely bald cranium, almost like a hairless monkey) before it could firmly take root onto the young colt and thus saved the colt from a lifetime of pain and misery.
From here on, Celestia watched over the young colt from the side as she blessed the family with adopting the young filly. Night Light made mention that their young daughter would likely enjoy having a brother her age. And lo and behold, Twilight Sparkle, and the colt named Emerald Lightning (named for his eyes and the faded scar on his forehead healed over the years) were the A.B.B.F.F. (Absolute Biggest Best Friends Forever) to one another, and B.B.B.F.F. (Big Brother Best Friends Forever) with Shining Armor. After the Sonic Rainboom incident and feeling the tremendous and raw magical aura that radiated from both Twilight Sparkle and Emerald Lightning, Princess Celestia took the two young ones as her personal students at the academy.
Emerald walks over to the computer and he manipulates the mouse with his hoof and clicks the stop button on the PC's Winamp program. "So while we wait for a quick response from the princess... what do we do now?"
"I'm going to fix the gift for Moondancer," answers Spike, holding a ruined box containing a plushy teddy bear as he leaves the library.
"What do you think the princess would do regarding my letter, sis?"
"Hopefully she takes immediate action. I'm really worried that Nightmare Moon will return and evil and darkness will reign."
"You think she'll have Shining Armor have the Royal Guard to take arms in preparation?"
Twilight smiles brightly. "Yes! The Royal Guard will protect us in times of dire need!"
BELCH!
The familiar belch when a letter is magically sent to them via Spike. Out came said letter held in Spike's hand.
"I just got a reply from the princess, guys," he calls to them.
"What does it say, Spike? Is she going to summon the Royal Guards to arms?"
"Will our elder brother Shining Armor come to protect his younger brother and sister as he protects all of Equestria with our dearest Princess Celestia?"
Spike blinked, before unrolling the parchment and clears his throat.
"My dearest students Twilight Sparkle and Emerald Lightning," Spike begins to read the written reply, "Get a life."
Twilight and Emerald blinked twice.
=0=0=0=0=
An hour later Twilight Sparkle, Emerald Lightning, and Spike were on a royal chariot carried by two pegasi guards. Their destination: Ponyville. The letter written up by Celestia was not one they'd had hope to hear. Celestia after her rather in-your-face first reply then explained that they shouldn't take much stock on old stories in dusty tomes and then tasked them with the preparation for the Sun Summer Celebration that is to be held this year at Ponyville. And other than that, they were given one secondary task to complete: make some friends that doesn't involve online ponies or fictional ones (this was aimed more at Emerald than Twilight).
"I still can't believe she would ignore such a warning..."
"Don't let it get you down, Twilight," Emerald comforts his sister, "We'll just complete the task we were given than head towards the town's library to do some studying."
"Did you bring any of your books this time, Emerald?"
"Of course I did," he said, as Twilight have him a critical look.
"Really...?"
"Yes sis I did. Don't worry. I'll read more than just Shingeki no Kyojin."
Twilight facehoofs; Emerald STILL had those comics? "You still read those comic books?"
"I love the drama of it all!" Emerald retorts.
"It's about a society where ponies live behind giant walls living a sheltered life from giant monster horses! Mom and dad banned you from reading them because of all the blood!"
"It's the drama I love!" he again responds.
Spike rolls his eyes at the two siblings bickering.
"Would you two stop? We're almost to Ponyville and you'll likely cause a scene once we reach land," Spike interjects before the two would start butting heads.
The pegasi guards driving the chariot wisely ignore everything they were hearing.
Soon the trio reaches Ponyville and the chariot touches the ground.
"Thank you my good sirs," Twilight thanks the guards, whom smile and nod at the gesture of thanks.
"Alright, we're here in Ponyville. Oh, I know! Why don't you two try and make some friends while we complete our jobs supervising the celebration?"
Twilight and Emerald sigh.
"Spike, we don't have time to make some friends at the moment. Besides we got each other and Shining Armor."
"Yeah, but the princess is likely to be disappointed with you two if she learns you both never went and talk with the townsfolk," Spike tells them.
The two ponies sigh, again. "Fine," they said.
Spike grins. "Cool! Hey, why don't you two talk with that pony over there?"
He points to a pink pony with a really poofy pink mane and eluded a very bubbly personality who was hopping almost like a bunny down the street.
"Alright, Spike. Stop quilting us," said Emerald. Spike rode on Emerald's back more than Twilight and the baby dragon just chuckles to himself. Twilight rolls her eyes as the two ponies went up to the pink mare.
"Hello," she initiates first contact. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is my brother Emerald Lightning."
The pink mare gasps almost in an overdramatic way, and then in a puff of smoke, she's seen zooming off into the distance.
"... I thought that only happens in anime?" Emerald questioned the sudden oddity they witnessed.
Twilight facehoofs as a grunt escapes her throat.
Drawing a parchment list from his saddle back, Emerald gazes over the list given to them. "Alright... the check list says the first to go over is the food preparation for the Sun Summer Celebration. It's being handled by a pony named Applejack over at a place called Sweet Apple Acers."
"Alright... Let's go there first," said Twilight, walking past her brother. She likely wanted to put behind the strange pink pony's strangeness.
Emerald quickly hurries up to his sister. After some time of traveling across the town and out to a marked dirt path, they reached a large apple orchid.
"Oh boy, all of these large juicy apples look delicious," said Spike.
Emerald gazes at one apple tree filled with large plump ripe red apples. "Yeah, they do, don't they? They're bigger than the brands sold at the supermarket back in Canterlot."
"Yee-haw!" a female sounds out. Their attention is grabbed by an orange pony with a blonde mane tied into a ponytail, much like her tail wearing a Stenson hat. She bucked hard against one tree and three large wood baskets are filled with falling apples.
"Cool."
Twilight trots up to the mare. "Hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here to check out the food preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Well howdy Twilight Sparkle! Mah name's Applejack! So glad to see a visitor, Twilight! We harvest all sorts of apples here at Sweet Apple Acres!"
Applejack proved to be a friendly mare. She shook Twilight's hoof so fast her front leg was almost a blur until she stopped shaking her hoof; Twi's leg kept shaking up and down. Emerald with a chuckle put a hoof on her leg, stopping her shaking.
"Hello, I'm Emerald Lightning. I'm Twilight's brother. It's very nice to meet you Miss Applejack."
What happened next was one of slight hilarity. Applejack had dragged Twilight over to a gazebo and sat her down before ringing out for the entire family and a cry of "Soup's on, everypony!" The ENTIRE Apple Clan was there, each with a sample dish of what's to be served at the celebration this evening. Twilight tried to get out of it but a small filly named Applebloom guilted Twilight (and Emerald) into staying with those cute puppy dog eyes-look. After an hour of sampling the foods they managed to escape, and ran into a Pegasus named Rainbow Dash who was charged with clearing the skies of lingering clouds.
Needless to say Emerald found Rainbow Dash to be a very interesting pony (and Rainbow did clear the skies after being dared by Twilight she couldn't in ten seconds). Twilight on the other hand found the mare a bit annoying. She didn't get out unscathed: when they encountered the mare, Twilight got knocked into a muddy puddle, and was washed down with a rain cloud, only to be dried by Rainbow's patented "Rainblow Dry" technique, leaving her mane to resemble the poofy mess of Neighpoleon Dynamite's mane style. Spike and Emerald were still giggling until they met Rarity who was in charge of the decorations at Ponyville's Town Hall.
Spike was teased by Emerald for having a crush on Rarity after Twilight managed to magick them out the doors before she could get stuffed into yet another bizarre costume change. Then there was a cute yet shy pony named Fluttershy. Very shy when seeing Twilight and Emerald for the first time, but very energetically talkative when she saw Spike.
Thus we lead to right now...
"That was rude," said Spike after Twilight shoved him into the Golden Oak Library.
"Yeah... Even I'd have to agree with Spike, sis," Emerald tells Twilight.
"I'm sorry, but we've wasted so much time today doing what the princess requested. Now that we're here in the library I can start studying away without all of these crazy ponies trying to be friends with us."
"Right, the whole looming danger thing," says Emerald.
Spike jumps off Emerald's back. The green-eyed unicorn magically levitates his saddle bags off his back and over to a nearby couch.
"So, what do you want to check first?"
Twilight levitates her own saddle bags off her, taking out her packed books. "Anything that can help us, Emerald, now help me find the light switch; it's too dark in here."
Emerald trots over, using his magic to generate a small bead of light at the tip of his horn. It was a unique flash light-replicated magic spell. With a smirk, he lifts his hoof and flips the nub upward. In a flood of light the living room is lit up. He, Twilight, and Spike find themselves surrounded by hundreds of ponies whom all yell SURPRISE.
Of course, this had the bad effect of spooking Emerald and he had just so happened to be next to an open door that led to the library's basement. He stepped backwards, and screamed as he tumbles down the stairs, crashes accompanying each tumbling fall with the occasional expletive until finally (everyone upstairs wincing) when Emerald finally crashed against something solid.
"I'M OKAY!"
CRASH!
The old unicorn head statue bust of a civil war-era hero toppled off the stump-turned table and fell on him. This was accompanied by another (bleep) uttered from Emerald's lips.
"BROTHER!"
Twilight rushed down the stairs and Spike peers past the door, followed by the heads of Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, the shy Fluttershy, and the pink pony from earlier today.
"Whoa. Déjà vu," mutters Spike. "This happened on Emerald's birthday three years ago. Took that nasty tumble down the flights of stairs in Canterlot and broke his hind legs. Hey Twilight, is Emerald okay?" The dragon would yell the question aloud to the mare.
"I'm fine, Spike!" Emerald shouted back, answering instead of Twilight who still levitates the statue off her brother. The pink mare, named Pinkie Pie, apologized for spooking Emerald once the stallion was brought back upstairs but Emerald didn't mind it much, claiming that he was stronger than he looked. Still, other than that, Pinkie Pie's little surprise party continued.
Hours later...
Spike opens the door. For some reason he has a lamp shade on his head like it was a party hat.
"Hey you two, Pinkie Pie's playing Pin the Tail on the Pony," he calls to the two.
"Not now Spike. I want to be alone!" Twilight grumbles, facing the window.
"Hey Spike... we'll be out soon, okay?" Emerald tells Spike, and the baby dragon nods and left the two siblings alone, closing the door on his exit.
"Celestia's Christ... all these ponies are crazy," she muttered.
"Hey sis, don't mind them okay? So today was a bit... weird to say the least..."
"I really don't understand why Princess Celestia would want us to make friends in this town? I'm perfectly fine on my own. I at least have you by my side."
And she turns around in bed and scoots closer to her brother. Emerald nuzzles her cheek affectionately.
"And don't forget our lovable dragon/number one assistant, Spike," Emerald adds, and was successful in getting a smile from Twilight.
"Yeah... He's always there taking care of us if we ever burn ourselves out in our magic studies," she admits.
"There we go. There's the smile I love."
Twilight giggles, kissing her brother on the cheek. She then turns around just to gaze out the window. The night sky was painted with dazzling and twinkling stars. Not a cloud was in the sky tonight.
"Still hung over the Nightmare Moon threat?"
"Yes, Emerald... tonight is the year that she threatened to make her return as predicted in the book." She sighs. "I just really hope we're obsessing over nothing, bro."
"I know," Emerald whispers, hugging her from behind.
Neither of them saw four distinct sparkles/stars that hit the moon and a magical outline of a dark shadow on its surface vanished in a brief flash of white light. On the longest day of the thousandth year the stars will aid in The Mare of the Moon's escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal...
=0=0=0=0=
Princess Celestia was missing.
That much was certain.
"This cannot be good," Emerald hears Twilight mutter to herself.
Emerald quickly backed and disappeared into the crowds to head outside. Near some bushes was a duffel bag which he magicks a white costume out with a beak-tipped hood. Inside the Town Hall, on the pavilion glittery blue smoke crawls along the surface before growing larger, soon taking the shape of a black pony with a midnight blue mane and wearing wicked-looking armor with large wings spread out in a majestic manner.
Nightmare Moon has returned to Equestria...
Emerald quickly re-enters through the back door and snuck up onto the pavilion out of sight of anypony while Nightmare Moon made a that monologue of bringing forth eternal night for all the "sun-loving ponies", and Twilight spoke up saying that she knew she would have returned. But even her bravery faltered in the presence of the evil mare from the moon. It was when she broke into an evil and terrifying laughter that scared all the ponies below, she was cut off by one voice behind her.
"You bitch!"
She turned around, and soundly got bucked hard in the face. With an added force of his magic, she is sent flying off the pavilion. Everypony below scattered like flies as she crashed on the ground, her head ringing briefly by the forceful buck delivered by a brave soul. Well, either Emerald WAS extremely brave, or incredibly stupid to attack the Mare of the Moon, as he leapt off the pavilion and lands on all four hooves.
"You foolish little foal! HOW DARE YOU!?" Nightmare Moon screeched, quickly getting back up and casting a hated glare at the foolish pony that got the surprise on her.
"Buck off!" Emerald yells, horn aglow with a bright emerald sheen.
Nightmare Moon lashes out with her dark magic, and Emerald casts off an offensive spell of his own. Both spells collided in midair and it became a struggle of dominance. However, no matter how strong Emerald was in magical practice, this was Nightmare Moon. The evil mare has more power to her as well as ages of experience. Emerald was soon quickly overpowered and the evil mare of the moon fires off a dark laugh watching the foolish foal get blasted away, smashing through a table filled with confectionary sweets.
Nightmare Moon makes for the escape, in the form of a twinkling cloud of stars, and escaping into the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash managed to get free from Applejack but the mare of the moon was too quick to be caught by Rainbow's speed. Twilight Sparkle was seen running off by Rainbow however.
The other ponies quickly aided help to Emerald Lightning who got up.
"Damn... okay that was stupid to attack her," he mutters to himself, as his hood falls back revealing his face.
"Emerald, how could you do something foolish? Ya coulda gotten hurt by that evil mare!" Applejack chastised the stallion she had only met today.
"Twilight calls it my pony saving thing. I don't like to see innocent fillies like your sis Applebloom to be frightened by such a terrifying force. That and yes, it was kind of stupid of me to even attempt to fight off someone like that mare." He looks around. "Hey, where's my sister?"
"Hey, Rainbow Dash is gone, too," said Pinkie Pie.
"Hm... I think I know where," said Emerald.
The door hits the wall as Twilight ran into the Golden Oak Library, sleepy dragon on her back.
"We gotta stop nightmare," Spike sleepily said, before rest would catch up and the baby dragon descends into a peaceful sleep.
"You need your rest Spike. You're still just a baby dragon after all." She tucked the dragon into his bed before turning off the lights and closing the door.
She hurried down the stairs and to the living room where she magicks many books off their shelves and started to scan for the right book.
"Oh, I hope Emerald is okay. Stupid idiot dressing up as Ezio Auditore again..."
She was very worried for her brother but she had more important matters to deal with; namely finding out what the Elements of Harmony were. As they were mentioned in having been used to defeat Nightmare Moon in the first place, they had to be found again. But she couldn't find the book that has any references to the Elements of Harmony.
"Damn it! I need to know what the Elements of Harmony are," she complains mainly to herself.
"And just what ARE the Elements of Harmony?" accuses Rainbow Dash, who in a burst of color had exploded into the library and got real close and personal with Twilight. Said books lost their magic aura and clatter to the floor. "How did you know about Nightmare Moon? Huh? Are you a spy?"
The accusinations continued until Twilight was saved by Applejack yanking Rainbow's tail, and sending the mare right to the ground on her flank.
"Settle down, girl!"
Rainbow Dash rubs her abused tail, standing up again.
"Twilight!"
"Emerald!"
The two siblings embrace each other.
"Emerald, you idiot! How could you do something so foolish like attack Nightmare Moon? You could have gotten hurt!" she chastised her brother.
"I'm really sorry Twilight. But no one else was doing anything except cower away, so I stepped up."
"By dressing up as Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed II?" was the pointed question regarding the costume Emerald is still wearing.
"So my cosplay costume still fits. This was more to be a beacon of hope for the scared fillies and colts in the audience," he answered.
"Oh brother dear... you and your pony saving thing," she says with a soft sigh in the end.
"We may be the same age, sis, but as your brother I DO have to protect my darling sister," he tells Twilight. But the other five mares in the room caught the obvious sign of love in those words.
"You always protect me, Emerald dear," Twilight whispers lovingly, leaning close.
"Twilight, my love..."
Applejack stared. Whoa... I know they're brother an' sister, but are they closer than that?
Oh flank, is this one of those forbidden fruit angles I once saw on that TV show Cloudchaser watches, was Rainbow Dash's thought.
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, was the repeating mantra in Fluttershy's mind.
Giggity? Pinkie Pie's thoughts, fillies and gentlecolts...
Rarity couldn't stop staring. Oh my... this is so... romantic. The love in their eyes, the emotions, and the care they have for each other. But they're siblings. Is it possible they are into incest?
"Emerald..." Twilight whispers, almost in the manner of a married mare expressing love for a husband.
Emerald leans much closer. The other five mares stare closely at this point. Were these two siblings going to share a forbidden kiss?
"TWILIGHT CHOP!"
SLAM!
Emerald Lightning is face planting the library's floor, with a large book hovering in the air above where Emerald's head once was. The hardcover spine of the book gave off a light trail of smoke whilst enveloped in Twilight's magic aura. If this was an anime or a manga scene, the other five mares would have sweatdropped already.
"Idiot," she mutters, letting the book drop to the table when she glanced at the cover; that wasn't the right book she was searching for.
The other five didn't know what to say after witnessing that scene.
"Damn it! Where is it?"
"What are you lookin' for, Twilight?" questions Applejack.
"It's an important book about the Elements of Harmony," she answers. "I read all about them back in Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony was referenced to be used as the catalyst of Nightmare Moon's defeat. But I don't know where they are, what they are, or where to start looking for these elements."
Pinkie Pie is at a nearby shelf. "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide." She pulls out the book for Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle blinks, shoving her aside as she looks at the book's spine. The words of the book are displayed in bold gold leaf-print. "Where'd you find that?"
"It was under E," Pinkie Pie sing-songs.
The book was levitated to a nearby book holder and she flips through the pages. The other five mares plus a suddenly recovered Emerald Lightning (sans now having a lump on his head that is mysteriously bandaged up) peer over her shoulder.
"The Elements of Harmony... It is a magical item that represents six elements: Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, and Laughter. The sixth element is currently unknown."
Emerald gazed at the passage, before coming up to the important detail. "The Elements of Harmony was last placed at the old castle of the royal sisters now known today as the Everfree Forest..."
The Everfree Forest outside the town limits of Ponyville...
"Okay... so shall we get going then?" Emerald spoke up, trotting down the path leading to the forest.
Yes, he's still wearing his Ezio cosplay outfit.
"Whoa! I know ya bein' brave and all but honestly just chargin' in all willy-nilly won't help us. We have ta be careful," Applejack warned Emerald.
"Well, there's no way I'm going to allow my sister and the friends we've met to just waltz in on by their lonesome. No way in Tartarus."
"He's so passionate," Rarity sighs dreamily.
"That's my brother for ya. He'll be chivalrous for other mares. It's his pony saving thing. Knowing Emerald, he will not let any harm befall us," Twilight informs the other five mares.
"Don't worry, Twilight, we'll all be fine as long as we stick together," Rainbow Dash tells the unicorn, as they go into the forest together.
Emerald smiles to his sister and gives chase after the five. Twilight races to catch-up herself.
=0=0=0=0=
And so a trek into the forest and several things happened: there was a rockslide and part of the ground collapsed under their hooves. Twilight was saved in the end after Applejack told her she was going to be alright after letting go. Then a Manticore with a thorn stuck in its paw attacked but Fluttershy showed real kindness helping the poor creature. A bit of Nightmare Moon's dark magic fused to the trees to form monster faces tried to scare them.
Pinkie Pie (with impromptu song and dance) laughed the scariness away. Then the serpent in the river who cried about some dark shadow that destroyed his mustache but Rarity's generosity had her infuse her tail to the torn part of the mustache to make the serpent happy again. Finally, Rainbow Dash was tempted by some ponies who called themselves the Shadowbolts, but she was more loyal to her friends than some stranger ponies that promised brilliant fame.
The castle was dark and dangerous-looking with its ruined appearance. Of course, it's an old, abandoned castle. Emerald walks in first followed by Twilight and the other girls. His eyes darted around, looking for any signs of danger that lurked in the shadows.
"Do you believe they could be here in this old ancient castle, sis?"
"According to the book back at the library, yes," answers Twilight, "but it is a big place. For all we know the rooms that used to exist may have collapsed due to the passage of time."
Emerald scanned the statues they were passing of old ponies of history or possibly royal family.
"This is spooky right now... it's too quiet," Emerald mutters.
He then holds up a hoof, halting the girls behind him. He glances around before finding a loose stone and pulling at it with his magic, levitates it and then banishes it before him through the hallway they almost walked into. A tentacle of midnight blue magic lashed out from the wall and sliced at the stone, turning it to dust. Horn aglow, he fires bolts of emerald magic at the tentacles that sprouted from the walls and as if burned by sunlight, the tentacles retract into the wall.
"RUN!"
And the girls ran following Emerald as he shot at the slicing tentacles, forcing them to retract away until they reached the Entrance Hall of the ruined castle. The light of the full moon shined through large gaping holes in the ceiling, casting shadows upon pillars of this room.
"So... where do we search first?"
"How about you search the plots of your graves?" a dark voice filters the air before in a cloud of magic, Nightmare Moon appears, shocking the seven ponies.
The six mares stood together, with Emerald standing before them as a shield. As he narrowed his eyes, he felt it: a spark of light. It came from within the dark aura that coated the body of Nightmare Moon. Emerald Lightning always had a type of unknown magic in his blood. He could detect auras this way. From Nightmare Moon, that aura she eluded was ferocious. But now that he got another look, he could see it. Something was smothered under the darkness. It was crying for anypony's help.
"Girls," Emerald spoke up, catching the six mares' attention, "No matter what... stay strong."
"Emerald, what are you doing?"
"Protecting you all," he answers, and he charges forward much to their shock.
"Fool! Don't you learn? I am stronger than you!"
And to prove her point she lashes out with a rope of magic. Emerald dodged once, twice, three times. But he wasn't lucky the fourth time. She was caught and just as fast he's thrown with force right out a window and screaming as he fell.
"BROTHER!" Twilight screams.
Nightmare Moon laughs, and then she unleashes a wave of her magic to knock them all out. A rumble is heard as the entrance caved in, sealing the entrance to the castle.
Outside Emerald fell until he manages to grab hold of a thick root with his mouth. It dragged the root out of the dirt wall for a meter before firmly stopping. He growled. He felt the wave of magic high above. The girls were in trouble. He couldn't let them die. He can't let them get hurt! He uses his magic to pull out digging shoes with cat claws on them and put them on his hooves, securing them in place before slowly climbing back up the hard dirt wall. This slow climb back out of the apparent bottomless pit of fog took Emerald Lightning close to thirty minutes. But he manages to get back to solid ground.
He shakes himself a bit, throwing his head back to thrust the hoodie off. Nightmare's aura was on the upper floors now. He starts to climb the outside castle walls, being careful not to hook onto any loose ledges and fall down to his death. As he climbed, Twilight woke up from her briefly induced knock-out. She was separated by her friends and Emerald was missing after being thrown out the window. She raced up the stairs to open doors leading to a type of throne room. There in the room bathed by moon light was five stone orbs on tony pedestals.
"Stay strong," Twilight says to herself, remembering Emerald's words. "Don't worry... I found the Elements of Harmony, brother..."
She races down the old carpet up to the platform, before being banished away by a powerful magic force and slides up to the closing doors. There stood Nightmare Moon.
"Fool... do you really believe you can stop me? I will never be defeated. The night shall last forever, little one."
"You... you hurt my brother. I'll never forgive you for that, Nightmare."
"... You're kidding," Nightmare Moon said in surprise as the small purple unicorn scraped her hoof along the ground. "You're kidding, right?"
Twilight didn't give a verbal response. Instead she galloped full speed towards the dark alicorn. Nightmare Moon scowls and charged towards the younger pony with her own head dipped. Twilight's horn start to light up with her magic aura, and a flash of light blinds Nightmare Moon just as the two mares would collide (or worse Nightmare Moon likely would impale Twilight with her horn), and Twilight magically teleports behind the evil mare in front of five stone orbs.
"Impossible!" the alicorn cried.
"It worked! Now I just need a spark," Twilight said to herself with a grin, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her horn started to spark with electricity, making Nightmare Moon's eyes widen in horror.
"No... NO!" the alicorn cried out before charging her own spell.
C'mon! Please work! Please! Twilight silently pleaded before a large arc of electricity shot out to the stones. With relief and a smile on her face, Twilight shouted out with joy. She looked at Nightmare Moon victoriously before her eyes widened when said mare was still standing there and charging her spell. The dark alicorn chuckled and gave the smaller pony a smirk.
"I won't let you try that again little mare!" Nightmare Moon taunts with an evil smile. But before her spell could be fired, the evil alicorn was hit by a heavy force from above! It was Emerald Lightning and he slammed his front hooves right into Nightmare Moon's back. The painful jolt and surprise attack has Nightmare Moon fire her spell, missing Twilight by half a foot and it destroys a nearby half-broken window. Immediately Emerald got bucked off her back but he teleported away with a flash of his own magical aura and appears, on all four hooves.
"I won't let you harm my sister!" Emerald threatens, charging up a spell and firing at Nightmare as he gallops into a sprint. The alicorn vanishes in a cloud of stars and warped away. She resolidified, and launches her own spell catching Emerald off guard. The force of the spell sent Emerald flying.
"No!" Twilight cried out when the stallion was sent sliding on his back to the wall. Emerald gasped in pain. The younger mare raced towards him in concern while the alicorn rushed to the stones and with a dark look crushed them beneath her hooves.
Twilight, distraught, fell to her haunches in defeat.
Nightmare Moon chortled victoriously, "You have failed to bring the elements back, little foal! Spectacularly if I do say so myself! Now no one can stop me from making this night last forever!"
A spell caught her off guard again. Emerald, while injured, still was keeping in this fight.
"Don't cast me off just yet you," he growls.
There was a slam against the sealed doors. The voices of the other five mares fill the air.
"Twilight... I'll distract her. Get to the others. I know you can do it Twilight! You haven't failed yet!"
"But Emerald!"
"But nothing, Twi! Go!"
Twilight was very worried but she ran off as Emerald stood up, wincing. One of his ribs was broken.
"You are a brave but foolish little colt," said Nightmare Moon. "I'll torture you first before going after your... sister..."
That angers Emerald. With an angry cry he charges at Nightmare Moon, horn aglow with power.
"Twilight!" Applejack shouts through the doors.
"My brother! He's fighting Nightmare Moon!" she yells back.
Indeed Emerald was firing spell after offensive spell but the mare of the moon was faster than Emerald. Often she would just become intangible just to escape any spells and lash out with her own kicks.
"I won't let you harm my sister, Nightmare Moon!"
"Then I'll end your life first, little colt!" Nightmare Moon hissed, horn glowing a vicious green and purple.
Emerald teleported a short distance away and charges up his own light-based spell and then fires. Nightmare Moon dodged and sneers, firing her spell. A loud scream fills the room. Emerald Lightning was speared by a dark lancing magical attack by the alicorn. The spell vanished but blood trails as Emerald crashes before his sister, seriously injured.
"He was a foolish colt! I have more power than that measly little fool! And now... you will suffer as I had suffered: ALONE!"
Twilight looks to the double doors, thinking back to the mares she met and narrows her eyes. Standing tall, she looked at her downed brother before determinedly staring at the alicorn. "No... I'm not alone! I have my friends!"
Her horn glowed briefly before the doors behind her shattered and revealed the three infuriated mares along with two distraught ones. The remains of the elements lifted up and shot to each of the five ponies behind her.
"The stones never were the Elements of Harmony, because they can't openly show the elements! I now know what really is the Elements of Harmony!"
The stones surrounding the five mares glowed brightly.
"What is this? What are you doing?" Nightmare Moon yells angrily.
"Applejack: Because she didn't lie to me when I nearly fell over the edge of a cliff, she represents the Element of Honesty!" Applejack's shards turned red and form a jeweled necklace that represented her cutie mark.
"Fluttershy: While the rest of us cowered before the angry Manticore, she took the time to help it. She represents the Element of Kindness!" For Fluttershy, her necklace took the form of her butterfly cutie mark.
"Pinkie Pie: We were surrounded by darkness, but she cheered us up and laughed the fear away. She represents the Element of Laughter!" Pinkie Pie's cutie mark represented the element that forms around her neck.
"Rarity: Sacrificing her tail to make a sea serpent feel better about his appearance represents the Element of Generosity!" Rarity's element necklace form was shaped like a diamond, just like her cutie mark.
"And Rainbow Dash: Instead of getting a shortcut to her dream, she chose to help us beat you. She represents the Element of Loyalty!" Rainbow Dash's formed element was shaped like her rainbow-colored bolt cutie mark.
Nightmare Moon hisses at the girls. "But that's only five, fool! You still do not have the sixth element!"
"Not quiet," mutters Emerald, as he stands up. Blood dripped from his mouth and from the wound in his body. "My sister... she revealed the elements with a spark. Not one of electricity, but of magic. She holds the ties that bind her with the five mares that she as well as I encountered. While I bind us all with the Courage that I showed in the face of danger, the TRUE sixth element... is Magic!"
He smiles to the girls, as the sixth element starts to shine brightly around Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle, the student of Princess Celestia, my sister who I love, represents the Element of Magic!"
The magic explodes forming a type of tiara that rests gently on her head. The crystal of the tiara was shaped just like her cutie mark.
"NO! IT CAN'T BE!"
"Nightmare Moon..." Emerald smiles weakly. "This evil you shine in the face of Harmony can never be strong. The light will purify you... releasing the true person you hide in your darkness."
Twilight's eyes shut and the stones flashed a bright white, encasing the room in blinding light. Nightmare Moon gave a final cry of dismay in the sudden explosion of white as Emerald caught a flash of a rainbow-colored energy beam that shot out from the six elements worn by the girls, combined as one racing and bathing over Nightmare Moon.
Emerald Lightning closed his eyes, succumbing to his injuries. Sister dear...
=0=0=0=0=
Emerald opened his eyes. The room was a light eggshell blue and the ceiling was a familiar white of a hospital room. A warm breeze filters through the open windows tugging gently at the parted curtains. His barrel was wrapped in bandages. He no longer felt any pain and assumed his ribs had been magically mended and now left to heal naturally. He was now in a hospital gown and his cosplay outfit was folded neatly on a nearby table.
He gazes to his right, and a smile came to his face. Twilight was asleep next to him in a chair.
"Sis... Wake up," he whispers to her ear.
Twilight moans, before opening her eyes. Seeing the smile of her brother fully woke her up.
"Emerald! You're awake!"
"I see sunlight... so that means we managed to defeat Nightmare Moon."
"You almost died," said Twilight in a whisper.
"... I protected you... you revealed the elements. Besides... I knew you and OUR friends could do it."
That brought a smile from his sister.
"OUR friends?"
Emerald chuckles.
"So Princess Celestia was right that we needed friends... well... outside anime and video game social websites."
"I am very glad to hear that, my precious Emerald," spoke a charming voice. Princess Celestia entered the room with a warm smile on her face.
"Princess! You're safe!" Emerald shouted, happy to see his teacher again.
Her laugh was certainly a welcome for the green-eyed stallion.
"You showed brave courage despite the threatening force to your life. Because of you, the Elements of Harmony have been discovered. Nightmare Moon is no more."
"So... the small spark of light smothered by the darkness..."
She smiles, and moves out of the way to reveal a smaller alicorn with a dark blue coat and a twinkling star-like mane. Celestia looks to her sister Luna.
"Remember Luna, inside voice. This is a hospital after all," she reminds the mare.
Princess Luna formerly stares at Emerald with her cool gaze. "Emerald Lightning, I wish to apologize for the actions my darkness had inflicted upon you."
"Princess Luna... even against that dark force, I could feel a light. I could feel you when we entered that old castle in the forest... crying for help... I am glad that the darkness has been purified and you are no longer plagued by Nightmare Moon's aura."
"I am also glad. It has been a thousand years... but my dear elder sister still desires me. I... I am glad she still loves me after all this time." A few tears escaped Luna's eyes.
Emerald magicked a nearby tissue from a tissue box and gently wiped the tears from Luna's eyes.
Twilight smiles fondly.
"Courage can be helpful when facing adversity, indeed. But prideful courage could be the downfall of the foolish," Princess Celestia calmly informs Emerald.
"I know, Princess Celestia. I am just glad you have your sister back at your side again... my sister is fine, and our friends are okay." He looks around. "So... where are our new friends?"
"SURPRISE!" shouts Pinkie Pie, firing off a party popper spraying colorful streamers.
Emerald laughs as Pinkie Pie hugs the green-eyed stallion. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy trot into the room, Spike bringing up the rear.
Twilight laughs with humor in her eyes. "Friends: It's truly something to be cherished."
"I agree, sis," he answers.
Three days later Emerald Lightning was released from the hospital, and Twilight informed her brother that Princess Celestia had given them the task of staying in Ponyville with their new friends, and study upon the magic of friendship. Emerald was glad; he would have hated leaving behind their new friends. They were given room at the Golden Oak Library, their new residence.
This was a new chapter in their lives.
Now... if only a strange-looking phoenix wasn't flying currently towards Ponyville holding a wax-sealed envelope that had the crest of a shield with a badger, lion, raven and snake on it, addressed to somepony named Harry Potter. In another world, a world that is inhabited by creatures called humans, an old man with a very long white beard and wearing very colorful robes with half-spectacle glasses sits behind a desk. He was glancing down at a silver instrument that was monitoring his phoenix, Fawkes.
For years the disappearance of Harry Potter was a mystery, and not the many current uses of location spells and runes could not find the boy. But when it came to delivering the letters for first-year students that would attend Hogwarts, Harry's was written out but the address was an absolute mystery. Equestria? What was Harry doing in South Africa?
If only the old man really knew... the Boy Who Lived was in another world entirely...
And that's it. I wanted something to write and I did.
Sheesh... I have been slow on writing as of late. Life is getting in the way with painful kicks to my butt. It was hard not to turn this into an Emerald Lightning (Harry Potter)/Twilight Sparkle shipping... of course it seems to imply this.
Maybe I'll write more in the future. For now... I'm done. :P